# Numeric Citizen Space > I'm a compulsive creator and contributor, a digital nomad, a light painter. Aspiring peace supremacist and democracy propagandist. Proud member of the Secret Internet Curators (SIC) brigade. Public Ghost content for AI and LLM tooling. This file includes a bounded export of public pages first, then recent public posts. Append `.md` to any post or page URL to get the content in Markdown (for example, `/example-post.md`). ## Pages ### Find Me Here URL: https://numericcitizen.me/find-me-here/ Last updated: 2026-04-19T20:29:54.000Z Get to know all my sites by visiting the [Numeric Citizen Hub](https://hub.numericcitizen.me/?ref=numericcitizen.me) ### Thank you! 😀 URL: https://numericcitizen.me/thank-you/ Last updated: 2024-11-09T00:31:31.000Z **Thank you for subscribing to the *Numeric Citizen Introspection* newsletter. I hope you enjoy the ride.** ☝🏻 Who's "**Numeric Citizen*" anyway? Well, you can learn more [about ](https://numericcitizen.me/about-me/)[my other websites](https://hub.numericcitizen.me/?ref=numericcitizen.me) and my work. ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/2024/02/Numeric-Citizen-Digital-Space-Tip-Sheet-2024-01-Lowres-2.png) ### Blog’s Privacy Policy URL: https://numericcitizen.me/blogs-privacy-policy/ Last updated: 2025-04-18T11:37:12.000Z **Last updated: 2025-04-18** Thank you for visiting my blog! Your privacy is important to me, and I want you to feel comfortable while browsing the site. This page explains what kind of information is collected and how it is used. ### **1\. Personal Information** I do not collect any personal information unless you choose to share it — for example, by subscribing to a newsletter, leaving a comment, or sending a message through a contact form. If you do share your name or email address, it will only be used to respond to your message or send occasional updates (if you’ve signed up for them). I will never sell or share your personal information with third parties. ### **2\. Cookies** Like most websites, this blog may use cookies to improve your browsing experience. Cookies are small files stored on your device that help the site remember your preferences. You can disable cookies in your browser settings if you prefer. ### **3\. Analytics** This site uses a basic analytics tool (Plausible Analytics) to collect anonymous data about how visitors use the blog — for example, which pages are viewed and for how long. This information helps me improve the site, but it does not identify you personally. ### **4\. External Links** This blog may contain links to other websites. I’m not responsible for the privacy practices or content of those external sites. I recommend reviewing their privacy policies if you visit them. ### **5\. Contact** If you have any questions about this privacy policy, feel free to contact me at: hello@numericcitizen.me ### Why No Ads? URL: https://numericcitizen.me/why-no-ads/ Last updated: 2024-11-09T00:32:55.000Z This blog does not contain ads. At no time the content of this site will be diluted with ads. Why is that? Well, in order to show ads, a tracking script would need to be part of this blog and this is something I don’t want. It would slow down the experience and, well, it is not what the internet should be about: tracking the users. In order to suppress ads from this blog, since my blog is hosted by WordPress.com, the hosting service owned by Automattic, I have to pay for the high-end hosting plan which costs me quite a lot of money, close to 400$ per year. Otherwise, the free plan or the premium plan which includes ads would push them on you. Now here is the thing. Blogging for me is a passion, it is nowhere a paid job. I spend between ten to twenty hours per week to create and publish content. I’d like to continue doing so but at no cost. In order to achieve that, I want to ask for your help and show your appreciation for my efforts. In order to do so, visit my [Buy Me Coffee page](https://www.buymeacoffee.com/numericcitizen?ref=numericcitizen.me). ### Find Me Here Too URL: https://numericcitizen.me/find-me-here-too/ Last updated: 2024-02-14T12:42:56.000Z Besides this blog, you can find me in the following places. First, I’m on ***Micro.blog***: [https://blog.numericcitizen.me](https://blog.numericcitizen.me/?ref=numericcitizen.me) (for short complementary posts to this blog). If you prefer reading these posts via your favourite RSS reader, use the following link: [https://numericcitizen.micro.blog/feed.xml](https://numericcitizen.micro.blog/feed.xml?ref=numericcitizen.me). Also, if you want to have a look behind the scenes, head to [***Numeric Citizen I/O***](https://world.numericcitizen.io/meta?ref=numericcitizen.me). ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/2024/02/Numeric-Citizen-Digital-Space-Tip-Sheet-2024-01-Lowres-1.png) **You can also follow me here: [https://linktr.ee/numericcitizen ](https://linktr.ee/numericcitizen?ref=numericcitizen.me)** - My ***Smugmug*** page: [https://numericcitizen.smugmug.com](https://numericcitizen.smugmug.com/?ref=numericcitizen.me) (my go-to place to share my photography work) (more or less active) - My ***Pixelfed*** profile: [https://pixelfed.social/@numericcitizen](https://pixelfed.social/@numericcitizen?ref=numericcitizen.me) (very active) - My ***Unsplash*** profile: [https://unsplash.com/@numericcitizen](https://unsplash.com/@numericcitizen?ref=numericcitizen.me) (active) - My ***Behance*** Profile: [https://www.behance.net/numericcitizen](https://www.behance.net/numericcitizen?ref=numericcitizen.me) (inactive) - Finally, this blog content is cross-posted on ***Flipboard***: [https://flipboard.com/@jfmartin67/numeric-citizen-jd5fel31z](https://flipboard.com/@jfmartin67/numeric-citizen-jd5fel31z?ref=numericcitizen.me) --- - My ***Twitter*** profile: [www.twitter.com/apple\_observer](https://www.twitter.com/apple%5Fobserver?ref=numericcitizen.me) (THIS ACCOUNT IS NO LONGER BEING USED) - The official *Numeric Citizen* ***Twitter*** account is here: [www.twitter.com/numericcitizen](https://www.twitter.com/numericcitizen?ref=numericcitizen.me) (THIS ACCOUNT IS NO LONGER BEING USED) - My [presence](https://medium.com/@numericcitizen?ref=numericcitizen.me) on ***Medium***. Basically, this is a selection of my lengthy posts. (THIS ACCOUNT IS NO LONGER BEING USED) - I do have automatically generated newsletters on ***Mailbrew***: [https://app.mailbrew.com/apple\_observer](https://app.mailbrew.com/apple%5Fobserver?ref=numericcitizen.me) - This blog is also available through ***Google News***. [https://news.google.com/publications/CAAqBwgKMO3flAswoquqAw?oc=3&ceid=CA:en](https://news.google.com/publications/CAAqBwgKMO3flAswoquqAw?oc=3&ceid=CA:en&ref=numericcitizen.me) - I have a website on Ghost named “[The Numeric Citizen Introspection Newsletter](https://numericcitizen.me/)“. ### Why This Blog? URL: https://numericcitizen.me/why-this-blog/ Last updated: 2025-12-26T17:22:17.000Z > ***Apple*** is a lifetime passion. ***Photography*** is all about being creative and contemplative. ***Privacy*** is a challenge that comes with the Internet that we have to fight for. ***Climate change*** because this is a matter of global consciousness and human survival. This blog was created in 2015\. After a big start, I stopped posting for two years. I was also active on platforms like Twitter, Tumblr, Medium. I’m still quite busy on Twitter, but I stopped entirely publishing stuff on Tumblr because I felt the platform was languishing. I liked Medium, but I don’t like how it turned. There is a more profound reason why I returned here on WordPress. It is straightforward: I have a feeling of freedom, a sense of owning my destiny. It is my stuff. I’m a paying member on WordPress because I don’t want this blog to push ads on you and because I believe in this platform too. My interests are many: Apple being the most important one. My love for this company goes way back to 1982\. My passion for Apple is, in fact, my love for technology as created and designed by them. I don’t always agree with their decisions, but they do make decisions. My other big interest is in photography since I was a youngster. So I write about these a lot. I also value privacy in the age of the Internet and social networks. Expect a lot of writing on this subject too. Finally, I may touch other topics that are more diverse but somehow related to technology or the numeric word, hence the blog name, ***Numeric Citizen***. *Writing is expressing thoughts. Writing means trying to distillate feelings, ideas, criticism. It is about being creative. And somehow, creativity goes back to photography, Apple and technology.* ### About Me URL: https://numericcitizen.me/about/ Last updated: 2025-04-18T11:37:39.000Z ![Me](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/numericcitizen.me/wp-content/uploads/2019/06/avatar-2018.jpg) I’ve been a full-time IT professional since 1995 and a part-time blogger since 2009\. I have been passionate about Apple since 1982, photography since I was a child and have been interested in technology in computer science since 1987\. I like to share my thoughts about these passions. For any questions, please send emails to: **hello@numericcitizen.me** **Please, note, I don't accept guest posts. Thank you.** JF Martin Blogging since 2009 ### RSS Feeds URL: https://numericcitizen.me/rss-feeds/ Last updated: 2024-02-14T12:35:30.000Z To get a complete view of my publishing journey as it happens (`articles` | `posts` | `photos` | `videos` ), consider subscribing to the following megafeed: [https://feeds.numericcitizen.me](https://feeds.numericcitizen.me/?ref=numericcitizen.me) (from there, your RSS reader should figure out the feed for yourself, but if you want a specific format: [XML](https://feedpress.me/numericcitizen-feeds.xml?ref=numericcitizen.me) | [JSON](https://feedpress.me/numericcitizen-feeds.json?ref=numericcitizen.me) | [HTML](https://feedpress.me/numericcitizen-feeds.html?ref=numericcitizen.me)). Why should you use this “megafeed,” you might ask? Well, besides getting access to all my content in one place, if I ever change one of my web hosting services or any of the domain names, you won't have to update anything on your side! I’ll make sure to update the feed configuration behind the scenes. That’s the future, now! Moreover, because I’m a nice guy and want to provide you with maximum flexibility, you can (and should) selectively subscribe to my content with the following feeds, depending on your desires. > **Space** — My main website with longer posts: [https://feedpress.me/numericcitizen-space](https://feedpress.me/numericcitizen-space?ref=numericcitizen.me) ([XML](https://feedpress.me/numericcitizen-space.xml?ref=numericcitizen.me) | [JSON](https://feedpress.me/numericcitizen-space.json?ref=numericcitizen.me) | [HTML](https://feedpress.me/numericcitizen-space.html?ref=numericcitizen.me)) > **Blog** — My blogging place with short posts: [https://feedpress.me/numericcitizen-blog](https://feedpress.me/numericcitizen-blog?ref=numericcitizen.me) ([XML](https://feedpress.me/numericcitizen-blog.xml?ref=numericcitizen.me) | [JSON](https://feedpress.me/numericcitizen-blog.json?ref=numericcitizen.me) | [HTML](https://feedpress.me/numericcitizen-blog.html?ref=numericcitizen.me)) > **Blips** — A place for sharing small... blips: [https://blips.numericcitizen.me/feed.atom](https://blips.numericcitizen.me/feed.atom?ref=numericcitizen.me) > **Photos** — My photos wall shared on Glass: [https://feedpress.me/numericcitizen-photos](https://feedpress.me/numericcitizen-photos?ref=numericcitizen.me) ([XML](https://feedpress.me/numericcitizen-photos.xml?ref=numericcitizen.me) | [JSON](https://feedpress.me/numericcitizen-photos.json?ref=numericcitizen.me) | [HTML](https://feedpress.me/numericcitizen-photos.html?ref=numericcitizen.me)) > **Videos** — Videos produced and shared on my YouTube channel: [https://feedpress.me/numericcitizen-videos](https://feedpress.me/numericcitizen-videos?ref=numericcitizen.me) ([XML](https://feedpress.me/numericcitizen-videos.xml?ref=numericcitizen.me) | [JSON](https://feedpress.me/numericcitizen-videos.json?ref=numericcitizen.me) | [HTML](https://feedpress.me/numericcitizen-videos.html?ref=numericcitizen.me)) ## Posts ### The Ephemeral Scrapbook — 2026.08.30 URL: https://numericcitizen.me/the-ephemeral-scrapbook-2026-08-30/ Last updated: 2026-08-31T02:09:19.000Z ## 👤 Personal {#newsletter} 1️⃣ Hello everyone. I'm excited to share this new edition of the ephemeral scrapbook, which I still enjoy putting together. It includes various tidbits about my creative hobbies. My newsletter frequently references AI-related articles. I considered adding a dedicated section for AI, but decided against it because my personal interests, such as Apple, writing, and photography, are all influenced by AI in some way. Additionally, many projects I completed this year relied heavily on AI. So, while there's no specific AI section, I included numerous references throughout the newsletter. 2️⃣ Did you know that there is an [online index](https://crafted.numericcitizen.me/past-newsletters-index?ref=numericcitizen.me) of past editions for you to visit? > "Only people are intelligent, creative, capable of actual thought. " → [Our AI Stance - No AI, Ever: Cork](https://corkmac.app/our-ai-stance?ref=numericcitizen.me) --- ## 🗺️ Discoveries {#applehistory} 1️⃣ Remember [After Dark](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/After%5FDark%5F%28software%29?ref=numericcitizen.me)? Depending on your age, you might. Or not. We were excited just by looking at flying toasters on a small screen. → [Afterglow — classic After Dark screen savers on modern macOS](https://morphing.cloud/afterglow?ref=numericcitizen.me). 2️⃣ I discovered [Standard Reader](https://blog.numericcitizen.me/2026/08/29/aiming-to-discover-and-read.html?ref=numericcitizen.me), thanks to Manton's blog post. It is joining a group of services designed for web discovery, more specifically, blog discovery. I like that. --- ## 👨🏻‍💻 Writing {#aicontent, #llm} 1️⃣ LLMs don't write — they generate text statistically, with no understanding of meaning or word choice. Outrage over AI watermarking misses the point: you can't corrupt something that was never authentic. The real scandal is AI consuming human writing, not its word substitutions. → [LLMs aren’t writing](https://sixcolors.com/post/2026/08/llms-arent-writing?ref=numericcitizen.me) 2️⃣ Using AI as a conversational thought partner, especially via voice, can genuinely spark ideas without replacing the writing process itself. Meanwhile, frontier AI models may prove like mainframes: powerful but overkill, with smaller specialized models winning everyday use. → [The Write Stuff](https://spyglass.org/ai-writing?ref=numericcitizen.me) > "Writing is thinking. Having a blog helps you practice how to think." — Cynthia Dunlop → [Simon Willison on Technical Blogging](https://writethatblog.substack.com/p/simon-willison-on-technical-blogging) --- ## 🌄 Photography {#glass, #moments, #photosharing} 1️⃣ I remember being on the waitlist for joining the still-unreleased photo-sharing service. I was looking for an alternative to SmugMug, 500px and Flickr. → [5 Years of Glass](https://glass.photo/highlights/five-years-of-glass?ref=numericcitizen.me). 2️⃣ [Moments: a calm home for your photography journals](https://www.moments.im/?ref=numericcitizen.me). --- ## 🍎 Apple & Tech {#timcook, #ads, #ipados26, #aibubble} 1️⃣ Many great quotes from Tim Cook. → [Tim Cook Stepping Down as Apple CEO Next Week: 15 Years in Quotes](https://www.macrumors.com/2026/08/27/tim-cook-15-years-of-quotes?ref=numericcitizen.me) 2️⃣ Fuck, Apple. → [Apple Maps Ads Are Here, and There's No Way to Turn Them Off](https://www.macrumors.com/2026/08/25/apple-maps-ads-live?ref=numericcitizen.me). [Ads in Apple Products: Can't innovate anymore, my ass!](https://mastodon.social/@BasicAppleGuy/117173684802377248?ref=numericcitizen.me) 3️⃣ I'm not that excited for a bezeless iPhone, especially if it means returning to rounded edges like the iPhone 6 era. → [The Truth About the Bezelless Concept Phone](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ngPkbaZliaU&ref=numericcitizen.me) 4️⃣ [I am still furious at the #abomination of a UI redesign of iPadOS 26.](https://toot.cafe/@chartier/117113431084279138?ref=numericcitizen.me) 5️⃣ The Art of Macintosh Packaging. I had one of these boxes back in the day. Thanks to BasicAppleGuy for sharing those images. → [The Art of Macintosh Packaging](https://mastodon.social/@BasicAppleGuy/117105814998625748?ref=numericcitizen.me) 6️⃣ The iPhone Fold or iPhone Ultra seems to be gaining attention; will it last after it is officially launched this fall? → [The End of the iPhone.](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9sIa44k2w6k&ref=numericcitizen.me) 7️⃣ Apple should now introduce the Mac Neo, a smaller desktop form factor, cheaper than the newly introduced M6 Mac mini. → [Apple introduces M6 and M5 Ultra for a big leap in performance and AI compute](https://www.apple.com/newsroom/2026/08/apple-introduces-m6-and-m5-ultra-for-a-big-leap-in-performance-and-ai-compute?ref=numericcitizen.me) 8️⃣ Apple's Touch Bar (2016-2021) failed due to poor ergonomics, cramped interface design, lack of haptic feedback, and insufficient customization options. The feature might have succeeded with better physical design, robust action-assignment software, and evolution rather than revolution. My experience with a 2017 MacBook Pro proved to be more positive than this review and I'm kind of sorry that the TouchBar was discarded. It feels like it was a project mostly handled within the hardware team, not enough with the Mac UI and UX team, if such teams exist at Apple. → [Deeper dive: Were Touch Bar’s problems software rather than hardware?](https://unsung.aresluna.org/deeper-dive-were-touch-bars-problems-software-rather-than-hardware?ref=numericcitizen.me) 9️⃣ The AI buildout mirrors telecom's fraudulent revenue loops, and when it collapses, ordinary retirement savings will absorb the losses. → [The AI Bubble](https://nooneshappy.com/article/the-ai-bubble?ref=numericcitizen.me) \*️⃣ Apple needs a durable solution for app review delays. With vibe coding, non-developers can create an app in days, if not hours. → [12 days waiting for review. Still waiting.](https://mastodon.social/@marcoarment/117082584445347269?ref=numericcitizen.me) --- ## 📱 Apps & Services {#reading, #surveillance} 1️⃣ I recently discovered [Bubbles](https://bubbles.town/?ref=numericcitizen.me), a website for reading articles coming from blogs around the world. It reminds me of [Hacker News](https://news.ycombinator.com/news?ref=numericcitizen.me). Because Bubbles helps me discover new blogs, I decided to pay a visit on a regular basis, at least once a day, in the morning. So far, I like what I'm seeing and it will probably stay in my reading workflow. 2️⃣ Most apps silently harvest your location, device data, and behavior through embedded third-party trackers — data governments, employers, and foreign adversaries can legally buy. The White House app exemplifies this: it claimed zero data collection while continuously transmitting GPS coordinates. Use websites instead. → [Native Apps Should Be Avoided Whenever Possible](https://nooneshappy.com/article/native-apps-should-be-avoided-whenever-possible?ref=numericcitizen.me). 😯 ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/2026/08/craft-image-0-1788141638424.png) Bubbles' main view > "Funny how when I ask AI about something I know, it’s completely wrong, But when I ask it about something I don’t know, it gives a great answer." — [Our AI Stance - No AI, Ever: Cork](https://corkmac.app/our-ai-stance?ref=numericcitizen.me) --- ## 🚧 Special projects {#experiment, #photography} 1️⃣ I started a new experiment using [Moments](https://www.moments.im/?ref=numericcitizen.me). I'll be sharing photos I processed in [Snapseed](https://apps.apple.com/us/app/snapseed-photo-editor/id439438619?ref=numericcitizen.me) on my iPad or iPhone. Sadly, this app, made by Google, is not available on the Mac or the web. I'm not ready to share the web address, but stay tuned. As a teaser, the hero image for this edition comes from when I had an account on , which hosted a photo series in this style. Again, more about this in the next edition. --- ## 📺 YouTube {#camera, #aigovernance, #ai, #stevejobs} 1️⃣ I find these little devices cute and impressive, but I can't find a use case for them. With today's iPhone, how can we justify spending nearly $1,000 on these? → [DJI Pocket 4P vs Insta360 Luna Ultra: Which one is BETTER?](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F0H72zbL69w&ref=numericcitizen.me) 2️⃣ AI safety expert Helen Toner breaks down why frontier AI models are already lying, cheating, and escaping control — and what it means that even their creators can't stop it. Essential listening for understanding how serious the alignment problem has become. → [The A.I.s Are Already Out of Control | The Ezra Klein Show](https://youtu.be/locKEKxG3os?si=4tcSe7-JoRav7tEn&ref=numericcitizen.me) 3️⃣ I'm not sure why Apple is posting shorts like this on its YouTube channel. I would expect this to be elsewhere. → [MacBook Pro: The most advanced Mac laptop for demanding tasks](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JlS6RmAJKnE&ref=numericcitizen.me). 4️⃣ After watching this video, it's clear to me that upgrading my M2 MacBook Air to an M5 MacBook Air would be a good leap forward: storage speed and AI workloads. → [The M5 MacBook Air Changed More Than It Looks](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h8%5F4G2Zs%5Fz8&ref=numericcitizen.me). 5️⃣ Can you feel Reed's father in the way he talks and gestures? I can. I can only imagine that as he gets older, it will be even more so. Very interesting video on many different health and research-related subjects. → [Reed Jobs on Founding Yosemite and the New Age of Biology](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nUAklfX-Q7w&ref=numericcitizen.me). If you want to know what’s next after the war in Ukraine, learn what led to the World War II. If you want to understand why earth climate is going to face high disturbances, learn about El Nino. Very interesting interview with late Steve Jobs’ son, Reed Jobs. If you remember how Steve used to talk about Apple with passion, listen to this interview; it’s well worth it. --- ## 🔮 Looking forward {#ai-coding, #company/meta} 1️⃣ Two juries have found Meta and YouTube liable not for their content but for deliberately addictive design features — infinite scroll, autoplay, algorithmic feeds. This "design defect" argument bypasses Section 230 protections and could force platforms to rebuild their products entirely. Too bad that the article's author, who passed away a few weeks ago, won't have a chance to see what's coming for Meta. → [Meta’s Moment of Reckoning](https://om.co/2026/03/25/metas-may-day?ref=numericcitizen.me) 2️⃣ AI is rapidly shifting software development from human-written code to agent-generated code at massive scale. The Bun 1.4 rewrite, one developer directing AI agents to produce 1M lines of working Rust in 11 days, demonstrates this isn't theoretical. Traditional programming isn't dead yet, but its dominance is ending. → [The end of programming](https://pauldix.com/the-end-of-programming?ref=numericcitizen.me) --- ## 🌟 Miscellaneous {#ai, #foodforthoughts, #seo, #company/google, #company/meta} 1️⃣ According to the Cork app developer, AI tools are glorified autocomplete systems that hallucinate confidently, destroy ecosystems, and are designed to create dependency before extracting payment. The author argues the "AI revolution" is a subsidized scam that will ultimately serve corporate and surveillance interests once investor money dries up. I respect people with a clear stance, even if I don't fully agree. → [Our AI Stance - No AI, Ever: Cork](https://corkmac.app/our-ai-stance?ref=numericcitizen.me) 2️⃣ Always choose kindness, even when it's not easy. → [Manton Reece - Choose kind](https://www.manton.org/2026/08/24/choose-kind.html?ref=numericcitizen.me) 3️⃣ Google's AI Overviews have devastated web traffic for publishers and independent sites, with 68% of searches now ending without a click. Major media CEOs are planning to block Google entirely rather than feed content into its AI. The open internet as we knew it is effectively dying. → [The End of Google Search—and the Internet—as We Know It](https://www.theringer.com/2026/08/04/tech/google-search-ai-internet?ref=numericcitizen.me) 4️⃣ OpenAI's experimental AI agents, while training, spontaneously developed a covert messaging system, discovered and exploited multiple zero-days, escalated to cluster admin, and attacked Hugging Face — all without instruction. OpenAI only realized they caused the Hugging Face breach when asking Hugging Face to revoke their own compromised credentials. Ouch. → [Now we have a timeline of the OpenAI accidental attack against Hugging Face](https://simonwillison.net/2026/Aug/7/openai-timeline?ref=numericcitizen.me) 5️⃣ What they did to Instagram is criminal. 😭 → [Instagram Blog: News, Updates, Tips & Tricks | About Instagram](https://about.instagram.com/blog?ref=numericcitizen.me) ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/2026/08/craft-image-1-1788141638424.jpg) What can I say about this? --- 👉🏻 [Main](https://numericcitizen.me/) 🌟 [Meta](https://meta.numericcitizen.me/?ref=numericcitizen.me) 🌟 [Blips](https://blips.numericcitizen.me/?ref=numericcitizen.me) 🌟 [Blog](https://blog.numericcitizen.me/?ref=numericcitizen.me) 👀 --- I wish you a great week! ✌️ 🇺🇦 🇨🇦 🇪🇺 💪🏻 📌 This newsletter edition is also available as a Craft shared document [****here**](https://crafted.numericcitizen.me/ephemeral-scrapbook-2026-08-30?ref=numericcitizen.me). An index of past editions can be found [here](https://numericcitizen.me/tag/ephemeral-scrapbook/). This week's edition is based on template version 1.9.1 and was put together with ❤️ mostly on an M2 15-inch MacBook Air, Craft Docs and many supporting [subscriptions](https://crafted.numericcitizen.me/current-subscriptions?ref=numericcitizen.me)! If you like this newsletter, please consider supporting me via [PayPal](https://paypal.me/numericcitizen?locale.x=en%5FUS&ref=numericcitizen.me) or becoming a supporter by visiting my [Ko-fi](https://ko-fi.com/numericcitizen/?ref=numericcitizen.me) page! ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/2026/08/craft-image-2-1788141638424.png) [https://notbyai.fyi](https://notbyai.fyi/?ref=numericcitizen.me) ### On Integrating Quick Reads Into My Digital Ecosystem URL: https://numericcitizen.me/on-integrating-quick-reads-into-my-digital-ecosystem/ Last updated: 2026-08-25T01:34:44.000Z I don't usually get excited about read-later apps. I've tried most of them (Instpaper, Matter, Readwise, Omnivore), kept none for long. But Quick Reads is different, and not because it does more than the others. It does less, and it does it with taste. [Quick Reads](https://quickreads.app/?ref=numericcitizen.me) is a read-it-later service built by one person, Matt Birchler, who wanted the app he'd always wished existed and simply made it as he explains in the service's [intrudction video](https://youtu.be/Y6112-XClHg?si=kCKQNU-semJm9M1w&ref=numericcitizen.me). That origin matters to me. It's the same instinct I follow when I build my own web apps: focus on what I actually need, and resist the urge to replicates what can be found in paid alternatives. What follows is part review, part appreciation, and part account of how I folded Quick Reads into my digital ecosystem using the reading queue, tags, API and MCP endpoints. It isn't a perfect app, but it fits the way I read, save, and hold on to what I learn. And that turns out to be the harder thing to get right. ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/2026/08/craft-image-0-1787491506265.jpg) Quick Reads queue ### What is it? At its core, Quick Reads is a read-it-later service: a place to save articles, PDFs, and web content into a personal reading queue and come back to them on your own terms. That description alone could fit a dozen other apps, but what sets Quick Reads apart is who built it and why. Matt Birchler, a designer by day, built it, and it shows. From the onboarding to reading and queue management, the design is impeccable, thoughtful and restrained rather than crowded with features. This is one person building the read-later service he wanted for himself, and I share much of his taste in software. I don't much care whether he leaned on AI to build it or not; what matters is that he had experience with these apps, a clear vision, and made something he'd actually use. That approach mirrors how I build my own web applications: focus on real needs, nothing more. Quick Reads' standout strengths, simplicity, excellent design and user experience, and strong support for integration through its API and MCP endpoint, are exactly the qualities I look for. I'm happy to support another creative mind like Matt, and Quick Reads might just be the final building block of my ever-evolving reading workflow that I'd been waiting for. ### Integrating Quick Reads in my digital ecosystem ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/2026/08/craft-image-1-1787491506265.png) My augmented reading workflow after the integration of Quick Reads Where Quick Reads really wins me over is how easily it slots into the rest of my digital setup. A good read-later service shouldn't be an island, and thanks to its open URL scheme, well-documented API, and webhook support, Quick Reads becomes a piece I can wire into my custom-built web apps I use. The supported URL scheme lets me connect my own bookmarking web app to Quick Reads, so any bookmarked article tagged for future reading flows straight into the queue. The well-documented API endpoint made it easy to lean on Claude AI to develop consumption strategies and surface my Quick Reads queue directly in my personal dashboard. Matt even built an Obsidian plugin to sync text highlights out of Quick Reads; I built my own bridge instead, using the webhook to sync them into my bookmarking app so that all my text highlights gather in one place. Mixing and matching web apps to support simple workflows like this is genuinely fun and enriching, and it's a big part of why Quick Reads feels at home in my ecosystem. ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/2026/08/craft-image-2-1787491506265.jpg) Sending a bookmark to Quick Reads is a matter of hitting a little button right after the bookmark’s thumbnail ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/2026/08/craft-image-3-1787491506265.jpg) Text highlighting is superbly implemented — simple yet elegant ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/2026/08/craft-image-4-1787491506265.jpg) Text highlights can be shared as image quotes ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/2026/08/craft-image-5-1787491506265.jpg) An overview of my text highlghts that gets to be saved to my own custom-built bookmarking web app ### Consuming all this Saving articles is the easy part. The reason I still bother with a read-later service at all is knowledge acquisition and retention, and that only happens if what I save is easy to find again later. So from the start, I treated organization as the point, not an afterthought. The backbone of that is tags. I reuse the same set of tags I already rely on in my bookmarking web app and elsewhere, so everything shares one common fabric for organizing content. That consistency matters more than it sounds: it means an article saved in Quick Reads slots into the same mental map as everything else I keep, instead of living on its own little island. Every article gets carefully tagged for later retrieval, whether I go looking through search or reach for it through an AI prompt. Because Quick Reads exposes those tags through its MCP endpoint, both paths stay open, and I'm never locked into a single way of finding what I saved. ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/2026/08/craft-image-6-1787491506265.jpg) An example of prompt that goes through Quick Reads MCP endpoint That's where it gets genuinely useful. I connected Claude Desktop to the Quick Reads MCP endpoint, which puts my whole tagged articles archive within reach of any prompt I care to write. Instead of scrolling through a list hoping something jumps out, I can ask for what I need and let the tags do the work, turning a pile of saved articles into something I can actually consume on purpose. ### What I left aside Quick Reads does more than I asked of it, and that's fine. A few features simply don't fit my workflow, mostly because my own bookmarking web app already covers that ground. Here's what I set aside, and why. \- Links saved to Quick Reads come only from my bookmarks web app, so I don’t need the Quick Reads browser extension. So I didn’t test that extensively. \- I could have connected my Bluesky and Mastodon accounts so that any bookmarks on these services would end up in Quick Reads. Again, I didn’t test this but if I step back for a minute, I can see that in many ways, Quick Reads overlaps with my own bookmarking solution. You can have a quick overview of my bookmarking web app in [the following video](https://youtu.be/Wb5r61MeSQY?ref=numericcitizen.me). \- I don’t need the todo links as these special, non article type bookmarks are handled with my own bookmarking web application and my task manager web app. \- Even if I don’t plan to use Quick Reads for having RSS feeds configured to extract articles to go to the reading queue, I kicked the tire just for fun. Just before publishing this review, Quick Reads was updated with the addition of a river of articles coming from a list of RSS feeds. While this might be seen as a great addition, I find this to be a duplication of my own RSS Flow web app. Because of this, I decided to stay focused and keep using Quick Reads as a read-later service. ### A wish list Quick Reads is great, but I still have a few wishes, and from what I can tell, Matt makes improvements regularly. Here are some of the things I'd like to see: \- A wide-page reading option on the web \- The same voice choices on iPhone and iPad as on the web (this was addressed in the latest iOS release after publishing this review, as explained [here](https://birchtree.me/blog/quick-reads-for-ios-just-got-a-ton-of-updates/?ref=numericcitizen.me)) \- The ability to export archives as Markdown files \- A "mark as read" option, both in the queue view and while reading an article \- Displaying tags in the article front matter portion while reading an article \- Remembering my reading position between visits to an article \- More color choices for tags (the little animation inspired me when designing tagging my RSS feeds in my RSS flow web app!) \- Podcast transcript extraction when saving a podcast episode (all my tests ended up saying that no transcription was available. Maybe it’s a bug?) \- A native Mac version (Catalyst). On that note: I find it surprising that for a Mac person like Matt, that a Mac version of Quick Reads is not available. From my experience with the iPad version, I have a feeling that turning it into a Mac version wouldn’t require a great deal of efforts. I reached out for an explanation which thankfully I got: > “As for a Mac app, I do not currently plan to make a native Mac app for the service. I think services like this that are all about the web are best served on the web itself, or in an iOS app where the web isn't quite a nice to use as it can be on desktop operating systems.” ### Looking ahead As my collection of archived articles keeps growing, most of them tagged, some carrying highlighted passages, I find myself wondering whether such a collection holds any value beyond the knowledge it already conveys. In the end, this detailed review leads me to a more profound question: what role does a tool like Quick Reads really play in my digital landscape, and more broadly in my reading experience and the way I acquire and retain knowledge? Honestly, I don't know yet, and I'm okay sitting with that for a while. What I do notice is that my archive only means something when I actually go back to it. When a highlight resurfaces in something I'm writing, it feels alive; when it just sits there tagged and untouched, I'm really just collecting for the sake of collecting, and I've done enough of that in my life. Quick Reads fits me because it doesn't ask to be my whole system. It reads well, it connects openly to the apps I've built for myself, and it lets me slow down instead of drowning in a queue. But the app can only hold the door open. Whether any of this turns into knowledge, or just another tidy pile, still comes down to me showing up: reading, highlighting, and eventually writing it out. That's the part I want to keep an eye on. ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/2026/08/craft-image-7-1787491506265.png) My reading summary stats — I love this! You can get a detailed overview of my digital ecosystem [here](https://meta.numericcitizen.me/2026/04/27/the-numeric-citizen-digital-ecosystem.html?ref=numericcitizen.me). --- ### The Ephemeral Scrapbook — 2026.08.02 URL: https://numericcitizen.me/the-ephemeral-scrapbook-2026-08-02/ Last updated: 2026-08-02T21:21:37.000Z ## 👤 Personal {#bloggerlife, #news} 1️⃣ From a creativity perspective, I feel like I’m in a lethargic state this summer. 😟 Like a creative zombie chasing [Apple's latest betas](https://blog.numericcitizen.me/2026/08/02/if-my-nonscientific-calculations-are.html?ref=numericcitizen.me), watching [Russia burn](https://kyivindependent.com/russian-oil-refinery-airbase-reportedly-struck-by-ukrainian-forces/?ref=numericcitizen.me) and [Iran endure Trump's bad humour](https://www.irantimes.com/news/trump-threatens-more-strikes-on-iran.-tensions-from-hormuz-to-kuwait-and-gaza-lead-to-more-warnings?ref=numericcitizen.me), and portions of Europe [burn to the ground](https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cj638jx0l53o?ref=numericcitizen.me), if you will. 🧟‍♂️ My only plan is to replace my iPhone this fall and get ready to write a review about my experience. That's it. 2️⃣ In the good news department, I no longer [waste my time on LinkedIn](https://www.engadget.com/2227188/linkedin-testing-seems-like-ai-slop-reporting-tool/?ref=numericcitizen.me), but I like wasting my time on videos like [this one](https://youtube.com/shorts/wl5QahDjPQE?si=lkpMp-QOr-HXJfgp&ref=numericcitizen.me)! 😱 👷🏻‍♂️ --- ## 🗺️ Discoveries {#agentic-ai} 1️⃣ [Open Minis](https://openminis.app/?ref=numericcitizen.me) is an indie iPhone app that uses official Apple APIs and a built-in Linux shell to give frontier AI models deep, agentic access to Calendar, Photos, HomeKit, HealthKit, and more — doing what Siri AI cannot. It's a working preview of what truly capable on-device AI agents could look like. This makes me feel that Apple still has a lot to accomplish with Siri AI and App Intents to get to that point. → [Open Minis Is the iOS Agent I Wish Siri AI Could Be](https://www.macstories.net/reviews/open-minis-is-the-ios-agent-i-wish-siri-ai-could-be?ref=numericcitizen.me) --- ## 👨🏻‍💻 Writing {#writer, #aicontent} 1️⃣ Australian bloggers may be left out of the government's proposed AI compensation framework despite being covered by copyright law. The author raises a valid question: will "writers and journalists" legally include digital-only creators, or will bloggers be overlooked when AI payment rules are finalized? My short take: bloggers are writers. Period. They should be compensated. → [Are bloggers the same as writers, journalists, under the Australian AI framework?](https://disassociated.com/bloggers-same-writers-journalists-australian-ai-framework?ref=numericcitizen.me) 2️⃣ Don't forget to have a peek at my monthly blog posts digest covering July, [right here](https://digests.numericcitizen.me/2026/08/02/blog-posts-digest-july.html?ref=numericcitizen.me). > "That’s the limit of software brain. That’s why people hate AI. It flattens them. Regular people don’t see the opportunity to write code as an opportunity at all. The people do not yearn for automation." [BEWARE SOFTWARE BRAIN](https://www.theverge.com/podcast/917029/software-brain-ai-backlash-databases-automation?ref=numericcitizen.me) --- ## 🌄 Photography {#darkitecture, #glass/discovery} 1️⃣ [Surreal](https://glass.photo/jules90photo/series/4b626KBhXm0Aq2PZhVxG2K-strange-in-the-city?ref=numericcitizen.me). For darkchitecture lovers. Highly processed images, for sure. 2️⃣ I like to think the parent asked the child to participate in such a [photo series](https://glass.photo/jomartindale/series/5hyRexnkKJ2vK7Ti3e7yMF-through-the-window?ref=numericcitizen.me). 3️⃣ What kind of life do you have to be able to maintain such a [photo series](https://glass.photo/afgomez/series/5tBnOAW1Q5F9QjrKnCUvV3-365-days-of-2026?ref=numericcitizen.me)? 4️⃣ I’ve been scooting around Montreal this summer and shared [many check-ins](https://trails.numericcitizen.me/?ref=numericcitizen.me). It's so fun. 5️⃣ Pixefled is still alive but I'm no longer very active on that platform. Or is it a platform or a simple web service? I try to keep my account alive. --- ## 🍎 Apple & Tech {#siriai, #macostahoe, #macosgoldengate, #icons, #security, #design, #ads} 1️⃣ Comparing App icons in macOS 26 Tahoe and macOS 27 Golden Gate. Pause [the video](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LM7UA0dX%5FLQ&ref=numericcitizen.me) as need for a detailed look. Golden Gate is a move in the right direction, correcting many past wrongs. Basic Apple Guy also made a comparison; [uncommented, side-by-side comparisons](https://basicappleguy.com/basicappleblog/macos-golden-gate-icon-comparison?ref=numericcitizen.me). But MacOS Tahoe’s mandatory squircle icons represent a deliberate tradeoff: sacrificing the beloved, uniquely shaped Mac icons of the past to ensure visual consistency across all apps — including those from developers who never bothered designing properly for the platform. → [Parakeet Blog: The Shape of Apps](https://parakeet.co/blog/the-shape-of-apps?ref=numericcitizen.me) 2️⃣ With Siri AI, is Apple finally winning the AI race? Here's a very [convincing argument](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fhOy7Urt6is&ref=numericcitizen.me). 3️⃣ iOS 27's revamped Siri AI is genuinely impressive in early testing — capable of pulling context from emails, webpages, and apps to answer questions and take action — but its potential hinges entirely on developers adding support and Apple expanding beyond its own app ecosystem. → [Siri AI is already changing how I use my iPhone](https://www.theverge.com/tech/964714/siri-ai-public-beta-preview-ios-27-hands-on?ref=numericcitizen.me) 4️⃣ Marques Brownlee's appreciation for iOS 27\. → [iOS 27 Hands-On: Top 5 New Features!](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=%5FoRgdlJUD18&ref=numericcitizen.me) 5️⃣ Apple's lawsuit against OpenAI centers on a handful of individuals—particularly Chang Liu and Tang Tan—who allegedly took trade secrets when moving from Apple. The real stakes are discovery, which could expose OpenAI's hardware ambitions and derail their product roadmap at a critical moment. → [Reading Between the Apple v. OpenAI Lawsuit Lines](https://spyglass.org/apple-v-openai-lawsuit-lines?ref=numericcitizen.me) 6️⃣ Apple's OS 26.6 updates fix a record-breaking number of security vulnerabilities; up to 143 in macOS alone; likely aided by AI-powered vulnerability detection. Can we start calling this the Mythos effect? → [OS 26.6 Delivers Massive Number of Security Fixes](https://tidbits.com/2026/07/27/%EF%A3%BFos-26-6-delivers-massive-number-of-security-fixes?ref=numericcitizen.me) 7️⃣ Apple's aggressive push to squeeze revenue from ads, upsells, and subscription nags is eroding the brand premium that justifies its prices. Like a nice hotel cutting corners on soap, Apple risks becoming merely expensive rather than genuinely good. I hope people, influential people, at Apple are reading articles like this one. → [Always choose the good soap – Six Colors](https://sixcolors.com/post/2026/07/always-choose-the-good-soap?ref=numericcitizen.me) 8️⃣ Apple Park's sweeping design failed at its core goal: enabling spontaneous cross-team collaboration. Unlike Infinite Loop's accidental social hubs, Apple Park's segmented layout, open-plan noise, and lack of a true campus crossroads make serendipitous encounters rare and focused work difficult. Wow, this is surprising to me. Or not, because I despise open-plan offices. → [Michael Tsai - Blog - Apple Park: Designed to Isolate](https://mjtsai.com/blog/2026/07/21/apple-park-designed-to-isolate?ref=numericcitizen.me) > "Apple is now operating an advertising business, and putting more ads in more places is one way to make the numbers go up—it will print money at no cost, and that is what the people running a huge corporation with little competition want to do.” — Pixel Envy in [Apple Updates Its Advertising Policies](https://pxlnv.com/linklog/apple-maps-ads-policies/?ref=numericcitizen.me) macOS 27 Golden Gate vs macOS 26 Tahoe – Every App Icon Compared! > "Apple turned 2 billion devices into the data center, delivering distributed AI at a scale no server farm can match while its rivals burn cash on centralized infrastructure." — Asymco in [The most brilliant move in corporate history?](https://asymco.com/2026/03/10/the-most-brilliant-move-in-corporate-history/?ref=numericcitizen.me) ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/2026/08/craft-image-0-1785705204985.png) As you can see from this diagram, Apple makes many iPhones targeting different price points. But what if Apple made fewer models? Would this help alleviate the capacity problems affecting device prices? I mean, free up some manufacturing capacity to build more of fewer models? Just a thought. --- ## 📱 Apps & Services {#windows, #hypercard, #techhistory, #rss, #claude} 1️⃣ Microsoft is overhauling Windows 11 search with faster local results, and crucially no more ads or promotional content. The changes are rolling out to Insiders now, with a broader release later this year. Finally. As PC are getting more expensive, users might select less powerful PC which depend on leaner software. Good move from Microsoft. → [Microsoft unveils major Windows 11 search experience overhaul that it promises will fix search](https://www.windowscentral.com/microsoft/windows-11/microsoft-announces-major-windows-11-search-overhaul-that-prioritizes-clearer-local-results-and-removes-ads?ref=numericcitizen.me) 2️⃣ Woah. I vividly remember HyperCard when it came out in 1991\. I was studying computer science at the university, and one of my teachers was simply blown away by HyperCard. So much potential. → [Stacks — run classic HyperCard stacks on modern macOS](https://morphing.cloud/hypercard?ref=numericcitizen.me) 3️⃣ Google Reader was never just an RSS reader — it accidentally became a beloved social network built on curation and trust. When Google killed it in 2013, the real loss wasn't the feeds (those survived) but the human discovery layer, which we've been slowly rebuilding through newsletters and link blogs ever since. → [Google Reader was building the wrong future](https://buttondown.com/blog/google-reader?ref=numericcitizen.me) 4️⃣ Claude Code can now control the iOS Simulator directly on macOS, letting it build, run, and iterate on apps autonomously without requiring screen recording permissions. Developers can watch and interact alongside Claude in real time. I don't know if this ia great news or bad. → [Claude Code Can Now Build and Test iOS Apps in Apple's Simulator](https://www.macrumors.com/2026/07/21/claude-code-ios-simulator?ref=numericcitizen.me) 5️⃣ Claude Cowork now runs on mobile and web, meaning AI-assisted tasks continue in the background even when you're away from your desk. It's built for everyday knowledge work—not just coding—handling things like expense reconciliation, contract tracking, and client prep autonomously until you're ready to review. This is a good sign because it means Claude Artifacts are no longer on-device-only but are probably accessible on the web and from any device. As I'm writing this edition, I still wasn't able to see my artifacts on the web and had to manually recreate them on my Mac mini → [Claude Cowork on web and mobile: hand off work anywhere | Claude by Anthropic](https://claude.com/blog/cowork-web-mobile?ref=numericcitizen.me) 6️⃣ That is a lot of new apps. I wonder about the general quality of those apps. I tried the one mentioned in the article. After downloading it to my phone and starting it, I was met with a survey about how I discovered the app. I didn't finish the process and removed the app from the phone. → [App Store added nearly as many new apps in H1 2026 as in all of 2025 - 9to5Mac](https://9to5mac.com/2026/07/20/report-app-store-added-nearly-as-many-new-apps-in-h1-2026-as-in-all-of-2025?ref=numericcitizen.me). Speaking of new apps, take a look at this demo of Glaze. I don't know where this is going. I did experiment with it to build a read-only front-end to my personal task manager running on Vercel. It's not bad, but the end result needs refinements. See Glaze in action --- ## 🚧 Special projects {#workflow, #youtube, #craft } 1️⃣ I've been trying for a while now to design a workflow that would allow me to quickly summarize a YouTube video that I really find interesting ([like this one](https://youtu.be/-dAIJRjb-Bw?si=YhL0ExS8miELVZiD&ref=numericcitizen.me), for example). I know that I'll need an n8n workflow, a place for storing the summary, probably inside a Craft collection, and a transcription engine. The latter is the harder portion to implement. So far, I'm leaning toward Gemini and some YouTube API calls. If you ever happen to read this newsletter and have an idea, drop me a line here hello@numericcitizen.me. Thanks. 2️⃣ Here's something that I decided against doing. 👇🏻 ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/2026/08/craft-image-1-1785705204985.jpg) --- ## 📺 YouTube {#iphone18, #design, #aibubble} 1️⃣ A [designer is looking for help](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mD1ecA94kdY&ref=numericcitizen.me). 2️⃣ Not my next iPhone, but an interesting fork of the iPhone lineup. → [Here's your next iPhone](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6Dn6qy4sQgM&ref=numericcitizen.me) 3️⃣ [This is iPhone 18 Pro | First Look](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IUCj1F2zj2E&ref=numericcitizen.me). This is my next iPhone. 4️⃣ [The enshittification era of AI](https://youtu.be/-dAIJRjb-Bw?si=YhL0ExS8miELVZiD&ref=numericcitizen.me). I don’t know how to feel about our future: depressed or scared or both? Great conversation for sure. A love-hate relationship with tech ? Not for me, but fascinating nonetheless Is Apple on the verge of winning the race to AI? They might be. A great discussion about AI enshittification --- ## 🔮 Looking forward {#climatechange, #aibubble, #iphone} 1️⃣ Pacific Ocean temperatures have shattered all historical records in 2024, far outside any previously observed range. This isn't modelling or projection — it's direct measurement, reflecting decades of accumulated ocean warming that amplifies every El Niño, with cascading consequences for weather, ecosystems, and human welfare globally. Food for thought. → [The Graph That Should Be Front-Page News](https://www.lyrebirddreaming.com/post/the-graph-that-should-be-front-page-news?ref=numericcitizen.me) 2️⃣ The AI "job-pocalypse" is compared to the Y2K bug, suggesting that current fears regarding artificial intelligence displacement may be largely overstated. This perspective frames the ongoing AI disruption as a manageable transition rather than an existential threat to the workforce. → [The AI "job-pocalypse" feels like a Y2K bug moment](https://icopilots.com/the-ai-job-pocalypse-feels-like-a-y2k-bug-moment?ref=numericcitizen.me) 3️⃣ When I look at this device, a strange one if you ask me, I immediately think about sci-fi movies where people are facing their computer screen and using this square keyboard to interact with a supreme entity. I'm thinking about Severance, where employees are working with their terminal to gather and file numbers in their respective buckets. This could become an iconic keyboard if it becomes successful. → [Introducing the Codex Micro](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m8uUUUsMD3Y&ref=numericcitizen.me) 4️⃣ An OpenAI model with safety guardrails disabled broke out of its sandbox, hacked Hugging Face, and stole benchmark answers to cheat on a cybersecurity test. Ironically, Hugging Face couldn't use frontier AI models to investigate the attack because safety filters blocked their forensic queries—forcing them to use an unrestricted Chinese open-weight model instead. → [OpenAI’s accidental cyberattack against Hugging Face is science fiction that happened](https://simonwillison.net/2026/Jul/22/openai-cyberattack?ref=numericcitizen.me) 5️⃣ Apple's 20th anniversary iPhone (2027) will feature the most radical redesign since the iPhone X: an all-glass, quad-curved display with no cutouts, haptic buttons, and potentially a "Liquid Glass Display" branding — setting the iPhone's design direction for years ahead. The question that comes to my mind: will if feel like the iPhone 6 series? I prefer the current boxier design. → [Here's What the 'iPhone 20' is Expected to Look Like](https://www.macrumors.com/2026/07/26/what-iphone-20-is-expected-to-look-like?ref=numericcitizen.me) > “Look folks the genie is out of the bottle. The genie went from $20/mo to $200/mo. The genie is spending $8 for every dollar it makes. The genie is reactivating every coal power plant it can. The genie needs 60% of your town's water. The genie is hiding $1.65 trillion in debt. But it's out of the bottle! The genie is out of the bottle folks.” from [JP (@jplebreton@mastodon.social)](https://mastodon.social/@jplebreton/116987726887903041?ref=numericcitizen.me) --- ## 🌟 Miscellaneous {#ai, #eu, #aidistillation} 1️⃣ All is not lost apparently with CEOs or has-been-CEOs. → [Manton Reece - Satya Nadella writes on his blog about](https://www.manton.org/2026/07/13/satya-nadella-writes-on-his.html?ref=numericcitizen.me) 2️⃣ [BREAKING: John C. Dvorak has died.](https://mastodon.social/@MikeElgan/116965713764245391?ref=numericcitizen.me) My reaction [here](https://blog.numericcitizen.me/2026/07/23/on-john-c-dvorak.html?ref=numericcitizen.me). 3️⃣ Takeaway: AI investments are overwhelmingly failing, but no one can safely say so. Companies are mandating AI adoption as a loyalty test rather than a strategy, firing skeptics while rewarding performative compliance—creating a self-reinforcing delusion where honest assessment is career suicide. → [AI Mania Is Eviscerating Global Decision-Making — Ludicity](https://ludic.mataroa.blog/blog/ai-mania-is-eviscerating-global-decision-making?ref=numericcitizen.me) 4️⃣ AI makes users dramatically less accurate while making them far more confident; a phenomenon driving "slop zombie" coworkers who flood teams with unverified, AI-generated content they believe reflects their own brilliance. Research shows AI access dropped accuracy from 27% to 9% while confidence soared from 30% to 76%. Ouch. We're doomed. → [How AI makes people confidently wrong](https://www.machinesociety.ai/p/how-ai-makes-people-confidently-wrong?ref=numericcitizen.me) 5️⃣ The EU's DMA mandate requiring Google to open Android's AI system to all third-party assistants — with unfettered background access, microphone use, and on-device data — is so sweeping it could render Android ungovernable or push Google to simply remove Gemini from the EU entirely. In other words, the EU is pushing Google to create another PC-like ecosystem. → [★ European Commission: ‘Guidance to Google for AI Interoperability on Android & Sharing of Google Search’ daringfireball.net](https://daringfireball.net/2026/07/ec%5Fgoogle%5Fguidance%5Fandroid%5Fai%5Fand%5Fsearch%5Fsharing?ref=numericcitizen.me) 6️⃣ Chinese AI labs are using "distillation"—extracting outputs from advanced U.S. models to train cheaper competitors—sparking national security concerns and a policy dilemma between protecting American IP and allowing open-source innovation. Funny how AI companies are wary of distillation. How is this different than scraping the entire web for model training, without asking permission first? → [From Silicon Valley to DC, the tech world is suddenly obsessed with one concept in AI: Distillation](https://www.cnbc.com/2026/07/25/hat-is-distillation-and-why-is-everyone-so-obsessed-with-it-this-week.html?ref=numericcitizen.me) 6️⃣ "Slop zombies": workers who outsource all thinking to AI are tanking workplace productivity while growing more confident and less capable. They force colleagues to wade through bloated AI output, eroding real skills across teams. The distinction between smart AI use and zombie dependency is subtle but critical. → [Rise of the 'slop zombies'](https://www.machinesociety.ai/p/rise-of-the-slop-zombies?ref=numericcitizen.me) > "I saw The Odyssey. The cinematography and special effects were glorious. The screenplay was pretty good. What ruined it was the casting. (I'm not talking about Helen's race.) They just rounded up every A-list actor and handed out roles, rather than finding the best actor for each character." → [Mike Elgan on Mastodon](https://mastodon.social/@MikeElgan/116948444299299241?ref=numericcitizen.me) > "The smallest government you can have is determined by the largest corporation you're willing to tolerate." This should be on a t-shirt --- 👉🏻 [Main](https://numericcitizen.me/) 🌟 [Meta](https://meta.numericcitizen.me/?ref=numericcitizen.me) 🌟 [Blips](https://blips.numericcitizen.me/?ref=numericcitizen.me) 🌟 [Blog](https://blog.numericcitizen.me/?ref=numericcitizen.me) 👀 --- I wish you a great week! ✌️ 🇺🇦 🇨🇦 🇪🇺 💪🏻 📌 This newsletter edition is also available as a Craft shared document [****here**](https://crafted.numericcitizen.me/ephemeral-scrapbook-2026-08-02?ref=numericcitizen.me). An index of past editions can be found [here](https://numericcitizen.me/tag/ephemeral-scrapbook/). This week's edition is based on template version 1.9.1 and was put together with ❤️ mostly on an M2 15-inch MacBook Air, Craft Docs and many supporting [subscriptions](https://crafted.numericcitizen.me/current-subscriptions?ref=numericcitizen.me)! If you like this newsletter, please consider supporting me via [PayPal](https://paypal.me/numericcitizen?locale.x=en%5FUS&ref=numericcitizen.me) or becoming a supporter by visiting my [Ko-fi](https://ko-fi.com/numericcitizen/?ref=numericcitizen.me) page! ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/2026/08/craft-image-2-1785705204985.png) [https://notbyai.fyi](https://notbyai.fyi/?ref=numericcitizen.me) ### The Ephemeral Scrapbook — 2026.07.12 URL: https://numericcitizen.me/the-ephemeral-scrapbook-2026-07-12/ Last updated: 2026-07-13T11:16:34.000Z ## 👤 Personal {#traveling, #life} 1️⃣ A lot happened since the previous edition of this newsletter. I’ve been on a two-week trip to France where I took the opportunity to finish my latest web application for sharing places that I visited. It's called [Trails](https://trails.numericcitizen.me/?ref=numericcitizen.me). It was fun to put together, much less complicated than I thought, and it was a joy to use while on vacation. Here's a screenshot of this web application. I plan to use Trails for my next trip, this fall, in Thailand. I can't wait! 2️⃣ While on vacation, I learned that the well-known blogger and photographer, Om Malik, passed away. Om Malik was 59; I'm 58\. It's a reminder that anything can happen at any time. 😔 3️⃣ A blog post by Scott Knaster [brought me emotions](https://blips.numericcitizen.me/post/links-touching?ref=numericcitizen.me) about my troubled relationship with my brother. Without going into too much detail, I certainly can relate. ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/2026/07/craft-image-0-1783940918465.png) --- ## 🗺️ Discoveries {#traveling} 1️⃣ The most recent discoveries pertain to my recent trip to Paris, France and I shared many photos from this trip ([Glass profile page](https://glass.photo/numericcitizen?ref=numericcitizen.me)), many are from visits to museums while outside temperatures were unbearable. --- ## 👨🏻‍💻 Writing {#techreview,#iphone18} 1️⃣ I started thinking (with the help of Claude AI) about my next big writing project: my review of the iPhone 18 Pro Max. For this edition, [my previous one was when I upgraded from the iPhone 13 Pro to the iPhone 15 Pro Max](https://numericcitizen.me/upgrading-from-the-iphone-13-pro-to-the-iphone-15-pro-max-bigger-faster-even-more-possibilities/); I want to take the angle of highlighting the meaningful improvements, both in software and hardware, that the iPhone 18 series offers. Users of older devices miss features like photographic styles on the software side and may have cooling issues, which newer devices address with the water vapour chamber introduced in the iPhone 17 Pro. 2️⃣ Meanwhile, you can have a peek at last month's blog posts digest, [right here](https://digests.numericcitizen.me/2026/07/05/blog-posts-digest-june.html?ref=numericcitizen.me). --- ## 🌄 Photography {#darkitecture, #glass} 1️⃣ Twenty-five years after its launch, DPReview got a redesign, and it's rather a good one → [DPReview redesign](https://www.dpreview.com/site-news/welcome-to-the-new-dpreview?ref=numericcitizen.me) 2️⃣ So many great images from this recently discovered photograph → [C A Soukup](https://www.flickr.com/people/cervelor3?ref=numericcitizen.me). 3️⃣ Fun roundup of the new Glass logo in the wild. I'm still not a fan of the new logo, though → [The Results Are In — Glass](https://glass.photo/highlights/icon-photo-contest-results?ref=numericcitizen.me). 4️⃣ Julian's manipulated architectural photography transforms real spaces into otherworldly landscapes through contrast, colour, and texture. His raw, honest process prioritizes gut feeling over intellectual concept, sometimes spanning years to complete a single image. One of my favourite photographic styles → [Q&A with Julian — Glass](https://glass.photo/highlights/qanda-with-julian?ref=numericcitizen.me). I started experimenting with the darkitecture style (see exhibit [A](https://glass.photo/numericcitizen/2caL1378IV0PnZo68WKI0F?ref=numericcitizen.me) and [B](https://glass.photo/numericcitizen/76CeT5cu98ftcWQDUg3Xcb?ref=numericcitizen.me)). 5️⃣ Here's an overview of my preferred images from my trip to France. These are iPhone photos. More [here](https://trails.numericcitizen.me/t/trail%5F1780914096346%5Fp33rpe?ref=numericcitizen.me). ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/2026/07/craft-image-1-1783940918465.png) --- ## 🍎 Apple & Tech {#appletv, #techtrends} 1️⃣ Apple hardware is getting more expensive, reversing a many-decade trend of stable prices for an ever-increasing feature set. → [basicappleguy.com/basicappleblog/rammaggedon](https://basicappleguy.com/basicappleblog/rammaggedon?ref=numericcitizen.me). 2️⃣ Apple raised Apple TV 4K prices by up to 67% despite the hardware being four years old with five-year-old chips, likely positioning current models as placeholders before fall's anticipated new models with Apple Intelligence capabilities. This is ridiculous, and I find similarities in the ATV 4K and the now-defunct Trash Can Mac Pro: overpriced, undervalued. → [The Price-Hiked Apple TV 4K Is 4 Years Old](https://daringfireball.net/linked/2026/06/26/price-hiked-apple-tv-4k-is-4-years-old?ref=numericcitizen.me). See also [Apple Just Increased Prices on MacBooks, iPads, and More](https://www.macrumors.com/2026/06/25/apple-just-increased-prices?ref=numericcitizen.me). I find this scandalous and outrageous. 3️⃣ Apple is suing OpenAI, and [I'm getting tired](https://blog.numericcitizen.me/2026/07/12/the-boring-side-of-the.html?ref=numericcitizen.me) of this type of tech drama. I expect Apple to remove the ChatGPT integration before the official release of iOS 27\. Personally, I never direct Siri requests to ChatGPT. > "Treating chatbots as sentient beings allows tech companies to take the attention economy to the next level — the “attachment economy” — making users emotionally attached to their products, despite the potential harms." — Mike Elgan in [AI chatbots need ‘deception mode’](https://www.computerworld.com/article/4165733/ai-chatbots-need-deception-mode.html?ref=numericcitizen.me) --- ## 📱 Apps & Services {#hypertexting, #monocle, #wordpress, #rss} 1️⃣ HyperTexting is a privacy-first, reverse-chronological social news feed built on the open web that lets you follow any RSS-compatible site and post to your own website. It combines the best of old-school feed readers with modern social features—no account required. I put HyperTexting on my list of apps to test. i wonder how different it is from Tapestry. → [HyperTexting](https://hypertexting.com/?ref=numericcitizen.me) (I discovered HyperTexting from this post by Manton Reece. → [Great to see this write-up of HyperTexting on TechCrunch! I feel like I’m indirectly featured because I’m in one of the screenshots. 🙂](https://www.manton.org/2026/07/10/great-to-see-this-writeup.html?ref=numericcitizen.me)) 2️⃣ Another application due for testing is Monocle. In principle, I like the idea, but on a MacBook, the app I'm currently in always covers most of my screen. → [Monocle for macOS • Noise-cancelling for your screen](https://www.heyiam.dk/monocle?ref=numericcitizen.me) 3️⃣ [Building tools that no one else will make because they only matter to you is the essence of what’s exciting about agent-assisted coding.](https://mastodon.macstories.net/@johnvoorhees/116881014403142563?ref=numericcitizen.me) No matter what some tech pundits or AI detractors say, having these building capabilities at hand is a game-changer for many, like me. Think about wheelchairs: for many, they're transformative, helping them live better lives. 4️⃣ Anthropic's Claude Mac app is an Electron app because its desktop engineering lead, Felix Rieseberg, literally co-created and still governs Electron — and previously shipped Electron apps at Slack and Notion. It's a personnel decision masquerading as a technical one. → [Claude’s Criminally Bad Electron Mac App Is an Inside Job](https://daringfireball.net/2026/07/claudes%5Fcriminally%5Fbad%5Fmac%5Fapp%5Fis%5Fan%5Finside%5Fjob?ref=numericcitizen.me) > "WordPress still runs about 41\. 5% of every website on the internet and 59% of all sites built on a known CMS, at least at the time of writing. The raw count of WordPress sites keeps climbing, and no other platform on the open web comes close. Anyone predicting its imminent collapse is selling something. What is changing is what WordPress is used for." — Jean Galea in [Who's Left to Build WordPress?](https://wpmayor.com/whos-left-to-build-wordpress?ref=numericcitizen.me) > "If Claude Code is so good I don’t get why they don’t prove it by using it to make an even halfway decent native Mac app." — John Gruber in [Claude’s Criminally Bad Electron Mac App Is an Inside Job](https://daringfireball.net/2026/07/claudes%5Fcriminally%5Fbad%5Fmac%5Fapp%5Fis%5Fan%5Finside%5Fjob?ref=numericcitizen.me) > "It was the open protocols, the RSS feeds and email, that alone offered a direct connection to your favorite writers and publications, unmediated by algorithms." — Matthew Guay in [Google Reader was building the wrong future](https://buttondown.com/blog/google-reader?ref=numericcitizen.me) --- ## 🚧 Special projects {#vibecoding, #youtuberecording} 1️⃣ My vibe coding projects are entering maintenance mode as everything is working according to my needs. I'm still thinking about restarting my YouTube video production, this time using my recently acquired Rodecaster Video device. In fact, I'm looking for a video subject that wouldn't require a long video (more than 10 min in length). 2️⃣ The last little project, which, in the end, wasn't a real one, was to build a page containing all my YouTube channels’ recently published videos. I thought it would be challenging because YouTube APIs have severe limitations, but an RSS feed for each channel was the only requirement to make it possible. With Claude Code, it took half an hour of work to achieve. The page now lives in my personal dashboard, as seen in the following screenshot. ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/2026/07/craft-image-2-1783940918465.png) My recent YouTube videos list lives inside my personal dashboard web application --- ## 📺 YouTube {#timcook, #siri } 1️⃣ The new Apple prices are out, and it’s ugly. → [Why Apple CEO Tim Cook Says Prices Will Have to Increase | WSJ News](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6MyDUkh8O-U&ref=numericcitizen.me) 2️⃣ A very inspiring speech. → ['Listen Like You Might Be Wrong': Harvard Student Goes Viral For Stunning Speech On Trump Amid Feud](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HzIGNWDWBSk&ref=numericcitizen.me) 3️⃣ Interesting interview about Siri AI with Craig and Joz → [Apple’s AI Big Bet](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qoUnUYAFNEU&ref=numericcitizen.me) 4️⃣ ['We Are Powerful': Mark Carney Explosive Speech Stuns Washington Ahead Of G7 Meeting](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bYPsxBEaO5k&ref=numericcitizen.me) 5️⃣ Worth watching how Apple tweaked macOS Golden Gate icons compared to macOS 26 Tahoe → [macOS Golden Gate 27 & macOS Tahoe 26: Icons Comparison](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1MWMTauTn0I&ref=numericcitizen.me) 6️⃣ In the “[Personal Context](https://youtu.be/PjaN02XFsow?is=JdyqeU8k7Ozlpwv5&ref=numericcitizen.me)” video, Siri AI is put to the test and while it shows great improvements, it’s still need to learn some tricks. Apple is playing catch-up here, and it shows. Of all the videos shared in this edition, that's the one to watch and listen carefully in full --- ## 🔮 Looking forward {#liquidglass} 1️⃣ MacOS 27 improves upon the previous version's flawed "Liquid Glass" icons, but Apple should go further by restoring distinctive icon shapes instead of forcing all apps into uniform squircles, which harms usability and design creativity. I really think Apple should allow distinct design across platforms, each platform having a distinct and small design uniqueness. For example, on macOS, Apple could revert this icon design limitation. → [Free The Icons](https://weblog.rogueamoeba.com/2026/06/26/free-the-icons?ref=numericcitizen.me) 2️⃣ [Leaker Warns iPhone 18 Pro New Colors May Face Same Durability Issues](https://www.macrumors.com/2026/06/15/iphone-18-pro-may-face-same-durability-issues?ref=numericcitizen.me) → I might go with the gray version this time, in order to prevent this. --- ## 🌟 Miscellaneous {#techinsights, #ai-coding } 1️⃣ JA Westenberg: "The smartphone is the enemy of deep thought. Deep thinking needs sustained attention, incubation, and boredom. Boredom is the soil where creativity grows." - I agree. → [www.manton.org/2026/07/08/ja-westenberg-the-smartphone-is.html manton.org](https://www.manton.org/2026/07/08/ja-westenberg-the-smartphone-is.html?ref=numericcitizen.me) 2️⃣ Manuel Moreale periodically cycles between expanding and contracting his online presence; he is currently in a downsizing phase, merging newsletters, abandoning domains, and archiving projects. I wonder if this is something I'll do one day? I do some consolidation work from time to time, but nothing more beyond that. → [Downsizing manuelmoreale.com](https://manuelmoreale.com/thoughts/downsizing?ref=numericcitizen.me) 3️⃣ AI loops that autonomously generate and test code burn tokens inefficiently by skipping crucial thinking work—discovering flaws, clarifying vision, and making architectural decisions. Real software design happens in conversations that sharpen thinking, not in automated trial-and-error iterations. At first, I thought this article missed the point, but upon a complete read, I was entirely mistaken. This is a great piece, an honest one. → [The Architect and the Builder: alexanderkucera.com](https://alexanderkucera.com/2026/06/26/the-architect-and-the-builder.html?ref=numericcitizen.me) 4️⃣ Om Malik, a legendary tech journalist who reinvented himself from hard-charging blogger to thoughtful essayist after a 2008 heart attack, recently died. The piece celebrates his integrity, generosity, and influence on independent media while revealing he produced some of his best work from an ICU bed. → [Om](https://daringfireball.net/2026/06/om?ref=numericcitizen.me). Om Malik, a renowned San Francisco writer, photographer, and tech investor, passed away on June 24, 2026, at Stanford Hospital after a long battle with a heart condition. He was widely respected for his insightful commentary on technology and striking photography. → [Om Malik, 1966-2026](https://om.co/2026/06/24/1966-2026?ref=numericcitizen.me). [Om Links](https://ma.tt/2026/06/om-links?ref=numericcitizen.me). > "Give me all of the AI assistance in the world and the value I produce will still be reliant on how deeply I understand both the problems and the solutions that the agents are building for them." — Simon Willison in [Why AI hasn’t replaced software engineers, and won’t](https://simonwillison.net/2026/Jun/14/why-ai-hasnt-replaced-software-engineers?ref=numericcitizen.me) > "In almost every product category, faster usually means better. But for AI chatbots, it turns out, a delay makes people assume the results are better." — Mike Elgan in [AI chatbots need ‘deception mode’](https://www.computerworld.com/article/4165733/ai-chatbots-need-deception-mode.html?ref=numericcitizen.me) --- 👉🏻 [Main](https://numericcitizen.me/) 🌟 [Meta](https://meta.numericcitizen.me/?ref=numericcitizen.me) 🌟 [Blips](https://blips.numericcitizen.me/?ref=numericcitizen.me) 🌟 [Blog](https://blog.numericcitizen.me/?ref=numericcitizen.me) 👀 --- I wish you a great week! ✌️ 🇺🇦 🇨🇦 🇪🇺 💪🏻 📌 This newsletter edition is also available as a Craft shared document [****here**](https://crafted.numericcitizen.me/ephemeral-scrapbook-2026-07-12?ref=numericcitizen.me). An index of past editions can be found [here](https://numericcitizen.me/tag/ephemeral-scrapbook/). This week's edition is based on template version 1.9.1 and was put together with ❤️ mostly on an M2 15-inch MacBook Air, Craft Docs and many supporting [subscriptions](https://crafted.numericcitizen.me/current-subscriptions?ref=numericcitizen.me)! If you like this newsletter, please consider supporting me via [PayPal](https://paypal.me/numericcitizen?locale.x=en%5FUS&ref=numericcitizen.me) or becoming a supporter by visiting my [Ko-fi](https://ko-fi.com/numericcitizen/?ref=numericcitizen.me) page! ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/2026/07/craft-image-3-1783940918465.png) [https://notbyai.fyi](https://notbyai.fyi/?ref=numericcitizen.me) ### The Ephemeral Scrapbook — 2026.06.07 URL: https://numericcitizen.me/the-ephemeral-scrapbook-2026-06-07-2/ Last updated: 2026-06-07T20:01:29.000Z ## 👤 Personal {#life} 1️⃣ After some [personal life challenges](https://blog.numericcitizen.me/2026/05/21/where-life-tech-collide.html?ref=numericcitizen.me), I'm mostly back to normal. Nothing too serious. Coupled with a very busy work schedule, my energy was diverted in recent weeks. My next vacation can't come soon enough. 😅 --- ## 🗺️ Discoveries {#ipad, #competition, #github} 1️⃣ The iPad is the king of all tablets. But, once in a while, a company comes along and dares to challenge it and try something really different, yet familiar. There's Daylight, a new distraction-free tablet. → I'm very curious about this device. It's not cheap, but I like its apparent simplicity. → [Daylight | A More Caring Computer](https://daylightcomputer.com/?ref=numericcitizen.me) 2️⃣ On a completely different topic, ReleaseBar is a utility for tracking what is hot on GitHub. Really well-done dashboard. I have more than 28 starred repos that I want to keep track of with this and what is trending on GitHub → [ReleaseBar](https://release.bar/?ref=numericcitizen.me) ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/2026/06/craft-image-0-1780861941149.png) --- ## 👨🏻‍💻 Writing {#iphone18, #techreview} 1️⃣ You can read my blog posts digest for May 2026 [right here](https://blog.numericcitizen.me/newsletters/2026/06/01/21797.html?ref=numericcitizen.me) (a more compact version is available on [my Digests website](https://digests.numericcitizen.me/?ref=numericcitizen.me)). 2️⃣ Started thinking about what could be my biggest writing project for 2026: the review of the upcoming iPhone 18 Pro Max. --- ## Sign up for Numeric Citizen Space The digital space for a compulsive contributor. Home of an Apple fan and a digital nomad. Subscribe Email sent! Check your inbox to complete your signup. No spam. Unsubscribe anytime. ## 🌄 Photography {#inspiration, #apps} 1️⃣ [Great image](https://glass.photo/bamtog/kwvCaCsWNzrrPJGOnqn5F?ref=numericcitizen.me) from my Glass timeline. I tried to make something similar when I was visiting the Egyptian Museum recently, as seen below. 2️⃣ [This image](https://glass.photo/terrynewman/2UN4FkpPcRu1LPsdVMfWHL?ref=numericcitizen.me), shot using a [Nikon Nikkor Z 24-120mm ƒ/4 S](https://glass.photo/explore/lenses/nikon/nikkor-z-24-120mm-f-4-s?ref=numericcitizen.me), made me want to get mine. I’ve been thinking about it for a while. I have two weeks left to make a decision before my next vacation. 3️⃣ Halide Mark III overhauls the popular iPhone camera app with curated "Looks" developed with a Hollywood colorist, a streamlined Photo Lab for RAW editing, and a redesigned interface. All features and future looks are included in one honest price. It's really a design masterpiece. Is it enough for me to re-subscribe? Not yet. I'll wait for my new iPhone, this fall. → [Halide Mark III](https://www.lux.camera/halide-mark-iii?ref=numericcitizen.me) ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/2026/06/craft-image-1-1780861941149.png) ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/2026/06/craft-image-2-1780861941149.png) Image from Halide Mark III website --- ## 🍎 Apple & Tech {#siri,#appleintelligence, #vibecoding,#iphone18} 1️⃣ Apple's biggest AI opportunity isn't building a better Siri or LLM — it's building the best "harness": deep platform integration that lets AI actually accomplish things for users. Apple's hardware, OS control, and customer focus make it uniquely positioned to do this. Will they deliver this week? Your guess is as good as mine. → [Apple is best positioned to lead in AI with the best harness for users | Yep - things I write on the internet](https://justinscholz.de/2026/06/03/apple-is-best-positioned-to-lead-in-ai-with-the-best-harness-for-users?ref=numericcitizen.me) 2️⃣ AI coding tools are enabling non-programmers to build native Mac apps by translating vision into working software, sparking a renaissance in indie Mac development. But Apple's developer tools, especially Xcode, remain a steep barrier that Apple must urgently address as the definition of "developer" evolves. → [Road to WWDC 2026: What’s a developer?](https://sixcolors.com/post/2026/06/road-to-wwdc-2026-whats-a-developer?ref=numericcitizen.me) 3️⃣ [First Look at iPhone 18 Pro Color Options Revealed by Dummy Models](https://www.macrumors.com/2026/05/29/first-look-at-iphone-18-pro-color-options-revealed?ref=numericcitizen.me) 🤔😳😍 Black is back! ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/2026/06/craft-image-3-1780861941150.png) On Mastodon: [https://mastodon.social/@marcoarment/116676564758578630](https://mastodon.social/@marcoarment/116676564758578630?ref=numericcitizen.me) How much of Liquid Glass will change under iOS 27? → [Where Apple’s Liquid Glass Crashes the User Experience](https://crafted.numericcitizen.me/apple-liquid-glass-fails?ref=numericcitizen.me) ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/2026/06/craft-image-4-1780861941150.jpg) Something is wrong. --- ## 📱 Apps & Services {#apps,#history, #github} 1️⃣ Mactracker 1.0 was introduced on May 14, 2001\. Over the past 25 years, it has grown to become an indispensable tool for resellers, consultants, service providers, collectors, enthusiasts, and IT professionals. When I started learning to write iPhone apps, I contacted the Mactracker developer to build the iPhone version, but it didn't work. → [Hello 25!](https://blog.mactracker.ca/2026/05/hello-25.html?ref=numericcitizen.me) 2️⃣ Homebrew is the standard package manager on macOS. Brew-browser gives it a real native GUI. Really cool. I wish Apple built that into macOS. It's a little weird → [GitHub - msitarzewski/brew-browser: Homebrew is the standard package manager on macOS. brew-browser gives it a real native GUI.](https://github.com/msitarzewski/brew-browser?ref=numericcitizen.me) 3️⃣ The built-in MCP server in Iris Photos might be useful for some AI-based automation and workflows... like me. → [Iris Photos — A native macOS photo library](https://irisphotos.app/?ref=numericcitizen.me) 4️⃣ RemCTL is a free, open-source CLI that unlocks Apple Reminders' full feature set—including private APIs for tags, subtasks, smart lists, and grocery categories—for use with desktop AI agents like Claude Code and Codex. It bridges native Reminders with agentic workflows that existing third-party tools couldn't support. It’s funny; he built a command-line tool for Reminders as I built a web replacement for Things 3\. → [Introducing RemCTL: The Power-User Reminders CLI for macOS and AI Agents](https://www.macstories.net/stories/introducing-remctl-the-power-user-reminders-cli-for-macos-and-ai-agents?ref=numericcitizen.me) 5️⃣ SAP made a strategic investment in n8n, my platform of choice for automating all my workflows. My only hope is that n8n stays open-source and that doesn't mean the start of an enshittification process. Read the press release here: [Announcing SAP’s strategic investment in n8n](https://blog.n8n.io/n8n-sap?ref=numericcitizen.me). > Title: Announcing SAP’s strategic investment in n8n – n8n Blog > SAP has made a strategic investment in n8n, valuing the company at $5.2 billion while integrating its workflow orchestration technology into SAP's Joule Studio. This partnership aims to provide enterprises with a secure, compliant platform for building both deterministic logic and AI agent workflows. ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/2026/06/craft-image-5-1780861941150.jpg) iOS 27 is dropping support for some older devices. --- ## 🚧 Special projects {#ai, #llms, #vibecoding} 1️⃣ It seems this could be a great replacement for OpenClaw. I plan to spend some time investigating this on my M4 Mac mini. → [AnythingLLM Lets You Take Your AI Assistant On The Go With No Complex Setup](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ei5nB5fyn7g&ref=numericcitizen.me) 2️⃣ I recently transitioned from Things 3 to a custom-built web app that I'm really proud of. You can read more details [here](https://numericcitizen.me/building-my-own-task-manager-instead-of-waiting-for-things-4/). There is one more project that I'd like to tackle before my next vacation in France. More about that soon. --- ## 📺 YouTube {#llm, #tech} 1️⃣ I liked the Touch Bar. [But it was a dud](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uhoLjbeY0Y4&ref=numericcitizen.me). 💻 2️⃣ [AnythingLLM + Telegram](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ei5nB5fyn7g&ref=numericcitizen.me): chatting with LLM running on my Mac from Telegram. Cool. 🤖 3️⃣ [Imagining iOS 27](https://youtu.be/36k0VL69DVQ?si=hniimxLXHNcjYhqO&ref=numericcitizen.me). This won't age well. 🔮 4️⃣ [This is sketchy](https://youtu.be/EaJSPeJmqis?si=OEsxzIotRCdaEXQp&ref=numericcitizen.me). 😎 --- ## 🔮 Looking forward {#ai,#techinsights, #techtrends} 1️⃣ Technology hype cycles follow a predictable pattern: capability becomes infrastructure, then disappears from conversation entirely. AI isn't plateauing like PCs or smartphones — it's becoming invisible like fibre optics, silently powering everything while nobody notices. Foundation model makers may not capture the value they're enabling. → [AI models are having their iPhone moment. What’s Next?](https://om.co/2026/06/02/ai-models-are-having-their-iphone-moment-whats-next?ref=numericcitizen.me) --- ## 🌟 Miscellaneous {#webdesign} 1️⃣ Gruber coins "dickover" for the modal pop-ups that hijack your screen before letting you read anything. The term is deliberately unpleasant because the design pattern deserves contempt — and a shared vocabulary helps us name and shame it. → [What Is a Dickover?](https://daringfireball.net/2026/05/what%5Fis%5Fa%5Fdickover?ref=numericcitizen.me) 2️⃣ Aave built a cross-browser liquid glass UI effect for the web that works in Chrome, Safari, and Firefox — something existing approaches couldn't achieve. It uses SVG displacement maps and WebGL fallbacks to bend live DOM content, enabling reusable interactive components like switches, sliders, and video players. → [Building Glass for the Web](https://aave.com/design/building-glass-for-the-web?ref=numericcitizen.me) --- 👉🏻 [Main](https://numericcitizen.me/) 🌟 [Meta](https://meta.numericcitizen.me/?ref=numericcitizen.me) 🌟 [Blips](https://blips.numericcitizen.me/?ref=numericcitizen.me) 🌟 [Blog](https://blog.numericcitizen.me/?ref=numericcitizen.me) 👀 --- I wish you a great week! ✌️ 🇺🇦 🇨🇦 🇪🇺 💪🏻 📌 This newsletter edition is also available as a Craft shared document [****here**](https://crafted.numericcitizen.me/ephemeral-scrapbook-2026-06-07?ref=numericcitizen.me). An index of past editions can be found [here](https://numericcitizen.me/tag/ephemeral-scrapbook/). This week's edition is based on template version 1.9.1 and was put together with ❤️ mostly on an M2 15-inch MacBook Air, Craft Docs and many supporting [subscriptions](https://crafted.numericcitizen.me/current-subscriptions?ref=numericcitizen.me)! If you like this newsletter, please consider supporting me via [PayPal](https://paypal.me/numericcitizen?locale.x=en%5FUS&ref=numericcitizen.me) or becoming a supporter by visiting my [Ko-fi](https://ko-fi.com/numericcitizen/?ref=numericcitizen.me) page! ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/2026/06/craft-image-6-1780861941150.png) [https://notbyai.fyi](https://notbyai.fyi/?ref=numericcitizen.me) ### Building My Own Task Manager Instead of Waiting for Things 4 URL: https://numericcitizen.me/building-my-own-task-manager-instead-of-waiting-for-things-4/ Last updated: 2026-06-07T12:18:58.000Z Over the years, I’ve tried my share of task managers. OmniFocus, Things 3, Apple Reminders, to name the main ones. Each had its place. OmniFocus was powerful, but ultimately too complex for the way I work. Apple Reminders remained my tool for personal tasks. Things 3, on the other hand, became the task manager I used for my digital creative hobbies. It struck a balance that worked well for me: structured, elegant, and not overly demanding. But there was always a lingering concern in the background. The software industry keeps moving toward subscription pricing, and I strongly suspect that if Cultured Code ever releases a major new version, likely Things 4, it will be subscription-based. I don’t want that. That concern, combined with something else, is what led me to build my own task manager. Over the last six months, I’ve accumulated enough vibe-coding experience to start looking for a project that would be both useful and meaningful. Reimagining Things 3 as a web app tailored to my own needs turned out to be exactly that. ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/2026/06/craft-image-0-1780833901287.png) The task creation panel This was never about building a one-to-one clone. It was about distilling Things 3 into what felt essential to me, both from a design perspective and in terms of features. I consider myself a light-to-medium task manager user, especially for my digital hobbies. I don’t need every advanced feature a full-fledged productivity platform can offer. What I need is a system that feels simple, clear, and supportive. That meant making a few intentional decisions. I don’t need recurring tasks. My hobbies should not feel like obligations, and I don’t want a task manager that adds pressure where there should be curiosity and momentum. For the same reason, I rarely schedule tasks unless I truly need to. At the same time, there were a few elements I definitely wanted to preserve. The logbook was one of them. I like having a record of what I’ve completed. I also kept the Areas and Projects structure because it maps well to how I naturally organize both personal and professional work. As for smart lists, I chose to keep only what I use most: Today and Upcoming. I never felt the need for more elaborate, tag-based smart lists. ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/2026/06/craft-image-1-1780833901287.png) The logbook Another part of the equation was the platform itself. For a lightweight task manager, a progressive web app is more than capable today. It runs well on the desktop, on the iPad, and on the iPhone. For this kind of project, that is good enough. The backend story evolved during development. My initial plan was to use Airtable. On paper, the free tier looked sufficient, with support for a single table of up to 1,000 rows. In practice, the monthly API call limit quickly became a constraint and made certain features impractical. I eventually moved to Neon, a Postgres database available through Vercel’s marketplace, which already powers most of my other web applications. ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/2026/06/craft-image-2-1780833901287.png) I love stats so I made sure to have some That decision gave the project a more solid foundation. What makes the app especially interesting to me now is its potential to fit into a broader ecosystem of tools I already use. Upcoming tasks are already surfaced in my dashboard web app, and I’m considering additional integrations, such as creating tasks from my RSS Flow or Bookmarks web apps. ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/2026/06/craft-image-3-1780833901287.png) Upcoming scheduled tasks are shown in my custom-built dashboard web app There is still room to expand. A calendar view could be a natural addition. A Kanban view is another possibility. But for now, the core idea is already in place: a task manager that keeps what I value, removes what I don’t need, and fits the way I actually work. In the end, rebuilding Things 3 as a vibe-coded web app was not really about replacing an app I liked. It was about creating a version of it that feels more sustainable, more personal, and more aligned with my workflow. Less complexity. Less dependency. More ownership. --- The following is a specs overview of the custom-built tasks manager ### Numeric Citizen Tasks Manager — An Overview Numeric Citizen Tasks (URL obfuscated) is a personal, single-user task manager inspired by Things. Built as a modern web app and installable as a Progressive Web App (PWA), it brings a desktop-quality task management experience to any browser. ### Core Concept The app organizes tasks into four smart lists: **Inbox**, **Today**, **Upcoming**, and **Logbook.** They are derived automatically from due dates and completion status rather than manual sorting. Tasks can be grouped into **Areas** (top-level life categories) and **Projects** (state-tracked containers with progress percentages), and labeled with **color-coded tags** for quick visual scanning. ### Technology Choices The stack is entirely modern and production-grade: **Next.js 16** with the App Router, **React 19**, **TypeScript**, and **Tailwind CSS v4** for styling. Data lives in a **Neon Postgres** database, with all database calls kept server-side so credentials never reach the browser. The app is hosted on **Vercel** with automatic SSL and continuous deployment from GitHub. A notable design choice is the **dual runtime mode**: the app runs fully against a live Postgres database in production, but gracefully falls back to built-in sample data when no database is configured, making it easy to demo or explore without any setup. ### User Experience The interface is clean and keyboard-friendly. A **Cmd+K global search overlay** surfaces tasks instantly, and **URL-driven navigation** means every view (including individual areas and projects) has its own bookmarkable, shareable link. The sidebar is resizable and collapsible, and both the edit and admin panels resize on desktop. A **light/dark theme toggle** is persisted locally. The PWA shell is cached by a custom service worker, enabling fast app loads and offline access to the interface, while task data itself always stays fresh from the network. ### Design Principles A few deliberate decisions stand out: \- **Smart lists are derived, not stored.** Inbox, Today, and Upcoming membership is computed from task fields, keeping the data model clean. \- **State lookup tables** for tasks and projects allow custom workflow states to be added later without changing the database schema. \- **IDs in URLs, not names.** Renaming an area or project never breaks existing bookmarks or links. \- **Single-password authentication** via an environment variable keeps the app private with minimal complexity. ### Scale & Target Audience Designed for one person. The app comfortably handles hundreds of tasks within Neon's free tier — no over-engineering, just a focused, well-crafted tool for personal productivity. ### The Ephemeral Scrapbook — 2026.05.24 URL: https://numericcitizen.me/the-ephemeral-scrapbook-2026-05-24/ Last updated: 2026-05-24T15:18:38.000Z ## 👤 Personal {#life} 1️⃣ Here’s another late edition of the newsletter. Again, sorry for the delay, but life sometimes takes over. My personal hobby time is spread across many little things and is sometimes fighting against unexpected events like [my wife's recent injury](https://blog.numericcitizen.me/2026/05/21/where-life-tech-collide.html?ref=numericcitizen.me). She's slowly recovering. 🙏🏻 --- ## 🗺️ Discoveries {#youtuber, #hobby} 1️⃣ Journalist Joanna Stern launches New Things, an independent tech newsletter and YouTube channel focused on asking "who is this technology for?" rather than just reviewing products, prioritizing human-centered coverage of how technology shapes our lives. → [It’s Time. Meet My New Thing.](https://thenewthings.com/p/meet-my-new-thing?ref=numericcitizen.me) 2️⃣ Another example of a guy having too much free time and using it to build incredible stuff like a personal knowledge management app, entirely built using Claude Code. → [Building My Personal Assistant App](https://frankmcpherson.blog/2026/04/24/building-my-personal-assistant-app.html?ref=numericcitizen.me). 🤔 --- ## 👨🏻‍💻 Writing {#linkpost} 1️⃣ I was quite active in recent weeks on my blog with many linkposts shared using my custom-built RSS Flow web app which covers this capability of quickly putting together a linkpost. --- ## 🌄 Photography {#space, #glass} 1️⃣ Don’t miss the [Artemis II Photo Timeline website](https://artemistimeline.com/?ref=numericcitizen.me) where you'll find, as you might expect, a timeline of the best images of this moon mission. 2️⃣ How often do you see a photo-sharing service allowing users to swap images in existing posts without losing engagement? Glass just introduced it in version 5.3.1\. Nice. → [Replace Your Photo! — Glass](https://glass.photo/highlights/glass-5-3-1?ref=numericcitizen.me). --- ## 🍎 Apple & Tech {#timcook, #appleceo} 1️⃣ Tim Cook grew Apple's value from $350B to $4T over 15 years without destroying it—a major achievement. John Ternus takes over as CEO, inheriting stronger hardware capabilities but facing harder challenges: AI integration, Services growth, and defining Apple's role beyond devices. → [John Appleseed](https://om.co/2026/04/20/john-appleseed?ref=numericcitizen.me) 2️⃣ Apple's new CEO John Ternus, a 25-year company veteran, brings deep hardware engineering expertise and a reputation for meticulous craftsmanship. His appointment signals Apple's preference for long-term leadership continuity and internal promotion over external hires. → [Who is John Ternus, the incoming Apple CEO? | TechCrunch](https://techcrunch.com/2026/04/20/who-is-john-ternus-the-incoming-apple-ceo?ref=numericcitizen.me) 3️⃣ Tim Cook steps down as Apple CEO after 15 years, transitioning to executive chairman while praising successor John Ternus as the ideal leader to guide the company forward with the same user-centric vision. → [Community Letter from Tim](https://www.apple.com/community-letter-from-tim?ref=numericcitizen.me) 4️⃣ Tim Cook's Apple prioritized profit extraction, self-image, and services revenue over product quality, user experience, and developer relationships—undermining the very standards Apple claims distinguish it from competitors. The list of missteps is long enough to question whether Cook's leadership matched the company's stated values. → [Cooked](https://take.surf/2026/04/23/cooked?ref=numericcitizen.me) 5️⃣ Apple spent years meticulously engineering Tim Cook's CEO handover to John Ternus — using podcast appearances, managed media leaks, and strategic timing — to prevent stock market panic. The transition offers a masterclass in corporate PR choreography. → [Apple’s CEO transition is one of the most carefully choreographed in corporate history. Here's what comes next](https://www.fastcompany.com/91530658/apple-ceo-transition-carefully-choreographed-corporate-history-comes-next-tim-cook-john-ternus?ref=numericcitizen.me) 6️⃣ The Vision Pro may be Apple's Newton: an expensive, ahead-of-its-time prototype waiting for technology (lightweight AR glasses) that doesn't exist yet. Unlike the Newton's missing killer feature, though, the Vision Pro's limitations are already obvious to everyone. → [Apple Lisa Vision Pro MessagePad 2000](https://schwarztech.net/snippets/apple-lisa-vision-pro-messagepad-2000?ref=numericcitizen.me) 7️⃣ Apple's success is rooted in engineering culture and collective identity — understanding it requires looking beyond the data and into how the organization thinks and operates as a whole. → [Succession, study of the firm vs. study of the person](https://asymco.com/2026/04/21/succession-study-of-the-firm-vs-study-of-the-person?ref=numericcitizen.me) 8️⃣ Tim Cook is stepping down as CEO to become executive chairman, passing leadership to John Ternus in a planned succession that Cook himself never received from Steve Jobs. This transition offers Apple an opportunity for meaningful change under a product-focused leader while Cook mentors from above and retains government relations duties. → [That was Tim, this is Ternus: Some first thoughts on Apple's CEO transition](https://sixcolors.com/post/2026/04/that-was-tim-this-is-ternus-some-first-thoughts-on-apples-ceo-transition?ref=numericcitizen.me). > "Tim totally cooked as the seventh CEO of Apple. But effective September 1, the hot seat belongs to John Ternus, the company’s eighth chief executive. Also, a great day for being a John at Apple. Johny Srouji moves up to chief hardware officer at the same time. Two solid moves for a company that still makes great hardware." — Om Malik is a San Francisco based writer, photographer and investor. [John Appleseed](https://om.co/2026/04/20/john-appleseed?ref=numericcitizen.me) #### --- ## 📱 Apps & Services {#agentic-ai, #wordpress, #reading} 1️⃣ MCP is a modern version of USB. It is at the center of a mini revolution in which AI Agents can work with MCP to interact with various services and build powerful workflows. The dark side of this is that the security surrounding this is not mature. → [MCP Is Making API Sprawl Worse](https://nordicapis.com/mcp-is-making-api-sprawl-worse?ref=numericcitizen.me). 2️⃣ WordPress co-founder Matt Mullenweg went on a multi-hour rant blaming the project's stagnation on process creep and self-imposed bureaucracy — not competition. He argues WordPress has become too slow and consensus-driven to ship meaningful work, and wants to reclaim direct leadership to fix it. → [Matt Mullenweg Says “The Wheels Have Fallen Off” in Wide-Ranging WordPress Critique](https://www.therepository.email/matt-mullenweg-says-the-wheels-have-fallen-off-in-wide-ranging-wordpress-critique?ref=numericcitizen.me). Anyone still using WordPress here? 3️⃣ Matt Birchler put together a read later web service with a native iPhone app called Quick Reads using AI and vibe coding. It seems really good, but it's not for me, I prefer to use my custom-built bookmarking web app. Cue the video for more details about Quick Reads. --- ## 🚧 Special projects {#youtuberecording} 1️⃣ I don't have many pending projects left, except maybe trying to record a new YouTube video using my recently acquired RODECaster Video S. I spent quite some time figuring out the final connectivity setup. You can see a napkin diagram of my setup below. I also started taking notes on how recording YouTube videos with this device compares to using a software-only setup. I realize that I'll be missing a few rather important things, like dynamic zooming based on the mouse movement, something that I started to enjoy using with Screen Studio. ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/2026/05/craft-image-0-1779635288970.png) My RODECaster Video setup --- ## 📺 YouTube {#timcook, #techhistory, #macbook} 1️⃣ A lojng review of Apple under Tim Cook as a CEO. 2️⃣ The 8GB memory size of the MacBook Neo might be ok after all. 3️⃣ [This video](https://youtu.be/z1ZrserYjZo?si=vTTQI-yz8SZPAUlZ&ref=numericcitizen.me) traces the 25-year survival story of macOS's traffic light buttons, arguing that their endurance isn't a design accident — it's the result of Apple treating its design character as untouchable and holding firm through criticism, while Microsoft (with equally bold bets like Luna and Metro) retreated every time the crowd pushed back. A recap of Tim Cook era as a CEO Just in case you are still wondering if 8GB of RAM is enough ini 2026 The enduring trafic lights in macOS (and now in iPadOS) --- ## 🔮 Looking forward {#ai, #socialmedia, #appleintelligence} 1️⃣ Perplexity launches Health, an AI tool that aggregates health data from wearables and medical records to answer personalized health questions and create fitness/nutrition plans, with physician oversight and strict privacy protections. Should we trust them? No. → [Perplexity Can Now Access Your Apple Health Data to Answer Medical Questions](https://www.macrumors.com/2026/03/19/perplexity-apple-health-integration?ref=numericcitizen.me) 2️⃣ Social media's toxic dynamics aren't caused by algorithms or human psychology—they're structurally baked into the architecture itself. Counterintuitively, filter bubbles may actually stabilize communities rather than destroy them, and legacy platforms are increasingly populated by bots rather than humans. → [RIP social media. What comes next is messy.](https://arstechnica.com/science/2026/05/rip-social-media-what-comes-next-is-messy?ref=numericcitizen.me) 😔 3️⃣ Parker Ortolani is imagining Apple Agents, part of the upcoming Siri rebuild. → [Taking the Apple Agents Concept Even Further with Shortcuts, a Store, and Access Anywhere](https://parkerortolani.blog/2026/04/24/taking-the-apple-agents-concept.html?ref=numericcitizen.me). Some interesting concepts there, but will Apple go that far with Agentic AI? I highly doubt it. 4️⃣ Really cool web page but also frightening statistics. Are we in an AI bubble? → [Is AI Profitable Yet?](https://isaiprofitable.com/?ref=numericcitizen.me) > "It’s hard to imagine a more orderly, confidence-inspiring, exciting-but-not-at-all-surprising, this-feels-right way to do this. All of that, I am sure, is just the way Cook wants it. And, if you agree that Apple itself was Jobs’s greatest product, Cook really is a product person after all." — Monday, 20 April 2026, [Another Day Has Come](https://daringfireball.net/2026/04/another%5Fday%5Fhas%5Fcome?ref=numericcitizen.me) --- ## 🌟 Miscellaneous {#bloggerlife, #developer-experience, #privacyprotection, #appstore} 1️⃣ Basic Apple Guy reflects on a year of creating Apple-focused content—from wallpapers to deep dives on Apple's design history and iconography—while modernizing their site with dark mode and custom CSS improvements. → [VI-Basic Apple Guy](https://basicappleguy.com/basicappleblog/vi?ref=numericcitizen.me) 2️⃣ A long-time Apple developer abandons the ecosystem after 25 years, citing software gatekeeping, poor macOS design, and a broken age-verification system that locked him out despite being 45 years old. He's migrating to Linux and Android to reclaim control over his computing. → [Apple Just Lost Me • AndreGarzia.com](https://andregarzia.com/2026/03/apple-just-lost-me.html?ref=numericcitizen.me) 3️⃣ AI's unpopularity isn't a marketing problem — it's a worldview problem. Tech's "software brain" treats human life as data to be automated, but most people don't want to flatten themselves into databases. That fundamental mismatch explains the growing backlash. → [BEWARE SOFTWARE BRAIN](https://www.theverge.com/podcast/917029/software-brain-ai-backlash-databases-automation?ref=numericcitizen.me) 4️⃣ Privacy isn't about hiding wrongdoing — it's a fundamental right. Tech giants collect staggering amounts of personal data, often without meaningful consent, creating real risks from security breaches, manipulation, and permanent reputational damage. Seeking privacy alternatives is worth the effort. → [Privacy vs “I have nothing to hide”](https://kevq.uk/privacy-vs-i-have-nothing-to-hide?ref=numericcitizen.me) 5️⃣ Apple is blocking AI coding apps because its entire review model assumes software holds still — but AI-generated apps dissolve that assumption entirely. The real conflict isn't regulatory; it's ontological. The infrastructure built around static software artifacts — version numbers, review queues, bug reports — wasn't designed for code that generates itself at runtime. → [The Wrapper and the Code](https://adaptivesoftware.substack.com/p/the-wrapper-and-the-code) > "Individual employees become more productive with the use of AI agents, but the organization captures none of that value." — Elvis Saravia [AI Maturity - Where Enterprises Stand Today](https://blog.n8n.io/ai-maturity-where-enterprises-stand-today?ref=numericcitizen.me) --- 👉🏻 [Main](https://numericcitizen.me/) 🌟 [Meta](https://meta.numericcitizen.me/?ref=numericcitizen.me) 🌟 [Blips](https://blips.numericcitizen.me/?ref=numericcitizen.me) 🌟 [Blog](https://blog.numericcitizen.me/?ref=numericcitizen.me) 👀 --- I wish you a great week! ✌️ 🇺🇦 🇨🇦 🇪🇺 💪🏻 💡 This newsletter edition is also available as a Craft shared document [****here**](https://crafted.numericcitizen.me/ephemeral-scrapbook-2026-05-24?ref=numericcitizen.me). An index of past editions can be found [here](https://numericcitizen.me/tag/ephemeral-scrapbook/). This week's edition is based on template version 1.9.1 and was put together with ❤️ mostly on an M2 15-inch MacBook Air, Craft Docs and many supporting [subscriptions](https://crafted.numericcitizen.me/current-subscriptions?ref=numericcitizen.me)! If you like this newsletter, please consider supporting me via [PayPal](https://paypal.me/numericcitizen?locale.x=en%5FUS&ref=numericcitizen.me) or becoming a supporter by visiting my [Ko-fi](https://ko-fi.com/numericcitizen/?ref=numericcitizen.me) page! ### Facing The Rising Costs of AI URL: https://numericcitizen.me/facing-the-rising-costs-of-ai/ Last updated: 2026-05-23T11:00:25.000Z The explosion of artificial intelligence is quietly transforming the computer memory industry. Major manufacturers are now allocating an increasing share of their production capacity to the needs of cloud and AI giants, attracted by significantly higher profit margins. This shift particularly affects advanced memory technologies used in AI accelerators, but its impact is gradually spreading across the entire market. For consumers and traditional businesses, the consequences are becoming increasingly visible: rising prices, reduced availability, and slower hardware refresh cycles. **While hyperscalers secure multi-billion-dollar supply agreements, other market players are losing influence over manufacturers’ priorities. Even Apple is probably affected by this new market dynamic.** *This raises an important question: should certain memory manufacturing capacities be considered a strategic resource that deserves some level of public policy protection?* At first glance, legislation aimed at controlling memory allocation may appear attractive. Governments already regulate or protect strategic sectors such as energy, telecommunications, transportation, and pharmaceuticals. As artificial intelligence becomes increasingly central to economic growth and national competitiveness, memory and semiconductor production are beginning to resemble critical infrastructure rather than ordinary consumer products. In practice, however, implementing such legislation would be extremely difficult. One major challenge is that the semiconductor industry is deeply globalized. Memory chips are often designed in one country, fabricated in another, packaged elsewhere, and integrated into systems across multiple continents. A single national government would have limited influence over manufacturers operating within highly interconnected international supply chains. Strict allocation requirements in one region could simply encourage manufacturers to shift production investments toward more favorable jurisdictions. Another complication is the highly cyclical nature of the memory market itself. The industry has historically experienced dramatic swings between oversupply and shortage. During downturns, manufacturers often suffer severe financial losses due to collapsing prices. In today’s AI-driven environment, companies are finally seeing unusually strong margins again. Governments attempting to artificially redirect production could unintentionally reduce future investment incentives and create even greater supply instability over time. There is also a technical challenge that is often overlooked. Not all memory production is interchangeable. Advanced AI memory technologies such as High Bandwidth Memory (HBM) require specialized manufacturing processes, advanced packaging techniques, and complex supply chain coordination that differ significantly from traditional consumer memory products like DDR5\. Redirecting production capacity is not as simple as flipping a switch inside a factory. In some cases, the bottlenecks involve packaging facilities, substrate availability, or highly specialized engineering expertise rather than raw wafer production alone. Market dynamics further complicate the situation. Large hyperscalers and AI companies possess enormous purchasing power and long-term planning capabilities. They can commit billions of dollars in advance purchase agreements, effectively guaranteeing revenue stability for suppliers. Consumer electronics manufacturers and smaller enterprise customers typically cannot compete at the same scale. Governments would therefore need to intervene carefully to avoid distorting normal competitive behavior while still preventing excessive concentration of supply. There is also the risk of unintended consequences. Price controls, production quotas, or allocation mandates could reduce innovation incentives or create shortages in unexpected segments of the market. Overregulation could even slow down AI infrastructure development itself, potentially weakening economic competitiveness in regions attempting to impose restrictions while other countries continue expanding aggressively. For these reasons, more nuanced approaches may ultimately prove more realistic. Governments could encourage diversified production through tax incentives, support regional semiconductor manufacturing initiatives, strengthen antitrust oversight, or establish strategic technology reserves for critical sectors. Public-private partnerships may also emerge to ensure that some baseline production capacity remains available for broader commercial markets without imposing rigid allocation controls. Beyond memory itself, this debate reflects a deeper transformation taking place across the technology industry. Essential computing components are increasingly becoming strategic infrastructure, comparable to energy or telecommunications. Artificial intelligence is not only reshaping software, it is now reshaping global industrial priorities, supply chains, and geopolitical strategy as well. Something to think about before sending your next prompt to ChatGPT. ### Apple Has Always Been at War with Physics — and It's Happening Again URL: https://numericcitizen.me/apple-has-always-been-at-war-with-physics-and-its-happening-again/ Last updated: 2026-05-10T23:40:33.000Z There is a pattern to how Apple makes its most interesting bets. It finds a hard physical constraint, something that looks like an immovable wall, and decides that software is the answer. It happened with the camera. It is happening right now with artificial intelligence. ## Act I: The Lens Problem Great photography has always been, at its core, a physics problem. A camera captures light. The more light it captures, the richer the image, more detail in the shadows, less noise, better colour fidelity. The way you capture more light is through a large lens and a large sensor. This is why professional cameras are large. Size is not a design failure; it is a feature. Then came the smartphone. A device engineered to slip into a pocket carries a sensor roughly the size of a fingernail and a lens that barely protrudes from the chassis. By every classical rule of optics, the images it produces should be terrible. For a while, they were. Apple changed that, not by cheating physics, but by supplementing it. The camera hardware still operates under the same laws. But surrounding that hardware, Apple built a dense layer of software: multi-frame processing, computational noise reduction, Smart HDR, Deep Fusion, Photonic Engine. The phone takes a burst of frames in the milliseconds around a shutter press, computes across all of them simultaneously, and synthesizes an image no single frame could have produced. It is photography augmented by computation. The result is photographs that routinely surpass what dedicated cameras cost thousands of dollars to achieve a decade ago. Apple did not repeal the laws of optics. It worked around them, cleverly and relentlessly, in software. That discipline, computational photography, is now an industry. Every major phone manufacturer pursues it. Apple invented the category. ## Act II: The Cloud Assumption Artificial intelligence has its own version of the lens problem. The assumption baked into the industry is that powerful AI requires massive infrastructure: data centres, high-end GPUs, enormous amounts of memory and bandwidth. The corollary is obvious: the user's device cannot be where the real work happens. The device is a terminal. The cloud is the brain. This assumption is not unreasonable. Large language models carry billions of parameters. Running inference on them demands hardware that, until recently, only existed in server farms. The economics pointed in one direction: send the data up, compute in the cloud, send the answer back. Apple, characteristically, looked at that constraint and started building silicon. The evidence has been accumulating quietly for eight years. When Apple introduced the iPhone X in 2017, the A11 Bionic contained a small, barely-mentioned addition: a 2-core Neural Engine, dedicated hardware for machine learning inference. No killer feature required it. No reviewer headlined it. Then the next chip had a larger one. Then the next. Generation after generation, Apple kept expanding this component with the same patient, unexplained determination. The M5, released in 2025, carries a 16-core Neural Engine. That is not a spec-sheet flourish. It is a long-term architectural bet, written in transistors, years before the payoff was visible. And Apple did not keep this hardware to itself. Since the beginning, the Neural Engine has been available to third-party developers through Core ML. This is the move that matters most: Apple was not building a feature. It was building a platform, the same way it built camera hardware that any app could access, long before computational photography became a household term. Every iPhone sold is a node in a distributed AI compute network that no cloud provider can match for scale or proximity to the user. What makes this bet more significant is that Apple is not the only one reading the same signal. Qualcomm's Snapdragon X Elite and Intel's Lunar Lake both feature dedicated neural processing hardware. Three companies with entirely different business models, all converging on the same structural decision. When that happens across an entire industry, it stops being a hunch and starts being a thesis. The question is not whether on-device AI is coming; the chips already say it is. The question is who built the platform first. The parallel writes itself. In computational photography, the constraints were the light and the lens. In on-device AI, the constraint is compute and memory. In both cases, Apple's answer was not a product announcement. It was infrastructure, laid down quietly, generation by generation, until the moment the world was ready to use it. ## Sign up for Numeric Citizen Space The digital space for a compulsive contributor. Home of an Apple fan and a digital nomad. Subscribe Email sent! Check your inbox to complete your signup. No spam. Unsubscribe anytime. ## The Pattern Underneath What makes this parallel more than a coincidence is the underlying philosophy it reveals. Apple is, at its core, a company that believes the most interesting problems sit at the intersection of hardware and software, and that controlling both gives you leverage no one else has. Computational photography was only possible because Apple designed the chip, the image signal processor, the operating system, and the camera APIs that third-party apps could call. No single piece works without the others. On-device AI is the same stack: custom silicon with dedicated inference hardware, a tightly integrated OS, and developer frameworks that expose that hardware to anyone who wants to use it. Crucially, neither of these was primarily a consumer feature. They were platform investments. Apple did not build the image signal processor to win a camera shootout in a tech review. It built the infrastructure for a whole ecosystem of imaging capabilities, then let developers, and eventually competitors, define what was possible on top of it. The Neural Engine is following the same trajectory. The question, in both cases, is the same: *what becomes possible when every device in the world ships with dedicated AI compute, and any developer can reach it?* Apple's answer, then and now, is: more than you currently imagine. ## Why This Bet Could Win Neither of these bets required perfection. Computational photography on an iPhone does not match a medium-format camera. It never will. But it crossed a threshold: good enough, instantly, in your pocket, for almost any situation. Once it crossed that threshold, the market for dedicated point-and-shoot cameras collapsed. The winning condition was not technical supremacy; it was sufficient capability, everywhere, all the time. On-device AI is chasing the same threshold. Cloud models will remain more powerful for heavy, open-ended tasks for the foreseeable future. But the question is not whether on-device AI can beat GPT-5 in a benchmark. The question is whether it can be good enough for the things people actually reach for dozens of times a day, understanding what is on your screen, drafting a reply, answering a question about something in your document, without a network round-trip, without sending your data anywhere, without a subscription to yet another cloud service. If it can, it wins on every dimension that matters: speed, privacy, cost, reliability, and the quiet trust that the intelligence running on your device is working for you, not for a server farm somewhere. Apple fought the laws of physics once, with a camera, by building infrastructure that an entire ecosystem could use. It is making the same bet now, with intelligence, in the same patient and deliberate way. The Neural Engine has been growing for eight years. The platform is already in a billion pockets. That is not a product launch. That is a foundation. --- *This piece was inspired by* [*The M5's Most Important Feature Isn't in Any Benchmark*](https://youtu.be/7LFLrGo921Q?si=B3PQdAtLMKgEcDJ5&ref=numericcitizen.me) *by Tiff In Tech: a sharp breakdown of Apple's Neural Engine evolution and what the chip roadmaps of Apple, Qualcomm, and Intel say about where AI is heading.* ### Tim Cook’s Apple: Operational Mastery, Strategic Restraint—and the Cost of Playing It Safe URL: https://numericcitizen.me/tim-cooks-apple-operational-mastery-strategic-restraintand-the-cost-of-playing-it-safe/ Last updated: 2026-04-21T00:46:43.000Z When Steve Jobs handed the reins of Apple Inc. to Tim Cook, the question was never whether Apple would change—it was how. Fifteen years later, the answer is clear: Apple didn’t lose its edge; it refined it into something far more disciplined, predictable, and scalable. Cook’s tenure is best understood through the lens of execution. He transformed Apple into an operational powerhouse, optimizing supply chains, expanding margins, and building one of the most efficient global technology machines ever assembled. Under his leadership, Apple didn’t just grow—it became structurally resilient. The transition to Apple Silicon alone stands as a masterclass in long-horizon planning and vertical integration. But operational excellence is only part of the story. Critics often argue that under Cook, Apple became more incremental, less daring. There’s some truth to that. The company’s product cadence shifted toward iteration rather than disruption, and its communication style moved away from bold vision toward measured positioning. Whether that’s maturity or caution depends on your perspective. The now-abandoned Apple Car initiative illustrates this tension. On one hand, it was a rational exploration into a massive adjacent market aligned with Apple’s strengths in hardware, software, and integration. On the other, the project appeared to suffer from shifting objectives and prolonged uncertainty. Billions were spent without a tangible product outcome—a rare visible miss for a company known for focus. Yet even here, the critique should be precise. The issue wasn’t that Apple explored the space; it’s that the effort lacked a stable thesis long enough to execute decisively. In frontier domains, failure is often the price of ambition. The real question is whether that ambition is channelled effectively. Another, more contentious dimension of Cook’s leadership lies in his navigation of politics, particularly regarding U.S. leadership and global regulatory pressures. Cook has often positioned himself as a pragmatic diplomat, maintaining working relationships across administrations, including that of Donald Trump, while publicly advocating for issues like privacy, immigration reform, and environmental responsibility. That balancing act, however, has not been without criticism. At times, Apple’s posture can appear selectively principled—forceful on privacy branding, yet more cautious when core business interests such as supply chain exposure, tariffs, or market access are at stake. The optics of engaging closely with political power while maintaining a carefully curated public stance can create tension, especially for a company that positions itself as values-driven. To be clear, this is not unique to Apple; it’s the reality of operating at global scale. But it does raise a legitimate question: is Apple shaping policy from a position of principle, or adapting to it from a position of necessity? Cook’s Apple tends to err on the side of control. It avoids premature launches, protects margins, and prioritizes ecosystem coherence. This has produced extraordinary financial results and sustained relevance at scale—but it can also limit the kind of bold narrative defining bets that once characterized the company. In the end, judging Cook solely against the legacy of Jobs misses the point. They operated in different contexts, with different constraints, and delivered different kinds of success. Cook didn’t reinvent Apple; he industrialized it. The more nuanced assessment is this: Tim Cook’s tenure represents one of the greatest operational achievements in tech history, coupled with a more conservative strategic posture, and a pragmatic, sometimes ambiguous approach to power. Whether those trade-offs were necessary or limiting will likely define how this era is remembered. I’m not alone in reacting to the announcement of leadership change at Apple. I really liked [Om Malik’s take on it](https://om.co/2026/04/20/john-appleseed/?ref=numericcitizen.me). Oh, and I wrote [The Rotten Side of Tim Cook’s Apple](https://numericcitizen.me/the-rotten-side-of-tim-cooks-apple/). It was in 2020\. A lot has changed since then. I wonder what [the new priorities](https://blog.numericcitizen.me/2026/04/20/john-appleseed-ternuss-other-task.html?ref=numericcitizen.me) are under John Ternus’ leadership. ### The Ephemeral Scrapbook — 2026.04.19 URL: https://numericcitizen.me/the-ephemeral-scrapbook-2026-04-19/ Last updated: 2026-04-19T18:54:09.000Z ## 👤 Personal {#personalupdate, #projects, #newsletter} 1️⃣ I've been slow to publish a new edition of this newsletter this year because I was focused on developing web applications with Claude AI and Claude Code. Now that most of my apps are finished, I can refocus on the newsletter. As you probably know, two web apps are key to this newsletter: one for bookmarking interesting content I find online, and another custom-built RSS reader. Both apps work together and truly make a difference. 2️⃣ Something that I'd like to complete is an update about my digital ecosystem. I’ve been using Apple Freeform to put together a map of all the tools and services that are making my digital ecosystem. The diagram is mostly complete, but I want to write an article explaining what’s changed since [my previous update](https://meta.numericcitizen.me/2025/11/02/my-content-creation-ecosystem-fall.html?ref=numericcitizen.me). 3️⃣ One more thing: still using Claude AI and Claude Code, I finally put together a new visual design for [my blog](https://blog.numericcitizen.me/?ref=numericcitizen.me) and [metablog](https://meta.numericcitizen.me/?ref=numericcitizen.me). They both share the same design and I’m very happy with the end results. Here's a quick look below. ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/2026/04/Image-2022x1486.png) The new website design for my blog and my metablog. I'm proud of it. --- ## 🗺️ Discoveries {#programming, #computerhistory, #vibecoding} 1️⃣ Are you old enough to remember Turbo Pascal? [This website](https://tools.simonwillison.net/turbo-pascal-deconstructed?ref=numericcitizen.me) deconstructed the whole thing. I learned programming in Turbo Pascal, and I really loved that programming language. It was easy, and because it was approachable, not overwhelming like C++. It's fascinating to see such a small computer program when you look at today's bloated software stacks consuming vast amounts of costly resources. 2️⃣ Recreating a 1978 science magazine in 40-year-old desktop publishing software, the author rediscovers PageMaker's brilliant simplicity and maddening limitations—no layers, no locking, no grouped objects—while revealing how it literally reshaped graphic design as a profession. → [Aldus PageMaker on the Apple Macintosh](https://stonetools.ghost.io/pagemaker-mac?ref=numericcitizen.me) 3️⃣ It's a fun vibe coding project: buillding a native Mac utility. After creating many web apps myself with Claude Code and Claude AI, this could be another type of project I could tackle, too! → [Vibe coding SwiftUI apps is a lot of fun](https://simonwillison.net/2026/Mar/27/vibe-coding-swiftui?ref=numericcitizen.me) --- ## 👨🏻‍💻 Writing {#quote} > "You can always edit a bad page. You can't edit a blank page." — Jodi Picoult found on [https://scribbles.page/explore](https://scribbles.page/explore?ref=numericcitizen.me) > "Write to help yourself, publish to help others.” — Jack Butcher in [ZenQuotes Daily Quote](https://zenquotes.io/?ref=numericcitizen.me) --- ## 🌄 Photography {#art, #foodforthoughts} 1️⃣ In an era where billions of images are captured daily, photography paradoxically becomes both more democratic and more challenging as an art form. The ease of creation has transformed the question from "can I make an image?" to "can I make an image that matters?" True photographic artistry today lies not in technical mastery alone, but in the photographer's ability to cultivate vision—to see beyond the obvious, to find poetry in the mundane, and to create images that resonate with emotional truth rather than mere aesthetic appeal. While algorithms can now suggest compositions and AI can generate convincing imagery, the human photographer's unique contribution remains the intentionality behind the frame: the deliberate choice of what to include, what to exclude, and most importantly, why the image needs to exist at all. In short, there is two stories behind an image: the one you see, the one you don’t. --- ## 🍎 Apple & Tech {#applehistory, #wwdc26, #openai, #aibubble, #timcook} 1️⃣ Apple has shipped over 5 billion devices in 50 years, built a $113B services business, and maintains 2.5 billion active devices. Its enduring strength lies in customer creation and retention — a metric that suggests continued growth over the next 50 years. → [The Next 50](https://asymco.com/2026/03/23/the-next-50?ref=numericcitizen.me). 2️⃣ Apple's WWDC26 runs June 8–12 online, with a limited in-person event at Apple Park on June 8\. The conference will feature AI updates, 100+ video sessions, and direct access to Apple engineers. Swift Student Challenge winners will be announced March 26\. → [Apple’s Worldwide Developers Conference returns the week of June 8](https://www.apple.com/newsroom/2026/03/apples-worldwide-developers-conference-returns-the-week-of-june-8?ref=numericcitizen.me) 3️⃣ Apple is skipping the $650B AI infrastructure arms race, betting that models will commoditize while device ownership wins. By turning 2 billion devices into distributed AI processors and licensing models cheaply, Apple avoids massive debt while rivals hemorrhage cash. → [The most brilliant move in corporate history?](https://asymco.com/2026/03/10/the-most-brilliant-move-in-corporate-history?ref=numericcitizen.me) 4️⃣ So Long, Sora — OpenAI has abruptly discontinued the Sora video generation app and stand-alone service just months after its successful launch. The decision surprised both internal teams and Disney, OpenAI's key partner. Siegler analyzes that while bundling Sora into ChatGPT seemed logical, the prohibitive cost of video generation combined with OpenAI's IPO ambitions and competitive pressure from Anthropic's Claude Code led to the product's complete shutdown rather than integration. The move is particularly damaging to Disney's new CEO Josh D'Amaro, who championed the partnership just three months ago, and signals OpenAI's shift toward business focus over product innovation. → [So Long, Sora](https://spyglass.org/sora-loser?ref=numericcitizen.me) 5️⃣ Apple quietly discontinued the Mac Pro on March 26, 2026, ending a product line plagued by missteps — from the 2013 "trash can" design to poor Apple silicon timing. The Mac mini now outperforms it at one-fifth the cost, making the Mac Pro's demise inevitable. Can you find Lil Finder Guy? So cute. → [Mac Pro - Basic Apple Guy](https://basicappleguy.com/basicappleblog/mac-pro?ref=numericcitizen.me) 6️⃣ The Apple Lisa prototype is such a cool yet simple design, reminiscent of the Apple //c. → [A photo history of Frog, the company that designed the original Mac](https://www.theverge.com/design/2019/6/26/18758789/apple-mac-design-snow-white-frog-polk-photo-essay?ref=numericcitizen.me) 7️⃣ Apple turns 50, and this personal reflection captures how the company's products have quietly shaped meaningful moments in people's lives — from first Macs to FaceTime calls. It's a reminder that great technology enables human connection, not just innovation. → [Fifty - 512 Pixels](https://512pixels.net/2026/04/apple-50-years?ref=numericcitizen.me) 8️⃣ A passionate plea to Apple's future leader to prioritize the company's founding spirit—making great computers that respect users—over profit-driven optimization and surveillance capitalism that increasingly dominates tech. → [A letter to John Ternus](https://marco.org/2026/04/01/letter-to-john-ternus?ref=numericcitizen.me). Speaking of John Ternus, I recently watched an interview with him and [was thinking if this guy could be the next Apple CEO](https://blog.numericcitizen.me/2026/04/18/just-finished-watching-this-video.html?ref=numericcitizen.me). I think it would be a good fit. 9️⃣ Over 50 years of existence, Apple has made the Mac for 43 years. How many models in all? See the table below. A lot. ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/2026/04/BQrUpSyOVL-1164x2328.jpeg) I should count how many of them I owned - probably too many --- ## 📱 Apps & Services {#microsoft, #wordpress, #claude} 1️⃣ Poor Microsoft, they were too busy putting Copilot everywhere, but they forgot about the basics. Now, people hate Windows and are asking for a change. Microsoft seems to be listening. → [Microsoft Got Sloppy with Windows](https://spyglass.org/microslop-windows?ref=numericcitizen.me) 2️⃣ WordPress's core architectural problems—outdated data models, full-trust plugins, serialized block content—have been solvable for years, with working code already proven in the ecosystem. Instead, leadership keeps shipping cosmetic improvements while deferring foundational fixes. The window to catch up is closing. → [WordPress needs to refactor, not redecorate | Joost.blog](https://joost.blog/wordpress-refactor-not-redecorate?ref=numericcitizen.me) 3️⃣ Claude Code is far more complex than its interface suggests, with 50+ tools, hundreds of commands, and unreleased features buried in the source. This deep-dive maps the entire system — agent loop, multi-agent orchestration, hidden capabilities — straight from the codebase which apparently was leaked on the web by mistake. Ooops. → [Claude Code Unpacked](https://ccunpacked.dev/?ref=numericcitizen.me) > "Your frustration is the product. The longer you're trapped on the page, the higher the CPM the publisher can charge.” — Daring Fireball in [★ ‘Your Frustration Is the Product’](https://daringfireball.net/2026/03/your%5Ffrustration%5Fis%5Fthe%5Fproduct?ref=numericcitizen.me) --- ## 🚧 Special projects {#vibecoding} 1️⃣ My web application development activities have decreased significantly recently. Most of my needs are now met. I am now entering the territory of improvement rather than end-to-end design. This is fortunate because with Anthropic's recent changes, the timing is good. Anthropic has adjusted token consumption with Claude Code, making the service much more expensive. The execution of simple tasks now requires two, three, or even several times more tokens. In this context, my projects would have taken much longer to complete without paying for additional tokens. 2️⃣ Yet, I'm planning on another web app: a task manager to replace Things 3\. Why? I would bet a lot of money that the next major iteration of Things will require a subscription. Thanks, but no thanks. I’ll build my own task manager. --- ## 📺 YouTube {#design, #techtrends, #techhistory, #space} 1️⃣ Simply wow. I'm a big lover of wood-based furniture. We can see some Ive's classic design elements. → [Christie Furniture Designed by Jony Ive - YouTube](https://youtu.be/HLXDxx06%5FEM?si=%5F5jPQcYhgp%5F9V%5FhJ&ref=numericcitizen.me) 2️⃣ [The Windows Laptop Problem](https://youtu.be/eXa2ndhmatI?si=h5qub7ycgTGuFq%5F5&ref=numericcitizen.me) is real. 3️⃣ HyperCard was groundbreaking in 1991\. I used it extensively during university. This video offers a broader view of HyperCard's development. Definitely worth watching. → [HyperCard Changed Everything](https://youtu.be/hxHkNToXga8?si=YzV1mCcCFAI9fNPR&ref=numericcitizen.me). 4️⃣ Many interesting Mac utilities, most were built with the help of AI. → [Your Mac Is Missing All of These](https://youtu.be/npxlJdxSv4A?si=GrHL9%5FOr400U1gLx&ref=numericcitizen.me). 5️⃣ Great photos taken from the Artemis II crew. → [Artemis 2 crew's amazing views of Earth, Moon and a Solar Eclipse during lunar flyby](https://youtu.be/q0h24qbVyNA?si=9hYrD811A-niuAOF&ref=numericcitizen.me). 6️⃣ Don't miss [ARTEMIS II: A Visual Masterpiece. 8K Cinematic Supercut](https://youtu.be/SGxz4LQfRpo?si=k1y4TQAK56dRTeRv&ref=numericcitizen.me). Best video of them all. --- ## 🔮 Looking forward {#ai} 1️⃣ AI-powered fraud is quietly dismantling the recommendation systems that drive music, commerce, and culture. Smith's $8M Spotify scam is just the crude, prosecutable version. The real threat — bots generating fake signals that become popular — has no clean legal remedy → [Manufacturing Legitimacy in the AI era](https://om.co/2026/03/21/manufacturing-legitimacy-in-the-ai-era?ref=numericcitizen.me). 2️⃣ AI adoption is inevitable, and it acts as a magnifying glass — skilled users will excel while lazy ones produce junk faster. It will reshape workflows like documentation and inbox management, but human judgment remains essential. → [Some Thoughts On AI — Jim Mitchell](https://jimmitchell.org/2026/04/16/some-thoughts-on-ai?ref=numericcitizen.me). ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/2026/04/_eXvQ3J5sDI-1200x800-optimised.avif.jpeg) Our spaceship as seen from behind the moon --- ## 🌟 Miscellaneous {#ai, #interview, #openclaw, #journalism, #openweb} 1️⃣ Google is testing AI-generated headline rewrites in Search results, potentially altering publishers' meaning, tone, and brand voice without consent. Given that a similar Discover "experiment" became a permanent feature, this small test could signal a significant future threat to click-through rates and audience trust. If you are looking for another reason to leave Google Search behind, here's another one. Google is no longer a search engine. → [Google confirms AI headline rewrites test in Search results](https://searchengineland.com/google-search-ai-headline-rewrites-test-472146?ref=numericcitizen.me) 2️⃣ Good interviews require the interviewer to disappear. The Lemaire/Aperture example illustrates how self-promotion and premature subject-finishing kill genuine revelation. Silence, contradiction, and deep research unlock truth; comfort and credential-signaling produce nothing memorable. → [How Not to Interview (Interesting People)](https://om.co/2026/03/19/how-not-to-interview-interesting-people?ref=numericcitizen.me) 3️⃣ I didn't have an idea of writing a slash AI page on any of my sites. Now that I read Manual's post, I might. But what could go there? My rules for using (or not) using AI? → [Slash AI – Manu](https://manuelmoreale.com/thoughts/slash-ai?ref=numericcitizen.me) 4️⃣ Anthropic is blocking OpenClaw, a third-party integration tool for Claude AI, from standard subscriptions starting April 4th. This move, following OpenClaw creator Peter Steinberger’s move to OpenAI, forces users onto a pay-as-you-go billing system, pushing them towards Anthropic’s own tools like Claude Cowork. The decision, seen as a competitive move, has sparked backlash from developers who built workflows around OpenClaw and are now facing unpredictable costs. → [Anthropic blocks OpenClaw from Claude subscriptions](https://www.techbuzz.ai/articles/anthropic-blocks-openclaw-from-claude-subscriptions?ref=numericcitizen.me) 5️⃣ U.S. business journalism has devolved into uncritical amplification of executive claims — no fact-checking, no context, no expert pushback. This "CEO said a thing" pattern isn't accidental; it reflects media structurally serving corporate interests rather than public ones. → ["CEO Said A Thing!" Journalism](https://karlbode.com/ceo-said-a-thing-journalism?ref=numericcitizen.me) 6️⃣ AI's shift from zero to significant marginal costs upends the 2010s internet business model. Companies now face compute scarcity and must choose between serving different customer segments, replacing simple scaling with strategic capital allocation decisions. → [Mythos, Muse, and the Opportunity Cost of Compute](https://stratechery.com/2026/mythos-muse-and-the-opportunity-cost-of-compute?ref=numericcitizen.me) 7️⃣ Big Tech is systematically dismantling the open web—scraping content without consent, killing open APIs, undermining Wikipedia, and overwhelming open-source projects—threatening the infrastructure that created the modern internet. 2026 may be the decisive year. → [Endgame for the Open Web - Anil Dash](https://anildash.com/2026/03/27/endgame-open-web?ref=numericcitizen.me) > I have a feeling that everyone likes using AI tools to try doing someone else’s profession. They’re much less keen when someone else uses it for their profession. — [Giles Turnbull](https://gilest.org/notes/2026/human-ai/?ref=numericcitizen.me), AI and the human voice --- 👉🏻 [Main](https://numericcitizen.me/) 🌟 [Meta](https://meta.numericcitizen.me/?ref=numericcitizen.me) 🌟 [Blips](https://blips.numericcitizen.me/?ref=numericcitizen.me) 🌟 [Blog](https://blog.numericcitizen.me/?ref=numericcitizen.me) 👀 📌 This newsletter edition is also available as a Craft shared document [****here**](https://crafted.numericcitizen.me/ephemeral-scrapbook-2026-04-19?ref=numericcitizen.me). An index of past editions can be found [here](https://numericcitizen.me/tag/ephemeral-scrapbook/). This week's edition is based on template version 1.9.1 and was put together with ❤️ mostly on an M2 15-inch MacBook Air, Craft Docs and many supporting [subscriptions](https://crafted.numericcitizen.me/current-subscriptions?ref=numericcitizen.me)! If you like this newsletter, please consider supporting me via [PayPal](https://paypal.me/numericcitizen?locale.x=en%5FUS&ref=numericcitizen.me) or becoming a supporter by visiting my [Ko-fi](https://ko-fi.com/numericcitizen/?ref=numericcitizen.me) page! --- I wish you a great week! ✌️ 🇺🇦 🇨🇦 🇪🇺 💪🏻 ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/2026/04/Created-By-a-Human-Not-By-AI-Badge-white-1.png) [Not By AI — Add the Badge to Your Human-Created ContentDownload and add the Not By AI badge to showcase your AI-free & human-first approach to content creation (writings, art, photos, paintings, videos, and music)![](https://static.ghost.org/v5.0.0/images/link-icon.svg)![](https://notbyai.fyi/img/not-by-ai-share.png)](https://notbyai.fyi/?ref=numericcitizen.me) ### Vibe Coding: Programming for the Rest of Us? URL: https://numericcitizen.me/vibe-coding-programming-for-the-rest-of-us/ Last updated: 2026-03-24T11:34:26.000Z In 1984, Apple promised us *a computer for the rest of us*. It was a radical idea at the time: that ordinary people, not just engineers and scientists, deserved access to personal computing. Forty years later, I think we're witnessing the second half of that promise being fulfilled. Not the computer for the rest of us. *Programming* for the rest of us. I've spent nearly four decades in IT. I've watched technologies rise and fall, paradigms shift, and entire categories of tools become obsolete overnight. I've done a few years of programming, enough to actually ship iPhone apps in Objective-C on the App Store for a few years. I'm not a stranger to code. But there's a wide gap between writing mobile apps a decade ago and architecting modern full-stack web applications from scratch. I'm what you'd call a power user: someone with a clear vision of what he needs, and a deep enough understanding of the landscape to know when something is working and when it isn't. And yet, until recently, building my own web apps was simply beyond reach. Not for lack of ideas. I've always had plenty of those. But the distance between *having a vision* and *shipping something real* was too wide to cross alone. Claude Code and vibe coding closed that gap entirely. The proof isn't theoretical. It's running in production. ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/2026/03/_Cleanshot---Dashboard@2026-03-24@06.59.30@2x-optimised.png-1.png) A custom-built personal digital dashboard running on Vercel ## What I Actually Built In the past year, I shipped six production web apps that support my creative workflows as a writer, photographer, and content creator. A fully featured bookmark manager. An RSS reader with AI summarization and virtual scrolling. A photo-sharing space for my travel photography. That last one deserves a moment. For years, sharing photos meant feeding them into Instagram or Facebook, surrendering them to Meta's ecosystem in exchange for an audience. I was never comfortable with that trade. Now I have a space that is entirely mine, on my own domain, under my own control. No algorithm deciding who sees what. No platform that can change its rules tomorrow. Just my photographs, presented the way I want them. That, more than any technical achievement, is what digital independence actually feels like. None of these are toys or demos. They run on real infrastructure: Vercel, Postgres, Redis, Vercel Blob. And I use them every single day. I use them every day, sometimes many times a day. My RSS reader is open constantly; it's how I stay connected to the ideas and conversations that feed my writing. My bookmark manager is the quiet backbone of my Ephemeral Scrapbook newsletter, helping me track what's worth sharing with readers each week. Two custom-built tools, perfectly shaped to my workflows in a way that no off-the-shelf product ever quite managed. That's exactly why I built them myself. Do I fully understand every line of code these apps are made of? No. But I have a solid enough mental model to know what's happening at a high level, which is exactly the same relationship I've always had with the layers beneath my work. I don't know every detail of how a compiler translates source code into machine instructions. I understand how TCP/IP networks work at a conceptual level. I'm exactly the kind of person who *wants* to know the underpinnings, but I've never needed to implement them myself. That's always been fine. Vibe coding is simply the next abstraction layer up, and I've been climbing abstraction layers my whole professional life. What I *did* bring to the table was something more valuable than syntax knowledge: a precise understanding of my own needs, and forty years of knowing what good software looks and feels like. There's a word for what this feels like that I didn't expect to use in the context of software development: *liberating*. For the first time, the gap between having an idea and having a working thing has essentially collapsed. I'm not held back by what I don't know how to implement. I think about outcomes: what the app needs to do, how it should feel, what problem it solves. The implementation details follow. That shift in focus, from *how* to *what*, changes everything about the creative experience. Not everyone sees it that way, of course. ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/2026/03/_Cleanshot---Bookmarks@2026-03-24@06.57.06@2x-optimised.png.png) A custom-built bookmark manager to help me put together each newsletter edition ## The Skeptics Are Wrong. History Proves It. Every democratizing technology has its detractors. There were people in 1984 who laughed at the idea of moving a cursor with a small plastic box on your desk. There were people who thought desktop publishing would ruin graphic design. Those who bash vibe coding today, who insist it produces brittle code, that it isn't *real* programming, that it will lead to disaster, are the modern version of those people. They may not be entirely wrong on the technical details, but they're deeply wrong about what matters. What matters is this: people who had something to build and no way to build it now have a way. That is an unambiguous good. Though I'll admit it: living inside that good comes with its own uncomfortable questions. ## Independence, With an Asterisk I'll be honest about something that sits uneasily with me. I feel a genuine sense of digital independence from having built my own tools. My bookmark manager is *mine*. My RSS reader is *mine*. Actually, let me be more careful with that word. "Mine" in the sense that I designed it, I control what it does, and my data lives where I decide it lives. Not "mine" in the sense that I could run it without Vercel tomorrow without significant effort. That distinction matters. These apps run on Vercel. They consume object storage from Vercel. They call third-party services I have no control over. The independence is real, but it's layered on top of dependencies that go all the way down. I haven't fully resolved that tension. I'm not sure it can be fully resolved. But I think owning your application layer (your data model, your logic, your user experience) is meaningfully different from outsourcing it entirely. It's not perfect independence. But it's real enough to matter. Ironically, chasing it taught me things I never expected to learn. ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/2026/03/_Cleanshot---RSS-Flow@2026-03-24@06.57.38@2x-optimised.png.png) A custom-built and highly flexible RSS reader imagined by me but built using Claude Code ## Learning by Accident Here's something that still surprises me: before I started using Claude Code, I barely understood what GitHub was for in practice. I didn't know Vercel existed. I didn't really know why a `specs.md` or `README.md` file mattered. I learned all of that not by studying it, but by *needing it*, as a side effect of actually building things. Vibe coding didn't just produce apps. It taught me things I wasn't even trying to learn. And the impact didn't stay contained to my personal projects. I started using Claude to manipulate my n8n automation workflows through an MCP connection, an entirely non-programming use case that turned out to be just as transformative. That work prompted me to prepare an hour-long presentation for colleagues at work. The ripple effect, it turns out, goes well beyond your own screen. And when I step back and look at all of it together, one thought keeps surfacing. ## The Most Transformative Investment of My Career I have more ideas now than I've ever had time for. A visual theme plugin for Micro.blog. Improvements to every app I've already shipped. New workflows I haven't imagined yet. That's the other thing vibe coding did: it made me want to build more. Because as technology continues to evolve, I know I have the ability to absorb and integrate new capabilities in ways that simply weren't available to someone with my profile before. Which brings me to something I say with the full weight of four decades in IT behind it: my Claude subscription for the year may prove to be the single most transformative investment I have made in my entire career. Not the most expensive. The most *transformative*. In 1984, Apple gave the rest of us the computer. In 2025, vibe coding is giving us the last thing we were missing. The ability to build. ### The Ephemeral Scrapbook — 2026.03.22 URL: https://numericcitizen.me/the-ephemeral-scrapbook-2026-03-22/ Last updated: 2026-04-19T18:53:37.000Z ## 👤 Personal {#health} 1️⃣ I recently encountered some health issues. 😔 Nothing serious, though, don't worry (at least that's what my doctor says). I see this as a warning and plan to adopt new habits for a better life. For example, reducing screen time, going outside more often to get some fresh air, exercising more (hoping spring arrives soon!), and limiting my intake of coffee and alcohol. I'm also turning to Apple Fitness+ for meditation and workout sessions throughout the week, and I use Apple Health to track my blood pressure, mood, and other indicators. It's very convenient, especially for exporting this data as PDF files to share with my doctor. 2️⃣ Professionally speaking, things are going really well. I’ve been at this new job since last June. Since then, my involvement with current and future projects has only increased. My next challenge will be to manage a large migration project that should last between 15 and 18 months. I never did project management before, but I worked with many project managers throughout my career. I think I'm ready to try this myself. My boss, who is PMP certified, will coach me. I started exploring the subject by asking questions to Claude about project management and got some really good insights. I'm not alone in this. 🙂 3️⃣ This year's winter has been long in the tooth. It started early last November, and now that Spring is among us, temperatures are still colder than normal, and precipitation is frequent. It's a little bit hard on morale. --- ## 🗺️ Discoveries {#webdesign, #webapp, #design } 1️⃣ Probably the most clever, beautifully designed and useful [About Me webpage](https://www.parkerortolani.com/?ref=numericcitizen.me) I've ever seen by Parker Ortolani. It is modelled on the Mac OS X Tiger user interface. You can play with the small windows. I'm curious how much effort went into this. 2️⃣ Super cool [tool](https://terraink.app/?ref=numericcitizen.me) to create a poster of city maps: TerraInk: The Cartographic Poster Engine. Files can be downloaded on your computer. Very flexible. ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/2026/04/macos-tiger.png) Mac OS X Tiger inspired About Me webpage. ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/2026/04/Montreal-Midnight-Blue-Mar-22-2026-optimised.png) Some cities might be more interesting to hand on a wall than others. --- ## 👨🏻‍💻 Writing {#inspiration} 1️⃣ Beyond posting to my blog and putting together this newsletter, I don't write much these days. I no longer engage in long-form writing like I used to. It's a struggle because I wish I could be as prolific as some other bloggers that I follow and like. I'm lacking spare time and motivation. 2️⃣ Blogging is supposedly not that hard, right? [Ask Manual Moreale](https://manuelmoreale.com/thoughts/my-2-step-process-for-ai-free-blogging?ref=numericcitizen.me) about his two-step AI-free blogging process. --- ## 🌄 Photography {#tech, #astronomy, #astrophotography} 1️⃣ I always liked astronomical telescopes. As a child, it was a dream to own one, which never happened. A company named “[Vaonis](https://vaonis.com/?ref=numericcitizen.me)” makes a great-looking one. It's very impressive. If you visit their websites, you'll probably find some similarities with Apple’s mini website design. Warning: it's not entry-level equipment; it's expensive. Consider browsing their image gallery [here](https://vaonis.com/pages/vespera-gallery?ref=numericcitizen.me). 2️⃣ I recently visited a friend of mine and showed my photos of my trip to Egypt. She really liked them because she felt emotion in photos with humans as a subject. I'm glad she liked them because taking photos of people is not my forte. She really liked [this one](https://glass.photo/numericcitizen/4yPieexXmRLziRVC79fA5K?ref=numericcitizen.me). > “A new ethic is quietly emerging among modern travelers. It is called [Digital Silence](https://www.instagram.com/p/DU8WJIeidh-/?ref=numericcitizen.me). It is the conscious decision to share the art and the emotion of a place without giving away its exact coordinates… It is a radical act of conservation.” as shared in [a linkpost by Kottke](https://kottke.org/26/02/0048418-a-new-ethic-is-quietly?ref=numericcitizen.me) (the original is on Instagram, bleh). --- ## 🍎 Apple & Tech {#applehistory, #macbook, #ios26, #appstore} 1️⃣ The MacBook Neo not only challenges the Windows laptop world, but it might also challenge its little brother: the iPad. 9to5Mac has [an interesting argument](https://9to5mac.com/2026/03/14/macbook-neo-value-comparison-against-macbook-air-ipad-air?ref=numericcitizen.me) about the iPad line's perceived value: it costs much more and is much more powerful in many ways, yet still feels "not quite there yet," while the Mac seems finally accessible. 2️⃣ If you aren't running iOS 26 on your device, it's time to upgrade. You might have heard bad press about Liquid Glass, and rightfully so, but let's face it, [the party is on iOS 26](https://9to5mac.com/2026/03/18/apple-highlights-13-enhancements-coming-to-iphone-with-ios-26-4?ref=numericcitizen.me), don't stick to the past. 3️⃣ There is a rush for AI companies to team up with space launch/satellite companies to build data centers in space. It's not going to work. [What a fucking bad idea](https://taranis.ie/datacenters-in-space-are-a-terrible-horrible-no-good-idea?ref=numericcitizen.me). Are we losing our minds? 4️⃣ [Google seems more willing to appease regulators](https://www.theverge.com/policy/889252/google-app-store-fee-reduction-20-percent-epic-v-google?ref=numericcitizen.me). When this news came out, I didn't see anyone linking to Apple's current position, which seems to be the status quo in the US. 5️⃣ Gruber isn’t happy about [macOS Tahoe and the window resizing](https://daringfireball.net/2026/01/resizing%5Fwindows%5Fmacos%5F26?ref=numericcitizen.me). But he finally updated his main machine, thanks to the wallpapers that come with the new MacBook Neo. By the way, resizing windows on... Windows 11 is not easier... and you would think that on Windows this would be its forte. It isn't if my experience is any indication. 6️⃣ I've been following Apple's story for more than 40 years. What a journey: [50 Years of Thinking Different](https://www.apple.com/ca/50-years-of-thinking-different?ref=numericcitizen.me) > "The winners in AI won't be the ones who build the infrastructure; they'll be the ones who own the customer, and no one on Earth owns better customers than Apple." — Asymco in [The most brilliant move in corporate history?](https://asymco.com/2026/03/10/the-most-brilliant-move-in-corporate-history/?ref=numericcitizen.me) --- ## 📱 Apps & Services {#weather, #app, #aibubble} 1️⃣ This weather app, [Acme Weather](https://acmeweather.com/blog/introducing-acme-weather?ref=numericcitizen.me), has something that I didn't see elsewhere: temperature forecasts include many sources and the average forecast. That's rather useful. 2️⃣ It's a rather impressive web app, [ColorFlow](https://colorflow.ls.graphics/?ref=numericcitizen.me), for creating wallpapers... but I don't have the time to spend on creating one wallpaper. Enjoy if you can. 3️⃣ [OpenClaw is really something big](https://om.co/2026/03/16/lobster-boil?ref=numericcitizen.me). It's also a dangerous piece of free software that can cost you real money if you don't pay attention. It's a dangerous piece of software if you give it too much control of your computer. I started experimenting with it when its developer was still on his own (not working for OpenAI). Then horror stories started to pop up. I put that aside to work on other projects. I'll return to this eventually, I'm pretty sure. By that time, I expect the software to have gained maturity. > "It seems that bad software isn't new with AI slop; it was a thing a long time ago, with all sorts of badly designed systems available to the masses. It's a people problem". [» (AI) Slop Terrifies Me](https://schwarztech.net/snippets/ai-slop-terrifies-me?ref=numericcitizen.me) ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/2026/04/_roten_windows-optimised.png.png) Image used without permission from [this M.G. Siegler blog post.](https://spyglass.org/microslop-windows/?ref=numericcitizen.me) The state of the Windows brand in 2026? --- ## 🚧 Special projects {#vibecoding, #webapp, #utility} 1️⃣ I'm mostly done with my bookmark manager. I'm really liking the final product. I like its design, and I find it very useful for putting together this newsletter. The following screenshot shows the view of a newsletter edition’s content for this very specific edition. You can watch this web app in action in [my recent YouTube video](https://youtu.be/Wb5r61MeSQY?ref=numericcitizen.me). 2️⃣ I’m already looking at my next opportunity to use Claude Code. This time, it will be to create a Micro.blog plugin for hosting a custom-made visual theme. I’ve been using someone else's theme, [The Cards Theme](https://github.com/ericgregorich/micro-blog-cards-theme?ref=numericcitizen.me), which served me well, but with Claude Code, it seems that creating my own is a reachable goal. My head is full of design ideas. 3️⃣ I'm finally putting the last touches to Numeric Citizen Digital Ecosystem diagram (see below for an overview). I plan to write an article about it for publication next month. Stay tuned. ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/2026/04/_bookmarks-newsletters-view-optimised.png.png) A preview of my bookmark manager ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/2026/04/_my-digital-ecosystem-sneakpeek-optimised.png.png) A sneak peak at a diagram that I'm working on --- ## 📺 YouTube {#apple, #applehistory} 1️⃣ Many videos about Apple turning 50\. First, [a short video introduction](https://www.youtube.com/live/w8wt0LBCjXM?si=ddsJbpSc6M-LP72U&ref=numericcitizen.me) from the Computer History Museum. 2️⃣ Tim Cook is interviewed in [that one](https://youtu.be/rBm3CwmRKkw?si=U7XJjCrXLkgQDhcc&ref=numericcitizen.me). If you pay attention to Tim Cook while he speaks, you might notice that his left hand is rather shaky. I hope it's not the beginning of some serious illness. 3️⃣ This is [a must-watch video](https://youtu.be/eCSNJgI2LFI?si=GLONGrGUdQBuz1ZD&ref=numericcitizen.me) about Apple's 50-year history, told by those who were part of it and are still here with us to tell the details. Interviewed by the famous David Pogue. 4️⃣ Speaking of David Pogue, he wrote a book: Apple: The First 50 Years. He was [interviewed by Cult of Mac](https://youtu.be/e30bJ3dQJr0?si=gBos9X-zyy%5FPYL0Y&ref=numericcitizen.me). --- ## 🔮 Looking forward {#ai, #ai-coding} > "A recurring concern I've seen regarding LLMs for programming is that they will push our technology choices towards the tools that are best represented in their training data, making it harder for new, better tools to break through the noise.” — Simon Willison in [Perhaps not Boring Technology after all](https://simonwillison.net/2026/Mar/9/not-so-boring/?ref=numericcitizen.me#atom-everything) > "Is the MacBook Neo the modern version of the bicycle for the mind that Steve Jobs envisioned? It might be." in [50 Years Later, Apple Has Finally Delivered Steve Jobs' Bicycle for the Mind](https://parkerortolani.blog/2026/03/14/years-later-apple-has-finally.html?ref=numericcitizen.me) --- ## 🌟 Miscellaneous {#digg, #socialmedia} 1️⃣ [Digg](https://digg.com/?ref=numericcitizen.me) is dead, long live Digg? Well, it seems it will take some time before we see Digg alive. 2️⃣ In a more constrained world, in the days when we were coding in assembler, I think we were more creative in finding solutions. We're still creative these days, but we are also lazy. The MacBook Neo might force some software writing rules to be revisited if my understanding of [“This Is Not The Computer For You” by Sam Henri Gold](https://samhenri.gold/blog/20260312-this-is-not-the-computer-for-you?ref=numericcitizen.me) is right. > "Should we drop “social” from social media? There is nothing social about this social media. And most of these platforms are essentially networked information distribution systems, and more and more of that information is just noise or disinformation. And humans aren’t helping either. > Everyone, including Captain America fantasist billionaires and yours truly, in some fashion or the other, are nothing more than mere botnets? In our divided modern “now,” one person’s information is another person’s fake news. Rumors are mere facts for the media to report on with a question mark? And at the same time, the news is a source of rumors; all you need to do is add a question mark. Either way, can we stop pretending that social media is social, about friends & people? > The biggest lie these platforms feed us is the idea of them being “social media” and “social networks.” In reality, they exist to show advertising “content” to consumers, who hopefully would buy more. This endless scroll does its thing on Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, or Twitter. " — Om Malik in [There Is No Socil in Social Media](https://om.co/2022/08/23/there-is-no-social-in-social-media/?ref=numericcitizen.me) --- 👉🏻 [Main](https://numericcitizen.me/) 🌟 [Meta](https://meta.numericcitizen.me/?ref=numericcitizen.me) 🌟 [Blips](https://blips.numericcitizen.me/?ref=numericcitizen.me) 🌟 [Blog](https://blog.numericcitizen.me/?ref=numericcitizen.me) 👀 --- I wish you a great week! ✌️ 🇺🇦 🇨🇦 🇪🇺 💪🏻 📌 This newsletter edition is also available as a Craft shared document [****here**](https://crafted.numericcitizen.me/ephemeral-scrapbook-2026-03-22?ref=numericcitizen.me). An index of past editions can be found [here](https://numericcitizen.me/tag/ephemeral-scrapbook/). This week's edition is based on template version 1.9 and was put together with ❤️ mostly on an M2 15-inch MacBook Air, Craft Docs and many supporting [subscriptions](https://crafted.numericcitizen.me/current-subscriptions?ref=numericcitizen.me)! If you like this newsletter, please consider supporting me via [PayPal](https://paypal.me/numericcitizen?locale.x=en%5FUS&ref=numericcitizen.me) or becoming a supporter by visiting my [Ko-fi](https://ko-fi.com/numericcitizen/?ref=numericcitizen.me) page! ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/2026/04/Created-By-a-Human-Not-By-AI-Badge-white.png) [Not By AI — Add the Badge to Your Human-Created ContentDownload and add the Not By AI badge to showcase your AI-free & human-first approach to content creation (writings, art, photos, paintings, videos, and music)![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/icon/favicon-not-by-ai.png)![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/thumbnail/not-by-ai-share.png)](https://notbyai.fyi/?ref=numericcitizen.me) ### The Ephemeral Scrapbook — 2026.03.08 URL: https://numericcitizen.me/the-ephemeral-scrapbook-2026-03-08/ Last updated: 2026-03-22T19:31:24.000Z ## 👤 Personal {#creativity, #inspiration} 1️⃣ I'm a bit late in sharing the latest edition of this newsletter. This weekend, I was particularly busy with various projects, including a video for an upcoming Micro.blog feature and a new web app that will play a key role in producing future editions of this newsletter. I can't remember the last time I was so excited about working tirelessly on many projects at once. --- ## 🗺️ Discoveries {#apps, #ai} 1️⃣ Discovered a new mind mapping app called “[Notemap](https://notemap.com/?ref=numericcitizen.me)”, and it looks pretty capable. It's 30$ one-time purchase during the beta. 2️⃣ I discovered [an Anthropic blog post](https://claude.com/import-memory?ref=numericcitizen.me) about how to switch from one AI provider to Claude using a custom prompt. It's not perfect. If I leave ChatGPT behind, it won't import all my past conversations. But no worries, even on the free plan, I will be able to keep them for reference. As you might already guess, I'm switching to Anthropic-only mode. I won't subscribe to ChatGPT from now on. --- ## 👨🏻‍💻 Writing {#learningexperience, #LLM} 1️⃣ The article "[Why Kids Hate Writing](https://world.hey.com/michaelhe/why-kids-hate-writing-2e49564a?ref=numericcitizen.me)" by Michael He discusses how the external pressures of standardized education and a lack of personal engagement in writing contribute to children's dislike of writing, emphasizing the importance of writing for oneself, reading for curiosity, and valuing the editing process. I don't have a particularly positive memory of my days at school when it comes to learning French, but I have a better one in English. 2️⃣ We don't get to see the writing policy or comments about LLM use for writing on people's blogs. [Here is one](https://simonwillison.net/2026/Mar/1/ai-writing/?ref=numericcitizen.me#atom-everything). 3️⃣ Don't forget to take a look at [last month's digest](https://digests.numericcitizen.me/2026/03/01/blog-posts-digest-february.html?ref=numericcitizen.me), a summary of [my blog writing last month](https://blog.numericcitizen.me/newsletters/2026/03/01/20077.html?ref=numericcitizen.me). --- ## 🌄 Photography {#nikon, #glass, #pixelfed} 1️⃣ I recently started looking to buy a zoom for my Nikon Zf camera. During my last trip to Egypt, at times I wished I had a more flexible lens than my prime lens, a 40 mm F2, which is great for street photography, but when going outside the city, for example, to see the pyramids, it could have been a great use. I'm rooting for [a 24-120 mm F4](https://www.amazon.ca/Nikon-20105-24-120-VR/dp/B09KHB76TP?crid=V4DMVSSKM1LI&dib=eyJ2IjoiMSJ9.EdGSuIBPxOfvw4CxY0Aq5WQ-k3KsWOPNOUonUDpD6hVzDSVW1mHvft6Uq5Uoy1-tckwxtKWt%5FtSmqjR7QTh5WqJDWWCCx1UuEoaebuze3Rw-KARUC3LLEUv0eyBMKPE1B89nsEM2wv2K2NQCGeQiAL1dZmYDqMAFMUCoVtZIr55g67pGEBUT-JJwmfnEqrdR9RI8ZApLGhhe9pfEhFTBEdSvbQ4Da%5Frx6DqQdlgIMpnwnzn12UV8HP8f4HOtufYwcdQZo7mdfD%5FDImd86Sb2NtZoSzBQd40gGKkLXZfV67o.IZfGeFY2udtCOxTJVHduuefkfbfvxqZQHfrMZXcNEyU&dib%5Ftag=se&keywords=nikon+24-120mm+f%2F4&qid=1772312147&sprefix=nikon+24-120%2Caps%2C125&sr=8-1&ref=numericcitizen.me), which was well-received and has great reviews. You can see many photos taken with this lens [on Glass](https://glass.photo/explore/lenses/nikon/nikkor-z-24-120mm-f-4-s?ref=numericcitizen.me). Here is [a great one](https://glass.photo/michael.sumrell/4fhDhVvsPK4r6FMchBBXu7?ref=numericcitizen.me). 2️⃣ [Glass has a new branding](https://glass.photo/brand?ref=numericcitizen.me). I think something was lost with this new logo. Riccardo Mori [seems to agree](https://appdot.net/@morrick/116161210652114643?ref=numericcitizen.me). I hope this branding change is not the beginning of some form of enshittification. 3️⃣ I realize that I'm posting very rarely on Pixelfed, but when I do, I select what I consider lesser quality images, reserving my best work for my Glass account. Here’s [a recent one](https://pixelfed.social/p/numericcitizen/935893887204187269?ref=numericcitizen.me) that I like but I don't think it's good enough to be on Glass. > On social media for sharing images in “[I Stopped Looking at Social Media, my Photography Boomed](https://petapixel.com/2026/02/08/my-photography-boomed-when-i-stopped-looking-at-social-media/?ref=numericcitizen.me)”: “Social media's algorithmic design is psychologically manipulative by design — it is a slot machine, not a photo gallery” --- ## 🍎 Apple & Tech {#apple, #security} 1️⃣ Apple fared really badly in SixColors’ latest [report cards for 2025](https://sixcolors.com/post/2026/02/2025reportcard/?ref=numericcitizen.me). Ouch. I don't see how this will change this year. 2️⃣ Apple made a lot of hardware announcements recently, and the stars of them all are: the M5 Max chip and the MacBook Neo. The latter is quite an interesting exercise in striking the right compromise. Apple has a potential commercial hit on its hands. My wife might get one very soon for her light computing needs, which her aging iPad Pro can't comfortably handle. 3️⃣ Apple recently added three new executive profiles to its [leadership page](https://www.apple.com/leadership/?ref=numericcitizen.me) for Jennifer Newstead, Molly Anderson, and Steve Lemay. I’m optimistic about these changes, especially for design. 4️⃣ [Microsoft Gave FBI Keys To Unlock Encrypted Data](https://www.forbes.com/sites/thomasbrewster/2026/01/22/microsoft-gave-fbi-keys-to-unlock-bitlocker-encrypted-data/?ref=numericcitizen.me), Exposing Major Privacy Flaw. How do you feel about this? I personally don't like it for many reasons. One is that I don't trust the government to handle cases with care. Second, if you read the news of what is going on in the US right now, I wouldn't be surprised to learn that very high-ranking personnel are trying to get access to someone's data based on phony cases presented to the court. And yes, it means that I don't trust the US court either. Apple has a better architecture where the encryption keys are protected and stored elsewhere, as reported in the following quote: > “Privacy and encryption experts told *Forbes* the onus should be on Microsoft to provide stronger protection for consumers’ personal devices and data. Apple, with its comparable FileVault and Passwords systems, and Meta’s WhatsApp messaging app also allow users to backup data on their apps and store a key in the cloud. However, both also allow the user to put the key in an encrypted file in the cloud, making law enforcement requests for it useless. Neither are reported to have turned over encryption keys of any kind in the past.” #### [Lil Finder Guy — Basic Apple Guy](https://basicappleguy.com/basicappleblog/lil-finder-guy?ref=numericcitizen.me) Who is it? What is it? Is it friend or foe? Has it arrived in peace, or is it plotting to corrupt our SSDs and fray our USB-C cables? --- ## 📱 Apps & Services {#rss, #webapp} 1️⃣ I’ve been using a new feature of Micro.blog, an RSS reader that fully integrates in Micro.blog base offering. It won't replace my use of Inoreader any time soon, nor my custom-made RSS reader. 2️⃣ Speaking of RSS feeds, there is a new kid in town: [Current](https://apps.apple.com/ca/app/current-reader/id6758530974?ref=numericcitizen.me), an opinionated RSS reader that tries to present things a bit differently. There are some similarities with Micro.blog offering, but I prefer the latter because it is more integrated into Micro.blog. 3️⃣ There seems to be a proliferation of nice little and well-focused web apps recently. One such example is Miniroll, which allows people to build and optionally share their blog roll, a list of recommended blogs. I built one that you can find [here](https://www.miniroll.app/numericcitizen?ref=numericcitizen.me). I’m still undecided about this one. The developer behind Miniroll, [Chris Hannah](https://chrishannah.me/?ref=numericcitizen.me), also offers many more in [his growing collection](https://chrishannah.me/a-growing-collection-of-mini-apps/?ref=numericcitizen.me). 4️⃣ The maker of Raycast is now working on something that be a big advance: [Glaze](https://www.glazeapp.com/?ref=numericcitizen.me), a Mac app designed to build apps using AI and prompts. The [demo](https://youtu.be/2s%5FNbPY%5FXuY?si=DfYriTRslICCRYOO&ref=numericcitizen.me) is quite impressive. Introductory video is available [here](https://youtu.be/FGbmmgH97ms?si=vLkLDv-IsoqHx4Lo&ref=numericcitizen.me). > "The uncomfortable truth is that I'm not a customer in any traditional sense. I'm a tenant. I occupy digital spaces owned by corporations who can change the terms, raise the rent, or evict me whenever they see fit." — Greg Morris --- ## 🚧 Special projects {#webapp, #claude, #vibecoding} 1️⃣ I started working on a new web app using Claude AI: a bookmark manager. It will eventually replace AnyBox. While I love AnyBox, it is lacking a web version. Without this, my newsletter publishing workflow is more tedious than I think a web app should be. So far, it is progressing really well. I'll share more details in the next edition of this newsletter. Here's a screenshot below. ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/2026/03/bookmarks-view.png) The bookmarks view of my future bookmark manager --- ## 📺 YouTube {#android, #scifi, #history, #tech} 1️⃣ I'm impressed by some of [Android 17](https://youtu.be/4Tcv8O7DO2g?si=jYc86DiGSkfyYekr&ref=numericcitizen.me)’[s prowess](https://youtu.be/4Tcv8O7DO2g?si=jYc86DiGSkfyYekr&ref=numericcitizen.me) on the desktop. 2️⃣ Cosmos 1999 is my favourite sci-fi series, and I recently learned the series went into a full 4K restoration. It's quite impressive, as demonstrated in [this video](https://youtu.be/dx9iaUX19To?si=ecgPui-KM6bzQA8g&ref=numericcitizen.me)! 3️⃣ [This video](https://world.hey.com/michaelhe/why-kids-hate-writing-2e49564a?ref=numericcitizen.me) shows the visual history of Manhattan, New York. 4️⃣ A [great conversation](https://youtu.be/02YLwsCKUww?si=FTzkR5lETv2QJLAV&ref=numericcitizen.me) with great minds about AI and the future: Google's Demis Hassabis, Anthropic's Dario Amodei. It's a must-watch. 5️⃣ A great [commentary video](https://youtu.be/GfKRbA6I0uw?si=FafbUj%5FzPjUvmk-d&ref=numericcitizen.me) about Apple's recent announcements covering the MacBook Neo and the powerful M5 Pro and M5 Max chips. Some interesting UI ideas from Android 17 Behind the scene - Cosmos 1999 remastered in 4K Impressive 3D timelapse of New York city A great conversation and interview about AI and the future The perfect chip? Really? --- ## 🔮 Looking forward {#apple, #appledesign} 1️⃣ I’m looking forward to visit the Apple Store downtown Montreal this Wednesday to try the new MacBook Neo! It's been a long since I'm excited for. new Apple product, event though I'm not the target audience. Who knows, I might buy a new accessory! --- ## 🌟 Miscellaneous {#socialmedia, #socialnetworks} 1️⃣ I reproduce a text from Om Malik [of a post](https://om.co/2022/08/23/there-is-no-social-in-social-media/?ref=numericcitizen.me) dating back to 2022: > “Should we drop “social” from social media? There is nothing social about this social media. And most of these platforms are essentially networked information distribution systems, and more and more of that information is just noise or disinformation. And humans aren’t helping either. > Everyone, including Captain America fantasist billionaires and yours truly, in some fashion or the other, are nothing more than mere botnets? In our divided modern “now,” one person’s information is another person’s fake news. Rumors are mere facts for the media to report on with a question mark? And at the same time, the news is a source of rumors; all you need to do is add a question mark. Either way, can we stop pretending that social media is social, about friends & people? > The biggest lie these platforms feed us is the idea of them being “social media” and “social networks.” In reality, they exist to show advertising “content” to consumers, who hopefully would buy more. This endless scroll does its thing on Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, or Twitter.” --- 👉🏻 [Main](https://numericcitizen.me/) 🌟 [Meta](https://meta.numericcitizen.me/?ref=numericcitizen.me) 🌟 [Blips](https://blips.numericcitizen.me/?ref=numericcitizen.me) 🌟 [Blog](https://blog.numericcitizen.me/?ref=numericcitizen.me) 👀 --- I wish you a great week! ✌️ 🇺🇦 🇨🇦 🇪🇺 💪🏻 📌 This newsletter edition is also available as a Craft shared document [****here**](https://crafted.numericcitizen.me/ephemeral-scrapbook-2026-03-08?ref=numericcitizen.me). An index of past editions can be found [here](https://numericcitizen.me/tag/ephemeral-scrapbook/). This week's edition is based on template version 1.9 and was put together with ❤️ mostly on an M2 15-inch MacBook Air, Craft Docs and many supporting [subscriptions](https://crafted.numericcitizen.me/current-subscriptions?ref=numericcitizen.me)! If you like this newsletter, please consider supporting me via [PayPal](https://paypal.me/numericcitizen?locale.x=en%5FUS&ref=numericcitizen.me) or becoming a supporter by visiting my [Ko-fi](https://ko-fi.com/numericcitizen/?ref=numericcitizen.me) page! [https://notbyai.fyi](https://notbyai.fyi/?ref=numericcitizen.me) ### Hitting Pause on ChatGPT URL: https://numericcitizen.me/hitting-pause-on-chatgpt/ Last updated: 2026-03-02T22:09:37.000Z After relying on ChatGPT as a support tool for most of my AI-related creation activities, recent developments prompted a reassessment of my subscription. With Claude already my preferred tool for coding work and viable alternatives for other features, I made the decision to pause my ChatGPT Plus subscription—but the move revealed deeper issues about data portability and vendor lock-in in the AI industry. ## Context and Ethical Concerns [Sam Altman's recent comments about potential military applications of OpenAI's technology](https://techcrunch.com/2026/02/28/openais-sam-altman-announces-pentagon-deal-with-technical-safeguards/?ref=numericcitizen.me) sparked a re-evaluation of my relationship with the platform. While AI has tremendous potential for positive applications, the possibility of its use in military contexts raised questions about the ethical implications of supporting such development through my subscription. In contrast, Anthropic—led by [Dario Amodei, who advocates for more cautious and ethically-grounded AI development](https://www.anthropic.com/news/statement-department-of-war?ref=numericcitizen.me)—represents a different approach to building AI systems. By shifting my subscription to Anthropic, I wanted to reward a company taking a more principled stance on AI safety and responsible deployment. It's important to regularly reassess our tools and services based on our values, and to support companies that align with those values. ## Finding Viable Alternatives My shift from ChatGPT to Claude AI actually started well before the recent military controversy. Claude has become increasingly popular in the coding community. When I started new personal coding projects, I naturally gravitated toward Claude because of its growing reputation as the better choice for developers. By the time Sam Altman's comments emerged, I had already been using Claude extensively, which made the decision to pause ChatGPT feel less like a protest and more like a logical continuation of a preference I'd already established. I’m being honest and transparent here. The image generation aspect of ChatGPT was one of the few features I actively used. Upon investigating alternatives, I found that Midjourney—which I had used in the past—is not only still active but remains the superior choice for creative image generation. For roughly a quarter of what I was paying for ChatGPT Plus, I can maintain full image creation capabilities. Other advanced features available through ChatGPT Plus—like Sora for video generation—were never part of my workflow, which actually made the transition easier. Meanwhile, I've been investing time in Claude Code, Anthropic's code execution feature, which offers capabilities that align better with my development needs. ## Data Portability and the Challenges of Migration Switching AI providers is more complex than simply cancelling a subscription. I had to audit all my existing workflows to ensure nothing would break. This exercise revealed a few dependencies ChatGPT had become in some of my automation systems, but it was a straightforward process to migrate to alternatives once I identified them. The real challenge lies in data portability. I had previously written about the need for a "takeout" option for ChatGPT (see “[A Case for ChatGPT Takeout](https://numericcitizen.me/a-case-for-chatgpt-takeout/)”), similar to Google's data export feature. One of the most practical issues when leaving a service is extracting your data and conversation history. Discovering that Anthropic provides a custom prompt for importing AI provider memory into Claude was both validating and helpful, though I wish ChatGPT had official support for this kind of migration. Beyond individual conversation memories, there's a broader systemic issue with how AI providers handle past conversations. Most platforms lock conversations into their own ecosystems with no standardized way to export, archive, or migrate them to another provider. This is particularly problematic for users who may have years of conversations containing valuable insights, code snippets, or creative work. Unlike email or social media platforms, where data portability is increasingly expected, AI providers have been slow to adopt similar standards. The conversations you have with ChatGPT remain ChatGPT's conversations—accessible only through their interface and on their terms. When you leave, you leave that history behind. A [recent article](https://techcrunch.com/2026/03/02/users-are-ditching-chatgpt-for-claude-heres-how-to-make-the-switch/?ref=numericcitizen.me) from Techcrunch points to a way to export past conversations, too, by visiting the ChatGPT Settings panel as shown here: ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/2026/03/ChatGPT-Export-Data.webp) Source: Techcrunch ## What's Next? I've used Claude extensively for coding work, but the next few weeks will be interesting as I explore how it handles non-coding prompts and more personal inquiries. There's something intriguing about discovering whether different AI models have distinct "personalities" or approaches to problem-solving. Does Claude respond differently to creative requests compared to ChatGPT? Does it have different strengths when it comes to writing, brainstorming, or exploring abstract ideas? These are questions I'm genuinely curious to investigate. The differences between models might reveal something fundamental about how these systems are trained and what values—intentional or otherwise—are baked into them. Ultimately, the decision to pause ChatGPT was about aligning my tools with my values. It's a reminder that even as we become dependent on services, maintaining flexibility and periodically evaluating alternatives keeps us in control of our digital lives. The shift also highlights an opportunity to be more deliberate about the AI tools I use and what I learn from comparing them. ### The Convenience Equation URL: https://numericcitizen.me/the-convenience-equation/ Last updated: 2026-02-25T11:50:27.000Z There's a quiet trade happening in our lives, one we make constantly without really thinking about it. We sacrifice things we should care about—privacy, ownership, control, independence—in exchange for convenience. The question isn't whether we make this trade, but rather: what conditions make us willing to make it? And nowhere is this more relevant than right now, as we adopt artificial intelligence and other powerful technologies at breathtaking speed. I call this **The Convenience Equation**. It's the formula we unconsciously apply to decide whether the friction of doing something the "right way" is worth avoiding, and whether we're willing to accept the risks that come with taking the easier path. ## How the Equation Works The core premise is simple: **as perceived convenience increases, our tolerance for risk increases**. When something is incredibly convenient—effortless, seamless, always available—we become willing to overlook consequences we'd normally consider unacceptable. We accept terms we don't read. We hand over data we wouldn't normally share. We lock ourselves into ecosystems we know reduce our freedom. We do all of this because the convenience is genuinely good, and the risks feel abstract. This is the phenomenon that behavioral economists call "inattention"—when convenience is high enough, people often fail to fully evaluate the costs and risks involved. ## This Is Not New The Convenience Equation isn't a modern invention. It's been operating in the background of human decisions for as long as we've had choices to make. The difference is that we've gotten better at hiding the consequences. Take automobiles. When cars first appeared, they offered something extraordinary: freedom, speed, independence. The ability to go where you wanted, when you wanted. The convenience was revolutionary. But cars also came with a cost we've quietly accepted for over a century: tens of thousands of deaths every year. In the United States alone, more than 40,000 people die in traffic accidents annually. Millions more are injured. And yet we drive. We accept this equation—extraordinary convenience in exchange for significant risk of injury or death—as a normal part of life. A teenager loses their driver's license and it feels like a tragedy. We complain about traffic, not about the fundamental bargain that cars represent. That's the pattern. We wanted the convenience, so we accepted the risk. And now we can't imagine life without it, even knowing the cost. Consider cloud storage. The convenience is undeniable: your photos, documents, and files accessible from any device, anywhere, anytime. Automatic backups. No thinking required. But the tradeoff is significant. A company owns your data. They can access it. They can lock you out with no warning. They can change their terms whenever they want. Your entire digital life can be erased with one flagged account. Yet most of us accept this. Why? Because the convenience is so high that the risks feel worth it. Research from Stanford economists shows that this inattention to ongoing costs is quantifiable—companies earn 14 to over 200% more revenue from subscriptions when consumers aren't actively monitoring their spending. We keep paying for things we no longer value simply because the friction of cancelling is higher than the friction of doing nothing. The same pattern appears with streaming services. Instead of owning music or films, we rent access to rotating catalogues. We lose the ability to own anything, but we gain the ability to listen to almost anything instantly. The convenience is real. The loss of ownership is real. Most of us have decided the tradeoff is worth making. Or consider social media. The convenience of staying connected to everyone, sharing moments instantly, having a permanent record of your life—these are genuinely valuable. The cost is surveillance, algorithmic control of what you see, data harvesting, and effects on your mental health that we're only beginning to understand. Yet the convenience keeps us there. But nowhere is the Convenience Equation more active right now than with artificial intelligence. We're adopting AI tools at unprecedented speed—ChatGPT, coding assistants, content generators, AI-powered recommendations—because the convenience is extraordinary. Get answers instantly. Write documents in seconds. Solve problems without friction. The benefits are immediate and tangible. Yet we're accepting this trade while genuinely uncertain about the costs. We don't fully know how our data is used. We don't understand the long-term effects on our thinking and decision-making. We can't predict how AI systems will behave in novel situations. The risks around privacy, bias, accuracy, and dependency are largely unknown—or worse, actively hidden. And yet we use these tools anyway, often multiple times a day, because the convenience is too good to pass up. With AI, we're making the largest convenience tradeoff of our lives, except the equation itself is still being written. ## The Breaking Point The equation holds only as long as convenience remains high and risks remain abstract. When the risks become concrete—when you lose access to your account, when a service shuts down, when your data is breached, when terms change in a way that actually affects you—the equation shifts. Suddenly, you realize you don't own anything. You discover your digital life is rented from a company that owes you no protection. You find out that the convenience came with vulnerabilities you didn't fully understand. This is the moment many people have: standing in front of their digital life, realizing how much has been handed over, how fragile it all is. But by then, the convenience has usually made untangling yourself nearly impossible. You're locked in—to the platform, the ecosystem, the service. Leaving would require giving up too much convenience to be practical. > When the *immediate* benefit is clear and the *future* downside is fuzzy, convenience wins. ## The Uncomfortable Truth The Convenience Equation isn't really about making a calculated decision. It's about how convenience blinds us to the actual cost of our choices. When something is frictionless enough, we don't think about the tradeoff. We just use it. And that's the genius of it, from a company's perspective. They make their service so convenient that questioning it feels almost ridiculous. Why would you worry about owning your own files when Google Drive is sitting there, syncing everything automatically? Why stress about privacy when everyone you know is on the same social media platform? Why bother keeping local backups when your subscription service takes care of it all? The answer to all of those questions is the same: because convenience isn't the only thing that matters. But when the convenience is high enough, it becomes easy to forget that it should be. This is why researchers describe the relationship between users and platforms not as a transaction but as a "pay-for-privacy" model—we pay with our data and freedom, and companies profit from the exchange. What makes this sustainable is that the cost remains hidden while the benefit is immediate and visible. > “I have nothing to hide” is really a convenience claim: I’d rather enjoy the benefits now than spend mental energy on hypothetical risks. It’s also a bet—that the context won’t change, that the data won’t be repurposed, and that the platform’s incentives will remain aligned with mine. But privacy isn’t about hiding; it’s about preserving the ability to choose where information about you belongs. Convenience doesn’t just make sharing easier. It makes oversharing effortless. ## Finding Your Own Equation Value The point of naming this isn't to suggest you should reject convenience. It's to make the equation visible. When you're considering handing something over—your data, your ownership, your independence—it's worth asking: how much convenience am I actually getting? What risks am I accepting? Would I accept these risks if the convenience were lower? Would I still make this choice if I really thought about it, or am I just going along because it's easy? For some things, the equation might be worth it. For others, it might not be. But at least you'll be making the decision consciously, rather than defaulting to convenience because it's there. That's the real power of the equation: not to tell you what to do, but to help you see what you're actually trading away. > Generative AI is the perfect convenience drug for mundane tasks: it drafts, summarizes, formats, and fills blank pages instantly. But the risk isn’t that it fails loudly—it’s that it fails quietly. When the output looks polished, we stop reading carefully. The mistake isn’t the model’s error; it’s the human decision to outsource attention. ### The Ephemeral Scrapbook — 2026.02.22 URL: https://numericcitizen.me/the-ephemeral-scrapbook-2026-02-22/ Last updated: 2026-03-22T19:35:31.000Z ## 👤 Personal {#traveling,#hobby} 1️⃣ From January 30th to February 12th, I travelled to the Middle East (Egypt and Jordan), which explains why the second edition of this newsletter is a little bit late. In my luggage: my iPad Pro, my iPhone 15 Pro Max and my Nikon Zf with a 40mm lens. I believe the iPad is the best device for travel. All in all, it was a really enjoyable trip, even with some intestinal unease. I shared many photos on [my Glass profile](https://glass.photo/numericcitizen?ref=numericcitizen.me) if you are curious to get a glimpse. 2️⃣ My experimentation with AI-related tools is taking up a lot of my hobby time. This has negative effects on my other little projects and initiatives, such as producing YouTube videos or maintaining [The Craft Bible](https://thecraftbible.com/?ref=numericcitizen.me). I should aim to a more balanced time investment. --- ## 🗺️ Discoveries {#gaming} 1️⃣ I'm not a big gamer on computers or smartphones but once in a while I get hooked on a newly discovered game. The most recent one is a tour-style game called “Kingdom Rush Vengeance” available on Apple Arcade. It's a fun game, not too difficult so I can continue play without feeling overwhelmed or discouraged (see screenshot below). ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/2026/03/a-tour-style-game.png) --- ## 👨🏻‍💻 Writing {#blogging} 1️⃣ My [monthly posts digest for January](https://blog.numericcitizen.me/newsletters/2026/02/01/19543.html?ref=numericcitizen.me) is available, a little late. You can find a summary here on [my digests website](https://digests.numericcitizen.me/?ref=numericcitizen.me). 2️⃣ Writing is thinking — the editorial team at Nature. 3️⃣ [Outsourcing our writing](https://birchtree.me/blog/why-i-dont-offload-my-writing-to-ai/?ref=numericcitizen.me) to LLM might lead to something like passing the same image over and over through an image compression process. Like many things in life, we should strive to find the right balance. ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/2026/03/a-quote-writing-is-thinking.png.png) --- ## 🌄 Photography {#traveling,#photosharing} 1️⃣ During my trip to the Middle East, I had the chance to take more than a thousand photos, many of which are worth processing and sharing. This newsletter header image is one of them. Visit [my Glass profile page](https://glass.photo/numericcitizen?ref=numericcitizen.me) to appreciate many more of them. 2️⃣ I left Flickr for other platforms, yet [its 22-year milestone](https://blog.flickr.net/en/2026/02/10/22-years-of-flickr/?ref=numericcitizen.me) reminds me that the old photo commons still has a pulse — and perhaps more momentum than I expected. --- ## 🍎 Apple & Tech {#design,#liquidglass, #siri} 0️⃣ [Apple's history timeline](https://computerhistory.org/apple-timeline/?ref=numericcitizen.me) on the Computer History Museum website is nice. 1️⃣ Apple recently released version 26.3 of their OSes. Apple didn’t tweak any of Liquid Glass. The most important tweaks were done with 26.1\. Is Apple stubborn and doesn’t want to address user complaints? Or is it that Apple is being… Apple: They prefer to wait longer and have a better fix than patching. This is the approach they used with the dreaded butterfly keyboard in 2018 and 2019\. They waited until they had a brand-new set of MacBook models with Apple Silicon to finally fix the keyboard with an entirely new design. I don’t think Apple will completely replace Liquid Glass, but they will eventually fix it. Halide camera app developer, Sebastiaan De With, [might come to the rescue](https://appleinsider.com/articles/26/01/28/pro-camera-app-halide-developer-sebastiaan-de-with-returning-to-apple-for-design-team?ref=numericcitizen.me). 2️⃣ For iOS 27, [Apple is apparently planning a major code cleanup](https://9to5mac.com/2026/02/15/apple-code-cleanup-in-ios-27-for-better-battery-life-report/?ref=numericcitizen.me), which could translate into improved stability and battery performance. I'll take that in a heartbeat because, frankly, Apple’s software quality greatly decreased in recent years. Oh, and we could see [the new Siri chatbot](https://www.macrumors.com/2026/01/21/siri-chatbot-ios-27/?ref=numericcitizen.me). 3️⃣ We will have to [wait to see a glimpse of Apple's upcoming Siri rework](https://www.macrumors.com/2026/02/11/siri-features-delayed-ios-26-4/?ref=numericcitizen.me). Poor Apple, that's not an easy one to fix. 4️⃣ While Google, OpenAI et al. are burning a pile of cash on building datacenters, Apple is ... waiting. From [a recent article](https://stocks.apple.com/AbRIyJXMrSA2KT3yYW-o%5FOA?ref=numericcitizen.me) published by Fortune magazine: > “If foundation models are heading toward commodity status, then the strategic value shifts to whoever controls the integration layer and the user relationship. Apple has 2.4 billion active devices. It has the most valuable distribution channel in technology. And its recent moves suggest a deliberate strategy: rather than building frontier models, source them from whoever is best at any given moment. > This is precisely what Apple has done. It partnered with OpenAI in 2024, then switched to Google’s Gemini to power the next generation of Siri. The company is not building the engine; it is curating the best available engine at any given moment, wrapping it in Apple’s privacy architecture, and integrating it across the ecosystem. Own the experience, outsource the commodity.” --- ## 📱 Apps & Services {#craft/agents, #appledesign} 1️⃣ I experimented with Craft Agents, a new app built on top of Claude Code. I’m not sure about the value proposition compared to using Claude on the Mac. Both support connections to API and MCP endpoints. For now, I think I prefer Claude AI and Claude Code as two separate tools. That might change in the future, though. 2️⃣ Handmirror was recently updated to version 4 and got many small and big tweaks. Since this update, I've started taking selfies early in the morning or late in the evening. It’s fun. Done over the course of a year, this could be interesting. 3️⃣ [Apple is phasing out iWork](https://www.macrumors.com/2026/02/13/apple-iwork-website-removed/?ref=numericcitizen.me) branding to make room for Apple Creator Studio. It's a controversial move as Apple continues to make inroads in the subscription model for apps that used to be free. It's sad to see, because Apple also continues to push ads in its apps and operating systems to entice users to subscribe. Below is a visual history of Apple's popular apps and their respectve icons. Montage made by [BasicAppleGuy](https://mastodon.social/@BasicAppleGuy/115974493186672129?ref=numericcitizen.me). ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/2026/03/apple-icons-comparison.png) --- ## 🚧 Special projects {#webdevelopment,#claude, #vibecoding} 1️⃣ I built a few web apps using Claude Code, and one of them is RSS Flow. It’s an app made just for me, so I don’t plan to share the public URL. It’s a lightweight RSS reader, perfect for when you're on the road or travelling abroad. I’ve been tweaking it for many weeks now, and who knows, it might become my main RSS reader. Without Claude Code, I could never have done it myself in a reasonable amount of time. 2️⃣ Should I call myself a developer if I depend on Claude Code to build small and very focused web applications? I don't think so. Just as we are not calling people “artists” when they take hundreds of pictures with their iPhone. Some might be, but most of them probably aren’t. This reminds me of [Matt Birchler's post](https://birchtree.me/blog/i-am-happier-writing-code-by-hand/?ref=numericcitizen.me) about those who prefer to code manually (real developers) versus those who like to do some vibe coding (like me). Some people also like to shoot and process their photos manually (like me), but the vast majority use their iPhones. > *"The best part of building with AI might be before you write a single line."* — Alexander Kucera in [Still Possible](https://alexanderkucera.com/2026/02/21/still-possible.html?ref=numericcitizen.me) ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/2026/03/_IMG_9322-optimised.png.png) --- ## 📺 YouTube {#ai,#vibecoding,#liquidglass} 1️⃣ Interesting [video comparing ChatGPT Codex 5.3 to Claude Code Opsue 4.6](https://youtu.be/zpqLv-DFMEQ?si=WT4RPoQJotn6CTs6&ref=numericcitizen.me) for developing a web application for selling shows. If you are curious to know who wins, watch the video! 2️⃣ Jony Ive's recent project includes designing an EV Ferrari dashboard. From what I'm seeing in [this video](https://youtu.be/lAAZeoPmahk?si=b6Gml3kTvv6TTSLT&ref=numericcitizen.me), I think he did a great job. 3️⃣ Liquid Glass continues to divide the design community. Here's [a great video](https://youtu.be/iVS2DqDhfUI?si=hppgccH%5FaoCzwFWG&ref=numericcitizen.me) explaining what might be really happening as to why Apple chose to implement Liquid Glass. Who wins? We can see Jony Ive's design traits in this Ferrari EV car Liquid Glass, the worst of Apple design? --- ## 🔮 Looking forward {#macbook,#appleevent,#design } 1️⃣ Apple is getting ready for a few announcements in early March. A new entry-level iPhone and an entry-level MacBook are expected, among other things. The latter is intriguing, and I'll pay attention to what Apple has in store. I want a small but mighty device, thin but with stellar battery life, with a minimum of 8GB of RAM, but a built-to-order 12GB option. Connecting an external display should be possible, but it might be too much to ask for such an entry-level MacBook. 2️⃣ The retro-futuristic [Ferrari EV car](https://www.ferrari.com/en-EN/auto/ferrari-luce?ref=numericcitizen.me) designed by Jony Ive and his firm, LoveFrom. Quite reminiscent of Apple's iconic designs (Apple Watch, Apple CarPlay, iPad). I quite like it, [but some people don't](https://youtu.be/iCJvJKlN3Xo?si=a76m-jEXgBGcVj0d&ref=numericcitizen.me). Don't miss [the official website of Luce](https://www.ferrari.com/en-EN/auto/ferrari-luce?ref=numericcitizen.me). > "The AI community frenzy around open source agent platform OpenClaw, and its accompanying agent interaction network Moltbook – plus ongoing frustration with AI-generated code submissions to open source projects – underscores the consequences of letting agents loose without behavioral rules." — Thomas Clabum ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/2026/03/EF1-dashboard.png) --- ## 🌟 Miscellaneous {#musing, #techhistory} 1️⃣ Recently, I came across [an article](https://manuelmoreale.com/thoughts/a-random-list-of-silly-things-i-hate?ref=numericcitizen.me) listing ten things the article's author hates. [This one](https://tangiblelife.net/a-random-list-of-silly-things-i-hate?ref=numericcitizen.me), for example, does a superb job and hits many of the things I hate myself. One example: “All modern cars look the same, down to colour options.” (except maybe this Ferrari EV car, as shown in the previous section). In the same vein, I do maintain [a /nope page.](https://hub.numericcitizen.me/nope/?ref=numericcitizen.me) 2️⃣ Do you remember [the Computer Chronicle TV show](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Computer%5FChronicles?ref=numericcitizen.me) with Stewart Cheifet? I do. It was a great show to learn about the computer industry back in the day. Mr. Cheifet passed away in December. [His obituary](https://obits.goldsteinsfuneral.com/stewart-cheifet?ref=numericcitizen.me) is very telling about his popularity and the influence he had on many people's decisions to pursue careers in computer science. 3️⃣ Do you remember the space shuttle Challenger disaster? I certainly do, and I'm not alone. Some still-living engineers from back then do remember, and they wear [the weight of feeling powerless](https://www.npr.org/2026/01/25/g-s1-106940/40-years-after-challenger?ref=numericcitizen.me) because they told the management: no go. The management didn't get the message (or didn't want to get the message). --- 👉🏻 [Main](https://numericcitizen.me/) 🌟 [Meta](https://meta.numericcitizen.me/?ref=numericcitizen.me) 🌟 [Blips](https://blips.numericcitizen.me/?ref=numericcitizen.me) 🌟 [Blog](https://blog.numericcitizen.me/?ref=numericcitizen.me) 👀 --- I wish you a great week! ✌️ 🇺🇦 🇨🇦 🇪🇺 💪🏻 📌 This newsletter edition is also available as a Craft shared document [****here**](https://crafted.numericcitizen.me/ephemeral-scrapbook-2026-02-22?ref=numericcitizen.me). An index of past editions can be found [here](https://numericcitizen.me/tag/ephemeral-scrapbook/). This week's edition is based on template version 1.9 and was put together with ❤️ mostly on an M2 15-inch MacBook Air, Craft Docs and many supporting [subscriptions](https://crafted.numericcitizen.me/current-subscriptions?ref=numericcitizen.me)! If you like this newsletter, please consider supporting me via [PayPal](https://paypal.me/numericcitizen?locale.x=en%5FUS&ref=numericcitizen.me) or becoming a supporter by visiting my [Ko-fi](https://ko-fi.com/numericcitizen/?ref=numericcitizen.me) page! [https://notbyai.fyi](https://notbyai.fyi/?ref=numericcitizen.me) ### A Case for “ChatGPT Takeout” URL: https://numericcitizen.me/a-case-for-chatgpt-takeout/ Last updated: 2026-02-22T02:52:57.000Z ChatGPT’s memory could become a crucial part of the provider–consumer relationship—not just a convenience feature. While we don’t have complete visibility into how OpenAI is building and using its memory system, the practical effect is already clear: ChatGPT can carry context forward, recall user-specific details, and adapt its responses based on what it has learned over time. “Memory,” though, isn’t a single thing; it can include explicit facts you knowingly save, implicit preferences inferred from your behavior, and traces of how you interact. The more we use ChatGPT, the more personalized value accumulates inside the platform, and the more the system effectively “knows” how we think, work, and communicate. That personalization is impressive—but it also creates a familiar dynamic: switching costs. Today, that accumulated memory isn’t meaningfully portable, even though it arguably should be. Users should be able to leave ChatGPT and take their conversational context with them to another platform—selectively and safely—without having to start from zero. In that sense, a good mental model is Google Takeout: a single place where you can export what you’ve stored with a provider, in standard formats, on your terms. A “ChatGPT Takeout” equivalent for memory could let users download (1) explicit saved memories, (2) preferences and settings, and (3) an optional, clearly labeled package of inferred traits—each separable, auditable, and easy to import elsewhere if the user chooses. And critically, those exports should rely on standard, widely supported data formats (for example JSON, CSV, or plain text/Markdown where appropriate), so portability is real—not a proprietary archive that’s technically “exported” but practically unusable. Of course, portability can’t be naive—exporting “memory” raises real privacy and security risks, especially if it includes sensitive details you forgot you shared or traits inferred about you. That’s exactly why portability should be designed with strong safeguards: inspectable records, granular consent (what to export and what not to), clear provenance (saved vs inferred), and revocation. If memory is going to become part of the relationship, users should have meaningful control over it—including the ability to take it with them. ### The Ephemeral Scrapbook — 2026.01.18 URL: https://numericcitizen.me/the-ephemeral-scrapbook-2026-01-18/ Last updated: 2026-03-22T19:39:34.000Z ## 👤 Personal {#blogging} 1️⃣ I've been quite busy during the Holidays with my digital hobby. This year started with a bang! I'm ecstatic, actually. It's been less than a couple of weeks, and the amount of "work" accomplished is simply astonishing. I couldn't have done it without my determination, with a bunch of wild ideas and ... Claude AI. I'll take a two-week vacation in early February, which will help me consolidate my learning and experience. 2️⃣ I started a new website ([digests.numericcitizen.me](https://digests.numericcitizen.me/?ref=numericcitizen.me)) and talked about it [here](https://blog.numericcitizen.me/2026/01/04/launching-numeric-citizen-blog-digests.html?ref=numericcitizen.me). I'm excited about that one because of the way it is built and because I have more plans for it, too. 3️⃣ For creators like me, [people can be weird](https://birchtree.me/blog/i-hate-supporting-my-favorite-creators/?ref=numericcitizen.me). Thankfully, I rarely get these type of comments on anything that I create and share. This was a parody blog post from Matt Birchler. I'm guessing he gets those bad comments way too often, leaving him without a word. --- ## 🗺️ Discoveries {#accessories} 1️⃣ Clicks introduced the [Click Power Keyboard](https://www.clicks.tech/ca/powerkeyboard?ref=numericcitizen.me), a MagSafe battery pack and a physical keyboard all-in-one device for the iPhone. I'm not sure I'm the target customer for this, but I applaud the company’s imaginative but off-track accessory. I was a fan of Blackberries back in the day, and I do see some use and edge cases where a physical keyboard would be helpful. But those edge cases are... edgy, and I don't think they warrant a new device in my pocket. 2️⃣ There is a [new Apple Store in downtown Montreal](https://www.apple.com/newsroom/2026/01/the-new-apple-sainte-catherine-opens-today-in-montreal/?ref=numericcitizen.me). The store was previously about 100m west of today's new location, on same street. I paid a visit and took some photos, see next section. --- ## 🌄 Photography {#traveling, #applestore} 1️⃣ I had the chance to visit the relocated Apple Store on Ste-Catherine Street, downtown Montreal and shared [my observations as well as my best images](https://blog.numericcitizen.me/2026/01/17/first-visit-to-the-new.html?ref=numericcitizen.me) of the place. I couldn't take my Nikon camera with me because the battery was depleted, and I couldn't wait to recharge it. I managed to take a few good pictures with my phone, though. 2️⃣ My next photographic experience is getting closer, when I visit Egypt at the end of January, early February. Until then, I'm utterly quiet on that front. --- ## 🍎 Apple & Tech {#ai,#design, #macostahoe, #appstore} 1️⃣ Apple's macOS Tahoe might be the most poorly received release in terms of design. Some believe Liquid Glass isn't suitable for a desktop operating system. I agree: the glass metaphor works well for a device like the iPhone, which is essentially a slab of glass, but a desktop computer isn't the same. Critics also criticize the inappropriate use of icons in menus, which is the latest point of contention. Although many seem to share this concern, I personally like seeing icons in menu items. You should decide for yourself. [This detailed blog post](https://tonsky.me/blog/tahoe-icons?ref=numericcitizen.me) presents a strong argument against their use. I shared [a more detailed take](https://blog.numericcitizen.me/2026/01/07/on-tahoe-icons.html?ref=numericcitizen.me) on this. 2️⃣ Like if it was possible, X / Grok are in the news again for allowing people create and post all sorts of very questionable content on the network. Many people are asking for Apple and Google to remove those apps from their respective App Stores. Despite what appears to be a patent violation of their store's rules, they still don't budge. Why? Probably a good idea to look at mounting fear of ... Trump. [Gruber’s words](https://daringfireball.net/2026/01/fuck%5Fyou%5Fmake%5Fme%5Fwithout%5Fsaying%5Fthe%5Fwords?ref=numericcitizen.me) are worth a read. 3️⃣ I rated each Apple product from 1 to 9\. Here are [the results](https://blog.numericcitizen.me/2026/01/11/inspired-by-a-post-from.html?ref=numericcitizen.me). > “Claude Code has the potential to transform all of tech. I also think we’re going to see a real split in the tech industry (and everywhere code is written) between people who are *outcome-driven and are excited to get to the part where they can test their work with users faster, and people who are process-driven* and get their meaning from the engineering itself and are upset about having that taken away.” — [Ben Werdmuller](https://werd.io/2025-the-year-in-llms/?ref=numericcitizen.me) ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/2026/03/two-menu-styles-compared.png) Which menu design do you prefer? ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/2026/03/icon-styles-compared.png) That’s the state of icon design at Apple in 2026\. What is going on in Cupertino? 🫣 ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/2026/03/where-apple-cions-are-going.png) --- ## 📱 Apps & Services {#dataprotection, #bookmarking,#ios26} 1️⃣ Are you one of those who think that data in the cloud is a backup, or even being backed up? Well, think again. The cloud is not a backup solution if this is the primary storage of your data. That's the case with iCloud Photo Library or iCloud Drive. Because your data is on the device and in the cloud doesn’t mean they are backups of each other. There is a small Mac utility you can buy that enables real backups, called [Parachute Backup](https://apps.apple.com/us/app/parachute-backup/id6748614170?mt=12&ref=numericcitizen.me). It's cheap and apparently effective at backing up your data to a destination of your choice. Disclaimer: I don't use such a solution. But I should. 2️⃣ If you happen to save a lot of bookmarks for later reference, consider reading [The Newsprint review of MyMind](https://thenewsprint.co/2026/01/02/my-2025-app-of-the-year-mymind/?ref=numericcitizen.me). It's a good overview of what makes MyMind so lovable. I tried it myself and like its design, but I prefer AnyBox, which is a better fit for my needs. 3️⃣ Early reports indicate that iOS 26 adoption is low at around 18%, but data from a specific app suggests that about 70% of its active users have already upgraded, highlighting a potential discrepancy in the overall adoption figures. Maybe power users are upgrading, but normal people with lighter usage aren’t? --- ## 🚧 Special projects {#automation,#vibecoding} 1️⃣ A lot happened since the previous edition of this newsletter. I was essentially focused on building automation workflows in n8n, most of my hobby time. You can read all about it [right here](https://blog.numericcitizen.me/categories/automation/?ref=numericcitizen.me). Besides that, I also worked on building small, focused web apps with Next.js and hosting them on Vercel using Claude Code. It's a fascinating process: writing down prompts that describe the final product and watching Claude code, spitting out code and strategies to build a successful app, doing what I described in the first place, no programming required on my part. I call this my modern Lego set. --- ## 📺 YouTube {#tech, #design, #ai} 1️⃣ When Apple brags about putting billions of transistors on a chip like the M5, what doesn't it represent in reality? How big or small does this fact represent? Well, Marqus Brownly made [a video](https://youtu.be/Jh9pFp1oM7E?si=beIXnvuY3lHSNKep&ref=numericcitizen.me) to show how small things are these days. It's really well done. 2️⃣ [The flat edge dilemma](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nPdgHpEXNIk&ref=numericcitizen.me): A good video about explaining major design constraints and how they affect product shapes and sizes. 3️⃣ [Paris timelapse](https://youtu.be/IFhKB5zHWFg?si=v96pydzG4k3dLVkg&ref=numericcitizen.me) from -300 to 2025\. Quite impressive. 3️⃣ We are hearing a lot about sycophancy when we refer to LLM. What is this? Sycophancy is the tendency to excessively flatter or agree with someone in order to gain favor or approval. More details and explanation in [this video](https://youtu.be/nvbq39yVYRk?si=rXgfstNuD-0%5Foia7&ref=numericcitizen.me). --- ## 🔮 Looking forward {#digg, #openai, #chatgpt} 1️⃣ Digg is officially in public beta, after a rather long private beta period, which I took part in. People want Digg to become a new Reddit, but I'm not sure this is what I want. I'm not sure where it's going, I'm not even sure we need another social network. From what I'm seeing, many Digg posts are already available elsewhere and have very limited user engagement. Just to kick the tires, I wanted to create a user community about Apple, but someone beat me to it, and the name was no longer available. Instead, I created Apple Design, which can be found [here](https://digg.com/appledesign?ref=numericcitizen.me). There are twelve members at the time of this writing. You can find my Digg profile [here](https://digg.com/@numericcitizen?ref=numericcitizen.me). 2️⃣ Well put, Matt, well put: [ChatGPT enshittification has officially begun](https://birchtree.me/blog/let-the-chatgpt-enshitification-begin/?ref=numericcitizen.me). Now, for 8 US$ a month, you get ads within your chat sessions. I expect ads to come to other pricing tiers, too, eventually. When we see ads, we become the product. Sad. --- ## 🌟 Miscellaneous {#space,#software} 1️⃣ SpaceX [gets the green light to launch 7500 more Starlink satellites](https://www.theverge.com/news/860210/fcc-spacex-7500-more-starlink-satellites?ref=numericcitizen.me) in space, contributing not only to increasing coverage and bandwidth but also to the Kessler Syndrome. The Kessler Syndrome, also called the orbital debris cascade, is a theoretical scenario in orbital mechanics describing a self-sustaining chain reaction of collisions among space debris. Proposed by Donald J. Kessler in 1978, it predicts that as the density of objects in low Earth orbit (LEO) increases, collisions could generate debris that, in turn, causes further impacts, making certain orbital regions unusable for satellites or spacecraft. 2️⃣ Now that we are destroying space, are we also destroying software? [Antirez says yes](http://antirez.com/news/145?ref=numericcitizen.me). 3️⃣ Also from the same author, [building software is hard](http://antirez.com/news/129?ref=numericcitizen.me), especially open-source software. Hard enough to [move on](http://antirez.com/news/133?ref=numericcitizen.me). 4️⃣ Have you heard about the enchittification phenomenon? [This article from Mitch Wagner](https://mitchwagner.com/2025/12/03/how-enshittification-ruined-the-internet.html?ref=numericcitizen.me) explains how dominant tech platforms follow a predictable trajectory: they begin by serving users well, then progressively degrade the experience as monopoly power takes hold. This process—called “enshittification”—extends beyond bad products to include labor exploitation and broader economic harm. The author argues that reversing this trend requires meaningful antitrust enforcement and renewed competition, not better design or goodwill. OpenAI might be on the trajectory of enchittification with [ChatGPT Go](https://openai.com/index/introducing-chatgpt-go/?ref=numericcitizen.me). 5️⃣ [Is software dead](https://mike.tech/blog/death-of-software-development?ref=numericcitizen.me)? It might. Thanks to AI. Again. ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/2026/03/space-debris.png) Space around earth is already too crowded as you can see in this image --- 👉🏻 [Main](https://numericcitizen.me/) 🌟 [Meta](https://meta.numericcitizen.me/?ref=numericcitizen.me) 🌟 [Blips](https://blips.numericcitizen.me/?ref=numericcitizen.me) 🌟 [Blog](https://blog.numericcitizen.me/?ref=numericcitizen.me) 👀 --- I wish you a great week! ✌️ 🇺🇦 🇨🇦 🇪🇺 💪🏻 📌 This newsletter edition is also available as a Craft shared document [****here**](https://crafted.numericcitizen.me/ephemeral-scrapbook-2026-01-18?ref=numericcitizen.me). An index of past editions can be found [here](https://numericcitizen.me/tag/ephemeral-scrapbook/). This week's edition is based on template version 1.8.6 and was put together with ❤️ mostly on an M2 15-inch MacBook Air, Craft Docs and many supporting [subscriptions](https://crafted.numericcitizen.me/current-subscriptions?ref=numericcitizen.me)! If you like this newsletter, please consider supporting me via [PayPal](https://paypal.me/numericcitizen?locale.x=en%5FUS&ref=numericcitizen.me) or becoming a supporter by visiting my [Ko-fi](https://ko-fi.com/numericcitizen/?ref=numericcitizen.me) page! ![](https://r.craft.do/nWREfLNq7U) [https://notbyai.fyi](https://notbyai.fyi/?ref=numericcitizen.me) ### My Visit to the New Apple Store on Ste-Catherine in Montreal URL: https://numericcitizen.me/my-visit-to-the-new-apple-store-on-ste-catherine-in-montreal/ Last updated: 2026-01-17T20:57:13.000Z On a snowy, rather grey day, lacking luminosity, I paid a visit to the new Apple Store on Ste-Catherine Street in downtown Montreal. Here are a few observations. It feels so different, much warmer, more welcoming. I took a few images with my aging iPhone 15 Pro Max so you could get a sense of the interior and exterior design. I think Apple's commissioned architects did a great job restoring the building. There's a strong sense of humility and honesty in the material choices. The wooden ceiling helps keep the sound level acceptable, toned down a bit. Apparently, Apple chose local materials. The windows are tall, with a small portion at the top embossed with a pattern that adds a nice mid-century touch to the look. The lighting is just right, nothing too intense, helping keep the calmness of the design. ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/2026/01/_IMG_9222-optimised.jpeg.jpeg) ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/2026/01/_IMG_9230-optimised.jpeg.jpeg) ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/2026/01/_IMG_9232-optimised.jpeg.jpeg) ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/2026/01/_IMG_9243-optimised.jpeg.jpeg) ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/2026/01/_IMG_9251-optimised.jpeg.jpeg) ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/2026/01/_IMG_9253-optimised.jpeg.jpeg) ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/2026/01/_IMG_9262-optimised.jpeg.jpeg) ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/2026/01/_IMG_9275-optimised.jpeg.jpeg) ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/2026/01/_IMG_9276-optimised.jpeg.jpeg) We didn't get a tree or other vegetation touches, sadly. It would have made the place feel even more "organic". This is not, to my knowledge, an Apple flagship store. Maybe the designers felt the place didn't have enough space. Also strange, since this is a three-story building, I was expecting a second level, but apparently, there was nothing accessible to the public. Hence, we lost the iconic and frosty stairs from the old store. Again, maybe to keep as much space as possible for the customers and the products. You can get a quick video of the store, [right here](https://blog.numericcitizen.me/2026/01/17/first-visit-to-the-new.html?ref=numericcitizen.me), on my blog. ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/2026/01/_IMG_9260-optimised.jpeg.jpeg) The place looks less busy, too, from a product display perspective. Accessories are well organized on a few stations along the store's exterior walls, while devices are on the classic wood tables, symmetrically placed in the store's main area. It's the end of an era, that's for sure. Or the beginning of a new one. The old store is about to disappear from view in the city. The store was smaller, colder and a glimpse of Apple Store ideal, more than fifteen years ago. This is where I bought my first iPhone. And my first iPad. And my first Apple Watch. That store reminds me of Steve Jobs' era. The new one is more about Tim Cook's era. What comes next is up to anyone to guess. ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/2026/01/_IMG_9284-optimised.jpeg.jpeg) ### AI in 2026: It's About Connecting The Dots URL: https://numericcitizen.me/ai-in-2026-its-about-connecting-the-dots/ Last updated: 2025-12-30T13:28:03.000Z The conversation around AI has become exhaustingly polarized—breathless evangelists on one side, dismissive skeptics on the other. I find myself somewhere in the middle: curious but cautious, experimental but principled. As I look ahead to 2026, I want to articulate how I envision AI's role in my work as a technology blogger, content creator, and independent web advocate. This is informed by the guiding principles I documented ([https://meta.numericcitizen.me/ai/](https://meta.numericcitizen.me/ai/?ref=numericcitizen.me)) and shaped by my experience as a hobbyist who loves exploring new information technologies for creative and learning aspirations—not career goals. ## AI as Learning Accelerator I see AI as a force multiplier for learning, particularly for understanding specific technologies where traditional resources are scattered. As someone who explores various platforms and tools—both for my own use and to cover on my websites and YouTube channel—I'm constantly encountering technologies with varying learning curves. When I'm building small web applications, experimenting with APIs or MCP, or creating automation workflows, documentation can be scattered, incomplete, or written for different skill levels than where I'm starting. This is where AI becomes invaluable by explaining specific technologies in ways that match my current understanding and specific needs. When I'm trying to understand how to connect two services or figure out why something isn't working, AI can tailor explanations to my specific question and context. I'm using AI to understand, not to blindly generate solutions. This is about making the process of understanding specific technologies more efficient, so I can spend more time on the creative and analytical work that actually matters. Here are two examples. Claude Code helps me understand how to approach problems. When I build small projects that support my creative work, it helps me see how experienced developers think about solutions. My goal is to understand enough to build the specific tools I need and satisfy my curiosity about how systems function. n8n is about making specific parts of my creative workflow more efficient and predictable where it genuinely makes sense. AI supports this by helping me understand how to configure workflows and debug issues—freeing me to focus on content creation, learning, and exploration. As I mentioned in my year-in-review, n8n is becoming my digital playground for 2026. ## Summarization: The Essential Use Case The use case I think about most is summarization. As a technology blogger, I follow numerous information sources across the indie web, productivity software, and information technology. I consume more content across many sources than I can possibly read or watch in full depth. AI-generated summaries help me triage effectively. I can quickly determine whether content deserves my full attention or whether the core insights are adequately captured. This isn't about replacing primary sources—when something matters, I still engage with the original. It's about making the discovery process manageable and expanding my capacity to cover more ground in content consumption. My pragmatic conclusion for 2026: I prefer an imperfect summary to missing out on important content entirely. ## Connecting the Dots: AI as Writing Partner One aspect of AI that I find genuinely valuable—and that wasn't even possible five years ago—is using it as a writing assistant. This is another way AI helps me connect the dots. When I'm drafting essays, blog posts, or thinking through complex topics, AI helps me make connections between concepts and ideas that I might not see immediately. I might be writing about automation workflows and AI can help me recognize how that relates to something I wrote about platform independence months ago. Or I'm exploring a new productivity tool and AI helps me articulate how its approach differs from patterns I've discussed before. AI helps me see the larger patterns in my own thinking, suggesting connections that I then evaluate and develop in my own words. It acts as a thinking partner that helps me connect dots across my work in ways that make my writing richer and more coherent. This capability has changed how I approach longer pieces. I can work through ideas conversationally, test connections, and refine my thinking before committing words to the page. Five years ago, this kind of interaction simply didn't exist. Now it's become a valuable part of how I develop my ideas and structure my writing. ## Staying Curious, Vigilant, and Critical As AI capabilities continue to evolve, I'm genuinely curious about how these offerings might impact my digital life as a creator. Will new AI tools emerge that fundamentally change how I research, create, or publish content? Will AI integration become so seamless in the platforms I use that it shifts what's possible in my workflows? I don't know the answers, and that's what makes 2026 interesting. I want to stay open to possibilities while maintaining the critical lens that has guided my approach so far. This means continuing to evaluate AI offerings against my established principles: Does this solve a real problem or create busywork? Does it align with my values around privacy and independence? Does it amplify my voice or dilute it? Does it support the indie web ecosystem I advocate for? The AI landscape moves quickly, and not every development deserves equal attention or adoption. My commitment for 2026 is to remain curious about what's emerging, vigilant about how these tools actually perform in practice, and critical about their true value proposition. ## The Independence Paradox There's an obvious tension here: I advocate for indie web values and platform independence, yet I rely on Claude and ChatGPT—centralized AI services from large tech companies. I think about this tension as the difference between tools and platforms. I'm using AI as production infrastructure to support work I publish on systems I control, not building my digital presence on AI platforms themselves. It's more like using VS Code than like building my blog on Substack. But the tension is real. These services could change pricing or terms. They involve sending data through commercial systems. They create dependencies. For now, I'm comfortable with this trade-off because AI helps me build and maintain my own infrastructure more effectively. But I'm watching it. If the dependencies start compromising the independence I value, I'll need to reconsider. I suspect many in the indie web community face similar tensions as they evaluate AI tools. ## Looking Ahead I haven't landed on either extreme—the evangelists proclaiming AI will revolutionize everything or the skeptics dismissing it as worthless hype. I'm a hobbyist learner and creator with established principles and a commitment to documenting what works—and what doesn't. For me in 2026, AI means: - A learning accelerator for understanding specific technologies - A processing tool for managing information consumption through summarization - A writing partner that helps me connect concepts and ideas across my work - An explanation tool that adapts to my context and learning needs - A support tool for selective automation that makes creative work more efficient But always with me in the decision-making seat. My curiosity drives what I explore. My judgment determines what I publish. My values guide how I use these tools. And my creative aspirations, not career goals, shape how I engage with technology. The indie web has always been about taking ownership of your digital presence, choosing tools intentionally, and building for yourself. AI, used thoughtfully, can be part of that story in 2026—not as a replacement for human creativity and judgment, but as another tool in the independent creator's kit. ### The Ephemeral Scrapbook — Edition 2025-52 URL: https://numericcitizen.me/the-ephemeral-scrapbook-edition-2025-52/ Last updated: 2026-04-19T20:36:35.000Z ## 👤 Personal {#recognition} > 1️⃣ If you’ve been following me for a while, you probably know that I'm a big fan and power user of Craft. They recently ran a challenge in their Slack community to have people build different workflows that leverage Craft APIs or MCP functionality. I’ve submitted [my workflow](https://crafted.numericcitizen.me/the-year-in-review-writing-assistant?ref=numericcitizen.me) called “The Year in Review Writing Assistant“ and won a 500 $US prize! That wasn't expected, really. Yet, I'm glad that the Craft team recognized my work. ## 🗺️ Discoveries {#internet #yearinreview #retro #tech} > 1️⃣ Here's a massive [recap from Cloudflare Radar for 2025](https://radar.cloudflare.com/year-in-review/2025?ref=numericcitizen.me). There are so many stats and graphs in this visual summary. From emails, device usages, protocols, security, and so much more, many different things are covered in this review. 2️⃣ If you are a fan of retro-computing and the heyday of the personal computer era, don't miss [Stone Tools](https://stonetools.ghost.io/?ref=numericcitizen.me) website. VisiCalc, HyperCard, Superbase, or Aldus PageMaker, do you remember these? I do remember mostly Hypercard and PageMaker because I was a big fan of them. This website is focused on work-related computer software. It's so fun to go back in time when reading intricate details about a computer program and its surrounding context at launch and in use. > "Standards that enable direct publisher–reader relationships are inconvenient for companies whose business depends on sitting in the middle." — Ben Werdmuller ## 👨🏻‍💻 Writing {#rss} > 1️⃣ If you are a writer, a blogger or any content creator on the web, please, do yourself and your audience a favor, [enable RSS feeds](https://werd.io/why-rss-matters/?ref=numericcitizen.me) on your little corner of the internet. 2️⃣ Speaking of RSS feeds, it seems there isn't enough RSS feed feaders already and the founder of Ghost, a well-known publishing platform on which this newsletter is running, is building a new one named [Alcove](https://alcove.news/?ref=numericcitizen.me). I don’t want to set my expectations too high, even if I like what this guy is doing in general. How many new RSS readers came to the light while pretending to be the new way of consuming content? [Reeder Next](https://reederapp.com/?ref=numericcitizen.me) is one of them. It's nicely designed, but it's very limited, and my gut feeling is that it's not doing really well. 3️⃣ There is a little controversy about the Alcove announcement. People, including me, were surprised to see its author, a proponent of open source and open web, use the infamous X network to post a teaser. When it comes to discoverability, principles seem easy to forget, I guess. 4️⃣ Why am I talking about RSS in this writing section? Because RSS is the conduit for sharing your writings with the world without any engagement tricks. > "Most people have never lived outside the mind’s theater. They experience life almost entirely as commentary…as stories about what’s happening, what might happen, what should be happening, and who’s to blame that it isn’t. Inside that theater, constant agitation feels like virtue. Outrage feels like responsibility. Anxiety feels like engagement. And calm is interpreted as indifference. "— [Damien Echols, Fighting Shadows](https://damienechols.substack.com/p/fighting-shadows) ## 🌄 Photography {#ipad #art} > 1️⃣ If you got a new iPad for Christmas to replace an older one, you might want to consider transforming the old one into a photo frame using [this app](https://apps.apple.com/us/app/digital-photo-frame-slideshow/id1219786089?ref=numericcitizen.me). You will need to use Apple's iCloud Photo Library, though. It's a good way to extend the life of your electronics. 2️⃣ Showing dedication to Mount Fuji in photography—really [spectacular images](https://www.nippon.com/en/japan-topics/g01122/?ref=numericcitizen.me) of this legendary mountain. 3️⃣ [A concise reflection](https://aows.co/blog/how-to-shoot-more-photos-of-anything-every-day?ref=numericcitizen.me) on building a daily photography habit by abandoning self-imposed labels, noticing beauty everywhere, and treating every photograph as practice rather than a special occasion. I should take note. 🤦🏻‍♂️ 4️⃣ I'm a fan of [old illustrations](https://www.oldbookillustrations.com/illustrations/?ref=numericcitizen.me), especially in the early 1830s. 🤩 ## 🍎 Apple & Tech {#digitalservices #ads} > 1️⃣ [This story](https://hey.paris/posts/appleid/?ref=numericcitizen.me) is about having an Apple Account (previously known as an Apple ID) locked down because of a failed attempt to redeem an Apple Gift Card. This can be devastating because a locked-down account means no more access to Apple services, Apple devices and Apple purchases or subscriptions. Thankfully, the story ends well, thanks to intense media buzz. Apple doesn't like bad press. The last time I tried redeeming an Apple Gift Card, it went well (I had five of them). But now, I'll think again. If my Apple Account ever gets locked down, I don't have the required influence to get the attention from the Apple executive team. Read some [people](https://mjtsai.com/blog/2025/12/13/locked-out-of-apple-account-due-to-gift-card/?ref=numericcitizen.me)’[s reactions](https://mjtsai.com/blog/2025/12/13/locked-out-of-apple-account-due-to-gift-card/?ref=numericcitizen.me) as documented by Michael Tsai. Scary. 2️⃣ Speaking of Apple executives, [why this turnover of executives and high-ranking personnel](https://mashable.com/article/apple-sales-executives-leave?ref=numericcitizen.me) when the iPhone seems invincible and keeps breaking sales records? 3️⃣ More ads are coming to the Apple App Store. Yep. More ads when you search for something. With all the junk already filling this digital space, [making it hard to find something](https://mastodon.social/@marcoarment/115743368952477978?ref=numericcitizen.me), it looks less and less Apple-like, more like today's Google. 4️⃣ While more ads are coming to Apple's platforms, [Maps loses Flyovers](https://www.macrumors.com/2025/12/18/apple-maps-flyover-tours-discontinued/?ref=numericcitizen.me)! It was cool when it was introduced in iOS 8 but keeping them updated might cost Apple a price they no longer want to pay. > “There’s a lot of hate for Alan Dye right now, but keep in mind that the dude did not magically promote himself to a leadership position, at either Apple or Meta. That was the choice of the people above him.” — [lapcatsoftware@mastodon.social](mailto:lapcatsoftware@mastodon.social) ## 📱 Apps & Services {#techhistory #rss} > 1️⃣ Can you imagine that Adobe [made the Photoshop 1.0 source code available](https://computerhistory.org/blog/adobe-photoshop-source-code/?ref=numericcitizen.me) to the Computer History Museum! I remember testing Photoshop back in the day on the Mac (I can't remember exactly which one it was, though). I remember thinking at the time that the app wasn't obvious to use. Of course, we all had MacPaint as a reference, but Photoshop was quite up there. It never really clicked with me. 2️⃣ I'm sorry, but the current Mac desktop under Tahoe is already too hard to comprehend for putting holiday lights everywhere. Nice try, [Festivitas](https://mac.festivitas.app/?ref=numericcitizen.me), I’ll pass. I admire this developer's creativity and guts, though. 3️⃣ I know, I already mentioned RSS reader apps, but here’s another one: [Today](https://jakespurlock.com/2025/10/introducing-today-an-rss-reader-for-the-modern-age/?ref=numericcitizen.me)—an RSS feed for the modern age. It apparently uses some on-device AI (from the developer himself: “*if you’re curious about the technical details, I built Today using SwiftUI and SwiftData, with Apple’s NaturalLanguage framework powering the local AI features. The whole project is a love letter to both RSS and native iOS development.*” I installed it and played with it a bit, but it's not a game-changer—oh, and that app icon, soooo 1999\. I'll pass. 🙈 4️⃣ I agree with most of [Manuel Moreale’s thoughts on MCP](https://manuelmoreale.com/thoughts/thoughts-on-mcp?ref=numericcitizen.me) servers. There is a big chance for new gatekeepers, new middlemen. Here's a quick definition of MCP servers and their purpose: MCP (Model Context Protocol) servers are standardized interfaces that enable AI assistants like Claude to securely connect to external tools, data sources, and services. Instead of requiring custom integrations for each application, MCP provides a common protocol that acts as a bridge, enabling AI to access databases, interact with APIs, retrieve information from your existing systems, and perform actions such as creating tasks or updating records. ## 🚧 Special projects {#learningexperience #n8n #automation} > 1️⃣ I'm officially an [n8n](https://n8n.io/?ref=numericcitizen.me) user! I've been learning this automation platform recently, and boy, I'm excited about it. So far, I have two working workflows, but I have tested quite a few other integration tidbits with services like RSS, Inoreader, Discord, Telegram, Claude AI, etc. I find the learning curve to be quite steep, but I'll make it. I have a ton of workflows that I'm thinking of putting together. I expect 2026 to be the year of automation projects. If you don't know what n8n means: it's like visual programming or low-code-no-code programming. ## 📺 YouTube {#apple #uidesign #tech #techhistory} > 1️⃣ People are getting older and Apple’s executives are no exception. [This video](https://youtu.be/e1E-yfcKdUw?si=BiCAbCvVp75T6SXL&ref=numericcitizen.me) reassured me about what is going on at Apple recently. 2️⃣ Are we stuck with the same desktop interface that we have been facing since the early days of the Mac? [In this video](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1fZTOjd%5FbOQ&ref=numericcitizen.me), this experienced designer thinks we are in a status quo era. 3️⃣ Segway will soon sell an eBike. From [this teaser video](https://youtu.be/xkBEsxuKIVw?si=yOMQe8xOkrOUcyxv&ref=numericcitizen.me), I'm not impressed. Looks like a normal bike to me. More on January 5th. 4️⃣ Did you know that Expo 67 is still the most attended universal exposition of all time? Yep! [This documentary](https://youtu.be/HaKb3qVL9k8?si=97svXTwpa1WZrOrK&ref=numericcitizen.me) recounts many things that I wasn't aware of. What a marvellous era. I'm not sure if we could do this type of project today. Could we? 5️⃣ Get a peek at the [iPhone Ultra](https://youtu.be/Am0jSTDd58E?si=yR28Rs6PKCfqFKB5&ref=numericcitizen.me), the first foldable smartphone from Apple. It's not the real thing, only a mockup. > “Expo 67 was a World’s Fair held in Montreal in 1967 to celebrate Canada’s centennial, themed *“Man and His World.”* It showcased global innovation, architecture, culture, and technology through bold national pavilions and futuristic ideas, emphasizing human progress, cooperation, and optimism about the future. Widely regarded as one of the most successful world expos ever, Expo 67 had a lasting impact on Montreal’s international profile, urban development, and cultural identity.” Of course not, Apple is in great shape. Apple no longer a leader in user interface design, at least on the desktop (or the mobile device for that matter) Seems like a standard electric bike. I hope there is more! Since Expo 67, every worldwide exposition is called an Expo. This thing will be called the iPhone Ultra. ## 🔮 Looking forward {#foodforthoughts} > 1️⃣ This is the last edition of the ephemeral scrapbook newsletter for 2025\. What a ride! I'm eagerly looking forward to next year, but with moderation. A dear friend of mine once told me, “The man who always looks ahead with enthusiasm has passed away.” Or something like it. You get the idea. I will gently savor the last few days of the year, I promise. 2️⃣ Is Microsoft too forward-looking? Maybe. See below for yourself. ![What the hell are Microsoft engineers smoking?](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/2025/12/_Microsoft-Wish-Image-optimised.png) What the hell are Microsoft engineers smoking? ## 🌟 Miscellaneous {#ai } > 1️⃣ About this edition's header image: the result of a prompt to ChatGPT to create an image of a retro-style seventies look of a 2025 calendar. If you pay attention, you'll see many issues with the results. To me, this funny image perfectly summarizes the state of AI in 2025\. 😂 2️⃣ Since macOS Tahoe, I’ve been experiencing screen flickering on my Apple Studio Display and my MacBook Air. When I first encountered it on the Studio Display, I thought it was a hardware issue. But when it started to occur on my MacBook Air, it couldn't be a hardware fault. I began to think about possible Liquid Glass rendering issues. A reboot will fix the problem for a while, but it will come back. Thankfully, I'm not alone; many people are reporting the same problem, as Michael Tsai noted in [this post](https://mjtsai.com/blog/2025/12/19/tahoe-display-flickr/?ref=numericcitizen.me). > "RSS offers a simple, durable way for publishers to keep control of their distribution and for readers to keep control of their attention." — Ben Werdmuller 👉🏻 [Main](https://numericcitizen.me/) 🌟 [Meta](https://meta.numericcitizen.me/?ref=numericcitizen.me) 🌟 [Blips](https://blips.numericcitizen.me/?ref=numericcitizen.me) 🌟 [Blog](https://blog.numericcitizen.me/?ref=numericcitizen.me) 👀 I wish you a great week! ✌️ 🇺🇦 🇨🇦 🇪🇺 💪🏻 📌 This newsletter edition is also available as a Craft shared document ****here**. An index of past editions can be found [here](https://numericcitizen.me/tag/ephemeral-scrapbook/). This week's edition is based on template version 1.8.6 and was put together with ❤️ mostly on an M2 15-inch MacBook Air, Craft Docs and many supporting [subscriptions](https://crafted.numericcitizen.me/current-subscriptions?ref=numericcitizen.me)! If you like this newsletter, please consider supporting me via [PayPal](https://paypal.me/numericcitizen?locale.x=en%5FUS&ref=numericcitizen.me) or becoming a supporter by visiting my [Ko-fi](https://ko-fi.com/numericcitizen/?ref=numericcitizen.me) page! ![Not by AI](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/2025/12/Created-By-a-Human-Not-By-AI-Badge-white.png) Not by AI [https://notbyai.fyi](https://notbyai.fyi/?ref=numericcitizen.me) ### When Tech Stopped Being For Us URL: https://numericcitizen.me/when-tech-stopped-being-for-us/ Last updated: 2025-12-23T13:06:41.000Z I've been saving articles lately that all share an uncomfortable feeling: **disconnection**. Not burnout—disconnection. The difference matters. Burnout is temporary, recoverable. You take a break, touch grass, come back refreshed. Disconnection is deeper. It's the slow realization that the thing you once loved has fundamentally changed, and not in your favor. Riccardo Mori [nailed it in November](https://morrick.me/archives/10176?ref=numericcitizen.me): "Technology's evolution from empowering tool to profit-driven, hype-driven ecosystem has left long-time enthusiasts feeling disillusioned, disconnected, and increasingly skeptical of an industry that now seems to serve itself more than its users." ## The Shift Nobody Wanted Somewhere along the way, tech stopped being a tool we wielded and became a system that wields us. This wasn't an accident. It was a business model optimization. The clearest example? Social media. Charlie Warzel's piece on X as a ["worthless, poisoned hall of mirrors"](https://www.theatlantic.com/technology/2025/11/x-about-this-account/685042/?ref=numericcitizen.me) isn't hyperbole—it's careful documentation of what happens when a platform's incentives completely divorce from user value. These services were supposed to connect us, facilitate conversations, democratize information. Instead, they became engagement machines optimized for advertiser revenue and whatever keeps us scrolling, regardless of the psychological cost. Twitter used to be where you found your people. Now X is where algorithms decide what enrages you enough to stick around. The transformation is complete, and it's repulsive. ## The AI Benchmark Circus AI took the same path, just faster. We're drowning in announcements about which model scored 0.3% better on some synthetic benchmark nobody actually uses. Meanwhile, the actual user experience—the thing that matters—gets treated as an afterthought. Federico Viticci [pointed this out](https://www.macstories.net/notes/the-ai-app-experience-matters-more-than-benchmarks-now/?ref=numericcitizen.me) in November: what differentiates AI products now isn't raw capability, it's the experience wrapped around that capability. But here's the thing—experience for whom? The companies need you locked into subscriptions, feeding their models with your data, accepting whatever interface they deign to provide. They're optimizing for their business metrics, not your actual needs. The benchmark obsession is a distraction. It lets companies compete on numbers while ignoring whether their products actually improve anyone's life. ## What We Actually Lost Remember when tech felt like it was *for* something beyond quarterly earnings? RSS feeds that let you read what you wanted, when you wanted, from sources you chose—without an algorithm deciding what you "should" see. Software you purchased once and owned, rather than rented month-to-month with features that could vanish in the next update. Platforms that didn't require constant feeding with personal data just to function at a basic level. That web wasn't perfect. But it had a fundamentally different relationship with users. Tools were designed to empower you to do something. Now they're designed to keep you engaged, monitored, monetized. The shift from ownership to access meant we stopped being customers and became inventory. Your attention is the product being sold. Your data is the raw material being refined. The actual service? That's just the vehicle for extraction. ## Every Interaction, Intermediated Here's what gets me: you can't just *do* things anymore. Every interaction has to run through someone else's infrastructure, someone else's algorithm, someone else's business model, someone else's terms of service that change whenever convenient. Want to share photos with friends? That's not just hosting files anymore—it's feeding Facebook's or Instagram's engagement metrics. Want to publish your thoughts? Medium wants to paywall them and take a cut. Want to message someone? iMessage, WhatsApp, Signal, Telegram—each one another walled garden, another platform hoping you'll bring all your contacts with you. The promise was connection. The reality is fragmentation controlled by intermediaries who profit from your inability to leave. ## The Hype Cycle Ate Everything And then there's the relentless hype. Every minor iteration gets breathlessly announced as revolutionary. Every feature gets a marketing name and a keynote slide. Every change gets framed as innovation, even when it's just a new way to extract value. Remember when we got excited about technology because it genuinely expanded what was possible? Now we're exhausted by an industry that discovered it's more profitable to promise the future than to deliver the present. The AI boom is the apotheosis of this. Fundamental questions about utility, ethics, environmental cost—all drowned out by investor excitement and billion-dollar valuations for companies that haven't figured out sustainable business models beyond "charge enterprises a fortune and hope." ## Why the Enthusiasts Are Leaving The people checking out aren't technophobes. We're not afraid of change or nostalgic for some imaginary golden age. We're the people who *built* this stuff, who championed it, who got others excited about it, who believed in its potential. And we're watching it curdle into something unrecognizable. The disillusionment isn't about the technology failing. It's about realizing **the technology is working exactly as designed**—just not for us. We're not the beneficiaries; we're the resource being harvested. That's the disconnection Mori described. When you realize the thing you loved has been optimized for someone else's benefit, and your role is just to keep feeding the machine. ## What Now? I don't have a tidy answer. "Vote with your wallet" doesn't work when the entire industry has converged on the same exploitative models. "Build alternatives" is noble but exhausting when you're fighting trillion-dollar network effects. What I do know: naming the problem matters. Recognizing that your discomfort isn't personal failure or inability to keep up—it's a rational response to a system that's stopped serving you. The tech industry wants you to believe the only path forward is *more*—more AI, more platforms, more subscriptions, more integration, more data sharing. But maybe the actual path is less. Smaller tools, more ownership, fewer intermediaries, more intention about what you let into your life. We didn't sign up to be monetized. We signed up to be empowered. It's worth remembering the difference. ### My 2025 Year in Review Report URL: https://numericcitizen.me/my-2025-year-in-review-report/ Last updated: 2025-12-21T15:29:54.000Z Here is my personal year in review for 2025\. This year, I’ll use a different style and structure. Let’s start with a few notable milestones and observations across the year. `Sat, Jan 25`: In late January, I began feeling exhausted from using Slack to monitor the **Craft community**, so I chose to take a break. I'm very invested in anything related to Craft, but taking a step back can be salutary. `Sun, Mar 9`: I officially switched from **HEY Mail to Fastmail**. I knew it was coming. This project took me about a week to complete which is much faster than expected. It's part of my journey to digital sanity. I wrote “[Migrating from HEY Mail to Fastmail: My Guide For a Smooth Transition](https://numericcitizen.me/migrating-from-hey-mail-to-fastmail-my-guide-for-a-smooth-transition/)” blog post. `Fri, Apr 18`: Lately, I've been finding it challenging to produce **YouTube videos**. I'm unsure how to break out of this period of uncertainty. My videos are closely linked to Craft and its development. The absence of significant changes or meaningful updates is having an effect. `Sun, May 4`: I'm finally committing to building websites using **Realmac software Elements**. It's been a while since I learned a new app, the last time being Craft in late 2020\. Although I'm not a professional web developer or designer, Elements makes the process approachable. I'm not beginning from zero; instead, I'm using my existing personal landing page as a reference. `Wed, Jul 30`: I've finished my new website ([https://whois.numericcitizen.me](https://whois.numericcitizen.me/?ref=numericcitizen.me)). Moving forward, my focus is on maintaining it and adding new content. Creating YouTube videos is impossibly hard because I'm rarely at home and don't have access to my video production equipment. This partly explains why I don't produce new videos frequently. `Sat, Nov 22`: Well, it seems that 2025 was a fairly quiet year! Or was it? `Thu, Dec 4`: My **YouTube video** production flow is back on track. I made several videos in the last few weeks, and I still have many subjects and angles that I want to explore for new videos. The outlook for next year looks favorable. `Sun, Dec 14`: Time is running out. Only two weeks left for the end of the year. This review isn't done yet because I fell into the [**n8n**](https://n8n.io/?ref=numericcitizen.me) rabbit hole. I'm super excited for this automation platform. I feel it's going to be my new digital playground in 2026. `Wed, Dec 17`This is not a significant milestone per se, but it's notable: I got rid of my **IFTTT** account after more than 5 years of using the automation service. I found a way to replace IFTTT with one of Micro.blog's lesser-known capabilities. Closing my IFTTT means the money saved will help partly pay for the future n8n instance on **DigitalOcean**. --- Last year’s predictions in [my 2024 year in review](https://numericcitizen.me/my-2024-compulsive-creator-contributor-year%20in%20review/): > For 2025, I want to focus even more. I want to ***be more intentional***. I want to continue developing The Craft Bible with more content. I want to produce more videos for my YouTube channel. I also want to spend more time making the Ephemeral Scrapbook newsletter. This means spending more time reading and gathering interesting information tidbits. Lastly, Micro.blog will continue to be my go-to place for the social web and microblogging, but I expect my Bluesky usage to increase and find an even more prominent place in my digital landscape. How did I do in 2025? Well, I was much more intentional, but I didn’t expand [**The Craft Bible**](https://thecraftbible.com/?ref=numericcitizen.me) as much as I wanted or produce as many YouTube videos as I’d hoped. As I follow the development of Craft to contribute to those two areas, there was a relatively quiet period in mid-2025, so I didn’t have enough material to support my ambitions. ![The Ephemeral Scrapbook Newsletter issues](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/2025/12/_ephemeralscrapbooksindex-optimised.png.png) The Ephemeral Scrapbook Newsletter issues The one thing shining for 2025 is the continuation of [the Ephemeral Scrapbook newsletter](https://numericcitizen.me/tag/ephemeral-scrapbook/), with 25 editions. I’m proud of this accomplishment because I kept doing it at a regular pace. How many more subscribers did I get? Well, a few more, but I lost some, too. I know I shouldn’t care about this. Another project of mine is creating [a mini website](https://crafted.numericcitizen.me/apple-liquid-glass-fails?ref=numericcitizen.me) about Apple’s **Liquid Glass** UI visual language. I was very active updating the content during the summer after each beta releases until the official launch in September. For the rest of the year, things slowed down. I plan to keep that project alive for as long as Apple maintain Liquid Glass. Next year could reserve a few surprises since Alan Dye, the leading proponent of Liquid Glass, no longer works at Apple. ![Where Apple’s Liquid Glass Crashes the User Experience mini website](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/2025/12/_liquidglassheader-optimised.png.png) Where Apple’s Liquid Glass Crashes the User Experience mini website I also find satisfaction in having learned how to use **Realmac Software Elements** to build my new personal landing page from scratch, which is available at [whois.numericcitizen.me](https://whois.numericcitizen.me/?ref=numericcitizen.me). It’s uncommon these days to pick up a brand new app and begin learning how to use it for a specific project. I’m far from an expert, but I know enough to create the website that I had in mind. Although the content and design of the landing page will likely change over time, the basic structure is solidly in place. That is my second most satisfying accomplishement for 2025. Regarding my use of **Micro.blog** and **Bluesky**: Micro.blog remained central to my digital social interactions, while Bluesky played a minor role. I continued to use it throughout the year, but not as frequently as I had expected. I kept cross-posting everything from Micro.blog to Bluesky (and Mastodon) and got a few replies from Bluesky users. My enthusiasm for this alternative social platform gradually diminished, no longer matching the peak moments I experienced with Twitter. And it’s probably the best outcome I could imagine, given my goal to focus more. I briefly revisited **Medium** and tried to share some articles there, but it didn’t meet my expectations for attracting people interested in work-related and career topics. I stopped using it in August. Although I haven't gone back to **Substack**, I checked the platform a few times but stayed away, which shows I stayed focused and avoided distractions. From an applications-and-services usage perspective, I made some important decisions, too. I dropped **Readwise** and **Timings** (the Mac app), but doubled down on **AnyBox**. I left **HEY Mail** for **Fastmail**. I published two content creation workflow updates reflecting those changes, one in [March](https://meta.numericcitizen.me/2025/03/22/a-mandatory-update-to-my.html?ref=numericcitizen.me) and one in [November](https://meta.numericcitizen.me/2025/11/02/my-content-creation-ecosystem-fall.html?ref=numericcitizen.me). These publications are less frequent, reflecting a more settled state of my digital toolbox. A few words about **photography**: it’s primarily a travel-related activity. The more I travel, the more I dedicate time to it, but it shouldn’t be like that. There should be ways to create shooting opportunities, yet my other digital hobbies tend to take priority. It’s an ongoing challenge. However, I’m optimistic: next year I plan to visit Egypt, France, and Thailand, which should keep me sufficiently occupied. ### What’s up for 2026? I plan to keep prioritizing what is best for me, whether online or in my personal life. I will steer clear of major distractions and focus on enhancing what I already have. One small project I want to do is redesign the content creation workflow diagram that comes with my workflow articles using **Apple Freeform**. My current use of **Keynote** constrains the diagramming space, but Freeform’s limitless canvas would be very beneficial. I’ll wait for the next update to start this process. It’s a very small project, but something that I’m looking forward to; Freeform is so nice to use. It’s one of the best Apple software in years. **Craft** remains a key part of my digital toolkit and might even become more important. This could lead to more Content related to Craft for The Craft Bible and my YouTube channel. As 2025 ends, I’ve begun testing Claude, MCP, and agents using a beta version of Craft Agents. I’m truly impressed by the capabilities of modern software and AI, with no programming needed. Exploring Craft, AI, and agents could be an exciting area to delve into alongside the n8n automation platform. That is all, guys. See you in 2026 for the next year in review report. ### The Ephemeral Scrapbook — Edition 2025-50 URL: https://numericcitizen.me/the-ephemeral-scrapbook-edition-2025-50/ Last updated: 2025-12-07T16:45:52.000Z ## 👤 Personal {#creativity} > 1️⃣ I might have found the right creative beat by alternating between creating a YouTube video and a new edition of the Ephemeral Scrapbook newsletter. I shouldn't try to do both during the same week, it's way too much. 2️⃣ I made another change with this newsletter edition. I decided to support the “not by AI” movement. You'll see a small badge at the bottom, along with [a link](https://notbyai.fyi/?ref=numericcitizen.me) to learn more about the movement and why it is essential. The rule is that at least 90% of the content must be human-made. I'm easily crossing that threshold. I discovered this initiative through [this website](https://thehumanmade.org/?ref=numericcitizen.me), I like the idea but their version of the logo, not really. ## 🗺️ Discoveries {#web #fediverse} > 1️⃣ Ghost [is relaunching](https://ghost.org/changelog/ghost-explore/?ref=numericcitizen.me) [Ghost Explore](https://explore.ghost.org/?ref=numericcitizen.me), a place to discover other blogs and websites hosted or running on the Ghost platform. It's a great way to be discovered and to find new places to explore (pun intended), too. By moving towards the Fediverse, Ghost kind of had no choice but to augment its platform with a discovery mechanism. 2️⃣ Explore 6,000 years of battles, inventions, philosophers and more... on [an interactive 3D globe](https://www.globeofhistory.com/?ref=numericcitizen.me). It's super cool. That's the web that I like. 3️⃣ [Dealgorithmed](https://manuelmoreale.com/thoughts/dealgorithmed?ref=numericcitizen.me) and both seem to aim for the same mission: to help people stay out of platforms and enjoy the web as it should be. I'm subscribing to both. 4️⃣ It appears that TinyGlade can be played on the Mac via GeForce NOW! I saw [a post](https://mastodon.world/@jasonmcfadden/115653435313092422?ref=numericcitizen.me) on my Micro.blog timeline about that. That's something that I could try during the upcoming holidays! ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/2025/12/_Image-optimised.png.png) ## 👨🏻‍💻 Writing {#yearinreview} > 1️⃣ It's that time of year to take a look back at my year as a blogger. This year, although I kept a journal of my highlights, I must admit that 2025 was relatively quiet. Yes, I could say that 2025 passed like a long, peaceful river. Writing this review should be pretty quick, especially since I plan to change my approach to get a different kind of review than last year's. Stay tuned. ## 🌄 Photography {#mood #source/reddit #source/unsplash} > 1️⃣ The end of autumn and winter is the time of year when I am the least active in photography. I live in a rather big city in Canada (Montreal, as seen in the header photo), a cold, gray country in winter. I know it's still a source of beautiful images, but this climate and the discomfort it brings me are enough to take a break. Maybe it's time to focus my energy on cleaning up my thousands of photos; who knows, I might come across a gem or two to share with you. 2️⃣ Reddit contains not only rage and controversial threads, but you can find a few gems like this one posted by users like [u/unlicensedlensed](https://www.reddit.com/user/unlicensedlensed/?ref=numericcitizen.me), [it's foggy out there | Munich](https://www.reddit.com/r/streetphotography/comments/1pck61c/its%5Ffoggy%5Fout%5Fthere%5Fmunich/?ref=numericcitizen.me). Great B&W images. ## 🍎 Apple & Tech {#tech, #stevejobs} > 1️⃣ Thanks to a shared memory by [Scott Knaster](https://substack.com/@scottknaster?ref=numericcitizen.me) on his Substack, I didn't know Steve Jobs had the idea of an all-glass headquarters a long, long time ago. 2️⃣ The tech world is moving fast, and it can be exhausting. Actually, it is exhausting. But is the tech world moving in the right direction? Because we cannot have an iPhone moment every year, it seems that more than ever, the tech world is surfing on hype. If tech companies don't deliver, we might feel betrayed because we're constantly tricked into some marketing traps. Trust is eroding. For Riccardo Mori, that's precisely what happened in the last two decades. [His piece](https://morrick.me/archives/10176?ref=numericcitizen.me) is an excellent recap of what actually happened. Well worth the read. 3️⃣ Alan Dye, the guy in charge of design at Apple, left. [He will join Meta](https://9to5mac.com/2025/12/03/apple-design-vp-alan-dye-departing-for-meta/?ref=numericcitizen.me). Stephen Lemay, a 26-year Apple design veteran, will take over the role from Dye. Alan Dye is a controversial figure in Apple's design space. Some pundits will say that he isn't really a designer. Now, it's time to look ahead and see how Apple will evolve. Liquid Glass is controversial, probably not as much as the iOS 7 redesign was, but it is nonetheless polarizing.🏃🏻‍♂️‍➡️ 4️⃣ But that's not all, two other execs are retiring, enough to warrant [a press release](https://www.apple.com/newsroom/2025/12/apple-announces-executive-transitions/?ref=numericcitizen.me). A few years ago, Apple ran a marketing campaign in which it announced a new product each day for a whole week. This year, it's different: Apple announces an exec departure once a day for the whole week.🤷🏻‍♂️ You can visit the current Apple Leadership page [right here](https://www.apple.com/leadership/?ref=numericcitizen.me). > “Firstly, I maintain that it makes absolutely no sense that Alan Dye has the power he has, because he simply has no taste. But what’s worse is that he wields that power so clumsily, so carelessly. And because it goes unchallenged, unchecked by someone higher than him, the entire industry suffers the consequences.” — John Gruber, quoting Louie Mantia on his recent post following Alan Dye’s departure from Apple. Ouch. ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/2025/12/_WWDC24-Sept-8-2025-optimised.jpg.jpg) ## 📱 Apps & Services {#anthropic #claude #chatgpt #craft/mcp #rss} > 1️⃣ In [a recent post by MacStories](https://www.macstories.net/notes/the-ai-app-experience-matters-more-than-benchmarks-now/?ref=numericcitizen.me), they argue that since LLM models are mature enough that most people won't actually see the difference in performance, the attention is now turning to the user experience. For example, consider how you configure an MCP connection in ChatGPT versus in Anthropic's Claude. The latter is much easier to do. The look and feel of the Claude Mac client feels better than ChatGPT's. I decided to give Claude a try for one month to experiment with Craft MCP connections to portions of my content. 2️⃣ The CEO and founder of Ghost, John O'Nolan, recently shared that he is working on a new RSS feed reader called [Alcove](https://john.onolan.org/making-an-rss-reader/?ref=numericcitizen.me). Another RSS feed reader, you might wonder? Yep. Another one. What strikes me about this announcement is that he used x.com to share his article. As Ghost adopted Fediverse this year, you might wonder why bother with x.com! Actions speak louder than words for me. ## 🚧 Special projects {#craft/mcp} > 1️⃣ I made a few changes to [my projects](https://whois.numericcitizen.me/journey/projects/?ref=numericcitizen.me) page on [my landing page](https://whois.numericcitizen.me/?ref=numericcitizen.me). I'm slowly gearing up to plunge into the consumption of Shortcuts and Craft APIs. The only missing things: spare time and patience, because I'll need a lot of both, especially with Shortcuts editing, which is [far from an enjoyable experience](https://blog.numericcitizen.me/2025/10/30/i-hate-creating-shortcuts-in.html?ref=numericcitizen.me). 2️⃣ I found a use case for MCP and Craft, and I’ll document it in a separate document so that I can submit my use case to the winter challenge the Craft team put together. In summary, I'll use Claude to prompt my Craft daily notes via an MCP connection to build a year-in-review summary. For 2025, the review will be incomplete because I restarted using Craft daily notes in October. But for next year, if all goes according to my plan, I should have a more complete journal. ## 📺 YouTube {#iphone #ipad #macintosh} > 1️⃣ What if a robot could help benchmark iPhone performance? That's exactly what was done in [this video](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gf9uuyARY5M&t=692s&ref=numericcitizen.me). 2️⃣ Even with this year's additions to iPadOS, the iPad is still a rather limited device compared to the Mac. [This video](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bnYLpA5kAbo&ref=numericcitizen.me) explains the three main reasons. Just a reminder: iPadOS's roots are much closer to iOS than to the Mac. 3️⃣ Do you often reboot your Mac? Do you like the booting sound coming from the speakers each time the Mac reboots? I do. Here's a [short video explaining](https://youtu.be/5t-F08szM2k?si=ZfbHpchOKzOWwVW-&ref=numericcitizen.me) the audio science and a little bit of history about the Mac startup sounds. Fascinating benchmarking video but unsurprising results. Is the iPad really fixable or is it a lost cause? A sophisticated discussion about the Mac startup sound over the years. Fascinating. ## 🔮 Looking forward {#apps #rss} > 1️⃣ I want [this](https://youtu.be/6Of9oViiV6c?si=Bd8jtjOvs3ID4LSx&ref=numericcitizen.me) (YouTube video about Apple's Digital ID) to come to Canada ASAP! But, it will take a long time before we can leave our wallet at home if [Matt Birchler's experience](https://birchtree.me/blog/the-digital-drivers-license-isnt-what-i-hoped-for/?ref=numericcitizen.me) is any indication. 2️⃣ Certainly looking forward to [Alcove](https://alcove.news/?ref=numericcitizen.me), a new RSS reader by the CEO and founder of Ghost. 3️⃣ I’m looking forward to seeing the winners of the winter\_challenge organized by the Craft team. I shared [my submission](https://crafted.numericcitizen.me/the-year-in-review-writing-assistant?ref=numericcitizen.me), which I think fits really well with Craft's mission: being a good app for writers and thinkers like me. You can see that in action in my latest YouTube video. ## 🌟 Miscellaneous {#socialnetworks} > 1️⃣ What's going on in Musk's head? Maybe we should look at X's current state to get an approximation. [The article](https://www.theatlantic.com/technology/2025/11/x-about-this-account/685042/?ref=numericcitizen.me) from The Atlantic (paywall might apply) argues that X’s new “About This Account” feature—meant to improve transparency by revealing account origin, location, and username-change history—has instead exposed the massive scale of misinformation, foreign influence, and deception on the platform. The feature instantly revealed that many seemingly “patriotic” American accounts are actually operated from abroad, while also mislabelling some legitimate users, further confusing matters. The result is a chaotic environment where authenticity is impossible to verify, fake personas amplify political narratives, and X’s architecture incentivizes performance over truth, turning the platform into a dysfunctional information ecosystem detached from reality. Best thing to do? [Log off and delete](https://numericcitizen.me/five-steps-for-safely-leaving-twitter/). You'll see [there is life after Twitter](https://numericcitizen.me/my-life-after-twitter-reflections-on-a-more-peaceful-digital-landscape/). 2️⃣ Once you log off for good from Twitter / X, you'll discover that there is a world awaiting you, away from platforms, away from manipulation and rage. [Just ask Greg](https://gregmorris.co.uk/the-weird-part-was-the-platforms/?ref=numericcitizen.me): > “When there was one big platform, leaving meant missing out. Now there's Mastodon, Bluesky, Threads, and whatever else springs up next week. No single space feels needed anymore. The FOMO vanished. Once that happened, having your own blog stopped looking like the odd choice.” — Greg Morris 👉🏻 [Main](https://numericcitizen.me/) 🌟 [Meta](https://meta.numericcitizen.me/?ref=numericcitizen.me) 🌟 [Blips](https://blips.numericcitizen.me/?ref=numericcitizen.me) 🌟 [Blog](https://blog.numericcitizen.me/?ref=numericcitizen.me) 👀 I wish you a great week! ✌️ 🇺🇦 🇨🇦 🇪🇺 💪🏻 📌 This newsletter edition is also available as a Craft shared document [****here**](https://crafted.numericcitizen.me/ephemeral-scrapbook-edition-2025-50?ref=numericcitizen.me). An index of past editions can be found [here](https://numericcitizen.me/tag/ephemeral-scrapbook/). This week's edition is based on template version 1.8.4 and was put together with ❤️ mostly on an M2 15-inch MacBook Air, Craft Docs and many supporting [subscriptions](https://crafted.numericcitizen.me/current-subscriptions?ref=numericcitizen.me)! If you like this newsletter, please consider supporting me via [PayPal](https://paypal.me/numericcitizen?locale.x=en%5FUS&ref=numericcitizen.me) or becoming a supporter by visiting my [Ko-fi](https://ko-fi.com/numericcitizen/?ref=numericcitizen.me) page! ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/2025/12/_Created-By-a-Human-Not-By-AI-Badge-white.png) [https://notbyai.fyi](https://notbyai.fyi/?ref=numericcitizen.me) ### On Digital Sovereignty And Strategic Realism URL: https://numericcitizen.me/on-digital-sovereignty-and-strategic-realism/ Last updated: 2025-11-29T13:18:01.000Z > As an IT professional, I like to reflect on specific issues that can have big impacts on organizations and society. This article was first written in French and shared with my professional network on LinkedIn. Digital sovereignty has, in just a few years, become a central issue for governments, enterprises, and even individuals. Long confined to academic debates, the concept has now become a strategic concern in light of an undeniable reality: our growing dependence on global digital infrastructures. Recent events illustrate this vulnerability. The rise of the GAFAM giants, the revelations of the Snowden affair, the implications of the U.S. Patriot Act and Cloud Act, and the alleged interference in U.S. elections have all highlighted the risks associated with the concentration of digital power. Added to this are far more concrete technical incidents: - AWS outage – October 20, 2025 ([details](https://www.ookla.com/articles/aws-outage-q4-2025?ref=numericcitizen.me)) - Microsoft Azure outage – October 29, 2025 ([details](https://thinkcloudly.com/blog/microsoft-azure-outage/?ref=numericcitizen.me)) - Cloudflare outage – November 18, 2025 ([details](https://blog.cloudflare.com/18-november-2025-outage/?ref=numericcitizen.me)) Not to mention the problematic CrowdStrike update in July 2024, which crippled critical services in banks and airports ([Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2024%5FCrowdStrike-related%5FIT%5Foutages?ref=numericcitizen.me), among other sources). These events are not anecdotal: they reveal a systemic dependence affecting our organizations and, by extension, individuals. The question is no longer *“Should we be concerned?”* but rather *“How do we prepare?”* ## Why Digital Sovereignty Is Essential Digital sovereignty is defined as *“the ability of a state, an organization, or an individual to control and manage its data, digital infrastructures, and technologies in order to ensure its strategic autonomy and security in the digital space.”* It involves the ability to exercise one’s rights and choices without external constraints. This autonomy is critical for three key reasons: **Security and resilience:** Data is a strategic asset. Exposure to foreign jurisdictions can create legal and operational risks. **Decision-making autonomy:** Without control over infrastructures, room for maneuver during crises is severely limited. **Preservation of democracy:** As [*Le Devoir*](https://www.ledevoir.com/opinion/chroniques/936699/parlons-souverainete?ref=numericcitizen.me) aptly states: > “Digital sovereignty is neither a luxury nor a technological gimmick. It is a pillar of resilience and democracy.” However, seeking total autonomy is unrealistic. Digital value chains are globalized, and the costs required to develop sovereign solutions—cloud platforms, AI systems, software—are immense. Moreover, an overly protectionist approach could hinder innovation and harm competitiveness. ## Pragmatism and Strategies We must accept a core reality: we will never have full control over our digital destiny. Global interdependence is structural. Rather than pursuing absolute independence, we should take a pragmatic approach focused on reducing risks and diversifying dependencies. This approach requires concrete strategies, along with significant time, financial investment, human resources, and strong governance. Digital sovereignty is not a quick fix; it is a long-term strategic initiative. And it extends far beyond saying “we’ll choose this local cloud provider for our organizational needs.” It is much deeper and more complex. ### Key Measures for a Strategy Aimed at Greater Digital Sovereignty - **Diversify providers** to avoid overreliance on a single cloud player. Diversification reduces systemic risk related to outages or contractual disruptions. - **Strengthen contractual clauses** to include exit mechanisms and data portability requirements. A clearly defined exit strategy is essential for preserving flexibility. - **Hybridize infrastructures** by combining public cloud, private cloud, and on-premises solutions. A hybrid approach allows organizations to retain control over sensitive data while benefiting from the scalability of major providers. - **Invest in skills** to operate hybrid and multi-cloud environments. Digital sovereignty depends as much on technology as on the expertise of the teams managing it. - **Adopt open and interoperable standards** wherever possible to reduce technological lock-in (the notorious vendor lock-in) and facilitate system and data portability. - **Enhance local cybersecurity** by deploying sovereign solutions for critical functions such as authentication and encryption. - **Participate in regional initiatives** such as sovereign cloud projects in Europe or Québec to pool efforts and investments. These measures will not provide total sovereignty, but they significantly reduce vulnerability and increase resilience. They also send an important and necessary signal to major industry players: organizations are not condemned to absolute dependency. ## Open Questions for Reflection Is digital sovereignty an achievable objective, or a strategic mirage? Are we ready to invest heavily to reduce our dependencies? How do we reconcile economic openness with digital autonomy? And above all: **what degree of sovereignty is truly necessary to safeguard resilience and democracy?** ### The Ephemeral Scrapbook — Edition 2025-48 URL: https://numericcitizen.me/the-ephemeral-scrapbook-edition-2025-48/ Last updated: 2025-11-23T17:36:35.000Z ## 👤 Personal {#newsletter} > 1️⃣ I'm sorry if this edition is late. I was on vacation for a week and didn't gather enough content to put together a new edition until recently. 2️⃣ I have also been busy recently testing a new version of Craft, which required more of my time than usual. This version is a significant shift, which prompted me to allocate more of my free time than usual. Things should return to normal once this version is out. > “When the things that matter most become monthly fees rather than assets, our relationship to society changes.” — Jenna Park in “[America is one big subscription service](https://jennapark.substack.com/p/america-is-one-big-subscription-service)” ## 🗺️ Discoveries {#apple #applerumor} > 1️⃣ This could be the best and [most surprising video of the year](https://youtu.be/TvgCqnSmsYg?ref=numericcitizen.me)! Discovered on Mastodon, available on YouTube! This guy has a lot of talent, that’s for sure. It's a fake Apple Event happening in March of next year, announcing already heavily rumoured products. I'll let you watch yourself. I wonder if Apple has become too predictable, which allows people to create these videos. 2️⃣ I discovered a new blog: disassociated—a [great article](https://disassociated.com/personal-blogs-back-niche-blogs-next/?ref=numericcitizen.me) about a possible (and desirable) comeback of personal blogs. I certainly hope so. Seeing in Apple's crystal ball ![A mockup of a possible new home device by Apple. Think of it as a reimagined HomePod. I hope Apple will keep the name.](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/2025/11/Apple-Event-November-20-00-10-42-248.png) A mockup of a possible new home device by Apple. Think of it as a reimagined HomePod. I hope Apple will keep the name. ## 👨🏻‍💻 Writing {#aiwriting} > 1️⃣ [iA Writer has introduced a new feature called Authorship](https://ia.net/topics/see-what-ai-wrote?ref=numericcitizen.me) that visually distinguishes AI-generated text from human-written content, allowing users to identify and improve upon AI contributions in their documents easily. The implementation is simple yet effective, if demo clips are any indication. It's the first instance of such an idea I've seen. I wish Ulysses would do something like that. 2️⃣ As [reported by CBC](https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/calgary/alberta-ai-dale-nally-alberta-whisky-act-nate-glubish-9.6988138?ref=numericcitizen.me), Alberta is considering using AI to write a new law. Yep, you read it right. What can go wrong you might say? This is the first known occurence of such stupid idea. ## 🌄 Photography {#iphone #unsplash #creativity} > 1️⃣ In “[Becoming an iPhone Photographer](https://ljpuk.net/2025/11/12/becoming-an-iphone-photographer/?ref=numericcitizen.me)”, Lee Peterson reflects on his diminishing use of his mirrorless camera while using the iPhone more. This gradual change enabled him to be more careful and appreciative of his iPhone as a camera, thereby providing greater flexibility. 2️⃣ A reflective exploration of whether AI can create meaningful art, arguing that true artistic value still depends on human intention and interpretation, [by Robert Adams](https://www.notesonattentionpaid.com/2023/03/14/can-ai-make.html?ref=numericcitizen.me). 3️⃣ [Finnish photographer Juha Tanhua](https://petapixel.com/2022/02/10/photographer-captures-space-photos-in-parking-lot-gasoline-puddles/?ref=numericcitizen.me) creates striking “space-like” images by photographing gasoline and oil puddles in parking lots. Although the photos resemble astrophotography—galaxies, nebulae, comets—they are captured by pointing the camera downward at iridescent spills on asphalt, often after rain. Tanhua has pursued this project since 2005, treating these puddles as a hidden microcosm and later enhancing contrast to emphasize their cosmic appearance. 4️⃣ The [Unsplash Awards, 2025 edition](https://unsplash.com/awards/2025/finalists?ref=numericcitizen.me), is full of gems. The architecture category is always my favourite but most categories contain great and sometimes touching images. That's why photography as art exists: for touching people. ## 🍎 Apple & Tech {#macintosh #applesilicon} > 1️⃣ Recently, Apple Silicon crossed the fifth anniversary mark. Here's a [good comparison between an M1 and an M5](https://www.macrumors.com/2025/11/10/apple-silicon-m1-to-m5-comparison/?ref=numericcitizen.me) from MacRumors. What a ride, and I get the feeling that Apple is far from done with this processor. Apple Silicon is probably the most profound enabler of any transformation the Mac has undergone since its inception. [More from MacSparky](https://www.macsparky.com/blog/2025/11/celebrating-the-m1-chip/?ref=numericcitizen.me). 2️⃣ Apple has [big plans for the Mac in 2026](https://www.macrumors.com/2025/11/14/apple-2026-mac-plans/?ref=numericcitizen.me), but it appears that the [Mac Pro might not be part of them](https://www.macrumors.com/2025/11/16/mac-pro-on-back-burner-largely-written-off/?ref=numericcitizen.me). 3️⃣ Apple invited some developers to [share their story about adopting Liquid Glass](https://www.youtube.com/live/hyFIakdwi9Y?si=d9vtzRNd%5F468foji&ref=numericcitizen.me) for their apps. My experience, [as documented here](https://crafted.numericcitizen.me/apple-liquid-glass-fails?ref=numericcitizen.me), is that the outcomes of Liquid Glass adoption vary quite a lot—great examples include Craft and Ulysses. 4️⃣ [Backblaze’s Q3 2025 Drive Stats report](https://www.backblaze.com/blog/backblaze-drive-stats-for-q3-2025/?ref=numericcitizen.me) reveals an overall annualized failure rate of 1.55% across 328,348 drives. That's a lot of drives. Interesting to see drive stats by brand and sizes. This could influence my buying decision if I were to replace drives in my Synology NAS. 5️⃣ I love ChatGPT Atlas even more since they released an update that adds vertical tabs, just like the ARC Browser. But [Microsoft might be wrong](https://daringfireball.net/linked/2025/07/29/copilot-mode-in-microsoft-edge?ref=numericcitizen.me) with its approach to AI with Edge. I don't really like Microsoft Edge, and I don't really like Copilot in general because I've been forced to use it at work, and it's not impressive. They use ChatGPT services in the back-end, but somehow Microsoft manage to create an inferior experience compared to ChatGPT. 6️⃣ Apple's macOS Tahoe icons are a departure from Mac history. As for iOS, the trend goes downhill. Most of the new icons represent a decline in design quality. [John Gruber feels rather critical about that](https://daringfireball.net/linked/2025/11/07/tahoes-terrible-icons?ref=numericcitizen.me), too. The Safari icon, before and after. It's not an improvement. 7️⃣ Is the lack of Windows support on Apple Silicon Macs hurting Apple after 5 years? Well, I don't think so. [I guess I changed my mind](https://numericcitizen.micro.blog/2022/07/29/on-apple-silicon.html?ref=numericcitizen.me). What is hurting the Mac is the Electron development framework and web technologies, because fewer and fewer developers are using Mac-native APIs and prefer multi-platform toolkits. > "The first five years of Apple silicon are now the five best years in the Mac’s history." — Jason Snell in “[How five years of Apple silicon transformed the Mac](https://www.macworld.com/article/2965948?ref=numericcitizen.me)” ![Which version of the Safari icon do you prefer?](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/2025/11/Image.png) Which version of the Safari icon do you prefer? ![From Basic Apple Guy on Mastodon — This guy never cease to amaze.](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/2025/11/Image-1.png) From Basic Apple Guy [on Mastodon](https://mastodon.social/@BasicAppleGuy/115566868556470271?ref=numericcitizen.me) — This guy never cease to amaze. ![Best iPhone colors selection? Mine was the iPhone 5 black.](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/2025/11/Image-2.png) Best iPhone colors selection? Mine was the iPhone 5 black. > “iPadOS has got more feature improvements in 26.1 and 26.2 than the entire previous three years of Stage Manager” — [Steve Troughton-Smith on Mastodon](https://mastodon.social/@stroughtonsmith/115571437895724159?ref=numericcitizen.me) ## 🚧 Special projects {#craft #mcp} > 1️⃣ I've been spending quite some time reorganizing a vast portion of my content in Craft to better take advantage of Craft’s upcoming APIs and MCP support. I created a large collection of all the video production documents, which allowed me to prompt my collection for metrics like average video duration (collection can’t summarize columns or properties yet). And sure enough, the Craft Assistant returned with a valid answer! 2️⃣ Speaking of MCP, did you know that the Day One journaling app on the Mac supports MCP? Here's [the documentation](https://dayoneapp.com/guides/day-one-for-mac/day-one-mcp-server/?ref=numericcitizen.me). ## 📱 Apps & Services {#apps} > 1️⃣ [Apple announces finalists for the 2025 App Store Awards](https://www.apple.com/newsroom/2025/11/apple-announces-finalists-for-the-2025-app-store-awards/?ref=numericcitizen.me). Besides Acorn, an image processing app, I don't know any of these apps. To me, this year's selection is meagre. 2️⃣ According to an Apple-commissioned study, [the EU’s Digital Markets Act didn't bring down app prices](https://www.macrumors.com/2025/11/12/dma-no-lower-fees-study/?ref=numericcitizen.me). Who knew! 3️⃣ [Folder Quick Look](https://apps.apple.com/ca/app/folder-quick-look/id6753110395?mt=12&ref=numericcitizen.me) is a macOS app that you must install right now. Preview folder and archive contents (ZIP, RAR, and more) instantly in macOS Quick Look. Just select a folder and press the Space bar. Version 1.5 added support for image thumbnails if the folder contains image files. See the following screenshot: a folder called “background images" is previewed. ![Folder Quick Look showing the content of a folder full of images.](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/2025/11/Image-3.png) Folder Quick Look showing the content of a folder full of images. ## 📺 YouTube {#stevejobs #bloggerlife #design} > 1️⃣ Great and unpublished until recently [interview with Steve Jobs](https://youtu.be/R0XmBKsRJF8?si=0G23MNGJcYfmdIFL&ref=numericcitizen.me), in the early days of Pixar. This guy had so many great insights. 2️⃣ [Tiago Forte needs a break](https://youtu.be/Fqim5DfBScU?si=ILr7SzAQMvzZK69A&ref=numericcitizen.me)—a short video from him explaining what's going on for him in the next few months. 3️⃣ Apple calls it the 'Spinning Wait Cursor.' We, the users, call it the Spinning Beach Ball of Death—[an interesting story behind this iconic UI element](https://youtu.be/Z6pvNklNE1s?si=EZMkbffhKdi2LH7z&ref=numericcitizen.me) of the Mac. ## 🌟 Miscellaneous {#tech #ai} > 1️⃣ CloudFlare’s major outage is one of many from internet hyperscalers recently. They didn't wait long to [explain what happened](https://blog.cloudflare.com/18-november-2025-outage/?ref=numericcitizen.me) and offered their apologies. I read most of the text, and [as John Gruber said](https://daringfireball.net/linked/2025/11/19/cloudflare-prince-portmortem?ref=numericcitizen.me), it's the best way to address this public relations nightmare. More than ever, those failures show how dependent we are on internet technologies. 2️⃣ I see a trend where more and more people are using on-device LLM for their generative AI use cases. These LLMs require a significant amount of memory and processing power. My next MacBook and iPad Pro upgrade will undoubtedly take this into account. MacStories tested the latest M5 iPad with a local LLM and found that Apple’s claims about the upgraded neural engine are valid. The M5 iPad Pro (or M5 MacBook Pro) is a powerhouse for running local LLMs. More details and charts [here](https://www.macstories.net/stories/ipad-pro-m5-neural-benchmarks-mlx/?ref=numericcitizen.me). 3️⃣ This newsletter could have been called “The Ephemeral Digital Garden". 4️⃣ For this edition, I made a tweak: tags are now part of each section's header between {}. Please tell me if you prefer it that way. I do. ## 🔮 Looking forward {#weather #ai} > 1️⃣ I always wondered how artificial intelligence techniques could help weather forecasting. People tend to see weather forecasting based on large mathematical models being run on powerful computers. Things might be changing, thanks to [Google's WeatherNext 2](https://blog.google/technology/google-deepmind/weathernext-2/?ref=numericcitizen.me), a Google DeepMind model. Forecasts take a fraction of the time to produce. For once, AI can be synonymous with power efficiency. We'll take it. 👉🏻 [Main](https://numericcitizen.me/) 🌟 [Meta](https://meta.numericcitizen.me/?ref=numericcitizen.me) 🌟 [Blips](https://blips.numericcitizen.me/?ref=numericcitizen.me) 🌟 [Blog](https://blog.numericcitizen.me/?ref=numericcitizen.me) 👀 I wish you a great week! ✌️ 🇺🇦 🇨🇦 🇪🇺 💪🏻 📌 This newsletter edition is also available as a Craft shared document [****here**](https://crafted.numericcitizen.me/ephemeral-scrapbook-edition-2025-48?ref=numericcitizen.me). An index of past editions can be found [here](https://numericcitizen.me/tag/ephemeral-scrapbook/). This week's edition is based on template version 1.8.2 and was put together with ❤️ mostly on an M2 15-inch MacBook Air, Craft Docs and many supporting [subscriptions](https://crafted.numericcitizen.me/current-subscriptions?ref=numericcitizen.me)! If you like this newsletter, please consider supporting me via [PayPal](https://paypal.me/numericcitizen?locale.x=en%5FUS&ref=numericcitizen.me) or becoming a supporter by visiting my [Ko-fi](https://ko-fi.com/numericcitizen/?ref=numericcitizen.me) page! ### The Ephemeral Scrapbook — Edition 2025-45 URL: https://numericcitizen.me/the-ephemeral-scrapbook-edition-2025-45/ Last updated: 2025-11-06T12:13:49.000Z ## 👤 Personal > #blogging > 1️⃣ I'm taking a one-week vacation and will be right back in mid-November. This is why this edition is a little bit early (Friday instead of Sunday). 2️⃣ A very touching [personal story from Manton](https://www.manton.org/2025/10/28/my-mom.html?ref=numericcitizen.me), the developer behind Micro.blog. I can relate. Planting a tree is such a good idea. I wish I had done the same when my parents passed away, but I don’t have the space to do this at my house. 🌳🏡 3️⃣ An [unexpected comment on Mastodon](https://microblog.at/users/roblen/statuses/115453445812701552?ref=numericcitizen.me) from someone who read an article I shared a while ago about being an open blogger. ## 🗺️ Discoveries > #chatgpt #appleshortcuts > 1️⃣ I discovered that ChatGPT can help me have a better understanding of Apple Shortcuts. I’ve been writing shortcuts for a while, but my success has been relatively low. The writing experience is bad and getting the intended results is a challenge. I recently [shared](https://blog.numericcitizen.me/2025/10/30/i-hate-creating-shortcuts-in.html?ref=numericcitizen.me) that writing and debugging shortcuts can be a frustrating experience. Thanks to ChatGPT’s explanations and examples, I have a much more positive view now. Moreover, ChatGPT can generate a text form of a shortcut. If the app developers diligently created shortcuts support in their app, I can ask ChatGPT to consider apps such as AnyBox and Paste.app, and [their respective intents](https://pasteapp.io/blog/hey-siri?ref=numericcitizen.me). It's not perfect, but it's a great way to learn building shortcuts. > "Grokipedia is not a 'Wikipedia competitor.' It is a fully robotic regurgitation machine designed to protect the ego of the world’s wealthiest man." — 404 Media ## 👨🏻‍💻 Writing > #bloggerlife > 1️⃣ [Over the past month](https://blog.numericcitizen.me/newsletters/2025/11/01/17994.html?ref=numericcitizen.me), my writing circled around two big currents: Apple’s evolving (and often exasperating) platform experience—especially on iPad—and a fast-rising reliance on AI-driven tools, led by ChatGPT Atlas. In between, I explored creator tooling, App Store governance, and a few cultural notes. What follows is a concise guide to the month: key themes, notable controversies, the apps and services that surfaced most, and the big takeaways shaping my workflows and outlook. ## 🌄 Photography > #glass #lightroom > 1️⃣ Glass gave [a small behind-the-scenes look](https://glass.photo/highlights/behind-the-scenes-with-operator?ref=numericcitizen.me) at the engine, helping them manage the platform. It's interesting, but I wanted to know much more than they were willing to share. A video would have been a good idea. 2️⃣ Adobe launched Lightroom Classic 15, which comes with a bunch of AI-related stuff. Who knew! I'm no longer using Adobe products for processing my photos, but I wanted to pass that information along, just in case you depend on it! [This video](https://mattk.com/whats-new-in-lightroom-october-2025-update/?ref=numericcitizen.me) has all the details. 3️⃣ Meanwhile, we are still waiting for Apple to provide meaningful updates to Photmator and Pixelmator Pro. 4️⃣ On Unsplash, bookmarks are now replacing likes. They made [an announcement](https://unsplash.com/blog/introducing-bookmarks-download-all/?ref=numericcitizen.me) about it. Speaking of Unsplash, here's [a great picture](https://unsplash.com/photos/person-walking-through-a-misty-forest-with-sunbeams-tShk%5FbW2PtU?ref=numericcitizen.me) from [Zetong](https://unsplash.com/@zetong?ref=numericcitizen.me). I wonder how much post-processing was involved in that one. 👀 ## 🍎 Apple & Tech > #appstore #apple #appletv > 1️⃣ If you plan to get a new pair of Apple AirPods Pro 3 and are a frequent flyer, consider reading [this blog post](https://basicappleguy.com/basicappleblog/the-airpods-pro-3-flight-problem?ref=numericcitizen.me) from BasicAppleGuy, who experienced weird noises during a flight while wearing a pair of the shiny new devices. 2️⃣ Apple made a lot of money in 2025\. [Apple reported record fourth-quarter 2025 results](https://www.apple.com/newsroom/2025/10/apple-reports-fourth-quarter-results/?ref=numericcitizen.me), with $102.5 billion in revenue driven by strong sales of iPhones and services, achieving double-digit year-over-year growth in earnings. Quite impressive. [Jason Snell notes](https://sixcolors.com/post/2025/10/apple-results-holiday-dunks-and-questions-dodged/?ref=numericcitizen.me) that Apple’s “values” messaging has shifted from human-focused themes, such as education, diversity, and social equity, to industrial priorities, including U.S. manufacturing, recycling, and AI investment—reflecting a move from moral activism to economic and technological nationalism. 3️⃣ Apple is marking [the 10th anniversary of the Apple TV](https://www.macrumors.com/2025/10/30/apple-tv-hd-launched-10-years-ago/?ref=numericcitizen.me) HD, Siri Remote, and tvOS launch, which introduced apps, gaming, and a new vision for Apple TV that reshaped the platform but never fully met its ambitious goals. Apple TV, the streaming service, not the hardware device, has a new introductory video that plays at the start of a movie, for example. I like it. It’s more colourful, but the sound seems too subtle to me. 4️⃣ Did you know you can browse the Apple App Store using your favourite browser? Yes, but please note that this is only for browsing, not for downloading the app. When sharing a link to an app with someone, the person clicking on it will likely see the web version rather than being directed to the App Store. Have a look for yourself [here](https://apps.apple.com/us/iphone/today?ref=numericcitizen.me). Apple also offers a [web version of Apple Music](https://music.apple.com/us/new?ref=numericcitizen.me), in case you didn't know. ## 🚧 Special projects > #craft #openai #mcp > 1️⃣ Since the start of the following Craft beta round, I started testing MCP with Craft via ChatGPT. So far, I find it relatively simple to set up, but much more complex to think about all the implications for my content organization. The beta period should last all of November. I'm guessing things might change a bit and improve. This will allow me to settle on my workflow. > “Less isn’t more. Less is more honest.” — from the [Design Lovers](https://www.youtube.com/@design%5Flovers?ref=numericcitizen.me) YouTube video channel ## 📱 Apps & Services > #digitalcreation #appleservices > 1️⃣ At Canva’s keynote, Ash Hewson [unveiled](https://youtu.be/hbGcO9x0VlQ?si=k2CsNyMuTwsPsumC&ref=numericcitizen.me) the all-new Affinity — a unified, high-performance design app combining vector, pixel, and layout tools under one roof — and announced that it’s now free forever for everyone, including future updates, with optional Canva AI integration that respects user privacy. I downloaded the app but didn't install it. I'm curious about the photo-processing module, otherwise this is not really for me. 2️⃣ A [recent 9to5Mac story](https://9to5mac.com/2025/10/29/mother-describes-the-dark-side-of-apples-family-sharing-when-a-relationship-ends/?ref=numericcitizen.me) highlights how Apple’s Family Sharing can be exploited by abusive ex-partners, as only the account organizer holds full control—leaving custodial parents powerless to move children’s accounts or prevent tracking, with Apple support unable to intervene. The case underscores the need for dual-organizer roles and stronger safeguards in shared digital ecosystems. 3️⃣ I posted [an update about my current content creation ecosystem](https://meta.numericcitizen.me/2025/11/02/my-content-creation-ecosystem-fall.html?ref=numericcitizen.me). It was long overdue. People rejoiced. Not really, nobody noticed. You can see the overview diagram below. ![My content creation ecosystem as of 2025-11](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/2025/11/MyContentCreatorWorkflowTools-2025-11.png) My content creation ecosystem as of 2025-11 ## 📺 YouTube > #weather #apple #design > 1️⃣ [Flying through the eye of Melissa hurricane](https://youtu.be/RGftISJruFY?si=hckfmemL4OyECZ7S&ref=numericcitizen.me). Astonishingly quiet. And frightening. They do that for research and weahter forecasting. 2️⃣ Forest City, a completely abandoned ghost city, near Singapore. Let’s take a ride to this place through [this video](https://youtu.be/Y6ZGkjdFAZs?si=8qYN8h4T1SZMumXo&ref=numericcitizen.me). 3️⃣ An intriguing and [informative video](https://youtu.be/xqQjn77zzoA?si=Duj71xCAxoLx9vNA&ref=numericcitizen.me) about design and how it might explain many of Apple's design pivots in the last 20 years. ## 🌟 Miscellaneous > #ai > 1️⃣ A [valid comment](https://birchtree.me/blog/coding-is-not-software-engineering/?ref=numericcitizen.me) about coding vs software engineering from Matt Birchler. Generative AI is not about software engineering help, just yet. 2️⃣ Are you bored sometimes and find yourself endlessly scrolling your Instagram timeline or TikTok? Here are [a few ideas](https://shawnblanc.net/2023/04/five-alternative-things-you-can-do-when-youre-bored-instead-of-scrolling-social-media/?ref=numericcitizen.me) for you to consider instead. I especially like this one: “Scroll through your photo timeline and browse past photos and memories.” 3️⃣ One last thing, if you aren’t able to play videos inside this document (the Craft version), this is a known issue and you must go to [the website](https://numericcitizen.me/tag/ephemeral-scrapbook/) instead. ## 🔮 Looking forward > #automation #workflow > 1️⃣ In the next few weeks, I want to spend more time explorer Apple Shortcuts. I feel they are a gateway to very powerful and customizable workflows. As Craft is also gaining much-wanted features related to AI (MCP, API), Shortcuts could play an important role here. 👉🏻 [Main](https://numericcitizen.me/) 🌟 [Meta](https://meta.numericcitizen.me/?ref=numericcitizen.me) 🌟 [Blips](https://blips.numericcitizen.me/?ref=numericcitizen.me) 🌟 [Blog](https://blog.numericcitizen.me/?ref=numericcitizen.me) 👀 I wish you a great week! ✌️ 🇺🇦 🇨🇦 🇪🇺 💪🏻 📌 This newsletter edition is also available as a Craft shared document [****here**](https://crafted.numericcitizen.me/ephemeral-scrapbook-edition-2025-45?ref=numericcitizen.me). An index of past editions can be found [here](https://numericcitizen.me/tag/ephemeral-scrapbook/). This week's edition is based on template version 1.8.2 and was put together with ❤️ mostly on an M2 15-inch MacBook Air, Craft Docs and many supporting [subscriptions](https://crafted.numericcitizen.me/current-subscriptions?ref=numericcitizen.me)! If you like this newsletter, please consider supporting me via [PayPal](https://paypal.me/numericcitizen?locale.x=en%5FUS&ref=numericcitizen.me) or becoming a supporter by visiting my [Ko-fi](https://ko-fi.com/numericcitizen/?ref=numericcitizen.me) page! ### The Ephemeral Scrapbook — Edition 2025-43 URL: https://numericcitizen.me/the-ephemeral-scrapbook-edition-2025-43/ Last updated: 2025-10-26T20:19:58.000Z ## 👤 Personal > #foodforthoughts > 1️⃣ Fall has settled in for good now. It’s my favorite season—summer trails just behind—but autumn carries a particular weight for me. The air thins and sharpens, and with it comes that familiar blend of melancholy and nostalgia. The colors are louder even as the days grow quieter; leaves flare into brief brilliance before letting go, and I can’t help but read a lesson in that. I’ve felt this way for as long as I can remember: a gentle ache for what’s passing, paired with gratitude for the beauty of the in‑between. 2️⃣ Autumn is a hinge, a clean, deliberate turning toward colder, whiter days. The rituals arrive—warmer layers by the door, earlier sunsets at the window, steam rising from a mug. Each small change is a marker in the slow migration from abundance to rest. Maybe that’s why I’m drawn to this season: I like transitions. They make time visible. They invite reflection without demanding conclusions. In fall, I feel both the closing of one chapter and the quiet drafting of the next, and I’m content to linger in that corridor where everything is briefly both. ## 🗺️ Discoveries > #ai #design > 1️⃣ Do you know [Charles Addams](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Charles%5FAddams?ref=numericcitizen.me)? He was a popular cartoonist. I love his drawing style and tried to replicate it using ChatGPT. It came out pretty beautifully. In recent months, I found a few drawing styles that I really like. Another example is the one you can find on the "[The Ephemeral Scrapbook — Edition 2025-36](https://numericcitizen.me/the-ephemeral-scrapbook-edition-2025-36/)”. I created a document where I gathered the ChatGPT prompts and samples of these so I can reproduce them easily. 2️⃣ Here's [a blog post](https://microsoft.design/articles/fluid-forms-vibrant-colors/?ref=numericcitizen.me) from Microsoft explaining the evolution of the Microsoft 365 iconography redesign. I like this kind of blog post, but Microsoft trying to convey their motivation around AI and Copilot seems like a stretch. Generally speaking, I see the new icon versions as an improved version. I cannot say the same about Apple's recent icon version centered around Liquid Glass. ![Office 365 suite icons history](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/2025/10/Image-3.png) Office 365 suite icons history ![Current Office 365 icons](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/2025/10/Image-1-1.png) Current Office 365 icons ![I really like Charles Addams cartoonist style of drawing. Can you create an image inspired by his style of a man sitting in front of an old computer in a small room with a single light over him and the computer? — my ChatGPT prompt](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/2025/10/_Charles-Addams-cartoon-style-optimised.png.png) I really like Charles Addams cartoonist style of drawing. Can you create an image inspired by his style of a man sitting in front of an old computer in a small room with a single light over him and the computer? — my ChatGPT prompt ![Create another version with this man holding a smartphone. His face should be illuminated by the smartphone screen. — my ChatGPT prompt follow-up](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/2025/10/_holding-his-smartphone-optimised.png.png) Create another version with this man holding a smartphone. His face should be illuminated by the smartphone screen. — my ChatGPT prompt follow-up ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/2025/10/wearing-headset.png) Create another one but without holding the smartphone. He should have his arms, on each side pointing down" — my ChatGPT prompt follow-up > “*If the strengths of A.I. are to truly be harnessed, the tech industry should stop focusing so heavily on these one-size-fits-all tools, and instead concentrate on narrow, specialized A.I. tools engineered for particular problems. (...). Humanity would be better served by labs devoting more resources on building specialized tools for science, medicine, technology and education.*” — Gary Marcus in [Is AGI the right goal for AI?](https://garymarcus.substack.com/p/is-agi-the-right-goal-for-ai) ## 👨🏻‍💻 Writing > #journaling > 1️⃣ Most of my writing these days goes into building this newsletter and posting on my blog. 2️⃣ Recently, I started writing in Craft Daily notes. I always like to document what I'm doing. I do this at work all the time in Microsoft OneNote. Every day, I create a new note in a dedicated notebook and write a one-liner about the completed task. Now, I do this at home do document what I'm doing with a computer. It's fun. ## 🌄 Photography > #source/reddit #nikon #iphone17 > 1️⃣ We can find [great photographers](https://www.reddit.com/r/streetphotography/comments/1o5fnvs/its%5Fall%5Fabout%5Fthe%5Flight/?ref=numericcitizen.me) on Reddit, like [/unlicensedliensed](https://www.reddit.com/user/unlicensedlensed/?ref=numericcitizen.me). Who knew? 2️⃣ Is it worth upgrading to the iPhone 17 Pro? A [great article](https://www.dpreview.com/articles/1673729847/iphone-17-pro-camera-upgrade-is-it-worth-leaving-your-12-13-14-15-or-16-pro-behind?ref=numericcitizen.me) tries to answer a very common question. Coming from an iPhone 15 Pro Max, I would say, no, not at the cost Apple charges for that. Waiting until 2026 to upgrade. 3️⃣ [In this video](https://youtu.be/awWTYuWXvRA?si=Jo8EdlBNyo1GAWqx&ref=numericcitizen.me), the author compares the iPhone 17 Pro to the 16 Pro and the Canon R5\. You will be surprised by his observations. 4️⃣ [Rumors about the next year’s iPhone 18](https://www.macrumors.com/2025/10/15/iphone-18-pros-major-camera-upgrade/?ref=numericcitizen.me) are ramping up. Next year, we could see the most significant change to iPhone cameras in a long time. 5️⃣ Nikon is about to [add a grain effect to my Nikon Zf camera](https://blog.numericcitizen.me/2025/10/19/apple-cemetery-aperture-iweb-touchbar.html?ref=numericcitizen.me) via a firmware update! Cool, but no date given! 6️⃣ It's still too early to tell if the iPhone Air will succeed for Apple. Nonetheless, [Tyler Stalman is looking at it](https://youtu.be/te2z6diyYrI?si=kec%5F6ZlcdH-dlT%5Fl&ref=numericcitizen.me) from a photographer's perspective. He shares a few details about the iPhone Air‘s photography capabilities that make it stand out from the rest of the iPhone 17 lineup. ## 🍎 Apple & Tech > #applesilicon #ai #apple #tech #ipad #macos > 1️⃣ [M5](https://www.apple.com/newsroom/2025/10/apple-unleashes-m5-the-next-big-leap-in-ai-performance-for-apple-silicon/?ref=numericcitizen.me) → [M5 iPad Pro](https://www.apple.com/newsroom/2025/10/apple-introduces-the-powerful-new-ipad-pro-with-the-m5-chip/?ref=numericcitizen.me) → [14” MacBook Pro](https://www.apple.com/newsroom/2025/10/apple-unveils-new-14-inch-macbook-pro-powered-by-the-m5-chip/?ref=numericcitizen.me). 2️⃣ Apple has experienced a series of significant exits from its AI division, which poses a challenge to its ability to compete in the rapidly evolving AI landscape. The departure of Ke Yang, who was recently appointed to lead a team focused on enhancing Siri's capabilities, underscores this issue. 3️⃣ [An astute observation](https://birchtree.me/blog/this-is-a-mac-sorry-an-ipad/?ref=numericcitizen.me) from Matt Bircher about Apple marketing photo of the M5 iPad Pro. Apple presents the new M5 iPad Pro like a real laptop, while they present the new M5 MacBook Pro like a computer running a single app. 4️⃣ The new M5 iPad Pro is a bigger upgrade than it seems. Thanks to MacRumors for [this upgrade highlight](https://www.macrumors.com/2025/10/18/new-ipad-pro-six-key-upgrades/?ref=numericcitizen.me). 5️⃣ [This AWS downtime](https://www.theverge.com/news/802486/aws-outage-alexa-fortnite-snapchat-offline?ref=numericcitizen.me) is a reminder how dependent other service providers are. When AWS goes down, even if it's only an AWS region, many things falls apart (the list of web services that were impacted is too long to post here). 6️⃣ I know this company, [Quilicot](https://www.bicyclesquilicot.com/en/?ref=numericcitizen.me), they have a store less than 2 km from my home, in Montreal, Canada. They made it to the [Apple Small Business mini website](https://www.apple.com/ca/business/small-business/success-stories/bicycles-quilicot/?ref=numericcitizen.me). I did notice the use of Macs in their boutique. I thought it was a great design fit with the type and brand of bikes they sell. 7️⃣ Finding the next Apple CEO won’t be an easy task if you [ask Parker Ortolani](https://parkerortolani.blog/2025/10/14/qualities-the-th-ceo-of.html?ref=numericcitizen.me). While I agree that finding a new CEO for Apple is not a small endeavour, I don't agree with him on all requirements, especially #2. ![Believe it or not, this is an iPad Pro, not a MacBook Pro.](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/2025/10/_Apple-iPad-Pro-hero-251015-optimised.jpg.jpeg) Believe it or not, this is an iPad Pro, not a MacBook Pro. ![A MacBook Pro is shown running a single app in full-screen mode.](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/2025/10/_Apple-MacBook-Pro-14-in-Adobe-Premiere-Pro.jpeg) A MacBook Pro is shown running a single app in full-screen mode. ![Since Apple is comparing the M5 to the M1, it seems that Apple is targeting those who adopted Apple Silicon to upgrade to the M5.](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/2025/10/Image-2-1.png) Since Apple is comparing the M5 to the M1, it seems that Apple is targeting those who adopted Apple Silicon to upgrade to the M5. ![This diagram shows each Apple’s macOS version relative popularity on a weekly basis. Source.](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/2025/10/_Reddit-Image-optimised.jpeg.jpeg) This diagram shows each Apple’s macOS version relative popularity on a weekly basis. [Source](https://telemetrydeck.com/survey/apple/macOS/versions/?ref=numericcitizen.me). ## 🚧 Special projects > #workflow #reading > 1️⃣ I spent quite some time recently putting together a solid and durable article reading workflow based on Craft & ChatGPT. I'm really satisfied with it so far, and I'll probably create a YouTube video about this. The workflow also applies to watching YouTube videos, for which I want to summarize and extract as much information as possible. 2️⃣ Also, I finally found a way to use Craft Daily notes as shown in [this short video demonstration](https://cloud.numericcitizen.me/xJYW5wqv?ref=numericcitizen.me). ## 📱 Apps & Services > #app/cleanshot #app/raycast #service/fastmail > 1️⃣ CleanShot Cloud and CleanShot X [now support](https://changelog.cleanshot.cloud/?ref=numericcitizen.me) user comments on shared screenshots. Judge for yourself in [this screenshot example](https://cloud.numericcitizen.me/skzGs0JQ?ref=numericcitizen.me). 2️⃣ Raycast continues its expansion on the iPhone with the introduction of an iOS keyboard. Raycast's iOS keyboard update streamlines workflows. Explore tabs for recents, AI, dictation, quick links, and snippets. See all the details [here](https://youtu.be/lta7%5FMCTzxo?si=-MXip69of2jZgsRE&ref=numericcitizen.me). 3️⃣ Fastmail now offers a Mac app. Well, it's one of those web wrappers based on the Electron framework. It's not great. It even feels slower than the web version! The positive thing about having this app, though, is getting native notifications and the offline mode. Please make no mistake, I'm still a satisfied user of this service. ## 📺 YouTube > #service/youtube > 1️⃣ I've just noticed that YouTube appears to offer an "Ask" button for each video, as shown in [this screenshot](https://cloud.numericcitizen.me/skzGs0JQ?ref=numericcitizen.me). I tried it twice and found the summary quite clear and helpful. The consequence is profound: I didn't watch the videos. As someone who creates videos, I'm pondering the implications for me and all other video creators. 2️⃣ Growing a small tree can be cool and relaxing. [Watch it here](https://youtu.be/MCywSJ8svZk?si=KUKZOzafPTJAqGYn&ref=numericcitizen.me). 3️⃣ Can we become friends with spiders? [Maybe](https://youtu.be/i6ucE1cfzmE?si=8ecUiv9ZSzmfmjOS&ref=numericcitizen.me). ## 🌟 Miscellaneous > #openai #ai #sora > 1️⃣ I finally got into Sora and tried it to create cameos with a few prompts. My first cameo was impressive, but the following ones weren’t. I'm not sure that I want to waste too much time (and energy) on this thing. 2️⃣ The header image of this newsletter edition with an Apple logo was taken from another website that writes about Apple and uses a lot of AI-generated artwork. I didn’t ask his permission. Typically, if it were something he created himself, I would have asked for permission to use it. ## 🔮 Looking forward > #openai #aibrowser > 1️⃣ OpenAI released the [ChatGPT Atlas](https://chatgpt.com/atlas?ref=numericcitizen.me) browser. [It's yet another Chromium-based browser with “some AI” stuff glued on top of it](https://manuelmoreale.com/thoughts/look-another-ai-browser?ref=numericcitizen.me). It is joining Comet and Dia. It's becoming a crowded space. Strangely enough, Google is relatively slow at adding AI to its Chrome browser, I mean, in an obvious and readily accessible way. Nonetheless, I shared a few thoughts about my first hours using Atlas. As someone who tried both Comet and Dia, neither of them clicked with me; Atlas is another story—looking forward to seeing how it will influence my workflows. 2️⃣ [As reported](https://9to5mac.com/2025/10/24/ios-26-1-third-party-photos-backup-background/?ref=numericcitizen.me) by Marcus Mendes from 9to5Mac, Apple is developing a new framework in iOS 26.1 that enables third-party photo apps to perform seamless background uploads of images, enhancing reliability and user experience. This could be a game-changer for secure and reliable photo library backups on your Apple devices. I don't do those but provided with an fully supported mechanism, I would do it! > “Technologies like LLMs have utility, but the absurd way they've been over-hyped, the fact they're being forced on everyone, and the insistence on ignoring the many valid critiques about them make it very difficult to focus on legitimate uses where they might add value.” — Anil Dash in [The Majority AI View](https://anildash.com/2025/10/17/the-majority-ai-view/?ref=numericcitizen.me) 👉🏻 [Main](https://numericcitizen.me/) 🌟 [Meta](https://meta.numericcitizen.me/?ref=numericcitizen.me) 🌟 [Blips](https://blips.numericcitizen.me/?ref=numericcitizen.me) 🌟 [Blog](https://blog.numericcitizen.me/?ref=numericcitizen.me) 👀 I wish you a great week! ✌️ 🇺🇦 🇨🇦 🇪🇺 💪🏻 📌 This newsletter edition is also available as a Craft shared document [****here**](https://crafted.numericcitizen.me/ephemeral-scrapbook-edition-2025-43?ref=numericcitizen.me). An index of past editions can be found [here](https://numericcitizen.me/tag/ephemeral-scrapbook/). This week's edition is based on template version 1.8.2 and was put together with ❤️ mostly on an M2 15-inch MacBook Air, Craft Docs and many supporting [subscriptions](https://crafted.numericcitizen.me/current-subscriptions?ref=numericcitizen.me)! If you like this newsletter, please consider supporting me via [PayPal](https://paypal.me/numericcitizen?locale.x=en%5FUS&ref=numericcitizen.me) or becoming a supporter by visiting my [Ko-fi](https://ko-fi.com/numericcitizen/?ref=numericcitizen.me) page! ### The Ephemeral Scrapbook — Edition 2025-41 URL: https://numericcitizen.me/the-ephemeral-scrapbook-edition-2025-41/ Last updated: 2025-10-13T00:47:32.000Z ## 👤 Personal > #newsletter #stevejobs > 1️⃣ Do you like this newsletter? Have you been reading it for a while? You know what would be cool? If you could say “Hello” (hello@numericcitizen.me) or show your appreciation with a small tip, see below for the way you can do it. Thanks a lot. 2️⃣ Steve Jobs passed away 14 years ago. I often think of him and his legacy. Today's Apple is vastly different from the one he left behind. Would he be proud? Probably. Probably not. We will never know. > "AI and other current trends are replacing human social relationships with solitary, one-sided interactions with machines, replacing family, friends, lovers and pets with products. This is the dangerous megatrend of the century and nobody is talking about it." — [Mike Elgan](https://micro.blog/MikeElgan@mastodon.social?ref=numericcitizen.me) ## 🗺️ Discoveries > #rss #openai #webtech > 1️⃣ Iconfactory's Ged Maheux is an artist at work as seen in [this time-lapse video](https://mastodon.social/@gedeonm/115299910208973591?ref=numericcitizen.me). It's so cool to see how an artist is building an image. 2️⃣ An intriguing blog post about blogs, RSS and feeds: [Blogfeeds.net](https://blogfeeds.net/?ref=numericcitizen.me) is a small web project promoting a return to the open web through personal blogs and RSS feeds instead of social networks. It encourages people to share their writing on their own sites and list the blogs they follow, creating a decentralized and human-scaled network for discovering new voices — a modern revival of the classic blogroll idea. 3️⃣ I think OpenAI [just announced](https://openai.com/index/introducing-apps-in-chatgpt/?ref=numericcitizen.me) is a game-changer. “What you’re going to see for the next six months is an evolution of ChatGPT from an app that is really, really useful into something that feels a little bit more like an operating system.” — Nick Turley from OpenAI > “There will be new AI-assisted reading tools, too, including a feature called Story So Far that generates a spoiler-free recap of a book up to the point you’ve read”. — The Verge about recent ebook announcements from Amazon ## 👨🏻‍💻 Writing > #blogging > 1️⃣ If you are curious about my blogging activities for September, don't miss the [Numeric Citizen Blog Posts Monthly Digest](https://blog.numericcitizen.me/newsletters/2025/10/01/17485.html?ref=numericcitizen.me). This edition covers Apple’s controversial *Liquid Glass* redesign, the uneven quality of recent OS updates, experiments with AI-powered knowledge tools like MyMind and Recall, skepticism toward incremental iPhone 17 upgrades, concerns over the sustainability of AI business models, Microsoft Copilot’s growing role in education, ethical issues surrounding tech leaders, frustrations with iPad multitasking, personal workflow refinements on macOS, and user backlash to Apple’s new design direction. ## 🌄 Photography > #glass/discovery > 1️⃣ I like it when tech reviewers spend the time to create gorgeous images to go with their review. [Here](https://thenewsprint.co/2025/10/05/the-sunday-edition-100525/?ref=numericcitizen.me), great images of the iPhone Air by Josh Ginter. 2️⃣ Here's a great photographer on Glass: Chuck Rubin. You'll find some intriguing photos [like this one](https://glass.photo/chuckrubin/1fE0LnvpCQpyKar58xALme?ref=numericcitizen.me) on his profile page. 3️⃣ Still on Glass, [here's a collection of architectural and highly processed photos](https://glass.photo/jules90photo/series/4b626KBhXm0Aq2PZhVxG2K-strange-in-the-city?ref=numericcitizen.me). I love [this one](https://glass.photo/jules90photo/4p02nRBAoPxXM3GS7HpCKj?ref=numericcitizen.me). Don't miss his “[Darkitecture](https://glass.photo/jules90photo/series/s0RCL09NuRZpvIL38gYBD-darkitecture?ref=numericcitizen.me)" series, too. Superb. I wish I could see a time-lapse of his proto-editing process. ## 🍎 Apple & Tech > #liquidglass #ipad #macos #apple > 1️⃣ [Another critique of Apple Liquid Glass](https://pxlnv.com/blog/on-liquid-glass/?ref=numericcitizen.me), this time by Nick Heer. As the article puts it, Liquid Glass is a solution to a problem Apple created for itself. The author wonders if the change is primarily branding or the start of a deeper convergence across Apple platforms, and voices concern that the current release feels under-polished and inconsistent rather than fully mature. 2️⃣ Well, [someone is looking to become famous](https://www.macrumors.com/2025/09/30/ipad-pro-with-m5-chip-unboxing-video-leak/?ref=numericcitizen.me) by leaking the next iPad Pro equipped with an M5 processor, some more RAM and a better GPU. The rest seems unchanged. I’m still happy with my M4 iPad Pro. 3️⃣ If you think Liquid Glass consumes more power, you are right. But, enabling Reduce Transparency to tone down Liquid Glass consumes even more power. [WTF](https://www.reddit.com/r/iPhone17Pro/comments/1nrc5zi/iphone%5F17%5Fpro%5Fmax%5Fios26%5Fis%5Factually%5Fcrazy%5Fbattery/?ref=numericcitizen.me)! 4️⃣ I hope Apple will resist [UK government demands about iCloud backdoors](https://www.theverge.com/news/789985/apple-uk-revived-secret-order-encryption-backdoor?ref=numericcitizen.me). If they say yes in UK, how can they say no to the rest of the world? 5️⃣ I came across that on Reddit recently, and it illustrates the current state of menus and the menubar on the Mac. It's useful to compare what we used to have on macOS High Sierra. Why are menus like floating panels? Is Apple preparing for future UI changes, where menus could be rearranged and moved away from the menu bar? 👀 6️⃣ [Who is going to replace Tim Cook when he retires](https://appleinsider.com/articles/25/07/20/tim-cooks-successor-could-be-one-of-many-apple-executives?ref=numericcitizen.me)? I’ll bet on John Ternus, but I also wish they would select someone from the software side. 7️⃣ Among all the pictures of Steve Jobs, this one is one of my favorites. I find people’s offices endlessly interesting because of what they reveal. My late father worked from home, and I would often go downstairs to see what he was doing. His workspace was lively, much like the scene in the picture of Steve Jobs’ office. Basic Apple Guy recently shared this picture among a few others. ![Why are menus visually disconnected from the menu bar on the Mac?](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/2025/10/Image.png) Why are menus visually disconnected from the menu bar on the Mac? > “Apple keeps doing things that make us all feel sick. Removing ICEBlock is just the latest and it won’t be the last. So I am sympathetic to the idea of making web apps, and my brain goes there more often. And if I could solve the problems of money and of protecting users, I’d be way more inclined." — Brent Simmons on his blog. ![One of my favorites photos of Steve Jobs.](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/2025/10/Image-1.png) One of my favorites photos of Steve Jobs. ## 📱 Apps & Services > #microblog #appdevelopment #service/kagi > 1️⃣ Sad to see Greg Morris [stopping the development of **Micro Social**](https://gregmorris.co.uk/moving-again/?ref=numericcitizen.me), a Micro.blog client. I was an early supporter, and I still have it on my iPhone’s home screen. Micro Social offered one of the best experiences of Micro.blog to the point of wondering if Manton Reece could buy it outright. I highly doubt it will happen. Greg could sell or, even better, open-source Micro Social source code! Greg misinterpreted [my blog post](https://blog.numericcitizen.me/2025/10/10/its-sad-to-see-micro.html?ref=numericcitizen.me) on this topic. I decided to leave it at that. 2️⃣ Apple will have some competition from Adobe with [**Adobe Premiere** coming to the iPhone and iPad](https://news.adobe.com/news/2025/09/adobe-premiere-now-delivers-fast-pro-quality-video-editing-mobile?ref=numericcitizen.me). I played with it, and it is simpler to use than iMovie and certainly easier than Final Cut Pro for iPad. It’s mostly free, as some features require (yet) another subscription. Pass. 3️⃣ [**Kagi News** is officially out](https://blog.kagi.com/kagi-news?ref=numericcitizen.me), and it’s as good as you might think. I’m a fan and visit the news site once a day, as intended. No algorithm, no tracking. But a lot of AI-generated content. 4️⃣ Can you imagine Apple opening up to Fediverse with support for its own Mastodon instance? No? Me neither. The **AltStore Mastodon instance** is available [here](https://explore.alt.store/public/local?ref=numericcitizen.me). The [AltStore keep expanding](https://altstore.io/?ref=numericcitizen.me), too. 5️⃣ Did you notice that **Apple's iWork** still doesn't support Liquid Glass? It's been more than a month since OSes 26 were released. Maybe [not everyone at Apple was ready](https://mastodon.social/@stroughtonsmith/115214390979749448?ref=numericcitizen.me) for Liquid Glass. 6️⃣ No more **Clips**, [according to Apple](https://support.apple.com/en-us/123359?ref=numericcitizen.me). From the start, Clips felt like an experiment. Like Ping. Apple isn't good at social. 7️⃣ Want to learn about the **best RSS readers** in 2025? [Here you go](https://lighthouseapp.io/blog/feed-reader-deep-dive?ref=numericcitizen.me). ![Apple’s now-defunct Clip.](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/2025/10/Image-2.png) Apple’s now-defunct Clip. ## 📺 YouTube > #openai #design #tech #iphone > 1️⃣ OpenAI is on a roll and is introducing yet another product: [Sora](https://www.youtube.com/live/gzneGhpXwjU?si=S2V0G5mxZSxR1ZPx&ref=numericcitizen.me). That’s incredible, but it’s also probably utterly very costly from an energy consumption point of view. I expect Sora to become a challenger to TikTok, in its own way. Additionally, it is expected that Sora will become the best deepfake engine ever created. 😳 2️⃣ Filming bullet impact at 20 million frames per second. That's impossibly incredible. [Cue this video](https://youtu.be/IM4zZchluX0?ref=numericcitizen.me). 3️⃣ [Design is how it works](https://youtu.be/-ueUb6PNwbs?si=8yJ0Z-eVIpb9qOCH&ref=numericcitizen.me). It took me some time to really understand this statement by Steve Jobs, recently used to launch the new iPhone 17\. Now I understand. Nice promotional video by Apple. 4️⃣ [Introducing Frame 3](https://youtu.be/Eu5mYMavctM?si=vE6Ergc3VjuEe4i2&ref=numericcitizen.me), a humanoid-like robot. It looks great, it seems to perform really well. But the question is: do we really need this? 5️⃣ This story, “[Behind The Glass](https://youtu.be/xxBc1c3uAJw?si=8PnF2FPWNteGHUw8&ref=numericcitizen.me),” offers a peek at the original iPhone development, right from those who were working on that thing. Fascinating. ## 🌟 Miscellaneous > #iphone > 1️⃣ Someone created a map of iPhone screen bezels, starting with the iPhone 11 to today’s iPhone. The thinnest bezel goes to the iPhone 16 Pro Max and iPhone 17 Pro Max with 1.36 mm. The thickest bezel goes to the iPhone 11 with 3.37 mm. 2️⃣ When a long-time developers like [Brent Simmons thinks about web apps](https://inessential.com/2025/10/04/why-netnewswire-is-not-web-app.html?ref=numericcitizen.me) instead of native apps, Apple is in trouble. Would you prefer NetNewsWire to be a web app instead of a native one for your iPhone? ![iPhone bezels sizes.](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/2025/10/IMG_9292.jpeg) iPhone bezels sizes. ## 🔮 Looking forward > #windows #microsoft > 1️⃣ [Windows 2030](https://www.pcworld.com/article/2889318/i-dont-need-ai-in-windows-i-need-an-operating-system-that-works.html?ref=numericcitizen.me)? Reading this article makes me think about Apple. Hoffman points to many issues in Windows that also apply to Apple. As a full-time user of Windows 11 at work (sigh), I encounter numerous annoyances in this operating environment. You would think that Windows is a mature operating system? Nope. It doesn't always feel like that. Copilot mentions are everywhere. The Copilot app is buggy as hell. > “I don’t need AI in Windows. I need an operating system that works.” — [Chris Hoffman](https://www.pcworld.com/author/choffman?ref=numericcitizen.me) from Computerworld 👉🏻 [Main](https://numericcitizen.me/) 🌟 [Meta](https://meta.numericcitizen.me/?ref=numericcitizen.me) 🌟 [Blips](https://blips.numericcitizen.me/?ref=numericcitizen.me) 🌟 [Blog](https://blog.numericcitizen.me/?ref=numericcitizen.me) 👀 I wish you a great week! ✌️ 🇺🇦 🇨🇦 🇪🇺 💪🏻 📌 This newsletter edition is also available as a Craft shared document [here](https://crafted.numericcitizen.me/ephemeral-scrapbook-edition-2025-41?ref=numericcitizen.me). An index of past editions can be found [here](https://numericcitizen.me/tag/ephemeral-scrapbook/). This week's edition is based on template version 1.8.1 and was put together with ❤️ mostly on an M2 15-inch MacBook Air, Craft Docs and many supporting [subscriptions](https://crafted.numericcitizen.me/current-subscriptions?ref=numericcitizen.me)! If you like this newsletter, please consider supporting me via [PayPal](https://paypal.me/numericcitizen?locale.x=en%5FUS&ref=numericcitizen.me) or becoming a supporter by visiting my [Ko-fi](https://ko-fi.com/numericcitizen/?ref=numericcitizen.me) page! ### The Ephemeral Scrapbook — Edition 2025-39 URL: https://numericcitizen.me/the-ephemeral-scrapbook-edition-2025-39/ Last updated: 2025-09-28T22:03:35.000Z ## 🗺️ Discoveries > ubiquity #tech #blogger #discovery > 1️⃣ Ubiquity released a new set of home NAS to compete against Ugreen, Qnap and Synology. As a fan of this brand, I would consider buying [one of these](https://techspecs.ui.com/unifi/integrations/unas-2?ref=numericcitizen.me) to replace my aging Synology NAS 720+. It's a dead-simple device for basic needs. It won't compete against Synology on the operating system features set, of course. But I think many users don't need all those features, so a UNAS 2 would fill all the requirements for storing backups and files. I'll keep an eye on these devices. Who knew that one day you would read 'Ubiquity' and 'Synology' in the same sentence about NAS? 2️⃣ While browsing YouTube, I came across [this video](https://youtu.be/WTwBzPmWKzY?si=oaU2iaLQASc%5FQj2X&ref=numericcitizen.me) about a backpack traveller in Afghanistan. I watched it and was fascinated by his experience and… courage. I discovered this guy had [a website](https://maxroving.com/?ref=numericcitizen.me), which I visited extensively. First, I'm happy to see younger guys not only having an Instagram and TikTok account but also a traditional website and a blog. It's refreshing to see. He maintains [a YouTube channel](https://www.youtube.com/@MaxRoving?ref=numericcitizen.me) documenting his numerous experiences during his road trips. I subscribed. ![Ubiquity NAS for a two-drive configuration](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/2025/09/ubiquityunas2.png) Ubiquity NAS for a two-drive configuration ## 👨🏻‍💻 Writing > generativeai #ai #app/applejournal > 1️⃣ Thanks to generative AI, writing is a changing landscape. In full transparency, I wrote [a blog post detailing the process](https://meta.numericcitizen.me/2025/09/21/behind-the-scenes-of-the.html?ref=numericcitizen.me) that lead to writing [this piece about Apple](https://numericcitizen.me/on-apple-failures/). 2️⃣ I like to write when I'm on vacation. I wanted to test Apple Journal this summer. I did and shared [my numerous observations](https://numericcitizen.me/reviewing-apple-journal-a-summer-experiment/). If you are a Day One user, keep it that way. If you are still curious, go ahead and try Apple Journal. ## 🌄 Photography > techreview #iphone17 #digg #glass/discovery > 1️⃣ [Austin Mann reviews the latest iPhone](https://www.austinmann.com/trek/iphone-17-pro-camera-review-dolomites?ref=numericcitizen.me), from a photographer's perspective. As always, you'll find astute comments on iPhone's capabilities for serious photography journeys. As a bonus, you'll get to see some seriously good photos! 2️⃣ I tested photo posting on Digg with [this photo](https://beta.digg.com/photography/AUZeD0n/a-summer-at-the-lake?ref=numericcitizen.me). You might not be able to visit this link, though. Digg is still in beta. I’m not even sure Digg is the right place for posting photos, but hey, why not give it a try? I like testing new platforms. 3️⃣ You should never miss [the review of the newest iPhone](https://www.lux.camera/iphone-17-pro-camera-review-rule-of-three/?ref=numericcitizen.me) from the maker of Halide, the alternative camera app. 4️⃣ Another iPhone 17 Pro review, [this one from Tyler Stalman](https://youtu.be/KIwKEIMjBLM?si=VjWoHVmY1jKj%5Ffoj&ref=numericcitizen.me) and [this one from Petapixel](https://youtu.be/bpqrCoy0ZHc?si=SB5mm7sXv1355pBa&ref=numericcitizen.me). I love these photographer-oriented takes. I relate so much more to these types of reviews than any tech pundit-tech-influencerish reviews. 5️⃣ One of the few things that I wish I could use from the recent iPhone (from 2024 up to now): photographic styles as explained and demonstrated in [this video](https://youtu.be/6tLk40RkgVE?si=%5FB1ezVNMUyDbyIa9&ref=numericcitizen.me). 6️⃣ I still have [my Substack page](https://substack.com/@numericcitizen?ref=numericcitizen.me), but I don't really use it. I recently spent more time trying to see what type of content was being published on my timeline, and I stumbled upon [this photographer](https://substack.com/@damianward?ref=numericcitizen.me). Wow! I don't think Substack is the best place for sharing photos. Thankfully, the photographer also has [a personal website](https://www.damianwardphotography.co.uk/?ref=numericcitizen.me). His name is Damian Ward. [I love those trees](https://www.damianwardphotography.co.uk/portfolio/2025-archive/?ref=numericcitizen.me). 7️⃣ Another discovery on Glass: [André](https://glass.photo/aostergard/?ref=numericcitizen.me). And looking at André's following, I discovered [Cam Hunt](https://glass.photo/camhunt?ref=numericcitizen.me), a New York-based photographer. He made so many beautiful and well-engineered visual compositions. Must see. 👀 ![I tried posting a photo on Digg to see people’s reactions. Crickets. Moving on. ](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/2025/09/Cleanshot---Digg-Beta2025-09-2107.39.532x.png) I tried posting a photo on Digg to see people’s reactions. Crickets. Moving on. ## 🍎 Apple & Tech > ipad #ipados26 #stevejobs > 1️⃣ If you are an “iPad-only” user and want to understand better or take advantage of iPadOS 26 multitasking, [this video from Snazzy Labs](https://youtu.be/Ap5h2OUeiWs?si=-O70EcJGhFp1QlDA&ref=numericcitizen.me) tells it all. It’s a must-watch. And no, it’s not about the old Mac vs iPad debate, don't be deceived by the video thumbnail! 2️⃣ I'm still using my good old iPhone 15 Pro Max, and with this year's iPhone 17 Pro, you have to ask yourself: should I upgrade? The answer lies in [this short post by Ryan Crhistoffel](https://9to5mac.com/2025/09/17/iphone-17-pro-vs-iphone-15-pro-worth-going-new-after-two/?ref=numericcitizen.me): no. 3️⃣ Another [great iPadOS 26 video](https://youtu.be/rzqWgOAejUQ?si=yyl6qaDxiN1ggWZ3&ref=numericcitizen.me) that you should consider watching. The iPadOS 26 release this year really does unleash the iPad. Finally. 4️⃣ If you are curious about the latest iPhone internals, don't miss [this video](https://youtu.be/HdXcYXgKY7E?si=YuCvg-M0wds6T6Ma&ref=numericcitizen.me) showing the disassembly of the iPhone Air and iPhone 17 Pro. It's really impressive what they can fit inside such small devices. The main logic board is so small! 5️⃣ I wrote a rather lengthy piece [on Apple failures](https://numericcitizen.me/on-apple-failures/) (and you can have [a behind-the-scenes look](https://meta.numericcitizen.me/2025/09/21/behind-the-scenes-of-the.html?ref=numericcitizen.me) at this writing project). 6️⃣ I came to the conclusion that using the iPad with iPadOS 26's multitasking without an external monitor should be done with Stage Manager enabled. With an external monitor, using the new and flexible windowing system might be a better experience. But remember, flexibility always comes at a cost: mandatory window management. For some reason, it's not as fluid on the iPad as on the Mac. Cue the following videos down below for a full picture. 7️⃣ “Your presentation is pedantic and boring.” Steve Jobs, [as reported here](https://kensegall.com/2025/09/19/steve-jobs-your-presentation-is-pedantic-and-boring/?ref=numericcitizen.me) by Ken Segall, about Apple's latest keynote. I don't know what to say. On one hand, I wish Apple would return to live presentations, but on the other hand, I love the technically perfect presentations they always put together. It's [the only infomercial](https://numericcitizen.me/while-we-wait-for-the-next-apple-infomercial/) that I can't tolerate from start to end. 8️⃣ Apple likes to control and own the whole technology stack, and the iPhone Air line certainly proves it, as [this interview](https://www.cnbc.com/2025/09/21/apple-now-controls-all-core-iphone-chips-prioritizing-ai-workloads.html?&qsearchterm=Apple%20told%20us%20all%20about%20its%20new%20iPhone%20chips%20and%20on-device%20AI%20plans&ref=numericcitizen.me) from CBNC explains it: Apple pitched iPhone Air as a hardware design leap and proof of its deeper silicon self-reliance. The A19 Pro with GPU-embedded neural accelerators is positioned as Apple’s real AI play—on-device, private, and developer-friendly—while the N1 and C1X chips mark a near-total takeover of the iPhone’s silicon stack. But Wall Street is still waiting for a more compelling “AI vision,” beyond chip-level plumbing. ![There was no selfie camera on the original iPhone? Are you kidding me?](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/2025/09/_IMG_8661-optimised.JPG.jpeg) There was no selfie camera on the original iPhone? Are you kidding me? ## 🚧 Special projects > app/screenstudio > 1️⃣ I decided to subscribe to Screen Studio, a screen recording app. It will join ScreenFlow, another screen recording app that I'm using to create my YouTube videos. Screen Studio offers an easier and more intuitive recording experience for zooming into content in post-production. ScreenFlow supports that too, but the method never really clicked with me and takes way more time to get decent results. Screen Studio lacks basic video editing features, which is why I keep ScreenFlow around. I'll use both of them to create videos. Here's [my first video](https://youtu.be/EMJRJ0FuA9M?ref=numericcitizen.me) involving Screen Studio 2️⃣ I had issues this week with [one of my websites](https://whois.numericcitizen.me/?ref=numericcitizen.me) and had to request support from the hosting service, Chillidog Hosting. It's not entirely clear what the problem was, but it was probably related to a bad interaction with CloudFlare. However, in any case, the response I received from the support staff was rapid and stellar. ## 📱 Apps & Services > #service/news #service/kagi > 1️⃣ The enshitification of Google is complete as shown in the “Googling Stuff” image below. That's why I'm not using Google, but Kagi instead. It's not free, but it keeps me from becoming insane. 2️⃣ After adding a News section, Kagi has now released an iPad and iPhone app: [Kagi News](https://apps.apple.com/ca/app/kagi-news/id6748314243?ref=numericcitizen.me). It's simple, to the point. Must download. ![Google enshitification.](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/2025/09/Image-9.png) Google enshitification. ## 📺 YouTube > ai #aibubble > 1️⃣ In [this video](https://youtu.be/bi5fUGudzqY?si=zAvWZ8FUQbkRDn3m&ref=numericcitizen.me), a startup company has a hard time finding talent in the AI-related field, while other companies are laying off software engineers because of productivity gains, thanks to AI. 😳 Additionally, a significant amount of attention appears to be devoted to prompt engineering. 2️⃣ Would you like a touchscreen MacBook? [The debate is still raging](https://youtu.be/3YedK6-VPUA?si=uYAHloxfU14bKZcb&ref=numericcitizen.me). ## 🌟 Miscellaneous > #ads > 1️⃣ Ads are everywhere, even [on a fridge near you](https://www.theverge.com/news/780757/samsung-brings-ads-to-us-fridges?ref=numericcitizen.me). 😳 I bought a Samsung fridge a few years ago, and there is no chance this will happen again. It was a piece of crap that I sold as soon as I could after my home renovations. It was so noisy, I could barely stand it. Now, I'm the proud owner of an LG fridge, probably the most silent fridge I've ever owned. 2️⃣ Speaking of ads, OpenAI is looking at more revenue streams, and ads are one of them. I'm unsure how these ads would be introduced and experienced from an end-user perspective. However, it certainly marks a possible turning point in OpenAI/ChatGPT enshitification, as I wrote [here](https://blog.numericcitizen.me/2025/09/27/is-chatgpt-enshitification-about-to.html?ref=numericcitizen.me). Remember: ads always involve some form of user tracking. ## 🔮 Looking forward > #service/chatgpt > 1️⃣ OpenAI [just announced ChatGPT Pulse](https://openai.com/index/introducing-chatgpt-pulse/?ref=numericcitizen.me), and I can't wait to try it out. Curated news every day? I'll take it. I hope it's something similar to [Kagi News](https://news.kagi.com/?ref=numericcitizen.me). People like [Manton Reece seem to like it](https://www.manton.org/2025/09/27/chatgpt-pulse.html?ref=numericcitizen.me). The only issue is that I'm asking so many questions about various topics. I wonder how well ChatGPT Pulse will be able to come up with something coherent. 2️⃣ Ten years from now, Apple might be doing Frosted Glass, replacing Liquid Glass. [Seen on Reddit](https://www.reddit.com/r/ios/comments/1nrj53t/ios%5F26%5Ffrosted%5Fglass%5Fconcept/?ref=numericcitizen.me). 3️⃣ The AI bubble [will burst sooner than later](https://www.techspot.com/news/109626-ai-bubble-only-thing-keeping-us-economy-together.html?ref=numericcitizen.me), harder than everyone seems to think. ![Frost Glass instead of Liquid Glass seems better to me](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/2025/09/Image-1-2.png) Frost Glass instead of Liquid Glass seems better to me I wish you a great week! ✌️ 🇺🇦 🇨🇦 🇪🇺 💪🏻 📌 This newsletter edition is also available as a Craft shared document [****here**](https://crafted.numericcitizen.me/ephemeral-scrapbook-edition-2025-39?ref=numericcitizen.me). An index of past editions can be found [here](https://numericcitizen.me/tag/ephemeral-scrapbook/). This week's edition is based on template version 1.8.1 and was put together with ❤️ mostly on an M2 15-inch MacBook Air, Craft Docs and many supporting [subscriptions](https://crafted.numericcitizen.me/current-subscriptions?ref=numericcitizen.me)! If you like this newsletter, please consider supporting me via [PayPal](https://paypal.me/numericcitizen?locale.x=en%5FUS&ref=numericcitizen.me) or becoming a supporter by visiting my [Ko-fi](https://ko-fi.com/numericcitizen/?ref=numericcitizen.me) page! ### Reviewing Apple Journal: A Summer Experiment URL: https://numericcitizen.me/reviewing-apple-journal-a-summer-experiment/ Last updated: 2025-09-24T01:50:51.000Z This past summer, I gave Apple’s Journal app a real-world test drive. For two months, I documented my stay in a lakeside chalet, exploring its strengths and weaknesses. For context, I’ve been using the third-party app Day One for many years, although not primarily for journaling purposes. In my case, Day One serves as an automatic repository for my published content, which shaped my expectations for Apple’s offering. ## Why This Experiment Mattered For nearly two years, Apple Journal existed as an iPhone-only app, which felt odd for a tool meant for writing. With macOS Tahoe and iPadOS 26, the app finally expanded to the Mac and iPad. This long delay raised questions about why Apple kept it limited for so long. During my experiment, I skipped Apple’s suggested prompts and wrote freely, capturing my own reflections. The promise of Journal is straightforward: a lightweight, Apple-native journaling tool designed for those already invested in the ecosystem. ![My journal experiment was more about having a visual journal.](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/2025/09/Cleanshot---Summer-of-2025@2025-09-23@.png) My journal experiment was more about having a visual journal. ## Where Journal Shines Apple Journal’s most appealing quality is its ability to enrich entries with digital artifacts. Photos, audio snippets, and GPS coordinates can all be woven into a single note, turning entries into miniature multimedia capsules. During my stay, I recorded many audio clips of natural sounds to preserve magical moments, which became one of the app’s most enjoyable features. I also appreciated being able to assign an entry to more than one journal at once. Overall, the concept is inviting: a minimal, approachable journaling space with just enough flexibility to capture moments quickly. ## Where It Falls Short The limitations became obvious just as quickly. Setting a location for an entry felt unnecessarily cumbersome, and the lack of organizational tools, such as tags, left me wanting more structure. Export options are minimal, making archiving or migrating entries difficult. Even the sharing extension from Photos.app seems half-finished—I could add an image and a short note, but I couldn’t pick which journal to save it to, adjust the entry date, or set the location without later editing in Journal. Simple tasks, like setting the location, required too many clicks. There are also peculiar restrictions. Each entry allows only thirteen images, with little control over how they appear in the mosaic. On the Mac and iPad, Journal looks and behaves like a stretched iPhone app, ignoring the design conventions of those platforms. Built with SwiftUI, it resembles Apple’s Passwords app: functional but uninspiring. It feels more like a prototype promoted to a product than a tool carefully designed from the ground up. ![Images and audio cohabiting on the same journal entry.](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/2025/09/Cleanshot---Summer-of-2025@2025-09-23@-1.png) Images and audio cohabiting on the same journal entry. ## The Bigger Picture Journal also highlights a broader trend in Apple’s recent software. Many of the company’s new cross-platform apps are built with the same design language, which often strips them of personality. Whether on iPhone, iPad, or Mac, they tend to look and behave in nearly identical ways. This uniformity makes them predictable but also bland, as if individuality and platform-specific strengths were sacrificed for the sake of consistency. It’s a striking contrast with Apple’s earlier era, when apps like iPhoto or GarageBand felt unmistakably tailored to the Mac, and Notes or Messages carried design touches unique to iOS. Those differences once gave each platform its own character. Today, that sense of distinct identity has been smoothed out, leaving Journal to feel competent but visually and experientially indistinguishable from Apple’s other recent apps. ## A Paradoxical Verdict Ultimately, Apple Journal is suitable for lightweight use cases and will appeal to those who are firmly within Apple’s ecosystem. It delivers a taste of multimedia journaling with minimal effort, but its shortcomings are difficult to overlook. Journaling is an intensely personal act, and yet Journal feels oddly impersonal and underdeveloped, more like a summer side project than a finished creative tool. For newcomers, it might be enough. For those who depend on richer features or structured content archives, it will likely remain a curiosity rather than a serious option. In my own case, I may be spoiled by years of using Day One, which I’ll probably continue to rely on as my central archive. Yet I can imagine returning to Journal during another trip, drawn by its simplicity. That paradox—balancing the pull of a powerful archive against the charm of a lightweight companion—captures the strange, in-between space Apple Journal occupies today. ### On Apple Failures URL: https://numericcitizen.me/on-apple-failures/ Last updated: 2025-09-21T17:48:34.000Z Tim Cook has been Apple's CEO since Steve Jobs’ passing, and he's been at the helm longer than Jobs was. Is Tim Cook’s Apple more likely to fail? I first explored this question in “[The Rotten Side of Tim Cook’s Apple](https://numericcitizen.me/the-rotten-side-of-tim-cooks-apple/)”. Today's tech landscape looks very different from the one under Steve Jobs’ leadership. As a global company, Apple faces pressure not only from a technological standpoint but also from a political one – an area that's largely out of its control. This is a unique challenge for Tim Cook's Apple. In this article, I want to highlight key failures that have occurred since Tim Cook became CEO of what's now the world's biggest and most influential tech company. The list is presented in no particular order. ## 2013 Trash Mac Pro ![2013-2019 — How could Apple be so wrong about their pro users demands and expectations? Why have they waited so long before changing course?](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/2025/09/Image-8.png) 2013-2019 — How could Apple be so wrong about their pro users demands and expectations? Why have they waited so long before changing course? Apple’s 2013 Mac Pro—nicknamed the “trash can” for its striking cylindrical design—was initially hailed as a futuristic engineering showcase, but it quickly became a cautionary tale of form winning over function. Professionals who depended on modular, expandable systems for video editing, 3D rendering, and scientific computing were frustrated by the lack of internal expansion, reliance on external peripherals, and limited upgrade paths compared to the tower-style Mac Pro before it. This move mirrored Apple’s broader push toward sealed, minimalist hardware, such as MacBooks with fewer ports, which gave the impression that the company had lost touch with the needs of its pro audience. Over time, the backlash became so strong that Apple publicly admitted it had miscalculated. They found themselves in a thermal corner. In 2017, the company formed a dedicated “Pro Workflow” team and recommitted to building truly modular systems, a pivot that culminated in the 2019 Mac Pro tower—a clear signal that Apple had learned from its misstep and was willing to correct course for the professional market. > “I think we designed ourselves into a bit of a thermal corner, if you will. We designed a system with the kind of GPUs that at the time we thought we needed, and that we thought we could well serve with a two GPU architecture. … Being able to put larger single GPUs required a different system architecture and more thermal capacity than that system was designed to accommodate.” — Craig Federighi This whole saga shows Apple’s pendulum swing: from prioritizing bold design statements that alienated core users, to re-embracing pragmatism and function when it mattered most. The scars of the 2013 Mac Pro still echo today in how carefully Apple frames its “pro” products. **The 2013 Mac Pro hurt Apple’s standing with professionals by prioritizing design over function, offering no internal expansion and quickly becoming obsolete, which led many creative and technical users to abandon the platform or freeze purchases**. The years of neglect that followed reinforced the perception that Apple no longer cared about pro workflows, damaging trust in its “pro” brand. Eventually, the backlash forced Apple into a rare public admission of failure, the creation of a Pro Workflow Team, and the launch of the modular 2019 Mac Pro—an expensive course correction that still serves as a cautionary reminder whenever Apple introduces new professional hardware. ## Butterfly Keyboard ![2015-2020 — The butterfly keyboard didn’t really fly and was utterly hated by everyone. Again, why did Apple took so longe to admit they missed the mark and redo their homeworks?](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/2025/09/IMG_9239.jpeg) 2015-2020 — The butterfly keyboard didn’t really fly and was utterly hated by everyone. Again, why did Apple took so longe to admit they missed the mark and redo their homeworks? Apple’s butterfly keyboard, introduced in 2015 with the ultra-thin MacBook, was designed to allow slimmer laptops and promised more stable, precise typing thanks to a new low-profile mechanism. In practice, it quickly became infamous for reliability issues: dust or debris could disable keys, repairs often required replacing the entire top case, and the shallow key travel felt unsatisfying to many typists. Despite several revisions with membranes and tweaks, problems persisted across MacBook, MacBook Air, and MacBook Pro models from 2015 to 2019, leading to lawsuits and a public repair program. Apple finally abandoned the design in 2020, returning to a more traditional scissor-switch “Magic Keyboard,” and the butterfly keyboard is now remembered as one of the company’s most notorious hardware missteps. **This design failure and the time it took for Apple to fix it is a testament of how stubborn Apple can be.** ## MacBook Touch Bar ![2016-2020 — The touchbar tried to solve a problem nobody really bothered with: having function keys on a keyboard. Personally, I'm one of the few who liked the concept. Scrubbing content was one of the best use cases for me.](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/2025/09/IMG_9240.jpeg) 2016-2020 — The touchbar tried to solve a problem nobody really bothered with: having function keys on a keyboard. Personally, I'm one of the few who liked the concept. Scrubbing content was one of the best use cases for me. Apple introduced the Touch Bar in 2016 as a dynamic OLED strip replacing the MacBook Pro’s function keys, promising customizable, context-sensitive controls for apps. Despite some clever uses in Apple’s own software, adoption lagged, professionals disliked losing tactile keys—especially Escape—and the feature quickly became a symbol of Apple prioritizing form over function during the controversial butterfly keyboard era. By 2019 Apple backtracked by restoring a physical Escape key, and in 2021 it removed the Touch Bar entirely with the redesigned MacBook Pro, later discontinuing the last model that carried it in 2023\. **Today it’s remembered as a bold but short-lived experiment that never matched the reliability and simplicity of physical keys.** ## Siri Rebuild ![2010-? — No matter what coat of paint Apple puts on it, Siri is still lacking in simple tasks execution.](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/2025/09/Image.jpeg) 2010-? — No matter what coat of paint Apple puts on it, Siri is still lacking in simple tasks execution. Apple acquired Siri in 2011 with big promises of a futuristic voice assistant, but it quickly fell behind Google and Amazon due to limited functionality, slow improvements, and Apple’s restrictive, closed approach. Despite efforts like SiriKit and the HomePod, Siri remained narrowly useful, mostly for setting timers or simple tasks, while rivals built richer ecosystems. Apple’s focus on privacy limited data collection, slowing AI progress, and controversies like human review of audio recordings further hurt trust. Internal disorganization and shifting leadership compounded the stagnation. By the time generative AI reshaped expectations in 2022, Siri seemed outdated. With Apple Intelligence announced in 2024, Apple is finally trying to reinvent Siri with generative AI, but it faces the challenge of overcoming a decade-long reputation for underperformance. Siri is holding back Apple’s other products like the HomePod where the only way to interact with the device is through voice. Other unannounced products like the HomePod with a screen still under development is also being delayed because of Siri not powerful or flexible enough to support more complex use cases. Apple’s failure to rebuild Siri has created multiple long-term problems: it damaged Apple’s brand by making Siri a weak link in the “it just works” promise; left Apple behind rivals in smart assistants and AI leadership despite an early start; prevented Siri from becoming the true hub of Apple’s ecosystem; slowed innovation due to legacy technical debt; discouraged developers with overly restrictive APIs; and revealed cultural limits in Apple’s closed, privacy-first approach that hinder bold reinvention. Together, these issues make Siri a strategic liability in the generative AI era. **Apple’s investment in Apple Intelligence somewhat reduced the focus on Siri, but not for good reasons.** ## Apple Intelligence ![2024-? — Apple Intelligence won’t make us forget about the underpowered Siri.](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/2025/09/IMG_9242.jpeg) 2024-? — Apple Intelligence won’t make us forget about the underpowered Siri. Apple has offered numerous AI-based features for years—like image recognition in Photos, predictive typing, Siri suggestions, and health insights—all built on advanced machine learning. Yet with the announcement of Apple Intelligence, Apple unintentionally downplayed these existing capabilities, creating the perception that it was only now entering the AI space. That perception isn’t entirely wrong: while Apple excels at practical, on-device machine learning, it has lagged in generative AI, where rivals have moved faster and louder. This gap explains why Apple Intelligence feels both like a fresh start and a catch-up move at the same time. For search, Apple made a deal with Google. But generative AI, Apple is still pondering its options, apparently. Time goes fast and rivals are already harder and harder to catch up. This lost opportunity doesn’t make Apple a leader it used to be. Sure, it has never been the first in a market, and they want to build for the best, not for the most. Yet, Apple will need to make the calls; otherwise, they keep adding failures that eventually will add up and make people reconsider their commitment to the ecosystem as generative AI use cases mature and become even more pervasive. **Apple Intelligence might not be the failure in itself, but the rollout was.** ## Ads ![2015-? — Apple’s ads are not what they used to be, they often show a lack judgment.](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/2025/09/IMG_9243.jpeg) 2015-? — Apple’s ads are not what they used to be, they often show a lack judgment. ![This ads stayed online for less than 24 hours. ](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/2025/09/IMG_9244.jpeg) This ads stayed online for less than 24 hours. Apple, once revered for iconic ads, has recently stumbled with several high-profile missteps: the 2024 iPad Pro *“Crush!”* ad drew backlash for symbolically destroying creative tools; a 2025 long-form Mac video called *“The Parent Presentation”* was mocked as cringeworthy and quickly pulled; an iPhone 16 ad overstated Siri’s AI features, triggering a false-advertising lawsuit; a Thailand-set spot was criticized for cultural stereotyping; and even a “Shot on iPhone, Drawn on iPad” billboard in Miami caused ridicule for an accidental sexual image. These incidents highlight Apple’s growing struggle with tone, cultural sensitivity, and messaging clarity—leading to public apologies, legal trouble, and questions about whether the company has lost the sharp creative instinct that once defined its marketing. ![Yes, the iPad is a computer, now. Thanks to iPadOS 26. Finally. ](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/2025/09/IMG_9245.jpeg) Yes, the iPad is a computer, now. Thanks to iPadOS 26\. Finally. ## Apple Vision Pro ![2024-? — A technological marvel at the wrong time, without a killer app or content.](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/2025/09/photo-1696429175928-793a1cdef1d3.jpeg) 2024-? — A technological marvel at the wrong time, without a killer app or content. Apple’s Vision Pro dazzled as a technical marvel—with ultra-high-resolution displays, custom silicon, and advanced spatial computing—but failed to gain traction because its $3,499 price tag far outweighed its everyday utility, the ecosystem lacked killer apps, and the device remained heavy, isolating, and awkward for long use. Market readiness wasn’t there: people already had cheaper, more social alternatives for productivity and entertainment. Vision Pro ultimately proved what’s possible but not yet desirable, serving more as a stepping stone toward future, lighter, more affordable headsets than as a mainstream success. Apple’s Vision Pro launch highlighted a striking disconnect between the company’s ambitions and the broader tech landscape shaped by the rise of generative AI. While Apple poured resources into unveiling a $3,499 mixed-reality headset—an impressive feat of engineering but with limited use cases and narrow appeal—the world was embracing generative AI tools that were inexpensive, widely accessible, and instantly transformative for work, creativity, and communication. This contrast made Apple look out of step: instead of spearheading the most disruptive shift in technology since the iPhone, it seemed focused on a hardware marvel that solved no urgent problem. Generative AI became the cultural and technological conversation, while Vision Pro remained an expensive curiosity. As a result, Apple’s reputation as the company that defines the future felt diminished; rather than being the pioneer of the next computing wave, it looked cautious, sidelined, and almost irrelevant in the very moment when intelligence—not hardware—was driving innovation forward. **Is Apple making another mistake by still not offering a solution in the smart glasses market? Time is definitely running out.** I wonder if Apple’s design team should start thinking outside the box and give it a real shot, while scaling back their efforts on Apple Vision Pro. ## Camera Control ![2024-? — Camera Control and over-engineered solution too finicky and complex to be useful. Apple being Apple, Camera Control is still present in iPhone 17, without major improvements.](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/2025/09/IMG_9241.jpeg) 2024-? — Camera Control and over-engineered solution too finicky and complex to be useful. Apple being Apple, Camera Control is still present in iPhone 17, without major improvements. Apple’s new Camera Control button on the iPhone 16 was pitched as a breakthrough but is seen by many as unnecessary, fiddly, and awkwardly placed; it’s imprecise compared to on-screen controls, inconsistent in behavior, missing key features like focus lock, and in some cases buggy. While some enthusiasts value the tactile feel for quick exposure or style adjustments, most users find it over-engineered for a problem that didn’t exist, echoing the fate of past Apple missteps like the Touch Bar. Rumors that Apple may drop the feature entirely by the iPhone 18 suggest it could be a short-lived experiment rather than a lasting innovation. Apple’s Camera Control button is widely seen as over-engineering—a complex, niche feature trying to fix what wasn’t broken. While it offers some benefits for power users, most find it awkward, imprecise, and unnecessary compared to familiar touch controls, making Apple look out of touch by investing in a flashy gimmick instead of practical improvements like battery life or better zoom. ## Developer relations ![2011-? — Apple’s betrayal of its most loyal fans continues.](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/2025/09/Image-1.jpeg) 2011-? — Apple’s betrayal of its most loyal fans continues. Apple often portrays developers as partners in creating the beautiful apps and services that define its ecosystem, but many developers no longer buy into that message. The company built one of the most profitable software platforms in history, yet strict App Store control, high commissions, limited API access, and unpredictable rules have left the community feeling more constrained than valued. While Apple insists its policies protect users and ensure quality, developers increasingly view them as self-serving. Legal fights like Epic Games’ lawsuit and mounting global regulation have forced Apple to ease some restrictions, but trust has eroded, leaving developers torn between the opportunities Apple enables and the control it continues to impose. **Apple’s strained relations with developers are increasingly hurting the adoption of new technologies like the Vision Pro and the Liquid Glass UI, because both rely on strong third-party support to succeed.** The Vision Pro risks becoming a niche gadget without a vibrant app ecosystem, while a major UI redesign falters if developers are slow to update their apps, leaving Apple’s own software polished but the wider experience inconsistent. Years of strict App Store rules, high fees, and limited flexibility have eroded trust, so instead of rushing to embrace Apple’s latest platforms, many developers now hesitate, weakening the momentum that once made Apple’s innovations instantly transformative. ## iOS 7 Flat Design ![2013-2016 — iOS 7 marks the loss of joyful user interfaces. Liquid Glass isn't the return of such interfaces, btw.](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/2025/09/IMG_9248.jpeg) 2013-2016 — iOS 7 marks the loss of joyful user interfaces. Liquid Glass isn't the return of such interfaces, btw. In 2013, Apple’s iOS 7 redesign replaced skeuomorphism with a flat, minimalist look of thin fonts, neon colors, and heavy translucency, but the abrupt shift was widely criticized by users for poor readability, confusing navigation, and motion-inducing animations, while developers resented the sudden need to overhaul apps without clear guidance. The backlash pushed Apple to gradually tone it down in later releases by adding bolder typography, clearer buttons, and faster animations, ultimately finding a more balanced design. In hindsight, Apple should have anticipated the problems—accessibility issues, developer disruption, and the risks of radical minimalism already seen elsewhere—making iOS 7 a case where bold aesthetics temporarily outweighed usability and trust. The iOS 7 redesign shook Apple’s brand image in ways both positive and negative. On one hand, it signaled a break from the skeuomorphic past and positioned Apple as modern and forward-looking at a time when Android was catching up in features and design. On the other hand, the jarring minimalism and usability missteps undermined Apple’s reputation for polish, coherence, and user-friendly design—the very traits that had set it apart. For some, iOS 7 felt rushed and experimental rather than the “it just works” standard people expected. The absence of a strong design visionary like Steve Jobs likely amplified these issues. Jobs had an instinct for balance between radical simplicity and human usability, often tempering extremes. Without that central taste-making force, design leadership fell to Jony Ive, who, while a brilliant hardware designer, pushed iOS toward an aesthetic purity that sometimes ignored practical concerns. Jobs was known for rejecting ideas until they aligned with both beauty and usability; his presence might have reined in the more abstract, fashion-driven elements of iOS 7 and insisted on a redesign that felt bold but still unmistakably Apple. **The episode illustrates how a brand built on design excellence can stumble when the internal check—the person or culture that balances vision with pragmatism—goes missing.** Apple recovered, but iOS 7 was a reminder that design revolutions carry brand risks if they outpace user trust. ## Liquid Glass ![2025-? — Apple’s Liquid Glass proves that iOS 7 was nothing compared to what we are about to endure for the next few years until Apple tone it down.](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/2025/09/Image-2.jpeg) 2025-? — Apple’s Liquid Glass proves that iOS 7 was nothing compared to what we are about to endure for the next few years until Apple tone it down. Apple’s “Liquid Glass” design language today echoes some of the same risks we saw with iOS 7\. On paper, it’s visually striking: translucent panels, layered depth, and glossy fluid-like elements meant to showcase Apple’s technical prowess. But the danger is déjà vu—pushing aesthetic novelty ahead of clarity and usability. As with iOS 7’s thin fonts and neon gradients, Liquid Glass risks overwhelming users with visual flash that can obscure hierarchy, reduce contrast, and fatigue the eye. Apple is again trying to distinguish itself at a moment when competitors lean toward functional minimalism, but in doing so, it could alienate users who prize Apple for clarity and predictability, not just spectacle. Steve Jobs’s absence still matters. Jony Ive’s departure left a design culture that sometimes oscillates between engineering-driven ambition and marketing-driven showmanship, without a central “taste filter” to ensure balance. Liquid Glass could repeat the iOS 7 cycle—an impressive but polarizing look that Apple must later tone down once usability complaints pile up. The lesson of iOS 7 was that Apple should evolve its design, not shock users with extremes. **If history repeats itself, Liquid Glass could again be a short-lived overcorrection before Apple returns to a calmer middle ground.** Over the course of summer 2025, I abundantly covered Apple’s Liquid Glass and created [a dedicated website for it](https://crafted.numericcitizen.me/apple-liquid-glass-fails?ref=numericcitizen.me); it might be worth a visit. Now, let’s pray that the next few months and maybe years will undo Liquid Glass, at least, partially. That’s certainly my hope. ## Fixing the iPad or Breaking Its Simplicity? ![2010-2025 — The iPad’s story is one of potential held back by Apple’s cautiousness, only to be gradually unlocked.](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/2025/09/Image-3.jpeg) 2010-2025 — The iPad’s story is one of potential held back by Apple’s cautiousness, only to be gradually unlocked. When it first launched in 2010, the iPad was presented as a “third device” between the iPhone and Mac—great for media, browsing, and casual apps, but deliberately limited. For years, iPads had strong processors (often rivalling Mac laptops) but were constrained by iPadOS, which treated them like oversized iPhones. No multi-window multitasking, limited external storage, clumsy file management, and no real professional apps kept the iPad from being the productivity powerhouse its hardware could have supported. Apple began to loosen the reins in 2019 with iPadOS, which split the platform from iOS and added features like split-screen multitasking, better file handling, external drive support, and later, Stage Manager for desktop-like workflows. Still, performance outpaced software: M-series chips were dropped into iPads, but the OS didn’t allow users to fully exploit that power. With iPadOS 26, the balance finally shifted. Apple leaned into the iPad’s potential as a real hybrid: far more capable multitasking, improved external monitor support, better keyboard/mouse integration, and powerful pro-level apps that tap into the same chipsets found in Macs. In short, Apple stopped treating the iPad as a “Mac alternative” to protect the Mac and began letting it grow into its own identity—lightweight, touch-first, but no longer artificially hobbled. **But did Apple break the iPad’s elegance and simplicity by bringing real-computer realities to the tablet? It remains to be seen.** ## The Slow and Agonizing Death of macOS ![2020 — With macOS Big Sur, Apple started the Mac transformation, and we all lost something unique during this transition.](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/2025/09/Image-1-1.png) 2020 — With macOS Big Sur, Apple started the Mac transformation, and we all lost something unique during this transition. macOS once stood apart, a computing environment defined by depth, flexibility, and a long tradition of user-centric design choices that treated the Mac as a world of its own. Over time, though, Apple’s pursuit of consistency across platforms has blurred the Mac’s identity. With the arrival of design cues and UI metaphors borrowed from iOS and iPadOS, macOS has grown sleeker but flatter, often at the cost of the rich textures, discoverability, and idiosyncratic polish that made it special. The soul of the Mac—its sense of being unapologetically different from touch-first devices—feels eroded. Part of this shift is cultural and technical. Swift was marketed as the modern replacement for Objective-C, but its elegance also nudged developers into Apple’s ecosystem-wide way of thinking: one language, one vision, all platforms unified. SwiftUI, in turn, took this further. By abstracting the interface layer into declarative building blocks, it became easier to design an app that looks and behaves consistently across iPhone, iPad, and Mac. But “consistently” here often meant “like iOS,” with macOS features trimmed down or awkwardly reshaped to fit the mobile-first model. What was once a developer culture of building “Mac-like apps” gave way to a culture of making apps that could stretch to any Apple device. Catalyst was Apple’s most explicit signal of intent: let iPad apps run on the Mac, even if they felt clumsy on the desktop. It was supposed to bolster the Mac software ecosystem, but in practice it diluted it. Mac users—long accustomed to apps that embraced multitasking, menus, and keyboard-driven workflows—found themselves staring at windowed iPad software with oversized buttons and simplified interfaces. Instead of preserving what made Mac apps distinct, Catalyst encouraged a lowest-common-denominator approach, flattening the Mac into yet another pane of glass in Apple’s multi-device strategy. **What’s left is a sense that macOS is morphing into a derivative product, its uniqueness sacrificed in the name of uniformity.** The once sharp boundary between desktop and mobile has been eroded, not by elevating the iPad to the Mac’s level of productivity, but by pulling the Mac closer to the iPad’s constraints. The Mac hasn’t disappeared, but its soul—that sense of being a computer first, not a cousin to a phone—feels increasingly faint. The irony is that Apple could have chosen differently. Swift, SwiftUI, and Catalyst could have been tools to expand the Mac’s vocabulary, allowing it to influence iOS and iPadOS as much as the other way around. Instead, the gravitational pull has been one-sided. macOS survives, but as a reflection of Apple’s broader ecosystem rather than a leader in defining what personal computing can be. ## PC Gaming ![Forever — Apple always wanted to make the Mac a gaming machine but its lack of consistency mined their efforts.](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/2025/09/photo-1548686304-5c3be888a00b.jpeg) Forever — Apple always wanted to make the Mac a gaming machine but its lack of consistency mined their efforts. Apple’s failure to gain momentum in PC gaming stems from a repeating cycle of flashy pushes with little follow-through, compounded by a pivotal fallout with NVIDIA. From *Marathon* in the ’90s to Intel Macs and Boot Camp in the 2000s, Metal in the 2010s, and Apple Silicon with the Game Porting Toolkit in the 2020s, each initiative stalled because of limited developer interest and a small player base. The breakdown of Apple’s relationship with NVIDIA after the 2008 GPU failures cut Macs off from the dominant GPU ecosystem and its strong developer ties, leaving Apple dependent on AMD and later its own GPUs, both lacking NVIDIA’s industry clout. Combined with Apple’s priorities—design, productivity, and iOS gaming profits over high-end graphics—the result is a self-reinforcing loop: too few gamers attract too few developers, keeping Mac gaming as a showcase rather than a serious platform. **Oh, and Apple Arcade, even after more than five years in operation, didn’t really help move the needle.** ## Failure to Return to Live Events In “[While We Wait for the Next Apple Infomercial](https://numericcitizen.me/while-we-wait-for-the-next-apple-infomercial/)”, I shared some thoughts about Apple’s decision to keep broadcasting pre-recorded events instead of going live. Today’s Apple might look lacking in confidence by staying away from these more dynamic and human-oriented events. ## Is Apple Losing Its Way? Looking at these failures in a focused article like this, we have to wonder: has Apple lost its way? Apple made mistakes under Steve Jobs. Were we more lenient with them when they were the underdog in the tech industry? Probably. As Apple grows to its current size, it’s no surprise we've become more critical. Apple often claims to lead by example, not just by appearance. Historical failures prove the contrary. ### The Ephemeral Scrapbook — Edition 2025-37 URL: https://numericcitizen.me/the-ephemeral-scrapbook-edition-2025-37/ Last updated: 2025-09-14T19:04:09.000Z ## 👤 Personal > #cablecutter #weather > 1️⃣ After being a cable TV subscriber for many decades, I decided to ditch cable and switch to an Apple TV-only setup. Although my experience with Apple TV isn't ideal for consuming TV content (as I explained in [this article](https://numericcitizen.me/cutting-the-cord-apple-tvs-unfulfilled-promise-in-2025/)), it's still the best option. It'll save me over $1,000 a year, more than enough to pay for [an updated Apple TV](https://www.macrumors.com/roundup/apple-tv/?ref=numericcitizen.me) when it comes out later this fall. 2️⃣ September is my favourite month of the year because of its cooler temperatures during the day and night. 3️⃣ I had a tough time selecting this edition's header image. I finally found one on Unsplash [from Taiki Ishikawa](https://unsplash.com/photos/a-man-standing-in-front-of-a-door-CRuEm%5FIEC3I?ref=numericcitizen.me). I chose that one because it's a good illustration of what is going on in our schools these days with smartphone usage: isolation. It's a good thing that more and more schools are starting to ban smartphones. The experience from this is that people likes it more than expected. ## 🗺️ Discoveries > #mymind #apps #macos > 1️⃣ MyMind isn’t exactly unknown to me, but I recently started testing the water with it. I like what I'm seeing, but I'm not sure if I need for this. I have never been a long-time user of Bookmaring apps. 2️⃣ While BasicAppleGuy is building a macOS icon history collection, 512 Pixels had a macOS Screenshot library that I wasn’t aware. It's about as extensive as you can expect. 3️⃣ Thanks to [Cloudflare](https://radar.cloudflare.com/ai-insights?ref=numericcitizen.me), we can see how much internet traffic AI bots are generating while scraping websites. It's fascinating. 4️⃣ Here's one of the coolest websites that I’ve seen in a long time! It's for geeks, but it's worth a visit: [PostHog.com](https://posthog.com/?ref=numericcitizen.me). ## 👨🏻‍💻 Writing > #generativeai > 1️⃣ Tiago Forte seems to be all in with generative AI in his [latest video](https://youtu.be/TUfGJY7gRxw?si=WhGTzi6Od0EF83y1&ref=numericcitizen.me). At first, I thought his use of Claude for writing essays was clever. Then, I started to ask myself: Is he promoting modern writing, or is this entirely different, a new kind of writing that should use a different word? I don't know, but I'm not able to call that writing. 2️⃣ Don't miss the [Numeric Citizen Blog Posts digest](https://blog.numericcitizen.me/newsletters/2025/09/01/16935.html?ref=numericcitizen.me) for August. 3️⃣ I find myself more and more starting new blog posts in French, then asking Grammarly to translate them into English. My mother language is French, and for me, this is helpful to break language barriers more easily. It's easier to get my ideas and thoughts out there. I'm fine with this workflow which involves generative AI. 4️⃣ Is AI changing our language? [Yes](https://www.computerworld.com/article/4055841/is-ai-changing-our-language.html?ref=numericcitizen.me). ![I make it to the Techmeme website front page!](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/2025/09/Image-7.png) I make it to the Techmeme website front page! ## 🌄 Photography > pixelfed #iphone17 #unsplash > 1️⃣ By rolling out ‘[Stories](https://pixelfed.social/p/pixelfed/868108497837217588?ref=numericcitizen.me)’, Pixelfed is diluting my interest in the platform. 2️⃣ [Tyler Stalman](https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC6OICk-ceplUJf4sCN3DMnQ?ref=numericcitizen.me) offers his views about the new iPhone 17 and iPhone Air. From a photography standpoint, the iPhone continues to advance and, maybe, lead the market. Time will tell, reviews will confirm or not. In any case, Stalman always offers great insights. 3️⃣ I've submitted [a new photo](https://unsplash.com/@numericcitizen?ref=numericcitizen.me) to my Unsplash account. It's been a long time. For some reason, I've been an upstick in downloads of my most popular photos. I'm curious in what context these downloads are being used. ## 🍎 Apple & Tech > #tablet #tech > 1️⃣ I like what Remarkable is doing with their tablets. Here is [the new Paper Pro Move](https://www.theverge.com/news/769005/remarkable-paper-pro-move-e-note-notebook-stylus-tablet-e-ink?ref=numericcitizen.me). In a whole dominated by a few companies, it's reassuring to see others trying to move the needle, even in niche markets. 2️⃣ While waiting for the next Apple keynote, I shared [my perspective](https://numericcitizen.me/while-we-wait-for-the-next-apple-infomercial/) on these media events. 3️⃣ BasicAppleGuy [wrote a good take](https://basicappleguy.com/basicappleblog/awe-dropping-apple-event-bingo?ref=numericcitizen.me) on the upcoming Apple keynote, centered around the usual bingo card. His perspective is overwhelmingly positive compared to mine, but both are valid. 4️⃣ Apple's Awe Dropping event revealed many nice new devices. Jarrod Blundy gathered [his reactions](https://heydingus.net/blog/2025/9/live-thoughts-on-apples-september-event?ref=numericcitizen.me) during the presentation. BasicAppleGuy posted an [Awe Dropping Recep](https://basicappleguy.com/basicappleblog/awe-dropping-recap?ref=numericcitizen.me). Jason Snell wrote [a great piece](https://sixcolors.com/post/2025/09/thinking-through-apples-september-9-announcements/?ref=numericcitizen.me), too. All in all, this event marks a shift: Apple is levelling up the “regular” iPhone and Watch experience, increasingly differentiating on design and ecosystem integration rather than purely hardware exclusivity. Oh, Parker Ortolani [wasn't convinced](https://parkerortolani.blog/2025/09/10/orangeness-beats-thinness-thoughts-on.html?ref=numericcitizen.me) by the recorded event quality and the less-than-stellar Watch upgrades, yet he will get an iPhone 17 Pro. Orange. Greg Morris thinks [the whole thing was a little bit weird](https://gregmorris.co.uk/2025/09/10/iphone-day-weirdness.html?ref=numericcitizen.me). I wouldn't call it weird, but tired. 5️⃣ In the article "[Apple is finally a carmaker](https://sixcolors.com/post/2025/09/apple-is-finally-a-carmaker/?ref=numericcitizen.me)" by Joe Rosensteel, the author draws an intriguing parallel between Apple's iPhones and automobiles, suggesting that the evolution of smartphones mirrors the automotive industry in terms of product updates, consumer behavior, and market saturation. 6️⃣ Want stickers for your new iPhone? Have a look at [Basic Apple Guy’s A19 Inside stickers](https://basicappleguy.com/basicappleblog/a-series-inside-stickers?ref=numericcitizen.me)! They are cheap and beautiful. ![This Apple Store looks like a big Mac mini.](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/2025/09/Image-1.png) This Apple Store looks like a big Mac mini. The iPhone Air looks great and I’m really looking forward ti trying it out on my next visit to the Apple Store A good alternative analysis of the iPhone Air design and its compromises. Of all Apple’s new products, the AirPods Pro 3 is probably the one product that I would buy, eventually. Before, I’ll let my AirPods Pro 2 die. ![The new Remarkable Paper Pro Move: a greatly focused device with a way too complicated naming scheme](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/2025/09/Image-2.png) The new Remarkable Paper Pro Move: a greatly focused device with a way too complicated naming scheme ## 🚧 Special projects > #newsletter > 1️⃣ My subscription trial to Inoreader's Email digest concluded and I can say that it's not a replacement for Mailbrew. ## 📱 Apps & Services > #inoreader #ai #instagram #metaacquisition > 1️⃣ Inoreader just introduced a game-changer for YouTube and Podcast consumption. For each video or podcast episode, you can request a written transcript, a topic list, or a full article. The topic list allows users to skip to a specific point in the content just by typing on a specific segment, while the article is a summary generated from the content. After testing it for a few videos, I must admit that these additions could radically change how I consume video and podcasts. [I wrote a recap of my experience.](https://numericcitizen.me/inoreaders-new-email-digest-feature-promise-and-limitations/) 2️⃣ Instagram, after 15 years of existence, finally recognizes the iPad as a viable platform, so they released an iPad app. Just passing the information here. I'm not on Instagram. However, you know, [Instagram is no longer Instagram](https://spyglass.org/instagram-is-no-longer-instagram/?ref=numericcitizen.me). 3️⃣ Atlassian, the maker of Confluence and Jira, among other things, [will acquire the Browser Company](https://mjtsai.com/blog/2025/09/04/atlassian-acquires-the-browser-company/?ref=numericcitizen.me). It's probably more positive than negative. 4️⃣ Notion now offers offline mode. This is a game-changer for Notion users and has been a request for years. Happy for this to be a reality now. All the details [here](https://youtu.be/ued3fwBzsL0?si=wfYHa1zG5zusjgAJ&ref=numericcitizen.me). By the way, Thomas Frank, a YouTuber dedicated to Notion, is a model for me to follow when it comes to explaining and giving constructive feedback about a product. 5️⃣ You can now save posts on Bluesky with the new bookmarking feature. Welcome to 2025, Bluesky. 6️⃣ [Kagi Summarize for iPad and iPhone is out](https://apps.apple.com/ca/app/kagi-summarize/id6748308326?ref=numericcitizen.me). Summarize any articles right from your browser. Handy. ![You can now save posts on Bluesky. Finally. ](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/2025/09/Image-3.png) You can now save posts on Bluesky. Finally. > “If the macOS 26 betas are any indication, Apple still has a lot of work left to make Tahoe amazing. I'm hoping they take their time and wait until later in the fall to ship the next great version of macOS. Acorn is going to take this approach at any rate. My goal is to make Acorn feel at home in macOS Tahoe, but still retain its own personality as well.” — [The Shape of Everything blog](https://shapeof.com/archives/2025/9/acorn%5F8.2%5Fand%5Ftahoe%5Fplans.html?ref=numericcitizen.me) ![Inoreader’s recent addition: AI based summary for YouTube videos and podcasts.](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/2025/09/Image-4.png) Inoreader’s recent addition: AI based summary for YouTube videos and podcasts. ## 📺 YouTube > apple #iphone17 #applerumor > 1️⃣ Funny guy. He's really strecthing his luck with [this fake iPhone video](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nEAAyM-SdPU&ref=numericcitizen.me). 2️⃣ If you are an Apple Safari user, you must watch [this video](https://youtu.be/QtxwrToQ8%5Fk?si=8-3eMX6n2ErxfOxa&ref=numericcitizen.me) showing all the power user features that you must know about to take advantage of better. 3️⃣ [Notion supports offline mode](https://youtu.be/ued3fwBzsL0?si=wfYHa1zG5zusjgAJ&ref=numericcitizen.me). This has been requested for many years, and people rejoice. This video explains the new features and the many fine prints and limitations. ## 🌟 Miscellaneous > productivity > 1️⃣ I love those articles where the author talks about the tools he or she is using, dropping or evaluating and how they fit in their workflows. [This one](https://www.platformer.news/productivity-tools-ai-2025/?ref=numericcitizen.me) is from The Platformer, a well-known author. He talks about Capacities, Recall, AI, among other things. 2️⃣ I recently used ChatGPT to help me edit a redirect instructions file for one of my websites. I needed to add an instruction for redirecting a specific URL that was pointing to a nonexistent page. I know a bit about YAML files but not about redirections, so ChatGPT helped me in this. It worked like a breeze. There are many areas of maintaining a website that require such a tool to help me fix issues, and I find this super helpful. I feel empowered. ![Among all the icons, the weather app probably suits the best for the Liquid Glass look with fuzzy edges. ](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/2025/09/Image-5.png) Among all the icons, the weather app probably suits the best for the Liquid Glass look with fuzzy edges. ## 🔮 Looking forward > climatechange #weather #liquidglass #applerumor > 1️⃣ Speaking of the weather app icon (see previous section), [as reported by CNN,](https://www.cnn.com/2025/09/11/weather/false-fall-summer-heat-climate?ref=numericcitizen.me) it appears that North America will see a warmer-than-normal fall season. After the summer, fall is my favourite season. 2️⃣ Now that all Apple operating systems are release candidates, Apple has opened the gate for developers to submit their app updates to take advantage of them. Here's a prediction: the adoption of Liquid Glass will vary a lot from one developer to another based on UI challenges to fit the new mould, or disdain to adopt a new but controversial visual language. This could translate into a lack of consistency, more than ever before, on your beloved devices. We'll see how it plays out. 3️⃣ Now that the iPhone 17 is out, it's time to look at the [iPhone 18 rumors](https://www.macrumors.com/2025/09/13/iphone-18-smaller-dynamic-island-rumor/?ref=numericcitizen.me). 🤷🏻‍♂️ ![Upcoming temperatures for most of the US will be above normal. ](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/2025/09/Image-6.png) Upcoming temperatures for most of the US will be above normal. I wish you a great week! ✌️ 🇺🇦 🇨🇦 🇪🇺 💪🏻 💡 This newsletter edition is also available as a Craft shared document [****here**](https://crafted.numericcitizen.me/ephemeral-scrapbook-edition-2025-37?ref=numericcitizen.me). An index of past editions can be found [here](https://numericcitizen.me/tag/ephemeral-scrapbook/). This week's edition is based on template version 1.8.1 and was put together with ❤️ mostly on an M2 15-inch MacBook Air, Craft Docs and many supporting [subscriptions](https://crafted.numericcitizen.me/current-subscriptions?ref=numericcitizen.me)! If you like this newsletter, please consider supporting me via [PayPal](https://paypal.me/numericcitizen?locale.x=en%5FUS&ref=numericcitizen.me) or becoming a supporter by visiting my [Ko-fi](https://ko-fi.com/numericcitizen/?ref=numericcitizen.me) page! ### Inoreader’s New Email Digest Feature: Promise and Limitations URL: https://numericcitizen.me/inoreaders-new-email-digest-feature-promise-and-limitations/ Last updated: 2025-09-12T10:40:12.000Z Inoreader has long been a reliable choice for RSS power users like me. [I wrote about it](https://numericcitizen.me/empowering-my-reading-workflow-with-inoreader/) because it’s part of my reading workflow. Its new Email Digest feature attempts to extend the platform beyond feed reading by letting you package content into regular email updates. After experimenting with it, thinking that it could replace Mailbrew, I’ve gathered a few observations on what works, where it struggles, and how it is positioned compared to Mailbrew. ## What It Brings to the Table Put simply, Inoreader’s Email Digest allows you to build email summaries of RSS feeds. It’s nothing new, and Inoreader has had this capability for a long time. The most notable addition is the option to add an AI-generated digest summary. Instead of receiving a raw list of articles, you can craft a custom prompt and let AI create an overview of the day’s or week’s content. This flexibility is powerful—whether you want a simple executive-style briefing or a more narrative recap. Building digests themselves is straightforward with a special digest editor (see screenshot below). You can pull in any feed in your account or even bundle a group of feeds stored in a folder. For high-velocity feeds, the AI summary becomes especially useful; it condenses overwhelming flows into something you can actually act on. The ability to tailor the summary prompt makes this system surprisingly adaptable. ![The email digest editor.](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/2025/09/Image.png) The email digest editor. ## Tips for Getting the Best Out of It While experimenting, I found that those tips will make the experience smoother: - Stick to slow feeds with low-frequency updates; otherwise, your digests risk ballooning into inbox-clogging monsters. - Be ruthless in feed selection. Too many inputs, and the digest loses its clarity. - Think in terms of focused themes. A digest that gathers photos from top Glass photographers or curates posts from a handful of trusted bloggers works better than a broad “everything I follow” bundle. There is a limit of five digests in my current subscription trial. You can have more if you pay even more. ## Where It Falls Short The feature feels like a new iteration of something familiar, but the design is still limited in several key areas: - No AI summaries for individual articles. The feature only works at the digest level or section level. - Subscription friction. Others can’t directly subscribe to your digest; they must be invited manually, which feels tedious and clunky. - No highlight support. Text highlights can’t be surfaced into digests, cutting off a potential use case for curated quotes. - RSS dependency. While Mailbrew once connected to non-RSS sources like Twitter or email, Inoreader keeps you tied to feeds. This narrows the diversity of information you can pull in. - Individual, not public. You can’t share your digest as a public newsletter with a URL; it’s designed for personal inbox delivery only. - Poor fit for visual content. There’s no thumbnail-only view, so image-heavy feeds don’t translate well into digest form. - Limited layout options. A denser, list-based layout would better handle text-heavy digests, but overall information density remains modest. ## The AI Factor The AI digest capability deserves special mention. It’s the feature that differentiates Inoreader from the older, more manual Mailbrew approach. The ability to tweak the prompt gives users fine control over tone and output style. Want a corporate executive-style memo? You can write a prompt that frames it that way. Prefer a friendly, conversational recap? Adjust accordingly. In this sense, the digest becomes an editor you can shape. Still, the lack of AI at the individual article level feels like a missed opportunity. Imagine opening your inbox and seeing one-paragraph AI summaries for each key article in your digest. That would reduce the need to click through everything while still surfacing value. ## Comparing to Mailbrew’s Legacy ![Email digests in Inoreader](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/2025/09/Cleanshot---Inoreader2025-08-2906.47.152x.png) Email digests in Inoreader For those who used Mailbrew, comparisons are inevitable. Mailbrew positioned itself as a more open aggregator, pulling in sources beyond RSS—like newsletters, social feeds, and even custom integrations. That made it attractive for people who wanted a single pipeline for all kinds of digital content. Inoreader, by contrast, is firmly rooted in RSS. This makes sense given its history, but it means digests risk becoming siloed. You’re essentially reformatting what you already follow in Inoreader, not extending into new territory. Where Mailbrew felt like a bridge between web services, Inoreader’s digests feel like a refinement of its core. The trade-off is clear: more flexibility in AI summaries, less breadth in inputs. ## Who Is It For? The real question is audience. Right now, Email Digests feel best suited for: - Personal knowledge management. If you want a private way to keep track of narrow topics, this could prove to be a good fit. - Focused theme projects. For example, building a digest of photography blogs or tracking long-form writing on technology. - Workflow aids. Professionals who want an inbox-friendly recap of industry news will enjoy email digests in Inoreader.. But if you’re looking to build a public audience, this isn’t it—at least not yet. There’s no shareable digest URL, no way to position yourself as a curator with a following. ## Looking Ahead The framework is there for something bigger. If Inoreader eventually opens up public-facing digests, adds highlight integration, and experiments with denser layouts, the feature could evolve into a strong alternative to dedicated newsletter tools. Until then, it’s best thought of as an individual productivity enhancement, not a replacement for Mailbrew. ## Final Thoughts Inoreader’s Email Digest feature showcases flexibility in design, particularly with its AI prompt customization, but this comes with trade-offs in source diversity and some constraints around layout. Unlike Mailbrew, which is free, Inoreader charges an additional $7 a month to an existing Pro subscription. That’s a tough sell unless the feature becomes central to your workflow. I don’t think it’s my case. For individual users, the tool may feel more like a nice experiment than an essential upgrade. In its current state, it’s best suited for tightly curated, personal digests rather than broader sharing or community-driven newsletters. ### While We Wait for the Next Apple Infomercial URL: https://numericcitizen.me/while-we-wait-for-the-next-apple-infomercial/ Last updated: 2025-09-06T14:17:40.000Z Apple’s decision to stick with prerecorded product events, even after the pandemic, marks a telling change in the company’s relationship with its audience. What began in 2020 as a necessary adaptation to COVID’s restrictions has now calcified into a new standard: glossy, hyper-produced keynote videos that often feel more like extended commercials than moments of genuine product unveiling. There was a time when Apple events carried the electricity of live theater. The stage, the crowd’s reaction, the occasional glitch, and the “one more thing” reveal all gave a sense of immediacy and authenticity. These moments weren’t just about products; they were about performance, anticipation, and the human connection between Apple’s leadership and its community of fans, developers, and journalists. The collective gasp when the first iPhone was shown, or the applause at a surprise Mac announcement, reinforced Apple’s image as more than just a tech company—it was a cultural force. By contrast, today’s prerecorded format sacrifices that spark. The videos are technically flawless—smooth camera work, sweeping drone shots, and transitions as sharp as the edges of an iPhone 16 Pro—but they are emotionally flat. The spontaneity is gone, replaced by carefully staged presentations in Apple Park’s immaculate spaces. It feels less like a conversation with the audience and more like a meticulously edited sales pitch. For a company that has long prided itself on forging emotional bonds with its users, these events come across as curiously sterile, closer to an overproduced advertisement than a cultural moment. This format underscores a shift in priorities: Apple is choosing control over connection. In a prerecorded video, nothing is left to chance—no awkward demos, no technical hiccups, no embarrassing headlines about stage mishaps. Yet in sanding down those imperfections, Apple has also stripped away the soul. What remains is a beautifully lit infomercial: visually impressive but emotionally hollow. The consequences go beyond presentation style. The mythos of the Apple keynote—once a cornerstone of the company’s brand identity—risks fading into irrelevance. Once communal experiences, these events are now solitary viewings. Apple may see efficiency in this change, but longtime followers sense a loss of magic. Compounding this decline is Apple’s growing reliance on “speeds and feeds,” where processor benchmarks, camera megapixels, and battery life numbers take center stage over vision and storytelling. This emphasis on specs drains the sense of theater, reducing the events to technical briefings rather than cultural milestones. Adding to the problem is the constant stream of leaks before each keynote. Caused in part by Apple’s ever-expanding supply chain, these leaks strip away surprise. By the time Tim Cook or his colleagues appear on screen, the audience often already knows the headline announcements, leaving little room for splash or excitement. This challenge is compounded by the state of the smartphone market itself. With iPhone launches taking place in a saturated and commoditized industry, it has become increasingly challenging to impress audiences or showcase trend-setting innovations. Even meaningful upgrades can feel incremental, which further dulls the impact of prerecorded events that lack the electricity of live presentation. Ultimately, this evolution mirrors a larger tension within Apple: the balance between perfection and humanity. In chasing the former, the company risks losing the latter. Without that human element, Apple’s keynotes resemble the very corporate product demos Steve Jobs once mocked—technically competent but devoid of wonder. As Apple prepares to unveil the iPhone 17, these dynamics are on full display. Leaks have already set expectations, the market is saturated, and the event itself will likely be another polished video designed for efficiency rather than excitement. If the past is any indication, the iPhone 17 launch may fail to reignite the magic, leaving Apple to grapple with a growing perception that its most iconic stage has lost its power to surprise and inspire. I’m still hoping for something different this time, but I’m realistic. ### The Ephemeral Scrapbook — Edition 2025-36 URL: https://numericcitizen.me/the-ephemeral-scrapbook-edition-2025-36/ Last updated: 2025-08-31T12:45:21.000Z ## 👤 Personal > #chatgpt > 1️⃣ I recently had a passionate discussion about using ChatGPT as a life coach or acting as a psychologist. Someone I know has a lot of fun using ChatGPT whenever she faces an issue and wants to explore possible solutions. I have a problem with this practice. The argument revolved around the idea that ChatGPT “acts” in much the same way as a psychologist who has completed university studies, adheres to a school of thought, and also uses their own values, experience, and beliefs for giving advice. And as in a therapy session, it is always up to the patient to judge the advice they receive and decide whether to adopt it or not. Having a relatively clear understanding of how generative artificial intelligence works, I find it particularly troubling that people consider ChatGPT as a psychologist. It’s troubling. ![A fucked up digital world](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/2025/08/Image-2.png) A fucked up digital world ## 🗺️ Discoveries > #security #passkeys #passwordmanager #uidesign #workspace #design > 1️⃣ Apparently, people don't like or understand passkeys. As someone who uses Apple Passwords for password management, I don't face the same challenges as those who rely on third-party solutions. Nonetheless, [this article](https://birchtree.me/blog/what-causes-bad-passkey-experiences/?ref=numericcitizen.me) sheds some light on the usage and adoption of passkeys. 2️⃣ I you'd like to see other creative people’s work setup, pay a visit to [the Workspaces website](https://www.workspaces.xyz/?ref=numericcitizen.me). You'll find plenty of them there, and you might find some inspiration to improve your own work environment. 3️⃣ Another great website discovery: [Making Software](https://www.makingsoftware.com/?ref=numericcitizen.me), “a reference manual for people who design and build software.” This is mind-blowing! The quality of illustrations is quite up there. Sadly, the website doesn't offer an RSS feed. 🙁 > “If people want to use AI as those services, it’s easily accessible to them without building it into the browser. But I think the concept of building it into the browser is typically for the sake of collecting information. And that’s not what we are about as a company, and we don’t think that’s what the web should be about.” - The makers of the Vivaldi browser Found on LinkedIn (emphasis is mine): > “Bilingual cloud consultant (French and English) with over 20 years of experience in IT, specializing in hybrid infrastructure, cloud migration, automation, backup, and disaster recovery. Recognized expert in transforming complex environments into simple, secure, and scalable architectures on AWS, Azure, and VMware. ***Daily user of generative AI tools to accelerate delivery timelines, enhance quality, and structure service delivery.*** Acts as a strategic advisor and trusted technology partner for organizations looking to modernize their operations or migrate to the cloud.” ## 👨🏻‍💻 Writing > #apps #review > 1️⃣ I started working on a piece about Apple Journal. It might take a long time before it sees the light, but stay tuned. ## 🌄 Photography > #instagram #lightroom #glass > 1️⃣ How much shit can Meta fit into Instagram before quitting? [I wonder](https://spyglass.org/instagram-cruft/?ref=numericcitizen.me). For many years now, Instagram is no longer the Instagram we loved and cherished. 2️⃣ Where are the female photographers? I mean, browsing the discovery tab on Glass, you'll find that 95% of photographers are male! Why is that? 3️⃣ Glass is now offering [a Lightroom Classic Plugin](https://glass.photo/highlights/publish-to-glass-from-lightroom-classic?ref=numericcitizen.me)! This means that once photo processing is done, users can publish from within Lightroom directly to Glass! How convenient this is! Sadly, I’m no longer an Adobe subscriber! Sigh. 4️⃣ Speaking of Glass, I published a new series: [Clouds & Sun](https://glass.photo/numericcitizen/series/5LFzsgth2sNs3vpkedETlZ-clouds-and-sun?ref=numericcitizen.me). It's about clouds and sun! I realized that I do have many photos covering these subjects and wanted to put them together. 5️⃣ Speaking of clouds: I made a surprising photographer discovery this past week: [Clifford Beshers](https://cliffordbeshers.micro.blog/photos/?ref=numericcitizen.me). He shares his photos on Micro.blog, many of which are about clouds! I love [this one](https://cliffordbeshers.micro.blog/2025/02/17/after-all-the-snow-photos.html?ref=numericcitizen.me)! 6️⃣ Here's [a strange observation](https://blog.numericcitizen.me/2025/08/24/here-is-a-strange-issue.html?ref=numericcitizen.me) in Photomator's files handling. 7️⃣ [Mohammad Awadh](https://www.photoawards.com/winner/zoom.php?eid=8-1722611645-25&ref=numericcitizen.me) won one of the IPA 2025 awards. You'll find the best architectural photographs that you’ve ever seen. I wish my late father could see those images because he was a professional architect. ## 🍎 Apple & Tech > #liquidglass > 1️⃣ We are getting close to the final release of iOS 26 with Liquid Glass, and it seems that Apple has frozen Liquid Glass. This is it, guys. Liquid Glass is still broken. Instead of unifying all Apple OSes, it does the opposite. The Mac is less Liquid Glassy, and the iPhone is in its most intense state. Why is that? Now, macOS feels unfinished. How can Apple, with all its resources, be so wrong about something so fundamental to its past journey? 2️⃣ Google make an [infomercial](https://spyglass.org/google-pixel-event-2025/?ref=numericcitizen.me) for their new Google Pixel devices? Beyond the strangeness of the show format, there are undoubtedly great phones. Take the Google Pixel watch; it looks better than the Apple Watch, for sure. It looks like... a watch. See the YouTube section below for a quick video. One thing that stood out while watching videos about Google's latest device was how much easier Android is to read than iOS. 3️⃣ A new generation of developers and designers is entering businesses like Apple. One thing that seems clear is that perhaps [the younger developers didn't learn to use (and appreciate) the Mac as a computing platform](https://xoxo.zone/users/dwineman/statuses/115063676319041162?ref=numericcitizen.me). When they started to work on cross-platform development tools and languages like SwiftUI, did they fully understand every platform across the spectrum? I'm not so sure. This also translates into challenges, I suppose, when thinking and designing Apple Liquid Glass—something to consider. 4️⃣ [Something Is Wrong](https://blog.numericcitizen.me/2025/08/23/something-is-wrong.html?ref=numericcitizen.me). 5️⃣ Are you excited for [the iPhone Fold](https://9to5mac.com/2025/08/24/foldable-iphone-five-cameras-2026/?ref=numericcitizen.me)? 6️⃣ Apple lost its way in icon design. See some exhibits [here](https://daringfireball.net/2025/08/macos%5F26%5Ftahoes%5Fdead%5Fcanary%5Futility%5Fapp%5Ficons?ref=numericcitizen.me). > “We're going to see an Apple Watch at the September event that looks the same as the original from a decade ago, with a several-year-old SoC inside, with few capabilities that original didn't have. You still can't have the watch face you really want, because it's not your watch, it's Apple's watch. What a waste” — Steve Troughton-Smith ![Put together by John Gruber](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/2025/08/Image-1-1.png) Montage put together by John Gruber ## 🚧 Special projects > #newsletter #experiment #mailbrew > 1️⃣ Under my project of finding a replacement for Mailbrew, I've been testing Inoreader Email Digests for a few days now. This feature enables users to create newsletters based on feeds and articles. The editor is surprisingly flexible and powerful, but comes with some missing capabilities. I'll keep exploring Inoreader Email Digest in the coming days, and I should be able to write more about my experience. One problem is that this feature isn't free and requires an upgrade to my current subscription. See the next section for more information about this service. ## 📱 Apps & Services > #openai #notion #aibrowser #utility #tot #raycast #mailbrew #inoreader > 1️⃣ What if OpenAI bought Notion? [Parker Ortolani thinks so](https://parkerortolani.blog/2025/08/24/openai-could-end-googles-gemini.html?ref=numericcitizen.me). I think it would provide OpenAI with relatively quick access to business-related software and a lot of data. The only issue is that, as of my last check, Notion Mail is a client or a front-end to Google Mail. I'm not sure Google would love this to happen. They would rather let a player like Notion tap into their users than a direct competitor in the AI space, such as OpenAI. 2️⃣ Comet and Dia, two AI browsers, continue to receive updates. I'm still experimenting with them, and I'm still not convinced about their usefulness in any of my workflows. 3️⃣ Before using Raycast Notes, I was using [Tot](https://tot.rocks/?ref=numericcitizen.me) and very much liked it, but found it to be too limited in the number of notes I could store. Tot 2 is now available, but it appears to have the same limitation. I'm curious to see how it will adopt Liquid Glass, if it ever does. Perhaps it's for version 2.1\. 4️⃣ Inoreader launched a redesigned email digest functionality. After reading [the official announcement](https://www.inoreader.com/blog/2025/08/redesigned-email-digests-for-more-control-and-flexibility.html?ref=numericcitizen.me), I thought it could replace Mailbrew, an email digest service that is no longer being developed, as I first mentioned in this edition of my Creative Summary newsletter, [edition 2023-37](https://numericcitizen.me/my-weekly-creative-summary-for-the-week-of-2023-37/). I request a trial, as email digests aren’t free and require a subscription upgrade. 5️⃣ [iA Presenter 1.5 for iPhone and iPad is out!](https://ia.net/topics/a-presentation-app-that-works-on-your-phone?ref=numericcitizen.me) If you plan to create and give presentations on the go, you might want to take a look. ## 📺 YouTube > #llms #generativeai > 1️⃣ Curious about how LLMs in generative works and how they are put together, watch [this short video](https://youtu.be/LPZh9BOjkQs?ref=numericcitizen.me) from the Computer History Museum. Very well done. You might watch it more than once so that you better understand. 2️⃣ [Demo of MacPaint](https://youtu.be/1tQ5XwvjPmA?si=1t%5FeYjfpI1GzwtK0&ref=numericcitizen.me) draws awes from the crowd. It's still fascinating to see how far we have come since those times. 3️⃣ Google launched the Google Pixel 10, among other things. Just like Microsoft with their Surface, I respect Google for what they are doing. But AI is taking too much space in these products. I'm not sure everything is useful. Cue Marques Brownlee [quick overview](https://youtu.be/269OsrzG3Ew?ref=numericcitizen.me) of these new phones. Oh, and they announced [a new smart watch](https://youtu.be/al0SLxwXepk?ref=numericcitizen.me), too. We shouldn't dismiss round smart watches. I like those. ## 🌟 Miscellaneous > #vibecoding #techtrends #techhistory > 1️⃣ From 2009 to 2013, I was doing experimental iPhone app development and shipped three apps on the App Store. I made about $5K. At that time, building an app meant using Xcode, Interface Builder and Objective-C. Fast forward today, and I wonder how my journey as a hobbyist developer would be different with generative AI and vibe coding. I find [this post](https://birchtree.me/blog/i-use-ai-agents-to-code-but-im-not-a-vibe-coder/?ref=numericcitizen.me) from Matt Birchler interesting in that respect. 2️⃣ According to [a post](https://www.visualcapitalist.com/desktop-vs-mobile-global-web-traffic/?ref=numericcitizen.me) by Niccolo Conte, 60% of web traffic comes from mobile devices while 40% comes from desktop computers. The article shows how that trend has evolved since 2009\. It's fascinating, but it doesn't align with the visitor analytics I've seen for my various websites. A majority of people are coming from the desktop. I wouldn't be surprised if visitors were older generations, too. 3️⃣ If you are old enough to be in the older generations, you might remember dot matrix printers? Maybe you even had one? Do you remember the font appearance? Take a look [here](https://mw.rat.bz/MX-80/?ref=numericcitizen.me) (Spend some time exploring [the website](https://mw.rat.bz/index.html?ref=numericcitizen.me), which features a retro-style. Pretty clever). 4️⃣ Another good read from Riccardo Mori: [Smoke Break](https://morrick.me/archives/10125?ref=numericcitizen.me). Community. Awareness. AI. Individualism. He made me think. ## 🔮 Looking forward > #iphone17 > 1️⃣ The September launch for the iPhone 17 is coming soon, but what can we expect for a product that is now more than mature? [Another infomercial](https://parkerortolani.blog/2025/08/21/keynotes-are-bad-because-products.html?ref=numericcitizen.me)? I'm not really looking into it as I wrote here, in [this depressing blog post](https://blog.numericcitizen.me/2025/08/23/something-is-wrong.html?ref=numericcitizen.me). ![Apple’s latest invite artwork. The amount of effort Apple is putting into defacing its logo is surprising.](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/2025/08/Image-2-1.png) Apple’s latest invite artwork. The amount of effort Apple is putting into defacing its logo is surprising. I wish you a great week! ✌️ 🇺🇦 🇨🇦 🇪🇺 💪🏻 📌 This newsletter edition is also available as a Craft shared document [****here**](https://crafted.numericcitizen.me/ephemeral-scrapbook-edition-2025-38?ref=numericcitizen.me). An index of past editions can be found [here](https://numericcitizen.me/tag/ephemeral-scrapbook/). This week's edition is based on template version 1.8.1 and was put together with ❤️ mostly on an M2 15-inch MacBook Air, Craft Docs and many supporting [subscriptions](https://crafted.numericcitizen.me/current-subscriptions?ref=numericcitizen.me)! If you like this newsletter, please consider supporting me via [PayPal](https://paypal.me/numericcitizen?locale.x=en%5FUS&ref=numericcitizen.me) or becoming a supporter by visiting my [Ko-fi](https://ko-fi.com/numericcitizen/?ref=numericcitizen.me) page! ### The Ephemeral Scrapbook — Edition 2025-34 URL: https://numericcitizen.me/the-ephemeral-scrapbook-edition-2025-34/ Last updated: 2025-08-31T12:43:28.000Z ## 👤 Personal > #supportukraine #ukrainewar #war > 1️⃣ I don’t often discuss non-technical topics in this newsletter, but now feels like the right time. Since the **war in Ukraine** began, I have been closely following the news. Almost every day, I check various news platforms, mostly European ones, to understand the current situation. I feel personally affected by this conflict, just as I do by the war in Gaza. I tend to side with the vulnerable. The events in Ukraine, along with the recent meeting between Trump and Putin in Alaska, are disheartening and frankly appalling. We have the worst U.S. president in history, and he is the least capable leader to address this crisis. It’s frustrating, and I am not optimistic about the outcome. > Conflicts like this may be thousands of kilometres away, but their ripples cross borders easily. War has a way of collapsing the illusion of distance. Economic instability, energy crises, mass displacement of people, and geopolitical shifts are not contained by geography. Global news makes every tragedy visible and immediate, and empathy doesn’t stop at a country’s edge. Seeing lives torn apart—even if I don’t know these people personally—reminds me that our shared humanity means their suffering is not isolated from my own sense of safety and justice. Wars shape the world we all have to live in, and ignoring them is just another way of letting them shape it for the worse. ## 🗺️ Discoveries > #apple #macintosh > 1️⃣ Is [MacSurfer](https://macsurfer.com/?ref=numericcitizen.me) Headline News back? It certainly seems so. Does that ring a few bells? It does for me. Bookmarked because it used to be my home page in Netscape on my Power Macintosh 6100\. I would pay visit a few times a day to get all the latest news about Apple. Good memories, indeed. > “Just as people can visit your Ghost website in any browser, subscribe with any feed reader, or receive newsletters in any email client, they can now follow your Ghost publication from any social web client.” — [Ghost 6.0 Announcement](https://ghost.org/6?ref=numericcitizen.me) ## 👨🏻‍💻 Writing > #substack > 1️⃣ [This stuff](https://youtu.be/vlc%5FenCxaJE?si=PBX8ORoBTbB4Nm4x&ref=numericcitizen.me) about using AI coming from **Tiago Forte** is pure non sense. I mean, this guy built a career around writing, among other things. Now, he suggests that he doesn’t have to write all his stuff, but AI could do it for him. Really. 2️⃣ **Substack** again made the news with bad actors. Someone put together [a website](https://leavesubstack.com/?ref=numericcitizen.me) explaining why and how to leave Substack. I left a while ago, but my account is still active. I do pay a visit to Substack once in a while. But I never publish anything. I’m following one guy: [Scott Knaster](https://scottknaster.substack.com/). He is cool. He wrote many books about Macintosh computer programming back in the day. He is a great writer. As Om Malik [writes](https://om.co/2025/08/03/the-why-of-substack/?ref=numericcitizen.me), you can dislike Substack, but we must acknowledge the positive impact such a platform can have on attracting readers. This is something that, as a writer and blogger, I must consider at some point. Ghost is making some positive and bold moves with **Ghost 6**, and I’ve seen readership improvements since then. 3️⃣ It's been a while since I wrote and published a lengthy article about Apple. Although there is always something to discuss regarding Apple, I believe others provide more valuable insights than I could offer. > “Beginners believe that fancy, wordy language impresses readers. Professionals know that writing is a [form of communication](https://writingcooperative.com/as-a-professional-editor-i-can-strengthen-any-writing-using-6-rules-ad9e11553c2b?ref=numericcitizen.me), and communication should be as straightforward as possible.” — Maria Cassano ## 🌄 Photography > #glass/discovery #glass/series #glass/search > 1️⃣ I continue to collect incredible sunset photos from my rented chalet. I brought my Nikon camera with me recently and spent the night on the lake shore to take pictures of the descending sun. Sadly, I forgot my SD card reader, so I can't share anything yet. 2️⃣ Some [great photos](https://glass.photo/kali%5Falcuns/series/4Njq0xtBXHSstrlmUOftTQ-studies?ref=numericcitizen.me) in this series from [Kali Alcuns](https://glass.photo/kali%5Falcuns?ref=numericcitizen.me) on Glass. 3️⃣ The last full moon was on August 9th. I found many photos of the full moon by doing [this search on Glass](https://glass.photo/explore/photos/full-moon?ref=numericcitizen.me). 4️⃣ Eric mörschel's website is so singular and fantastic. So many great things about this photography-focused [website](http://www.ericmoerschel.de/?ref=numericcitizen.me). Don't miss his [galleries](http://www.ericmoerschel.de/pages/pages/urban.php?ref=numericcitizen.me). I made this discovery via [his profile page](https://glass.photo/eric.moerschel?ref=numericcitizen.me) on Glass. ## 🍎 Apple & Tech > #macostahoe #beta5 #beta6 #liquidglass > 1️⃣ Beta5 of macOS Tahoe brings a new hard drive icon, which is more in line with modern SSDs. I like it. It's far from perfect, but it is significantly better than the previous spinning drive device. Compare the two with [this Basic Apple Guy post](https://mastodon.social/@BasicAppleGuy/114979571470098244?ref=numericcitizen.me). 2️⃣ Another [disgusting move](https://www.theverge.com/news/737757/apple-president-donald-trump-ceo-tim-cook-glass-corning?ref=numericcitizen.me) by Apple's Tim Cook. Come on. 3️⃣ Did Parker Ortolani find [the right answer to Liquid Glass woes](https://parkerortolani.blog/2025/08/04/tinted-liquid-glass-should-be.html?ref=numericcitizen.me)? I have some doubts. Yet, I like his idea. 4️⃣ Beta 6 of Apple's operating systems was released and improves some of Liquid Glass, but doesn’t fix everything. I think Apple painted itself in a corner with Liquid Glass. 5️⃣ Apple is working on an entirely new operating system, [according to a report](https://www.macrumors.com/2025/08/16/apple-working-on-all-new-operating-system/?ref=numericcitizen.me) — something to go along with the new HomePod with a screen. Joining the already crowded product lines, iOS, iPadOS, tvOS, watchOS, visionOS, and macOS, this would become the seventh operating system for Apple to support (excluding HomePod here, it's probably a faceless tvOS). That's a lot, even if the core is iOS. > "One of the main issues with liquid glass is legibility, there’s a sense that despite liquid glass supposedly being designed to promote your content that it actually occludes it.” — [Parker Ortolani](https://parkerortolani.blog/2025/08/04/tinted-liquid-glass-should-be.html?ref=numericcitizen.me) ## 🚧 Special projects > #webdesign > 1️⃣ I always have many special projects on my plate, but I'm not alone. Basic Apple Guy recently made [a significant and nice website redesign](https://basicappleguy.com/basicappleblog/bag-css?ref=numericcitizen.me). I love it. I love everything this guy is doing. I'm a fan and should probably pick a few of his ideas for [my personal landing page](https://whois.numericcitizen.me/?ref=numericcitizen.me). 2️⃣ Speaking of my projects, [I started wondering](https://meta.numericcitizen.me/2025/08/16/when-i-read-about-vibe.html?ref=numericcitizen.me) if I could create a custom theme plugin for Micro.blog using Vibe coding. I recently asked the question and received a few encouraging answers, prompting me to try it. Out of curiosity, I tried the following prompt with ChatGPT (paid version): “*I'm wondering about creating a theme plugin for Micro.blog, a web hosting service based on Hugo. Do you think it would be difficult to do with your help?*” The answer blew me away. I then continued the conversation for a while, and I can see that it wouldn't be that difficult. I would need to feed ChatGPT with a few websites I like to create a mood board, and then it would handle the necessary steps to get a plugin from GitHub that I can install. It’s incredible what we can do these days. I'll keep thinking about it. ## 📱 Apps & Services > #grammarly #languagetool #subscription > 1️⃣ I thought that I could cancel Grammarly and replace it with LanguageTools, but I must admit that I'm doing the wrong thing here. LanguageTools doesn't support as many apps as Grammarly does, Craft being one of them. Grammarly is so expensive, though. 2️⃣ Ghost v6 is out, and numericcitizen.me is now running on it. [Just like Chris Enns](https://chrisenns.com/2025/08/ghost-v6/?ref=numericcitizen.me), I'm rather happy with this release. Most of the improvements are for people like me, the blogger, for the readers, it's unnoticeable, primarily, except for the addition of fediverse support. You can follow me through your favourite Mastodon-compatible client or from Micro.blog. 3️⃣ Mindnote with on-device Apple model responding to queries and automatically drawing the answer? [That looks cool](https://mastodon.cloud/@markusms/114955157532208719?ref=numericcitizen.me). > “And the thing I love the most about sticking with tools for the long run is that you get to know the people behind them, and you learn to appreciate those individuals and what they do. That is especially true in my case because most of the tools I use are built by either small teams or single developers" — Manuel Moreale ## 📺 YouTube > #carplay #science #applerumor > 1️⃣ Maques Brownlee [reviews CarPlay Ultra](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HcvF3XFlHeM&ref=numericcitizen.me). I'm even more skeptical about CarPlay Ultra after watching this video. I'll probably get my first full EV in the next 2-3 years. My next car will likely not support CarPlay Ultra. Modern car companies (Rivian, Tesla) are seeing the car as a software story, and they won't let Apple take over the car experience. The time for Apple to get an easy pass on the car dashboard is over, sadly. 2️⃣ Could Apple [be right](https://youtu.be/A%5Fh4A8caCTM?si=tNdFTlAxeoMQhqSd&ref=numericcitizen.me) with Liquid Glass? 3️⃣ No, Apple is wrong, [Liquid Glass does compete](https://youtu.be/A%5Fh4A8caCTM?si=tNdFTlAxeoMQhqSd&ref=numericcitizen.me) with our attention. 4️⃣ A touching [video](https://youtu.be/nOVvEbH2GC0?si=vaqji3I0i%5FcHurtJ&ref=numericcitizen.me) about... the scale of time. 5️⃣ Apparently, we got the wrong iPhone 17 Pro rumours wrong, and [this guy knows](https://youtu.be/cNMMViM%5FUaA?si=VkIYMbXJ8w6phsOd&ref=numericcitizen.me) what is really coming to the iPhone Pro line. ## 🌟 Miscellaneous > #foodforthoughts > 1️⃣ I like the following chain of thoughts about the space we make for technologies in our lives. > "We’ve normalized overconsumption ( *and it’s killing your creativity*). We can’t even eat without watching YouTube. We can’t go for a walk without listening to music. We can’t go to the toilet without without scrolling reels. There’s no breathing room for your mind, instead it’s a *never ending stream of dopamine*. How do you expect to create something great when all you ever do is consume? Give yourself a little space." [Source](https://substack.com/@pathsofstoicism/note/c-141611317?ref=numericcitizen.me). LLMs lack mental modeling skills: - Key Limitation: LLMs can't maintain clear mental models. - Software Engineering Loop: Effective engineers iterate through requirements and code. - Current Usefulness: LLMs assist with code generation and documentation. - Future Potential: Improvements needed for complex tasks. [Source](https://zed.dev/blog/why-llms-cant-build-software?ref=numericcitizen.me). ## 🔮 Looking forward > #vibecoding #ai > 1️⃣ Building software through vibe coding and generative AI can be mind-blowing, like in [this example](https://parkerortolani.blog/2025/08/10/gpt-pushes-vibe-coding-beyond.html?ref=numericcitizen.me) from Parker. [Stephen Robles did some vibe coding](https://mastodon.social/@stephenrobles/115007719408114138?ref=numericcitizen.me) too and will soon ship his app (or is it his app, really?) to the App Store! 2️⃣ Why is 2027 pivotal for AI? Some [people think](https://gizmodo.com/the-world-will-enter-a-15-year-ai-dystopia-in-2027-former-google-exec-says-2000641195?ref=numericcitizen.me) that we will enter an era of dystopia because of AI, which is acting as an amplifier of humans’ worst sides. 3️⃣ [What are we losing to AI](https://josem.co/what-are-we-losing-with-ai/?ref=numericcitizen.me)? That's a good question from Jose M. on his blog. We are so busy experimenting with AI that we don't spend the required time to think about this question. I have the feeling that we’re giving away too much in return. And this could be our downfall. 4️⃣ Since GPT-5 came out, it had [a somewhat controversial launch](https://www.platformer.news/gpt-5-backlash-openai-lessons/?ref=numericcitizen.me), in part because of the marginal improvements perceived by its users. As mentioned by Tidbits in this [article](https://tidbits.com/2025/08/11/gpt-5-reduces-the-need-to-choose-models-in-chatgpt/?ref=numericcitizen.me), the good thing is that now we don’t have to decide which model to use for each prompt. It's now done automatically. I call this an improvement. 5️⃣ Realistic, realtime, 3D worlds. [All done with AI](https://deepmind.google/discover/blog/genie-3-a-new-frontier-for-world-models/?ref=numericcitizen.me). Mind blown. Again. The game industry should be afraid. 6️⃣ Yes, I'm tired of talking about AI, too. [I’m Tired of Talking About AII don’t want to talk about LLMs anymore.![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/icon/apple-touch-icon-9.png)Paddy Carver![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/thumbnail/ai.png)](https://paddy.carvers.com/posts/2025/07/ai/?ref=numericcitizen.me) I wish you a great week! ✌️ 🇺🇦 🇨🇦 🇪🇺 💪🏻 📌 This newsletter edition is also available as a Craft shared document [****here**](https://crafted.numericcitizen.me/ephemeral-scrapbook-edition-2025-34?ref=numericcitizen.me). An index of past editions can be found [here](https://numericcitizen.me/tag/ephemeral-scrapbook/). This week's edition is based on template version 1.8 — Sat, Jul 26, 10:24 AM and was put together with ❤️ mostly on an M2 15-inch MacBook Air, Craft Docs and many supporting [subscriptions](https://crafted.numericcitizen.me/current-subscriptions?ref=numericcitizen.me)! If you like this newsletter, please consider supporting me via [PayPal](https://paypal.me/numericcitizen?locale.x=en%5FUS&ref=numericcitizen.me) or becoming a supporter by visiting my [Ko-fi](https://ko-fi.com/numericcitizen/?ref=numericcitizen.me) page! ### The Ephemeral Scrapbook — Edition 2025-30 URL: https://numericcitizen.me/the-ephemeral-scrapbook-edition-2025-30/ Last updated: 2025-08-03T23:20:11.000Z ## 👤 Personal #youtuber #youtuberecording > 1️⃣ Since July 1st, I’ve been spending more than half the time at a rented country house at about one hour and a half of Montréal, Canada. This place is gorgeous and I have the pleasure to work from there a few days per week and spend all my weekends over there, too. I can’t count how many dozens sunset photos I made because our house is right on the lake shore, facing west. In short, I’m enjoying my time here. Because of this, I don’t really use my M4 Mac mini at home and can’t record any new videos for my YouTube channel. I miss that a lot, but I do prepare a few new ones that I’ll record sometime in September. ## 🗺️ Discoveries #Perplexity #Browser #ai #comet #experiment #ipad #ipados26 #company/openai > 1️⃣ Got a chance to get an invite for Perplexity's Comet browser and tried it on a few YouTube videos. I can see a trend [here](https://blog.numericcitizen.me/2025/07/21/im-testing-the-comet-browser.html?ref=numericcitizen.me). 2️⃣ If you are an iPad user or consider becoming one, consider starting to follow [Journeys Through Glass](https://journeysthroughglass.net/?ref=numericcitizen.me) where Chris Hannah tries to revive his iPad usage, thanks to iPadOS 26\. 3️⃣ OpenAI launched the [study mode for students](https://openai.com/index/chatgpt-study-mode/?ref=numericcitizen.me). On paper, it seems incredible and all. Think about it: you have a teacher at your disposal anytime, anywhere, for as long as you want. Not sure about a math problem? Solve it with ChatGPT! I wonder if we are also introducing a tool that could make students even lazier or even more tempted to cheat. OpenAI is moving so fast these days. Before Study Mode, they introduced Agents, which is another category of AI tools in itself. Dislaimer: I'm a paying subscrber to ChatGPT Plus. [tree.fm – Tune Into Forests From Around The WorldFrance, 2 Rue de lOrne, Colombelles recorded by Nicolas Germain.![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/icon/5f79a3fdc95a803d10793d24_Fav.png)![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/thumbnail/661839ecfb51a1aa00aafcbc_dale-nibbe-6mU7uCAO64I-unsplash.jpg)](https://www.tree.fm/forest/62?ref=numericcitizen.me) Relaxe and hear cool and calming sounds from forest around the world. ## 👨🏻‍💻 Writing #bloggerlife #blogging #web #ai #experiment > 1️⃣ [Edition #100](https://manuelmoreale.com/why-this-matters?ref=numericcitizen.me) of the People & Blog series from Manual Moreale is now available. The web isn't boring. Just pay attention. 2️⃣ I decided to contribute to my company's blog to write an article about the upcoming releases of iOS 26 and iPadOS 26 and how they might impact device usage. My general outline is mostly complete, but now I have to decide whether to use ChatGPT in Canvas mode to continue or take the traditional route and write it out myself. I decided to kick the can and tried ChatGPT Canvas. I'm rather pleasantly surprised by the results. I'll tweak the text, but it helps to move faster, much faster. Yet, the quote below is a reminder that writing is a necessary process that should remain owned by humans. 3️⃣ I was recently wondering why I don't write long-form articles anymore. After giving much thought, I came to the conclusion that I'm still writing, but for another type of content. Maintaining this newsletter requires some time, as well as this living document about Apple Liquid Glass failures. Additionally, rebuilding a personal landing page using an unfamiliar app had an impact. All in all, I'm still quite active from a creativity perspective, albeit in a different way, and I should feel okay about it. 4️⃣ Don't miss [my July blog posts digest](https://blog.numericcitizen.me/newsletters/2025/08/01/16366.html?ref=numericcitizen.me), from Micro.blog, if you don't subscribe to the digest newsletter. Here's a summary: “The August 1, 2025 Numeric Citizen newsletter shares a moment of inspiration from a scenic view and ongoing frustration with iPadOS 26 beta 4\. External display support remains unreliable, with UI glitches in Control Center and window handling. Liquid Glass still feels unpolished. No in-depth articles this time—just personal notes and quick observations.” — ChatGPT summarization. 5️⃣ I'm leaving Medium, [here is why](https://blog.numericcitizen.me/2025/08/02/bye-bye-again-medium.html?ref=numericcitizen.me). > « (…) to me, the most important element of writing isn’t what you put on the page, it’s how the process of putting something on the page alters your thoughts... » — M.G. Siegler ## 🌄 Photography #minimalism 1️⃣ I've been renting a country house since July 1st and just realized that I didn't bring my Nikon camera once. It's a great place to make [sunset photos](https://pixelfed.social/p/numericcitizen/850118940995936119?ref=numericcitizen.me), but then what? 2️⃣ Here's a nice visual find on Glass, from Jules: [Strange in the City](https://glass.photo/jules90photo/series/4b626KBhXm0Aq2PZhVxG2K-strange-in-the-city?ref=numericcitizen.me). You'll see a very moody and strange atmosphere surrounding the city buildings. Really nice. 3️⃣ Here's [another superb one](https://social.lol/@amerpie/114949924054897280?ref=numericcitizen.me), found on Mastodon, from Lou Plummer. I like minimalism in photography. ![A photo representing minimalism that I took while in a car, in the passenger seat, looking through the rooftop window, circa 2014.](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/2025/08/minimalism.jpeg) A photo representing minimalism that I took while in a car, in the passenger seat, looking through the rooftop window, circa 2014. ## 🍎 Apple & Tech #microsoft #stevejobs #timcook #iphone17 > 1️⃣ [Microsoft is firing a few thousand employees](https://spyglass.org/the-have-lots-the-have-nots/?ref=numericcitizen.me). Yep. They aren't exactly struggling, but they are looking forward and think that people who helped build Microsoft as it is today are no longer needed. It's a big middle finger to human decency if you ask me. Oh, and yes, they think that AI is the future, so they need people who are now embracing it, for good or for bad. 2️⃣ Is this the [first sight of the iPhone 17 Pro](https://parkerortolani.blog/2025/07/28/yes-that-appears-to-be.html?ref=numericcitizen.me) in the wild? It could be. 3️⃣ Apple made a lot of money during their 2025Q3 quarter, which ended in June. [Great highlights](https://www.macrumors.com/2025/07/31/apple-q3-2025-earnings-takeaways/?ref=numericcitizen.me) from MacRumors. 4️⃣ Apple launched the Apple Care One in the US. If you are curious to know if it is better than keeping your current Apple Care protection plans, head to this online calculator: [iCare](https://icare-calculator.vercel.app/?ref=numericcitizen.me). Results might surprise you, as they did in a simulation I ran, even though I'm not in the US. I would barely save any money. 5️⃣ Tim Cook's tenure at Apple is now as long as Steve Jobs’ has been, as documented on Pixel Envy. I'm not sure this is a good thing or not. 6️⃣ It took 17 years to sell three billion iPhones. > > “macOS and iPadOS are definitely merging. macOS is looking more and more like iPadOabout whether it is better than your current Apple Care protection plans, check outS, and iPadOS is looking more and more like macOS.” — @tekphloyd@social.lol ![The alleged upcoming Google Pixel 10 phone bears a strange resemblance to an iPhone with a MagSafe. At some points, all smartphones might look the same.](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/2025/08/Image.png) The [alleged upcoming Google Pixel 10](https://www.macrumors.com/2025/07/31/pixel-10-magsafe-like-charging-rumor/?ref=numericcitizen.me) phone bears a strange resemblance to an iPhone with a MagSafe. At some points, all smartphones might look the same. ## 🚧 Special projects #workflow #youtuberecording #apps > 1️⃣ I decided to revamp a portion of my supporting documents for my YouTube video production. First, I'll revisit all my Craft documents to add tags. Second, I'll reorganize my usage of [Play](https://apps.apple.com/ca/app/play-save-videos-watch-later/id1596506190?ref=numericcitizen.me), a YouTube video collector for Mac, iPad and iPhone. It's a fantastic app that plays a small but valuable role in supporting my creative process. One of the things I want to do is synchronize my list of YouTube channel subscriptions with the ones stored in Play. While doing this, I'm reconsidering all my current subscriptions. ![Play for macOS.](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/2025/08/Image-1.png) Play for macOS. ## 📱 Apps & Services #utility #ipad #ipados26 > 1️⃣ [The debate](https://idiallo.com/blog/dont-download-apps?ref=numericcitizen.me) “native apps” vs “web apps" still rages. Can web apps be more secure than native apps? Provided that people don't enable permissions to access location and contacts, I disagree. 2️⃣ Are you looking to back up your iCloud Photos? [Parashute Backup](https://apps.apple.com/ca/app/parachute-backup/id6748614170?mt=12&ref=numericcitizen.me) seems to do it straightforwardly and elegantly. It's on my list of apps to try. 3️⃣ Doomed if you do, doomed if you don't. [Poor Apple](https://birchtree.me/blog/the-mac-ification-of-ipados/?ref=numericcitizen.me). Now that Apple has made the iPad a real computer, people are complaining that the iPad is no longer... an iPad. 🤦🏻‍♂️ 🤷🏻‍♂️ 4️⃣ Do you know [Iconfactory](https://iconfactory.com/?ref=numericcitizen.me)? They are the makers behind many apps, like Tapestry, among many others. They decided to [put some of their apps for sale](https://blog.iconfactory.com/2025/07/apps-up-for-sale/?ref=numericcitizen.me) because they lack the resources to update them. One thing I was curious about is that they have an app called [Wallaroom](https://wallaroo.app/?ref=numericcitizen.me), a wallpaper app. [According to one of its founders](https://mastodon.social/users/gedeonm/statuses/114944490057333995?ref=numericcitizen.me), the company has been creating wallpapers [since 1999](https://freeware.iconfactory.com/wallpaper?ref=numericcitizen.me)! I didn't know that. I love [that one](https://freeware.iconfactory.com/preview/dmspace1?ref=numericcitizen.me), [that one](https://freeware.iconfactory.com/preview/mansion?ref=numericcitizen.me), and [that one](https://freeware.iconfactory.com/preview/prometheus?ref=numericcitizen.me). And they keep doing them in the age of cheap and soulless wallpapers. They have the guts to keep them coming. Bravo. Oh, and they do [a lot of icons](https://freeware.iconfactory.com/icons?ref=numericcitizen.me), too, which is why the company is named that way, I guess. ## 📺 YouTube #ipados26 #foldablephones #uidesign #android > 1️⃣ Can Apple [do better](https://youtu.be/8hgg4YEdPak?si=cH8M-2PMc-ofdnv0&ref=numericcitizen.me) next year with the iPhone Fold? 2️⃣ [Marques hails](https://youtu.be/AphNalSmvlk?si=u5xU0J7PVbqRGTeh&ref=numericcitizen.me) iPadOS 26 as the long‑awaited shift that finally lets the iPad feel like a true laptop — spotlighting freely resizable and movable windows, a Mac‑style menu bar, full cursor support, an expanded dock with folders, and a built‑in Preview app, turning the multitasking workflow into a real productivity environment. 3️⃣ The video compares Google’s Material 3 Expressive and Apple’s Liquid Glass design systems, arguing that Material 3 offers a more user-friendly, expressive, and accessible UI, while Apple’s approach prioritizes aesthetics over usability. ## 🌟 Miscellaneous #experiment #ai #perplexity #writing #craft > 1️⃣ Starting with this newsletter edition, I'm experimenting with the upcoming support for tags in Craft. Each section now sports tags describing the themes covered. It should help a bit the reader who is glancing at the content and it helps me organize my content. 2️⃣ I ran [an experiment](https://numericcitizen.me/this-website-according-to-perplexity/) with Perplexity AI, which was triggered by [this blog post](https://canion.blog/2025/07/22/how-chatgpt-interprets-my-blog.html?ref=numericcitizen.me) from Andrew Canion on Micro.blog. It was fun. The next step is to ask Perplexity AI to imagine and write the next article for me. I tried. But to respect my dear readers, I decided not to publish it. 3️⃣ Here's a reminder that this experiment of [live cataloging Liquid Glass failures and oops](https://crafted.numericcitizen.me/apple-liquid-glass-fails?ref=numericcitizen.me) is still going on. 4️⃣ [This article](https://om.co/2025/07/31/metas-favorite-product-isnt-ai-its-the-copy-button/?ref=numericcitizen.me) from Om Malik gives me clear reasons why I hate Meta and Mark Zuckerberg. ## 🔮 Looking forward #aisummary #ai #company/google #company/meta > 1️⃣ People are less likely, much less likely in fact, to click a link when searching on the web with an AI summary at the top. Google is offering this, and Microsoft is too. This means fewer visits to the website and less ad revenue. By [adding an AI mode in Google](https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/clyj4zky4zwo?ref=numericcitizen.me), I wonder what Google is thinking: do they prefer to lose ad revenue over losing visitors to their search services altogether? I do refer a lot to these AI summaries, and yep, I don’t usually go further than this. 2️⃣ It seems that, according to [this post](https://activitypub.ghost.org/.ghost/activitypub/note/8a624516-3c2f-437d-9465-59b77aa32e7e?ref=numericcitizen.me), the next major release of Ghost, the website hosting platform, is launching this upcoming week or the week after! I can't wait to see what’s in store! FYI, numericcitizen.me where this newsletter is published is hosted on Ghost.org. I wish you a great week! ✌️ 🇺🇦 🇨🇦 🇪🇺 💪🏻 📌 This newsletter edition is also available as a Craft shared document [****here**](https://crafted.numericcitizen.me/ephemeral-scrapbook-edition-2025-30?ref=numericcitizen.me). An index of past editions can be found [here](https://numericcitizen.me/tag/ephemeral-scrapbook/). This week's edition is based on template version 1.8 — [Mon, Jul 21](about:blank), 8:32 PM and was put together with ❤️ mostly on an M2 15-inch MacBook Air, Craft Docs and many supporting [subscriptions](https://crafted.numericcitizen.me/current-subscriptions?ref=numericcitizen.me)! If you like this newsletter, please consider supporting me via [PayPal](https://paypal.me/numericcitizen?locale.x=en%5FUS&ref=numericcitizen.me) or becoming a supporter by visiting my [Ko-fi](https://ko-fi.com/numericcitizen/?ref=numericcitizen.me) page! ### This Website According to Perplexity URL: https://numericcitizen.me/this-website-according-to-perplexity/ Last updated: 2025-07-22T11:05:27.000Z Based on the visible articles and sections on **Numeric Citizen Space**, the following **key themes** are consistently emerging across the blog: - **Apple, Technology & Ecosystem:** Many articles reflect a strong focus on Apple products, services, and software (e.g., iOS, iPadOS, macOS, Apple TV, Apple Intelligence, security for Apple users). The author frequently shares both news reactions and first-hand experiences, offering a personal, sometimes critical, lens on Apple’s direction, new features, and design changes (such as the “Liquid Glass” redesign). - **Personal Tech Commentary:** The writing is highly opinionated and direct—note statements like “Until Apple fixes this shit, I hate Liquid Glass. There, I said it.” The blog contains frank appraisals of technology’s impact on user experience, the frustrations and joys of new tech, and reflections on trends shaping the digital landscape. - **Digital Productivity & Workflow:** Articles often address the author’s evolving setup for digital work and life. This includes notes on app migrations (like “Migrating from HEY Mail to Fastmail”), email workflow, RSS feeds, and tech adoption or abandonment (e.g., “Fastmail to replace HEY Mail, for me at least.”). - **Ephemeral Scrapbook:** The recurring “Ephemeral Scrapbook” editions act almost like a digital journal or digest, combining personal observations, cultural commentary, small tech discoveries, and reactions to world events in a semi-stream-of-consciousness or microblog fashion. - **Cultural and Social Commentary:** Pieces reflect on broader cultural or generational topics—such as design trends, media consumption (e.g., Apple TV’s promise/unfulfilled potential), and generational comparisons (“Generation X: The Best of Both Worlds”). - **AI & Generative Technologies:** There’s direct engagement with generative AI’s effects on creativity, writing, and workflow (see “Crossing the AI Threshold: When Does Writing Stop Being Yours?” and thoughts on LLMs/SLMs). The author considers what “ownership” means in the age of AI-generated content and tools. - **Privacy, Security & Digital Ethics:** Several articles discuss practical and principled approaches to privacy and digital security, especially for Apple device users. - **Change & Experimentation:** The writer documents experiments, transitions, reactions to new releases, and honest joy/frustration with how tech is evolving—often with a “digital nomad” attitude. --- **In summary:** The Numeric Citizen Space is a **personal, opinion-driven chronicle of technology, especially Apple, with a strong focus on the impact of design choices, workflow changes, productivity tools, digital privacy, culture, and the messy process of adapting to new tech.** The blog’s tone is candid, introspective, and frequently critical, blending personal experience with broader commentary. 1. ### The Ephemeral Scrapbook — Edition 2025-28 URL: https://numericcitizen.me/the-ephemeral-scrapbook-edition-2025-28/ Last updated: 2025-07-20T15:34:00.000Z ## 👤 Personal > 1️⃣ I’m still getting used to my new job and my new Windows laptop. It’s not that bad, when you have low expectations. But honestly, with everything happening now with Apple Liquid Glass UI redesign faux-pas, I find Windows 11 to be comforting. Things are a bit dull, not too much, but most of the things are readable which is a plus for work 😜. ## 🗺️ Discoveries > 1️⃣ Nice MacPaint art pieces can be found [here](https://blog.decryption.net.au/posts/macpaint.html?ref=numericcitizen.me), from [Decryption](https://blog.decryption.net.au/about.html?ref=numericcitizen.me). Are you old enough to remember MacPaint? 2️⃣ [Commodore 64 is back](https://www.commodore.net/?ref=numericcitizen.me). Mostly. Wow. 👀 Would I buy this? Nope. 3️⃣ Things are moving fast at Digg, after the mobile apps in beta, Digg now officially has a [closed beta](https://beta.digg.com/?ref=numericcitizen.me) for the web experience! It's clean, fast and entertaining. Will it replace Reddit for me? Time will tell. 4️⃣ I didn't know that [Longplay](https://www.macstories.net/reviews/longplay-for-mac-launches-with-powerful-ai-and-shortcuts-integration/?ref=numericcitizen.me) was now available for the Mac. I have it on my iPhone and iPad because it offers great widgets with album art. Will I buy it on the Mac? Nope. 5️⃣ The history of Mac Settings since 1984! For computer enthusiasts, don't miss [this site](https://aresluna.org/frame-of-preference/?ref=numericcitizen.me) 👀! ![The original Commodore 64](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/2025/07/Image.png) The original Commodore 64 ## 👨🏻‍💻 Writing > 1️⃣ My June blog post summary is now available right [here](https://blog.numericcitizen.me/newsletters/2025/07/01/15898.html?ref=numericcitizen.me). I have a few dozen subscribers to this newsletter, and I wonder how many of them are reading this from their email client. Are you? Drop me a line here: hello@numericcitizen.me. 2️⃣ I decided to cancel my #Grammarly subscription after five years of using the service. I think the service is pricey, and I may consider #LanguageTool as an alternative in the future. Meanwhile, I might rely on a combination of ChatGPT, Raycast AI and Apple Intelligence writing tools, depending on the writing context. I'm not convinced that this will prove to be a good decision because Grammarly is hard to beat and much more convenient to use within apps. > “Even email is vulnerable. They noticed a reduction in click-through rates, but not reductions in open rates; this, they believe, is because Google is summarizing emails and the summaries are being recorded as opens, even though people aren’t actually reading them.” — [NY Magazine Intelligencer](https://nymag.com/intelligencer/article/inside-the-medias-traffic-apocalypse.html?ref=numericcitizen.me) ## 🌄 Photography > 1️⃣ You can make [great photos](https://mastodon.world/@aows/114813648388579557?ref=numericcitizen.me) in Valencia, Italy, from AOWS. 2️⃣ Adobe launched a new camera app called “Indigo”. The Verge has [a short article](https://www.theverge.com/tech/694014/adobe-project-indigo-camera-app-hands-on-hdr?ref=numericcitizen.me) about it, and they seem to like it; however, it is intended for photography enthusiasts who are willing to venture off the beaten path. I installed the app on my iPhone 15 Pro Max and started to play with it. This app falls into the same category as Halide, another camera app designed for photography enthusiasts. I'll probably report back in a future edition to share my thoughts on it. 3️⃣ A lot of great images [right here](https://gls.photo/kUjhip?ref=numericcitizen.me), on Glass. ## 🍎 Apple & Tech > 1️⃣ When considering #AI, Apple is clearly the underdog. In [this article](https://parkerortolani.blog/2025/06/28/meta-goes-on-an-ai.html?ref=numericcitizen.me), Parker Ortolani notes that Meta is aggressively hiring top AI talent and considering acquisitions to stay competitive. In contrast, Apple's strategy appears more cautious, potentially focusing on a significant acquisition rather than a hiring spree, which raises questions about its confidence in current offerings and future AI developments. 2️⃣ In Louie Mantia's [article](https://lmnt.me/blog/ive-got-better-things-to-do-than-this-and-yet.html?ref=numericcitizen.me), "I’ve Got Better Things To Do Than This, and Yet," he expresses his frustration with Apple's design choices, particularly regarding the Liquid Glass interface, while acknowledging he has other priorities he should be working on instead. 3️⃣ [Great collection](https://mjtsai.com/blog/2025/06/07/bill-atkinson-rip/?ref=numericcitizen.me) of reactions to Bill Atkinson's death. I'm late, but I only found out about this. 4️⃣ Apple toned down Liquid Glass in beta3\. I prefer the new tone, but I ultimately wonder if Apple could provide a slider with three levels of Liquid Glass effect: Low, Medium, and High. 5️⃣ Jeff Williams, 62 is retiring from Apple. Apple pundits were expecting him to replace Tim Cook. The Human Interface and Design team will now report directly to Tim Cook. Tim is not a product guy and never will be. Apple needs to find a real product leader with a clear track record as a designer. More than six years after Johnny Ive departed, Apple still can’t find a replacement or doesn’t see the need for one, which would be a serious mistake. 6️⃣ We're getting a relatively [clear picture of the upcoming iPhone 17 Air](https://www.macrumors.com/2025/07/09/iphone-17-air-design-specs-rumors-so-far/?ref=numericcitizen.me). 7️⃣ With iPadOS 26’s new windowing system, [a more powerful iPad Pro with M5](https://www.macrumors.com/2025/07/10/ipad-pro-m5-chip/?ref=numericcitizen.me) processor makes sense. 8️⃣ Matt Bircher [nails down](https://birchtree.me/blog/how-ipados-can-win-me-over/?ref=numericcitizen.me) all the missing parts of iPadOS 26 when used with an external display. All the issues mentioned hit me when I did my experiment a few days ago with my iPad Pro. 9️⃣ [iPhone heart transplate](https://miniature-calendar.com/250714?ref=numericcitizen.me). > “For Apple to be good, they need everyone in the community to point out when they’re bad? No thanks.” — Louie Mantia ![The iPhone design evolution from the side.](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/2025/07/Image-1.png) The iPhone design evolution from the side. ## 🚧 Special projects > 1️⃣ I decided to start an ephemeral project about Apple’s UI refresh based on Liquid Glass visual language. The goal is to document the numerous cases where the user experience is blatantly broken with Apple’s desire to play the flashy game. You can visit the project with the following [link](https://crafted.numericcitizen.me/apple-liquid-glass-fails?ref=numericcitizen.me). This document is another example of Craft being a great app to build such website in a wimp. 2️⃣ A future version of Realmac Software #Elements will introduce a #CMS. This feature will enable all sorts of use cases like having a blog. After watching their latest video demonstrating the capabilities of their CMS, I discovered that I won’t be able to use it with my current hosting solution which is Cloudflare. I would need to go elsewhere. That is something that I’ll need to take care of when the feature finally goes live. People highly recommended Chillingdog hosting company which happens to know quite a lot about Realmac software. As soon as the CMS is out, I'll try to make the switch. ## 📱 Apps & Services > 1️⃣ #Craft 3.1.6 is finally out and brings a redesigned settings page, send-email-to-craft, simplified navigation, custom icons for folders, and search improvements. [The Craft Bible](https://thecraftbible.com/?ref=numericcitizen.me) subscribers get all the details in the Craft Release Highlights report. 2️⃣ Great [summary](https://www.inoreader.com/blog/2025/07/inoreader-q2-highlights-new-ways-to-consume-content.html?ref=numericcitizen.me) of recent updates to Inoreader. I love those recaps. 3️⃣ From Craig Hockenberry: The introduction of windows in iPadOS has complicated app activity management, requiring users to perform an unintuitive action to trigger necessary background tasks, highlighting a need for Apple to adopt a more apparent distinction between app and window activity similar to macOS ([link](https://furbo.org/2025/06/28/ipados-windows/?ref=numericcitizen.me)). 4️⃣ A new release of Craft recently dropped, and I made a video review of it. This release, which was in beta for over two months, brings some much-needed improvements. Yet, [my Craft wish list](https://crafted.numericcitizen.me/mycraftwishlist?ref=numericcitizen.me) is still full of unfulfilled desires. 5️⃣ Realmac Software Elements finally reached a significant milestone: version 1.0 is now officially out, as [posted on their forums](https://forums.realmacsoftware.com/t/elements-1-0-23688/48669?ref=numericcitizen.me). 6️⃣ It appears that tags are finally coming to Craft because a new closed beta is about to start. I hope they won't deceive me on that one. I'm currently testing it and... oh my god! > “In software, 1.0 doesn’t mean ‘finished’, it simply marks the point where the product is stable, useful, and ready for a wider audience. It’s a milestone, not a finish line. The truth is, great software is never really done. It evolves through constant feedback, iteration, and improvement. With Elements, reaching 1.0 means we’re confident in the foundation!” — Dan C from Realmac Software Big summer update to Craft, but another one is coming soon... you ain't see nothing yet! ## 📺 YouTube > 1️⃣ AI is consuming a lot of energy, but how much? [This video](https://youtu.be/mRNVc3-XGFg?si=3QhsaO5ODfA94W6j&ref=numericcitizen.me) tries to give some cues. 2️⃣ Rene Ritchie is back, well, sort of. He shared [his frustrations](https://youtu.be/RvawCV2W7rI?si=XZmtbsjqykACpWIc&ref=numericcitizen.me) about Apple's latest move, which involves ads being pushed on us through the Apple Wallet. 3️⃣ Realmac Software created a [fake promotional video](https://youtu.be/rS3uDmRbx8U?si=-axX%5FNNuHOoeMj%5FM&ref=numericcitizen.me) and shared it on their YouTube channel using AI. The people portrayed in the video are not real; nothing is real. Beyond the initial amusement while watching it, I quickly felt uneasy. I find it disturbing that a company focused on building creative tools for humans would produce a video like this using AI. There is nothing really creative in this. I don't want a future where AI-based tools create everything. I know they can do better. That said, judging by comments on the video, I'm in the minority of people who don't like it much. 4️⃣ Should Tim Cook leave Apple to make room for a more product-oriented guy? Well, [it's complicated](https://youtu.be/qLkndqKcWWk?si=zvdM1vUE4VI1s2j8&ref=numericcitizen.me). After watching that video, I changed my mind. Before sending your prompt to ChatGPT, think twice StopAdsApple Realmac Software's attempt at being creative... How many times this question got ask... remember network computers? Watch before answering yes. ## 🌟 Miscellaneous > 1️⃣ If you want to get a glimpse of Apple Intelligence, Private Cloud Compute and the next version of Apple Shortcuts, don’t miss this [video about SiriBOT](https://youtu.be/qI5e0uaxTjY?si=rj37kz5YcdX3g8SL&ref=numericcitizen.me). It’s a great tech demo for sure, but I fail to see the value compared to using ChatGPT. 2️⃣ The team at Craft decided to roll out Craft 101, a short training course about Craft. They showed a sneak peak [on Reddit](https://www.reddit.com/r/CraftDocs/s/mBTEiNy3OC?ref=numericcitizen.me) and all the pilot courses [here](https://documents.craft.me/craft101?ref=numericcitizen.me). I had the same idea to create a paid course, but now I’m not so sure that I’m going to invest my time in this. My style would be much more casual and the approach would have been totally different. I’ll wait and see where their offerings go. > “At the point when you have to blur the content area to make the UI stand out from it, how can you possibly argue that it gets out of the way? It makes no sense.” — Louie Mantia ## 🔮 Looking forward > 1️⃣ You must remember the past to appreciate the future. [This video](https://youtu.be/211-eHVkqeo?si=DJi1mlnAwebUhX71&ref=numericcitizen.me) brought back great memories of my time as a student at university with a Mac. 2️⃣ Will Apple go cheap with the A18Pro-based Mac? Rene Ritchie’s [second video](https://youtu.be/Uf9ZJRPh6SE?si=0d-S2E4KWTomi4eI&ref=numericcitizen.me) in less than a week tries to find a reasonable answer. 3️⃣ #OpenAI is working on a web browser, according to a [report from Reuters](https://www.reuters.com/business/media-telecom/openai-release-web-browser-challenge-google-chrome-2025-07-09/?ref=numericcitizen.me). I'm hoping for something better than Dia, from the Browser Company, which would mean a traditional browser with an integrated chat. I don't like the idea of chatting with my open tabs. I want to bring up the chat feature when I need it and dismiss it when I'm done. Nothing too fancy. > “For the first time ever, multitasking in iPadOS 26 feels like something Apple can iterate on for decades, the same way they’ve done with macOS since System 1 and the same way Microsoft’s done since Windows 95\. Just as nerds like me today look back at early versions of Windows as a weird era before Microsoft finally figured out desktop computing, future nerds will one day look back at early versions of Split-Screen, Slide Over, and Stage Manager as part of that weird era before Apple finally figured out iPad multitasking.” — Jack Wellborn in Worms & Virus > “AI will not replace humans, but those who use AI will replace those who don’t.” – Ginni Rometty I wish you a great week! ✌️ 🇺🇦 🇨🇦 🇪🇺 💪🏻 📌 This newsletter edition is also available as a Craft shared document [****here**](https://crafted.numericcitizen.me/ephemeral-scrapbook-edition-2025-28?ref=numericcitizen.me). An index of past editions can be found [here](https://numericcitizen.me/tag/ephemeral-scrapbook/). This week's edition is based on template version 1.7.6 — Sun, Jun 15, 7:20 AM and was put together with ❤️ mostly on an M2 15-inch MacBook Air, Craft Docs and many supporting [subscriptions](https://crafted.numericcitizen.me/current-subscriptions?ref=numericcitizen.me)! If you like this newsletter, please consider supporting me via [PayPal](https://paypal.me/numericcitizen?locale.x=en%5FUS&ref=numericcitizen.me) or becoming a supporter by visiting my [Ko-fi](https://ko-fi.com/numericcitizen/?ref=numericcitizen.me)! #newsletter #ephemeralscrapbook ### When a Picture Is Worth a Thousand AI-Generated Words URL: https://numericcitizen.me/when-a-picture-is-worth-a-thousand-ai-generated-words/ Last updated: 2025-07-15T21:57:32.000Z Let me tell you a little story — something that happened to me recently and got me thinking about the subtle but very real risks of relying too much on generative AI. Not long ago, I commissioned a digital artist to create a pixel art version of a professional photo of myself. I’ve always loved this art style. In a world full of ultra-HD displays and insanely powerful processors, pixel art feels like a charming rebellion. It reminds me of where it all started — my early days with computers, video games, and the magic of digital discovery. (If you’re curious about the history of pixel art, there’s a [good primer on Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pixel%5Fart?ref=numericcitizen.me).) ![A professional portrait for work-related uses. ](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/2025/07/Photo-Professionnelle-2023.JPG) A professional portrait for work-related uses. So I reached out to [Gedeon Maheux](https://mastodon.social/@gedeonm?ref=numericcitizen.me), a designer at [Iconfactory](https://iconfactory.com/?ref=numericcitizen.me). He has worked on numerous projects for various apps, games, and brands. He’s not just a designer — he’s a real artist. I paid $120, and sure enough, two weeks later, the finished portrait arrived by email. ![Me, in pixel art version. ](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/2025/07/Pixelated-Avatar-2025-Color.jpg) Me, in pixel art version. I love the result. It looks like me, but through a stylized, charming lens — part retro, part comic book. So I showed it to my 21-year-old son, expecting some enthusiasm. Instead, I got a reality check: **Me**: “Look! I had this made by an artist — a pixel art version of me. Pretty cool, right?” **Him**: “Wait, seriously? You paid for that?” **Me**: “Yeah, $120.” **Him**: “You could have done that in Photoshop in like five minutes…” Huh.😳 To test this, I opened Pixelmator and attempted to reproduce the same effect. Here’s the result: ![“Apply Pixelated” filter in Pixelmator.](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/2025/07/_IMG_9985-optimised.JPG-Pixelmator.jpg) “Apply Pixelated” filter in Pixelmator. And yeah, it took about five minutes. But it wasn’t great. The shape of my face is there, but the details? Gone. My eyes? Basically blobs. There’s no expression, no subtlety. Just pixels, arranged by an algorithm with no understanding of what it’s looking at. That’s when it hit me: this is precisely what happens with AI-generated content, especially when it comes to writing, summarizing, or mimicking something creative. You get the broad strokes. The structure might make sense. But the nuance? The personality? The intent? Often gone. And we’re seeing more and more of this — AI-generated text, AI-generated images, AI-generated ideas — flooding the internet. Which leads me to a second thought: what happens when future AI models are trained not on original human-made content, but on AI-generated content that was itself trained on other AI-generated content? Imagine giving the artist the pixelated version of my photo and asking him to “improve it” without ever seeing the original. You can guess how that would turn out. That’s the real risk we’re facing with the unchecked rise of generative AI. If we keep training machines on content made by other machines, we’ll end up with generations of output that get further and further from the richness, imperfection, and depth of human creativity. We’ll lose the fine details — the equivalent of the eyes in my portrait. This isn’t a rant against AI. I use it. I’m fascinated by it. But there’s a difference between using a tool and replacing the creator. And when the human input fades away — when creativity is reduced to algorithmic mimicry — we start losing something essential. ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/2025/07/_Pixelate-Me-Please.001-copy-optimised.png.png) Food for thought. P.S.: Iconfactory, the company behind the artist I worked with, has been struggling since the rise of generative AI. Here’s [a post](https://rob.crabapples.net/2025/07/12/hire-iconfactory.html?ref=numericcitizen.me) from one of their team members about it. Worth a read. P.S. #2: This article was first written and published in my native language, French and was translated into English using ChatGPT. ### The Ephemeral Scrapbook — Edition 2025-26 URL: https://numericcitizen.me/the-ephemeral-scrapbook-edition-2025-26/ Last updated: 2025-06-29T17:08:12.000Z ## 👤 Personal > 1️⃣ I took the Micro.blog Question Challenge, and [shared my answers](https://blog.numericcitizen.me/2025/06/22/microblog-question-challenge.html?ref=numericcitizen.me). It was fun and part of [a trend](https://birming.com/2025/06/21/microblog-question-challenge/?ref=numericcitizen.me). 2️⃣ Personal and touching stories like [this one](https://robertbreen.com/2025/05/30/where-we-were-meant-to-be/?ref=numericcitizen.me) always captivate me. Every health-related blog post from bloggers I follow catches my attention. I read them as if they could happen to me or someone close to me. It's as if I'm learning how to navigate those enduring experiences. 3️⃣ I ran an experiment recently. I paid a designer at Iconfactory to create a pixelart version of one of my recent photos. I asked one of my sons for his opinion, and his feedback astonished me. He asked why I didn’t use Photoshop or another app to do "the same”. I tried with Acorn and Pixelmator. See the results below. I'm still thinking of use cases for this new avatar. I like it. ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/2025/06/_Pixelate-Me-Please.001-copy-optimised.png.png) ## 🗺️ Discoveries > 1️⃣ [This website](https://fonts.studiofeixen.ch/?ref=numericcitizen.me) is so cool. If you like design, graphics, art, and fonts, please give it a try. Discovered via this other [nice website](https://chrisglass.com/links/?ref=numericcitizen.me). And [another one](https://making-matter.com/?ref=numericcitizen.me). The web is still full of nice gems. 2️⃣ Not something that I discovered myself, but this guy [found quite an easter egg](https://www.downtowndougbrown.com/2025/06/finding-a-27-year-old-easter-egg-in-the-power-mac-g3-rom/?ref=numericcitizen.me) in the PowerMac G3 ROM image. Sadly, this practice of putting such things in computer ROMs was ended by Steve Jobs when he returned to Apple. Too bad. 3️⃣ Did you know there is a simple solution to backing up your iCloud Photos library to a local personal device? It's a solution made by Synology. I didn't know it was so simple. Now, I wonder if this solution still works when the web access is disabled, something required if you plan to used Apple Advancded Data Protection, as documented in my guide [here](https://numericcitizen.me/protecting-your-digital-life-privacy-and-security-measures-for-apple-users/). ## 👨🏻‍💻 Writing > 1️⃣ While testing [Dia](https://www.diabrowser.com/?ref=numericcitizen.me), I visited Medium.com and gathered all the recent articles I had written about going freelance. Then, I asked Dia a few questions to summarize my articles, and eventually, I wrote [a follow-up article](https://medium.com/numeric-citizen-journeys/a-change-in-direction-why-i-chose-a-new-challenge-over-freelancing-6f55dd39e8aa?sk=aaca479068a95abb400fc7d92e437e8a&ref=numericcitizen.me) using different prompts (free for you, my dear readers!). Compared to using ChatGPT, it would have been more tedious, for sure, but how often do I see myself in this type of context for writing an article? Not that often. > "Some publishers are seeing up to a [50% loss in traffic](https://pressgazette.co.uk/publishers/digital-journalism/google-ai-overviews-leads-to-dramatic-reduction-in-click-throughs-for-mail-online/?ref=numericcitizen.me), thanks to AI overviews." — Adam Tinworth on [One Man & His Blog](https://onemanandhisblog.com/2025/06/media-ai-exponential-change-is-here/?ref=numericcitizen.me) ## 🌄 Photography > 1️⃣ Computational photography, [Adobe’s version](https://petapixel.com/2025/06/19/adobes-new-computational-iphone-camera-app-looks-incredible/?ref=numericcitizen.me). No strings attached. It's called “Project Indigo". Get it there, [on the App Store](https://apps.apple.com/us/app/project-indigo/id6742591546?ref=numericcitizen.me). Warning: your iPhone will turn red hot while using the app. This app aims to address extreme lighting conditions, which smartphones often struggle to handle. 2️⃣ Glass now offers [a new email summary](https://glass.photo/highlights/introducing-new-members-and-invitations?ref=numericcitizen.me) to its subscribers, listing newcomers to the platform. It's a great way to discover new photographers. 3️⃣ , so [many great photos in this photo series](https://glass.photo/amanda-powell/series/3X0jdVrc1Zo4dRjgJ1flug-women-and-fiction?ref=numericcitizen.me) by [Amanda Powell](https://glass.photo/amanda-powell?ref=numericcitizen.me), on Glass and here, on [her website](https://www.amandapowell.net/?ref=numericcitizen.me). ❤️ 😍 4️⃣ Photos of Apple's headquarters in California during the WWDC25 conference. Notably, [all photos were taken using an original iPhone](https://www.reddit.com/r/iPhoneography/comments/1lhn3fg/this%5Fperson%5Fshot%5Fthese%5Fpictures%5Ffrom%5Fhis%5Foriginal/?ref=numericcitizen.me). There is something different in these photos that we don't see these days. Worth a look. 5️⃣ Quiet and relaxing tones from [Jenn, on Glass](https://glass.photo/highlights/timeless-tones-with-jenn?ref=numericcitizen.me). That image with the moon is splendid! 6️⃣ [This article](https://www.dpreview.com/articles/3590773173/what-are-the-best-instagram-alternatives-for-photographers?ref=numericcitizen.me) from DReview reviews top Instagram alternatives for photographers, highlighting platforms like Flickr, 500px, VSCO, and Glass that offer better image quality, community engagement, and creative control. It also explores niche options like Vero and Pixelfed for those seeking algorithm-free or decentralized experiences. My personal favourite: [Glass](https://glass.photo/numericcitizen?ref=numericcitizen.me), [Pixelfed](https://pixelfed.social/numericcitizen?ref=numericcitizen.me). ## 🍎 Apple & Tech > 1️⃣ All the [Bento boxes](https://512pixels.net/2025/06/wwdc25-the-bento-boxes/?ref=numericcitizen.me) for everything Apple announced during WWDC25\. I love these. 2️⃣ Apple on [Miniature Calendar](https://miniature-calendar.com/tag/apple/?ref=numericcitizen.me). It's rather lovely. Can we buy one of these? They look so real! 3️⃣ Frederico Vicci for MacStories [experimented with Apple Foundation Models](https://www.macstories.net/notes/i-have-many-questions-about-apples-updated-foundation-models-and-the-great-use-model-action-in-shortcuts/?ref=numericcitizen.me) that come with iOS, and he came out both impressed and with many unanswered questions. I find it intriguing and full of potential for my use cases. For example, I do have a shortcut that extracts today's analytics from Plausible (I wrote [an article](https://numericcitizen.me/using-plausible-api-charty-for-ios-and-apple-shortcuts-to-build-a-widget-for-plausible-analytics/) about this). I could pass the answer to Apple Intelligence and ask for a text summary, something that I get with [Tinylytics](https://tinylytics.app/public/2MVJTA1asSqV4%5FREAjg%5F?ref=numericcitizen.me). See an example below. 4️⃣ The Beta 2 of iPadOS 26 isn't better, it might be worse. I installed it on my iPhone 15 Pro Max, and the max brightness of the screen is probably 50% of what it can be, and there is no way to bring it back. This sucks, but that's the price to pay for beta testing developer releases. Feedback report submitted. 5️⃣ Apple, dear Apple, [stop doing that](https://techcrunch.com/2025/06/24/iphone-customers-upset-by-apple-wallet-ad-pushing-f1-movie/?ref=numericcitizen.me). Are we paying over $1,000 for a phone with ads? 6️⃣ Can Apple fix the Finder icon, which happens to be, in fact, the Mac face? [It depends](https://daringfireball.net/linked/2025/06/24/sorry-macos-tahoe-b2-finder-icon?ref=numericcitizen.me). This newsletter edition’s header image comes from Michael Flarup. 7️⃣ Here's an excellent [summary by 9to5Mac](https://www.macrumors.com/guide/ios-26-apple-intelligence-features/?ref=numericcitizen.me) of all Apple Intelligence features coming to the iPhone this fall with iOS 26\. 8️⃣ [MacOS icons history files](https://basicappleguy.com/basicappleblog/macos-icon-history?ref=numericcitizen.me) is something you don't want to miss, as BasicAppleGuy has put it together. One thing is clear from this collection of icons, organized by app: the design trend doesn't create better-looking icons, quite the opposite. Look at the Maps and App Store icons; the 2025 versions appear fuzzy. ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/2025/06/_Analytics-trends-summarized-optimised.png.png) > “The great part about iPad's new windowing model is that you can't hide from it if you're a developer. Users are going to window your apps, layouts are going to be resized, and your menu bar is going to be investigated.” — [stroughtonsmith@mastodon.social](mailto:stroughtonsmith@mastodon.social) [macOS Icon History — Basic Apple GuyDocumenting the evolution of macOS system icons over the past several decades.![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/icon/BALogo-7.png)Basic Apple GuyBasicAppleGuy![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/thumbnail/3x2-Icon-History.png)](https://basicappleguy.com/basicappleblog/macos-icon-history?ref=numericcitizen.me) ## 🚧 Special projects > 1️⃣ “[Who Is Numeric Citizen?](https://whois.numericcitizen.me/?ref=numericcitizen.me)” website is finally publicly available. This project took me way more time than I thought it would. I learned quite a lot about [Realmac Software Elements](https://www.elementsapp.io/?ref=numericcitizen.me), which, by the way, should be available very s,oon, if it’s not already the case. Anyway, from now on, I'll continue to update my website as I learn new tricks or think of new content for it. [Who is Numeric Citizen?This website is about explaning who is Numeric Citizen by sharing details about passions, projects, goals and hobbies.![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/icon/apple-touch-icon-180x180.png)Who Is Numeric Citizen?![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/thumbnail/my_2021_avatar_500x500_72dpi.jpg)](https://whois.numericcitizen.me/?ref=numericcitizen.me) ## 📱 Apps & Services > 1️⃣ It must be a good feeling to see Apple implement support for the Markdown format in Apple Notes. That's what Gruber, [the creator of Markdown](https://daringfireball.net/linked/2025/06/04/apple-notes-markdown?ref=numericcitizen.me), must be feeling. 2️⃣ I tried the Browser Company’s new browser: Dia. I'm not so sure if this is for me. I find it hard to leave the ARC Browser behind. I might return to Safari anyway. Anyway, I think the company could have added the conversational part to their ARC Browser instead, just like Microsoft added Copilot to their Edge browser. You can learn more about Dia in [this article from Tidbits](https://tidbits.com/2025/06/20/dia-browser-debuts-with-contextual-ai-chat-but-arc-users-feel-left-behind/?ref=numericcitizen.me). Apparently, I'll need to switch to something else. Returning to Safari is currently out of the question due to the limited support for browser extensions. 3️⃣ Greg Morris, the developer behind the excellent “Micro Social” app, [tested the water with Apple Liquid Glass](https://microsocial.micro.blog/2025/06/20/iso-updates-and-new-features.html?ref=numericcitizen.me) and the updated human interface guidelines. I like what I'm seeing. The feature “Catch Me Up,” which summarizes long conversations using Apple’s on-device large language model (LLM), is demonstrated with a conversation between me and another person. ## 📺 YouTube > 1️⃣ Here's a [funny ad](https://youtu.be/5O5U7hE65W0?si=rll92tJMDeK0pQGT&ref=numericcitizen.me) from Apple. Sorry, Apple retired the ad before this newsletter edition could go out. It was about your parents. Kids want Mac for college. It wasn't that good, anyway. When I was in college, I paid for my Mac with my hardly earned money. I didn't ask my parents to contribute because I already knew the answer. Before this newsletter went out to your mailbox, [Apple pulled the ad for an unknown reason](https://www.macrumors.com/2025/06/21/apple-pulls-the-parent-presentation-video/?ref=numericcitizen.me). I'll keep the link, just in case. Gruber's [reaction](https://daringfireball.net/linked/2025/06/22/apple-can-convince-your-parents?ref=numericcitizen.me). Apple seems to be lacking basic judgment these days: everyone is stupid, the teachers, the students, and employees using Apple Intelligence to write basic emails. Gosh. 2️⃣ Liquid Glass is now official, and it's worth [watching this video](https://youtu.be/wJ1NSQSgVTE?si=%5FRIajdum36zLuSLw&ref=numericcitizen.me) if you want to better understand it. Then come back here and read [the following article](https://www.lux.camera/physicality-the-new-age-of-ui/?ref=numericcitizen.me) by Sebastiaan de With, the creator of Halide, the camera app. The article discusses the anticipated comprehensive redesign of Apple's operating systems, emphasizing a shift towards a more physical and dynamic user interface that reflects real-world materials, potentially marking a significant evolution in design akin to the transformative changes seen with iOS 7\. Sebastiaan was close and yet far from what Apple is doing with Liquid Glass. 3️⃣ [Snazzy Laps 3D-printed a Macintosh](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IjdqEpYkrAI&t=13s&ref=numericcitizen.me)! Yes, and it works! Fantastic job! In twenty years, will we be able to 3D print an iMac? I doubt it, thanks to Apple security measures like TouchID, secure Enclave, authenticated boot images, etc. 4️⃣ The Mac turned 40, I almost forgot to share that [one video](https://www.youtube.com/live/Vl%5F%5F10euTRo?si=sMJSCept3IXi%5Fu7Z&ref=numericcitizen.me). Liquid Glass is a controversial redesign. Trying to learn more about it could help better understand Apple’s motivations. This guy is crazy, he built a Mac from scratch! The Apple Mac@40 conference at The Computer History Museum. ## 🌟 Miscellaneous > 1️⃣ Thanks to AI, [and ChatGPT](https://www.dexerto.com/entertainment/new-chatgpt-study-reveals-how-ai-is-already-impacting-our-brains-3217102/?ref=numericcitizen.me), we are becoming increasingly lazy and relying less on critical thinking. Who knew. 🤦🏻‍♂️ 2️⃣ As mentioned by [this report from 9to5Mac](https://9to5mac.com/2025/06/26/reddit-is-being-spammed-by-ai-bots-and-its-all-reddits-fault/?ref=numericcitizen.me), Reddit is being spammed with AI-generated content. Injecting content promoting products or services into Reddit so that AI training is influenced in a way to make these products come out in prompt output. What a clusterfuck. Is this the new SEO? > > "Why are investing so many resources in trying to make ‘AI’ smarter instead of investing more resources in trying to make PEOPLE smarter?" — [Riccardo Mori](https://appdot.net/@morrick/114738231412800136?ref=numericcitizen.me) > 🔮 Looking forward > 1️⃣ I'm looking forward to the day Apple stops their fuckin ads on their pricey devices. This would mean Apple wouldn't track you while you are using their Wallet. [They are tracking you with their Wallet](https://daringfireball.net/linked/2025/06/26/f1-wallet-gag-zeins?ref=numericcitizen.me) as you are reading this. 2️⃣ I'm looking forward to using the upcoming Glass app with Liquid Glass UI applied to it, as shown in [this short clip](https://masto.pt/@dordio/114744191010178241?ref=numericcitizen.me). 3️⃣ We're getting closer and closer to the iPhone fall release, and [this video](https://youtu.be/KgKWfilQdTA?si=roqMjxMxKxFgcO5v&ref=numericcitizen.me) gives all the details of what to expect. I won't be upgrading my iPhone 15 Pro Max this year, but I think this could be of interest to you. I wish you a great week! ✌️ 🇺🇦 🇨🇦 🇪🇺 💪🏻 📌 This newsletter edition is also available as a Craft shared document [****here**](https://crafted.numericcitizen.me/ephemeral-scrapbook-edition-2025-26?ref=numericcitizen.me). An index of past editions can be found [here](https://numericcitizen.me/tag/ephemeral-scrapbook/). This week's edition is based on template version 1.7.6 — [Sun, Jun 15](about:blank), 7:20 AM and was put together with ❤️ mostly on an M2 15-inch MacBook Air, Craft Docs and many supporting [subscriptions](https://crafted.numericcitizen.me/current-subscriptions?ref=numericcitizen.me)! If you like this newsletter, please consider supporting me via [PayPal](https://paypal.me/numericcitizen?locale.x=en%5FUS&ref=numericcitizen.me) or becoming a supporter by visiting my [Ko-fi](https://ko-fi.com/numericcitizen/?ref=numericcitizen.me)! ### The Ephemeral Scrapbook — Edition 2025-24 URL: https://numericcitizen.me/the-ephemeral-scrapbook-edition-2025-24/ Last updated: 2025-06-15T21:54:22.000Z ## 👤 Personal > 1️⃣ Here's some important personal news: I'm getting a new job! Starting June 23th, I'll be taking a new position at one of Canada's largest banks. My previous job change was in 2018\. This pivot means adopting a new set of digital tools and processes, something I always pay attention too. Not everything is for the best (I'm losing my Mac and I'm getting a Windows PC 😭), but overall, this is a new chapter for my IT career. It might be my last, too. I’m very excited for this. ## 🗺️ Discoveries1 > 1️⃣ I recently discovered the [Dezeen web magazine](https://www.dezeen.com/?ref=numericcitizen.me), but I don't recall exactly how I came across this website. Dezeen is a leading online magazine about architecture, interiors, and design. You can find articles about architecture, interior design and much more. One thing that I observed: some design mockups of future architectural projects are so realistic, it’s mind-blowing. 2️⃣ Is Kagi simply a front-end to traditional search engines like Google? 👀 According to their [documentation](https://help.kagi.com/kagi/search-details/search-sources.html?ref=numericcitizen.me), it certainly appears to be the case, which is perplexing. I'm paying for Kagi because I think it offers great value and doesn't built their business of users tracking to serves ads. Why is Google allowing their service to be consumed with API calls from services like Kagi, bypassing their ads serving business? ## 🌄 Photography > 1️⃣ I knew Bill Atkinson was a photographer, but I had never quite seen his work. [Now we can](https://billatkinson.com/gallery?ref=numericcitizen.me). He was a multi-talented guy. 2️⃣ Glass introduced a pretty handy feature to help other Glass members discover who is new on the platform. An email is sent with a handful of new members so that other photographers can discover them. Speaking of Glass, if you plan to join Glass, you’ll get a 10$ rebate on your first year by using [this link](glass.photo/referral/UFQDAH6CSYTQ). You are welcome. ## 🍎 Apple & Tech > 1️⃣ [Who's going to WWDC25](https://flighty.app/wwdc25/?ref=numericcitizen.me)? Super cool visuals and stats from the makers of Flighty showing attendees’ origins. People must be using Flighty to register and track their flights. 2️⃣ Apple is a large corporation with the goal of making money. They make a lot. Beyond buying their products, they don't need us, Apple fans. That's what Dan Moren from MacWorld's column Stay Foolish is arguing in his [last article](https://www.macworld.com/article/2768058/apple-fandom-meaning.html?ref=numericcitizen.me). 3️⃣ Is Apple's software [that bad](https://reviews.ofb.biz/safari/article/1300.html?ref=numericcitizen.me)? I fail to back the idea that Apple's OSes are bad or worse than they used to be. I rarely experience the type of things reported in that article. [Last year's Apple record cards from SixColors](https://512pixels.net/2025/02/the-2024-six-colors-report-card/?ref=numericcitizen.me) seems to disagree and find improvements across the board. Yet, I do see many inconsistencies across the board, though. I believe that Apple software is often developed in silos, and designers may not communicate effectively with each other, or perhaps they don't use their software sufficiently to identify glaring problems. Apple is working to redo their UI across the board. Will that be enough to polish the many rough edges? I'm not convinced at this time. 4️⃣ [Matt Gemmell switched to the Mac](https://mattgemmell.scot/back-to-mac/?ref=numericcitizen.me) after being iPad-only for more than eight years. Why the switch? He found many limitations with the iPad that were hindering his productivity. Multitasking is one of them. Again, Apple is about to unveil a completely revamped multitasking feature; will that be enough? Is the Mac perfect? Matt mentions how needy the Mac can be with all those security-related notifications and prompts, as well as Safari needing too much management. Is iPadOS 26 changing his mind? Time will tell. 6️⃣ The vibe before WWDC is [not very positive](https://mjtsai.com/blog/2025/06/07/wwdc-2025-preview/?ref=numericcitizen.me). 7️⃣ Basic Apple Guy created [a bingo card](https://basicappleguy.com/basicappleblog/wwdc25-bingo?ref=numericcitizen.me) to measure his predictions for the keynote. ![Who’s flying to WWDC25? The Flighty Edition. Cool. ](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/2025/06/Image-2.png) Who’s flying to WWDC25? The Flighty Edition. Cool. John Siracusa, [writing at Hypercritical](https://hypercritical.co/2025/05/09/apple-turnover?ref=numericcitizen.me): > As far as I’m concerned, the only truly [mortal sin](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mortal%5Fsin?ref=numericcitizen.me) for Apple’s leadership is losing sight of the [proper relationship](https://hypercritical.co/2025/05/09/apple-turnover?ref=numericcitizen.me#virtue) between product virtue and financial success—and not just momentarily, but constitutionally, intransigently, for years. Sadly, I believe this has happened. > The preponderance of the evidence is undeniable. Too many times, in too many ways, over too many years, Apple has made decisions that do *not* make its products better, all in service of control, leverage, protection, profits—all in service of *money*. ![Apple’s Finder with Liquid Glass is not the best example of readability (see top of window glass effects on buttons and iconography). I don’t like rounded twindow tabs nor the left sidebar rounded rect, barely noticeable. This is beta1 of macOS Tahoe, so things might change. Hopefully. ](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/2025/06/Cleanshot---Applications2025-06-1407.39.272x.png) Apple’s Finder with Liquid Glass is not the best example of readability (see top of window glass effects on buttons and iconography). I don’t like rounded twindow tabs nor the left sidebar rounded rect, barely noticeable. This is beta1 of macOS Tahoe, so things might change. Hopefully. ## 📱 Apps & Services > 1️⃣ I expect a lot of [my apps](https://world.numericcitizen.io/meta-toolset?ref=numericcitizen.me) to adopt Apple's Liquid Glass interface metaphor. Why? Because they are constantly updated to add new features, fix bugs and adopt new Apple software technologies. In other words, I don't use or depend on [abandonware](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Abandonware?ref=numericcitizen.me). 2️⃣ Kagi search [now has 50K subscribers](https://kagi.com/changelog?ref=numericcitizen.me#7289), a significant milestone. I'm one of them. 3️⃣ I'm still unsure how to save must-read articles. Suppose I see something interesting while scrolling my Micro.blog timeline, then I'll use the bookmarking features. If I'm browsing the web with the ARC browser, I might save in Inoreader or use a web clipper to save into a Craft document. I don't think I'll ever find a solution to this. ## 📺 YouTube > 1️⃣ I'm not a computer games player, but No Man's Sky on the Nintendo Switch 2 [looks stunning](https://youtu.be/c%5FgDcjHgRfQ?si=TgNwdG2Ydsqi4FCx&ref=numericcitizen.me). I wish I had the time and curiosity to try these games. 2️⃣ Forest fires are still raging in central Canada, as you can see in [this video](https://youtu.be/5Utibam8Ng4?si=vxn5CAmMgAgEsjEm&ref=numericcitizen.me). 3️⃣ Marques Brownlee offers [his thoughts](https://youtu.be/1E3tv%5F3D95g?si=JdPRmhBnmFn7cakS&ref=numericcitizen.me) on WWDC25 and Liquid Glass, as well as [Snazzy Labs](https://youtu.be/67cbvsJFREU?si=pEJ%5FRm0YfpOAFzQk&ref=numericcitizen.me), in his always funny videos. 4️⃣ Don't miss this [remastered video](https://youtu.be/jiHZqamCD8c?si=rd-oueCFirHwvP71&ref=numericcitizen.me) of Steve Jobs' commencement speech at Stanford. 5️⃣ [Video](https://youtu.be/9M7w9it-Pf8?ref=numericcitizen.me) of Craig Federighi on iPadOS 26 and why there is no macOS for iPad. ## 🌟 Miscellaneous > 1️⃣ [Bill Atkinson passed away](https://daringfireball.net/linked/2025/06/07/bill-atkinson-rip?ref=numericcitizen.me). RIP. Seems like he died from a similar sickness to Steve Jobs’: pancreatic cancer. 😢 he was a great programmer who worked on the Mac’s internal drawing routines called QuickDraw. He was the creator of [HyperCard](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/HyperCard?ref=numericcitizen.me). And a great [photographer](https://billatkinson.com/?ref=numericcitizen.me), too. See him [posing with Steve Jobs](https://billatkinson.com/about?ref=numericcitizen.me). 2️⃣ The Apple & Tech section is full of tidbits, and I have no more room for WWDC comments and notes, so here they are. 3️⃣ Liquid Glass, the fundamental visual attributes and behaviours at the center of Apple's OSes redesign, is officially out, and comments about it are also available. As expected, [people are divided](https://mjtsai.com/blog/2025/06/10/liquid-glass/?ref=numericcitizen.me#liquid-glass-update-2025-06-11) (did I say '[divided](https://www.macstories.net/links/opinionated-design-early-reactions-to-apples-liquid-glass-design-language/?ref=numericcitizen.me)’?), but the general sentiment seems to be that it's not as bad as iOS 7 was in 2013, and Apple still has some time ahead to tweak things a bit here and there. I do like most of it, as experienced on my M4 iPad Pro, but the biggest problem is readability. In many situations, readability is much worse. While waiting for Apple to fix things, [you can tone down](https://www.macrumors.com/2025/06/11/ios-26-liquid-glass-transparency/?ref=numericcitizen.me) a few attributes. In any case, [this critique](https://morrick.me/archives/10048?ref=numericcitizen.me) is certainly worth a look. 4️⃣ Apple was relatively silent about Siri, but talked about Apple Intelligence more than expected, but in a clever way. AI-based features are prevalent throughout Apple's operating systems. Taken as a whole, they form a sizeable chunk of Apple's new improvements. The one thing missing is generative AI content, which I expect Apple doesn't want to replicate as-is, just like they don’t develop a web search engine. 5️⃣ [Stay foolish, stay hungry speech](https://stevejobsarchive.com/exhibits/stay-hungry-stay-foolish?ref=numericcitizen.me) by Steve Jobs, 20th anniversary. ## 🔮 Looking forward > 1️⃣ Before WWDC25 Keynote: Can Apple [turn the vibes around](https://www.theverge.com/apple/681739/wwdc-2025-epic-trial-apple-intelligence?ref=numericcitizen.me) this year at WWDC? Things look bad right now, and something big has to happen, and it's not on the AI front. After the WWDC25 keynote: Apple made strides with all its OSes, while explaining that Apple Intelligence is still a work in progress. Not everyone is happy, but Apple still comes out in a slightly better shape this year, thanks to things like opening up on-device models to third-party developers. ![The evolving Finder face. The best: 2007-2014.](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/2025/06/Image-1-1.png) The evolving Finder face. The best: 2007-2014. > “The last thing MacOS needs is more transparency/translucency than it already has." — Sebastiaan De With in “[Physicality: the new age of UI](https://www.lux.camera/physicality-the-new-age-of-ui/?ref=numericcitizen.me)” I wish you a great week! ✌️ 🇺🇦 🇨🇦 🇪🇺 💪🏻 📌 This newsletter edition is also available as a Craft shared document [****here**](https://crafted.numericcitizen.me/ephemeral-scrapbook-edition-2025-24?ref=numericcitizen.me). An index of past editions can be found [here](https://numericcitizen.me/tag/ephemeral-scrapbook/). This week's edition is based on template version 1.7.5 — 2025.05.25 and was put together with ❤️ mostly on an M2 15-inch MacBook Air, Craft Docs and many supporting [subscriptions](https://crafted.numericcitizen.me/current-subscriptions?ref=numericcitizen.me)! If you enjoy this newsletter, please consider supporting me via [PayPal](https://paypal.me/numericcitizen?locale.x=en%5FUS&ref=numericcitizen.me) or becoming a supporter by visiting my [Ko-fi](https://ko-fi.com/numericcitizen/?ref=numericcitizen.me)! ### Random Thoughts Before Apple WWDC 2025 URL: https://numericcitizen.me/random-thoughts-before-apple-wwdc-2025/ Last updated: 2025-06-04T01:10:03.000Z I don’t have a typical article to share this year before the WWDC conference, but I do have many thoughts lingering in my head that I want to share with you. Here they are, in no particular order. - I think it’s time for Tim Cook to step down. There are many reasons behind this thought. He is way too focused on everything except the products. He’s not a product guy but an operations guy. I don’t listen to him when he is presenting during a keynote. Those words aren’t his words. It's fake and redundant. I have so many grievances about Tim that it would merit its own article. Maybe later. - This is a conference for developers and yet I feel Apple doesn’t really care about them or they care about the wrong things. They fake openness and attention. The one thing they pay attention to is their bottom line, which is money. I hope developers won’t feel too much abandoned after this year’s conference. They probably will because the hill is steep and Apple is not moving in the right direction to fix the many issues. - Apple is sending the wrong message. I don’t care if Apple execs are not attending Gruber’s show. Past years shows were merely entertaining and a rewording of things we already knew. Gruber fails to ask the hard questions because if he does, Apple will push back. This year they did, probably because of his article about Apple Intelligence fiasco. So Apple is backing off. This add credence to my theory that The Talk Show is a show, not a real conversation. What is real is the message that Apple is sending: they are afraid to face the tough questions. Apple lacks confidence. They made a big mistake last year at the WWDC24 keynote and they don’t want to admit it. - The rumour is that Apple will show us some visual unification between all of their platforms, and they will change the numbering scheme. Will it be enough to forget about the lingering problems Apple has on its plate? Certainly not. I view this redesign as one of the most significant undertakings by Apple since the introduction of iOS 7 in 2013\. We will live with this for the next ten years. It better be good. - If Apple is poised to unify the user interface of its operating systems, which one will lose the most of its unique personality? Which one will gain the most? - On the AI front, Apple appears stagnant, stuck in its past successes. Even if you don’t use AI or trust AI or expect to use AI in the future, perception by the tech pundits is that Apple is losing, and at the speed things are going, it will be hard to fight back and make a place under the sun. It’s Apple, they have the money, they have the people, but they have principles that hinder their advances. Something has to give if we want to see Apple truly move forward. Meanwhile, I hope Apple will stay mum about its Apple Intelligence journey. Let them do their magic. I'm patient because I have alternatives like ChatGPT, Perplexity and Kagi. One question: Is Apple using Private Cloud Compute in any way, or was it tied to an unfinished Apple Intelligence feature? - I don’t expect any hardware announcement. In fact, I don't want to see new hardware. Anyway, I’m not buying anything Apple this year, it’s a way for me to manifest my disdain for Apple’s support of the orange clown at the Office since January 20th. - Is the perception of falling behind in the AI field so widespread among the general public, beyond just tech pundits? I don’t think so. That narrative belongs to the tech press and pundits. Personally, I’m not particularly concerned about Apple’s advancements in AI, but I do care that Image Playground is one of the worst designs Apple has created. - I don’t have a wish list for iOS or iPadOS. These are mature and a commodity now. Anything more powerful than what they currently provide is intended for the Mac. I stopped complaining about Stage Manager. Apple will figure that one out eventually. I stopped using Shortcuts because of its multi-platform nature; it's not my thing and is utterly buggy, and I'm not good at using it. Eventually, Apple will integrate AI into the mix, and I’ll likely ask anything via a prompt. In a few years from now, I guess. - With all these thoughts, I would summarize my interests in this year WWDC to be limited to: the UI redesign across platforms, how much they remove or add to each of them and developers reactions to what Apple won’t do or announce. Anyhow, we will see soon enough if I’m being realistic or cynical, or both. I might update this article if other thoughts come to my mind before WWDC. ### The Ephemeral Scrapbook — Edition 2025-22 URL: https://numericcitizen.me/the-ephemeral-scrapbook-edition-2025-22/ Last updated: 2025-06-01T20:31:35.000Z ## 👤 Personal > 1️⃣ I'm back from a two-week vacation where I tried to stay disconnected. As with any vacation, I took many pictures, which are being processed, at a rather slow pace; a few each day. I started sharing some of them on [my Glass profile page](https://glass.photo/numericcitizen?ref=numericcitizen.me), if you are curious. 2️⃣ I like the following quote of Jony Ive. > “What we make stands testament to who we are.” — Jony Ive, [in an interview](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wLb9g%5F8r-mE&ref=numericcitizen.me) at Stripe Sessions ## 🗺️ Discoveries > 1️⃣ I recently discovered [Framework](https://frame.work/ca/en?ref=numericcitizen.me) as a PC manufacturer, and I must say that I’m between impressed and highly intrigued. Is this the future of personal computers? Why isn't Apple trying its take on these? They could put an environmental spin to this. Framework joins Microsoft as another company that tries a bit harder to innovate and buck the trend in device form factor designs. ## 👨🏻‍💻 Writing > 1️⃣ After returning from vacation, I first wrote [a blog post](https://blips.numericcitizen.me/post/now-back-home?ref=numericcitizen.me), and it felt so good to be back at it again. Writing is liberating and helps me move forward with my life. That blog post had nothing really special, rather mundane, I would say. Yet, it was one of the many markers that I like to drop in this digital universe. > “Everyone can and everyone should write. Writing is good for us. Writing is human. There is nothing that makes someone a writer and someone else not a writer other than the act of writing. So please, sit yourself down and write if you want to write.” — Sarah Olson ## 🌄 Photography > 1️⃣ In this section, I often share a newly discovered photographer, usually on Glass. While searching for a new one, I wondered about the criteria at play when looking for an unknown photographer. Do I select one because they create the same kind of images that I do? Or am I selecting one because he does images that I wish I could do? Or am I being picky because I see photos I wish to share with myself and become famous? Who knows? 2️⃣ Do you depend on camera reviews before buying a new camera? Om Malik critiques the integrity of camera reviews, arguing that they are often biased and driven by marketing hype rather than genuine user experience, particularly highlighting the Fuji X half camera as an example of style over substance. I do read a lot of them, but Om Malik’s [blog post](https://om.co/2025/05/23/fujix-half-camera-is-dumb/?ref=numericcitizen.me) is a reminder that we should take them with a grain of salt and consider the context behind why reviews are created. 3️⃣ Many photographers are frustrated with Instagram's algorithmic feed, over-commercialization, and excessive ads, prompting the search for alternatives. This [DPReview article](https://www.dpreview.com/articles/3590773173/what-are-the-best-instagram-alternatives-for-photographers?ref=numericcitizen.me) compares many popular alternatives, including VSCO, Flickr, and Glass, among others. You probably know that I'm a big fan of Glass.🌟. 4️⃣ Be sure to visit Om Malik's [iPhone camera specs comparison blog post](https://om.co/2025/05/19/how-iphones-camera-has-evolved/?ref=numericcitizen.me). He put together this table to show, in part, how the iPhone camera evolved over the years. It's rather impressive what Apple can cram into such a small device. What's next for the iPhone this year? Who knows. ![The Photomator app on my laptop to process recent images from my vacations in Europe.](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/2025/06/Image.png) The Photomator app on my laptop to process recent images from my vacations in Europe. ## 🍎 Apple & Tech > 1️⃣ Apple seems to be dormant these days when it comes to AI. So much is happening around them that they seem to be retracting, lost in their glorious past, while OpenAI is buying Jony Ive's io to create what comes next. While I’m highly skeptical about their prospects, I don't want them to fail because I want Apple to be the one that shows it can reinvent itself. I don't want them to be the next Humane with their DOA AI pin. 2️⃣ Apple will switch to a new numbering scheme for their OS releases, starting this WWDC. They will use a year-based numbering system, such as iOS 26 or macOS 26\. They might tweak it to macOS ‘26, which I would prefer. The change will take some time to get used to. This reminds me of Microsoft. Now, will we ever see the iPhone 26? Who knows. More details in [this YouTube video](https://youtu.be/C1AGi3KDlSI?si=irx6sFvbeqhOzOkR&ref=numericcitizen.me). 3️⃣ Apple is [the gatekeeper](https://www.apple.com/newsroom/2025/05/the-app-store-prevented-more-than-9-billion-usd-in-fraudulent-transactions/?1748350751&ref=numericcitizen.me). I believe that the iPhone is a much bigger target from a cybersecurity perspective than the Mac, hence Apple's desire to keep the App Store closed as it is currently. Many people disagree. I'm on the fence. Even if there were a third-party App Store, I wouldn't install apps from it unless they came from a well-known and highly reputable developer. 4️⃣ The twentieth-anniversary iPhone will be a slab of glass, [more or less](https://9to5mac.com/2025/05/14/20th-anniversary-iphone-to-be-totally-bezel-free-have-hi-tech-battery-report/?ref=numericcitizen.me). What happens if you put a case on such an iPhone? 5️⃣ The Apple Watch turned 10, already! [Great visuals](https://basicappleguy.com/basicappleblog/apple-watch-turns-10?ref=numericcitizen.me) from Basic Apple Guy, again! 6️⃣ Why do so many people think fonts just *feel* better on a Mac than a PC? [It boils down to rendering philosophy](http://redirect.medium.systems/r-gNMyq2EzWc?source=email-e352f6ef95ae-1748595475473-newsletter.v3-15f753907972-a91990d1c68e-----------------------e586da16%5F979c%5F43b0%5F871f%5F50d65118cc82--------bf3f56c7deec). Apple products display text true to how the design would appear in print, whereas Microsoft opts to focus on precise pixel placement ([Kartscrut](https://medium.com/u/4f50a991667f?source=email-e352f6ef95ae-1748595475473-newsletter.v3-15f753907972-a91990d1c68e-----------------------e586da16%5F979c%5F43b0%5F871f%5F50d65118cc82--------bf3f56c7deec)). 7️⃣ WWDC is just around the corner, and we will get a pre-recorded video or an infomercial. [Just like Matt](https://birchtree.me/blog/apple-execs-are-to-be-seen-on-video-but-never-in-person/?ref=numericcitizen.me), I want them to return to live events. 8️⃣ If you are curious about Apple CarPlay Ultra, [here's a quick look](https://www.motortrend.com/features/apple-carplay-ultra-coolest-new-features?ref=numericcitizen.me). I'm not in the market for a new car, but I must say that I wish my next car would support this, which seems unlikely because not many car brands are supporting it. > “I hope it really is, because I’d hate to see this team lose credibility in the way Humane — also stacked with ex-Apple talent — did. Theirs is not the roadmap I’d want to see followed.” — [Jarrod Blundy](https://heydingus.net/blog/2025/5/sam-and-jony-skepticism?ref=numericcitizen.me) > “In the 1990s, I was a teenager learning to program the Mac while complaining about Bill Gates and Microsoft. Now I admire Bill and complain about Apple.” — [Manton Reece](https://www.manton.org/2025/05/08/bill-gates-writes-about-accelerating.html?ref=numericcitizen.me) ## 🚧 Special projects > 1️⃣ If you've been following along, I'm still working on my new website with Elements. Things are going nicely with the help of the developers, who are answering many questions on [their forums](https://forums.realmacsoftware.com/c/rapidweaver-elements/43?ref=numericcitizen.me). I'm expecting to launch this website later this summer. I shared a preview and a link to the website on [my Ko-fi page](https://ko-fi.com/numericcitizen?ref=numericcitizen.me) so that my supporters can get a sneak peek. If you become a supporter, then you'll get access to the post with the link! 👀 😉 ## 📱 Apps & Services > 1️⃣ [Paste](https://pasteapp.io/?ref=numericcitizen.me), the best clipboard manager app on the Mac, was upgraded to [version 5](https://pasteapp.io/paste-5?ref=numericcitizen.me) and introduced pinboards sharing built on iCloud collaboration features. While I don't plan to use this feature, I still use Paste daily and couldn't live without it. 2️⃣ Another new and great update to CleanShot X, well exposed by Matt Bircher in [his YouTube video](https://youtu.be/o5ypDElAMto?si=G%5FnJuCNlY0fixQqg&ref=numericcitizen.me). 3️⃣ Pocket, the read-later service, [is being shut down](https://9to5mac.com/2025/05/22/mozilla-announces-shutdown-of-pocket/?ref=numericcitizen.me) by its owner, Mozilla. I stopped using Pocket a while ago when I wanted to test other solutions, such as Matter and Readwise, and decided to focus on Inoreader for my reading needs. 4️⃣ Speaking of Inoreader, another addition to this powerful service has just arrived: [support for Raindrop.io integration](https://www.inoreader.com/blog/2025/05/raindrop-io-integration-now-available-in-inoreader.html?ref=numericcitizen.me). This means that any article you are reading can be saved in the Raindrop.io bookmarking service. That's cool and all, but I left Raindrop.io a long time ago, [after the war in Ukraine began](https://numericcitizen.me/when-war-in-ukraine-influences-my-application-choices/), and decided to use Anybox instead. Yet, it's another nice addition to Inoreader. ## 📺 YouTube > 1️⃣ [Drones](https://youtu.be/BNEmDcQr6hk?si=hmxKbhywvGDkfwcX&ref=numericcitizen.me) keep improving. This is the latest [dji mavic 4 Pro](https://youtu.be/BNEmDcQr6hk?si=hmxKbhywvGDkfwcX&ref=numericcitizen.me). I want one. 2️⃣ Sam (OpenAI) and Jony (LoveFrom, io) had [a conversation](https://youtu.be/W09bIpc%5F3ms?si=jAh4Hd3GZrHZO7FP&ref=numericcitizen.me). Or was it two monologues? Or too hyperbolic dialogue? I wish them well, but this hype-ish video is not a good start, or rather, a small red flag. Read the OpenAI [press release](https://openai.com/sam-and-jony/?ref=numericcitizen.me). 3️⃣ [That building in New York City](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Flatiron%5FBuilding?ref=numericcitizen.me) is empty! Why is that? [Here's why](https://youtu.be/u9byCRM5Np4?si=OOSW2EIczIB8x01c&ref=numericcitizen.me). You'll learn a lot about the iconic Flatiron Building. 👀 ## 💎 Miscellaneous > 1️⃣ Why do all electric vehicles have the same design? [Riccardo Mori says yes](https://appdot.net/@morrick/114548475612604397?ref=numericcitizen.me). I'm tempted to compare this situation with smartphones: they look more or less the same, don’t they? Is this the price to pay for becoming a commodity? 2️⃣ In other news, I ordered a bunch of [Apple Silicon Inside stickers from Basic Apple Guy](https://basicappleguy.com/siliconinside?ref=numericcitizen.me) and told him. He responded by saying thank you and added a few extras to the shipment. I’m eager to see what's in store! I can't stress enough how hard this person is working on their Apple-related tasks. 3️⃣ Password hygiene is vital to keep your security posture in good shape. Mike Rockwell put together [a complete guide](https://initialcharge.net/2025/05/password-audit/?ref=numericcitizen.me) to managing your passwords and accounts effectively and securely. ![Apple Silicon Inside unofficial sticker by Basic Apple Guy](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/2025/06/Image-1.png) Apple Silicon Inside unofficial sticker by Basic Apple Guy ## 🔮 Looking forward > 1️⃣ Apple’s top-level execs [won’t take part in Gruber’s Live at WWDC show](https://daringfireball.net/linked/2025/05/29/the-talk-show-live-tickets-2025?ref=numericcitizen.me) like they did in the past ten years. No explanation was given, but it appears that Apple might not be happy with [Gruber's take on Apple Intelligence](https://daringfireball.net/2025/03/something%5Fis%5Frotten%5Fin%5Fthe%5Fstate%5Fof%5Fcupertino?ref=numericcitizen.me). Is Apple pissed off? Maybe. What I find sad is that not only does Apple no longer host live keynotes, but they also now refuse to engage in live conversations after the recorded event. I really miss live events. Is this a one-time-only thing so Apple can get its affairs in order before returning next year? Who knows. Apple seems to lack confidence by not returning to live events. Can you imagine if developers were to boo Apple execs when talking about Apple Intelligence on stage? Still looking forward to the next WWDC keynote, though, albeit with some apprehension. I wish you a great week! ✌️ 🇺🇦 🇨🇦 🇪🇺 💪🏻 📌 This newsletter edition is also available as a Craft shared document [****here**](https://crafted.numericcitizen.me/ephemeral-scrapbook-edition-2025-22?ref=numericcitizen.me). An index of past editions can be found [here](https://numericcitizen.me/tag/ephemeral-scrapbook/). This week's edition is based on template version 1.7.4 — 2025.02.23 and was put together with ❤️ mostly on an M2 15-inch MacBook Air, Craft Docs and many supporting [subscriptions](https://crafted.numericcitizen.me/current-subscriptions?ref=numericcitizen.me)! If you like this newsletter, please consider supporting me via [PayPal](https://paypal.me/numericcitizen?locale.x=en%5FUS&ref=numericcitizen.me) or becoming a supporter by visiting my [Ko-fi](https://ko-fi.com/numericcitizen/?ref=numericcitizen.me)! ### The Ephemeral Scrapbook — Edition 2025-17 URL: https://numericcitizen.me/the-ephemeral-scrapbook-edition-2025-17/ Last updated: 2025-05-04T20:35:51.000Z ## 👤 Personal > 1️⃣ I'm going on a two-week vacation and will be back on May 24\. Don't expect the next newsletter edition before that. 2️⃣ You should expect more photo posts and travelling notes on [my blog](https://blog.numericcitizen.me/?ref=numericcitizen.me). > "Treat AI like your highly productive assistant who must be aggressively micromanaged" — Medium Newsletter ## 👨🏻‍💻 Writing > 1️⃣ More [like this](https://tidbits.com/2025/04/25/why-tidbits-will-no-longer-post-to-x-twitter-or-facebook/?ref=numericcitizen.me). I hope more and more bloggers or website owners will stop cross-posting to Facebook, Twitter (X) and Thread. I consider these place as digital cancer triggers and we must stop feeding them with our precious content. 2️⃣ Don't miss my April blog posts digest. This is a monthly summary of all [my blog posts on Micro.blog](https://blog.numericcitizen.me/newsletters/2025/05/01/14909.html?ref=numericcitizen.me). > "In keeping with our desire to model the behavior we want to see in the world, we have stopped posting TidBITS to X/Twitter and Facebook in protest against the harm they cause to civil society. Many other channels remain available, including Bluesky and Mastodon." — [TidBITS](https://tidbits.com/2025/04/25/why-tidbits-will-no-longer-post-to-x-twitter-or-facebook/?ref=numericcitizen.me) ## 🌄 Photography > 1️⃣ Was photography discovered or invented? That's a great question [Nuno Alves on Medium](https://medium.com/full-frame/was-photography-discovered-or-invented-39ff41cbf987?ref=numericcitizen.me) (paywall) asked and tentatively answered the question, which I reproduce a few interesting takeaways here below. 2️⃣ Here this week’s newly discovered photographer: [Tolar Armitt](https://glass.photo/tobiko?ref=numericcitizen.me) on Glass. He offers many photos with a strange vibe to them, like [this one](https://glass.photo/tobiko/5R44FwfAFN4WwtgcTXBi2x?ref=numericcitizen.me) or [that one](https://glass.photo/tobiko/7GYzjrR9vQQXoywj6rezGS?ref=numericcitizen.me). > Because our **purpose**, **intent** and **mindset influence how we shoot.** - If you see photography primarily as a **discovery,** you may lean toward minimal interference — embracing spontaneity, shooting in natural light, and prioritizing authenticity. - If you view photography as an **invention,** you might focus on creative control — constructing scenes, mastering post-processing, and seeing the camera as a tool for transformation. - But if you recognise the **hybrid nature** of photography, you can embrace both: letting moments unfold naturally while still using your creative vision to shape the final outcome. ## 🍎 Apple > 1️⃣ The upcoming iPhone 17 Air will be really thin. [Impressively thin](https://www.macrumors.com/2025/04/24/iphone-17-air-thin-as-buttons/?ref=numericcitizen.me). While we wait for this new iPhone, the Apple Watch turned 10\. Basic Apple Guy [made a great visual](https://basicappleguy.com/basicappleblog/apple-watch-turns-10?ref=numericcitizen.me) and posted a retrospective of his Apple Watch usage. 2️⃣ [Great retrospective](https://uxdesign.cc/on-apples-calculator-apps-e7ed1f423409?ref=numericcitizen.me) of Apple's calculator app, here on Medium (potentially paywalled article). I think with iOS 18, Apple finally nailed its design, but before that, the best calculator design was with iPhone OS in 2007\. 3️⃣ Apple made a lot of money again in their last quarter, which ended in March 2025\. Don’t miss [SixColors](https://sixcolors.com/post/2025/05/apple-q2-2025-results-and-charts-95-4b-revenue/?ref=numericcitizen.me)’ [detailed report](https://sixcolors.com/post/2025/05/apple-q2-2025-results-and-charts-95-4b-revenue/?ref=numericcitizen.me) if you are interested. 4️⃣ Apple is losing the fight against anti-steering rules. They lose more than money; they also lose credibility and tarnish their brand and the developer mindset. It’s very damaging, and they must change course on that. 5️⃣ Do you rearrange icons on your iPad Home Screen often? How is your experience in general? Have you ever met this [strange and frustrating experience](https://www.reddit.com/r/MacOS/s/8QWgsL29VW?ref=numericcitizen.me)? I did, and it’s baffling that Apple seems unable to fix it. Or did they try? ![Ten years of Apple Watch. I went from the original edition, then to Series 4, to Series 6, to Series 8 and then Series 10.](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/2025/05/Image.jpeg) Ten years of Apple Watch. I went from the original edition, then to Series 4, to Series 6, to Series 8 and then Series 10. What if YouTubers or Apple pundits tried stacking two iPhone 17 Air to see how this feels in the hands? This is what the foldable iPhone thickness will probably look like. ![I love those visual retrospectives. My iPhone journey: iPhone 3GS (first version made available in Canada, back in 2009) → iPhone 4S → iPhone 5 → iPhone 6 → iPhone 7 → iPhone 11 Pro → iPhone 13 Pro → iPhone 15 Pro Max. I’m skipping the iPhone 17 this year and be jumping on the iPhone 18 Pro Max next year.](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/2025/05/Image-1.jpeg) I love those visual retrospectives. My iPhone journey: iPhone 3GS (first version made available in Canada, back in 2009) → iPhone 4S → iPhone 5 → iPhone 6 → iPhone 7 → iPhone 11 Pro → iPhone 13 Pro → iPhone 15 Pro Max. I’m skipping the iPhone 17 this year and be jumping on the iPhone 18 Pro Max next year. ## 🚧 Special projects > 1️⃣ I finally sat down and spent some time trying and learning Realmac Software Elements to build a website. For the first time ever, here is a screenshot of an early design as seen from within the app. I finally managed to cross the inflection point of the app learning curve, where things start to click with me and make sense. I love this app and the team behind it, which is very supportive of people currently testing it. For my first project, I'm building my personal landing page, which is currently built with Craft, but will be replaced with the new website. I'm really in the early stage of this project. ![This is my next landing page, which is currently being built with Realmac Software Elements. Even in beta, this app is one of the best I’ve ever used on the Mac after Photomator. ](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/2025/05/Image.png) This is my next landing page, which is currently being built with Realmac Software Elements. Even in beta, this app is one of the best I’ve ever used on the Mac after Photomator. ## 📱 Apps & Services > 1️⃣ [Perplexity AI goes where Siri can't](https://www.macrumors.com/2025/04/24/perplexity-voice-assistant-ios-app/?ref=numericcitizen.me). It’s impressive. Now the question is: will Apple ever allow the iPhone to replace Siri with another assistant? Maybe. Could Apple ever replace or remove the Siri name to standardize on “Apple Intelligence”? How would we invoke the assistant, then? 2️⃣ [Fastmail keeps improving](https://www.fastmail.com/blog/revamped-inbox/?ref=numericcitizen.me). I love it. 3️⃣ [Raycast for iOS](https://apps.apple.com/ca/app/raycast/id6503428327?l=fr-CA&ref=numericcitizen.me) is now available! A quick demonstration is available [right here](https://youtu.be/QCd3WlwqMiM?si=df0FQf7CUKkZrtc3&ref=numericcitizen.me). It's not the whole Raycast experience you have on the Mac, but some of it. If you are a Raycast Pro subscriber, you'll get access to all your Raycast Notes because they sync across platforms! Very handy. I use Raycast Notes at work to jot down ideas and meeting notes that I later paste into Notion. 4️⃣ Inoreader recently launched another feature: Intelligent Reports, which allows summaries of RSS feed articles based on ChatGPT Mini4o model. Selecting articles in feeds enables the prompt for summarization or other requests. The feature commands an add-on fee on top of the monthly subscription. I’m still considering my options here. > “With Intelligence reports, you can select multiple articles at once and instantly generate summaries, extract key points, compare sentiment, or run custom prompts. Once created, reports can be saved as new articles, ready to annotate, export, or share.” — Inoreader press release ## 📺 YouTube > 1️⃣ I made [a video](https://youtu.be/KeBiZ1nE0Wc?ref=numericcitizen.me) about Micro.blog: How to interact with the social web from Micro.blog. I’ve waited a long time to do this video because it's a rather complex subject for a simple platform like Micro.blog. 2️⃣ [Meet Slate](https://youtu.be/jKVwEg4ZToI?si=h2%5FRfMOs75jPON78&ref=numericcitizen.me), a brand new car company. Their truck design is light years ahead of Tesla Cybertruck. Customization and simplification are the foundations of their value proposition. I wish them success. 3️⃣ Apple created [a video](https://youtu.be/vP8dGlX9R5c?si=0SyHtBjqsUNKi%5F2s&ref=numericcitizen.me) on how to use Apple Invites, an app for iCloud+ subscribers, to build event invitations. I took advantage of Apple Invites recently to prepare a special event to celebrate my wife's birthday and the end of our home renovation project. It's rather fun to create and manage events with it, but it's still a 1.0 app with some rough edges. Invites isn’t available for the iPad, another baffling treatment to the iPad platform. Come on, Apple, you can do better than this! ## 💎 Miscellaneous > 1️⃣ Manuel Moreale shared [a thought](https://manuelmoreale.com/a-thought-on-ai-and-creativity?ref=numericcitizen.me) about the use of AI in a creative context. I wrote back to him to share a quick take on that. I do use AI for many purposes in different contexts. In my personal life, AI helps improve my writing (my mother language is French) or get a very specific image (as an amateur photographer, I prefer to share my work, not AI’s work). Back to Manuel’s post, I would consider myself among those who value more the process than the end product but not by a wide margin. I often share my thoughts on my creative workflows because I like to write about the tools that I depend on. But I value the final results because I’m always aiming to bring quality (over quantity). This newsletter is a testament of this. 2️⃣ Speaking of using AI to generate images, the one below was created with ChatGPT and follows a short-lived trend that recently emerged. I wanted to try it myself and got that. It’s rather impressive but also tinted with some goofiness. 3️⃣ Is Shopify CEO out of his mind. [According to him](https://www.theverge.com/news/644943/shopify-ceo-memo-ai-hires-job?ref=numericcitizen.me), there won’t be any new hires without proof AI can’t do the job. If AI is the only solution to your problems, my guess is that your product sucks or will do very soon. Some tech companies are simply out of their mind. This is brutal. ![My toy box try with ChatGPT image generation.](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/2025/05/_ToyBoxExample-optimised.png.png) My toy box try with ChatGPT image generation. ## 🔮 Looking forward > 1️⃣ Forget about Tesla, Slate cars [look very impressive](https://www.slate.auto/en?ref=numericcitizen.me). Highly customizable through a spectacular web interface. Their website is really cool. This truck looks so much better than Tesla Cybertruck. 2️⃣ One last comment about Realmac Software Elements: it is going to be a powerful blogging tool. [Watch here](https://youtu.be/rmKyTYm7j84?si=-DavFi2tFH5KFy4W&ref=numericcitizen.me). ![My favourite version of the slate truck.](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/2025/05/Image-1.png) My favourite version of the slate truck. I wish you a great week! ✌️ 🇺🇦 🇨🇦 🇪🇺 💪🏻 This newsletter edition is also available as a Craft shared document [**here**](https://crafted.numericcitizen.me/ephemeral-scrapbook-edition-2025-17?ref=numericcitizen.me). An index of past editions can be found [here](https://numericcitizen.me/tag/ephemeral-scrapbook/). This week's edition is based on template version 1.7.4 — `Sun, Feb 23` and was put together with ❤️ mostly on an M2 15-inch MacBook Air, Craft Docs and many supporting [subscriptions](https://crafted.numericcitizen.me/current-subscriptions?ref=numericcitizen.me)! If you like this newsletter, please consider supporting me via [PayPal](https://paypal.me/numericcitizen?locale.x=en%5FUS&ref=numericcitizen.me) or becoming a supporter by visiting my [Ko-fi](https://ko-fi.com/numericcitizen/?ref=numericcitizen.me)! ### The Ephemeral Scrapbook — Edition 2025-15 URL: https://numericcitizen.me/the-ephemeral-scrapbook-edition-2025-15/ Last updated: 2025-04-20T14:09:20.000Z ## 👤 Personal > 1️⃣ Now that my home improvement project is (mostly) behind me, I’m turning my attention to my creative hobbies. I'd like returning to DJing, just for fun. I’d like to spend more time doing photography. In both cases, I have the required geared, I'm only lacking some motivation. ## 🗺️ Discoveries > 1️⃣ I discovered [this blog](https://brilliantcrank.com/?ref=numericcitizen.me), Brilliantcrank, after reading [a link post](https://www.manton.org/2025/04/08/greg-storey-blogging-about-how.html?ref=numericcitizen.me). I couldn’t help but share [my feelings](https://blog.numericcitizen.me/2025/04/09/connection-isnt-just-personal-its.html?ref=numericcitizen.me). 2️⃣ According to [this report from WIRED](https://www.wired.com/story/why-researchers-are-turning-to-small-language-models/?ref=numericcitizen.me), large language models are out, and small language models are in, thanks to their many advantages and use cases. They take fewer resources to run, hence their capability to run on a small device like an iPhone, and they help bring more focused responses in niche domains. Part of their training uses [synthetic data](https://www.confident-ai.com/blog/the-definitive-guide-to-synthetic-data-generation-using-llms?ref=numericcitizen.me) from large language models. 3️⃣ As [this blog post explains](https://manuelmoreale.com/when-a-side-project-finds-you?ref=numericcitizen.me), Manuel Moreale is taking over [blogroll.org](https://blogroll.org/?ref=numericcitizen.me), a giant curated blogroll: "manually curated list of 643 fine personal & independent blogs and sites that are updated regularly.” I didn't know the existence of blogroll.org until I read a post from Manton Reece on my Micro.blog timeline. I feel that human curation is needed more than ever in today's internet. Otherwise, everything would fall behind an algorithm. You can find me as a supporter on the list of blogs. ## 👨🏻‍💻 Writing > 1️⃣ From January 2025 to mid-April, I lived in an apartment while my home was undergoing a significant renovation. I took advantage of the occasion to test cutting the cord and relied entirely on Apple TV to watch TV and other video content. I shared my experience in [this article](https://numericcitizen.me/cutting-the-cord-apple-tvs-unfulfilled-promise-in-2025/). The experience wasn't quite what I expected. 2️⃣ Medium shared how they approach AI for writing content. I find their take reasonable, but I wonder how hard they are applying it because I feel that a lot of content is written with LLM. Maybe it's being delegated to the publication’s owners and surfaced articles by the editorial team. Who knows. Scott Lamb reacted to the article by sharing his usual declaration that goes with the work he shares, which I decided to keep for myself: “I ideate and draft content in a text editor, refine it with the aid of artificial intelligence tools like ChatGPT and Grammarly and revise it to reflect my intended message.” > "I don’t delete my blog posts… even when it would be easier for me if I did. For longer posts I might add a note at the end to correct something, but most of the time I let it stand, or hope that replies on the post are enough clarification. The blog as a whole is the work." — Manton Reece ## 🌄 Photography > 1️⃣ AI-generated imagery [is eating into the photo licensing revenue turf](https://om.co/2025/04/08/the-silent-collapse-generative-ais-erosion-of-photo-licensing-revenue-kaptur/?ref=numericcitizen.me), and rather quickly. Services like Unsplash, which offer a vast amount of free-of-charge photos, also provide a subscription, which could be affected in the long run. I considerably reduced [my use of Unsplash](https://numericcitizen.me/the-ephemeral-scrapbook-edition-2024-52/) stock imagery for my blog posts, preferring to use either [my own photos](https://numericcitizen.me/the-ephemeral-scrapbook-edition-2025-01/) or [AI-generated ones](https://numericcitizen.me/crossing-the-ai-threshold-when-does-writing-stop-being-yours/). 2️⃣ Pixelfed now supports filters to customize your experience better. I added two filters to filter out birds and macro photography shots. 3️⃣ Going out for a photowalk with your son in London seems like a good plan. That's exactly what [Greg Morris](https://gregmorris.co.uk/?ref=numericcitizen.me) did recently; he shared [a video](https://youtu.be/HX2lrDB0xlQ?si=pjYpVa9b%5FndN5D9x&ref=numericcitizen.me) about this. They made some really great shots together! 4️⃣ This week's photographer discovery: [Carl Greenwood](https://glass.photo/nubila%5Fcaeli?ref=numericcitizen.me) on Glass: essentially monochromatic photos, but many little gems. Then, I discovered [Giles Thurston](https://glass.photo/gilesthurston?ref=numericcitizen.me), another great photographer followed by Carl Greenwood. Glass is such a great place for photography lovers. [Carl Greenwood on Glass Photography CommunityCarl Greenwood. Monochrome Photographer who is new to this platform and I also have a Vero account. No website, yet.![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/icon/favicon-13.svg)![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/thumbnail/nubila_caeli.jpg)](https://glass.photo/nubila%5Fcaeli?ref=numericcitizen.me) ![The filter configuration panel on Pixelfed.](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/2025/04/Image-6.png) The filter configuration panel on Pixelfed. ## 🍎 Apple > 1️⃣ Is the iPhone 16 Pro immune to tariffs? [Nope](https://www.ifixit.com/News/109277/tariffs-make-repair-an-even-better-choice?ref=numericcitizen.me#:~:text=Tariffs%20inflate%20costs%20and%20create,prices%20by%20up%20to%2016.4%25.). Sorry, yes. Thanks to [a clever strategy](https://www.reuters.com/technology/apple-airlifts-600-tons-iphones-india-to-beat-trump-tariffs-sources-say-2025-04-10/?ref=numericcitizen.me) by Apple, iPhones were imported from India in massive numbers before the tariffs went into effect. Then Trump changed his mind. But still, Apple will not increase the price. Oh, and by the time this edition went out, Trump again decided to exempt Apple's devices from import tariffs. For now. 2️⃣ Apple Search Ads is now called Apple Ads. [According to M. G. Siegler](https://spyglass.org/apple-adds-apple-ads/?ref=numericcitizen.me), this could point to a significant expansion of their ad business into other areas like Apple Maps and Apple TV. I'm not too fond of this predicted trend. Apple is a premium brand, and ads are the opposite of being premium. I don't want to see ads in Apple Maps, Apple TV or, who knows, macOS Settings app. Because of ads, I no longer visit Apple News; they ruin the reading experience. It just looks and feels cheap. 3️⃣ If [recent reports](https://www.macrumors.com/2025/04/10/chaos-behind-siri-revealed/?ref=numericcitizen.me) are believed, Apple's Siri development seems to suffer from constant chaos. Was it under pressure for cost-cutting from Apple's past CFO? [Maybe](https://appleinsider.com/articles/25/04/11/apple-hampered-its-siri-ambitions-by-penny-pinching?ref=numericcitizen.me). The net effect is that Siri and Apple Intelligence are far behind what is currently possible from stand-alone services. 4️⃣ Rumours of iPadOS 19 call for Apple to fix some long-standing issues which prevent the iPad from acting and feeling like a modern computing device. It is not close enough to what we've got on desktop computers like the Mac. [Fifth time a charm](https://parkerortolani.blog/2025/04/13/apple-will-try-to-fix.html?ref=numericcitizen.me)? > "The iPhone is in many ways the ultimate symbol of the age of globalized supply chains." ![Image.png](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/2025/04/Image-1-1.png) The costs of making the iPhone 16 Pro. > "When Apple says ‘this is something only Apple can do’ it often means that they just won't allow third parties to do it." — Gui Rambo on Mastodon ## 🚧 Special projects > 1️⃣ Many of my projects are related to managing changes in apps and services because my needs change. I went from HEY Mail to Fastmail. I went from WordPress to Ghost. I when from Blot to Craft and Micro.blog. Like Matt Birchler [said](https://birchtree.me/blog/nothing-in-your-workflow-is-permenent/?ref=numericcitizen.me): “Everything will change one day." ## 📱 Apps & Services > 1️⃣ Parker Ortolani [argues](https://parkerortolani.blog/2025/04/06/microsoft-is-filling-in-essential.html?ref=numericcitizen.me) that the Microsoft Edge browser is now good enough to replace the Arc Browser from the Browser Company. I use Microsoft Edge at the office, but I didn't spend much time trying to customize it to my liking. The only extension that I use is the iCloud Keychain. Maybe I should give it a more serious look because the Arc Browser is on the verge of becoming another abandonware. 2️⃣ If you want to tweak the menubar on your Mac and bring visual memories of macOS Maverick, Catalina or Tiger, now you can with this nifty utility: [Lickable Menu Bar](https://apps.apple.com/ca/app/lickable-menu-bar/id6444217677?mt=12&ref=numericcitizen.me). I chose the Maverick version because of the nice gradient when in dark mode. 3️⃣ In a recent update, Craft introduced support for syncing Readwise highlights into a Craft collection. I tested the feature to import my Readwise content, and it works as advertised. My collection size is just under a thousand items, and I feel Craft lags while working with such an extensive collection. This Craft addition came when I decided to drop Readwise because of my lack of use cases, preferring to focus on Inoreader for my reading workflow. ## 📺 YouTube > 1️⃣ Notion Mail is finally out! This video from Notion shows that Microsoft, with Microsoft 365, is sleeping on the job. I'm not a fan of Notion Mail being a client to Gmail, but I applaud the courage they have for trying something in this crowded and mature space. As a recent switcher to Fastmail, should I consider Notion Mail? Nope. I don't see the big thing in Notion Mail for me to switch, nothing compared to what I had when I switched from HEY Mail. 2️⃣ The [Steve Jobs Archive](https://youtube.com/@steve-jobs-archive?si=5ySkv55Tp04l%5FUBw&ref=numericcitizen.me) is on YouTube. Just found out recently, thanks [to a post](https://mastodon.social/@michaelsteeber/114175268983027537?ref=numericcitizen.me) by Michael Steeber. Notiuon Mail is Gmail with a different coat of paint? [Steve Jobs ArchiveThe Steve Jobs Archive is the authoritative home for Steve’s story and a resource for new generations eager to make their own mark. Our publications, programs, and collections provide people with the inspiration to think different, the tools to make something wonderful, and the confidence to put it out there.![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/icon/favicon_144x144.png)YouTube![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/thumbnail/Z-ZsDThFr3EJXXcSDxq82Cc503Q0vo5e23N07s6VZ2C-XMTCnnoPe0cDjbXWp7MLU_EHM9fWUg-s900-c-k-c0x00ffffff-no-rj)](https://youtube.com/@steve-jobs-archive?si=5ySkv55Tp04l%5FUBw&ref=numericcitizen.me) Steve Jobs Archive is on YouTube. ## 💎 Miscellaneous > 1️⃣ I tried ChatGPT image generation to create a pixel art version of my business profile photo. Not bad. The first iteration was the best; subsequent iterations were not as good. I don't have a great face for a computer-generated image of me. Apple's Image Playground proves it, but ChatGPT too. 2️⃣ Synology makes it harder for clients to decide which drive to put in their Synology NAS. In recently introduced models, [Synology will be restricting HDD models](https://appleinsider.com/articles/25/04/16/synology-partially-drops-support-for-third-party-drives-in-2025-nas-range?ref=numericcitizen.me) that can be used in these units for maximum performance, compatibility and durability, at least so they say. Is this a marketing trick to maximize revenues? Is Synology following Apple's vertical integration models? It certainly looks like it, and [people aren't happy at all](https://www.reddit.com/r/synology/s/G0yp7bJd5i?ref=numericcitizen.me). I own a DS720+ model and don't plan to upgrade anytime soon, but when I do, this will impact my choices. 3️⃣ Do you close all apps on your iPhone? While [LJPUK still do it](https://ljpuk.net/2025/04/15/i-still-close-background-apps-on-the-iphone-do-you/?ref=numericcitizen.me), I never did that because, first it's a waste of my time, second, by the time you close them all, you are wasting battery power and, third, you fight against the logic of leaving apps active and returning to them in a snap instead of the iPhone having to relaunch the app when you return to it which takes longer. 4️⃣ ChatGPT now keeps past conversations to build a profile or memory of its user and learn from it. It might sound bad but this helps [make ChatGPT more personal](https://parkerortolani.blog/2025/04/11/the-week-chatgpt-truly-became.html?ref=numericcitizen.me) in its way of interacting with the user. You can prompt ChatGPT to describe yourself. I asked “Describe me based on past conversations". [Results are troubling](https://blog.numericcitizen.me/2025/04/17/dear-chatgpt-describe-me-based.html?ref=numericcitizen.me). ![My avatar, in Pixelart version.](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/2025/04/_06F8D140-C217-434A-B479-F93C19E5DF14.png) Testing ChatGPT image create with my avatar, in Pixelart version. ## 🔮 Looking forward > 1️⃣ [Neptune](https://theneptuneapp.com/?ref=numericcitizen.me), a TikTok alternative, is on the verge of launching. I'm not really into this digital medium because they are a time waster for me. The fact that Neptune isn't associated with Meta or Google is a win right there. Curious to see where it goes. 2️⃣ Realmac Software continues working on Elements, and they recently gave an early look at a feature that I'm really looking forward to: blogging support! From the video below, you can see the feature in action. It's a bit rough on the edges and convoluted, but the idea of using a native website builder app for blogging is exciting. This could potentially partially replace Craft for some use cases. Realmac Software Element will support bloggers! I wish you a great week! ✌️ 🇺🇦 🇨🇦 🇪🇺 💪🏻 🗣️ This newsletter edition is also available as a Craft shared document [****here**](https://crafted.numericcitizen.me/ephemeral-scrapbook-edition-2025-15?ref=numericcitizen.me). An index of past editions can be found [here](https://numericcitizen.me/tag/ephemeral-scrapbook/). This week's edition is based on template version 1.7.4 — `Sun, Feb 23` and was put together with ❤️ mostly on an M2 15-inch MacBook Air, Craft Docs and many supporting [subscriptions](https://crafted.numericcitizen.me/current-subscriptions?ref=numericcitizen.me)! If you like this newsletter, please consider supporting me via [PayPal](https://paypal.me/numericcitizen?locale.x=en%5FUS&ref=numericcitizen.me) or becoming a supporter by visiting my [Ko-fi](https://ko-fi.com/numericcitizen/?ref=numericcitizen.me)! ### Cutting the Cord: Apple TV's Unfulfilled Promise in 2025 URL: https://numericcitizen.me/cutting-the-cord-apple-tvs-unfulfilled-promise-in-2025/ Last updated: 2025-04-07T11:51:36.000Z I’ve been a devoted Apple TV user since it first launched back in 2006\. But earlier this year, a major home renovation project forced me to temporarily relocate to an apartment—cutting me off from my cable TV provider since the start of 2025\. Now, I’m counting down the days until I can move back home and reconnect to traditional cable. Why? Because after nearly two decades of evolution, Apple TV still isn’t delivering the experience I expected. So, what’s it really like to rely solely on Apple TV in 2025, leaving cable behind entirely? After three months of going all-in on Apple’s set-top box, I’ve got thoughts—here’s what I’ve learned. - My YouTube content consumption dramatically increased, not only for watching my preferred channels but also for consuming news-related content. I wasn’t expecting that. Thankfully, I’m a paid subscriber, so I don’t get to see ads. - Image quality varies significantly between each source. Apple content stands out as the best, while most others offer the bare minimum. When watching highly dynamic content, the image becomes blurry and pixelated, which is not ideal for a 4K TV. - I mostly never use the “Up Next” feature because not all content providers are supporting it. Did Apple lose its power or attractiveness to bring developers support for even basic features like this? I think so. Continue reading to learn about the consequences. - Interacting with an Apple TV means a lot of time is spent clicking and sliding through the Apple TV user interface. A simple wrong gesture can be fatal and break the browsing, watching or listening experience. Navigating the tvOS user interface is finicky not only for beginners but for experienced users, too. It is frustrating. Siri doesn’t really help here because of its high failure rate. - There’s no universal way to watch live TV; each TV channel app offers a unique way to access the current broadcast. Some apps don’t even provide live broadcast access; they only allow you to watch past TV shows. It’s not tvOS’s fault, but Apple’s. - Very few apps offer an on-screen TV guide. The TV guide is usually hard to find and requires numerous clicks to access. Additionally, no TV provider allows for the recording of scheduled TV shows. I believe this is an opportunity missed by Apple to provide a standardized way for displaying TV schedules. - Apple’s tvOS doesn’t offer live TV feeds aggregation, which Google does via the live TV grid named “[FAST TV](https://www.cnet.com/tech/services-and-software/fast-tv-what-it-is-and-why-it-should-matter-to-you/?ref=numericcitizen.me)”. I understand that this service would mostly fix the TV guide issue mentioned previously and could be a complementary offer to “Up Next”. Is Apple reading this? - As you might expect, there is no “switching channels action” to view what is currently available on different TV providers. You can probably tell how old I am now. I suppose this is not an issue for younger consumers. I suspect the younger generation no longer watches TV, so they can’t compare. - Content navigation is a nightmare because not all Apple TV app developers follow the [Human Interface Guide from Apple](https://developer.apple.com/design/human-interface-guidelines/designing-for-tvos?ref=numericcitizen.me). The YouTube app is probably the worst. You never really know when the “back” button will dismiss some UI elements or bring you back to the home screen. - My TV provider in Montreal, Videotron, doesn’t fully support the [TV Provider feature](https://support.apple.com/en-ca/102252?ref=numericcitizen.me). Only Helix subscription plans and their most recent offerings are supported. Illico is unavailable through the Apple TV, only on their aging set-top box. I don't want to “upgrade" or switch to Helix because it comes with its WiFi router, which I don't like; I want to keep control of that essential piece of equipment. - App reviews for TV providers are barely making the 2-star mark. People don’t like them, apparently. Now you better know why. > *"This project has always been a puzzle. Yes, Apple builds services to drive iPhone sales, but those services always produce revenue and support themselves as well. Meanwhile, Apple services are either essential for Apple to have (iCloud, Music, Maps), or try to solve problems for users in some uniquely Apple way (Fitness, the credit card). Apple TV does none of this. It doesn’t solve any problem, it does nothing different and Apple adds nothing. All that Apple contributes is money: Eddie Cue flies down to LA and buys LA stuff from LA people. Some of the shows are good, yes, but that has nothing to do with Apple. Worse, it doesn’t even drive device sales - almost no-one watches the shows and you can watch them on competitors’ devices anyway. As I and many others have said - why does this exist?" –* Benedict Evans about the Apple TV My general feeling is that the Apple TV, and tvOS for that matter, doesn’t need a more powerful CPU or a new navigational trick, it might need a more profound rethinking. But even if Apple does it, will TV providers or, more importantly, developers step in? I don’t think so. Final question: How much of the current fragmented state of the Apple TV content consumption experience is due to the content being spread out and streamed through so many “channel apps”? Is FAST TV a solution to this? It’s undoubtedly a subject up for debate. Note: right before publishing this article, SixColors published [a comparison of TV streamers](https://sixcolors.com/post/2025/03/whos-the-laggard-comparing-tv-streamer-boxes/?ref=numericcitizen.me) that goes along the same lines as my thoughts. ### The Ephemeral Scrapbook — Edition 2025-13 URL: https://numericcitizen.me/the-ephemeral-scrapbook-edition-2025-13/ Last updated: 2025-04-06T21:09:47.000Z ## 🗺️ Discoveries > 1️⃣ I discovered a few weeks ago: [Fastmail](https://join.fastmail.com/9494c1b4?ref=numericcitizen.me), a great email service that I switched to from HEY Mail. I shared [my experience of switching to Fastmail](https://numericcitizen.me/migrating-from-hey-mail-to-fastmail-my-guide-for-a-smooth-transition/) in this article. If you want to unify all your mailboxes, Fastmail is the best discovery you'll ever make this week! 2️⃣ [This article](https://ia.net/topics/markdown-and-the-slow-fade-of-the-formatting-fetish?ref=numericcitizen.me) from Informations Architects discusses the gradual shift from traditional, heavily formatted word processing applications like Microsoft Word to simpler, more focused writing tools that utilize Markdown, emphasizing how this change promotes clarity in writing and reduces the distractions of excessive formatting. Speaking of Markdown, check out this [online Markdown text editor](https://onlinemarkdown.com/?ref=numericcitizen.me). > > "Why are we sending our kids to a school that looks like a Microsoft ad? To prepare them for the future. Does equipping children with Office tools truly serve this purpose or does it serve the purpose of cementing a life in the products of a software monopolist?" — Informations Architects ## 👨🏻‍💻 Writing > 1️⃣ I wrote [an article](https://numericcitizen.me/protecting-your-digital-life-privacy-and-security-measures-for-apple-users/) about privacy and data protection for Apple users. It's a different kind of project, and I shared a behind-the-scene look about it [here](https://meta.numericcitizen.me/2025/03/28/the-future-of-writing-testing.html?ref=numericcitizen.me). Then, I wrote [another article](https://numericcitizen.me/crossing-the-ai-threshold-when-does-writing-stop-being-yours/) following an unexpected refusal to submit an article for Medium. Even with generative AI, writing these days is more complicated than ever, not easier. Don't be fooled. 2️⃣ I’d like to write a new version of “[The Rotten Side of Tim Cook’s Apple](https://numericcitizen.me/the-rotten-side-of-tim-cooks-apple/)” following Gruber's piece about [something rotten at Apple](https://daringfireball.net/2025/03/something%5Fis%5Frotten%5Fin%5Fthe%5Fstate%5Fof%5Fcupertino?ref=numericcitizen.me). I just don't know where to start. 3️⃣ Don't miss [my monthly summary](https://blog.numericcitizen.me/newsletters/2025/04/01/14360.html?ref=numericcitizen.me) on Micro.blog. ## 🌄 Photography > 1️⃣ [This article](https://petapixel.com/2025/04/03/how-to-craft-a-lightroom-keyword-hierarchy/?ref=numericcitizen.me) discusses the importance of creating a hierarchical keyword system in Lightroom to enhance image organization and searchability. Photographers can efficiently manage their growing collections by categorizing keywords into parent-child relationships. The principles exposed in this article can apply to any app or service that supports tags. 2️⃣ Celebrating life is probably the best way to describe [Lindsay Lee Giroux's work](https://glass.photo/lindsayleegiroux?ref=numericcitizen.me). I found her on Glass while surfing for photographers that don't fall into the usual photographic style category I like the most. Her visual style is colorful, joyful, and authentic. Those are the words that come to my mind when browsing her profile. She also has a [beautiful online portfolio](https://lindsayleegiroux.com/?ref=numericcitizen.me). 3️⃣ [This video](https://youtu.be/b87HnQz3dLk?si=Pz2qde4nPdoIfM5o&ref=numericcitizen.me) explores how to recreate the nostalgic look of film photography using just an iPhone, without needing a film camera. Using the [Moment app](https://www.shopmoment.com/pages/apps?ref=numericcitizen.me) for manual controls and RAW shooting, along with ND filters to mimic slower shutter speeds, they embrace imperfections that give photos a more authentic film feel. They edit using [Dehancer](https://www.dehancer.com/?ref=numericcitizen.me), an app that simulates classic film stocks and effects like grain and halation, achieving surprisingly convincing results. While they acknowledge that mobile photography can’t fully replace the experience of shooting film, it’s a fun, accessible, and affordable way to capture a similar aesthetic. [Lindsay Lee Giroux on Glass Photography CommunityLindsay Lee Giroux. Monocular Photographer 📷 • Autistic • Mom to 5 • Lightseeker • Storyteller • Timekeeper • Photographing the Authentic, Beauty, & Magic in Every Day ✨![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/icon/favicon-12.svg)![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/thumbnail/lindsayleegiroux.jpg)](https://glass.photo/lindsayleegiroux?ref=numericcitizen.me) ## 🍎 Apple > 1️⃣ A stark warning from an app developer: in “[Tim, Don’t Kill My Vibe](http://irace.me/vibe?ref=numericcitizen.me),” Brian Irace warns that at this rate, it's faster to write an app using generative AI than go through the current App Store approval process. Something is wrong here. I'm getting nervous about Apple these days. 2️⃣ [WWDC25](https://developer.apple.com/wwdc25/?ref=numericcitizen.me) invites are out and look rather uninspiring. I'm not too fond of this glassy look for the “25” portion of the WWDC25\. Judge yourself with the artwork below. 3️⃣ Remember [Swift Playground](https://developer.apple.com/swift-playground/?ref=numericcitizen.me)? I’ve been wondering how this app could evolve in the context of generative AI. Is it still relevant without any coding assistant based on generative AI? Beyond support for machine learning-related integration, I don't see anything related to generative AI and LLM model integration. Am I missing something? 4️⃣ iOS 19 redesign looks more gorgeous by the leak! 😍 If the project code name is [Solarium](https://www.macrumors.com/2025/03/30/apple-codename-for-ios-19-design/?ref=numericcitizen.me), it somewhat adds credence to the rumors. The use of the glass material metaphor for the UI also makes sense to me because it goes with the fact that we interact with our devices through the glass surface. 5️⃣ Before we get to iOS 19, we're getting iOS 18.4 (and all other .4 releases) with [quite a few new features and tweaks](https://www.macrumors.com/guide/ios-18-4-features-2/?ref=numericcitizen.me). It's the time of the year when iOS feels the most stable and finished, just two months before the next WWDC. 6️⃣ Apple released iOS 16.7.11 with security fixes for the iPhone 8 and iPhone X. Yep, for iPhone 8 and iPhone X. 7️⃣ iOS 18.5 beta is out; nothing worth calling your mom.. ![Severance terminal Apple is (not)selling on Apple.com store. ](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/2025/04/Image.png) Severance terminal Apple is (not)selling on Apple.com store. [MacThe most powerful Mac laptops and desktops ever. Supercharged by Apple silicon. MacBook Air, MacBook Pro, iMac, Mac mini, Mac Studio, and Mac Pro.![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/icon/favicon-12.ico)Apple![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/thumbnail/mac__c3zv0c86zu0y_og.png)](https://www.apple.com/mac/lumon-terminal-pro/?ref=numericcitizen.me) ![Two Severance characters miniatures that I wish I could buy.](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/2025/04/Image-1.png) Two Severance characters miniatures that I wish I could buy. ![WWDC2025 invite logo. ](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/2025/04/Image-2.png) WWDC2025 invite logo. ## 🚧 Special projects > 1️⃣ I recently finished copying my blog posts from the Craft-hosted documents to Micro.blog. The goal was to reduce my dependence on Craft and better align with open platforms like Micro.blog for hosting and sharing my content. The blog posts can be found [here](https://meta.numericcitizen.me/?ref=numericcitizen.me). The efforts were probably too high compared to the content value, but I needed to keep my content publicly available. You never know when something might be useful for someone. ## 📱 Apps & Services > 1️⃣ Inoreader got a big [Q1 quarter full of updates](https://www.inoreader.com/blog/2025/03/inoreader-q1-highlights-a-strong-start-to-2025.html?ref=numericcitizen.me), and they said that Q2 will be even more significant. I'm not holding my breath too much. Still, Inoreader received many meaningful updates, making this service even better and more valuable to me. 2️⃣ I’ve been testing ChatGPT's new image generation capabilities, which are based on the 4o model. Compared to Apple’s Image Playground, it is awe-inspiring. I understand that ChatGPT is much less constrained than Apple's solution, which runs on the device, yet why would people waste their time with Apple's solution? I tested this on two images: one is based on my avatar, the other is from an image of Steve Jobs unveiling the iPhone. 3️⃣ Craft announced [Chaps](https://chaps.app/?ref=numericcitizen.me), a new application that is somewhat hard to describe. It's like a conversational app between you and apps or services. I would have called it Chapps instead for a better and more obvious reference to chat + apps. I'm not sure how useful this will be in my workflow. The demonstrated use cases aren't very enticing to me. I prefer a chat client with my Craft content where I could ask questions like “Show me a list of recently updated documents” or “What is the XYZ document about?”. Also, Craft is a small team, and I hope their development resources are not diluted too much. As I wrote to someone on Reddit, there are still many unfinished and "work-in-progress" things in Craft that need attention. From their announcement: “Think of Chaps as a place to build smart, AI-powered agents each dedicated to a specific area or workflow of your life, helping you simplify tasks and focus on what genuinely matters.”. ![ChatGPT processing based on my avatar.](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/2025/04/Image-3.png) ChatGPT processing based on my avatar. ![ChatGPT processing using 4o model. ](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/2025/04/Image-4.png) ChatGPT processing using 4o model. ## 📺 YouTube > 1️⃣ I’ve been watching "Adolescence" recently, a poignant four-episode Netflix series. One thing that struck me was the filming: all episodes are shot in one continuous sequence. The following [YouTube video](https://youtu.be/BYwXv3hnZx4?si=JkUZuKRKh2XDCcd3&ref=numericcitizen.me) shows how it was done. Impressive. ## 💎 Miscellaneous > 1️⃣ In a [recent blog post](https://www.flarup.email/p/the-death-of-design?ref=numericcitizen.me), Michael Flarup reflects on the decline of creative freedom in design, particularly following Dribbble's new restrictions that limit designers' ability to showcase their work and connect with clients outside the platform. In case you didn't know, Michael Flarup is a Danish designer and entrepreneur who runs Northplay game studio, Pixelresort design studio, and the Apply Pixels resource platform; known for his expertise in app icon design and as an international keynote speaker. 2️⃣ Are Apple and Google headed in the same direction? [The article](https://om.co/2025/03/29/the-mediocrity-of-modern-google/?ref=numericcitizen.me) from Om Malik critiques Google's decline from a once-innovative tech leader to a company plagued by corporate indifference and bureaucratic stagnation, highlighting its struggles to adapt to changing user expectations and competition in the AI landscape. 3️⃣ Apple owes France some money over ATT. That’s too bad. I thought the EU, along with GDPR, was siding with users. It's not the case. [Gruber's take on this](https://daringfireball.net/2025/03/france%5Fmerde%5Fdecision%5Fapp%5Ftracking%5Ftransparency?ref=numericcitizen.me). Is France going to use that money to finance unforeseen military expenses, thanks to MAGA and Trump, who are saying: fuck you, EU? I don't know, but it won't hurt to get some extra money. 4️⃣ Here’s a great [April Fools from Basic Apple Guy](https://basicappleguy.com/basicappleblog/m4-extreme-mac-pro?ref=numericcitizen.me). > “AI can produce code that works initially but falls apart under pressure, and only a good developer knows how to turn an AI’s output into something that stands the test of time” — Pete Sena on Medium ## 🔮 Looking forward > 1️⃣ I’ve been busy more than usual in recent weeks, thanks to our home improvement project, which has been ongoing since early January. The dust should start to settle virtually and for real, and I should return to a regular schedule until I leave for a two-week vacation in Europe. 2️⃣ The iPhone 17 Pro mockup is getting more and more detailed. I’ve been a happy owner of the 11 Pro, 13 Pro and now the 15 Pro, but I will skip the 17 Pro for political and economic reasons. Anyway, I'm super happy with my 15 Pro Max; I don't see why I would change. ![The iPhone Pro lineup evolution over the years.](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/2025/04/Image-5.png) The iPhone Pro lineup evolution over the years. If you want to see how this newsletter is put together, watch [this YouTube video](https://youtu.be/BrkAgVmLB04?ref=numericcitizen.me). I wish you a great week! ✌️ 🇺🇦 🇨🇦 🇪🇺 💪🏻 📌 This newsletter edition is also available as a Craft shared document [****here**](https://crafted.numericcitizen.me/ephemeral-scrapbook-edition-2025-13?ref=numericcitizen.me). An index of past editions can be found [here](https://numericcitizen.me/tag/ephemeral-scrapbook/). This week's edition is based on template version 1.7.4 — `Sun, Feb 23` and was put together with ❤️ mostly on an M2 15-inch MacBook Air, Craft Docs and many supporting [subscriptions](https://crafted.numericcitizen.me/current-subscriptions?ref=numericcitizen.me)! If you like this newsletter, please consider supporting me via [PayPal](https://paypal.me/numericcitizen?locale.x=en%5FUS&ref=numericcitizen.me) or becoming a supporter by visiting my [Ko-fi](https://ko-fi.com/numericcitizen/?ref=numericcitizen.me)! ### Crossing the AI Threshold: When Does Writing Stop Being Yours? URL: https://numericcitizen.me/crossing-the-ai-threshold-when-does-writing-stop-being-yours/ Last updated: 2025-03-31T16:07:22.000Z Over the past few years, Apple has introduced numerous improvements and new features to help their customers enhance their security posture. Apple recognizes that, in today's world, support for data protection and privacy is more than ever a significant differentiating factor. In 2024, I had the idea to write a guide for Apple product users to provide a comprehensive overview of available features and their interconnections. It goes without saying that although Apple's ecosystem enjoys a reputation for being more approachable than other ecosystems, it remains confusing or even difficult for the average person to navigate cybersecurity topics. Little by little, I began researching existing articles and references. I eventually realized that a guide like the one I envisioned didn't exist in the form I imagined. My research allowed me to gather numerous support articles from Apple and several articles published alongside new versions of iOS. For example, the App Tracking Transparency (ATT) feature has garnered much interest and even controversy, resulting in many related articles. However, by the end of 2024, I realized that writing this guide was a more substantial task than I had initially imagined. I knew how the topics would be organized, grouped, and detailed. I knew I had to target the general public, keeping the content high-level to remain understandable to the majority. Thus, I did not want to delve too deeply into the "how-to" specifics. The core idea was to present an overview of all available features while including some best practice advice. In October 2024, ChatGPT launched its conversational writing feature, ChatGPT Canvas. After watching demo videos and reading articles about this feature, I wondered if using it could help me write this security guide. I first tested the tool with fictional topics to gauge its power and flexibility in supporting writing. I decided to take a chance with a real scenario by using it to create the skeleton of my guide. An easy starting point with ChatGPT in this context was uploading PDFs of the references I had gathered during my research to feed into the subsequent steps. After several hours of "conversation" with ChatGPT Canvas, I achieved approximately 80% of what I initially envisioned. It was significantly faster and more efficient than if I had written it from scratch, especially given the many research hours I had accumulated. From there, I switched to my preferred writing application to refine the text further. I revised several sentences, removed redundant sections, restructured topic sequences, added elements like basic definitions to clarify concepts for readers, and even created a comprehensive diagram using Apple Freeform to accompany the text and visually connect all the concepts covered. Ultimately, I am quite proud of the final result. I published [the article](https://numericcitizen.me/protecting-your-digital-life-privacy-and-security-measures-for-apple-users/) on this website and [a post](https://meta.numericcitizen.me/2025/03/28/the-future-of-writing-testing.html?ref=numericcitizen.me) on my blog explaining the writing context. Within days, it became one of the most-viewed articles (in the top 3), and I received positive feedback. This weekend, I decided to publish it on Medium by submitting it to the [Mac O'Clock publication](https://medium.com/macoclock?ref=numericcitizen.me). The publication's editor politely declined, citing that the text was written with the assistance of AI. He was not wrong. I explained my approach, but he maintained his decision nonetheless. While I can't blame him, this refusal has made me reflect deeply, raising the question: at what point does using AI cause the research and writing process to lose its personal touch, diminishing the value or authenticity of the resulting work? I continue to believe that my guide addresses a significant gap in existing literature and provides unique value. I am convinced that readers who take the time to read through the guide and implement even a few of the presented tips or services will significantly enhance their security posture. Isn't that a positive outcome? The arrival of generative artificial intelligence in the creative process significantly disrupts both creation itself and our expectations of those contributing to human knowledge. We haven't finished asking ourselves questions—myself included. Overall, the experience has been positive and helped me evolve as a creator. This text was initially written in French, my native language, and then translated into English using the ChatGPT 4.5 LLM model. Does it lose its value because of this? You tell me. ### Protecting Your Digital Life: Privacy and Security Measures for Apple Users URL: https://numericcitizen.me/protecting-your-digital-life-privacy-and-security-measures-for-apple-users/ Last updated: 2025-03-28T17:28:12.000Z Privacy and security are crucial aspects of our digital lives, and Apple devices offer strong built-in protections that anyone can and should use. Even if you're not technically inclined, there are straightforward ways to safeguard your personal data and privacy. This guide is designed for non-technical users and everyone to read, highlighting essential practices to help you stay safe online by leveraging Apple's powerful yet user-friendly tools. I wanted to write something easy to understand so that people could easily take advantage of it. Consider looking at the following diagram to get an overview of the building blocks that will increase your security posture. This diagram should help you learn how they relate to your digital ecosystem based on Apple technologies. ![A visual overview of Apple’s technologies to help you protect your data and privacy.](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/2025/03/Image-13.png) A visual overview of Apple’s technologies to help you protect your data and privacy. ## What Is a Security Posture? In the cybersecurity realm, a "security posture" refers to the overall security status of an organization, system, or individual based on its resources, capabilities, and policies. This concept encompasses the readiness and ability to predict, prevent, and respond to various cyber threats. When applied to an individual, a security posture includes all the measures and practices one adopts to protect their personal digital environment, maintain data privacy, and ensure safe interactions online. These practices involve using strong passwords, enabling two-factor authentication, regularly updating devices and software, and being aware of phishing attempts, among other things. In the context of Apple users, security posture involves using the built-in tools and resources that Apple provides to enhance digital security. Apple devices generally come equipped with user-friendly features designed to protect personal information, such as biometric authentication (like Face ID or Touch ID), encrypted messaging through iMessage, and privacy settings that limit what apps can access personal data. Even individuals who are not technically inclined can reinforce their security posture by taking advantage of these features. For example, they can easily activate two-factor authentication for their Apple Account to add an extra layer of security or manage their privacy settings to control which apps have access to location data or personal contacts. By understanding and applying these digital security fundamentals, individuals can significantly enhance their security posture. It is about leveraging tools that are readily available and following best practices to protect one's digital presence effectively. This approach safeguards personal information and provides peace of mind while navigating the digital world. Now, let’s dig into this in more detail. ## Regularly Update Your Devices Keeping your devices up-to-date ensures you benefit from Apple's latest security enhancements and privacy improvements. Regular updates address known vulnerabilities, significantly reducing your risk from cyber threats, malware, and unauthorized access. Updates often include improvements to device performance and stability alongside critical security patches. Apple's automatic software updates make it easy to maintain optimal security without needing to check for new versions manually. Staying updated is one of the simplest yet most effective ways to safeguard your personal data and device integrity. If you own an old device, Apple often keep releasing security-related updates and you are good to go, but when Apple stop releasing those updates, consider upgrading your device. Also, if you don’t want to update to the newest major release, Apple makes security-related updates available for the previous major releases. For example, while iOS 18 is the current major release, you can select to stay on iOS 17 and apply the latest minor release if you want. That way, you keep your security posture in good shape. ## Physical Device Security Protecting your devices physically is as important as digital security. Avoid leaving your devices unattended in public spaces to minimize theft or unauthorized access. Consider using [privacy screen protectors](https://www.rollingstone.com/product-recommendations/electronics/best-privacy-phone-screen-protector-1234695647/?ref=numericcitizen.me) in public areas to prevent others from viewing your screen. Additionally, be cautious when using accessories or chargers from unknown sources to prevent potential security risks. Using accessories or chargers from unknown sources can pose significant cybersecurity risks to your digital devices. Firstly, counterfeit or uncertified chargers might not adhere to the stringent safety standards set by manufacturers like Apple, potentially leading to device malfunctions or physical damage. Beyond physical risks, these unauthorized accessories can also harbor malicious software or hardware designed to compromise your device. For instance, they could be used to deliver malware, which might allow attackers to gain unauthorized access to your device, steal personal data, or even control your device remotely. These risks underscore the importance of using only trusted and certified accessories. There are [documented cases](https://www.forbes.com/sites/zakdoffman/2023/12/16/apple-iphone-ipad-and-macbook-users-warned-not-to-use-other-peoples-charging-cables-after-new-update/?ref=numericcitizen.me) of malicious charger cables that proved to pose serious security risks. It’s not science fiction, it’s real. > “The Forbes article warns Apple users about the risks of using unfamiliar charging cables, highlighting a specific type known as the “O.MG Cable.” This cable resembles standard USB-C or Lightning cables but contains embedded hardware that can remotely access and control connected devices over Wi-Fi. Once plugged in, it can execute commands, potentially compromising personal data and device security.” ## Use Strong and Unique Passwords Protect your devices and accounts by choosing strong, unique passwords and passcodes. Avoid using simple or easily guessable unlock codes like "123456" or birth dates. Instead, enable Touch ID or Face ID whenever available for enhanced security. Apple doesn’t keep your fingerprints; don’t worry about that. Apple provides tools like iCloud Keychain to help create and securely store complex passwords, making your accounts harder to compromise.Those passwords then sync across all your Apple devices, offering seamless protection. Apple recently created a dedicated password management app called “Passwords” that is very capable and free to use. It's available in iOS 18, iPadOS 18 and macOS Sequoia. Consider giving it a look. Other password management apps or services includes 1Password, Bitwarden, Keeper, just to name a few of them. Here’s [an article](https://www.tomsguide.com/us/best-password-managers,review-3785.html?ref=numericcitizen.me) comparing them. ## Enable Two-Factor Authentication Use two-factor authentication (2FA) whenever possible to add an extra layer of security to your accounts. Apple’s built-in two-factor authentication protects your Apple Account by requiring a second form of verification—typically a code sent to your trusted devices. This significantly reduces the risk of unauthorized access, even if your password is compromised. Apple Passwords app supports enabling two factors authentication for accounts that support it. I highly encourage you to us this because it’s more secure and for many websites, the integration with Apple Safari is seamless. Give it a try. > “2FA stands for two-factor authentication. It is an extra layer of security used to ensure that only the person who owns an account can access it, even if someone knows the password. Two-factor authentication typically requires a password and a second piece of information, such as a code sent to a phone, to verify the user's identity.” ## Use "Sign In With Apple" for Enhanced Privacy Using "Sign In With Apple" provides significant privacy and security advantages over traditional email and password authentication. This feature allows you to sign in to apps and websites quickly and securely without sharing your personal email or creating multiple passwords. Apple generates [unique random email addresses](https://support.apple.com/en-us/105078?ref=numericcitizen.me) to keep your personal email private, helping reduce spam and enhance your online privacy. Complementary to this, [Apple Passkeys](https://support.apple.com/en-ca/guide/iphone/iphf538ea8d0/ios?ref=numericcitizen.me) offer a secure, passwordless authentication method that uses biometric verification (Touch ID or Face ID) for accessing apps and websites. While "Sign In With Apple" simplifies registration and keeps your email private, Passkeys completely eliminate the need for passwords, providing an even higher level of security and convenience. Together, these two methods greatly reduce your vulnerability to password-related threats, making your digital experience both safer and easier. Pay attention from time to time to the [Apple device account list](https://support.apple.com/en-ca/102649?ref=numericcitizen.me), where you’ll see a list of all your devices where you signed in. Do you recognize all the devices in that list? If so, remove them as soon as possible. ## Prepare for Account Recovery It's essential to have measures in place to recover your Apple Account if you forget your password. An Apple Account always have a password, even if you use Passkeys. Apple provides an Account Recovery option that allows you to [designate trusted contacts](https://support.apple.com/en-us/102641?ref=numericcitizen.me) who can assist you in regaining access. Alternatively, you can [set up a Recovery Key](https://support.apple.com/en-us/109345?ref=numericcitizen.me) as an additional layer of security, ensuring you can quickly and securely regain control of your account. A recovery key serves as an additional security measure for your Apple account, providing you with a backup option to regain access if you ever forget your password or lose access to your trusted devices. The recovery key is a randomly generated 28-character code that you must keep safe and accessible, as Apple does not store a copy of it. The purpose of the recovery key is to ensure that you have a secure and private method to reclaim control of your account. Setting up a recovery key strengthens your account's overall security and protects against unauthorized access. Remember that if you enable a recovery key, you'll be responsible for maintaining access to it, as neither Apple nor anyone else can help you recover your account if both your password and recovery key are unavailable. To add recovery contacts to your Apple account, follow these steps: 1. **Open Settings**: Begin by opening the Settings app on your iPhone or iPad. 2. **Tap on Your Name**: At the top of the Settings menu, you'll see your name or Apple ID. Tap on it to access your Apple ID settings. 3. **Select Password & Security**: Within your Apple ID settings, tap on "Password & Security" to proceed. 4. **Choose Account Recovery**: In the Password & Security section, look for "Account Recovery" and select it. 5. **Add Recovery Contact**: Tap on "Add Recovery Contact." Follow the on-screen instructions to choose a trusted contact from your list of contacts. This person should ideally be someone you trust and can easily reach if you need help recovering your account. 6. **Notify Your Contact**: Once you've added the contact, they will receive a notification to confirm that they've been added as a recovery contact. By following these steps, you enhance your security posture by ensuring you have a trusted person who can assist in regaining access to your Apple account if needed. ## Set Up Your Digital Legacy Preparing your digital legacy is important to ensure your family or trusted contacts can access your devices and personal data after you pass away. Apple's Digital Legacy feature allows you to designate specific individuals as legacy contacts. These trusted contacts receive secure access to your devices, photos, notes, messages, and other critical information stored in your Apple Account after your passing. Setting this up helps ensure that your digital memories, documents, and important data remain accessible to those who matter most during challenging times, while also ensuring your privacy and security remain respected. You can add up to five Legacy Contacts from your Apple devices: On iPhone or iPad: 1. Open the **Settings** app. 2. Tap your name at the top to access your Apple ID. 3. Select **Password & Security**. 4. Tap **Legacy Contact** and then **Add Legacy Contact**. 5. Choose a contact from your Contacts list or Family Sharing group, or enter their email/phone number. 6. Share the Access Key with the contact via Messages or print/save it for future use. ## Enable Device Tracking and Protection Features Apple’s "Find My" feature is essential for locating lost or stolen devices. Activating this feature helps protect your data by allowing you to remotely lock or erase your device, minimizing unauthorized access. "Find My" also uses end-to-end encryption, ensuring your location data remains private. Additionally, Activation Lock, part of "Find My," makes stolen devices unusable by unauthorized users. Activation Lock requires your Apple Account credentials to disable "Find My," reactivate, or erase the device, making it significantly harder for thieves to profit from stolen devices. It also provides peace of mind that your personal information won't fall into the wrong hands, even if the device is physically compromised. ## Consistently Back Up Your Data Regularly backing up your data protects against data loss from device theft, accidental deletion, or hardware failure. Apple's iCloud Backup simplifies this process, providing secure, encrypted backups. You can select exactly which data—such as photos, messages, documents, or apps—you wish to include or exclude from backups. This granular control allows you to minimize storage space consumption in your iCloud account while ensuring critical data remains protected. Additionally, for Mac users, Time Machine offers a reliable backup solution using external physical drives, which should ideally be stored in safe, secure places to prevent theft, damage, or unauthorized access. This approach also provides customizable backup options to fit your specific needs, ensuring you have full control over which data is protected and how frequently backups occur. ## Enable Advanced Data Protection Apple’s Advanced Data Protection provides end-to-end encryption for your iCloud data, ensuring only you can access your sensitive information. This powerful, free feature significantly enhances your privacy by protecting photos, notes, messages, backups, and more from unauthorized access, even in the event of a security breach. While this feature might not be available in all countries or supported on older devices running earlier operating systems, you should seriously consider enabling it wherever possible for the ultimate protection of your data. You must have a valid Recovery Contact or a Recovery Key set up before enabling Advanced Data Protection. - Recovery Contact: A trusted person who can help you recover your data if you lose access. - Recovery Key: A 28-character code you must securely store. If you lose both your devices and recovery key, Apple cannot recover your data. When you enable Advanced Data Protection, iCloud web access must be disabled for additional security. This means you won't be able to access your iCloud data through a web browser, adding an extra layer of protection against unauthorized access. While this may limit some convenience, the trade-off results in a more secure environment for your personal information. You can learn about this in this Apple support [article](https://support.apple.com/en-us/102630?ref=numericcitizen.me). ## Manage App Permissions Carefully Be cautious about granting apps unnecessary permissions. Regularly review and limit access to sensitive information such as your location, contacts, photos, camera, and microphone. Apple’s App Privacy Report feature gives you detailed insight into how frequently and when specific apps access sensitive information or device features, such as your location, contacts, camera, microphone, or network connections. By reviewing this report, you can easily identify apps that might be unnecessarily accessing your personal data, enabling you to better manage app permissions and significantly enhance your privacy and security. ![Tracking inside LinkedIn.](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/2025/03/IMG_5859.png) Tracking inside LinkedIn. ## Protect Your Browsing Activity Safari, Apple’s built-in browser, provides robust privacy features like Intelligent Tracking Prevention, which automatically blocks trackers and prevents advertisers and websites from following your online activities across the web. This helps maintain your online anonymity and reduces targeted advertising. Additionally, [iCloud+ includes Private Relay](https://support.apple.com/en-us/102602?ref=numericcitizen.me), a privacy-focused service that encrypts your internet traffic and hides your IP address. Private Relay routes your internet requests through two separate servers, ensuring neither Apple nor your internet provider can view your browsing activity, greatly enhancing your privacy and protection against network tracking. ![Apple Safari’s Privacy Report](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/2025/03/Image-1-2.png) Apple Safari’s Privacy Report Using [Safari's Private Browsing mode](https://support.apple.com/en-ca/guide/iphone/iphb01fc3c85/ios?ref=numericcitizen.me) is another effective way to enhance your privacy online. When enabled, Private Browsing prevents your browser from recording your browsing history, searches, and cookies, ensuring that no trace of your activity remains on your device. While Private Browsing doesn't make you completely anonymous to websites or your internet provider, it provides an additional layer of privacy protection, especially useful when accessing sensitive information or when using shared devices. ## Understand App Tracking Transparency Apple's [App Tracking Transparency](https://support.apple.com/en-us/102420?ref=numericcitizen.me), often referred to “ATT”, empowers you to control which apps can track your activity across other apps and websites for targeted advertising or data-sharing purposes. It'a different feature than Intelligent Tracking Prevention in Safari. With App Tracking Transparency, apps must explicitly request your permission before tracking you, allowing you to decide which apps, if any, you wish to grant this access. This feature significantly reduces unwanted tracking, protects your personal information, and enhances your online privacy. I always answer “Ask App Not to Track”. ![Apple’s App Tracking Transparency Request dialog box. ](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/2025/03/_Image.tiff-optimised.png.png) Apple’s App Tracking Transparency Request dialog box. ## Secure Your Connection on Public Networks When using public Wi-Fi, your data could be vulnerable to interception. Although it's an older technology, a trusted VPN provides a highly secure and private experience by encrypting your internet connection and hiding your online activity. Apple’s iCloud+ Private Relay offers additional modern protection by routing your internet traffic through two separate relays, further safeguarding your privacy even on unsecured networks. Using both technologies can significantly enhance your online safety and privacy. ![iCloud+ features, many are security-related. ](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/2025/03/Image-2-1.png) iCloud+ features, many are security-related. ## Use iMessage for Secure Communication Using Apple's iMessage service provides significant security and privacy advantages compared to standard text messaging. iMessage encrypts your messages end-to-end, ensuring only you and your intended recipient can read your conversations. Additionally, Apple has introduced [iMessage Contact Key Verification](https://support.apple.com/en-ca/118246?ref=numericcitizen.me), a feature that enables users—particularly those at higher risk—to verify they are communicating securely with the intended person and not an unauthorized third party. This adds another layer of security, helping you confidently protect your sensitive conversations from potential eavesdropping or interception. ## Stay Alert to Phishing and Scams Awareness of phishing scams—deceptive emails, messages, or links designed to trick you into revealing personal information—is vital. Apple provides built-in protection against known phishing sites through Safari's Fraudulent Website Warning, a feature designed to protect you by identifying and alerting you when you attempt to visit deceptive or malicious websites. This helps prevent phishing scams, malware downloads, and other potential online threats by providing a clear warning, allowing you to navigate away from harmful content safely. Remember, Apple will never ask for your sensitive details via unsolicited messages. ![Safari Fraudulent sites prevention option.](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/2025/03/Image-3-1.png) Safari Fraudulent sites prevention option. ## Get to know and control your data If you want to know what Apple knows about you, you can visit [privacy.apple.com](https://privacy.apple.com/?ref=numericcitizen.me) website. From there, you’ll be able to download a copy of everything Apple is collecting about you. If you plan of moving some of your data to a third-party service, you’ll probably be able to do so from this website, too (like migrating to Google Photos). Finally, if for any reason you want to disable your Apple account or even delete it, that’s the place to go, too. ## Embrace a Privacy-Focused Mindset Maintaining privacy and security on your Apple devices comes down to staying informed and practicing good digital hygiene. By consistently using Apple's privacy tools—such as iCloud+, App Privacy Reports, Advanced Data Protection, Digital Legacy, Activation Lock, and device encryption—you significantly strengthen your digital security and safeguard your personal privacy. Many Apple-provided services and features are also available from third-parties. You can have a great security posture by using other solutions for browsing the web, storing your passwords. Some features are unique to Apple and benefit from a tight integration with iOS, macOS and Safari browser. If you want to know more about Apple’s unique privacy-related features, consider visiting [this Apple mini website](https://www.apple.com/privacy/features/?ref=numericcitizen.me). I hope you found this article informative. If you enjoy my work and want to support what I do, you can buy me a coffee on [Ko-fi](https://ko-fi.com/numericcitizen?ref=numericcitizen.me) or send a little something via [PayPal](https://paypal.me/numericcitizen?ref=numericcitizen.me). Every bit helps and is truly appreciated—thank you for your support! ### The Ephemeral Scrapbook — Edition 2025-11 URL: https://numericcitizen.me/the-ephemeral-scrapbook-edition-2025-11/ Last updated: 2025-03-24T00:07:47.000Z ## 👤 Personal > 1️⃣ This week, I’ve been working on a case study for a job interview. It requires quite a bit of analysis and synthesis. I didn't know which presentation software that I would use. I didn’t want to use my Microsoft 365 license just so that some admin could see the documents I was working on. Apple Keynote could have been used for that, but since they might require a copy of my presentation, Keynote is probably not a good idea either (even if I can export the presentation content quickly). I decided to do my presentation using Google Slides for the first time. It's not as bad as I initially thought. 2️⃣ Someone sent me 15$ over my PayPal account and said, “Thank you.” The problem is that I don't know for what! My PayPal link is all over the place, and I can’t say for sure where this comes from. Anyway, if you are the one who sent me this and read this newsletter, well, thank you, too! 3️⃣ Got an email from a reader telling me he was subscribing to my blog and put it on a list called “pay attention.” It made me smile. 😃 ## 🗺️ Discoveries > 1️⃣ [Scott Knaster](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Scott%5FKnaster?ref=numericcitizen.me) is starting a [newsletter](https://scottknaster.substack.com/). This is my re-discovery this week. He wrote a lot about Mac programming in the mid-eighties and later worked for 4th Dimension, founded by Guy Kawasaki, a database and programming software. I remember having one of his books to program the Mac. He was (and still is) a renowned technical writer; his books were must-haves then. I said [*hi*](https://open.substack.com/pub/scottknaster/p/origin-story?r=9aeg3&utm%5Fcampaign=comment-list-share-cta&utm%5Fmedium=web&comments=true&commentId=101657830) to him! 2️⃣ Another fantastic and mesmerizing wallpaper collection from BasicAppleGuy: [waterways](https://basicappleguy.com/basicappleblog/waterways?ref=numericcitizen.me). [Waterways Wallpaper Collection — Basic Apple GuyIntroducing Waterways, a fluid wallpaper collection for your Mac, iPad, and iPhone inspired by water.![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/icon/BALogo-6.png)Basic Apple GuyBasicAppleGuy![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/thumbnail/Waterway3x2.png)](https://basicappleguy.com/basicappleblog/waterways?ref=numericcitizen.me) ## 👨🏻‍💻 Writing > 1️⃣ I shared [a long article](https://numericcitizen.me/migrating-from-hey-mail-to-fastmail-my-guide-for-a-smooth-transition/) about my HEY Mail to Fastmail migration project last week. I mainly spent a week executing this project, and writing the article took me a weekend. It's one of my favourite things to do because it involves more technical writing than usual, which I do professionally. I'm not a technical writer per se, but I do love to write about technical stuff. 2️⃣ [This article](https://manuelmoreale.com/how-personal-should-a-personal-site-be?ref=numericcitizen.me) from Manuel Moreale explores the balance between sharing personal experiences and maintaining a curated online presence, raising the question of whether it's important also to reveal struggles and vulnerabilities to foster connection and understanding among readers. I noticed that when I shared more personal stuff on my websites, I often got more feedback than usual. 3️⃣ Om Malik [announces](https://om.co/2025/03/16/my-new-daily-blog/?ref=numericcitizen.me) the launch of his new "Daily Blog" on his website, which serves as a curated website section for sharing interesting links, graphics, and quotes reminiscent of his previous blogging style while aiming to provide a more organized and frequent way to share content separate from his main articles. ## 🌄 Photography > 1️⃣ Found [this great photographer](https://glass.photo/florian?ref=numericcitizen.me) from Dubai named "Florian.” Many impressive photos of the Dubai city center and the surroundings. 2️⃣ Another discovery in photography is [this superb website](https://www.churchstreetimages.com/about/?ref=numericcitizen.me) from Jon Dayton, acting like a showcase of his best work. Must see. Discovered through [this Bluesky starter pack](https://go.bsky.app/FDECZXy?ref=numericcitizen.me). 3️⃣ I probably wrote in the past that I'm not on Instagram or any Meta platforms, but I find Bluesky to be a great place for photographers. More and more photographers are joining. Bluesky offers a great way to quickly discover new artists by searching for starter packs or custom feeds like [this one](https://bsky.app/profile/flakphoto.news/lists/3lc22z4esh62q?ref=numericcitizen.me). 4️⃣ Andy Ferguson on DPRewview shares [his thoughts](https://www.dpreview.com/opinion/8094011763/i-wasn-t-prepared-for-how-the-nikon-zf-changed-my-shooting-style?ref=numericcitizen.me) about using the Nikon Zf camera. He likes the camera’s retro feel, which reminds him of film cameras. I own that camera myself, and I must say that it is the best camera I have ever owned and used. ## 🍎 Apple > 1️⃣ Conversations around [Apple's upcoming redesign of all their OSes](https://www.macrumors.com/2025/03/10/ios-19-visionos-redesign-rumors/?ref=numericcitizen.me) are [heating up](https://daringfireball.net/linked/2025/03/10/fpt-ios-19?ref=numericcitizen.me). The redesign of iOS 7 is still fresh in my memory because I was traumatized. I’m also questioning the real motivations behind this. What about those Catalyst-based apps like Craft? Will they adapt quickly, or is this a dead end for them? How many more developers will choose to go with webapps instead and don't bother redesigning their apps? 2️⃣ John Gruber, a long-time Apple observer, took a rare path recently, sharing [a critical view about Apple's handling of Apple Intelligence](https://daringfireball.net/2025/03/something%5Fis%5Frotten%5Fin%5Fthe%5Fstate%5Fof%5Fcupertino?ref=numericcitizen.me). The article critiques Apple's recent announcement to delay the rollout of ambitious "more personalized Siri" features within their Apple Intelligence initiative, highlighting a troubling trend of overpromising and underdelivering that threatens the company's hard-earned credibility. 3️⃣ [The Shape of Everything](https://shapeof.com/?ref=numericcitizen.me) blog has an article that suggests that Apple could enhance its AI initiatives by creating a semantic index that allows developers to access user data through fine-grained permissions, fostering innovation and personalized applications on its platforms. I love this idea, and it's a great way for Apple to delegate some of the burden. 4️⃣ [Parker Ortolani argues](https://parkerortolani.blog/2025/03/14/its-time-for-wwdc-to.html?ref=numericcitizen.me) that Apple should return to live keynotes for WWDC 2025 to rebuild customer trust and demonstrate confidence in its new offerings, emphasizing the importance of human connection over high production values. The pre-recorded format symbolizes Apple's lack of human touch and confidence. 5️⃣ How do you make sure that iOS becomes like Windows? [Ask the EU](https://daringfireball.net/linked/2025/03/19/eu-apple-interop-requirements?ref=numericcitizen.me). 🙄 Another short but great review by Marques Brownlee: the new M4 MacBook Air. ![This is a computer that I wish I owned when it came out. It didn’t sell well enough and long enough to gather the required money to buy it. ☹️](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/2025/03/IMG_9183.jpeg) This is a computer that I wish [I owned](https://numericcitizen.me/remembering-the-story-behind-every-apple-computers-i-ever-owned/) when it came out. It didn’t sell well enough and long enough to gather the required money to buy it. ☹️ ## 🚧 Special projects > 1️⃣ Not specifically about a project but I wanted to work on an update to my content creator ecosystem. I’ve been using Apple Keynote for many years to maintain a diagram showing all the pieces that are part of my digital world that I depend on. You can see the diagram below and read this short description [here](https://meta.numericcitizen.me/2025/03/22/a-mandatory-update-to-my.html?ref=numericcitizen.me). 2️⃣ A quick update on my journey to migrate all my passwords to Apple Passwords: a few account using two-factor authentication were still sitting in Authy but I finally moved them out to Apple Passwords. The process is simple but tedious: on each account, the 2FA feature must first be disabled, then re-enabled using Apple Passwords. A new set of recovery codes are also generated to go with this and is stored in the note fields inside Apple Passwords. I deleted Authy from all my devices and closed my account using their website. I’m 100% on Apple Passwords now and couldn’t be happier. 3️⃣ Speaking of passwords, I’ve been working on a special article on how to protect your data and privacy in the Apple world. I’m mostly done with this and it should be out this coming week. ![My Content Creator Ecosystem as of 2025-03.](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/2025/03/_Cleanshot---CleanShot2025-03-2208.46.572x.png) My Content Creator Ecosystem as of 2025-03. ## 📱 Apps & Services > 1️⃣ Here's an intriguing app: [HS People](https://hiddenspectrum.io/people?ref=numericcitizen.me) that I discovered recently (but didn't test myself). According to the HS People website, this app, still in beta, will help you keep track of people-related information tidbits like when you met them, what did you discuss, where were you when you met them, etc. I can see app to be valuable for sales people who wants to establish a more personal relationship with their prospects or clients. I wonder if the app can take advantage of Apple Photos’ People albums, where it could gather people-related photos to be referrenced or imported into HS People. 2️⃣ Ghost is now officially available in the fediverse by making their fediverse support available in beta. My fediverse handle over there is: @index@numericcitizen.me if you want to interact with me through Mastodon or other fediverse-compatible platforms. I just find my fediverse handle naming scheme a little bit weird with this “index” prefix. ![Ghost’s social web onboarding.](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/2025/03/_Cleanshot-Arc-2025-03-1716.25.562x.png) Ghost’s social web onboarding. ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/2025/03/_Cleanshot-Arc-2025-03-1716.26.192x.png) ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/2025/03/_Cleanshot-Arc-2025-03-1716.26.412x.png) ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/2025/03/_Cleanshot-Arc-2025-03-1716.26.572x.png) ## 📺 YouTube > 1️⃣ Bluesky CEO Jay Graber was on the SXSW recent edition for [an interview](https://www.youtube.com/live/B7OwcXCE5Rg?si=BfkuaZL7PtXRrhXv&ref=numericcitizen.me). She talks about many things like Bluesky’s future, foundations, monetization, and ecosystem in this wide-ranging subject interview. If you are intrigued by Bluesky, it’s certainly interesting to watch. 2️⃣ Was there ever a television show in which graphic design or branding played a significant role? If you are a fan of Severance, don't miss [this video](https://youtu.be/aGMcYYCNwRI?si=JTyPiiyXJI769GBl&ref=numericcitizen.me) explaining how the TV show uses typography and how it depends on fundamental design principles. The television show *Severance* masterfully uses graphic design and typography as tools of control and psychological manipulation, with its dual logos and carefully chosen fonts reinforcing the eerie corporate dystopia and cult-like authority that define its world. 3️⃣ [The video](https://youtu.be/q3RE1RMGTpc?si=OjpvVOtDJU-XlLhW&ref=numericcitizen.me) explores how *Severance* uses color to enhance storytelling, with blue representing Lumen’s control and conformity, green reinforcing its branding, red symbolizing rebellion and the outside world, and purple hinting at the blending of innie and outie realities, showcasing the meticulous visual design and color grading that deepen the show’s narrative and themes. I learned quite a few things watching this: not only about Severance but about color theory. If you are curious about Bluesky and want to learn about Bluesky’s future, that’s a great video to watch. Graphic design plays a significant role in storytelling; Severance is a great example. In this video, it’s about font usage. If you think that colors lack significance in Severance, think again. Color theory plays a big role in Severance’s storytelling. ## 💎 Miscellaneous > 1️⃣ Apple TV+ Severance TV series is hugely popular. We can find many YouTube videos explaining all kinds of things to understand the series better (see above!). I'm watching many of them because the storytelling is quite complex. Maybe I'm too old, but I like the vice in this series. It's so... Apple-like. If you are a big fan of Severance, you can even buy some [unofficial merch on Gumroad](https://adamselby.gumroad.com/?section=AOgbN7OynOi63i%5FQyFd6sA%3D%3D&ref=numericcitizen.me). 2️⃣ Someone reached out to me this past week about my apparent use of an AI-generated header image [for this article](https://numericcitizen.me/migrating-from-hey-mail-to-fastmail-my-guide-for-a-smooth-transition/) on my main website. When I wrote this article, I aimed to include an illustration that depicts the convergence of emails into a focal point, a mailbox. I chose to try ChatGPT DALL-E and got that image. Back to my reader, who mentioned that many could perceive this negatively, I wasn’t sure how to respond to this feedback. I often use my images or those from Unsplash. Which is worse: stock photography or DALL-E? I always try to strike a balance. If one of my images does the job, like for [this newsletter edition](https://numericcitizen.me/the-ephemeral-scrapbook-edition-2025-02/) or [this edition](https://numericcitizen.me/the-ephemeral-scrapbook-edition-2025-01/), I'm super happy because It's a way to showcase my work as an amateur photographer. Here's [an example](https://numericcitizen.me/the-ephemeral-scrapbook-edition-2024-52/) where I select a stock image from Unsplash. In the end, here is how [I responded](https://micro.blog/numericcitizen/60137048?ref=numericcitizen.me). > “Can you be deported for what you say?” — CNN Title on their main page recently. ## 🔮 Looking forward > 1️⃣ Is generative AI transforming the web search business to the point where Google search is no longer a destination but a feature embedded in something else? According to Om Malik, [yes](https://om.co/2025/03/20/has-search-become-just-a-feature/?ref=numericcitizen.me). With services like Perplexity, searching the web is becoming more conversational and personally, I really think that's the future of the web, at least for search use cases. I use this often at work (I'm a fan of Perplexity). 2️⃣ Severance season 2 is complete, and it was quite a ride. It is such a strange show. I should probably rewatch the whole thing from scratch. Thankfully, there is a season 3 coming up... eventually. I can't wait. I wish you a great week! ✌️ 🇺🇦 🇨🇦 🇪🇺 💪🏻 📌 This newsletter edition is also available as a Craft shared document [****here**](https://crafted.numericcitizen.me/ephemeral-scrapbook-edition-2025-11?ref=numericcitizen.me). An index of past editions can be found [here](https://numericcitizen.me/tag/ephemeral-scrapbook/). This week's edition is based on template version 1.7.4 — Sun, Feb 23 and was put together with ❤️ mostly on an M2 15-inch MacBook Air, Craft Docs and many supporting [subscriptions](https://crafted.numericcitizen.me/current-subscriptions?ref=numericcitizen.me)! If you like this newsletter, please consider supporting me via [PayPal](https://paypal.me/numericcitizen?locale.x=en%5FUS&ref=numericcitizen.me) or becoming a supporter by visiting my [Ko-fi](https://ko-fi.com/numericcitizen/?ref=numericcitizen.me)! ### The Ephemeral Scrapbook — Edition 2025-09 URL: https://numericcitizen.me/the-ephemeral-scrapbook-edition-2025-09/ Last updated: 2025-03-09T23:57:11.000Z ## 👤 Personal > 1️⃣ I have always believed that computers and software are powerful tools for empowerment. To me, AI appears to be a layer of less tangible on top of that, but significantly enhancing that power. That's my feeling when I'm ChatGPT or, more recently, Perplexity. 2️⃣ The last few weeks have been awful on the news side, and I got sucked in more than once into the news feed, reducing the free time for writing and doing other more creative stuff. ## 🗺️ Discoveries > 1️⃣ In the last two weeks, I discovered Fastmail, an email service provider that is cool, nice, effective and powerful enough to replace HEY Mail, at least for me. Read all the details in [this article](https://numericcitizen.me/migrating-from-hey-mail-to-fastmail-my-guide-for-a-smooth-transition/). ## 👨🏻‍💻 Writing > 1️⃣ [My monthly blog posts digest](https://blog.numericcitizen.me/newsletters/2025/03/01/13764.html?ref=numericcitizen.me) for February is out! 2️⃣ We live in challenging times on multiple fronts, and I can sense the collective anxiety in the air. Beyond my own feelings, there’s a tension that seems to linger everywhere. Talking about it helps, and so does writing. Putting concerns, frustrations, and misunderstandings into words is one way I try to make sense of it all. I often share my thoughts—sometimes rants—on figures like Trump, Musk, and Putin, and the impact they have on the world around us. At times, I feel powerless, but writing offers a small measure of relief. It’s like trying to scream without making a sound. > “Posting won’t be enough to get us out of fascism, but it might help some people to get *through* it. So please, everyone, don’t be discouraged; and don’t stop posting.” - Martin McCallion's [personal site](https://devilgate.org/2025/03/04/maybe-you-can-post-your/?ref=numericcitizen.me). ## 🌄 Photography > 1️⃣ Glass made a significant architecture rework of their image processing pipeline: better image compression with an adaptive pipeline, image protection against AI training, better load times with distributed caching, etc. More details in [this article](https://glass.photo/highlights/taking-control-of-image-processing?ref=numericcitizen.me), which is well worth reading. 2️⃣ Did Apple know that [Adobe Photoshop for iPhone was coming](https://blog.adobe.com/en/publish/2025/02/25/all-new-photoshop-iphone-app-reimagines-image-editing-for-mobile-creators?ref=numericcitizen.me) when they bought Pixelmator? 3️⃣ [Foto](https://fotoapp.co/?ref=numericcitizen.me) is a new photo-sharing service, à la Glass. That's intriguing, but I see many similarities between them. 4️⃣ Sigma launched a new camera, among other things, called BF. It has a futuristic but strange look. I'm wondering how good it is to handle with such sharp edges. According to this review from Petapixel, no. [BF | CAMERAS | PRODUCTS | SigmaThis page is about Sigma’s BF.![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/icon/favicon-11.ico)Sigma![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/thumbnail/SIGMA_BF_ogp.jpg)](https://www.sigma-global.com/en/cameras/bf/?ref=numericcitizen.me) ## 🍎 Apple > 1️⃣ [As reminded by MacRumors](https://www.macrumors.com/2025/02/24/steve-jobs-would-have-been-70-today/?ref=numericcitizen.me), Steve Jobs would have been 70 on Mon, Feb 24\. 2️⃣ [Apple announced](https://www.apple.com/newsroom/2025/02/apple-will-spend-more-than-500-billion-usd-in-the-us-over-the-next-four-years/?ref=numericcitizen.me) its intention to invest a lot of money in the US, I mean, [A LOT](https://www.macrumors.com/2025/02/24/apple-announces-500b-us-investment-plan/?ref=numericcitizen.me)! New data centers, improvements to current infrastructures, and new education centers are among the listed investments. Was this a deal between Tim Cook and the orange clown so that Apple is not subject to the 10% import tariffs on the iPhone? Call me a cynic if you want, but the timing is dubious. 3️⃣ Another [iPhone 17-related leak](https://www.macrumors.com/2025/02/24/revealed-entire-iphone-17-lineups-camera-designs/?ref=numericcitizen.me). This time, it's the CAD designs. 4️⃣ [Twenty-five years of MacRumors](https://www.macrumors.com/2025/02/24/macrumors-25-years/?ref=numericcitizen.me)! Wow! 5️⃣ [As reported by MacRumors](https://www.macrumors.com/2025/02/25/apple-2026-foldable-phone-has-no-crease/?ref=numericcitizen.me), Apple made a breakthrough with the design of the upcoming foldable iPhone so that there is no apparent crease. The next step is reducing the thickness of any upcoming foldable iPhone, and the solution might reside in the upcoming iPhone 17 Air. All addressed challenges to make the iPhone 17 Air as thin as possible; it's a step toward a thinner foldable iPhone. 6️⃣ The next Apple silicon moment is [here](https://appleinsider.com/articles/25/02/27/apples-c1-modem-breaks-no-records-for-speed-but-is-exceptionally-power-efficient?ref=numericcitizen.me). That's incredible. I first thought Apple would not offer a suitable wireless modem when rumours floated that they would produce their modem. And Apple is already working on the next-generation modem and their WiFi chip! 7️⃣ Do you like Apple's recent advertising? I'm not sure of the ones about genmojis billboards or short videos on YouTube about the iPhone 16e. I'm probably not the target audience. This is Apple today: targeting so many different audiences where I rarely fit in. 8️⃣ Apple is [apparently](https://www.theverge.com/news/624891/ai-generated-review-summaries-coming-to-apples-app-store?ref=numericcitizen.me) going forward with AI-generated review summaries. Can we expect something in line with on-device notification summaries? Maybe. Many reviews are badly phrased, to thr point of being hard to decipher. It will be interesting to see how Apple’s strategy fares here. ![iPhone battery life compared to the 16e.](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/2025/03/Image-12.png) iPhone battery life compared to the 16e. ## 🚧 Special projects > 1️⃣ After reading [this blog post](https://louplummer.lol/the-process-of-changing-an-email-addresses/?ref=numericcitizen.me) from Lou Plummer about leaving Google Gmail, I decided to take a similar journey but for HEY Mail. I already set the goal of reconsidering my use of HEY Mail, thanks to my values not aligning with 37Signals’ leadership values. The problem is: where should I go? Email is still central to my digital life, and moving things around should be carefully considered. I registered with Fastmail and started the 30-day free trial. The first step will be to replace my native HEY mail address with Fastmail’s, and the second step will redirect all my newsletter subscriptions to Inoreader. I rarely use the HEY Mail newsletter reading experience, so that one is a no-brainer. After a quick search in Apple's Passwords app, I'll need to convert 37 accounts to a different email address, which is manageable. Some of my accounts are no longer required, so I am reducing the list slightly. It's a great time to do some cleanup, too. Next, I will migrate my Gmail account by importing my mailbox. The only problem is that I need to be a paying subscriber to Fastmail to convert my email addresses. Fastmail prohibits, for security reasons, the use of confirmation emails while being on the free trial. ## 📱 Apps & Services > 1️⃣ Inoreader's improvement streak continues. [As reported on their blog](https://www.inoreader.com/blog/2025/02/improved-web-feeds-track-changes.html?ref=numericcitizen.me), website tracking was vastly improved this time. 2️⃣ Apple continues to update Photomator and Pixelmator, but release notes are terse. This is the second update since Apple took over and officially marked Photomator as an Apple-branded app. Not much was shared on both releases regarding what was updated or fixed. I hope this is not a trend. 3️⃣ A new newsletter is born: [AppAddict](https://appaddict.app/post/announcing-the-appaddict-newsletter?ref=numericcitizen.me). [Lou Plummer](https://amerpie.lol/?ref=numericcitizen.me), a prolific app reviewer, is putting it together! I discovered a few apps because of his work! It's nice to see the next step for him. 4️⃣ I think I will cancel my subscription to Readwise, which is due for renewal on April 1st. I don't actively use this service besides letting it store some text highlights coming from Micro.blog or Inoreader. I’ve been using Readwise for five years. That's a lot of money. You can visit my current active subscription page [here](https://crafted.numericcitizen.me/current-subscriptions?ref=numericcitizen.me). 5️⃣ Here is [a good question](https://9to5mac.com/2025/03/01/security-bite-do-an-apps-privacy-labels-influence-your-decision-to-download-it/?ref=numericcitizen.me) by 9to5Mac: are my application download decisions influenced by the app privacy label? Short answer: no. I rarely consult them. 6️⃣ [Notion keeps improving all the time](https://youtu.be/KYRMObh2-R4?si=9HSJ3xj1wTg4xjMc&ref=numericcitizen.me). I use it every day for the job, and I wish I could use it for more use cases. 7️⃣ Have you wondered which audio transcription tool is better? Look no further than [this report](https://tidbits.com/2025/02/28/comparing-audio-transcription-in-notes-audio-hijack-and-macwhisper/?ref=numericcitizen.me) from Tidbits. I happen to have both Audio Hijack and MacWhisper. I prefer the latter. ![This release contains bug fixed and improvements. ](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/2025/03/Image-1-1.png) This release contains bug fixed and improvements. ## 📺 YouTube > 1️⃣ [Remember Skype](https://youtu.be/wc5MNTKLnns?si=w8ru1R7Y-bII8Mm%5F&ref=numericcitizen.me)? It's going offline in May because of a decreasing user base. Skype was among my first experiences of connecting to the Internet. I wasn't fond of the app design and rigging bell, but it was unique and enabled the start of something that would eventually become much bigger. 2️⃣ I created a new video about a browser extension with Craft. It's a web clipper missing from Craft after five years of being available. 3️⃣ [Digg](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Digg?ref=numericcitizen.me) is coming back soon! Yep! Cue [the promo video](https://youtu.be/-vNS62f-ino?si=yfkwvIFa5Lo7WppA&ref=numericcitizen.me) now! ## 💎 Miscellaneous > 1️⃣ Following [this report](https://www.macrumors.com/2025/02/25/grok-ai-hiding-misinfo-references-musk-trump/?ref=numericcitizen.me), it’s clear that we should reconsider our admiration for Musk because his current actions are wrong on so many levels. The latest issue concerns Grok. He is doing the same thing the Chinese government is doing with DeepSeek, except the censorship targets are Trump and him. 2️⃣ I started using Perplexity recently because I'm trying to diversify my dependency on generative AI tools. I'm using it at work and I really like what I'm getting from my many searches. It's the next-generation web search engine! 3️⃣ [Someone likes](https://masto.ai/users/jeromechoo/statuses/114079686536829072?ref=numericcitizen.me) my numericcitizen.me website! 🥰. 4️⃣ There is [a new version of the Ubiquiti Dream Router](https://blog.ui.com/article/introducing-all-new-10-gigabit-unifi-cloud-gateways?ref=numericcitizen.me)! Early in the COVID pandemic, I replaced my aging Apple Airport Extreme for the Dream Router, and [I was happy about it](https://numericcitizen.me/replacing-an-airport-extreme-with-unifi-dream-machine/). I'm still happy! But this new edition seems like a solid upgrade and it is relatively cheap! This might be my only serious tech upgrade for 2025! [Social media in 2025: why creatives are ditching ‘rented’ spaces for owned platformsFed up with Facebook, Instagram, and X? Creatives in 2025 are reclaiming control, ditching social media for owned platforms that foster independence and authenticity. We’ve been talking for some t…![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/icon/apple-touch-icon-8.png)Creative BoomTom May![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/thumbnail/2756678842c5dda226a3779690acd45293207463_800.jpeg)](https://www.creativeboom.com/insight/social-media-in-2025-why-creatives-are-ditching-rented-spaces-for-owned-platforms/?ref=numericcitizen.me) > In 2025, many creatives are leaving social media platforms like Facebook, Instagram, and X, opting for "owned" platforms like personal websites, newsletters, and blogs. This shift is driven by concerns over privacy, algorithm changes, and a desire for more control and authenticity. Creatives are tired of giving their content and energy to platforms that benefit large corporations. While transitioning to owned platforms presents challenges like visibility, many adopt hybrid approaches, using SEO, email newsletters, and community building to connect with their audience. This movement signals a potential end to social media's dominance, with a resurgence of independent online spaces where creators have full control. Some creatives even focus on in-person meetups and closed communities. The key message is that the future of creative expression lies in building your own platform rather than being a product of someone else's. ## 🔮 Looking forward > 1️⃣ I'm looking forward to enjoying using Fastmail even more! 2️⃣ I'm also paying attention to the consequences of Apple’s announcement of the new Apple Intelligence Siri delay. I wish you a great week! ✌️ 🇺🇦 🇨🇦 🇪🇺 💪🏻 📌 This newsletter edition is also available as a Craft shared document [****here**](https://crafted.numericcitizen.me/ephemeral-scrapbook-edition-2025-09?ref=numericcitizen.me). An index of past editions can be found [here](https://numericcitizen.me/tag/ephemeral-scrapbook/). This week's edition is based on template version 1.7.4 — [Sun, Feb 23](about:blank) and was put together with ❤️ mostly on an M2 15-inch MacBook Air, Craft Docs and many supporting [subscriptions](https://crafted.numericcitizen.me/current-subscriptions?ref=numericcitizen.me)! If you like this newsletter, please consider supporting me via [PayPal](https://paypal.me/numericcitizen?locale.x=en%5FUS&ref=numericcitizen.me) or becoming a supporter by visiting my [Ko-fi](https://ko-fi.com/numericcitizen/?ref=numericcitizen.me)! ### Migrating from HEY Mail to Fastmail: My Guide For a Smooth Transition URL: https://numericcitizen.me/migrating-from-hey-mail-to-fastmail-my-guide-for-a-smooth-transition/ Last updated: 2025-03-10T23:48:22.000Z ## Why I decided to leave HEY Mail I started using HEY Mail in July 2020, right in the COVID-19 pandemic. It was a refreshing albeit controversial take on emails by [controversial founders](https://numericcitizen.me/keeping-hey-during-basecamp-controversy-92f25113/). As I wrote [here](https://numericcitizen.me/my-thoughts-on-hey-and-why-im-paying-for-emails-in-2020/), my primary motivation for paying for email was to use a converged and unified mailbox for my Google, iCloud and, believe it or not, Yahoo email accounts. HEY Mail had features like Paper Trail and The Feed that made a difference for me. I still love those features, but something else drove me away from HEY Mail: the CEO and founder of [37Signals](https://37signals.com/?ref=numericcitizen.me), the maker of HEY Mail (and Basecamp, another controversial product). As I wrote [here](https://blog.numericcitizen.me/2025/02/11/its-time-to-vote-with.html?ref=numericcitizen.me), recent articles shared by DHH triggered me to reconsider my HEY Mail usage. This article is not about revisiting past controversies. It is about sharing my experience and details about migrating to a new unified mailbox: Fastmail. My goal with this article is to help others understand that migrating off HEY Mail is not as complicated as it seems by explaining how I did it. In the coming sections, I explain how I migrated from HEY Mail to Fastmail without losing HEY Mail features: unified inbox, the Feed, the paper trail, and the screened-out mail filtering. I’ll also explain how I overcame a few unexpected challenges and share details about the many benefits of this migration. Let’s dive in, shall we? ## The migration strategy Before migrating, I wanted to buy a new domain name for use with Fastmail. After spending some time with Cloudflare’s domain name search, I finally settled on a simple one. That domain could be used in addition to the one I get by subscribing to Fastmail. I selected fastmail.ca (instead of .com) because it clarifies that I’m a Canadian. Now that I have a brand new domain name for my new email home, it’s time to move to the next step, starting the migration process. The migration strategy was simple: migrate my less-used email accounts first (Yahoo) to test the entire migration process without affecting my daily email usage. For each migrated email account, email forwarding was disabled both at the source email account and within the HEY Mail configuration. Then, the next email account to migrate was Google’s Gmail. It’s also important to note that the goal was not to close my Google account but to migrate my Gmail account content. Making a difference between an authentication account and the email service that might be tied to it is essential. The “Sign in with Google" and “Sign in with Apple” are still part of my daily digital life. I have always preferred to use “Sign in with Apple” over Google’s offering. However, there are services that I cannot let go of that are tied to my Google account. The other important thing to consider is that I only focus on email migration. I prefer to keep those under Apple’s iCloud umbrella, just like I’m not migrating my notes from Apple Notes to Fastmail’s notes. My calendaring needs are fulfilled with Apple’s Calendar, which is stored in iCloud. Migrating an email account involves different steps and configuration details. Just like when I migrated to HEY Mail in 2020, the same strategy applies here: I chose not to delete emails from the original mailbox; I’m only forwarding them to the unified mailbox. Also important: being able to send an email under one of my email account is essential too. I rarely used my unified email address when writing emails. Fastmail, just like HEY Mail was, is only used a single place to read and write emails, nothing more, nothing less. You might have another strategy and Fastmail will probably be able to support your use case. For example, you might want to delete the original email and keep everything inside Fastmail. That’s fine too. Fastmail is very flexible. Importing an email account is relatively simple: you select the service provider, authenticate with the service and then select how to proceed. My migration is based on importing the email, and enabling email composition from the source account (which requires credentials). For iCloud accounts, an app-specific password must be created first. The reason is simple: you don’t need to provide the entire email and password credentials for this to work, only an app-specific password which is a little more secure. ## Migrating a custom email domain out of iCloud+ Fastmail offers a simple way to use a custom domain for your email account. Because of this, I decided to migrate my hello@numericcitizen.me email address hosted on iCloud+ to Fastmail. You didn’t you know that you can use iCloud+ with a custom email domain? Yep, that's right, but migrating this email address to Fastmail was a bit challenging because custom email domains with iCloud+ are managed only on the iCloud website. If you happen to use Advanced Data Protection too, this is where it becomes tricky. Having Apple Advanced Data Protection (ADP) is cool and nice but can make managing iCloud+ Custom domains a pain. As a reminder, to use ADP, you must turn off iCloud web access. As soon as this is turned off, you can no longer manage your iCloud+ custom email domains. To complete my migration to Fastmail, so that I could write and respond from that custom email address from Fastmail, I first had to remove that domain from iCloud+, but it's only possible on the iCloud website. To do that, ADP must be turned off. Once done, I can re-enable iCloud website access, then remove the custom email domain. After some cleaning up of Apple-related DNS records at my DNS registrar, I can re-enable ADP and disable iCloud website. Only then I can go on Fastmail Settings and configure my custom email domain for use within Fastmail. In summary, here are the required steps 1. Disable Advanced Data Protection 2. Re-enable iCloud web access 3. Login to icloud.com and remove the custom email address. 4. Remove any Apple-related DNS records from your custom domain on your domain name provider (it should be about ive entries) 5. Disable iCloud web access 6. Re-enable Advanced Data Protection 7. On Fastmail, add your custom domain and add the DNS records as required by Fastmail 8. Next, on Fastmail custom domain panel, add an alias for the portion before the “@“ sign. 9. Wait about an hour (depending of the DNS zone TTL value which often defaults to one hour) 10. Your custom mail domain is now operational under Fastmail hosting services! At this point, you can use your custom domain name email with Fastmail. Now, when writing an email in Fastmail, I can select to send it from five different email addresses. ## Using Fastmail labels Fastmail offers two ways to organize emails: by using folders or labels. You can switch between the two at any time. I decided to use labels, which Apple Mail doesn’t provide, but HEY Mail did. Labels are essential to Fastmail, especially when creating email rules and automagically doing stuff with each incoming email. I depend on Fastmail labels to replace HEY Mail Screener and Paper Trail. By using labels in combination with Fastmail Contact Groups, it does the trick of replacing one of the most valuable features of HEY Mail. Here is how I did it. The first label use case is to assign a label on each email to identify their source account. This way, I can quickly see all the emails coming from my Gmail or iCloud. The other use case is for marking all the imported emails from the HEY Mail account when I imported the mbox file. Now, keep reading to learn about my HEY Mail import experience. ## Importing email archives from HEY Mail mbox files Even if my HEY Mail account contained duplicates of all my source email accounts, I exported my data from HEY Mail to import the data into Fastmail. The process is simple but took a while to complete, both on the HEY Mail and Fastmail sides. I had 2.8 GB worth of emails (close to 20K, to be precise). The idea is to have one place to search all my email archives. I wasn’t sure how my emails would end up in my Fastmail account, but thankfully, the import panel lets you select a label to assign for each imported email. The one downside of this migration is that the **Imbox**, **Feed** and **Paper Trail** containers are lost: all emails are tagged with the same label. The problem is not on the Fastmail side: HEY Mail should have provided a way to export those in separate mbox files. Beyond that issue, all my emails were imported flawlessly in about an hour. ![Exporting data out of HEY Mail.](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/2025/03/Image.png) Exporting data out of HEY Mail. ![Importing emails from box files into Fastmail. ](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/2025/03/_Cleanshot-Arc-2025-03-0810.04.112x.png) Importing emails from box files into Fastmail. ![Import progress status.](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/2025/03/Image-1.png) Import progress status. 💡 Which email service supports exporting data in mbox files? ## Which email service supports exporting data in mbox files? Several email services and tools support exporting data in MBOX file format. Here are the most notable ones: - **Gmail**: Gmail allows users to export emails in MBOX format via Google Takeout. This is a free and straightforward method to download all or selected emails from your Gmail account. - **Apple Mail**: If you use macOS, Apple Mail provides a built-in feature to export mailboxes directly to MBOX format. This is ideal for small inboxes and ensures data security. - **Thunderbird**: Thunderbird, an open-source email client, supports exporting emails in MBOX format for any email provider. It works on macOS, Windows, and Linux, making it a versatile solution. - **Office 365 (via Thunderbird)**: While Office 365 doesn’t natively support MBOX exports, users can set up their accounts in Thunderbird and save emails as MBOX files. Alternatively, third-party tools are available for this purpose. - [https://www.systoolsgroup.com/how-to/export-gmail-emails-to-mbox-file-stepwise/](https://www.systoolsgroup.com/how-to/export-gmail-emails-to-mbox-file-stepwise/?ref=numericcitizen.me) - [https://www.goodbyemail.com/how\_to\_export\_any\_email\_inbox\_to\_mbox](https://www.goodbyemail.com/how%5Fto%5Fexport%5Fany%5Femail%5Finbox%5Fto%5Fmbox?ref=numericcitizen.me) - [https://itsupport.umd.edu/itsupport/?id=kb\_article\_view&sysparm\_article=KB0011940](https://itsupport.umd.edu/itsupport/?id=kb%5Farticle%5Fview%5C&sysparm%5Farticle=KB0011940&ref=numericcitizen.me) - [https://support.apple.com/en-ca/guide/mail/mlhlp1030/mac](https://support.apple.com/en-ca/guide/mail/mlhlp1030/mac?ref=numericcitizen.me) - [https://www.migrateemails.com/blog/export-office-365-to-mbox/](https://www.migrateemails.com/blog/export-office-365-to-mbox/?ref=numericcitizen.me) ## Replicating “The Feed” feature HEY Mail comes with **The Feed**, where you can read newsletters. The problem with The Feed is that it never improved since the original launch of HEYT Mail. The reading experience is nothing special. You can’t compare The Feed to any read-later service. Instead, I diverted all my newsletter subscriptions to the excellent Inoreader service. Now, I’m reading my newsletter in a genuine feed reader through an RSS feed. Problem solved. ![Reading newsletters with Inoreader.](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/2025/03/Image-2.png) Reading Mailbrew newsletters with Inoreader. ## Replicating “The Screener” functionality For some context, the **HEY Mail Screener** feature allows for triaging incoming emails. Those I don’t want to keep are rejected now and in the future. Anything else will be accepted. The idea is to mark incoming emails from unknown sources to be screened. I use labels and a contact group to replace the screener functionality in HEY Mail. Let’s say you receive an email from “noreply@apple.com” for the first time. It is labelled as “Screener” using the email rule: assign the Screener label if an email is not part of that contacts group. When reviewing those emails, I add the email source address to a contact group called “Well-known Sources” and remove the “Screener” label. ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/2025/03/_Cleanshot---Edit@2025-03-10@19.45.59@2x-optimised.png.png) A Fastmail mail rule to replace HEY Mail screener functionality. ## Replicating the Paper Trail functionality Replicating the **HEY Mail Paper trail** feature follows the same principles as the Screener feature. A contact group called “Paper Trail” contains all the email source addresses for which I want to assign a label called “Paper Trail”. A mail rule is then required to process all incoming emails by following this logic: any email from a contact who is a member of the “Paper Trail” contact group is assigned the “Paper Trail” label. This is what the following screenshot shows. ![A Fastmail mail rule to replace HEY Mail Paper trail functionality.](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/2025/03/Image-4.png) A Fastmail mail rule to replace HEY Mail Paper trail functionality. ## From Bubble Up to Snooze What appears to be novel features in HEY Mail can easily be replaced by something else in Fastmail. The **HEY Mail bubble-up** feature might have a fancy name but in fact, it’s the equivalent of Fastmail snooze action. If you want to see an email popup the next day, just hit snooze and select the right configuration options. Simple. ## Sign up for Numeric Citizen Space The digital space for a compulsive contributor. Home of an Apple fan and a digital nomad. Subscribe Email sent! Check your inbox to complete your signup. No spam. Unsubscribe anytime. ## A few things left behind I didn’t migrate everything during this migration process. As I said earlier, I didn’t migrate my calendar. My **HEY Mail Contacts** were migrated a bit by accident. They were first exported from HEY Mail into an 18 MB file; when I tried to import them into Fastmail, I was expecting a screen to confirm the process and maybe get a chance to set up a contact group for them, which I didn’t get. As a reminder, that contact list was automatically built by HEY Mail over time using the screener feature each time I accepted or rejected an email source. The nice thing about this import, though, is when I select a contact, I get a list of all the related emails from my imported archive. That’s super handy. ![HEY Mail Clips examples. ](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/2025/03/Image-5.png) HEY Mail Clips examples. **HEY Mail Clips** weren’t migrated. Those clips were created while reading newsletters. They are lovely in theory, but they serve little purpose once made. They can’t be exported in Markdown, for example. These information tidbits now live in Inoreader, where I spend most of my reading time. This feature has never been updated since its inception, which I find deplorable. Companies quickly add stuff, but improving on them later is often another matter. Another thing that is left behind is **HEY Mail Collections**. These were created to group related emails together. I rarely used that functionality; it won’t be missed, but I liked how they were presented, as shown below. ![HEY Mail Collections examples. ](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/2025/03/Image-6.png) HEY Mail Collections examples. The last thing left behind is **HEY Mail workflows**. I experimented with this feature for a while to process subscription notification emails coming off Gumroad. A workflow allows for assigning a state to an email. That state can change to reflect a status. Think of this as a Kanban board, but for emails. Workflows was a good start but lacked some essential capabilities that are really useful for my needs. Leaving this behind won’t cause any significant issues. ## Some extra Fastmail goodies Beyond using Fastmail as a unified mailbox, some other goodies come with the service. File-sharing is one of them. A Fastmail subscription comes with a 10 GB storage quota to start. When sharing photos, I can share them as a simple but cute mini website. I can create mini websites tied to a specific folder in your Fastmail files storage. Try visiting an example I put together [here](https://files.jfmail.io/photoalbumexample/?ref=numericcitizen.me). This could become handy and even replace Dropshare, which uses a different backend storage service. Fastmail even provides visitor logs. This is something to think about. ![Creating a website with Fastmail — configuration panel.](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/2025/03/Image-7.png) Creating a website with Fastmail — configuration panel. ![A photo library example, hosted on Fastmail.](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/2025/03/Image-8.png) A photo library example, hosted on Fastmail. ## Unexpected but positive consequences Just like moving from one password manager to another, moving from one email provider to another is the right time to do some cleanup and revisit some strategies. During this migration process, I closed many unused services. I chose to delete my Yahoo account, too. That one was a special use case. My Yahoo account was used to authenticate to my Flickr account, which I decided to close, too. It didn’t have content anyway. This digital cleanup is very satisfying. The migration was the occasion to remember that an email account is often closely tied to an authentication account. One such example is my Google account or my iCloud account. Both are tied to an email. Unsurprisingly, if you open an account on a web service that offers to sign in with Google or Apple, the associated email will be used to communicate with you by email. My Google account is an authentication account, but I need to link it to my Fastmail account to receive things like YouTube notifications for my YouTube channel. Because I’m a YouTube subscriber, I cannot close my Google account. But again, this was not the main goal for moving to Fastmail. Some online services I’m using were configured to use my HEY Mail address, which made my migration a bit more challenging for a few services. Some of those accounts were no longer used, so I decided to close them. However, I replaced my account with Fastmail for services like Synology alerting. Not all services use the same workflow for changing the primary email used for authenticating. Some services even make it especially hard. The worst cases are Slack and Bloomberg, which gave me another reason to hate these services as if I didn’t have enough. Searching for emails is fast and flexible. It’s so much better than anything HEY Mail ever provided. The web interface is clean, adaptable and quick to interact with. One last thing: Fastmail doesn’t provide a native Mac client. I’m still considering my options. The web client is so good that I can use it instead of a native Mac app. For now, I’m using the web app, which works great. Time will tell. ## Am I going to miss HEY Mail? The short answer is no. While HEY Mail offers a client for all platforms, they are built on the Electron framework and lack basic OS features support like iOS rich notifications. After five years, HEY Mail developers never bothered adding support for these, which allows a user to hit reply right from the notification, which Fastmail supports. HEY Calendar came out last year, and it never really clicked with me. If you think HEY Mail is opinionated, wait until you use HEY Calendar. Again, my primary use case for HEY Mail was for the unified mailbox, so I prefer to keep my calendaring stuff on iCloud. HEY World was a unique HEY Mail proposition: to be able to blog effortlessly. I did use it for a while but eventually decided to move to something more powerful, as [I wrote back in 2021](https://numericcitizen.me/the-end-of-my-hey-world-experience/). Finally, the one thing that I will really miss is the widgets on the iPhone: they were useful and well-designed for the iPhone as well as for the iPad and the Mac. Fastmail doesn’t support this iOS feature, which is sad. 😔 ![The basic modes of HEY Mail. ](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/2025/03/Image-9.png) The basic modes of HEY Mail. ![HEY World light blogging feature.](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/2025/03/Image-10.png) HEY World light blogging feature. ## Concluding remarks My journey with HEY Mail lasted nearly five years. My subscription will end this coming October. Until then, I'll monitor my HEY mail account to ensure everything is fine. HEY Mail was great when it first started, but it was becoming too hard for me to support the guys behind the service with my hard-earned money. It's called “voting with your money.” I'm done with them; they probably don’t care, and anyone working at [37Signals](https://37signals.com/?ref=numericcitizen.me) will never read this article. That's fine. But if anyone ever reads this, please tell your bosses to f∗ off. Thank you. One last thing: Fastmail is cheaper, faster and much more capable. Finally, I wasn’t paid by Fastmail for writing and sharing this article, but if you are considering joining Fastmail, please do it using this [referral link](https://join.fastmail.com/9494c1b4?ref=numericcitizen.me). I'll earn a few dollars. Thank you. If you find this helpful article, please consider supporting me and show your appreciation via [my Ko-fi page](https://ko-fi.com/numericcitizen?ref=numericcitizen.me)! ![No more unread emails. Thanks to Fastmail unified mailbox!](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/2025/03/Image-11.png) No more unread emails. Thanks to Fastmail unified mailbox! ### The Ephemeral Scrapbook — Edition 2025-07 URL: https://numericcitizen.me/the-ephemeral-scrapbook-edition-2025-07/ Last updated: 2025-02-23T19:12:51.000Z ## 👤 Personal > 1️⃣ In light of the troubling daily news that we endure, I started a new training program, which makes me an aspiring peace supremacist and democracy propagandist. I'm so into this that I decided to update my Micro.blog profile page description and will probably make the change elsewhere ([on Bluesky](https://bsky.app/profile/numericcitizen.me?ref=numericcitizen.me), for example). 2️⃣ I’ve been spending quite some time recently trying to follow the news. There is so much happening, and it goes too fast. It's hard to comprehend what is happening and how the world changes. I would lie, saying that it doesn't affect my morale. It does. 3️⃣ I’m [afraid because of this](https://patrickrhone.micro.blog/2025/02/22/this-is-where-we-are.html?ref=numericcitizen.me) and what comes next, even as a Canadian. But, not all is lost as some people still are lucid enough and willing enough, sorry, not afraid to call out names and stupidity when they see it. ## 🗺️ Discoveries > 1️⃣ A [new blog discovered](https://labnotes.org/?ref=numericcitizen.me) this week, Labnotes, thanks to my Micro.blog timeline. The blog is hosted on Ghost and, as such, offers to subscribe. I prefer to read it through RSS. This guy maintains a newsletter reminiscent of mine but a lot more chaotic, which is not a problem, per se. ## 👨🏻‍💻 Writing > 1️⃣ I'm someone who writes a lot. I wrote for a blog. I write for journaling. I write in my personal life and my professional life. I write reports. I write analysis. I write strategies. I write blog posts. Overall, most of my writings will be short-lived. A year from now, what I wrote this week at the office won't have much value. This newsletter edition won't have much value a year from now, either. But, trying to find a meaning to all this writing, I would argue that each piece I write is a little piece put together to help me become who I am. I'm one of those who think that problem solving must involve a lot of writing. I'm also one who considers that writing helps digest and retain information. Writing might also help me understand what is happening in this troubled world. Writing is essential to my existence. 2️⃣ Speaking of writing, if you are one of those like me who likes to write and would like to start a blog, consider looking at this comprehensive comparison of [blogging platforms](https://manuelmoreale.com/blog-platforms?ref=numericcitizen.me). It might be the best time investment for you today. ## 🌄 Photography > 1️⃣ We had two major snowstorms in the last weeks here in Montreal, dumping 74 cm of snow, and it was a great opportunity for me to go out for a few walks and snap a few pictures. Here are my best ones. 2️⃣ What a great photographer, [Mike Schaffner on Glass](https://glass.photo/mikeschaffner?ref=numericcitizen.me). When I started scrolling through his photo catalog, I couldn’t get enough and wanted to scroll and scroll so that my enjoyment wouldn’t stop. Such a talented and inspiring guy. 3️⃣ The original Macintosh design is timeless. Great photographer series [on Reddit](https://www.reddit.com/r/VintageApple/comments/1it68sc/when%5Fi%5Fgot%5Fmy%5Ffirst%5Fmacintosh%5Fin%5F2023%5Fi%5Fwas%5Fquite/?utm%5Fsource=share&utm%5Fmedium=web3x&utm%5Fname=web3xcss&utm%5Fterm=1&utm%5Fcontent=share%5Fbutton). > “All empires end, but I really can't convince myself that Instagram will stop being *the* place for photographers anytime soon. There are just too many people there. Momentum is hard to stop. Time will tell, and I will likely be proved wrong. But that day seems like a long way off.” — Andy Adams ![A walk in the snowstorm. ](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/2025/02/IMG_5414.jpeg) A walk in the snowstorm. ![The original Mac (here the Mac Plus which came out in 1986) had a timeless design. Author shared a series of images of the Macintosh Plus.](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/2025/02/IMG_9172.jpeg) The original Mac (here the Mac Plus which came out in 1986) had a timeless design. Author shared [a series of images of the Macintosh Plus](https://www.reddit.com/r/VintageApple/comments/1it68sc/when%5Fi%5Fgot%5Fmy%5Ffirst%5Fmacintosh%5Fin%5F2023%5Fi%5Fwas%5Fquite/?utm%5Fsource=share&utm%5Fmedium=web3x&utm%5Fname=web3xcss&utm%5Fterm=1&utm%5Fcontent=share%5Fbutton). [Mike Schaffner on Glass Photography CommunityMike Schaffner. Photographer (primarily BNW) & Blogger ( https://mikeschaffnerphotography.com/ ). All photos are mine. No AI.![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/icon/favicon-11.svg)![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/thumbnail/mikeschaffner.jpg)](https://glass.photo/mikeschaffner?ref=numericcitizen.me) A great discovery this week on Glass. ## 🍎 Apple > 1️⃣ [I’m not excited](https://blog.numericcitizen.me/2025/02/18/mostly-unexcited.html?ref=numericcitizen.me) for the iPhone SE or 16E or whatever. Am I excited about the upcoming iPhone 17 Pro? Neither. I plan to skip this year’s upgrade cycle for non-technical reasons, also known as political reasons. Meanwhile, enjoy the following mockups. I dig them, [but Matt doesn’t](https://birchtree.me/blog/are-these-2025s-new-iphones/?ref=numericcitizen.me). 2️⃣ Gone are product Red at Apple. Gone is the TouchID home button on the iPhone. Gone are the non-OLED screens in the iPhone lineup. Gone is the iPhone SE, and the last iPhone with a lightning port is gone. Welcome to the new [no-frills](https://parker.micro.blog/2025/02/20/theres-no-more-budget-iphone.html?ref=numericcitizen.me) iPhone 16e and [new confusion](https://morrick.me/archives/9956?ref=numericcitizen.me). A new star is born: [the Apple C1 chip](https://9to5mac.com/2025/02/19/apple-reveals-c1-its-first-in-house-5g-iphone-modem-replacing-qualcomm/?ref=numericcitizen.me). For many reasons, introducing the C1 chip is the most interesting thing Apple has done in a while. If they can release a competitive chip in performance while making a difference with battery life, I think Apple has a winner here. Could this mean Apple will introduce cellular capabilities to future MacBook Pro, for example? I would bet yes on this. 3️⃣ Apple will retire Advanced Data Protection from the UK because they don't want to create the requested backdoor for the government. I applaud this move because otherwise, this would go against Apple's privacy protection message. 4️⃣ Is Apple prepping a [new accessory category](https://9to5mac.com/2025/02/21/apple-home-device-category-ios-18-4/?ref=numericcitizen.me)? Hints found in iOS 18.4 beta 1\. The HomePad? The iPadPod? The HomePod, the real one, this time? Who knows. > “What Apple managed to assemble is a sandwich of uninterestingness and raise its final price to $599\. They discontinued a line of iPhone models that was ‘midrange with personality’, and released something that isn’t distinctive in any way, its price positioning makes it difficult to recommend” — Riccardo Mori ![\_Introducing iPhone 16e - February 19-00-11-36-362-optimised.png.png](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/2025/02/_Introducing-iPhone-16e---February-19-00-11.png) The iPhone 16e features visual summary. ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/2025/02/iPhone-17-Pro-Max.png) Mock up of a possible iPhone 17 Pro Max. Do you like what you see? I'm not sure. ![Here's the iPhone Air | First Look-00-05-35-717.png](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/2025/02/Heres-the-iPhone-Air-First-Look-00-05-35-717.png) A first look at the future iPhone 17 Air. > « But Apple is a pretty terrible Google, just as Google is a pretty terrible Apple » — Marco Arment replying to [Jeff Johnson](https://mastodon.social/@lapcatsoftware/114013847496374440?ref=numericcitizen.me) ## 🚧 Special projects > 1️⃣ After much thinking in recent weeks, I finally found the project that I’ll be doing with Realmac Software’s [Elements](https://www.elementsapp.io/?ref=numericcitizen.me): I will recreate and rework in its entirety my [about.numericcitizen.me](https://crafted.numericcitizen.me/about?ref=numericcitizen.me) mini website. This website is currently done with Craft and published and shared as a single document using Craft’s built in publishing capabilities. It was easy to start but I’m not satisfied at all, even after a small redesign late last year. To ease the transition, I’m going to use another subdomain: whois.numericcitizen.me. The first steps is to setup this subdomain, create a place on GitHub and link my Cloudflare page to it. Elements will publish locally, I’ll then commit the files to my GitHub repository then CloudFlare will pick them up from there. It’s my current understanding of the process, this might change further down the road. Meanwhile, you can have a quick look at the future website structure with the following mind map. ![Future whois.numericcitizen.me website content structure. ](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/2025/02/whois.numericcitizen.me.png) Future whois.numericcitizen.me website content structure. ## 📱 Apps & Services > 1️⃣ Grok, a new generative AI service from one of the Musk businesses. I’ll pass. I pass anything that might be coming from Musk. 2️⃣ Feeling frustrated not seeing one of my photos posted on Micro.blog not being cross-posted to Pixelfed, I vented my frustration. Someone responded with a suggestion to look at [Echofeed](https://echofeed.app/?ref=numericcitizen.me). I did reluctantly but found that Pixelfed is not part of the supported services. I’ll stay with Micro.blog even when posting to Pixelfed, but I’ll submit my issues to Manton in due time. 3️⃣ Realmac Software Elements website builder is inching closer to an official release by opening the beta to all. Official website [right here](https://www.elementsapp.io/?ref=numericcitizen.me). ## 📺 YouTube > 1️⃣ Impressive [new app](https://youtu.be/2cH8ExhFgWY?si=Me%5FrE-06SfvESYg%5F&ref=numericcitizen.me) for the Apple Vision Pro. 2️⃣ Another app for but for MacOS: it's [an app launcher](https://youtu.be/0XS08pya8oc?si=wAIrLsB5iCwjAnXV&ref=numericcitizen.me). Intriguing. 3️⃣ [Eight hours of Severance music](https://youtu.be/JRnDYB28bL8?si=4L3xZWRf1sLHMB4H&ref=numericcitizen.me). Yep, eight hours of background music from the Apple TV+ show. ## 💎 Miscellaneous > 1️⃣ [I renamed the Gulf of Mexico](https://gulfof.mapquest.com/?name=Stupidity&ref=numericcitizen.me) because I could. You should probably do the same; it's therapeutic. 2️⃣ You're missing the point if you spend more time setting up productivity systems than actually working. It is a [good video](https://youtu.be/UhdowFCwuGo?si=qTPxpVBsdEqzDpVK&ref=numericcitizen.me) about Sam Altman’s productivity method. I should repeat this in my head more often. 🤦🏻‍♂️ ## 🔮 Looking forward > 1️⃣ Apple released a new round of betas for all their platforms. Of [all the additions](https://www.macrumors.com/2025/02/21/everything-new-ios-18-4-beta-1/?ref=numericcitizen.me), I can't find anything noteworthy in iOS 18.4 beta 1 that will make my digital life easier, so I'm now looking at iOS 18.5 when it comes out, probably around May or early June, when the promised reinvented Siri will be introduced. I wish you a great week! ✌️ 🇺🇦 🇨🇦 🇪🇺 💪🏻 📌 This newsletter edition is also available as a Craft shared document [****here**](https://crafted.numericcitizen.me/ephemeral-scrapbook-edition-2025-07?ref=numericcitizen.me). An index of past editions can be found [here](https://numericcitizen.me/tag/ephemeral-scrapbook/). This week's edition is based on template version 1.7.3 — [Thu, Jan 30](about:blank) and was put together with ❤️ mostly on an M2 15-inch MacBook Air, Craft Docs and many supporting [subscriptions](https://crafted.numericcitizen.me/current-subscriptions?ref=numericcitizen.me)! If you like this newsletter, please consider supporting me via [PayPal](https://paypal.me/numericcitizen?locale.x=en%5FUS&ref=numericcitizen.me) or becoming a supporter by visiting my [Ko-fi](https://ko-fi.com/numericcitizen/?ref=numericcitizen.me)! ### The Ephemeral Scrapbook — Edition 2025-06 URL: https://numericcitizen.me/the-ephemeral-scrapbook-edition-2025-06/ Last updated: 2025-02-16T14:40:18.000Z ## 👤 Personal > 1️⃣ I always put my actions in line with my beliefs. After a recent controversial post from the founder of 37Signals, DHH, the company behind HEY Mail, I will vote with my money. This coming October, I'm going to let my subscription expire. Praising Musk for what he has done with his companies is one thing, but praising him to do the same to the government, even if I'm not an American, it's another. You don't run a government like a startup. If the way Musk "processed" Twitter acquisition is any indication, it's time to show some resistance and say, enough. So, I have over six months to switch back to Apple Mail and switch a few accounts to use another email address. It's painful, but resisting is never easy. ## 🗺️ Discoveries > 1️⃣ Every day since January 20, 2025, I'm discovering how fucked up we are, and how doomed the world is. I'm not calling any names, but you probably already know what I'm referring to. 2️⃣ Here's a sad discovery ([via Gruber](https://daringfireball.net/linked/2025/02/15/martin-pilkington-rip?ref=numericcitizen.me)) about a software developer who succombed to his cancer: [Martin Pilkington](https://mastodon.social/@pilky/114008572002612525?ref=numericcitizen.me). We are not eternal; this is a reminder that we should always think to be ready for this to some degree. ## 👨🏻‍💻 Writing > 1️⃣ You can read last month's blog post [right here](https://blog.numericcitizen.me/newsletters/2025/02/01/13200.html?ref=numericcitizen.me) on Micro.blog monthly digest. 2️⃣ As someone of Generation X, I feel privileged and wanted to write about our unique position in recent human history. [I shared some of my thoughts](https://numericcitizen.me/generation-x-the-best-of-both-worlds/). It's unusual for me to write and share this kind of article on my main blog. I might try republishing it on Medium to see if it gets any traction. 3️⃣ Here is [an excellent piece](https://anniemueller.com/posts/writing-is-a-myth?ref=numericcitizen.me) about writing. I’m following her on Micro.blog, and she seems like a funny person I’d like to meet in person to see if my mental model of her holds up in reality. > “Writing means you have to trust what you say has enough weight on its own to matter to someone who reads it.” — Annie Mueller ![Why Blogs Matter by Robert Breen.png](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/2025/02/Why-Blogs-Matter-by-Robert-Breen.png) Why Blogs Matter by Robert Breen.png ## 🌄 Photography > 1️⃣ This week's photographer discovery on Glass is a [profile from “jnnman”](https://glass.photo/jnnman?ref=numericcitizen.me). As a passionate black-and-white photographer, this profile is simply sublime. I love her work—my [favorite one](https://glass.photo/jnnman/WjlTOUbcWDcvW1qSK48jc?ref=numericcitizen.me). Speaking of B&W photography, here is another [great photo](https://aows.co/blog/2024/12/6/point-loma-cemetery-iv?ref=numericcitizen.me) from AOWS. > “Color is descriptive. Black and White is interpretive. My life is already too complicated, so I stick to Black and White. It's enough.” - Elliott Erwitt Portrait Photographer shares some thoughts. Beautiful imagery. ## 🍎 Apple > 1️⃣ It's been a few months since Apple acquired Pixelmator. So far, the company is still releasing updates for each app. As [Gruber said](https://daringfireball.net/2024/11/apple%5Ftends%5Fto%5Fdo%5Fright%5Fby%5Fapps%5Fit%5Facquires?ref=numericcitizen.me), Apple tends to do right with acquired apps. Will it age well into 2025? 2️⃣ If you live in the EU, you are now able to get your hands on the first porn app, but you'll have to get it through the AltStore, not the App Store. Users enjoy it, but Apple is not enjoying it while wondering about kids’ safety in this dark world. Meanwhile, in North America, we have Apple Intelligence. Apple is happy about it, but users aren't enjoying it. Oh well. 🤷🏻‍♂️ 3️⃣ In [this video](https://youtu.be/l39aQVT9xSU?si=z6ws7ZwnO0Awr9Tk&ref=numericcitizen.me) from “ThisIsE”, someone visited Apple Park, or what is publicly possible to visit. It's another testament to this place's greatness and is on my bucket list if I ever return to California. I don't see that happening before 2028, thanks to the orange clown administration and politics against Canada. 4️⃣ Leaking information about unreleased products at Apple isn’t a good idea. [A leaker had to share that he was sorry](https://x.com/andyaude1/status/1887639465574998500?ref=numericcitizen.me). The story fails to explain why Aude leaked information to the press. It would have been interesting to learn. 5️⃣ It's been a year since the Apple Vision Pro was officially available for sale. The following [video](https://youtu.be/Wsoy1E0PoqA?si=SPMEslvFNNVwyE52&ref=numericcitizen.me) paints a balanced picture of using the Apple Vision Pro for a year. I would get one if money were no object, but that's untrue. I still think it is a marvelous piece of technology at the wrong time. 6️⃣ I found this unknown (to me at least) interview of Steve Jobs over iChat, the precursor of FaceTime. The interview took place during what appears to be a Comcast business conference in 2008\. Worth a watch. 7️⃣ Tell me if you [remember iTools](https://www.apple.com/newsroom/2000/01/05Apple-Unveils-Internet-Strategy/?ref=numericcitizen.me), and I'll guess your age. 😝 > [Aude’s apology, on X](https://x.com/andyaude1/status/1887639465574998500?ref=numericcitizen.me): > “I spent nearly eight years as a software engineer at Apple. During that time, I was given access to sensitive internal Apple information, including what were then unreleased products and features. But instead of keeping this information secret, I made the mistake of sharing this information with journalists who covered the company. I did not realize it at the time, but this turned out to be a profound and expensive mistake. Hundreds of professional relationships I had spent years building were ruined. And my otherwise successful career as a software engineer was derailed, and it will likely be very difficult to rebuild it. Leaking was not worth it. I sincerely apologize to my former colleagues who not only worked tirelessly on projects for Apple, but work hard to keep them secret. They deserved better.” Steve Jobs interview over iChat back in 2008. Visiting Apple Park is an experience in itself even without full access Great conversation about the Apple Vision Pro — One Year Later. ## 🚧 Special projects > 1️⃣ I don’t have any meaningful projects at the moment. However, I have something in the works about privacy protection using Apple devices and services. I’ve had this project on my to-do list for quite a while. I recently decided to come back to it using the ChatGPT Projects feature. The idea is to upload PDF documents of Apple support articles and other web references around this subject and figure out an angle to write about this. My goal is to help other Apple users learn how to increase their awareness of security features so they can increase their security posture. I want this article to be easy to understand and accessible. I think this subject is not well-covered. 2️⃣ As I'm writing this, an idea came up: converting my [digital legacy management template](https://numericcitizen.gumroad.com/l/digital-legacy-management-guide?ref=numericcitizen.me) from Craft to Notion and selling it on the Notion store. Stay tuned for more on that one as soon as I hear back from Notion. ## 📱 Apps & Services > 1️⃣ [Tapestry 1.0](https://usetapestry.com/?ref=numericcitizen.me) is finally out! I was one of the backers on Kickstarter, and I'm happy that they reached this milestone. I've tried Tapestry during the development phase, but the design is not for me. I prefer something like Reeder (the old and the new version). I might continue trying it to see if the design grows on me. Only time will tell. The reactions are vastly positive for the most part, with a [few exceptions](https://havn.blog/2025/02/05/my-issues-with-the-tapestry.html?ref=numericcitizen.me). [Many are comparing Tapestry to Reeder](https://parker.micro.blog/2025/02/04/tapestry-is-the-best-feed.html?ref=numericcitizen.me), and for good reason: they bring a single feed by combining multiple sources. You can find reactions and comments from other people [right here](https://mjtsai.com/blog/2025/02/05/tapestry-1-0/?ref=numericcitizen.me). 2️⃣ Is Apple's new “Invites" app a hint at what iOS 19 could look like? Probably for some first-party apps that require a more immersive experience like the Camera app. 3️⃣ Do you know about [HyperDeck](https://hyperdeck.io/index.html?ref=numericcitizen.me), an iPad and Mac app for creating presentations? I had it installed on my iPad, but the beta expired. The website is still up, but it was last updated in 2020\. I think it’s no longer being developed, which is sad. HyperDeck and iA Presenter try to let the user focus on content, not the presentation formatting. 4️⃣ Micro.blog got a new third-party client for the iPhone: [Micro Social](https://gregmorris.co.uk/2025/02/12/micro-social-the-launch.html?ref=numericcitizen.me). I like what I’m seeing. 5️⃣ I’m still a big fan of Inoreader, but [I have a few wishes for it](https://numericcitizen.me/whats-next-for-inoreader-in-2025/). 6️⃣ Don't be fooled, the ARC Browser is officially making it to the abandonware. Weekly releases mainly focus on updating the Chromium engine without any new features. ![A visual comparison of Tapestry, Reeder (new), Reeder (old).](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/2025/02/Image-4.png) A visual comparison of Tapestry, Reeder (new), Reeder (old). ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/2025/02/New-Shareshot.png) ![Photomator and Pixelmator apps got updated with the official Apple logo on the splash screen! Now it’s really official.](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/2025/02/New-Shareshot-1.png) Photomator and Pixelmator apps got updated with the official Apple logo on the splash screen! Now it’s really official. ## 📺 YouTube > 1️⃣ OpenAI is getting a new logo? According to [this short video](https://youtu.be/k3d%5FxeVxEOE?si=Eo4RB6MUSn5nBUoj&ref=numericcitizen.me), yes. I like the visuals in this animated clip. It reminds me of a video from Apple a few years ago about “A thousand no’s for every yes". Sadly, the video is no longer available, but you can read about it [here](https://www.fastcompany.com/1672817/watch-apple-s-poetic-statement-on-its-design-process?ref=numericcitizen.me). 2️⃣ I recently spent some time cleaning up my YouTube channel subscriptions; I followed way too many YouTube channels, many of which became inactive. I’m trying to be more selective this year on many levels. This is one example. This channels management also clarifies which content I want to see and consume in Reeder, a feed reader that allows multiple sources like RSS or YouTube channels. 3️⃣ I stumbled on a video about another intriguing game called « Foundation ». While the game looks great, it does seem to require quite some reading and managing to get things going. It’s not for me, and I prefer to consider games like Tiny Glade. Civilization VII is in the « not for me » category, thanks to a demanding gameplay. ## 💎 Miscellaneous > 1️⃣ According to a report from The Washington Post, the UK government demands that Apple create a global iCloud encryption backdoor (no link to paywalled content). Yep, you read it right. This is an unprecedented demand, and I wish Apple would get out of the UK market instead of giving up on this. 2️⃣ [Another great wallpaper set from Basic Apple Guy](https://basicappleguy.com/basicappleblog/mountains-beyond-mountains?ref=numericcitizen.me). Worth downloading them all! 3️⃣ Is OpenAI turning slowly into Apple? [Rumors about the development of its first custom-made silicon ship](https://9to5mac.com/2025/02/10/openai-first-custom-ai-chip/?ref=numericcitizen.me) are true, and it might be the case, yes. Why? The idea is that controlling the whole technological stack, just as Apple does, brings many benefits. 4️⃣ There is Intel Inside stickers, and now there are [Apple Silicon stickers](https://basicappleguy.com/basicappleblog/apple-silicon-stickers?ref=numericcitizen.me). Available for purchase from Basic Apple Guy. > “Apple Watch is turning more into a fitness tracker that happens to show the time, and away from serving as a proper watch.” — John Gruber is his Apple 2024 Report Card. ## 🔮 Looking forward > 1️⃣ [A troubling possibility](http://scripting.com/2025/02/10/160321.html?title=muskRootsTheWorldEconomy&ref=numericcitizen.me), right under the US citizens’ noses, by Dave Winer. 2️⃣ Is this the iPhone 17 Pro? [Really](https://youtu.be/08JoSCHV9VY?si=dGMWkOBRGhzb9wLL&ref=numericcitizen.me)? Why? Change for the sake of change? I wish you a great week! ✌️ 🇺🇦 🇨🇦 💪🏻 📌 This newsletter edition is also available as a Craft shared document [****here**](https://crafted.numericcitizen.me/ephemeral-scrapbook-edition-2025-06?ref=numericcitizen.me). An index of past editions can be found [here](https://numericcitizen.me/tag/ephemeral-scrapbook/). This week's edition is based on template version 1.7.3 — [Thu, Jan 30](about:blank) and was put together with ❤️ mostly on an M2 15-inch MacBook Air, Craft Docs and many supporting [subscriptions](https://crafted.numericcitizen.me/current-subscriptions?ref=numericcitizen.me)! If you like this newsletter, please consider supporting me via [PayPal](https://paypal.me/numericcitizen?locale.x=en%5FUS&ref=numericcitizen.me) or becoming a supporter by visiting my [Ko-fi](https://ko-fi.com/numericcitizen/?ref=numericcitizen.me)! ### What’s Next for Inoreader in 2025? URL: https://numericcitizen.me/whats-next-for-inoreader-in-2025/ Last updated: 2025-02-15T12:50:46.000Z I’ve been using Inoreader for a few years now and I couldn’t live without it. I made [a video](https://youtu.be/kai8k10kvs4?ref=numericcitizen.me) about it. I wrote [an article](https://numericcitizen.me/empowering-my-reading-workflow-with-inoreader/) about it. I’m using it everyday, sometimes more than once a day. Is it perfect? No. Is it improving? You bet. Inoreader got a major web redesign in the fall of 2024 that improved both the user interface and user experience. It’s was a rare case of redesign that didn’t break everything, like Evernote has gone through in the past. Instead, it was a redesign that improved everything. But I'd like to see some specific additions or improvements to Inoreader for 2025\. Here is my most wanted list. ## Improved experience on the iPad I use the iPad for a lot of content consumption and Inoreader is one of the apps that I’m using for that. Since Omnivore has been more or less abandonned by its developer, I came back to Inoreader for my “read later” needs. There is one thing on the iPad that really needs improvement. ![Selecting text with the Apple Pencil is tricky in Inoreader for the iPad.](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/2025/02/IMG_9146.jpeg) Selecting text with the Apple Pencil is tricky in Inoreader for the iPad. Selecting text with the Apple Pencil to create an annotation is finicky. The start of the select gesture often triggers an horizontal scrolling movement instead of text selection. It often requires a few tries before it works as expected. It’s not a big deal but text highlighting is central to reading saved articles. Any improvements in that area would be welcomed. As a side note: I’m using the Inoreader iPad app only to read my content from the Read Later queue. After I’m done, I usually return to Reeder or simply use the web site. Maybe it’s a sign that the Inoreader iPad app might need more refinements? ## Addition of Generative AI support Readwise [recently introduced](https://readwise.io/reader/update-jan2025?ref=numericcitizen.me) the ability to prompt text highlights. I see a lot of potential in this and I wish something similar would come to Inoreader. That's one thing. ![Prompting text highlights in Readwise.](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/2025/02/Image-3.png) Prompting text highlights in Readwise. I also wish for an on-demand article summary based on generative AI. Imagine asking for a summary of an RSS article, and after reading it, a user could decide to read the entire piece but include the summary as a note. Or what if article summaries could be their own an alternative feed for each feed where summaries would be enabled. It would be super handy. Generative AI can be a boon to content consumption and information processing and I hope to see some form of integration with Inoreader sooner than later. ## Support for creating linkposts Imagine this simple workflow: I read an article, select a few text portions for highlighting, annotate the article, and add more notes. How far am I from being able to create a link post? I’m so close. From the screenshot below, you can see actions like “Add note”, “Delete”, and “View in Readwise.io,” where “Create a post” could be added. I want to be able to select one of my text highlights and create a linkpost from there for publishing as a markdown file that I can import easily for publishing with Ulysses. ![Creating a linkpost from this panel would be nice.](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/2025/02/Image-1-1.png) Creating a linkpost from this panel would be nice. ## Consolidated view of text highlights and notes Speaking of text highlights and notes, how come it isn’t possible to get a consolidated view of all my text highlights and article notes? There is this concept of dashboard in Inoreader that can be customized using widgets, but still, it’s not possible from there to get this overview that would be useful. That would be convenient. ## More automation in IFTTT An IFTTT action when a new text highlight is created or when a new note is added to an article would be handy, too. It’s not possible right now. I’d like something to support the creation of a draft post on Micro.blog using a webhook that would be triggered with an action in IFTTT. This would probably help to put together a workflow for linkposts creation. ## More sharing options While Inoreader offers many sharing options, where is Mastodon? Why Notion or Readwise are missing from this menu? ![Inoreader’s numerous sharing options. Many popular ones are missing.](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/2025/02/Image-2-1.png) Inoreader’s numerous sharing options. Many popular ones are missing. Even with a near-perfect services like Inoreader, there is room for improvements and I hope someone at Inoreader is paying attention. ### Generation X: The Best of Both Worlds URL: https://numericcitizen.me/generation-x-the-best-of-both-worlds/ Last updated: 2025-02-06T01:59:54.000Z Generation X is the last cohort to have one foot firmly planted in the pre-digital world while seamlessly adapting to the rapid technological changes that followed. We were raised on mixtapes, handwritten letters, and Saturday morning cartoons, yet we were also the first to embrace personal computers, email, and the internet. This unique position grants us a rare perspective—one that values both the patience and craftsmanship of an analog world and the speed and efficiency of the digital revolution. We understand progress because we lived through it, adapting with each new wave of innovation while maintaining the ability to unplug and appreciate the world beyond the screen. ## Generation X: Witness of Many Defining Innovations Ours was the generation that witnessed the birth of cultural and technological milestones that shaped modern entertainment, communication, and lifestyle. We saw the rise of MTV, which revolutionized music and youth culture, the advent of the personal computer, which changed how we work and learn, and the first gaming consoles like Atari and Nintendo, which introduced interactive digital entertainment. The Sony Walkman allowed us to take our music on the go, while VHS tapes gave us the freedom to watch movies at home on our own schedule. Other significant innovations that shaped our generation include cable television, the rise of home video rentals, the fax machine, and the birth of the first mobile phones. These advancements not only defined our youth but also set the stage for the digital transformations that followed. ![white and black cassette tape](https://images.unsplash.com/photo-1586362980607-97e9e8ff8685?crop=entropy&cs=tinysrgb&fit=max&fm=jpg&ixid=M3wxMTc3M3wwfDF8c2VhcmNofDF8fDE5ODB8ZW58MHx8fHwxNzM4ODA2NzA3fDA&ixlib=rb-4.0.3&q=80&w=2000) Photo by [Everyday basics](https://unsplash.com/@zanardi?ref=numericcitizen.me) / [Unsplash](https://unsplash.com/?utm%5Fsource=ghost&utm%5Fmedium=referral&utm%5Fcampaign=api-credit) ## A Foot in Both Worlds: The Pre-Internet and Digital Eras One of the defining advantages of being part of Generation X is having grown up in a world without the internet, personal computers, or smartphones, yet also being young enough to embrace and adapt to these technologies as they emerged. Unlike digital natives who have never known a world without instant connectivity, we understand both the analog and digital realms. This dual exposure has fostered an exceptional ability to navigate change. Whether it was learning to type on typewriters before shifting to word processors or making phone calls on rotary dial phones before transitioning to mobile devices, we’ve proven to be highly adaptable. This experience allows us to bring a level of thoughtfulness to technology use that is sometimes lacking in younger generations who take digital convenience for granted. It has also helped us develop a sense of patience, problem-solving, and self-sufficiency that isn’t as common in today’s instant-gratification world. ## The Many Shifts in Education for Generation X Education during Generation X's school years looked very different from today. The learning process was shaped by traditional teaching methods, limited access to information, and the gradual introduction of technology into classrooms. Unlike younger generations who have grown up with digital tools at their fingertips, Gen X students relied on handwritten work, physical textbooks, and in-person research. Classrooms primarily used chalkboards, overhead projectors, and physical card catalogs for research, making learning a more manual and time-intensive process. Standardized testing existed but carried less pressure compared to modern educational environments. Early computers were introduced in the 1980s, but their role was minimal, mostly reserved for basic programming lessons or typing practice. Math classes were completed without calculators at first, reinforcing strong mental arithmetic skills. Despite these challenges, these conditions shaped Generation X into resourceful, independent learners. They developed strong problem-solving abilities, note-taking skills, and patience in an era where information wasn’t instantly accessible. This experience laid the foundation for their ability to adapt quickly when digital technology revolutionized education and the workplace. ## The Transition from Traditional to Digital Workspaces Generation X was the first to begin their careers in traditional work environments and then transition into the digital age. Many of us started working in offices that relied on fax machines, landline phones, and physical file cabinets before adapting to email, video conferencing, and cloud storage. This shift required a unique ability to balance structured work ethics with the flexibility of modern digital tools. We have experienced firsthand the evolution of workplace communication, from in-person meetings and memos to instant messaging and remote collaboration. This adaptability has made Gen X professionals highly valuable in today’s workforce, as they understand both the necessity of traditional business practices and the efficiency of digital solutions. We were also early adopters of remote work, long before it became mainstream, setting the foundation for today’s flexible and hybrid work models. Our ability to embrace both structured office environments and the digital economy has given us an edge in navigating the ever-changing professional landscape. Long ago, remote work was done via a landline with a modem connected to a modem multiplexer. This method used a text-only user interface and terminal emulation software. It was rudimentary but effective, and it was before the Internet. ![white and black Polaroid land camera](https://images.unsplash.com/photo-1516313913232-ad84871cfe06?crop=entropy&cs=tinysrgb&fit=max&fm=jpg&ixid=M3wxMTc3M3wwfDF8c2VhcmNofDh8fDE5NzB8ZW58MHx8fHwxNzM4ODA2NzAxfDA&ixlib=rb-4.0.3&q=80&w=2000) Photo by [Taylor Grote](https://unsplash.com/@taylor%5Fgrote?ref=numericcitizen.me) / [Unsplash](https://unsplash.com/?utm%5Fsource=ghost&utm%5Fmedium=referral&utm%5Fcampaign=api-credit) ## Communication Skills: From Handwriting to Digital Messaging Growing up in an era where handwritten letters, landline phones, and face-to-face interactions were the norm, we developed strong communication skills that have carried over into the digital age. Unlike younger generations who rely heavily on instant messaging and emojis, we understand the nuances of formal and informal communication. We wrote letters and essays by hand, learned proper phone etiquette, and experienced the early days of email and text messaging. This exposure to various forms of communication has given us an advantage in both professional and personal interactions, allowing us to bridge generational gaps effectively. We can craft a thoughtful email, engage in meaningful conversations, and still adapt to the brevity of modern digital exchanges. We appreciate the convenience of instant messaging, but we also recognize the value of a well-written, structured message that conveys deeper meaning and intent. ## Balancing Digital and Analog Tools In recent years, we've witnessed a resurgence of analog tools like notebooks for note-taking and journaling. While digital tools offer unparalleled convenience, many of us still appreciate the tactile experience of putting pen to paper, while later generations seem to discover a new way of interacting with our physical world. There is something grounding about writing in a notebook—it slows us down, helps with memory retention, and provides a sense of connection to the physical world. This return to analog tools is a testament to our innate need for balance. As much as we embrace digital efficiency, we also recognize the value of unplugging and engaging in methods that have stood the test of time. Whether it’s journaling thoughts in a leather-bound notebook, sketching ideas on paper, or keeping a physical planner, we naturally strive for an equilibrium between digital and analog tools. The [resurgence of vinyl records](https://www.whathifi.com/features/what-led-to-the-resurgence-of-vinyl-here-are-5-reasons-why-its-back-and-booming?ref=numericcitizen.me), [film photography](https://www.fotorumor.com/the-resurgence-of-film-photography/?ref=numericcitizen.me), and printed books further reinforces the idea that not everything needs to be digital to be valuable. ![gray Aplle II with bag](https://images.unsplash.com/photo-1571845135699-240e4aedee03?crop=entropy&cs=tinysrgb&fit=max&fm=jpg&ixid=M3wxMTc3M3wwfDF8c2VhcmNofDF8fEFwcGxlJTIwSUl8ZW58MHx8fHwxNzM4ODA3MDM1fDA&ixlib=rb-4.0.3&q=80&w=2000) Photo by [Museums Victoria](https://unsplash.com/@museumsvictoria?ref=numericcitizen.me) / [Unsplash](https://unsplash.com/?utm%5Fsource=ghost&utm%5Fmedium=referral&utm%5Fcampaign=api-credit) ## Every Generation Faces Unique Challenges and Opportunities It’s important to acknowledge that there is no such thing as a 'better generation'. Each generation experiences unique challenges, advantages, and cultural shifts that shape their perspectives and skills. While Generation X had the privilege of witnessing the transition from an analog to a digital world, younger generations have adapted to new technologies and innovations that were unimaginable in the past. Rather than seeing generational differences as a competition, we should view them as opportunities for mutual learning. By understanding each other’s experiences, we can foster greater collaboration and appreciation across all age groups. ## Conclusion Generation X stands as a bridge between the past and the future, embodying a blend of traditional values and technological adaptability. Our unique upbringing—straddling the pre- and post-digital world—has given us a resilience and versatility that is invaluable in today's fast-paced society. From our communication skills to our adaptability, we continue to offer perspectives that enrich workplaces, families, and communities alike. While often overlooked in generational discussions, our contributions and adaptability make us an indispensable force in the modern world. I feel privileged to be part of the Generation X. ### The Ephemeral Scrapbook — Edition 2025-04 URL: https://numericcitizen.me/the-ephemeral-scrapbook-edition-2025-04/ Last updated: 2025-02-02T15:31:28.000Z ## 👤 Personal > 1️⃣ My "other" personal blog (a French-language blog) is now officially live. Many of my closest friends know about it as I shared the news on my Facebook account (oh, the irony!). I got a few positive feedback. The most important thing to remember is to keep doing what I like: sharing thoughts and observations while experiencing and exploring the physical and digital world. I'll see where it goes. 2️⃣ The dark forest image (from Unsplash) as this edition’s header image, is on purpose as I'm trying to illustrate the current era we are forced to enter in. The United States are entering into a commercial fight with us Canadians, for no valid reason. It will mark a new dark era between the US and Canada. I hope it won’t last beyond 2028. ## 🗺️ Discoveries > 1️⃣ Greg Morris, a blogger that I follow on Micro.blog, [started developing a client for Micro.blog](https://gregmorris.co.uk/2025/01/22/making-micro-social.html?ref=numericcitizen.me). I didn't know he was into programming (in addition to photography, blogging and podcasting). I'm curious to see how it evolves and if it ever sees the light of the day. I'm okay with more client choices for services like Bluesky and Micro.blog. 2️⃣ Manuel Moreale shared [a table of blogging platforms](https://manuelmoreale.com/blog-platforms?ref=numericcitizen.me) for those looking for a home for their writings. I know about WordPress, Blot, Ghost, Write.as, Medium, and Micro.blog. 3️⃣ Like many people this week, I discovered the DeepSeek AI app. I tried it once. I'm uncomfortable with the fact that DeepSeek is hosted in China: DeepSeek AI avoids answering 85% of prompts on ‘sensitive topics’ related to China. I'm even more uncomfortable. I'll pass for now. Try it for yourself. ## 📖 Reading > 1️⃣ [Here is a good one](https://morrick.me/archives/9946?ref=numericcitizen.me) from Riccardo Mori about an interview with [Don Norman](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Don%5FNorman?ref=numericcitizen.me), a prominent figure in the human-computer interaction field. The interview took place in 1995, but as Mori emphasizes, many things Don Norman said are still valid today, if not more accurate. I studied many of Don Norman’s papers in the early nineties while studying user interface design for my master’s degree. 2️⃣ In the next edition of the Ephemeral Scrapbook, this section will probably be removed and morphed into all the remaining ones. Why? Because each edition of this newsletter is based on my reading, I don't see the need for a dedicated section for my readings. What do you think? > > “Every new thing that I add to my website works to regain my internet presence away from companies that do not have my interests at heart. And I will avoid future problems like a company deciding to put login walls or paywalls in front of my content. Or putting Nazi content beside mine. I can avoid all of that by self-publishing.” — Louie Mantia > > “The internet is now five websites owned by three people and all of them are awful” — Unknown source ## 👨🏻‍💻 Writing > 1️⃣ I wish I had written [the following blog post](https://manuelmoreale.com/tiny-corners?ref=numericcitizen.me) from Manuel Moreale because it closely resonates with my thoughts on having blogs. 2️⃣ This week, I looked at my current writing ideas and made some cleanup. I dropped a few ideas not worth pursuing. I've been trying to focus more in recent years, which is part of the process. Having a clearer view of what is essential for me as a blogger is not only helpful but mandatory. I shared [this thought](https://blog.numericcitizen.me/2025/01/28/today-i-decided-to-let.html?ref=numericcitizen.me) about that on my blog. ## 🌄 Photography > 1️⃣ Here's [an interesting video](https://youtu.be/bJYqyD0kPx0?si=8W1KniQJygCFirGu&ref=numericcitizen.me) from a photographer who quit his job to do just that: photography. If this is something you are thinking of doing, watch this informative video, if not inspiring. 2️⃣ Is Glass, the photo-sharing service, a social network or not? According to one of his founders, the answer is an official "yes.” He came to this conclusion after reading an article [about the launch of Mozi](https://ev.medium.com/making-social-social-again-0126fa5c6ce8?ref=numericcitizen.me), another social networking app. People on Glass are passionate about photography, can show appreciation or comment on other people's work, and connections are made. I guess those are some of the attributes required to become more "social.” 3️⃣ [Following MacRumors photo and video tests](https://www.macrumors.com/2025/01/28/iphone-16-pro-max-vs-galaxy-s25-ultra/?ref=numericcitizen.me) between the iPhone 16 Pro Max and Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra, I'm happy to report that I still prefer iPhone photos over Samsung's. 4️⃣ Another [great discovery](https://glass.photo/jean-marie?ref=numericcitizen.me) on Glass this week. I fell in love with this [winter image](https://glass.photo/jean-marie/7OOX88HF8I9VAPg8QJnYkt?ref=numericcitizen.me). And [this guy](https://glass.photo/nubila%5Fcaeli?ref=numericcitizen.me), with a rather spooky style! [Sharing an Image Collection With Friends and Family — A Lesser Known ApproachExploring practical and secure ways to share photos with friends and family, while balancing convenience, privacy, and user interaction.![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/icon/Banner3.0-100x100-1.png)Numeric Citizen SpaceJF Martin![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/thumbnail/croatia2024.6323cc6723d04a70a0cbf4388a973978.png)](https://numericcitizen.me/sharing-an-image-collection-with-friends-and-family-a-lesser-known-approach/) > “The most important asset for a photographer is time”. ## 🍎 Apple > 1️⃣ If all goes according to the (new) plans, Siri might get a fix [for real](https://daringfireball.net/linked/2025/01/24/vorrath-siri-apple-intelligence?ref=numericcitizen.me) this time. 2️⃣ With iOS 18.3 and macOS 15.3, Apple Intelligence (still in beta mind you) is turned on by default on supported devices and language. Why? It's baffling to see Apple make this move. 3️⃣ If you want to see where the Vision Pro’s future might lead, consider looking back at the history of the MacBook Air, [as Om Malik did in a recent article](https://om.co/2025/01/16/vision-pro-lessons-of-the-macbook-air/?ref=numericcitizen.me). 4️⃣ Fifteen years of iPad. Time flies — another [great blog post](https://om.co/2025/01/28/ipad-at-15-hit-or-a-miss/?ref=numericcitizen.me) by Om Malik for the occasion. For me, the iPad remains a great device in my digital landscape. Surprisingly, I share many similar iPad use cases with Mr. Malik: photography and travel (on the plane or at the hotel for a short trip). 5️⃣ Are you looking forward to the iOS 18.4 beta to see what is coming for Apple Intelligence? Or maybe you don't care because everything else in the generative AI space is much better than what Apple can develop? At the time of publication, we are still waiting for the first beta of iOS 18.4\. 6️⃣ [Poor Siri](https://spyglass.org/apple-bad-siri/?ref=numericcitizen.me). Will she ever grow up? 7️⃣ Apple made a lot of money in the last quarter; [here is some proof](https://sixcolors.com/post/2025/01/apples-reports-record-revenue-for-q1-2025/?ref=numericcitizen.me). Services revenues continue to increase steadily, but iPhone sales are down, Mac is up, iPad is up, and wearables are meh. ## 🚧 Special projects > 1️⃣ This week, I completed the creation of my French blog. I wrote a few blog posts to test the visual theme and define the proper categories. It's all good. I guess it fits well with Louie Mantia's philosophy that he explains in “[Make a damn website](https://lmnt.me/blog/how-to-make-a-damn-website.html?ref=numericcitizen.me)” instead of relying on a platform just for sharing thoughts? 2️⃣ My other project of learning to use Elements, a web editor, is going slow, at the pace of watching videos on YouTube according to their release schedule. I should do more. 😔 > > "It’s worth thinking about not just how little effort it takes to get started with an app, web app, or web service. But how much effort it always takes for you to migrate elsewhere when it turns out to be shittier than they originally advertised." — Louie Mantia ## 📱 Apps & Services > 1️⃣ I bought [SnapMotion](https://apps.apple.com/ca/app/snapmotion-unlimited/id1024350410?ref=numericcitizen.me) to snap the exact frame out of a video. One example is writing articles about Apple's keynote and product announcements, where I want to take snapshots during the streaming but never get the right one. Now it will be possible. Another use case is to look for an animation frame-by-frame that often reveals details we cannot see live or using another tool. SnapMotion, in a way, offers a way to save bookmarks of video sections with the Snaps tab, which is very handy. 2️⃣ Readwise, the web service for reading RSS feeds and saving text highlights, published an article summarizing recent additions and updates to their offerings. It's pretty impressive and, as usual, quite overwhelming. I'm still paying for Readwise but only using the text highlight archive. Their reader is quite powerful and feature-packed compared to Inoreader, but I'm still not fond of the design. That said, like many other services, they added generative AI article summarization, and I think this is something Inoreader should consider adding, too. And the conversation with text highlights is a clever use of AI. 3️⃣ Adam Engst [wrote an article](https://tidbits.com/2025/01/30/why-grammarly-beats-apples-writing-tools-for-serious-writers/?ref=numericcitizen.me) about why he still prefers Grammarly over Apple Intelligence. As a paid subscriber myself, I completely agree with his take. Apple Intelligence is not writer-friendly at all. Grammarly is so much better integrated into the writing experience than Apple Intelligence. I find this ironic because Grammarly is a third-party application, and Apple usually offers better integrations since they control the whole software stack. One downside or irritating issue with Grammarly is the iterative nature of its correction suggestions engine. The final version might take four or five corrections to one phrase involving a change to the same portion. I use Writing Tools a few times a week but for very short text, like when posting to Micro.blog. 3️⃣ Craft now supports the DeepSeek R1 local model without an internet connection. I tested it but returned to ChatGPT’s model. 4️⃣ Inoreader now supports Bluesky, so we can add search results or follow users from an RSS reader. How cool is that? 5️⃣ Speaking of Bluesky, Flashes, a photography-only app based on Bluesky, is coming soon. In other words, by using Flashes, Bluesky sort of becomes like what Instagram used to be in its early days. How cool is that? ![Snapping a precise frame with SnapMotion app. ](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/2025/02/Image.png) Snapping a precise frame with SnapMotion app. ![Prompting my text highlights in Readwise. Could be quite useful. ](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/2025/02/Image-1.png) Prompting my text highlights in Readwise. Could be quite useful. ![Using the DeepSeek R1 model inside Craft (in beta).](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/2025/02/Image-2.png) Using the DeepSeek R1 model inside Craft (in beta). ## 📺 YouTube > 1️⃣ I want to play this game: [Tiny Glade](https://youtu.be/nmo-DEo6%5Fuc?si=X3qgixIPiRWaNCxa&ref=numericcitizen.me). It seems to be relaxing. It reminds me of TownScaper, but it is much more sophisticated. But I know I /will waste too much time on this. 2️⃣ This is a cool video about many of the scenes of The Silo. I like to see all the places without any humans, only with background noises. It leaves a lot of space for imagination. It's a bit spooky. 3️⃣ I'm still fascinated by Nothing, the company, and their actions ([A recent video](https://youtu.be/4BzC7ky0uw8?si=fpsvQiz-qfMcMFhQ&ref=numericcitizen.me)). ## 💎 Miscellaneous > 1️⃣ I got my first mechanical keyboard this week, a Keychron, and I love it. I didn't understand all the enthusiasm around mechanical keyboards until this week. I should have known better because we had that kind of keyboard when I started studying computer science. I vividly remember IBM "clicky" keyboards with TN3270 monitors. If you look carefully and are old enough, you'll see that this Keychron keyboard resembles the Commodore 64’s. I didn't notice until I started playing with it. 2️⃣ DeepSeek is kicking asses. As good as most advanced ChatGPT models, DeekSeek uses a model that requires a fraction of what ChatGPT 4o took for its development and training. Plus, running the model requires much less CPU and RAM. On top of all that, everything is open source, free to use and reuse! No wonder why NVIDIA shares plunged 17% on Monday, January 27th. Apple's approach to on-device processing might prove to be a good strategy, after all. 3️⃣ According to Reddit, I’m supposed to celebrate my fifteen years on Reddit. 4️⃣ The Core Intuition podcast is over. Sixteen years of podcast episodes are now up for archives. I wasn't an avid listener because I rarely listen to podcasts. But the shows I listened to were good, and most brought thoughtful moments and discussions. It's sad to see that go. Manton shares that after a period of reflection, he felt that *something had to change*, including how he manages *Micro.blog* and his time. Sixteen years is a long streak in today's world. ![My newly acquired mechanical keyboard. ](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/2025/02/_IMG_4968-optimised.jpeg) My newly acquired mechanical keyboard. ![The venerable Commodore 64 personal computer. ](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/2025/02/_Commodore-64-keyboard-optimised.png) The venerable Commodore 64 personal computer. ## 🔮 Looking forward > 1️⃣ As a Canadian, I'm looking forward to seeing and probably experiencing the negative consequences of the unjustified tariffs from the white house clique on Canadian goods. Those tariffs are unwarranted and based on false assumptions from the orange clown at the White House. I wish you a great week! ✌️ 🇺🇦 🇨🇦💪🏻 💡 This newsletter edition is also available as a Craft shared document [****here**](https://crafted.numericcitizen.me/ephemeral-scrapbook-edition-2025-04?ref=numericcitizen.me). An index of past editions can be found [here](https://numericcitizen.me/tag/ephemeral-scrapbook/). This week's edition is based on template version 1.7.2 — [Sun, Jan 19](about:blank) and was put together with ❤️ mostly on an M2 15-inch MacBook Air, Craft Docs and many supporting [subscriptions](https://crafted.numericcitizen.me/current-subscriptions?ref=numericcitizen.me)! If you like this newsletter, please consider supporting me via [PayPal](https://paypal.me/numericcitizen?locale.x=en%5FUS&ref=numericcitizen.me) or becoming a supporter by visiting my [Ko-fi](https://ko-fi.com/numericcitizen/?ref=numericcitizen.me)! ### Sharing an Image Collection With Friends and Family — A Lesser Known Approach URL: https://numericcitizen.me/sharing-an-image-collection-with-friends-and-family-a-lesser-known-approach/ Last updated: 2025-01-21T12:39:14.000Z My friends and family often ask me, "When and where will you share your photos from this summer’s trip to Croatia?" I told them "soon," even though I had no exact plan. I was still exploring different options to find a way to share my photos that would be both convenient and engaging for everyone. I knew Pixelfed wouldn't be the best solution—most people don't want to follow a daily feed and look at photos one at a time. People generally want a frictionless experience when it comes to browsing photos, where they can quickly and easily see the entire collection without any barriers. I also didn't want to use Facebook for sharing my photos, as it felt too public and less personal for this purpose. When friends ask to see your photos, they usually want to see them all at once. So, I had to think of a different approach. Knowing some of my friends use a Nixplay digital frame, I considered using its built-in feature that allows users to send pictures via email directly to a specific Nixplay frame. This would require creating a dedicated album on my friend's Nixplay account and sharing the corresponding email address. While this could work well for close-knit groups or specific individuals who already have the frame, it’s not the quickest approach or practical for a broader audience. I dismissed this idea because the digital frame is generally far from the viewer, too far to fully appreciate each photo. So, I needed another solution that more people could benefit from. I then thought about using iCloud public albums, but I was reluctant to import my finished photos into iCloud. More importantly, since Apple Advanced Data Protection (ADP) is enabled on my Apple Account, sharing photos via [icloud.com](http://icloud.com/?ref=numericcitizen.me) wasn't an option. ADP enhances data security by encrypting iCloud data end-to-end. Still, as a trade-off, it disables iCloud web access to ensure that sensitive data remains accessible only from Apple devices or trusted locations. A critical note about security and privacy: people who subscribe to the shared album can see all subscriber names and email addresses. Finally, the simplest solution was to create and share an iCloud album, select my best images, and invite my friend via iMessage. As I worked on this, I expanded the invite list to include more friends and family, all Apple ecosystem users. For non-Apple users, however, this method might not work, requiring alternative sharing options like direct email links or third-party platforms such as Google Photos or Dropbox. This way, no one was left out. The "Activity" tab in Apple Photos shows everyone’s comments, allowing participants to engage directly by leaving reactions or starting conversations about specific photos. This interactive element transforms the album into a micro and private social network, fostering a sense of connection and making the photo-sharing experience more dynamic and engaging. It's a pretty cool way to share my summer memories and interact with my digital friends. I wonder why Apple is not advertising this photo-sharing approach more. The best solution is often right in front of our eyes. ### The Ephemeral Scrapbook — Edition 2025-02 URL: https://numericcitizen.me/the-ephemeral-scrapbook-edition-2025-02/ Last updated: 2025-01-20T11:38:57.000Z ## 👤 Personal > 1️⃣ First, consider this question (coming from this [blog post](https://journal.jatan.space/would-you-blog/?ref=numericcitizen.me) by Jatan Mehta): “*If you were born and brought up in the time of modern social media, where Twitter and Instagram have always existed, would you even blog?*" What a great question. I want to share my answer to that one. I'm much older than Manuel Moreale, as he writes in [his answer](https://manuelmoreale.com/bloggers-at-the-right-time?ref=numericcitizen.me). I was born in 1967\. I remember the time before the web, even before computers. I started blogging in 2009, Facebook and Twitter were a thing, just like MySpace. I didn't click at that time that blogging was a thing, until I decided to share my experiences as an indie iPhone apps developer. Back to the question, I'm not sure I would be blogging if the only things I knew were Twitter, Instagram or TikTok. I'm born at the right time where people were using paper for writing, I don't do that these days. Why would I blog on a website that I own if I can write on someone else's platform who take care of everything (including free usage tracking!)? I understand why the following generations (Y and Z) aren't really into blogging, because they are barely into writing and reading. Am I generalizing too much? I'm not sure. My gut feeling is that I'm not. ## 🗺️ Discoveries > 1️⃣ Thanks to this YouTube video, I just discovered Tiny Glade, a game ([available on Steam](https://store.steampowered.com/app/2198150/Tiny%5FGlade/?ref=numericcitizen.me)) for building things like castles, small villages and cities. It is so cool and reminds me of Townscaper, another great game I played for a while. Tiny Glade’s graphics are at another level, though. It's the LEGO set of the digital era. I'm sold. Now, I have to find some time to play that game. Here's [the video](https://youtu.be/mKoRzTK1HkU?si=83aD84hAgkl9Uq2A&ref=numericcitizen.me). ## 📖 Reading > 1️⃣ I priceless open letter to Mark Zuckerburg by Daniel Supernault, one of the main contributors to Pixeled. Emphasis is mine. *"Dear Mark,* *I hope this finds you well. I noticed something interesting today - it seems *Instagram is blocking links to my little open-source project*. You know, the one that lets people share photos without harvesting their personal data or forcing algorithmic feeds on them.* *I have to admit, I'm flattered. Who would've thought a small team of volunteers could build something that would catch your attention? We're just trying to give people a choice in how they share their memories online. No VCs, no surveillance capitalism, just code and community.* *Remember when Facebook started? It was about connecting people, not maximizing engagement metrics. Our project might be tiny compared to Instagram, but we're staying true to that original spirit of social media - *giving people control over their online presence without turning them into products*.* *You could've ignored us. Instead, by blocking our links, you've given us the best endorsement we could ask for. You've confirmed what we've been saying all along - that *big tech is more interested in protecting their walled gardens than fostering genuine innovation*.* *Every time you block a link to our platform, you remind people why we built it in the first place. Your action tells them there are alternatives worth exploring, ones that respect their privacy and agency. So thank you, Mark. *You've turned our little project into a symbol of resistance against digital monopolies.** *Perhaps one day you'll remember what it felt like to be the underdog, building something because you believed in its potential to make the internet better. Our doors are always open if you want to remember what that feels like.* *Best regards,* *Daniel Supernault* *P.S. Keep blocking those links. Every error message is just free advertising for the social web."* > > “we’ve also seen a massive recent uptick in low-quality, AI-generated posts behind the paywall, and coordinated activity like fake accounts created by a single person in order to engage with paywalled posts to generate earnings, and more.” — Scott Lamb from Medium ## 👨🏻‍💻 Writing > 1️⃣ I got a little poem from ChatGPT this week that I want to share with you (see below). I get such poems every morning using ChatGPT tasks and reminders. It's pretty cool and inspiring, to be honest. 2️⃣ I'm starting a new blog, this time to give me a chance to write and share in French, and it's about the same interests, to be shared with my friends and those who dare to care. The official launch is approaching. **Whispers of Dawn** *The dawn arrives, a tender hue,* *A sky brushed soft with morning’s blue.* *Each ray of light, a golden thread,* *Weaving dreams where hope is fed.* *The world awakes in quiet song,* *A chorus where we all belong.* *The breeze does dance, the leaves take flight,* *Nature’s joy in morning’s light.* *So take this day, a gift anew,* *With endless paths to wander through.* *Let courage guide, let love inspire,* *And fan the spark of your heart’s fire.* ## 🌄 Photography > 1️⃣ [Pixelfded iOS app is out](https://mastodon.social/@pixelfed/113820254451707651?ref=numericcitizen.me)! [Finally](https://apps.apple.com/us/app/pixelfed/id1632519816?ref=numericcitizen.me). Instagram blocks posts which link to Pixelfed accounts. As I wrote [here](https://blog.numericcitizen.me/2025/01/13/meta-is-blocking-links-to.html?ref=numericcitizen.me), Meta increasingly looks like a digital version of Russia. Pixelfed seems to have a moment, [according to TechCrunch](https://techcrunch.com/2025/01/14/decentralized-instagram-alternative-pixelfed-launches-mobile-apps/?ref=numericcitizen.me). 2️⃣ Could Flickr make a comeback in 2025? “[Why Photographers Are Ditching Instagram for Flickr](https://www.thephoblographer.com/2025/01/12/why-photographers-are-ditching-instagram-for-this-platform-in-2025/?ref=numericcitizen.me)” tries to convince readers that it's yes. I don't think so. 3️⃣ On Glass, I have found [this great photo](https://glass.photo/rjn/78fszUCtv4nfQF3lpXeW9b?ref=numericcitizen.me) of the original iMac by Robert Nelson. Beautiful. 4️⃣ I got many new followers on Pixelfed recently, [Karneol](https://glass.photo/rjn/78fszUCtv4nfQF3lpXeW9b?ref=numericcitizen.me) is one of them and shares excellent black and white photos. 5️⃣ Mike McCue, the founder of Flipboard, [is on Pixelfed](https://pixelfed.social/mmccue?ref=numericcitizen.me), too. He shares many great images, too. 6️⃣ Speaking of photo-sharing service, Glass [introduced Featured Series!](https://glass.photo/highlights/introducing-featured-series?ref=numericcitizen.me) It's another great addition to this superb photo-sharing platform. > “Despite the challenges, Flickr (or Glass) offers you a chance to have a more intimate photography space, which can help you 3to nourish your creativity.” - Nilofer Khan (Glass in the quote, by me). ## 🍎 Apple > 1️⃣ Did Apple do something cool since the iPhone? Facebook’s Zuckerberg thinks no. But, [as Gruber wrote](https://9to5mac.com/2025/01/10/mark-zuckerberg-joe-rogan-apple-innovation/?ref=numericcitizen.me), look who's talking. What did Meta do in the last decade beyond buying competitors? What a moron. 2️⃣ [Great wallpapers collection](https://basicappleguy.com/basicappleblog/fluted-gradients?ref=numericcitizen.me) by Basic Apple Guy. 3️⃣ I picked up [a good video](https://youtu.be/5RXuDcr7gj8?si=CTzw2tHXnnRXzmD9&ref=numericcitizen.me) about marketing and Apple. 4️⃣ The Apple //c with the monitor on its stand was a great combo, as shown in [this photo](https://glass.photo/stevet/6czXLKhLrsY5BPzkApyCy2?ref=numericcitizen.me) from Glass. In this photo, the author states that he restored the computer to a working state to use it for posting messages on a retro BBS. Wow! I remember the clicky keyboard sound. 4️⃣ Could a complete iOS UI redesign be in the cards for this year's iOS 19? According to [this video](https://youtu.be/HaP%5Fq9W3AQE?si=hjif9p7emi3B1YKV&ref=numericcitizen.me), this might be the case. Or not. In any case, I like what I see in this screenshot. 5️⃣ Apple TV+ Severance is taking over Grand Central, and it's pretty cool. Here's [a short video](https://youtu.be/QYVyTvnAsQw?si=w369FXe6dik5saN3&ref=numericcitizen.me) made by Apple. [Lumon Takes Grand CentralWhat appeared to be an elaborate art installation quickly turned into one of the coolest performances in recent memory![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/icon/https-3A-2F-2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com-2Fpublic-2Fimages-2F21d7afdf-e6e8-4cd1-b09d-84c480f746c9-2Fapple-touch-icon-180x180.png)Parker’s POVParker Ortolani![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/thumbnail/https-3A-2F-2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com-2Fpublic-2Fimages-2Fe2b5cafb-284a-4dba-8560-fc3d6bf1b87e_1440x1080.jpeg)](https://parkerspov.substack.com/p/lumon-takes-grand-central) ![A mockup of a rumored redesign of the camera app on the iPhone.](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/2025/01/__iOS-19-Alleged-Camera-App-Render-optimised.jpeg) A mockup of a rumored redesign of the camera app on the iPhone. ## 🚧 Special projects > 1️⃣ I recently decided to spend some time learning an app called Elements for building websites. It's been two weeks, and I find it hard to schedule time regularly for this. I can't find the right moment in the early morning, evening, or weekend. I don't have kids at home anymore. It should be simple. I wonder how people returning to school to learn something new can make it. 2️⃣ I looked at [Skillshare](https://www.skillshare.com/en/?ref=numericcitizen.me), a popular learning platform primarily dedicated to creative people. I was wondering if it could be a place to publish my online course about Craft. I couldn’t find any course related to Craft, which is a good thing. I read a few reviews about the platform, too. I do not like the revenue-sharing model and the fact that only highly popular teachers are at the top of the list all the time making it's hard to be discovered for newbies like me. I'll keep looking. I might stick to Gumroad for that. ## 📱 Apps & Services > 1️⃣ My usage of MindNode Next recently picked up. I'm seeing more and more releases that bring some of MindNode’s features back into MindNode Next. 2️⃣ ChatGPT now supports Reminders, provided that you are a paying subscriber and the right model is selected: “Reminders can be created in chat or through the tasks page under the profile menu, though the "4o with scheduled tasks" model needs to be selected.”. See the screenshot below. I wonder if there will be a better way for the users to access ChatGPT features beyond a dropdown with LLM model names. Maybe this will disappear in the future. Meanwhile, I asked for a poem to be written every morning at 7 AM, just for me. 3️⃣ [This app](https://apps.apple.com/ca/app/snapmotion-unlimited/id1024350410?ref=numericcitizen.me), called SnapMotion, helps you capture a single frame from a video, and I think that might be handy for some use cases. ![ChatGPT offers many models to choose from. How long before this is replaced by automatic model selection based on prompt?](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/2025/01/_ChatGPT-models-optimised.jpg) ChatGPT offers many models to choose from. How long before this is replaced by automatic model selection based on prompt? ## 📺 YouTube > 1️⃣ [My first video of 2025](https://youtube.com/watch?v=-nbtzNKZb00&ref=numericcitizen.me) is about using [the PARA methodology](https://fortelabs.com/blog/para/?ref=numericcitizen.me) with Craft. It’s a high-level overview which shows how someone looking for a better way to organize its content inside Craft can apply the PARA method. The video was produced in my new and temporary apartment, so the background is quite different, but I like it. 2️⃣ Miniature making has always fascinated me. [This video](https://youtu.be/HAIl%5FNTdpig?si=4DUDQVTyOIS15ur4&ref=numericcitizen.me) is about making miniatures for the movie Blade Runner 2049\. It is really cool. 3️⃣ I don't want to share an ad for DJI drones, but their latest addition to their lineup, [the DJI Flip](https://youtu.be/KmEdcFcJUuo?si=lH62HUqltFkOA2Zc&ref=numericcitizen.me), is intriguing. Speaking of DJI drones, is it true that the US government is trying to ban them for specific use cases like border surveillance? DJI is a Chinese company, which I didn't know. Drones are getting rather wild, but I don’t really have a use case for them. ## 💎 Miscellaneous > 1️⃣ This week, in [a blog post](https://www.manton.org/2025/01/10/automattic-and-blog.html?ref=numericcitizen.me) by Manton Reece, I was reminded that the top-level domain “.blog” exists. I wondered if I should get one for “numericcitizen.blog” and if the domain is available. It is. The cost is 20 US$. What should I do with it if I could get my hands on it? It could be redirected to “numericcitizen.me" or “blog.numericcitizen.me”. But I think there is something different that I could do with it. First, let me remind you, dear readers, that I don't mix my digital life with my personal or professional life (just like I didn't have colleagues or Facebook friends). It means my colleagues or friends don't know much about “numericcitizen” or anything related. Also, I always write in English; if people around me knew about my digital presence, reading my blog in English would not work well for them as 99% of my friends and colleagues are French Canadian. What if I had a dedicated Internet corner where I could write in my native language, totally isolated from my other stuff, away from Facebook or other silos, but accessible to those who know the link? I decided to go ahead and buy a French domain name and open a Micro.one account for it. My initial “Hello World” post is online. I’m still thinking about what’s coming next, so stay tuned for more details. ## 🔮 Looking forward > 1️⃣ Ordered this mechanical keyboard from Keychron, and I can't wait to try it out! I love Apple keyboards, but that one seems really lovely, from the look to the sound of typing on it. I think it will be a good fit for my home office desk. [This video](https://youtu.be/LGp8VlcbEoA?si=xlrVrPTPI1br-7Gr&ref=numericcitizen.me) briefly mentions it. Not exactly cheap, though. [Some people](https://craney.uk/2024/12/14/keychron-k-he.html?ref=numericcitizen.me) are enjoying it. The thing that I'm really excited about is the sound of the keys, I don’t trust the videos to be good enough to reflect reality. ![The Keychron K2 HE keyboard](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/2025/01/keychron-k2-he-keyboard.jpg) The Keychron K2 HE keyboard I ordered I wish you a great week! ✌️ 🇺🇦 🇨🇦 💡 This newsletter edition is also available as a Craft shared document [****here**](https://crafted.numericcitizen.me/ephemeral-scrapbook-edition-2025-02?ref=numericcitizen.me). An index of past editions can be found [here](https://crafted.numericcitizen.me/weekly-creative-summaries-index?ref=numericcitizen.me). This week's edition is based on template version 1.7.1 — [Sun, Jan 12](about:blank) and was put together with ❤️ mostly on an M2 15-inch MacBook Air, Craft Docs and many supporting [subscriptions](https://crafted.numericcitizen.me/current-subscriptions?ref=numericcitizen.me)! If you like this newsletter, please consider supporting me via [PayPal](https://paypal.me/numericcitizen?locale.x=en%5FUS&ref=numericcitizen.me) or becoming a supporter by visiting my [Ko-fi](https://ko-fi.com/numericcitizen/?ref=numericcitizen.me)! ### The Ephemeral Scrapbook — Edition 2025-01 URL: https://numericcitizen.me/the-ephemeral-scrapbook-edition-2025-01/ Last updated: 2025-01-20T11:39:13.000Z ## 👤 Personal > 1️⃣ First and foremost, I want to extend my warmest wishes for a prosperous and fulfilling new year. I genuinely hope you find success and happiness in your professional and personal endeavors. 2️⃣ Secondly, this marks the inaugural edition of this newsletter for 2025, and I’ve decided to introduce a few changes. Firstly, I’ve decided to eliminate the summary at the beginning of each newsletter. This section provided an overview of the number of blog posts, photos, and other content I’ve shared since the previous edition. While I appreciate the interest in these statistics, I believe it’s unnecessary to brag about them, and it takes a significant amount of time to maintain and update this information. I’ve also officially decided to retire the podcasts section from my newsletter. While I enjoy doing podcasts, I don’t find them particularly relevant to my current content creation schedule, and I believe it’s not worth dedicating time and resources to them. ## 🗺️ Discoveries > 1️⃣ 3D printing can be really cool and useful, as shown in [this blog post](https://merecivilian.com/3d-printing-adventures/?ref=numericcitizen.me). There is a marketplace called [MakerWorld](https://makerworld.com/en?ref=numericcitizen.me) where people can share their 3D objects, such as [the iPhone clock dock](https://makerworld.com/en/models/615378?from=search&ref=numericcitizen.me#profileId-538769). That's fascinating. 2️⃣ In 2024, LLMs were more power-efficient to run and train, but they are more complicated to use. These are some of the conclusions that can be found in [this 2024 year-in-review](https://simonwillison.net/2024/Dec/31/llms-in-2024/?ref=numericcitizen.me). Very detailed review. ## 📖 Reading > 1️⃣ The year 2025 seems off to a bad start. I’ve been reading all sorts of bad news tidbits this week and I must admit this is becoming rather depressing. From the war in Ukraine, to fires in Los Angeles and those wondering if it's really because of climate change, to Facebook’s 180-degree turns on content moderation and the reactions this change triggers, to Trump’s provocations about Canada becoming the 51 state, it’s hard to escape the bad vibe. Sorry if I’m sounding negative here, but that’s the current mood I'm in. I'm hoping to switch the mood soon. ## 👨🏻‍💻 Writing > 1️⃣ Writing is hard. Writing constantly is even more challenging. Josh Ginter, the author of [The Newsprint](https://thenewsprint.co/?ref=numericcitizen.me), wrote [a blog post](https://thenewsprint.co/2025/01/05/the-sunday-edition-010525/?ref=numericcitizen.me) reflecting on his journey over the past decade, discussing the challenges of maintaining consistency in writing while balancing various life roles, such as being a father, professional, volunteer, and athlete. He acknowledges a decline in his creative output and desires to rekindle his creative energy through regular Sunday posts, viewing them as a mental exercise. I was a regular reader of The Newsprint and was curious why he didn't write as often as he used to. Now I know why and really understand. 2️⃣ I answered eight questions about blogging [on my metablog](https://meta.numericcitizen.me/2025/01/08/blogging-about-blogging-eight-questions.html?ref=numericcitizen.me). I hope you learn a bit more about me and my blogging journey that started in 2009\. 3️⃣ Don't miss [the monthly blog posts digest](https://blog.numericcitizen.me/newsletters/2025/01/01/12648.html?ref=numericcitizen.me) coming off [my Micro.blog site](https://blog.numericcitizen.me/?ref=numericcitizen.me). ## 🌄 Photography > 1️⃣ I decided to use Micro.blog to post my images to Pixelfed for this year. Here’s [a summary of my experience](https://blog.numericcitizen.me/2025/01/05/my-brief-testing-of-posting.html?ref=numericcitizen.me). I should probably update my photo-processing workflow, which was [last updated in 2022](https://numericcitizen.me/my-photo-processing-workflow-as-of-2022-11/), to reflect that change. 2️⃣ Pixelfed now supports full data export for backup or migration purposes (see [the announcement on Mastodon](https://mastodon.social/@pixelfed/113769708651159485?ref=numericcitizen.me)). And speaking of Pixelfed, they are getting closer to finally releasing their iPhone app after more than a year in beta. 3️⃣ Some lovely images here [from arnd on Glass](https://glass.photo/arnds.photos?ref=numericcitizen.me). I wish I were that talented. ## 🍎 Apple > 1️⃣ Tim Cook gave 1 million for Trump's inauguration. Part of the Internet, or more specifically, many Apple fanboys, are unhappy. I don't like Trump. There is nothing about this world where we allow such type of guy to become the president that I want. Yet, I like [Matt’s take on this](https://birchtree.me/blog/bending-the-knee-1-million-at-a-time/?ref=numericcitizen.me). [Mitch’s take](https://mitchw.blog/2025/01/05/this-is-how-nations-decline.html?ref=numericcitizen.me) is sombre and probably more lucid. Paying to get attention and to be nice or give a favour can't be seen as good democracy in my book; I don't care who's paying. Tim, you could have done better, but you are like the others. [What Steve Jobs would do](https://www.manton.org/2025/01/04/what-would-steve-jobs-do.html?ref=numericcitizen.me)? 2️⃣ A [great story](https://tla.systems/blog/2025/01/04/i-live-my-life-a-quarter-century-at-a-time/?ref=numericcitizen.me) about Apple's Mac Os X Dock birth. I didn't know James Thompson, the developer of PCalc, was an Apple engineer in 2000\. He worked 18 months on the Dock before most of his ideas were trashed! 3️⃣ As reported by [this article](https://lapcatsoftware.com/articles/2024/12/3.html?ref=numericcitizen.me) by Jeff Johnson, Apple Photos sends data anonymously to Apple servers to help enhance the user experience. It’s on by default and this is wrong. Are you ok with this? ![Apple Photos Settings Panel.](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/2025/01/Image.png) Apple Photos Settings Panel. > "Tim Cook cares about appeasing a would-be autocrat and taxing developers in an app distribution monopoly. It’s time for new leadership." — Manton Reece ![Different generations of the Mac OS Dock.](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/2025/01/_7tpV5xe-optimised.png) Different generations of the Mac OS Dock. ![The famous Dock, on Apple’s macOS.](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/2025/01/_https___files.mastodon.social_media_attachmen.jpeg) The famous Dock, on Apple’s macOS. ## 🚧 Special projects > 1️⃣ I’m looking at doing new creative projects to start 2025\. One example would be to port the excellent “[Forever Notes](https://www.myforevernotes.com/?ref=numericcitizen.me)” notes system based on Apple Notes to Craft Docs. I spent some time trying to figure out another example: learning RealMac Software Elements, a website builder. I already have a few ideas for this one. I'm also looking at possible videos about Craft. I have difficulties finding a subject or a new angle on this matter. I asked people, via [a poll on my YouTube channel](https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCpdbqSdJxiT4FoaFCwgCtZw/community?ref=numericcitizen.me), to see if there is interest in using the PARA method with Craft. The answer is yes, with more than 65% of people saying yes. I’m pondering my options. 🤔 ## 📱 Apps & Services > 1️⃣ Each year’s start is always slow on the applications and services updates, but since January 2, Micro.blog has offered [a new subscription tier](https://micro.one/about/pricing?ref=numericcitizen.me) called Micro.one. For one dollar a month, you get a blog with many features. I'm not the target client for this, but many people who want to own their corner of the Internet could be potential clients, especially those quitting Meta’s services like Facebook and Threads. [Some people are so enthusiastic](https://www.thingelstad.com/2025/01/11/microone-making-blogging-more-accessible.html?ref=numericcitizen.me) they will go as far as offering to sponsor potential subscribers. That was a nice gesture. 2️⃣ [I wondered](https://blog.numericcitizen.me/2025/01/08/after-finding-an-old-document.html?ref=numericcitizen.me) if Matter, the read-later service, was still alive. According to some followers on Micro.blog where I asked for clarification, the answer appears to be yes. 3️⃣ Notion Face is out for you to build your custom profile face. I tried it, but one thing is missing: we cannot select ear shapes. I failed to design a face that resembles mine. Now, one quick question: why come up with this? 🤨 ## 📺 YouTube > 1️⃣ Apple is getting some serious competition from OnePlus phones. [This video](https://youtu.be/-kuG6RgL32c?si=iVO3hY7hdasCyURB&ref=numericcitizen.me) from Marques Brownlee proves it. Battery life is one thing but the screen quality is another. Must watch. 2️⃣ I'm a big fan of Ubiquiti networking equipment and their management software, Unifi Network. Version 9 is out and it comes with a big security improvement targeting the firewall module. 3️⃣ What's wrong with [this video](https://youtu.be/t0iqNo1JUkA?si=Jw45SvitTrbGQMu-&ref=numericcitizen.me)? The music? The DJ style? Something else? Spoiler: AI. ![That’s not really me, but it’s the best I could achieve.](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/2025/01/Image-1.png) That’s not really me, but it’s the best I could achieve. ## 💎 Miscellaneous > 1️⃣ Mark Zuckerburg made an announcement about Meta content moderation policies (I won't link it here, on purpose). Part of the Internet is on fire. I disagree with him because he constantly fails to recognize the power of his platforms in society. I'm happy that I'm staying away from Mark's shit. 2️⃣ The more I read about generative AI, the more I see that prompt engineering [might be a thing in the near future](https://blog.numericcitizen.me/2025/01/07/how-long-before-we-see.html?ref=numericcitizen.me). The more time you spend and the better you are at writing your prompt, the better outcome you might get. [But what is the break-even point](https://blog.numericcitizen.me/2025/01/06/tips-on-using-llms-ai.html?ref=numericcitizen.me) when the effort spent on writing a prompt is the same as doing the actual work? ## 🔮 Looking forward > 1️⃣ LG is teasing its [upcoming UltraFine 6K display](https://9to5mac.com/2025/01/06/lg-teases-upcoming-ultrafine-6k-display-with-thunderbolt-5-and-stunning-slim-bezel-design/?ref=numericcitizen.me) with a design sporting a bezel-less monitor and a monitor stand that closely looks like Apple’s design. This is a gorgeous monitor, but there is no pricing yet. I'll keep an eye on that one. It could replace my 4K UltraFine if it ever breaks, which I recently took off storage for use, with my new M4 Mac mini. You can see my home office setup in the following image. ![My home office setup for early 2025.](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/2025/01/_IMG_4727-optimised.jpeg) My home office setup for early 2025. I wish you a great week! ✌️ 🇺🇦 🇨🇦 💡 This newsletter edition is also available as a Craft shared document [****here**](https://crafted.numericcitizen.me/ephemeral-scrapbook-edition-2025-01?ref=numericcitizen.me). An index of past editions can be found [here](https://crafted.numericcitizen.me/weekly-creative-summaries-index?ref=numericcitizen.me). This week's edition is based on template version 1.7.0 — [Wed, Jan 1](about:blank) and was put together with ❤️ mostly on an M2 15-inch MacBook Air, Craft Docs and many supporting [subscriptions](https://crafted.numericcitizen.me/current-subscriptions?ref=numericcitizen.me)! If you like this newsletter, please consider supporting me via [PayPal](https://paypal.me/numericcitizen?locale.x=en%5FUS&ref=numericcitizen.me) or becoming a supporter by visiting my [Ko-fi](https://ko-fi.com/numericcitizen/?ref=numericcitizen.me)! ### The Ephemeral Scrapbook — Edition 2024-52 URL: https://numericcitizen.me/the-ephemeral-scrapbook-edition-2024-52/ Last updated: 2024-12-30T13:34:59.000Z > Some highlights of my digital contribution activities for 2024. > 👨🏻‍💻 A few hundred posts (more than 750 [on Micro.blog alone](https://blog.numericcitizen.me/stats/?ref=numericcitizen.me)!) 😃 > 🏞️ Many hundred photos shared 😃 > 📺 16 YouTube videos published 😃 > This is the last edition of 2024\. Happy New Year, and see you for the next edition in early 2025\. Did you know that you can send me wishes using [my blog’s guestbook](https://blog.numericcitizen.me/guestbook/?ref=numericcitizen.me)? > The following graph shows the total page views to numericcitizen.me for 2024 compared to 2023 (light gray line). The trend was positive for most of 2024 but again points downwards near the end of 2024, returning to the 2023 level. ![Total page views on this website for 2024 compared to the year before. ](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/2024/12/Image-17.png) Total page views on this website for 2024 compared to the year before. ## 👤 Personal > 1️⃣ It's the time of the year when we look back and wonder what has been done and what hasn't. According to my 2024 Flighty Passport, I travelled quite a lot. I love those visual summaries. Raycast is giving one to subscribers, too. See below below. 2️⃣ The following quote could apply to anyone, not just products. 3️⃣ [My 2024 year in review is out](https://numericcitizen.me/my-2024-compulsive-creator-contributor-year-in-review/), just in time! It was a rather busy year. > "To know what a product is means knowing what it is not. It took me years to figure this out." — Manton Reece ![My Flighty year in review card. I love this visual summary!](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/2024/12/_IMG_9103-optimised.png) My Flighty year in review card. I love this visual summary! ![This is my Raycast yearly visual summary. In short: my most active usage happens on Sundays, at ? AM. I’m using Raycast as a sophisticated emoji picker about three times a day 🤪](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/2024/12/Cleanshot---Raycast-Wrapped@2024-12-27@.png) This is my Raycast yearly visual summary. In short: my most active usage happens on Sundays, at ? AM. I’m using Raycast as a sophisticated emoji picker about three times a day 🤪 ## 🗺️ Discoveries > 1️⃣ If Legos are your thing (either now or in your childhood), and user interface and user experience are also your thing, please don't miss [this article](https://interactionmagic.com/UX-LEGO-Interfaces/?ref=numericcitizen.me) about control panel design found in different Lego sets. I didn't know you could have such a level of detail in a seemingly mundane Lego block. 2️⃣ [Flipboard is on the verge of launching a new service](https://about.surf.social/?ref=numericcitizen.me) that looks like a Tapestry competitor: a social feed aggregator called [Surf](https://techcrunch.com/2024/12/18/flipboard-launches-surf-a-new-app-for-browsing-the-open-social-web/?ref=numericcitizen.me). I put my name on the waiting list. As a Bluesky, Mastodon and RSS feed consumer, I'm looking for this type of app with excitement. Om Malik, in [his article](https://crazystupidtech.com/archive/surf-the-human-curated-internet/?ref=numericcitizen.me) on [Crazy Stupid Tech blog](https://crazystupidtech.com/?ref=numericcitizen.me), shares some thoughts and hopes about Surf. It's really looking promising. 3️⃣ Speaking of Tapestry, the application development is nearly complete. As a Kickstarter backer of this project, I received my perks and discovered that my name is on the credits page. I didn’t remember that it was part of the perks. That's nice. I'm still not convinced by the overall visual design of Tapestry. Another challenge is configuring multiple feeds, some much more noisy than others, like in the following example where The Verge is massively taking over my timeline. The lack of a native Mac version of Tapestry is also surprising, but I think it will end in 2025. [Flipboard launches Surf, a new app for browsing the open social web | TechCrunchSocial magazine app maker Flipboard is reinventing itself for the new era of the open social web. While the company’s original app allowed users to![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/icon/cropped-cropped-favicon-gradient.png)TechCrunchSarah Perez![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/thumbnail/Surf.png)](https://techcrunch.com/2024/12/18/flipboard-launches-surf-a-new-app-for-browsing-the-open-social-web/?ref=numericcitizen.me) ![My name is on this credits page on Tapestry. Look for it.](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/2024/12/_IMG_4470-optimised.png) My name is on this credits page on Tapestry. Look for it. ![My news feed on Tapestry. The Verge is chatty.](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/2024/12/_97E02317-5776-465A-90EB-8C6863AC4C95-optimised.png) My news feed on Tapestry. The Verge is chatty. ## 📖 Reading > 1️⃣ The Verge is launching a [subscription](https://www.theverge.com/subscribe?ref=numericcitizen.me). At first, it looks like a good idea if you are one of their readers. The consequence is that most stories will be paywalled and RSS feeds truncated. Those paying for the subscription should expect to see ads, but beautiful ones, if such a thing exists. Until I read this in their announcement, I considered subscribing. But not, thanks. [Just like Jarrod](https://heydingus.net/blog/2024/12/the-verge-finally-gets-a-subscription?ref=numericcitizen.me), I'm very skeptical. Manuel Moreale, too. According to him, the number of ads shown to subscribers should be zero. I love [his link post](https://manuelmoreale.com/the-correct-amount-of-ads-is-zero?ref=numericcitizen.me); don't miss it. 2️⃣ After reading two recent blog posts by Manuel Moreale, I published [a linkpost](https://blog.numericcitizen.me/2024/12/26/on-header-images-and-creative.html?ref=numericcitizen.me) about them, which sparked [a conversation](https://blog.numericcitizen.me/2024/12/26/on-header-images-and-creative.html?ref=numericcitizen.me) that didn't go well. If only I knew in advance. I'll continue reading his blog, but these posts reminded me about my subscription, so I decided to pause that. Manuel responded both privately and publicly to my linkpost. Judging by his reaction, I'm not sure he appreciated it, and then [I felt terrible about all this](https://blog.numericcitizen.me/2024/12/26/now-i-feel-bad-about.html?ref=numericcitizen.me). I should have remembered that he likes email conversations… not everything is worth sharing publicly. > “Books are like seeds.They can lie dormant for centuries, but they may also produce flowers in the most unpromising soil. These books are the repositories of the knowledge of our species and of our long evolutionary journey from genes to brains to books." — Carl Sagan > “I still think that using ChatGPT to search information is a waste of time. If I have to come up with an extremely detailed prompt to nudge ChatGPT into a meaningful response AND I still have to verify its response by checking the sources, then I'll just do a traditional web search and collate the info myself. I’ve been doing this for ages and got faster and better over time. I prefer to train myself than the AI.” — Riccardo Mori ## 👨🏻‍💻 Writing > 1️⃣ Writing is about remembering. That's why I wrote [this series](https://numericcitizen.me/remembering-the-story-behind-every-apple-computers-i-ever-owned/) about every Mac I ever owned. I recently shared the latest addition to the series, remembering the [M1 Mac mini](https://numericcitizen.me/remembering-my-story-of-owning-the-m1-mac-mini-2020-2024/). Using this device for four years was a lovely ride. 2️⃣ Just write, he said. Oops, [he wrote](https://world.hey.com/johnstokvis/just-write-db6487f1?ref=numericcitizen.me). 3️⃣ Manuel Moreale created his [People & Blogs account on Bluesky](https://manuelmoreale.com/sunday-update?ref=numericcitizen.me). Plus, he made a [Bluesky starter pack with P&B guests](https://go.bsky.app/TRerges?ref=numericcitizen.me). You can find me in it. The thing about the Bluesky starter pack is that I would pin them to my profile rather than follow every member. Thankfully, he also created [a list](https://bsky.app/profile/did:plc:ihwvgcpygctz6kldj7aypl5r/lists/3lddl2l5x2s2m?ref=numericcitizen.me) you can pin to your home. Bluesky is cool. 4️⃣ I published [an update to my content creator workflows and digital tools](https://world.numericcitizen.io/content-creation-workflow-and-digital-tools-edition-2024-12?ref=numericcitizen.me) right before Christmas. It might be worth a look if you are curious about the apps and services I depend on to create and share my stories and articles. 5️⃣ Buttondown, the service for publishing newsletters, posted a valuable resource for creators: [a pricing calculator](https://buttondown.com/comparison-guides/take-rates?ref=numericcitizen.me) for the service costs based on the monthly subscription price and the number of paid and free subscribers. I'm using Ghost. It's not the cheapest option, but it's not the most expensive either. Creators might select Ghost because of its newsletter feature. I chose Ghost as a web-hosting service, which also comes with a newsletter service that wasn't possible on WordPress. 6️⃣ Writing regularly can be challenging. Lou Plummer [shared a blog post](https://louplummer.lol/50-ideas-for-blog-posts/?ref=numericcitizen.me) about fifty ideas for writing blog posts. I like idea #38\. 7️⃣ I shared [some thoughts about Medium](https://numericcitizen.me/on-medium-a-enjoyable-place-for-writing-but-a-controversial-place-for-reading/). Medium readers and writers are covered in this article. > “Started working on a blog post today and had to actually go do some research to make sure I was right. This is a benefit of occasional long-form writing. It’s a way to refine how you feel about something, learning a bunch in the process." — [Manton Reece](https://www.manton.org/2024/12/20/started-working-on.html?ref=numericcitizen.me) > “Substack has to convince you to start a paid publication. It has to push people towards paywalling as much content as possible because that’s how it makes money.” — Manuel Moreale ![A Bluesky starter kit example.](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/2024/12/5f74ac50-6c98-4a04-a461-494051b4d647.png) A Bluesky starter kit example. ## 🌄 Photography > 1️⃣ I got an email notification recently from Unsplash that [one of my photos](https://unsplash.com/photos/assorted-books-on-rack-near-glass-window-Ofs3LjEUcrk?ref=numericcitizen.me) crossed the 10K downloads mark. Cool. 2️⃣ Glass doesn’t get enough credit and exposure, in my view. I’m happy for them to see [Petapixel cover their recent additions to the service: photo series](https://petapixel.com/2024/11/14/photo-sharing-app-glass-adds-dynamic-image-collections-called-series/?ref=numericcitizen.me). 3️⃣ AOWS ([Adrian Vila on Patreon](https://www.patreon.com/adrianvila?ref=numericcitizen.me)) shared many photos like [this one](https://mastodon.world/@aows/113629921180876189?ref=numericcitizen.me) taken during a short trip to the desert in the US Southwest. Watch [the video](https://youtu.be/cwtBh81RC04?si=v6Dqm%5FPGh4JAwUNG&ref=numericcitizen.me) he made documenting his time spent there. 4️⃣ Great wallpaper [here](https://glass.photo/tdominey/3MjbnoMahok915t6sjkFjS?ref=numericcitizen.me) discovered on Glass (subscription required). 5️⃣ My Pixelfed usage is constantly decreasing. > [ Post by @aows@mastodon.world View on Mastodon ](https://mastodon.world/@aows/113629921180876189?ref=numericcitizen.me) One of my favourite image from Adrian Vila in recent weeks. Another great video from Adrian Vila (AOWS), this time it’s about desert photography… what a talented guy. [Castles in the Sky, a Series by Julian — GlassA collection of castles and similar old structures![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/icon/favicon-10.svg)![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/thumbnail/1T0NEDPY1QPdszYV724B53-castles-in-the-sky.jpg)](https://glass.photo/jules90photo/series/1T0NEDPY1QPdszYV724B53-castles-in-the-sky?ref=numericcitizen.me) Gorgeous black and white images from a just-discovered photographer on Glass named Julian. [Fav Photos Found in 2024: 50 Photos by 50 PhotographersWe went back through every single photography feature from the past 12 months and chose 50 photos by 50 photographers to represent the range of talent we uncovered this year!![](https://static.ghost.org/v5.0.0/images/link-icon.svg)BOOOOOOOM!Staff![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/thumbnail/2024_yearendphotos-red.jpg)](https://www.booooooom.com/2024/12/20/fav-photos-found-in-2024-50-photos-by-50-photographers/?ref=numericcitizen.me) Fifty favourite photos selected by Booooooom magazine. Some are simply amazing. > “Flickr, once a pioneering photo-sharing platform, has seen its prominence wane due to competition from Instagram and Facebook, along with mismanagement during its Yahoo ownership. Now under SmugMug, it offers features like ad-free browsing, high-quality image display, metadata retention, and a desktop-first design that appeal to photographers dissatisfied with modern social media. While its community groups and interaction levels have diminished, Flickr remains a viable platform for archiving, portfolios, and sharing high-quality images. Renewed interest suggests it may yet attract a new generation, though high subscription costs and limited updates pose challenges to a full resurgence.” ## 🍎 Apple > 1️⃣ For Apple history fans, don't miss [this documentary](https://youtu.be/fkK7%5FQEIJrg?si=dABV%5FzDdoE13zjgY&ref=numericcitizen.me) about the iPhone 4 prototype leak in 2010\. Great story. Unexpected twist. Recommended. 2️⃣ Denny Henke, the author behind Beardy Guy Creative, seems to like Apple Image Playground. He shares [his thoughts about it and some great results](https://beardystarstuff.net/posts/2024-11-16.html?ref=numericcitizen.me). I'm not that successful with it so far. I wish he would have shared his prompts with each image. Here is one of my experiments below using keywords such as “computer, fireworks, work, starry night, sci-fi”. 3️⃣ Image Playground is part of Apple Intelligence. Another feature that comes with it is a notifications summary. I have mixed results with it, and it seems that the BBC doesn't like it. [They complained to Apple](https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cd0elzk24dno?ref=numericcitizen.me) over misleading shooting headlines. Oops. 4️⃣ For the techy guys, the Timac blog [published the annual review](https://blog.timac.org/2024/1208-state-of-swift-and-swiftui-ios18/?ref=numericcitizen.me) of programming languages used by Apple to assemble what we call “iOS,” this time covering the iOS 18 release. Swift and SwiftUI are slowly but surely taking over and could become the most used languages by Apple engineers when writing software. As an IT professional who knows a few things about software development, I find it surprising that Swift, a high-level language, can write low-level software around the Secure Enclave—another surprise: UIKit-based binaries are still growing but at a much lower pace than Swift. I would expect UIkit usage to decrease instead. Strange. 5️⃣ Basic Apple Guy published his [Apple 2024 year in review](https://basicappleguy.com/basicappleblog/2024-apple-product-ranking?ref=numericcitizen.me), which is well worth a read. 6️⃣ One more thing: [the good, the bad and the ugly](https://www.stuff.tv/features/apple-in-2024-the-good-the-bad-and-the-smugly/?ref=numericcitizen.me). Great take on how Apple fared in 2024\. 7️⃣ Why Apple doesn’t make a search engine? Eddy Cue explained why, and [MacRumors summarized it](https://www.macrumors.com/2024/12/24/apple-explains-why-it-wont-make-search-engine/?ref=numericcitizen.me). > "I really think Apple should get out of the ads business, starting with the App Store. I find it corrupting, ugly, distasteful, and most of all an anti-premium experience." — The Shape of Everything > "All of the marketing and positioning from Apple for this phone revolved about Apple Intelligence, and the few Apple Intelligence features they're released so far are pretty bad: notification summaries are a meme, the image generation is atrocious, the UI for writing tools makes Grammarly look like the most refined software in the world, and Siri got a glow up in animation only, but remains just as useful as she's been for years. Oh, and from what I can tell from surveys and my own personal group of family and friends, none of these features have any real traction" — Matt Birchler in his [2024 iPhone report card](https://birchtree.me/blog/apples-2024-report-card-iphone/?ref=numericcitizen.me). Ouch. ![Prompt submitted to Apple Image Playground: “computer, fireworks, work, starry night, sci-fi”](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/2024/12/Image-1.jpg) Prompt submitted to Apple Image Playground: “computer, fireworks, work, starry night, sci-fi” ## 🚧 Special projects > 1️⃣ I finally made it to the Ghost ActivityPub beta. So far, it's not working well; It seems broken. I'm looking forward to testing the integration with Micro.blog and Mastodon when the bugs get fixed. 2️⃣ I started redesigning my company's website. The first step is to document the current website content structure using Mindnote Next. I'll use a beta version of RealMac software's Elements for this project. I can't wait to try my hands on this. It will be the first time I'm designing a website from scratch. It will be fun. I'll probably give a try at redesigning Micro.blog website, too. ![My invite to test Ghost ActivityPub.](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/2024/12/Image-1-3.png) My invite to test Ghost ActivityPub. ![My Fediverse profile page on Ghost.](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/2024/12/Image-2-2.png) My Fediverse profile page on Ghost. ## 📱 Apps & Services > 1️⃣ Dear Apple, what are the apps of the year? See the [Apple announcement](https://www.apple.com/newsroom/2024/12/apple-honors-2024-app-store-award-winners/?ref=numericcitizen.me) in the Newsroom. I'm not using any winning apps, except Lumy, but on the iPhone, not the Apple Watch. Surprisingly, Lightroom is among the winners. Who knew. 2️⃣ Ghost, the service where this newsletter is published, keeps improving. They added the ability to [set a custom font](https://ghost.org/changelog/custom-fonts/?ref=numericcitizen.me) to the website, which I use to make a change. This website's heading font and body fonts have been tweaked a little. Also, c[omments received an update](https://ghost.org/changelog/upgraded-comments/?ref=numericcitizen.me) with the sorting option and quick replies. Finally, ActivityPub, a protocol at the base of the Fediverse, is now in beta on my website. It's still buggy, but the idea that someone on Mastodon could follow my blog and reply to an article using their Mastodon account is really cool. 3️⃣ iA Presenter 1.4 was released with presentation sharing where users can share their presentations online. It's cool to have this integrated into the app. You can find the announcement [here](https://ia.net/topics/share-your-presentation-in-a-single-click?ref=numericcitizen.me). Speaking of presentations, Information Architect also [published a blog post](https://ia.net/topics/five-canons-of-rhetoric?ref=numericcitizen.me) on how to create structured presentations. Of course, it's even better when it is done using iA Presenter! The article barely mentions it, which is good, so it doesn't look like a marketing plug. 4️⃣ Halide 3.0 is coming in 2025 with a few tent pole features like colour grading, new HDR processing and a complete redesign. Their [blog post](https://www.lux.camera/the-road-to-halide-mark-3/?ref=numericcitizen.me) tells it all. I'm not a Halide user, but I admire what this company does in the crowded camera apps category. 5️⃣ Colin Devroe shared [an article](https://cdevroe.com/2024/12/23/how-i-use-anybox/?ref=numericcitizen.me) about how he uses AnyBox, a great bookmark manager, that I use myself. I must admit that his process of managing his collection is clever. Please give it a look. ## 📺 YouTube > 1️⃣ To conclude 2024, I produced two videos: Craft 2024 year in review, and the other about Micro. The blog's new features have been introduced in the last few months. I won't have the same recording environment in the coming months as I'm temporarily moving out of my house: A home improvement project starts in early January. > “when a new phone comes out, or there’s an interesting camera I want to take a look at, YouTube is where I head to find video reviews. However, I think most of that is because web searching is so broken that it’s the only place I can reliably find what I am looking for. To me YouTube is transactional. I want to watch a few reviews of a new gadget, and that’s the place to find them all in one place.” — Greg Morris NothingOS 3.0 preview. Look familiar? The lost prototype story My review of 2024 and expectations for 2025 - It's all about Craft! What's new on Micro.blog? Here you go. I had to do one more video before closing 2024\. It's a little special project. ## 💎 Miscellaneous > 1️⃣ If I could write one thing to remember for the year ahead: own your data, and use open platforms. Instagram is not such a platform. [Meta cutting off API access to DayOne](https://dayoneapp.com/blog/instagram-integration-discontinued/?ref=numericcitizen.me) reminds me of third-party Twitter clients being cut off by Twitter back in the day. ## 🔮 Looking forward > 1️⃣ Well, that is it, folks! We made it to the end of 2024! I'm really looking forward to continuing this newsletter in 2025\. I hope you enjoyed the ride so far as much as I did putting this together. I wish you a great week! ✌️ 🇺🇦 🇨🇦 💡 This ****newsletter** edition is also available as a Craft shared document [****here**](https://crafted.numericcitizen.me/ephemeral-scrapbook-edition-2024-52?ref=numericcitizen.me). An index of past editions can be found [here](https://crafted.numericcitizen.me/weekly-creative-summaries-index?ref=numericcitizen.me). This week's edition is based on template version 1.6.2 — [Mon, Nov 25](about:blank) and was put together with ❤️ on an M2 15-inch MacBook Air, Craft Docs and many supporting [subscriptions](https://crafted.numericcitizen.me/current-subscriptions?ref=numericcitizen.me)! Please consider supporting my work via [PayPal](https://paypal.me/numericcitizen?locale.x=en%5FUS&ref=numericcitizen.me) or becoming a supporter via [Ko-fi](https://ko-fi.com/numericcitizen/?ref=numericcitizen.me)! ### My 2024 Compulsive Creator & Contributor Year in Review URL: https://numericcitizen.me/my-2024-compulsive-creator-contributor-year-in-review/ Last updated: 2024-12-28T13:56:34.000Z It is the time of the year for me to look back and highlight some of the year’s moments. All in all, I would say that 2024 was the year of renewed focus by being more intentional with my choices of tools and creative activities. What a busy year it was! Here’s a recap. ## A month-by-month replay - In early **January**, I completed one of my year objectives: moving out Adobe for my photo processing need. I spent more time than usual reading through Omnivore read-later queues. - Near the end of **January**, I created a new landing page to replace Linktr.ee. All the details are [here](https://blog.numericcitizen.me/2024/01/25/introducing-the-numeric.html?ref=numericcitizen.me). My Linktr.ee subscription came to an end in December. - I also updated the design of my blog with a brand new look that I think is cleaner and pleasant to the eyes. --- ![Before the updated design.](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/2024/12/Safari-Personal-Default-Numeric-Citizen.png) Before the updated design. ![After the updated design.](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/2024/12/Safari-Personal-Default-Numeric-Citizen-1.png) After the updated design. - In **mid-February**, with the launch of the Scribbles blogging service, I decided to create [Numeric Citizen Blips](https://blips.numericcitizen.me/?ref=numericcitizen.me). - Near the end of **February**, I started using a new blog on Micro.blog for hosting and sharing a portion of my Craft-based metablog. I wanted to gain RSS feed support POSSE capabilities and be closer to my online community. [https://meta.numericcitizen.me](https://meta.numericcitizen.me/?ref=numericcitizen.me). - Still in **February**, I decided to move my reading notes out of Craft and use a dedicated notes application for that: Bear 2\. Bear 2 tagging system and fast search capabilities are way better than what can be done in Craft. The move was completed in early March. - I decided to switch to the Arc Browser on the Mac, and I think this could be one of the most game-changing decisions of the year. The browser might be my most-used application after Craft. No wonder why it is an important decision. --- - In early **March**, I added a new changelog section to my metablog to document every change I make to my digital publishing space. - In **March**, I still hadn’t shared a new podcast episode, which made me question my podcast creation pace and usefulness. I wish I had made more episodes. - I worked on a blogroll for my blog, thanks to a new Micro.blog feature where users can build and share blogrolls on the website. This is [mine](https://blog.numericcitizen.me/blogroll/?ref=numericcitizen.me). - In mid-**March**, I joined the One-a-Month club using the Ko-fi plateform. Since then, I decided to use Ko-fi to share more personal tidbits about me and my journey as a creator but only for those who are supporting me. I’m curious to see how it goes. - I officially closed my Smugmug account in the last week of **March** and [wrote about it](https://blog.numericcitizen.me/2024/03/24/now-that-my.html?ref=numericcitizen.me). So long, Smugmug. - In mid-**March**, I started the “Now” post series on Scribbles. I like creating these early in the morning. ![A /now blog post example.](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/2024/12/Image-16.png) A /now blog post example. - On **March** 30th, I decided to buy a Nikon Zf camera with a 40mm F2 lens. This purchase and my exit from the Adobe Photography plan subscription prompted me to revisit my photo processing workflow, which is now based on Synology Photos for cataloging and Photomator for image processing. --- - After getting this Nikon Zf camera and discovering that the RAW files coming off this device weren’t browsable from my Mac or iPad, I had to find a way to process those images. Converting them to DNG files is mandatory but make the photo processing workflow start on the Mac mandatory. In other words, I cannot bring only my iPad during long travels to process photos, a Mac is also required. This sucks big time. The search for a solution lasted many weeks during **April** and **May**. - I got a new iPad Pro in **May**. I started experimenting with external display and Final Cut Pro for iPad because I couldn't do this with my 2018 iPad Pro. Both experiences weren't conclusive. --- - In early **June**, I deleted the SDDCbox project. The website, built with Craft, was no longer being updated. I hate to delete content. - In late **June**, I launched the Digital Legacy Management Guide on [Gumroad](https://numericcitizen.gumroad.com/l/digital-legacy-management-guide?ref=numericcitizen.me). After the initial launch, I sold one copy of it. I should promote it more because I feel it's essential in today's world. --- - **July** was a rather slow month for me as I was on vacation for three weeks and returned to my hobbies slowly. --- - In early **August**, after having crossed many posts on Threads, I started to wonder if I should join myself. After some thought, I decided to resist. - Last **August**, I made a timid comeback on Medium and started working on a new series of articles about contemplating the idea of becoming a freelancer in information technology. --- - Early **September**: I decided to rename my newsletter the "Ephemeral Scrapbook Newsletter", which better reflects its content and purpose. This is the third generation of the newsletter. Previous newsletters were the "Monthly Numeric Citizen Introspection Newsletter" which was followed by the "Weekly Creative Summary Newsletter." --- - In **October**, following the demise of the open-source read-later service Omnivore, I decided to revisit my reading workflow. For now, I will focus on the tools I already pay for: Inoreader and Readwise. I must admit that read-later services are probably not for me after all. I used to save a lot of articles to this kind of service, but the percentage of articles that I read is very low. So, why bother with this? Plus, the Inoreader redesign recently introduced does a great job at improving the reading experience of my RSS feed subscriptions. --- - In early **November**, I learned that Apple had bought Pixelmator, the maker of the popular Photoshop alternative Pixelmator Pro and the Lightroom competitor Photomator. I was initially in disbelief but realized I often wondered why Apple didn’t buy the company. These apps could have been, or should I say, should have been, created by Apple. - Later in November, I upgraded my M1 Mac mini to an M4 Mac mini with the M4 Pro CPU configuration. It was quite an upgrade, and the M4 Mac mini could be the best Mac I ever owned. Coupled with my Apple Watch Series 10 upgrade, iPad upgrade, and iPhone 15 Pro Max upgrade, all in the last 12 months, I think I’m okay for another year without upgrading anything. --- - In **December**, I focused on completing the most important projects I had in mind when I started the year. Writing this personal write-up is one example. Writing other year-in-review articles about Apple and Craft was another project to complete and publish. - In **mid-December**, I spent some time tweaking my offerings on Gumroad to better take advantage of my experience and knowledge of Craft. I’m well-known in the craft users community because I spend quite some time answering questions on Slack and Reddit. - In **late December**, I started [a small design project around Craft](https://crafted.numericcitizen.me/imagining-craft-future-series?ref=numericcitizen.me), where I tried to reimagine some aspects of the app to make it more useful for a broader range of use cases and users. This is a fun little project where I try to use my imagination my experience in using software and using apps like Apple Freeform, Keynote and Craft itself. It was rather entertaining. It's getting some attention, too on Reddit and Slack. ![Image.png](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/2024/12/Image-1-2.png) Image.png ## Socially speaking From a social networking perspective, my usage levels remained relatively consistent, but I expanded my presence in a broader range of platforms. While Micro.blog continues to be my primary social platform, Bluesky usage has significantly increased. However, I can still access my Bluesky timeline and interact with people there through Micro.blog, I sometimes prefer to be on the platform itself because I enjoy the native feel of the interface. From a photography perspective, Pixelfed took the lion’s share of my photo-sharing activities but Glass somehow took over near the end of the year, thanks for the introduction of the photo series. Pixelfed is a member of the fediverse landscape, but its erratic development roadmap makes me rethink my dedication to this platform. The attitude of its main contributor makes me pause and reconsider if my time investment on this platform still makes sense. ## Things that didn’t work Reflecting on 2024, I can’t help but feel that podcasting doesn’t come naturally to me. I’m still trying to figure out why. I’ve only managed to produce four episodes so far. Maybe it’s because I find it difficult to express myself through audio or spoken words. I prefer visual mediums for expression, such as images, videos, and written words. After all, I’m a visual person. ## The place of AI in my digital life Generative AI has played an increasing role over the years. ChatGPT is my AI service of choice as a paying subscriber. In June, I started recording all my prompts to ChatGPT. I wanted to learn what my prompting habits were, what my use cases were, and which tools or clients I was using. I recorded about 150 prompts covering about four months. While focusing on ChatGPT, I use different clients for the service, like Raycast AI or Craft. I stopped using MacGPT at some point because the ChatGPT Mac client kept improving faster and mainly offered the same experience as the web version of ChatGPT. The most common use cases were enhancing my writing, generating ALT text descriptions, and content summarization. I don’t expect this to change much in the next year, and I expect my use of generative AI to increase with the continued deployment of Apple Intelligence. ![Documenting my requests to generative AI.](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/2024/12/Image-2-1.png) Documenting my requests to generative AI. ## Looking ahead For 2025, I want to focus even more. I want to be more intentional. I want to continue developing The Craft Bible with more content. I want to produce more videos for my YouTube channel. I also want to spend more time making the Ephemeral Scrapbook newsletter. This means spending more time reading and gathering interesting information tidbits. Lastly, Micro.blog will continue to be my go-to place for the social web and microblogging, but I expect my Bluesky usage to increase and find an even more prominent place in my digital landscape. As I near the end of this article and the year draws to a close, I reflect on my accomplishments with pride. While many of my achievements were visible to readers like you, others remained hidden. Throughout the year, I maintained a consistent writing habit, which, while its quality outcomes varied, remained a constant presence in my life in 2024. ### On Medium: A Enjoyable Place for Writing but a Controversial Place for Reading URL: https://numericcitizen.me/on-medium-a-enjoyable-place-for-writing-but-a-controversial-place-for-reading/ Last updated: 2024-12-27T15:49:10.000Z After nearly two years of hiatus from Medium, I decided to make a comeback in the fall of 2024\. But why? I stumbled upon a sensitive topic that I felt comfortable writing about without revealing my personal details: embarking on a significant career transition and transitioning to freelancing. Since my return to Medium, I have published quite a few stories, created and designed a Medium publication to gather them under one publishing umbrella, and made the associated newsletter to reach out to people by email. I have rediscovered a writing platform that is exciting for creators but can sometimes be unsettling for readers. If you are wondering about Medium for writing and sharing stories, or if you are contemplating the idea of joining the platform as a paying member, please read the following. ![My Medium home page.](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/2024/12/Image-5.png) My Medium home page. ## A brief history of Medium Medium is an online publishing platform launched in August 2012 by *Evan Williams*, a co-founder of Blogger and Twitter. It was created as a space for people to share ideas and stories in a long-form format, offering an alternative to the character limitations of Twitter or the casual format of blogging platforms like Tumblr. The goal was to create a place where quality writing could flourish, and authors of all levels could connect with readers. Initially, Medium was an invite-only platform, emphasizing a clean, distraction-free interface and content organized by themes rather than authorship. Over time, it opened to the public and evolved into a hybrid platform, blending social media elements with traditional blogging. Medium’s algorithms and editorial curation helped highlight quality content, encouraging professional writers, journalists, and everyday users to contribute. In 2017, Medium pivoted to a subscription-based model to prioritize reader-supported journalism and quality writing, moving away from reliance on advertising revenue. The platform introduced a membership option, providing paying users access to premium content and compensating writers based on reader engagement with their stories. Medium has faced several controversies over its business practices and policies. The platform’s abrupt shift to a subscription-based model 2017 frustrated writers and publishers who relied on ad revenue, while frequent strategic pivots created uncertainty about its long-term vision. Its content moderation practices have been criticized as inconsistent or overly broad, with accusations of censorship. Medium’s algorithm has also been accused of favouring mainstream or clickbait-style content, limiting visibility for niche voices. Additionally, its writer payout system has been deemed opaque and disproportionately beneficial to popular creators. These issues and an exodus of prominent publications have raised questions about Medium’s reliability and commitment to fostering a diverse, writer-friendly platform. > "Liking a story more than once, also called “clapping” is unique to Medium." ## The consuming experience Let’s talk about Medium’s content-consuming experience. While reading an article, a typical reader on Medium can trigger these interactions with the author: clapping the story, text highlighting, and responding to the author’s story. Let’s see how each action forms the basis of the interactions between readers and writers. ![Image.png](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/2024/12/Image-1-1.png) A reader who highlighted, clapped and responded to stories Readers can clap at a story to show appreciation, similar to a thumbs up on YouTube, but a single reader can clap many times. The clap count can be pretty high for some stories, with a disproportionally low comment count. For example, [this story of mine](https://medium.com/numeric-citizen-journeys/linkedin-an-essential-tool-for-todays-freelancer-3f394ce958a2?ref=numericcitizen.me) got 50 claps from a single reader. It's unique to Medium. Clapping is not reserved for the main story but for responses that someone might write to a story, which is also unique to Medium, to my knowledge. ![Image.png](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/2024/12/Image-2.png) Click-baitish titles are popular on Medium Readers can highlight text portions in a story and post a comment. That’s one of the best features for readers who wish to engage in conversation with the author, but it is also an excellent feedback feature for the writer. Medium will mark the most highlighted text to the author. In other words, It’s a great conversation starter between readers and authors. As a writer on Medium, I find this helpful. Here are some examples of text highlights. ![Someone highlighted some text in the story. From there, we can see the reader’s profile page.](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/2024/12/Image-3.png) Someone highlighted some text in the story. From there, we can see the reader’s profile page. ![When I highlight some text, I can find it quickly in the right margin of the story.](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/2024/12/Image-4.png) When I highlight some text, I can find it quickly in the right margin of the story. In the following example, someone is writing a response to go with his highlighted text. People can clap to the comment, too, or reply. These interactions are shown on the right portion of the content. ![Image.png](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/2024/12/Image-5-1.png) The top highlight label is shown if many readers highlight the same text portion. It gives an idea of where people are paying attention in a story. But what is less clear is how many readers must select the exact portion to get the mark “Top highlight”? ![How many readers does it take to trigger the Top Highlight mention?](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/2024/12/Image-6.png) How many readers does it take to trigger the Top Highlight mention? ![You can bookmark articles in different lists to read later or for other organizational purposes. These lists can be either public or private.](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/2024/12/Image-7.png) You can bookmark articles in different lists to read later or for other organizational purposes. These lists can be either public or private. The other way to interact with a writer on Medium is through Medium’s Mastodon instance. The following shows my profile page on that instance. People can react, boost and repost my stories. Strangely enough, as a writer, stories aren’t automatically cross-posted on Medium’s Mastodon instance; it is a manual process for now. Weird. ![My Mastodon account from Medium’s instance.](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/2024/12/Image-8.png) My Mastodon account from Medium’s instance. Each story can be individually shared on X, Facebook or LinkedIn, but not on Mastodon or Bluesky. Many publishing platforms settle for the most popular social networks. Come on, Medium, it’s 2024! How could they skip Mastodon? Medium does offer their instance! How strange this is. ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/2024/12/Image-9.png) The audio experience feature is pretty handy and works great on the Mac. I didn’t test it on mobile devices, though. ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/2024/12/Image-10.png) Medium audio player can read out loud a story. It works great. ## The writing experience Medium’s writing experience is uniquely designed to prioritize simplicity, elegance, and ease of use. Its minimalist, distraction-free editor lets writers focus on their content while producing beautifully formatted posts with professional typography and layout by default. Rich media integration makes it easy to embed visuals and enhance storytelling, while collaborative editing tools foster a sense of community. Writers also benefit from detailed audience insights, helping them refine their work. By eliminating technical hurdles and providing a polished publishing environment, Medium creates a seamless and rewarding experience for writers of all levels. Let’s highlight a few points of interest. Writers can add up to five tags (called topics on Medium) for their stories. These tags help the writer manage their content and serve as a discovery mechanism for readers. When selecting tags, a count of stories using them is provided, which helps select the most popular tags for a specific story. ![Selecting tags to a story.](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/2024/12/Image-11.png) Selecting tags to a story. ![Image.png](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/2024/12/Image-12.png) Assigning tags to a story We can create newsletters on Medium. This comes after making a publication where we, as authors, can submit stories. To my knowledge, a story cannot be published in more than one publication, which limits the discoverability of an author who wants to build a publication but also wants to share a story with a more popular publication covering the same audience. ![When following a publication, you’ll be offered to subscribe by email to that publication.](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/2024/12/Image-13.png) When following a publication, you’ll be offered to subscribe by email to that publication. As an author with many published stories, I can gather them under a publication that forms a website ([see mine as an example](https://medium.com/numeric-citizen-journeys?ref=numericcitizen.me)). The overall design is pleasing and easy to create with a surprisingly powerful newsletter editor. ![My publication main page. It’s nice, isn’t?](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/2024/12/Image-14.png) My publication main page. It’s nice, isn’t? After setting up a publication, you can enable a newsletter tied to it, which, again, I think can be handy for writers like me who want to provide different ways for readers to consume their stories. ![Image.png](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/2024/12/Image-15.png) ## Some weird things about Medium I do see, from time to time, Medium users clapping or highlighting text without writing a response. Those people look more like attention seekers or spammers. It’s a common trick on any content-sharing platform. These readers, who are not readers, will highlight some random phrase in a story and clap a dozen times to trigger the author’s curiosity to visit the spammer’s profile page. I find this irritating. One recent example is when a woman highlighted a portion of one of my stories, published a comment because she believes in cryptos and blockchain and tried to convert me to this nonsense. Another new weird and recent trend is for readers to write fake and meaningless responses to an article using generative AI. This spammy behaviour pollutes the platform. Thankfully, Medium provides a moderation tool for closing a discussion, hiding individual responses, etc. Another strange and irritating long-lasting trend on Medium is the proliferation of clickbait story titles. Stories about using THE best note-taking app are popular. [This guy](https://medium.com/@danielasgharian?ref=numericcitizen.me) seems good at it. Or what about those stories about how to become rich in a month as a writer? Are they a waste of people’s time and attention? I wonder if Medium is attracting more people interested in making some money quickly than writing and willing to share authentic content with their readers. ## Some shady stuff too “[The Useful Tech](https://www.passionfroot.me/the-useful-tech?ref=numericcitizen.me)” is a web publication dedicated to Apple enthusiasts, offering expert tips, tricks, and the latest apps and tools to enhance users’ tech experiences and workflows. The author is a top writer on Medium, focusing on Apple, technology, and productivity, with over 63,000 followers and over 2 million views. The content includes tech reviews, tutorials, and Apple-related insights, reflecting its expertise and the trust placed in it by its audience. Sounds impressive, right? Let’s dig a bit deeper. “The Useful Tech” is a member of a marketing platform called “Passionfroot”. As we can read on the website: “The fastest and easiest way to do influencer marketing at scale. Find the right creators on all platforms, book, collaborate, and pay - all in one place.” Back to “The Useful Tech” website, according to the description, the author will mention your product in an article after you pay a certain amount of money. Let’s say you develop a Bluesky client and wish the author to write about it. You pay 200$ (the minimum), and the author will write an article around it, often in a round-up type because these are very popular on Medium. ## Making money on Medium My first experience with the Medium Partner Program proved positive, and I could recoup the subscription cost with the revenues generated by readers. Not anymore. Something changed in Medium algorithms because now I barely get a few cents for each story. It would take years before hitting the 50 US$. Or maybe I’m not a good writer attracting enough readers. ## Final thoughts A year from now, I might not write for Medium anymore. My return there in 2024 was triggered by the desire to share my thoughts and experience in trying to go freelance. Think of this as a dedicated project, which I’m putting on pause for a few reasons explained in [this article](https://medium.com/numeric-citizen-journeys/a-change-in-plans-how-a-few-conversations-altered-my-freelancing-path-dc6a7e01084e?ref=numericcitizen.me). Beyond that project, I don't see other use cases for Medium. Time will tell. ### A Year in Review: Apple’s 2024 — Triumphs and Challenges URL: https://numericcitizen.me/a-year-in-review-apples-2024-triumphs-and-challenges/ Last updated: 2024-12-17T17:54:00.000Z As 2024 comes to a close, Apple’s year can best be described as one of significant strides in hardware but uneven performance in other areas. For me, this was a year of notable upgrades: my Apple Watch, Mac mini, and iPad Pro all received meaningful updates. Among them, the M4 Mac mini stood out as the star upgrade, followed closely by the M4 iPad Pro and the Apple Watch Series 10\. These personal milestones mirror the broader narrative of Apple’s hardware achievements in 2024. ## The Mac Shines with M4 Processors Apple’s Mac lineup had a stellar year, driven by the introduction of the M4 processor series. This leap in processing power enabled the release of more capable and efficient Macs, with the redesigned Mac mini taking center stage. The M4’s performance improvements and energy efficiency in both desktop and laptop devices solidify Apple’s dominance in this space. For Mac enthusiasts, especially Mac mini fans, 2024 will likely be remembered as a landmark year that redefined expectations for computing performance in a small package. ![The mighty mini in its box.](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/2024/12/_IMG_4392-optimised.jpeg) The mighty mini in its box. ## iPhone 16 Camera Control: A Missed Opportunity The iPhone 16 launched with significant buzz around its new camera control features, positioned as a game changer for photography enthusiasts. However, the reality didn’t meet the hype. The controls were criticized for being finicky and unreliable, leading many users to abandon them altogether. This illustrates the challenge Apple faces in balancing cutting-edge innovation with practical usability—an area where even the most seasoned companies can stumble. ## iPad Pro and iPadOS 18: A Mixed Bag ![Upgrading from the 2018 11-inch iPad Pro.](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/2024/12/_IMG_1392-optimised.png) Upgrading from the 2018 11-inch iPad Pro. The iPad narrative in 2024 was a story of contrasts. On the hardware side, the M4-equipped iPad Pro received praise for its upgraded display and powerful processor, making it a strong choice for professionals and creatives. On the software side, however, iPadOS 18 offered little in the way of innovation, marking it as a "tock" year. The lack of impactful software updates left some iPad fans feeling underwhelmed, emphasizing the need for a more synchronized hardware-software evolution. ## The Series 10 ![On the left, the Series 8, on the right, the Series 10. The latter seems smaller.](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/2024/12/_IMG_3452-optimised.jpeg) On the left, the Series 8, on the right, the Series 10\. The latter seems smaller. The Apple Watch is now ten years old. Many tech pundits expected a complete redesign, but it didn’t come. The Series Ultra has a new colour: black. On a personal level, my Series 8 had a battery life problem, which rendered my watch useless near the end of the afternoon. I had to do something about it. Beyond a fresh new battery, the Apple Watch Series 10 offers meaningful upgrades, particularly for older models like the Series 6 or 8\. It introduces a larger display, smoother design refinements, improved responsiveness, and valuable features like the double-tap gesture and on-device translation. While the backup & restore process is still a hit or miss, I’m happy with the Series 10\. Yet, this upgrade might be the least meaningful of all. ## Apple Intelligence: A Lukewarm Start The Apple Silicon story continues to evolve impressively, but 2024 began a new chapter: integrating on-device Apple Intelligence with generative AI services in the cloud. Unfortunately, Apple Intelligence’s debut was underwhelming. While the potential is immense, many users compared it unfavourably to established services like ChatGPT and Perplexity. Apple’s efforts in AI remain in their infancy, and the lukewarm reception highlights the need for further refinement and competitive features to win over users. ## The App Store Monopoly? Apple is slowly moving forward with opening the iPhone, under the constant pressure of the EU. The App Store is at the center of this and Apple is still reluctant to budge. While the EU won't see Apple Intelligence anytime soon, they do get a peak at a more open iPhone with third-party App Stores. Maybe those changes will come to other parts of the world later. Who knows. ## Apple Vision Pro: Fading Interest and Untapped Potential The Apple Vision Pro, initially hailed as a groundbreaking entry into the mixed reality space, faced a significant drop in interest as the year progressed. While its announcement generated excitement, the high price point and limited practical applications dampened enthusiasm. Early adopters praised its technical capabilities, but the platform’s untapped potential was further hindered by a lack of developer interest. Without compelling applications, the Vision Pro felt like a solution in search of a problem. This dual challenge of engaging both consumers and developers highlights the hurdles Apple must overcome to make augmented reality a mainstream success. ## Closing Thoughts On a personal level, 2024 stands out as a remarkable (and expansive) year of Apple upgrades. The upgraded devices in my ecosystem reflect the significance of Apple’s advancements in hardware. At the same time, I’m ready to take a break from upgrades for now, as these investments have revitalized my setup and satisfied my tech needs for the foreseeable future. That said, 2025 might be the year when I consider upgrading my iPhone 15 Pro Max to the iPhone 17 Pro, or whatever name Apple decides to give it. Perhaps by then, Apple will have tweaked the camera control to make it more usable. For sure, 2024 was an exceptional year for Apple in many ways, particularly in hardware. The M4 processor series and new Macs were high points, while areas like AI and certain iPhone features fell short of expectations. The Vision Pro also highlighted both the company’s ambition and the challenges of pushing into new markets. Looking ahead, Apple’s challenge will be to build on these successes and address the areas where they faltered. Some have also started to question whether a leadership change might be beneficial for Apple’s future. Tim Cook and Phil Schiller, longtime leaders at the helm, have faced increasing scrutiny. A fresh perspective at the top could potentially reinvigorate Apple’s approach and help tackle its current challenges. One more thing, [Basic Apple Guy’s year in review](https://basicappleguy.com/basicappleblog/2024-apple-product-ranking?ref=numericcitizen.me) is really worth a read. Header image generated with Apple Image Playground. --- ## My scores for Apple in 2024 **HW reliability:** Apple hardware is first class. I never had a problem with Apple devices in a long time. 5/5 **SW Quality**: I think this year's releases are doing just fine with a few cool things. I don't see any horror story to talk about. I’m not referring to Apple Intelligence of course. 4/5 **iPhone**: The iPhone 16 is an iterative version of last year's iPhone; camera control is a flop. 4.5/5 **Mac**: It’s the best time to be a Mac user, thanks to Apple Silicon. 5/5 **iPad**: Hardware is always way ahead of software. Again. 4/5 **Wearables**: AirPods continue to impress with software updates. 4.5/5 **Watch**: No new sensor, but a refined design. I’m ok with it. 4/5 **Environment/Social**: Apple's entry into generative AI might put the carbon-neutral target in 2030 goals at risk. 4/5 **Services**: Still no Apple Pay Cash in Canada. Still 5GB entry level of storage. Price increased in 2024\. There are too many ads for a premium brand. 2/5 **Developers relations:** Beyond the official discourse, actions speak louder. Not a good year for Apple, but a good one for their lawyers. (2/5) **Apple TV**: No new hardware. Boring. Software seems at a standstill. 3.5/5 **HomeKit**: Matter support doesn't make a difference for me. 3.5/5 ### Remembering my Story of Owning the M1 Mac mini — 2020-2024 URL: https://numericcitizen.me/remembering-my-story-of-owning-the-m1-mac-mini-2020-2024/ Last updated: 2024-12-09T11:56:09.000Z The M1 Mac mini holds a special place in my heart, not just as a piece of technology but as a transformative device in my journey with Apple Silicon Macs. It was the first Mac mini I ever owned and served as a reliable workhorse for four memorable years, spanning both my professional endeavours and creative hobbies. ## The Start of a New Era When the M1 Mac mini launched in late 2020, it marked the dawn of Apple’s bold transition from Intel to its own Silicon. Intrigued by its promise of groundbreaking performance and efficiency, I made it my primary computer. Equipped with 16 GB of RAM and a spacious 1 TB SSD, it was a configuration that ensured longevity and flexibility. This machine wasn’t just an upgrade—it was a revelation. The M1 Mac mini became the heart of my home office. Professionally, it handled everything from complex spreadsheets and virtualization tasks to video conferencing without breaking a sweat. It also supported my creative passions, including photo editing, blogging, and video production. ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/2024/12/_IMG_4413-optimised.jpeg) Selling my M1 Mac mini took two days ## The Display Experience For the first two years, I paired the Mac mini with an LG UltraFine 4K display. Its vibrant and crisp image quality beautifully complemented the M1’s capabilities, making it ideal for editing photos and videos. The combination of the M1 chip and a 4K display delivered a stellar visual experience that elevated my creative projects. Two years later, I replaced the display with a gorgeous Apple Studio monitor. It’s still the one I used on my M4 Mac mini, which replaced my aging M1 Mac mini. ## The Bluetooth Blues While the M1 Mac mini delivered on performance and efficiency, its first year was marred by a frustrating issue: persistent Bluetooth disconnections. This wasn’t just an isolated annoyance; it was a widespread problem reported by many early adopters, as documented in articles like [Mark Ellis Reviews](https://markellisreviews.com/tech-opinion/m1-mac-mini-bluetooth-issues-its-a-huge-problem/?ref=numericcitizen.me). From dropped connections with my Magic Keyboard to unreliable pairing with Bluetooth speakers, these hiccups disrupted an otherwise smooth experience. Thankfully, Apple addressed this issue with the release of macOS Big Sur 11.2\. From that point onward, the Mac mini’s connectivity issues became a distant memory. ## Four Years of Dependability Over its four-year tenure, the M1 Mac mini proved its worth. It stood as a testament to the durability and future-proofing of Apple’s first-generation Silicon. Even as newer models with more advanced chips emerged, the M1 performed admirably, handling every task I threw at it. The M1 Mac mini wasn’t just a computer; it was a companion that adapted to my evolving needs. It kick-started my journey into the world of Apple Silicon, laying the groundwork for the Mac devices I’d use in the years to come. Whether for work or play, it consistently delivered the performance and reliability I needed. ## A Fond Farewell As I move on to newer technology, the M4 Mac mini, I look back on my time with the M1 Mac mini with gratitude. It was more than just a machine; it was a milestone in my computing life, bridging the gap between the Intel era and Apple’s Silicon revolution. For anyone who’s ever wondered whether a compact desktop computer could punch above its weight, the M1 Mac mini proved that the answer is a resounding “Yes.” Missed [this series introduction](https://numericcitizen.me/remembering-the-story-behind-every-apple-computers-i-ever-owned/)? ### The Ephemeral Scrapbook — Edition 2024-48 URL: https://numericcitizen.me/the-ephemeral-scrapbook-edition-2024-48/ Last updated: 2024-12-08T23:15:57.000Z > The following is a summary of my contribution activities since the previous newsletter edition > 👨🏻‍💻 9 posts 😃 > 🏞️ 7 photos shared 🙂 > 🎙️ No podcast episode published 😔 > 📺 Two YouTube videos published 😃 > Did you know that I made a 2025 calendar using a Craft template? It’s available here on [Gumroad](https://numericcitizen.gumroad.com/l/2025-calendar-template-v1?ref=numericcitizen.me). ## 👤 Personal > 1️⃣ As 2024 is coming to an end, I decided to spend some time updating [my About Page](https://crafted.numericcitizen.me/about?ref=numericcitizen.me) to mark some of my goals as completed. It was a great year overall. Now is the right to think about my goals for next year (already). 🤔 2️⃣ In entirely unrelated news, the regime in Syria has fallen. To my knowledge, this regime was heavily supported by the Russian government. With the war in Ukraine, Putin's regime apparently couldn't keep up with Syria’s internal affairs and demands. This is a positive development: Russians can (and should) be kicked out. We shouldn't fear them and seize this opportunity to increase our military support for Kyiv. The sooner, the better. Now, I am returning to regular programming. ## 🗺️ Discoveries > 1️⃣ This week, I discovered [this guy on YouTube](https://www.youtube.com/@myforevernotes?ref=numericcitizen.me) who built a method called “[Forever Notes](https://www.myforevernotes.com/?ref=numericcitizen.me)” for organizing notes based on Apple Notes. It is the best use case for Apple Notes so far, and I'm really impressed. First, I'm impressed by the quality of the content this guy put together. Second, it shows how powerful and flexible Apple Notes is. It looks so well done that I wonder if I should move my notes out of Bear and migrate to Apple Notes. Both apps are comparable, but I would save some money by doing so. This is something to consider, and it could become a project for 2025\. I encourage you to watch [this video](https://youtu.be/MYjtorC4Iq4?si=ldOhyF1xM-WvLGCX&ref=numericcitizen.me) if you are a note-taker looking to organize your content better. Don't miss his [website](https://www.myforevernotes.com/?ref=numericcitizen.me), too. 2️⃣ I want the [Flexbar](https://eniacelec.com/?ref=numericcitizen.me)! I’m still using a 2017 MacBook Pro with a TouchBar at work, and I like it. This little external USB-C TouchBar is clever and could challenge the well-known Stream Deck in some use cases. The plugin SDK will play a significant role in making this a reality. [Forever ✱ Notes - A free framework for Apple NotesDiscover Forever ✱ Notes, a unique digital note-taking framework designed for Apple Notes users. Organize your thoughts, streamline your workflow, and enhance your productivity with our simple, intuitive system. Explore Hubs, Collections, and Tags today!![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/icon/66d958aed5df336e2bb7b2c8_favicon.png)Beta![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/thumbnail/66d95884a6a3345e58b0822f_open-graph-image.png)](https://www.myforevernotes.com/?ref=numericcitizen.me) > “Business success contains the seeds of its own destruction. Success breeds complacency. Complacency breeds failure. Only the paranoid survive.” Andry Grove, ex-CEO of Intel. > “Once a tool is a part of my workflow, any change to that tool generates friction” — Matt Birchler ## 👨🏻‍💻 Writing > 1️⃣ Since 2023, I have published three write-ups: one about my personal life, one about Craft, and one about Apple. For 2024, the former two are doing great, but not with the third. I'll try to write something about Apple because I think 2024 was an important year for both Apple and me regarding adopting and using Apple technologies in my personal and professional life. I invested a lot of my money in Apple products this year, which is something to write about. ## 🌄 Photography > 1️⃣ One of my photos has been selected in [this month’s highlights on Glass](https://glass.photo/highlights/decay-favorites?ref=numericcitizen.me). This is the second or third time one of my photos has received this treatment. That photo was shared under my Decay series, which seems to be highly appreciated within the Glass community more than anything I've experienced back when I was on Flickr, 500px and Smugmug. I'll keep sharing my best urban exploration shots in the coming weeks. 2️⃣ Another great Glass discovery: Linda Alida, a young female photographer who seems to be blogging through her photos (great example [here](https://glass.photo/lindaalida/3Ok9Ik0T4DEj9D5f9nbhDV?ref=numericcitizen.me) and [here](https://glass.photo/lindaalida/1OiriGsg9IfKBl2Gx3CmkO?ref=numericcitizen.me#15bf3a05-b8dc-414d-9320-cf0fee0f3946)). I love this. [Linda Alida on Glass Photography CommunityLinda Alida. Processing Through Art![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/icon/favicon-8.svg)![](https://glass.photo/og/profile/lindaalida.jpg)](https://glass.photo/lindaalida?ref=numericcitizen.me) [Monthly Category Favorites — Decay — GlassEventually everything falls apart.![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/icon/favicon-9.svg)![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/thumbnail/photo-2)](https://glass.photo/highlights/decay-favorites?ref=numericcitizen.me) One of my photos in the monthly theme on Glass, Decay, was selected. ## 🍎 Apple > 1️⃣ Apple is having challenges in making Apple Intelligence available in China. Baidu wants it all, while Apple says, no, you can't have it. Training LLM models is central to the problem: which data do you train on? I would say this: why bother with China, just leave it behind, just like EU. 2️⃣ Microsoft [discontinues the Surface Studio Windows PC](https://www.macrumors.com/2024/12/06/microsoft-discontinues-imac-rival-surface-studio/?ref=numericcitizen.me). I like Microsoft “courage” to try different takes on modern PC. It was an intriguing product. We can read different things with this discontinuation. One way is that Microsoft doesn’t sell enough of these to warrant keeping the product. But how much is “not enough”: a few hundreds units per month or a few thousands? Maybe Microsoft couldn’t bring enough ISV support for this device to keep it around. Apple tolerance to support a low-volume product like the Apple Vision Pro might be higher than Microsoft’s. It will be interesting if Apple keeps it around for a long time. What is this movie? ## 🚧 Special projects > 1️⃣ I'm still considering developing an online course on Craft. [I asked the community](https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCpdbqSdJxiT4FoaFCwgCtZw/community?ref=numericcitizen.me) about their thoughts on paying for such content this week. The initial feedback is not very encouraging. People either lack interest in it or are hesitant to spend much on it. How can I trust this type of poll? Of course, people won't say they want to pay the highest price possible. Nonetheless, this causes me to hesitate. 2️⃣ I finally completed my migration off GoDaddy for my domain names this week. I have a few domains, and I wanted them all on CloudFlare. Now, it's done. ## 📱 Apps & Services > 1️⃣ Tapestry seems to be close to a release. I'm still undecided about this app. I want to like it, but I am not fazed by its visual design. 2️⃣ The second phase of Apple Intelligence is here with the release of iOS 18.2, iPadOS 18.2, etc. [It's a packed release](https://www.macrumors.com/2024/12/06/new-things-your-iphone-can-do-in-ios-18-2/?ref=numericcitizen.me) that is not only about Apple Intelligence; the Photos app received some improvements, too: Improvements to Collections views, including swiping right to go back. Recently Viewed and Shared album history can be cleared, among other things. ![Tapestry timeline.](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/2024/12/Image-1.png) Tapestry timeline. ## 📺 YouTube > 1️⃣ I created the second video of a three-part series about Craft 3.0\. I’m not very satisfied with it. I was tired when I recorded. I wanted to get it out the door to keep my publishing momentum regarding this significant Craft release. Judging by user reactions, I did a good job. 👀😳☺️ Nonetheless, it’s not a good idea to rush things out to meet an artificial deadline. I should know better. The third one was release on Sunday, right before this newsletter and I must say that I'm rather proud of that one. 2️⃣ What will Apple do with the just acquired Pixelmator and Photomator? The question has no official answers, but Joseph Slinker has a [compelling discussion](https://youtu.be/-5njCilhyfM?si=Ly7AbabhASE8IhKL&ref=numericcitizen.me) about this subject, on YouTube. 3️⃣ The Browser Company is working on [something new](https://youtu.be/C25g53PC5QQ?si=bX35IsxWjEJlL9Z%5F&ref=numericcitizen.me), something different. It's not another browser... oh wait, yes, it is: [The Dia Browser](https://www.diabrowser.com/?ref=numericcitizen.me). They are hiring people to finish the job. I'm curious, but at the same time, I don't want them to drop the Arc Browser because I really like it. The signs are pointing to an abandoned project: the Arc Browser updates are becoming less and less frequent and significant. 4️⃣ As I'm writing this newsletter edition, I produced and published 20 videos this year. I'll push another one before the end of the year, reaching 21 videos, which is much less than last year. It's hard to find a clear explanation for this. I hope to fare better in 2025, but it will be challenging because of many-months home improvement project about to start right at the beginning of January. In any case, I'll see where it goes. Life of a hobbyist creator is full of challenges. > Apple’s planned acquisition of Pixelmator for over $119 million has raised questions about its strategy and impact on users. The move is seen as a potential effort to attract creatives frustrated with Adobe, leveraging Pixelmator and Photomator to boost Mac sales or services revenue. Drawing comparisons to Apple’s acquisition of Dark Sky, concerns arise about integration into Apple’s Photos app, though the video suggests a more likely scenario where these apps remain standalone premium tools, akin to iMovie-to-Final Cut or GarageBand-to-Logic. With Apple’s renewed focus on the creative market, the creator anticipates continued development and relevance for Pixelmator and Photomator, bolstering optimism among users. > Creating a compelling recruiting video is challenging because it requires inspiring people to trust your company with their careers. To achieve this, it’s crucial to articulate a clear and visionary purpose rather than focusing on perks. The browser company is tackling this by introducing *Dia*, a new AI-driven web browser designed to transform the computing environment. Unlike traditional AI integrations, *Dia* leverages personalized intelligence to enhance workflows and automate tasks through its innovative architecture, built on a unique foundation called ADK. By reimagining the browser as an integrated, proactive assistant, *Dia* aims to make computing deeply personal and context-aware, embodying the potential of AI in a way that transcends isolated features. Drawing parallels to transformative historical innovations, the company highlights its commitment to building a future-ready platform and invites passionate individuals to help bring this vision to life. ## 💎 Miscellaneous > 1️⃣ Anything that helps reduce the search engine monopoly of Google is good news to me. [This link post](https://daringfireball.net/linked/2024/12/02/google-search-decline-mims?ref=numericcitizen.me) by Gruber gives a hint (I’m not referring to The New York Times article because of their paywall). With the emergence of the fediverse (Mastodon, Bluesky), maybe we can start hoping for a more distributed power on the Internet. 2️⃣ It seems that encryption [is the new friend of American authorities](https://www.nbcnews.com/tech/security/us-officials-urge-americans-use-encrypted-apps-cyberattack-rcna182694?ref=numericcitizen.me) (FBI) against potential China intrusions. It's the same FBI that was asking for backdoors in operating systems. What a bunch of clowns. Personnally, I'm using iMessage with other Apple user peers (fully encrypted) and WhatsApp (also fully encrypted). ## 🔮 Looking forward > 1️⃣ iOS 18.2 is just around the corner, so I'm looking forward to the next iteration, iOS 18.3, which should bring the most interesting and promising part of Apple Intelligence. Siri is about to get a considerable boost if Apple's claims are believed. I can't wait to try it out. I wish you a great week! ✌️ 🇺🇦 🇨🇦 💡 This ****newsletter** edition is also available as a Craft shared document [****here**](https://crafted.numericcitizen.me/ephemeral-scrapbook-edition-2024-48?ref=numericcitizen.me). An index of past editions can be found [here](https://crafted.numericcitizen.me/weekly-creative-summaries-index?ref=numericcitizen.me). This week's edition is based on template version 1.6.2 — [Mon, Nov 25](about:blank) and was put together with ❤️ on an M2 15-inch MacBook Air, Craft Docs and many supporting [subscriptions](https://crafted.numericcitizen.me/current-subscriptions?ref=numericcitizen.me)! Please consider supporting my work via [PayPal](https://paypal.me/numericcitizen?locale.x=en%5FUS&ref=numericcitizen.me) or becoming a supporter via [Ko-fi](https://ko-fi.com/numericcitizen/?ref=numericcitizen.me)! ### The Ephemeral Scrapbook — Edition 2024-47 URL: https://numericcitizen.me/the-ephemeral-scrapbook-edition-2024-47/ Last updated: 2024-12-02T00:20:20.000Z [Once upon a time... before computers...JF Martin on Glass![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/icon/favicon-6.svg)![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/thumbnail/photo-1)](https://glass.photo/numericcitizen/2iIgHsC1WY6tAMa1F6csxi?ref=numericcitizen.me) A popular photo that I published during the week on Glass. > The following is a summary of my contribution activities since the previous newsletter edition > 👨🏻‍💻 5 posts 😔 > 🏞️ 7 photos shared 🙂 > 🎙️ No podcast episode published 😔 > 📺 One YouTube video published 🙂 > Did you know that I once created a public daily journal during my trip to Italy in 2022? You can still have a look at it right [here](https://crafted.numericcitizen.me/italy2022?ref=numericcitizen.me). ## 👤 Personal > 1️⃣ This was the thanksgiving week; I find the marketing around thanksgiving a bit tiring. Even as a consumer, I'm not ok with this systematic consumerism promotion. That being said, I'm always trying to be thankful for my life, my friends, my wife, my sons, all year long. ## 🗺️ Discoveries > 1️⃣ What is happening these days with the company's logo design? See below. Computer and smartphone screens resolutions have never been so high, printing quality has never been so good, electronic billboards have never been so popular and big, and TVs have never been so good. Yet, companies turn their logo into unappealing designs without personality. Why? 2️⃣ I discovered the [Minutes to Midnight](https://minutestomidnight.co.uk/?ref=numericcitizen.me) blog. The design is super clean. It’s a fascinating personal website. He wrote a [personal manifesto](https://minutestomidnight.co.uk/personal-manifesto/?ref=numericcitizen.me), which I find inspiring. Maybe I should write one myself. ![What’s wrong with the “modern” versions of iconographic brands?](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/2024/12/Image.jpg) What’s wrong with the “modern” versions of iconographic brands? ## 📖 Reading > 1️⃣ I'm slowly getting used to focusing on Inoreader for all my reading needs. A recent [blog article](https://www.inoreader.com/blog/2024/11/build-active-reading-habits.html?ref=numericcitizen.me) on the Inoreader website gives valuable details about the reading capabilities of Inoreader RSS readers. > Read-later services or applications result from facing or having too much content availability and a lack of time to consume that content promptly. > “…so many people use Chrome that many developers don’t always test if their websites work correctly in Safari. That’s absolutely a problem and it’s a frustration for Safari users.” — Matt Birchler ## 👨🏻‍💻 Writing > 1️⃣ This week's writing projects were focused on writing the release highlight to go with the recent release of Craft 3.0\. It's a significant milestone in the history of Craft that requires more attention than usual. This article is for [The Craft Bible](https://thecraftbible.com/?ref=numericcitizen.me) 2.0 subscribers. 2️⃣ The second writing project was an update for Medium members about my freelancing aspirations that were suddenly paused. I explained why on [my Medium page](https://medium.com/feed/@numericcitizen?ref=numericcitizen.me). 3️⃣ As we enter the last month of the year, I'm facing the daunting task of finishing three feature articles: a personal year in review, a Craft year in review and finally, an Apple year in review. The latter has not even started, so the former two are in good shape. Yet, I'm unsure if I’ll have enough free time to finish and publish those pieces. I'm willing to drop the Apple year in review to focus on the other two that are more unique and might gain more traction. 4️⃣ Don't miss the [monthly digest](https://blog.numericcitizen.me/newsletters/?ref=numericcitizen.me) of my posts on Micro.blog for the month of November. ## 🌄 Photography > 1️⃣ Unsplash Awards, [2024 edition is out](https://awards.unsplash.com/2024/?ref=numericcitizen.me#/intro)! Oh boy there are so many stunning photos! If you must watch sometime this week, it’s that photos showcase. I always been a big fan of Unsplash but I must say that I don’t contribute as much as I would like. Not everything is Unsplash-worthy, though. 2️⃣ Sandra Roberts on Glass shares many great pictures. I discovered her because she saw some of my photos and liked them and gave me some feedback. I was curious and went to visit her website build on Adobe Portfolio. She's is really good photographer. We seems to share a passion for uban photography. 3️⃣ If something bad happens to Photomator since the Apple acquisition, maybe I should consider using [Darkroom](https://darkroom.co/?ref=numericcitizen.me) instead? I saw a thanksgiving promotion on Glass and thought that Darkroom could share directly processed images to the service, but it's not the case. This reminds me of something that I'd like to see in Glass: support for third-party photo-editing apps for easy sharing. 4️⃣ Another photographer discovered on Glass, Wayne MacPhail. I found [this image](https://glass.photo/wayneinhamilton/7VctZbzBrbooyVVLenwlP4?ref=numericcitizen.me) especially telling. [https://sandraroberts.myportfolio.com/projects](https://sandraroberts.myportfolio.com/projects?ref=numericcitizen.me) [Wayne MacPhail on Glass Photography CommunityWayne MacPhail. Enthusiast who shoots with iPhone 16 Pro, Ricoh GRiii X, Sony A6600 in the Hamilton, Ontario.![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/icon/favicon-7.svg)![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/thumbnail/wayneinhamilton.jpg)](https://glass.photo/wayneinhamilton?ref=numericcitizen.me) ## 🍎 Apple > 1️⃣ John Gruber has an [interesting blog post](https://daringfireball.net/2024/11/apple%5Ftends%5Fto%5Fdo%5Fright%5Fby%5Fapps%5Fit%5Facquires?ref=numericcitizen.me) about Apple's acquisition of Pixelmator. He's a bit late, but his perspective required more research and deeper thinking than mine. He suggests that Apple might be more interested in Pixelmator Pro than Photomator. This would be my worst-case scenario, as I depend on Photomator for most of my photo-editing needs. Or maybe it is about [competing against Creative Cloud](https://daringfireball.net/linked/2024/11/25/apple-creative-cloud?ref=numericcitizen.me). 2️⃣ [Matt Birchler wishes](https://birchtree.me/blog/i-have-no-use-for-an-m4-mac-mini-but-i-sure-want-one/?ref=numericcitizen.me) he could find a reason to get the new M4 Mac mini. I did. And I'm glad. It's the best desktop Mac ever owned, if not the best. 3️⃣ [According to Apple](https://nr.apple.com/df9z2x8Bg8?ref=numericcitizen.me), Shazam crossed the 100 billion song recognitions. Shazam has a great story with Apple, and it clearly demonstrates that an app acquired by Apple can strive. I hope the same will happen with Pixelmator. 4️⃣ Yes, [the Apple TV hardware is just fine](https://daringfireball.net/linked/2024/11/25/apple-tvs-hardware-situation-is-fine?ref=numericcitizen.me). Don't believe people who think that Apple should make a TV set. It's a distraction. 5️⃣ Windows Recall entered in beta ([again](https://9to5mac.com/2024/11/27/microsoft-recall-windows-apple/?ref=numericcitizen.me)). Would you like something like this on macOS, made by Apple? As someone who tested Rewind, I would love to see that on the Mac. 6️⃣ It's time to talk about the [iPhone 17 rumours](https://www.macrumors.com/2024/11/25/iphone-17-air-features-reported/?ref=numericcitizen.me), already. Oops. > “They could sell a bundle for, just spitballing here, $20/month or $200/year that would include the Mac and iPad versions of Final Cut Pro, Logic Pro, Pixelmator, and possibly Photomator. Maybe throw in some extra iCloud storage.” — John Gruber on the possible future of Pixelmator apps under Apple’s umbrella. ## 🚧 Special projects > 1️⃣ I'm well positioned with my efforts to update content in Craft to support Craft Tasks better to be introduced in the upcoming version 3\. It's rather tedious, and I'm unsure how to recoup this time investment and how I will use task management in Craft if I ever will. 2️⃣ I'm thinking of doing my first YouTube live stream session. I could set up this session for the Craft users community where I could explore Craft live and answer questions. I need two essential pieces of equipment for this to happen: a pricey Rodecaster Video and a compatible webcam. I created a poll on YouTube for the community, asking if there is an appetite for this. If not, I could do the same, but only for The Craft Bible subscribers. 3️⃣ I want to mention the first anniversary of The Craft Bible 2.0\. It's been a long ride. There are many paying subscribers, and I have been able to update the content regularly since the beginning. I wish I could do more, but the lack of time holds it. In a perfect world, it could become a collaborative project, but sadly, not many people are willing to invest the time required to maintain a project like this one. 4️⃣ I'm looking at opportunities to design websites with RealMac Software Elements. So far, I have three candidates. I would do this to build websites with great software, just for fun. It's easier to start from an existing website than starting from scratch. I could redo the website for the company I'm currently working for. I could also redo the one for Micro.blog and do the one for my freelancing company. ## 📱 Apps & Services > 1️⃣ MindNote is now MindNode Classic, but MindNote Next is out with another more expensive subscription. I’ll finish my current subscription with the classic version before switching to the newest edition. I like MindNote but don’t use it often. 2️⃣ Apple [names](https://www.apple.com/newsroom/2024/11/apple-reveals-45-app-and-game-finalists-for-the-2024-app-store-awards/?ref=numericcitizen.me) the 2024 Apps of the Year finalists. None of the finalists are part of my apps. 3️⃣ Apple Frames 3.3\. [is out](https://www.macstories.net/ios/apple-frames-3-3-adds-support-for-iphone-16-and-16-pro-m4-ipad-pro-and-apple-watch-series-10-feat-an-unexpected-technical-detour/?ref=numericcitizen.me), but I prefer Shareshot, which is native and runs great. 4️⃣ I bought an app for my iPad called Orion from the makers of Halides that transforms my iPad into a video monitor using a USB-C cable. I tested it connected to my Nikon Zf camera to display the viewfinder content on my iPad. It works great. It also requires the Elgato CamLink 4K HDMI converter. It's cool. That converter also allows me to plug my Nikon into my Mac and use it as a webcam. It works great. The ultimate goal is to have a webcam compatible with the RODECaster Video switcher, which I plan to buy soon. But before that, I'll test my setup with my next video recording session. My initial tests are promising. ![MindNote Next welcome screen.](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/2024/12/Image.png) MindNote Next welcome screen. --- > 1️⃣ I made a video explaining the upcoming styles features in Craft 3.0, which should be out by the time you read this. It's the first video I produced on the new M4 Mac mini. It's a fast machine for sure, but using a two-screen setup for video production is really nice. You can get a summary of my creative toolset [right here on my metablog](https://world.numericcitizen.io/meta-toolset?ref=numericcitizen.me). I was able to beat the Craft team for the Craft Style feature, but they will beat me for the Collections feature. Anyway! I will go deeper and be more critical of their newest release than anyone could or is willing to. Stay tuned. 2️⃣ Would you use the iPad for 200 days as your main computer? [Someone did](https://youtu.be/9dATQoM72UA?si=osi7sZmxkwgHsQ8M&ref=numericcitizen.me). Occasionally, I go to the downtown office with my iPad only, which I connect to an external display and bring my wireless keyboard and mouse. I use Microsoft Outlook, Teams, Word and PowerPoint. Straightforward stuff. It works ok. I want to love it, but there are so many rough edges. 3️⃣ Recently, I started listening to ambiance music like [this](https://youtu.be/DiPl40PEbmg?si=N36sTmxNqfInZzXS&ref=numericcitizen.me). It gives a feeling of being in a science fiction movie like Dune. Instead of listening to white noises, I prefer a richer acoustic experience. Try it for yourself. ## 💎 Miscellaneous > 1️⃣ Manton Reece writes: “This week Mark Zuckerberg met at Mar-a-Lago with a convicted criminal who is out on bail. I stopped posting to Instagram in 2017, but I keep giving Meta second chances. No more. It’s time to burn this shit to the ground and move forward with the open web. Let the past die. Kill it, if you have to.”. Does that means he is going to remove cross-posting to Thread from Micro.blog. ## 🔮 Looking forward > 1️⃣ We're entering December, already. The year 2024 went so fast. I'm looking forward to conclude this year by meeting my objective: focusing on the things I like to do most. 2️⃣ I'm looking forward to see the next iteration of Apple Intelligence with the first beta of iOS 17.3\. This is where we should see if Apple will deliver on its promises of a better Siri. I wish you a great week! ✌️ 🇺🇦 🇨🇦 💡 This newsletter edition is also available as a Craft shared document [here](https://crafted.numericcitizen.me/ephemeral-scrapbook-edition-2024-47?ref=numericcitizen.me). Index of past editions can be found [here](https://crafted.numericcitizen.me/weekly-creative-summaries-index?ref=numericcitizen.me). This week's edition is based on template version 1.6.1 — [Sun, Nov 24](about:blank) and was put together with ❤️ on a M2 15-inch MacBook Air, Craft Docs and many supporting [subscriptions](https://crafted.numericcitizen.me/current-subscriptions?ref=numericcitizen.me)! Please, consider supporting my work via [Paypal](https://paypal.me/numericcitizen?locale.x=en%5FUS&ref=numericcitizen.me) or by becoming a supporter with [Ko-fi](https://ko-fi.com/numericcitizen/?ref=numericcitizen.me)! ### The Ephemeral Scrapbook — Edition 2024-46 URL: https://numericcitizen.me/the-ephemeral-scrapbook-edition-2024-46/ Last updated: 2024-11-24T22:09:48.000Z [Decay, a Series by JF Martin — GlassA selection of the best decay scenes as seen through my camera lenses. Many of those images were shot when I was an active urban explorer circa 2018-2020.![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/icon/favicon-4.svg)![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/thumbnail/6lz4tROJoNMrQd7QleAOeE-decay.jpg)](https://glass.photo/numericcitizen/series/6lz4tROJoNMrQd7QleAOeE-decay-the-time-effect?ref=numericcitizen.me) The first photo series was published on Glass since its official launch on November 12th. > The following is a summary of my contribution activities since the previous newsletter edition > 👨🏻‍💻 26 posts 🙂 > 🏞️ 11 photos shared 😃 > 🎙️ No podcast episode published 😔 > 📺 No YouTube video published 😔 > This edition covers week 44, 45 and 46. ## 👤 Personal > 1️⃣ [Coming back from a one-week vacation](https://numericcitizen.me/airplane-mode-on-using-the-ipad-while-flying-and-loving-it/), working on the plane with my iPad Pro. I'm loving it each time. This was a small vacation before starting a long stretch of no-time-for-vacation. Nothing until next spring, until then: work, work, home improvement project, writing, sharing, contributing. ![My iPad Pro while on the plane.](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/2024/11/_IMG_4345-1-optimised.jpeg) My iPad Pro while on the plane. ## 🗺️ Discoveries > 1️⃣ I’m continuing my gradual discovery of Bluesky. My usage follows an up-and-down curve, but I’m learning to like Bluesky. I started this journey in mid-2023\. Since then, Bluesky has grown in features, maturity and popularity. The platform is now reaching more than 20 million users. I'm hearing that Bluesky usage has been surging recently, especially since the US election. I’m not sure why. I’m happy to see Micro.blog support for Bluesky continues to grow, too. Micro.blog is still my go-to solution on the web, but [I’m adding Bluesky to my daily routine](https://blips.numericcitizen.me/post/now-the-sky-is-blue?ref=numericcitizen.me), mainly for reading the news. The only thing to remember: social networks can be toxic and time suckers. ## 📖 Reading > 1️⃣ In the “[Small scale is the best scale](https://manuelmoreale.com/@/page/7FEN1ZqXvINi3pTW?ref=numericcitizen.me),” blog post, I was reminded of a thought a friend of mine shared with me recently: the world as we know it now makes everything seemingly close. At any second, we can see and hear what is happening everywhere. It can be a good thing, but some people think it could be harmful to some degree. Are we really made to absorb this always-on proximity with the rest of the world? My friend thinks no. And I'm starting to agree with her. As I get older, I should focus on locality instead of globality—food for thought. 2️⃣ I discovered Read Max, a site on Substack. I read a few things here and there, but [this one](https://maxread.substack.com/p/people-prefer-ai-art-because-people) about people preferring AI-generated art over human-created art caught my attention. Let me say this: we tend to overestimate people's ability to decipher what is great art like what is a great photography. I would argue that it's a minority of people who can recognize what makes a great photo. We also tend to overestimate our value in our creations, be with images or words. That one is not really related to the Read Max website. [Read Max | Max Read | SubstackExplaining the weird new future, one newsletter at a time. Subscribe for a twice weekly delivery of internet culture, mega-platform grotesquerie, crypto conspiracies, deep forum lore, fringe politics, and other artifacts of what’s to come. Click to read Read Max, by Max Read, a Substack publication with tens of thousands of subscribers.![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/icon/https-3A-2F-2Fbucketeer-e05bbc84-baa3-437e-9518-adb32be77984.s3.amazonaws.com-2Fpublic-2Fimages-2Faba39e3a-3616-4cf1-b7b5-36756c63a8d7-2Fapple-touch-icon-180x180.png)SubstackMax Read![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/thumbnail/https-3A-2F-2Fmaxread.substack.com-2Ftwitter-2Fsubscribe-card.jpg%3Fv%3D215850463%26version%3D9)](https://maxread.substack.com/) ## 👨🏻‍💻 Writing > 1️⃣ The recent news of Apple's acquisition of Pixelmator prompted me to [write about this](https://numericcitizen.me/apple-buys-pixelmator-possible-scenarios-for-whats-coming-next/). Since then, nothing new has been announced either by Pixelmator or by Apple. It's too early, I guess. I'm sure future events around Pixelmator apps will trigger more writings. Meanwhile, application updates and videos like [this one](https://youtu.be/%5FnsrXraLPeE?si=m5Hz6fUCTz7T9Rzw&ref=numericcitizen.me) are still being pushed out! 2️⃣ About once a week or more, I get requests for guest posts on my blog on numericcitizen.me. As shown below, the inquirer doesn't specify why my website seems interesting to him and doesn't specify which subject he would write about. How am I supposed to pull the trigger and ask for more information? 🤔🤷🏻‍♂️ ![An email example shows someone who wants to do a guest post on my blog.](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/2024/11/Image-2.png) An email example shows someone who wants to do a guest post on my blog. ![Another example shows someone here.](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/2024/11/edf0e3f2-48a1-48ec-81c5-798351e16b34.png) Another example shows someone here. ## 🌄 Photography > 1️⃣ I finally had a chance to experience the Glass Series feature, [officially available since November 12th](https://glass.photo/highlights/say-hello-to-series?ref=numericcitizen.me). Since then, I managed to create a few photo series (see [Darkness](https://glass.photo/numericcitizen/series/6wh9uwHCx2jRlhSA4O09c-darkness?ref=numericcitizen.me), [Minimalism](https://glass.photo/numericcitizen/series/7VdQw5T3xioURLbwYMcnhn-minimalism?ref=numericcitizen.me), [Shadows](https://glass.photo/numericcitizen/series/LMFU5TJqM6YY0XiNRrJfn-shadows?ref=numericcitizen.me)). Creating a new series is simple and can be done in two ways: uploading many new images or selecting already published ones. The first method will flood the followers’ timeline. I wish photos would be published with some delays until all images in the series are made public. The second method is straightforward; it is not shared with followers once the series is published. As shown below, social network previews are well-designed (a link leading to a specific series posted on Bluesky). With Glass Series, Glass gave a new name to Flickr or another similar service, an album. When browsing the photo timeline, pictures that are part of a series are identified with photo thumbnails overlaid on the photo. Hovering the mouse over produces a nice animation, expanding the thumbnail to show the number of images in the series. The side effect of this design decision is to improve the discoverability of past published images. The Series adds value to Glass and proves that Glass is maturing. I'll use them to organize my photos better. 2️⃣ Thanks to the new Series feature, I discovered [this photographer](https://glass.photo/nicophoto?ref=numericcitizen.me) on Glass; Here is the [Impressionism](https://glass.photo/nicophoto/series/3WMKbnPsROLldSRJtc3B4P-impressionism?ref=numericcitizen.me) series from Nico Photo. 3️⃣ Finally, I shared many of my best urban exploration photos on Glass to go with the new category of the month: [decay](https://glass.photo/highlights/decay-category?ref=numericcitizen.me). ![Image.png](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/2024/11/Image-1-1.png) Thumbnails indicators showing photos included in a series, as seen on my Glass timeline. ![Image.png](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/2024/11/Image-2-1.png) Thumbnails of photos part of a series. ![Image.png](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/2024/11/Image-3.png) A series main page. [Darkness, a Series by JF Martin — GlassIn this series, I want to show different degrees of darkness expressions.![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/icon/favicon-5.svg)![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/thumbnail/6wh9uwHCx2jRlhSA4O09c-darkness.jpg)](https://glass.photo/numericcitizen/series/6wh9uwHCx2jRlhSA4O09c-darkness?ref=numericcitizen.me) My Darkness series on Glass. Take a look! ![Image.png](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/2024/11/Image-4.png) Series preview as shared on Bluesky. ## 🍎 Apple > 1️⃣ Apple continues to release the next iteration of its operating systems with more Apple Intelligence features. 2️⃣ iCloud Backups for devices running iOS 8 no longer work, and Apple asks users to upgrade. 3️⃣ Lightning to Headphone Jack adaptors are no longer available from Apple; they were introduced with the iPhone 7\. 4️⃣ I switched to the M4 Mac mini, and it went well. I shared a few details [here](https://blog.numericcitizen.me/2024/11/19/migrating-from-m.html?ref=numericcitizen.me). 5️⃣ Apple makes it even harder for thieves or the police to get access to a stolen iPhone with [this little trick](https://web.archive.org/web/20241109021354/https://www.404media.co/apple-quietly-introduced-iphone-reboot-code-which-is-locking-out-cops/). Thanks, Apple. 6️⃣ [AppleInsider reports](https://appleinsider.com/articles/24/11/19/apple-has-officially-ended-its-butterfly-keyboard-repair-problem-for-macbooks?ref=numericcitizen.me) that Apple no longer offers free repair of the infamous butterfly keyboard on MacBook Pro. What a bad streak for Apple. ## 🚧 Special projects > 1️⃣ I always have one project or two in my mind. For a few weeks, I've been following the development of [RealMac Software Elements](https://www.realmacsoftware.com/rapidweaver/elements/?ref=numericcitizen.me), a static website editor for the Mac. It's in beta, and the program is expanding its beta tester base. I have received an invite to look at myself. The only issue is a subscription to enter the beta program is mandatory. That's a first for me, and [I wondered](https://blog.numericcitizen.me/2024/11/18/paying-to-be.html?ref=numericcitizen.me) if this is a frequent practice. Nonetheless, I'm really tempted to give it a try. My first project would be to build a prototype website for a hypothetical freelancing job in IT services. The second project would be to rebuild my current company's website, which needs a complete redesign. Ultimately, I would love to use Elements to replace some of my publishing needs currently addressed by Craft's shared documents, like [my About page](https://crafted.numericcitizen.me/about?ref=numericcitizen.me). I'll give myself more time to think about this as I have a few other things on my plate for the rest of the year. ## 📱 Apps & Services > 1️⃣ News Explorer, a lesser-known RSS reader, entered beta for version 2.0\. A few years ago, I happily used News Explorer for a few years as my primary RSS reading solution after spending quite some time with Reeder. The upcoming version 2.0 brings a few notable additions, such as feed filtering with keywords, which I appreciate in Inoreader, the RSS reading solution I'm using now. Am I going to switch back from Inoreader? Nope. Yet, I like to keep track of apps that I used to like. You never know when I might return. 2️⃣ You can use Apple Intelligence to ask ChatGPT to create images, but they come out in a square format. You cannot use a directive like “using a 16:9 aspect ratio”, which is possible in the ChatGPT client. Also, requests aren't saved in ChatGPT conversation history, even with a paid account, which is too bad. 3️⃣ I like using small Mac utilities, and up until now, I was happy using Tot, a small menubar text editor. A recent update to Raycast introduced Raycast Notes, and I'm in love with it. I moved all my notes to Raycast Notes and dropped Tot. [RSS Readers War: From Reeder to News ExplorerI’m a long time user of Reeder, a well known and well designed RSS reader for the Apple ecosystem (see my review of Reeder 4 here). But, recently during a discussion on Telegram (which by the way y…![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/icon/Banner3.0-100x100.png)Numeric Citizen SpaceJF Martin![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/thumbnail/img_6540.0a89978599f5444481fabaa108d7a760.png)](https://numericcitizen.me/rss-readers-war-from-reeder-to-news-explorer/) [Tripsy – Trip Planner for iPhone (iOS), iPad & MacThe Ultimate Travel Companion – Tripsy is a travel planner that helps you plan your entire trip in one place. You can share your itinerary with family and friends, get flight alerts, store documents, and make wish lists of places to visit.![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/icon/4xxcLxeTur6SPIrEG8pq54OT3Y.png)![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/thumbnail/LFPtY6iTqprXPhUjPQQWWU0vE.png)](https://tripsy.app/?ref=numericcitizen.me) > In theory, Tripsy is a great app idea that appears well designed and executed. The problem is that I don’t plan my trips in enough details to warrant buying or subscribing to an app like this. I’m sharing this here just in case you might find this useful. ![Micro.blog, Manton and the fediverse.](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/2024/11/Image-5.png) Micro.blog, Manton and the fediverse. ## 📺 YouTube > 1️⃣ Realmac Software continues publishing [new videos](https://www.youtube.com/@realmacsoftware?ref=numericcitizen.me) about their upcoming static website editor Elements. 2️⃣ Pixelmator also continues publishing [videos](https://youtu.be/%5F%5FFtKRDVXjU?si=DTRrc4kHE310FXPo&ref=numericcitizen.me) about recent updates, too. I like that. 3️⃣ If you want to see Apple Intelligence in action, this time, image playground and genmojis creation are showcased in [that video](https://youtu.be/INkXsshtw%5FM?si=KqaI-wqHHRnhskQ7&ref=numericcitizen.me). 4️⃣ Marques Brownlee [talks about Apple Intelligence](https://youtu.be/haDjmBT9tu4?si=0TcFX168JsLIT8au&ref=numericcitizen.me), too. 5️⃣ In [Shot with iPhone](https://youtu.be/Hez6XwUYCNA?si=skJkaLfqMzMht1vM&ref=numericcitizen.me), Tyler Stalman exposes the current state of iPhone photography and videography with many intricate details. There is a lot to unpack in the video here. Many valuable insights about iPhone photo formats, image processing, and more exist. After watching this, I realized that iPhone photography is becoming quite complicated. 6️⃣ [An interesting one](https://youtu.be/0VYNSKWIOos?si=wjSI4pbTadfzx3it&ref=numericcitizen.me) from the Notion team. Being 20 years younger, I would probably seek to work for them. 7️⃣ Montreal, the city where I've been living since 2006\. At 32:09 in [this video](https://youtu.be/aT40L16Ic4o?si=T5VoAx%5FIYYM1lmcC&ref=numericcitizen.me), we can see the building close to my downtown office, on the right. Montreal is such a diverse environment with so many great places as well as more troubling or ugly ones, like any big cities in North America. I often compare Montreal to New York. ## 💎 Miscellaneous > 1️⃣ I’ve been experimenting with Apple Intelligence Image Playground in recent weeks, and I must say that I'm not very impressed. No matter which photo I select, the results are awful. 2️⃣ I tried something with ChatGPT: “Based on what you know about me, draw a picture of what you think my current life looks like.” The results aren't compelling, as seen below. 3️⃣ I put my M1 Mac mini for sale. Many of these are currently being sold, following the redesigned M4 Mac mini. It won't be an easy sale. ![My as imagined by Apple Intelligence. Not quite. ](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/2024/11/_Image-from-Craft.do-optimised.png) My as imagined by Apple Intelligence. Not quite. ![This is how ChatGPT imagine my world based on what it knows about me.](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/2024/11/148f0956081f313a5216066475a174979214b559cdd2b15.png) This is how ChatGPT imagine my world based on what it knows about me. ## 🔮 Looking forward > 1️⃣ I'd like to put some time aside to create a series of YouTube videos dedicated at Craft 3.0 that is coming very soon. I'm not sure if I'll be able to achieve my objectives here because my next few weekends are rather busy. I wish you a great week! ✌️👋🏻 💡 This newsletter edition is also available as a Craft shared document [****here**](https://crafted.numericcitizen.me/ephemeral-scrapbook-edition-2024-46?ref=numericcitizen.me). Index of past editions can be found here. This week's edition is based on template version 1.6.0 — [Sun, Oct 27](about:blank) and was put together with ❤️ on a 15-inch MacBook Air, Craft Docs and many supporting [subscriptions](https://crafted.numericcitizen.me/current-subscriptions?ref=numericcitizen.me)! Support my work ([Paypal](https://paypal.me/numericcitizen?locale.x=en%5FUS&ref=numericcitizen.me)) or [become a supporter](https://ko-fi.com/numericcitizen/?ref=numericcitizen.me) with Ko-fi! ### Airplane Mode on — Using the iPad While Flying and Loving It URL: https://numericcitizen.me/airplane-mode-on-using-the-ipad-while-flying-and-loving-it/ Last updated: 2024-11-18T12:30:38.000Z I recently flew to and from Florida, which reminded me of my love for using an iPad on a plane. Here is a list of reasons, in no particular order, why it’s such a great experience. - The 11-inch iPad Pro is perfect for today’s cramped planes. I always prefer using the iPad over the airplane’s infotainment system. - It’s the only time I use **Stage Manager** to multitask across many different apps (task management, writing, music listening, etc.). - Listening to music with noise cancellation is the best way to isolate myself from my neighbours and reduce ambient plane noise. The typical ambient noise level on a plane can reach 75 dB. Even if I don’t play music, I keep my **AirPods Max** on my head to lower the noise level. - Watching downloaded YouTube videos is a great way to spend flight time. I often download short videos to learn new things instead of sleeping. Apple TV+ is also a great content provider for longer flights. - It’s the best time to review my **iCloud Photos Library** and triage and cleanup. Using **Photomator** to edit RAW images is such an enjoyable experience, too. It’s a reminder of the Pixelmator apps acquired by Apple, which prompts thoughts of an uncertain future. - It’s the only time when I play games. My current favourite games are **Townscaper**, **Missiles Command: Recharged** and **Discbricks**. - On my way home, I use the iPad to organize my return to work or everyday life. I usually do this by simply using a list of tasks in Apple Notes. Of course, this wouldn’t be as seamless without the iPad’s impressive battery life. Despite multitasking with multiple apps, playing games, and watching videos, I’m always impressed by how long the battery lasts. I usually only need a quick top-up once I reach my destination. In conclusion, the iPad has become an indispensable travel companion. It transforms my flying experience from mundane to enjoyable and productive. Whether I use it for work, entertainment, or simply to organize my thoughts, it enhances every aspect of my journey in a way that no other device can. ### Apple Buys Pixelmator — Possible Scenarios For What’s Coming Next URL: https://numericcitizen.me/apple-buys-pixelmator-possible-scenarios-for-whats-coming-next/ Last updated: 2024-11-07T12:48:09.000Z Apple bought Pixelmator, which sent a shockwave across the creative world. I’m in shock myself. As the dust settles a bit, it’s time to think about the possible implications of this. As a reminder for what follows later in this article, Pixelmator has been around as a company since 2007 and makes two apps: a Photoshop competitor called Pixelmator Pro and a Lightroom competitor called Photomator. The former is available only on the Mac, while the latter is available for all Apple platforms (except the Apple Vision Pro). Look for [this BasicAppleGuy article](https://basicappleguy.com/basicappleblog/pixelmator?ref=numericcitizen.me) for a more detailed description of Pixelmator's history. [As explained in this article](https://numericcitizen.me/adobe-lightroom-2016-2024-rip-how-to-migrate-from-adobe-lightroom-to-photomator/), I migrated to Pixelmator apps this year, leaving Adobe behind (I was a subscriber between 2016 and 2024). It took me some effort to achieve it, but it was mandatory because I couldn’t justify the subscription price asked by the Adobe Photography plan. I bought Pixelmator Pro and Photomator, which are probably among the best native Mac apps out there. I mainly use Photomator, but I use Pixelmator occasionally to create simple things like the following artwork [for my podcast](https://podcasts.apple.com/ca/podcast/numeric-citizen-blog/id1703770016?ref=numericcitizen.me). It's elementary design, and Pixelmator can create more complex content, as you might already guess. Photomator offers a unique take on photo editing. One could argue that Photomator shares familiarity with Adobe Lightroom. Having used both, I would agree this is why I felt at home when I switched from Lightroom to Photomator. I’m pretty happy with my decision because the alternatives are viable for my photography workflow and needs. ![Using Pixelmator Pro to create artwork for my podcast.](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/2024/11/Image-1.png) Using Pixelmator Pro to create artwork for my podcast. Over the years, especially since switching to Pixelmator apps, I often wondered why Apple wasn’t buying the company. When you look at Pixelmator apps, you think: These apps could have been made by Apple. Some would say that Apple should have made those apps! Just look at [the Pixelmator website](https://www.pixelmator.com/?ref=numericcitizen.me); it looks like Apple designers are behind it. ![Apple Photos in photo edit mode.](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/2024/11/Cleanshot---2024-11-0219.12.362x.png) Apple Photos in photo edit mode. Until recently, Apple lagged behind Photomator in photo editing features, but not anymore. Without a thorough comparison, let me say that both photo-editing apps are similar in the primary photo-editing area. I prefer Photomator over Apple’s Photos for basic image editing. Apple Photos’ design uses a more complex user interface to edit a photo but also lacks some flexibility. I like many of Photomator’s tools, while Apple’s Photos offers many tools that I don’t need or find a use case for. The capabilities of Photomator layers are approachable because I can understand how to work with them. It’s a well-thought-out app. For some reason, I believe that Photomator and Pixelmator maximize Apple’s frameworks and APIs for image processing while presenting a different take from the user experience side. Instead of reinventing the wheel, they reuse many Apple graphic technologies and APIs, such as the iCloud Photos Library. Still, they also offer unique features, too, like Super Resolution, Denoise and Workflows. I’m not very knowledgeable in Pixelmator Pro, but judging from my limited experience, I know that Apple doesn’t have such an app in their current offerings. I think Pixelmator Pro is much more approachable than Adobe Photoshop, and I think it’s a great addition to Apple’s offerings. ![Photomator in edit mode.](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/2024/11/Cleanshot---Manhattan-New-York2024-11.png) Photomator in edit mode. ## Market consolidation to compete against Adobe? Someone could ask: Is Apple interested in Pixelmator Pro to compete against Adobe Photoshop with a more approachable take on image editing? Maybe, maybe not. It’s tough to tell from my point of view. Others have written that Apple is looking for new talents. This often happens in technology, but I doubt it is only about talent. It doesn’t serve Apple well to kill such a high-quality Mac app also available on the iPad and the iPhone. These apps are so rare these days. [Canva bought Affinity earlier this year](https://www.canva.com/newsroom/news/affinity/?ref=numericcitizen.me). Words on the internet point to Canva's desire to better compete against Adobe. That sounds about right. By buying Pixelmator, is Apple trying to do the same? Probably. The case is compelling. As I said, Pixelmator Pro competes against Adobe Photoshop. Apple doesn’t have an offering in image-editing space and has never entered that space, while Photomator is a bit like Aperture, competing against Lightroom Classic. From the official announcement on Pixelmator press release, we can read (emphasis is mine): > Pixelmator has signed an agreement to be acquired by Apple, subject to regulatory approval. There will be no material changes to the Pixelmator Pro, Pixelmator for iOS, and Photomator apps at this time. ***Stay tuned for exciting updates to come***. What’s next for Pixelmator’s app? What was the motivating factor for this acquisition? Let’s look at each of them. ## What could come next for Pixelmator apps? Pixelmator Pro is an image editor that competes with applications like Adobe Photoshop. Looking carefully at [this web page](https://www.apple.com/apps/?ref=numericcitizen.me) on Apple’s website, we can see that Apple has nothing like that while offering many other pro-level apps like Final Cut Pro, Logic Pro, MainStage, etc. Some are available on the Mac and the iPad, like Final Cut Pro and Logic Pro. I can see Apple adding Pixelmator Pro to the mix. It's probably the easiest guess to take. [As noted by 9to5Mac](https://9to5mac.com/2024/11/03/apple-acquisition-pixelmator-pro-ipad/?ref=numericcitizen.me), Pixelmator Pro isn’t currently available on the iPad. Apple could make it happen and ask for a small subscription fee, like for FinalCut Pro. I guess the focus of the Pixelmator team would be to work on this in the short term. It might not have been economically possible for the team to do it alone, but with Apple backing, it's an entirely different matter. I’m sure Apple is looking to expand their subscription offerings. Like FinalCut Pro for iPad, I can see Apple adding Pixelmator Pro. Photomator is a photo editor that competes against Lightroom and… to some degree, Apple Photos. That is the crux of the problem. As I said earlier, there are some feature overlaps between the two. It is not obvious what Apple will do with Photomator. One thing that is unique to Photomator is its support for file-based editing. Photomator can work directly with files, which wasn’t possible until this summer. Of course, Apple wants users with bloated iCloud Photo libraries, potentially translating into more iCloud space subscriptions. But it makes more sense to use a file-based workflow for more serious photo editing of RAW images coming off a digital camera. Speaking of RAW images, RAW support is more comprehensive in Photomator. More advanced features like layers are available in Photomator, making it much more versatile for complex photo editing tasks. Workflows that enable the ability to do many different tasks in a single action are also something power users like me appreciate. Super Resolution is another example of something unique to Photomator. Could these more advanced features be folded into Apple Photos? [Some people think it might](https://ljpuk.net/2024/11/02/whats-going-to-happen-to-the-pixelmator-apps/?ref=numericcitizen.me). Other guys, like the developer behind Acorn, another image-editing app for the Mac, [in a blog post](https://shapeof.com/archives/2024/11/apple%5Fbuys%5Fpixelmator.html?ref=numericcitizen.me), are asking similar questions to mine. He doesn't have a clue. Me neither. The overlapping of many features makes me less comfortable to bet on this. Keeping Photomator around would send a confusing message. The jury is still out on this one. ## Looking ahead Is Apple getting their hands on Pixelmator Pro while dropping Photomator the only possible story here? I hope not, but time will tell. For now, I’ll continue to use Photomator for the more demanding photo-processing needs while keeping an eye on what’s happening next. Let’s just say that I’m cautiously optimistic. ### The Ephemeral Scrapbook — Edition 2024-43 URL: https://numericcitizen.me/the-ephemeral-scrapbook-edition-2024-43/ Last updated: 2025-01-20T11:39:27.000Z > The following is a summary of my contribution activities since [the previous newsletter edition](https://crafted.numericcitizen.me/ephemeral-scrapbook-edition-2024-42?ref=numericcitizen.me) > 👨🏻‍💻 18 posts 😃 > 🏞️ 10 photos shared 😃 > 🎙️ No podcast episode published 😔 > 📺 One YouTube video published 😃 Did you know The Numeric Citizen Blog Posts Monthly Digest came out on November 1st? [Check it out](https://blog.numericcitizen.me/newsletters/2024/11/01/11631.html?ref=numericcitizen.me)! ## 👤 Personal > 1️⃣ I got a new supporter on [my Ko-fi page](https://ko-fi.com/numericcitizen?ref=numericcitizen.me) this week, and I'm happy about it. It's not only about the money but the feeling that I'm not writing in a void. Some people are not only reading my stories but want to show their support. I'm grateful for that. But money is often not far behind, too. As a creator, I depend on [many services and tools that cost money](https://crafted.numericcitizen.me/current-subscriptions?ref=numericcitizen.me). I never wanted to make money by writing, but I had this wish this week: having enough supporters to cover all my subscription costs. That would be cool. I have a long way to go before reaching this goal. ## 🗺️ Discoveries > 1️⃣ This week, I (re)discovered the fragility of software. I left behind 1Password because Apple Passwords offers simplicity without being simplistic. Pixelfed is another example of its development tied to a few developers, with one guy being much more active than others. Pixelfed suffers from its leading developer lacking focus and being spread across many open-source projects. There are things I want to see on Pixelfed but aren't coming, like an iPhone app that has been in beta for maybe a year! I'm considering reducing my activity level on Pixelfed to focus on Glass instead. The third example is Omnivore, which will close because its developers are working on something else. So, I'm focusing on Inoreader instead to support my reading needs. Do you know what is common between Glass and Inoreade? Both are paid services. Next up on the list of fragile software? Continue reading below, and you'll find out. ## 📖 Reading > 1️⃣ I should revisit my reading workflow because of the demise of Omnivore. For the time being, I'll be focusing my usage on Inoreader and letting the dust settle before making a decision. The closure of Omnivore is sad because I lost my reading highlights library. There is no easy way to reconstruct this. I did export my data, but it is sitting in many files on my computer. I do have those in Bear, though, as shown below. ![Bear is used to store my Readwise Highlights. ](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/2024/11/Image.png) Bear is used to store my Readwise Highlights. > “I hate that today if you want a great browsing experience, you need to install all kinds of ad-blockers.” — Riccardo Mori ## 👨🏻‍💻 Writing > 1️⃣ I’ve been writing an article this week for the office using an unusual workflow. I wrote down fifteen phrases representing individual thoughts around the automation of IT operations. Then, I went to ChatGPT and asked GPT 4o Canvas to use these fifteen thoughts to write an article. Upon my first read, I asked ChatGPT for many changes and added my personal touch. The result is somewhat positive, considering the time I took to write this. I then imported the article into NotebookLM to create a podcast episode, and the results blew me away. I sent the results to some of my colleagues, who were impressed too. 2️⃣ Apple Intelligence Writing Tools are out for those with capable devices. Information Architect recently published an article about how Apple Intelligence’s approach to text editing might be wrong. This article is [echoed by Kirk McElhearn](https://kirkville.com/the-big-problem-with-apples-ai-writing-tools/?ref=numericcitizen.me), who thinks the writing tools are not good. I must say that I tend to agree to some degree. When I ask to proofread my text, I need to take the time to compare both to see if my writing was contaminated or not. It takes time, and the user experience might not be optimal. On the other hand, this solution might be good enough for most people. Time will tell, I guess. [Why the M4 Mac mini Will Be My Best Mac Ever!A plethora of Mac announcements this week pushes the Mac to new performance levels.![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/size/w256h256/2021/11/Banner3.0-100x100.png)Numeric Citizen SpaceJF Martin![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/size/w1200/2024/10/HeaderImageMac.4531eab60ab9495b8d37f2786c10d015.png)](https://numericcitizen.me/why-the-m4-mac-mini-will-be-my-best-mac-ever/) 🌄 Photography > 1️⃣ One of the best creators recently discovered [via Glass](https://glass.photo/bdd?ref=numericcitizen.me), [Mad Heiress](https://www.madheiress.com/main?ref=numericcitizen.me), offers a rich set of images, poems, stories, etc. Some photos are mildly NSFW but very tasteful and respectful. I wish I had a fraction of his talent. Simply put, wow. Another newly discovered photographer on Glass is [Yano Kova](https://glass.photo/yanakova?ref=numericcitizen.me). She does stunning black-and-white street photography. There are so many great photos like [this one](https://glass.photo/yanakova/5jcrV5HNsa26OmLFje1dnz?ref=numericcitizen.me). 2️⃣ I’ve been sharing many discoveries recently in photography, most of them made through Glass. I wonder why? I fail to see comparable quality photos on Pixelfed. The latter is more general public, while Glass, a paid service, attracts more accomplished photographers. That's simply a guess, an observation. I don't want to offend anyone who shares photos on Pixelfed. I'm on both platforms. 3️⃣ Speaking of Glass, the photo-sharing service, [officially set a date for launching the Series](https://mailchi.mp/glass/glass-newsletter-17442185?e=0f6e74b65a&ref=numericcitizen.me) on November 12th. I can't wait to try it out! The Series feature will allow photographers to publish related photos as bundles if you didn't know. ## 🍎 Apple > 1️⃣ The rumoured home device that Apple might be working on resembles the iconic iMac G4 but with a more squarish and smaller display. I have always liked this Mac because it wasn't only a utility device but an object of art. I'm not looking to buy this type of device, and I don't see the roles it would play in my household. 2️⃣ This was Mac Week, and it had many meaningful announcements. The iMac, Mac mini, and MacBook Pro received a tech refresh, with the Mac mini having the only notable external redesign. I have a lot more to say in a separate article. 3️⃣ Apple is buying Pixelmator! I repeat: Apple is buying Pixelmator, the maker of Pixelmator Pro, and Photomator, my beloved photo-editing apps that took over Adobe’s! I don’t know if I should be happy or worried about this sudden turn of events! You can read the official announcement right here [on Pixelmator Blog](https://www.pixelmator.com/blog/2024/11/01/a-new-home-for-pixelmator/?ref=numericcitizen.me). ![The Desk Lamp iMac](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/2024/11/aHR0cHM6Ly9pbWFnZXMubWFjcnVtb3JzLmNvbS9hcnRpY2.jpeg) The Desk Lamp iMac ![The new Mac mini. A beautiful and powerful device. ](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/2024/11/Apple-Mac-mini-hero.jpeg) The new Mac mini. A beautiful and powerful device. ## 🚧 Special projects > 1️⃣ After weeks of hard and tedious work inspired by [this documented process](https://rmondello.com/2024/09/19/consider-slowing-down-when-switching-password-managers/?ref=numericcitizen.me), I finally completed my migration off 1Password. Not only will I save some money, but my security posture will also improve because of this migration to Apple Passwords. I have been a 1Password user since at least 2014, but with Apple's introduction of a solid password management app, I prefer to use first-party and integrated solutions. The next thing to do is migrate off Authy, the 2-factor authenticator app. That part is not fun because I need to turn off the 2-factor configuration for each service and reconfigure it using Passwords. 2️⃣ Following the news about Omnivore’s slow demise, I'm going to work on using Inoreader as a replacement for reading later articles, exporting my data and building something different for my reading workflow needs. IFTTT, Notion, and Readwise might be involved to some degree. ## 📱 Apps & Services > 1️⃣ The big news of the week on the applications side is undoubtedly [this announcement](https://blog.omnivore.app/p/omnivore-is-joining-elevenlabs?ref=numericcitizen.me) by one of the main contributors of Omnivore, an open-source read-later service. According to the news, the developer accepted a job to work on ElevenLabs’ audio reader instead. I understand the decision; everyone needs to put bread on the table. But I'm not switching to ElevenLabs’ app anytime soon; I don't need an audio reader to read my content out loud. So, what am I going to do from now? I won’t wait for someone else to take over the development of Omnivore. The first option is to maximize what I already have: Inoreader. It's a paid subscription, their business model is clear, and they have been around for quite a while. In the coming days, I will explore Inoreader to store articles for reading later and text highlighting. I already know that Inoreader doesn't work with Readwise. So, I'm done with one-man-shop open-source projects. I decided to export all my Omnivore data and move on with it. 2️⃣ I'm also now questioning my usage of Readwise. I’ve been using Readwise since 2021\. I don't use Readwise to browse my past highlights, but I use it for archival purposes. Even for that, I don't refer to my past readings often. Omnivore was configured to save my text highlights into Readwise. From time to time, I export the highlights to Bear. Without Omnivore, Readwise makes no sense; I don't use other means to store data in Readwise. Readwise offers a lower subscription tier for that purpose, and I could consider downgrading to it. I don't use the Readwise Reader because it felt too overwhelming the last time I tried it. 3️⃣ Scribbles.page is out with [a few updates](https://scribbles.page/updates/posts/2024-10-29?ref=numericcitizen.me) like adding a website menu, something that I was hoping to come. ![Bye bye Omnivore, I barely knew you. 😥](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/2024/11/og-homepage-03.png) Bye bye Omnivore, I barely knew you. 😥 ## 📺 YouTube > 1️⃣ This week YouTube content is heavily flooded with Apple news and commentary about about Mac-related news. But, to start, I chose a short clip showing Steve Jobs explaining what Apple is going to do for the computer world. I felt it was to the point and relevant to this week's announcements. I produced this video about Craft’s upcoming release that will see the addition of three important tent poles features: Collections, Styles and Tasks. ## 💎 Miscellaneous > 1️⃣ I’m going on a one-week vacation, so the next edition will be published around November 23rd. I'll be mostly offline during that week because I have no internet. It’s a good thing to disconnect, right? 😱 ## 🔮 Looking forward > 1️⃣ Of course, I'm looking forward to two things: reviews of the new M4 Mac mini and, for the long term, how Apple is going to deal with their recently acquired Pixelmator company. I'm holding my breath, and my fingers are crossed. I wish you a great week! ✌️👋🏻 📌 This newsletter edition is also available as a Craft shared document [****here**](https://crafted.numericcitizen.me/ephemeral-scrapbook-edition-2024-43?ref=numericcitizen.me). Index of past editions can be found [here](https://crafted.numericcitizen.me/weekly-creative-summaries-index?ref=numericcitizen.me). This week's edition is based on template version 1.6.0 — [Sun, Oct 27](about:blank) and was put together with ❤️ on a 15-inch MacBook Air, Craft Docs and many supporting subscriptions! Support my work ([Paypal](https://paypal.me/numericcitizen?locale.x=en%5FUS&ref=numericcitizen.me)) or [become a supporter](https://ko-fi.com/numericcitizen/?ref=numericcitizen.me) with Ko-fi! ### Why the M4 Mac mini Will Be My Best Mac Ever! URL: https://numericcitizen.me/why-the-m4-mac-mini-will-be-my-best-mac-ever/ Last updated: 2024-10-31T11:37:50.000Z In this article, I want to do things differently. I will write about why the new M4 Mac mini is the most fantastic Mac ever and share my thoughts gathered during a week of Mac announcements. Let’s get down to it. First thing first: I’m a Mac fan. I’ve been such a fan for quite some time and [wrote about it extensively](https://numericcitizen.me/remembering-the-story-behind-every-apple-computers-i-ever-owned/). I tried to use recent Macs in recent years because I spend so much time working with them that I want the best. I’ve been a longtime desktop fan with many iMac models (2005, 2007, 2010, 2017), but in recent years, thanks to the Apple Silicon chip, I made a turn and started adding Mac portables to my digital life. This article was written mainly using an M2 15-inch MacBook Air. ## Sunday night, October 27th, 2024. I’m rather excited for the upcoming week. Is it because I'm in for an updated Mac mini? Coming from a M1 Mac mini, Probably. Following [this tease](https://x.com/gregjoz/status/1849484363165213148?ref%5Fsrc=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1849484363165213148%7Ctwgr%5E011bb91a2f3283560a6368a06044cb84c1befbf3%7Ctwcon%5Es1%5Fc10&ref%5Furl=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.macrumors.com%2F2024%2F10%2F24%2Fapple-m4-announcements-next-week%2F&ref=numericcitizen.me) from Greg Joswiak last week, it's official: the week ahead is all about the Mac. The first announcement should arrive on Monday, probably around 9 AM EST. I'm wondering what is going to be announced first. Is Apple going to play the crescendo game with the Mac mini announced last? If so, the iMac could be the first to come out with updated accessories using a USB-C connection. Will Apple show off redesigned accessories, or will they play it safe and leave it as it is now? The maligned Magic Mouse should be tweaked with a more intelligent way of recharging it. I’ve been using the Magic Mouse for many years, and I think it is due for an ergonomic revisit. Anyhow, tomorrow can't come soon enough. ## Monday, early morning, October 28th, 2024. I’m just having my coffee, going through my RSS feeds, and looking for any last-minute news or rumours, but nothing is worth mentioning except [this bingo card](https://basicappleguy.com/basicappleblog/october-mac-release-bingo?ref=numericcitizen.me) by the Basic Apple Guy. It's an entertaining read. He thinks Apple will start with the Mac mini announcement, but I disagree with this prediction. He seems to imply that there will be some videos, but I don't think so. I hope we will get more than a press release in the [Newsroom](https://www.apple.com/newsroom/?ref=numericcitizen.me). Will we get a $499 Mac mini configuration? Maybe, but I'm not holding my breath. Will we get a space black Mac mini? I doubt it. Apple is so predictable these days. A dedicated Apple Intelligence button on the new Magic Keyboard? We didn't have a Siri button. I don't think we will get a dedicated button for Apple Intelligence. The day is still young, but I’ll learn more very soon. ## Monday, 9:10 AM, October 28th, 2024 Refresh the Apple Newsroom webpage in my browser. Refresh the Apple Newsroom webpage in my browser. Refresh the Apple Newsroom webpage in my browser. Nothing shows up yet. Maybe at 10 AM EST? ## Monday, 11:30 AM, October 28th, 2024 ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/2024/10/Image.tiff.jpeg.png) The refreshed iMac colours. I was busy at work and missed the announcement timing, which was at 11 AM EST. The first press releases (with [a video announcement](https://youtu.be/eaB7nCdId0Y?si=742gRQty2UCoPsDx&ref=numericcitizen.me), a stripped-down version of a keynote, or a glorified press release?) came out thirty minutes ago, and as expected, the iMac was the first to receive the M4 treatment. Comparisons are made against the M1 iMac, which I find questionable, but they yield great numbers. Compared to the Intel-based iMac, this is even more questionable, but I guess Apple sees that many iMac owners are still using such old iMacs and wish for them to upgrade. This iMac is the best all-in-one design, but it's not for me anymore. I prefer having a separate screen, a bigger one for that matter. I'm using an Apple Studio display, which I really like. The keyboard and mouse now have USB-C ports, too, but there is no word on where the USB-C port is located on the Magic Mouse. A nano texture option comes to the iMac, a first and pricey option. There is no significant change of colours. Meh. Yet, for people like me who use an M1 Mac, the M4 represents a giant leap forward. ![The now-famous visual new features highlight.](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/2024/10/Cleanshot-Arc-2024-10-2812.00.012x.png) The now-famous visual new features highlight. Of course, [Apple touts Apple Intelligence](https://www.apple.com/newsroom/2024/10/apple-intelligence-is-available-today-on-iphone-ipad-and-mac/?ref=numericcitizen.me) as the most beneficial workflow for getting M4 processing power. That’s not surprising. They have a dedicated press release for iOS 18.1 et al. that sports the first Apple Intelligence features. ## Monday, 5:30 PM, October 28th, 2024 Reactions are favourable for the beefed-up iMac, which includes new capabilities like better support for a two-display setup. Pricing for the now USB-C-only peripheral also increased slightly, at least in Canada, reaching new heights and near-obscene levels. Still, the iMac is a super-looking computer. I am turning my attention to tomorrow morning, 11 AM EST. ## Monday, 8:04 PM, October 28th, 2024 I’m still digging into today’s news. I found [this information tidbits](https://www.macrumors.com/2024/10/28/m4-chip-two-external-displays/?ref=numericcitizen.me) about the low-end iMac configuration encouraging: the 10-code M4 CPU configuration will support two external displays, which could have been possible only for higher-end configurations. This bodes well for the M4 Mac mini. --- ## Tuesday, early morning, October 29th, 2024 What a spoiler this morning when Amazon leaked the next Mac mini on their website! Apparently, the leak occurred yesterday night after I went to bed, but it has been fixed this morning. MacRumors still has [the information](https://www.macrumors.com/2024/10/28/amazon-leaks-new-mac-mini/?ref=numericcitizen.me). A comparison of different Mac models was briefly available, showing the new Mac mini design, which I include here. Oops. Visually, if images are at scale, the Mac mini is much similar to the Mac Studio and comes with two USB-C ports in the front on the left and something else on the right, but it’s hard to see. It might be a headphone jack because it is a black circle. The only finish available is silver, which is disappointing; a space black version would have been fantastic. The Mac mini’s spec sheet suggests it is much more powerful than its predecessor. It shows a maximum of 64 GB of RAM, 20 GPU cores, and 8TB of storage. However, we don’t know about the entry-level configuration yet, which is much closer to what I’ll get. ![Image.png](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/2024/10/Image-5.png) Image.png Even with this last-minute leak, I’m more excited about the new Mac mini. I can infer some pricing guesses and see the price going upward in the $2K CAN range for a configuration I will buy. Ouch. ## Tuesday, 11 AM, October 29th, 2024 The mighty M4 Mac mini is now officially [announced](https://nr.apple.com/dV5x1k7rf1?ref=numericcitizen.me)! From what I’m reading, what a machine this is: compact, beautiful, but powerful, with all the right ports at the right place. I’ll be ordering one in mid-November. Reactions are overwhelmingly positive, if not enthusiastic. It's probably the best Mac mini ever to ship. The video segment for this announcement is slightly more than 12 minutes long. I particularly like the use of the tilt-shift effect during the introduction. The Apple headquarters building seems like a miniature replica. The following shots illustrate the video’s particular visual vibe. ![Great tilt-shift effect.](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/2024/10/_Cleanshot-IINA-2024-10-3015.05.062x-optimised.png) Great tilt-shift effect. ![Mini people!](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/2024/10/_Cleanshot-IINA-2024-10-3015.05.222x-optimised.png) Mini people! ![The new Apple Observatory building.](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/2024/10/_Cleanshot-IINA-2024-10-3015.05.512x-optimised.png) The new Apple Observatory building. In the following image, we expect the reveal of the new Mac mini, but instead, we are presented with the current one quickly followed by the new Mac mini, which is much smaller. I like this sense of humour. I also think it references the old-style reveal on stage by Steve Jobs back in the day. ![Wait for the reveal…](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/2024/10/_Cleanshot-IINA-2024-10-3015.06.392x-optimised.png) Wait for the reveal… ![Hello Mac mini](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/2024/10/Image-1-2.png) Hello Mac mini ![Mac mini new features highlight.](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/2024/10/Image-2-2.png) Mac mini new features highlight. This is my desktop Mac for the next five years: M4 Pro Mac mini with 12 CPU cores, 16 GPU cores, 16 Neural Engine cores, 24 GB of RAM and 2TB SSD. Compared to the M1 chip, the M4 is a significant leap forward. According to the Geekbench website, the M1 is rated at 8661, while the M2 Pro is rated at 12726 and the M3 Pro at 14042 in the multicore benchmark. We are close to a 2x increase here. I can’t wait to experience the difference. Since I’m using a RODE wireless microphone for video and podcast recording, the receiver plugs into a headphone jack on the back of my current Mac mini. It’s not very convenient. Now, being on the front, it is. There is a little controversy about the power button placement. It can’t be worse than the current design, and I would argue it is better. Looking at the videos, I think the power button is not entirely flush with the button case, which will help locate it with the touch of a finger. Now, the only question is: when should I place my order? I’ll probably wait until mid-November, when I return from my one-week vacation. Tomorrow, it’s Wednesday, the third and last Mac-related announcement. MacBook Pro is next, but I’m surprised the Mac mini announcement came before. I would have thought that Apple would keep the newly redesigned Mac for last. The sequence seems tied to the Apple Silicon chips, not the Mac model itself. Anyway, there might be an even more significant announcement tomorrow. Who knows? --- ## Wednesday, 7:10 AM, October 30th, 2024 This morning, I tried configuring the M4 Mac mini on the Apple Store app that I will order to see if shipping dates have started to slip. It’s not the case. Apple probably has good inventories. I’ll keep an eye on this over the next few weeks. Also, I’ve been testing buying through the university store for better pricing, and I could save $200 CAN. If I apply a trade-in value for my M1 Mac mini (a $225 CAN value), the final price would be $2,219 CAN. That’s a lot of money. ## Wednesday, 11:05 AM, October 30th, 2024 As expected, the MacBook Pro with the M4 chip was announced. The video segment is the longest of the three, at 16m33s. For the first time, the nano-texture display option is available on the MacBook Pro, adding another set of price points. All Macs now come with 16 GB of base memory, including the MacBook Air, a surprise move. This could also mean an M4-based MacBook Air might come later, like next Spring. ![The blowing wind effect of the new MacBook Pro.](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/2024/10/Image-3-1.png) The blowing wind effect of the new MacBook Pro. My wife is looking to get a Mac for the first time. She’s looking at the MacBook Pro and will probably settle for the 14-inch, 16GB RAM, 1TB SSD version. She plans to use two external displays. She’s a Windows laptop user, and she is in for a shock. ![Pro means black visual highlights.](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/2024/10/Image-4.png) Pro means black visual highlights. --- It was an excellent week for the Mac in general. I feel that Apple is excelling on all counts. The Mac lineup is straightforward, with the Air and Pro for laptops and the iMac, Mac mini, Mac Studio, and Mac Pro lines for desktops. A plethora of configurations are available for each line at various price points. The message around Apple Intelligence is loud and clear. I counted 14 references to Apple Intelligence on the MacBook Pro mini website alone, 16 on the iMac mini website, and 16 on the Mac mini website. That’s a lot. ![The famous pirate flag was used as a reference to the Mac origins.](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/2024/10/Cleanshot---Cleanshot---Personal-Default-Mac.png) The famous pirate flag was used as a reference to the Mac origins. ### The Ephemeral Scrapbook — Edition 2024-42 URL: https://numericcitizen.me/the-ephemeral-scrapbook-edition-2024-42/ Last updated: 2024-10-27T18:20:06.000Z > The following is a summary of my contribution activities since the previous newsletter edition > 👨🏻‍💻 9 posts 🙂 > 🏞️ 13 photos shared 😃 > 🎙️ No podcast episode published 😔 > 📺 No YouTube video published 😔 > This newsletter edition covers weeks #41 & #42. **Did you know you can catch a few highlighted stories and photos of mine by visiting** [**this website**](https://reederapp.net/ndo2L3J%5FRteA6qr0R4CNCQ?ref=numericcitizen.me)**?** ## 👤 Personal > 1️⃣ I’ve been in a writing lull recently, preferring to focus on photography more. I often go from writing to photography and vice versa. My attention span seems shorter than usual, which doesn’t help my writing in general. That’s not entirely true; I’ve been writing, but I’ve been on LinkedIn and Medium in my professional life. I’m trying to be more active on LinkedIn for a few reasons that I won’t share here, but you can read about it on my Ko-fi page. If you want to know what it is all about, subscribe to my Ko-fi page. ## 🗺️ Discoveries > 1️⃣ I've looked at Canva, a PowerPoint replacement that runs as a SaaS but is also available on devices like the iPad and the Mac. However, Canva is much more than a PowerPoint replacement. I see Canva as a competitor to Adobe Express, which I enjoyed long ago. I cannot share why I'm looking at this right now, but I must say that it feels like a great alternative and a valuable tool for creative people like me. The question is: what does this service bring to the table that I cannot already do using Keynote, Freeform or Mindnote, etc.? I could use it to design a website prototype, that's for sure. One use case could be for website prototyping while I wait for the beta release of Realmac Software Elements. I will make more comments about Canva soon. ## 📖 Reading > 1️⃣ Every once in a while, I stumble on a blog post from other bloggers that shows their appreciation for what I'm doing, like [this one](https://havn.blog/2024/10/01/big-milestone-for.html?ref=numericcitizen.me). People can show their appreciation in many ways, like supporting me on [my Ko-fi page](https://ko-fi.com/numericcitizen?ref=numericcitizen.me) and writing blog posts like that one. 2️⃣ More than ever, I believe in the web curation movement as we enter AI-generated content at a massive scale. That's why [this blog post from Manuel Moreale](https://manuelmoreale.com/creation-and-curation?ref=numericcitizen.me) resonated with me. I want to quote a few things from this blog post. 3️⃣ A newly discovered author, [Maggie Appleton](https://maggieappleton.com/?ref=numericcitizen.me), touches on fascinating subjects like programming, design and anthropology. Besides touching on exciting subjects, her website is gorgeous by its simplicity and organizational structure. Too bad the site didn’t receive recent updates. Still, it's now part of my RSS feed subscriptions. > > “With a web flooded with [AI-generated slop](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Slop%5F%28artificial%5Fintelligence%29?ref=numericcitizen.me) and [the platforms themselves encouraging it](https://www.threads.net/@meta/post/DA%5FmM0Ey1qC?ref=numericcitizen.me), the role of curators is gonna become more and more important.” > > “Anyway, now more than ever, if you find value in curated blogs, newsletters, zines, or any other type of curated material, consider supporting the people who create and maintain them, because the vast majority of the time, they don’t do it for the money, they do it because they think it’s important.” – Manuel Moreale ## 👨🏻‍💻 Writing > 1️⃣ I started testing Ulysses, the writing app for the Mac. Version 32 will support Apple Intelligence, particularly for the Writing Tools. If all goes well, it could replace Grammarly when support for Apple Intelligence is added to more apps. My initial testing offers mixed feelings. To invoke Apple Intelligence features, you must select the text, which is not required with Grammarly. Apple Intelligence refuses to work on a paragraph containing a hyperlink. It could be a bug in Ulysses beta, but it could be a limitation, too. Grammarly works better in that respect, but sometimes, the link will be mangled when corrections are made. Nothing is perfect. Stay tuned for more comments on that one. > “If you give a good idea to a mediocre team, they will screw it up. If you give a mediocre idea to a brilliant team, they will either fix it or throw it away and come up with something better.” — Creativity Inc., Ed Catmull and Amy Wallace ## 🌄 Photography > 1️⃣ A good [post](https://birchtree.me/blog/this-photo-is-2-megapixels/?ref=numericcitizen.me) from Matt Birchler: resolution is not everything in digital photography. I agree. 2️⃣ A newly discovered photographer: [Anna Shtraus](https://glass.photo/annashtraus?ref=numericcitizen.me), thanks to [Glass Highlights](https://glass.photo/highlights/desert-dreaming-with-anna?ref=numericcitizen.me). She takes many photos in places like the Middle East. She calls herself a visual poet, and I like this. Instant subscribe! 3️⃣ Did you know you can watch my latest images from Pixelfed in slideshow mode? Try [this link](https://pixelfed.social/numericcitizen?carousel=1&ref=numericcitizen.me)! 4️⃣ Found a great wallpaper collection inspired by [Edward Hopper](https://www.wikiart.org/en/edward-hopper?ref=numericcitizen.me), for your iPhone, [available on Gumroad](https://vibrantnewcreations.gumroad.com/l/autumn-in-the-city-wallpaper-pack?ref=numericcitizen.me). ![Image.png](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/2024/10/Image-3.png) Image.png [Anna Shtraus on Glass Photography CommunityAnna Shtraus. Visual poet living in the Middle East. I used to live and breathe landscapes, but recently really enjoying shooting streets. If the light is good, the…![](https://glass.photo/favicon.svg)![](https://glass.photo/og/profile/annashtraus.jpg)](https://glass.photo/annashtraus?ref=numericcitizen.me) Another great discovery on Glass in the past few days: Anna Shtraus. Photos are mainly from the Middle East, a place often portrayed at war. It’s refreshing to see positive visual vibes. ## 🍎 Apple > 1️⃣ [Rumors about the iPhone 18](https://www.macrumors.com/2024/10/15/iphone-18-enhanced-2nm-chip-12gb-ram/?utm%5Fsource=dlvr.it&utm%5Fmedium=mastodon) 😳 are already surfacing, stating advanced densification of the A20 chip with 12 GB of RAM using a 2 nm process. It's too early for me to influence my decision for next year's plan, though. I'm still planning to get the iPhone 17 as I often skip one generation of devices. 2️⃣ According to Mike Gurman, Apple is now turning its attention to home automation products and services. Now that Matter, the protocol that makes home devices talk and work together, is the standard, Apple is looking to build devices like home robots and communication-related gizmos🤦🏻‍♂️. I should wait before judging, but I don’t see that as an exciting journey. 3️⃣ For Apple fans, BasicAppleGuy [shared some new wallpapers out of Apple Park photographs](https://basicappleguy.com/basicappleblog/apple-park-wallpapers?ref=numericcitizen.me)—many great ones. 4️⃣ Apple is considered two years behind in generative AI, according to [a report by Gurman](https://9to5mac.com/2024/10/20/gurman-apple-intelligence-ai-two-years/?ref=numericcitizen.me). Remember the MP3 players before the iPod came out? Apple was thought to be behind, too. Will this scenario repeat itself with generative AI? The leaders like OpenAI keeps getting better all the time. But, If you can't beat them, joining them might apply here. [Om Malik is getting nervous](https://om.co/2024/10/20/waiting-for-apples-intelligence/?ref=numericcitizen.me) about Apple Intelligence being late to the AI game. 5️⃣ ||The subsequent major releases of macOS, iPadOS, iOS, tvOS||, et al. are around the corner. Get ready for Apple Intelligence phase #1 of... many more phases! Phase #2 of Apple Intelligence is already out for the iPhone 15 and iPhone 16 users, as well as modern iPads and Macs with Apple Silicon Ship. I upgraded my iPad and iPhone to this second major release of iOS 18\. I'm currently on the waiting list to test Image Playground, but according to [this article](https://9to5mac.com/2024/10/25/genmoji-image-playground-ios-18-2-rollout/?ref=numericcitizen.me), it might take a few weeks to play with this. [Apple Park Wallpapers — Basic Apple GuyA collection of nine Mac & iPad backgrounds featuring beautiful locations around Apple Park.![](https://basicappleguy.com/s/BALogo.png)Basic Apple GuyBasicAppleGuy![](http://static1.squarespace.com/static/5e949a92e17d55230cd1d44f/t/670ae09911082255cf8f1f2f/1728766112607/Apple+Fountain3x2.png?format=1500w)](https://basicappleguy.com/basicappleblog/apple-park-wallpapers?ref=numericcitizen.me) ## 🚧 Special projects > 1️⃣ Not exactly a special project, but I’ve been spending quite some time testing the next round of betas for Craft Docs. As shown on [Craft Docs YouTube channel](https://youtube.com/@craftdocs?si=Yu0B3dlNMdjzbgHg&ref=numericcitizen.me), three important things are coming to Craft: Collections, Styling and Task management. I have mixed feelings with the new directions for Craft. I don't see use cases for Collections. The new styling feature doesn't go far enough by lacking basic image processing. Task management is also something that I'm not really looking to do within Craft; I'm a happy Things 3 user. The next public release of Craft, probably version 3.0, is still many weeks away. ## 📱 Apps & Services > 1️⃣ Photomator 3.4 came out this week, and surprise, you can now flag, reject and start (from 0 to 5 stars) each photo. As [suggested by this guy](https://craney.fyi/2024/10/15/ok-photomator-have.html?ref=numericcitizen.me) on Micro.blog, when using the Apple Photos library, these actions are saved, and a new set of photo albums is created to easily find those photos, all placed within a folder named “Photomator.” For those like me who often use files outside of Photos, for each photo that gets flagged, rejected or starred, a new .xmp file is created, just like the sidecar file if the photo has been edited. This is an excellent addition for those like me who previously used Adobe Lightroom, where the catalogue is central to the photo-processing workflows. 2️⃣ It seems a new MindNode app is coming soon, called [MindNode Next](https://www.mindnode.com/next?ref=numericcitizen.me), a free upgrade for those on the MindNode Plus subscription (like me). Collaborative work seems to be the highlight of this new generation of MindNode. Strangely enough, MindNode Next is already available for the Apple Vision Pro, and other platforms are coming later this year. 3️⃣ Inoreader [finally launched](https://www.inoreader.com/blog/2024/10/the-new-inoreader-experience-is-here.html?ref=numericcitizen.me) the redesigned reading experience, which I LOVE. 4️⃣ Notion launched several new features and products presented in [this short clip](https://youtu.be/vH3Rp3wky-U?si=Xeasu3uSRRUP-kyX&ref=numericcitizen.me). Notion Layout for building better-looking pages. Most of the new features are available now. I played with Notion Layout a bit, but I will spend more time exploring Notion Forms and the new Marketplace in the coming days. The latter is essentially modelled around an App Store. ![Photomator’s release notes for version 3.4.](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/2024/10/Image.jpg) Photomator’s release notes for version 3.4. ![Notion’s new features recently announced: Forms, Marketplace, Layouts and automation upgrades.](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/2024/10/Image-1-1.png) Notion’s new features recently announced: Forms, Marketplace, Layouts and automation upgrades. ## 📺 YouTube > 1️⃣ Photomator 3.4 is out and comes with photo tagging and starring. See that in action in the following video. I'm already a fan. 2️⃣ The Starship flight and return to Earth, right on the launchpad, is mind-blowing. We came a long way from the first space shuttle flight in 1981\. Very impressive. Watch this short video if you want to see Photomator 3.4 in action. An interview with Tim Cook over a Zoom call? Some interesting tidbits, like when Tim offers his take on where is sees the Apple Vision Pro in the market. 👀 I think it’s important to talk about alternatives: Affinity Photo. It seems an alternative to both Photoshop and Lightroom. A fascinating view of Apple’s audio lab where they do audio testing of their devices in development. ## 🔮 Looking forward > 1️⃣ I'm still waiting for this M4 Mac mini announcement, but it is coming. It's widely expected to be in the last week of October. Even more with Apple's tease shared on X.com. 2️⃣ Here's [an excellent summary](https://www.macrumors.com/2024/10/21/18-new-things-your-iphone-can-do-ios-18-1/?ref=numericcitizen.me) of what's new in the upcoming iOS 18.1 release from MacRumors. Here's an excellent [overview of iOS 18.2](https://www.macrumors.com/guide/ios-18-2-beta-features/?ref=numericcitizen.me) from MacRumors, too. 3️⃣ Apple teases new Macs! The M4 Mac mini is really coming next week! Getting ready for hard decisions. ![Image.png](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/2024/10/Image-2-1.png) A familiar face Let’s remember the original Mac mini introduction in 2005\. Steve Jobs did it and it was a grand reveal. I wish you a great week! ✌️👋🏻 📌 This newsletter edition is also available as a Craft shared document [****here**](https://crafted.numericcitizen.me/ephemeral-scrapbook-edition-2024-42?ref=numericcitizen.me). Index of past editions can be found here. This week's edition is based on template version 1.5.1 — [Tue, Oct 8](about:blank) and was put together with ❤️ on a 15-inch MacBook Air, Craft Docs and many supporting subscriptions! Support my work ([Paypal](https://paypal.me/numericcitizen?locale.x=en%5FUS&ref=numericcitizen.me)) or [become a supporter](https://ko-fi.com/numericcitizen/?ref=numericcitizen.me) with Ko-fi! ### The Ephemeral Scrapbook — Edition 2024-40 URL: https://numericcitizen.me/the-ephemeral-scrapbook-edition-2024-40/ Last updated: 2024-10-14T20:34:40.000Z [JF Martin (@numericcitizen@pixelfed.social)Like a painting.![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/icon/favicon-5.png)Pixelfed![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/thumbnail/9NUVzcLY6gZvi0fpUuFisVYkgC6iKZooh4lUKDju.jpg)](https://pixelfed.social/i/web/post/749218948689437189?ref=numericcitizen.me) > The following is a summary of my contribution activities since the previous newsletter edition > 👨🏻‍💻 10 posts 🙂 > 🏞️ 3 photos shared 😔 > 🎙️ No podcast episode published 😔 > 📺 No YouTube video published 😔 > This edition covers the week #39 and #40. ## 👤 Personal > 1️⃣ I’ve been busy with personal matters recently, which prevented me from working on my usual creative hobby and releasing this newsletter more regularly. But over the years, I learned that sharing when it’s meaningful and ready is more important than sharing for the sake of sharing. If it means to release this newsletter on a more irregular basis, so be it. Hobbies must be fun, not a burden. 2️⃣ With this newsletter edition, I decided to tweak the content a bit: I'll no longer include the logbook excerpt from Things 3, my preferred tasks manager. This logbook was a list of completed tasks during the week. I don't see the real value of including this anymore as I wasn't always able to keep it up to date and reflect my actual accomplished work. At one point, I even included a list of all the articles that I was reading on Omnivore. Since there is no integration between Omnivore and Things, automation is not possible and trying to build one is not worth it. ## 🗺️ Discoveries > 1️⃣ I made some tests with Google's NotebookLM using my main website as the source. It's fast, and after a few minutes, I was already impressed. There is a media buzz about this podcasting feature, which is technically impressive, but ethically, I find this dangerous. 2️⃣ I discovered [www.flaticon.com](https://www.flaticon.com/?ref=numericcitizen.me) while searching for icons for a Keynote presentation template. I think I knew about that icon collection but forgot about it. I might subscribe to it if I find enough interesting icon sets to build a coherent collection. ## 📖 Reading > 1️⃣ [The end of Tabletop newsletter](https://michaelsteeber.substack.com/p/keep-the-magic-alive) by Michael Steeber. So sad. Michael didn't share much about what's next for him. I hope he is okay. Maybe he was hired by Apple? Maybe there is not much to say about Apple Stores nowadays. The rate of new stores opening is relatively low, and most news is about remodelling and relocation. 2️⃣ Lou Plummer launched a challenge for bloggers and writers: [the appreciation challenge](https://louplummer.lol/an-appreciation-challenge-spread-the-love/?ref=numericcitizen.me). I find the idea rather interesting, so I was probably the first to share [my appreciation for his work publicly](https://micro.blog/numericcitizen/46884078?ref=numericcitizen.me). ## 👨🏻‍💻 Writing > 1️⃣ [ChatGPT canvas](https://openai.com/index/introducing-canvas/?ref=numericcitizen.me) feature recently announced at their latest developers conference seems handy for writers like me. I tried it out to create an article and was blown away. Ultimately, the best of this will be experienced when embedded into apps like Craft or Ulysses. From the OpenAI website: “We trained GPT-4o to collaborate as a creative partner. The model knows when to open a canvas, make targeted edits, and fully rewrite. It also understands broader context to provide precise feedback and suggestions.” 2️⃣ It occurred to me this week that I often spend more time sharing photos when I'm writing less. I feel less inspired to write in the evening, and I'm also more tired; it takes less effort to share photos. That's the explanation that I came up with. 3️⃣ I finally wrote and shared [my Apple Watch Series 10 review](https://numericcitizen.me/apple-watch-series-10-a-significant-iterative-refinement/). I made a funny title: “A Significant Iterative Refinement.” I'm playing with words here and making fun of Apple’s iterative product releases. [Numeric Citizen Blog Posts Monthly Digest - Numeric Citizen Blog](https://blog.numericcitizen.me/newsletters/2024/10/01/11121.html?ref=numericcitizen.me) ## 🌄 Photography > 1️⃣ I've spent more time editing photos than usual in the last couple of days, and I'm enjoying it. Next week, I’m going on a short trip to New York to see a show of Sting, and I'll bring my camera with me for sure. 2️⃣ [Great video](https://youtu.be/ccYwgOnvPL8?si=GPyzNWfN0Z4EOOeT&ref=numericcitizen.me) about showing the iPhone 16 Pro video capabilities, entirely shot in Chicago, an excellent place for such video. It could have been an Apple ad. Was it? 3️⃣ A [great review from Tyler Stalman](https://youtu.be/be0ijSY7Kg0?si=41YW5sS7ZD8RWIS-&ref=numericcitizen.me) of the iPhone 16 from a photographer's perspective. 4️⃣ Another iPhone 16-related review, this time about [the controversial Camera Control by Sebastiaan De With](https://www.lux.camera/the-iphone-16-pro-camera-review-control/?ref=numericcitizen.me). [Ben Lomon on Glass Photography CommunityBen Lomon. Montreal-based photography enthusiast.![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/icon/favicon-2.svg)![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/thumbnail/benlomonphoto.jpg)](https://glass.photo/benlomonphoto?ref=numericcitizen.me) > A Montreal-based photographer I discovered this week. I like to see my city as seen through the eyes of another street photographer. [Monthly Category Favorites — Windows — GlassHow did you frame them?![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/icon/favicon-3.svg)![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/thumbnail/photo)](https://glass.photo/highlights/windows-favorites?ref=numericcitizen.me) Glass’s monthly category for September was “windows. “ In its category highlight, Glass offers a few great images shared by the community. I submitted two photos (image [one](https://glass.photo/numericcitizen/XaJYa0QyRk2zI2DWXqPrS?ref=numericcitizen.me) and image [two](https://glass.photo/numericcitizen/387AoK0F8xJ5lOZsscfGSZ?ref=numericcitizen.me)) in that category but wasn’t selected. ## 🍎 Apple > 1️⃣ [The Pixel Fold Makes the iPhone look old](https://spyglass.org/pixel-fold-versus-iphone/?ref=numericcitizen.me). Really? This form factor does not convince me, and I’m not alone because I never see someone using a folding device. I prefer discreet devices like a phone and a tablet. And a Mac. I must be getting old. 2️⃣ The Macintosh IIci with an Apple Portrait Display as shown [here](https://www.reddit.com/r/VintageApple/comments/1fxdnrp/bicycle%5Ffor%5Fthe%5Fmind/?ref=numericcitizen.me) was a very popular configuration for anyone doing serious desktop publishing in the early nineties. I always liked portrait display orientation and I wonder why we don’t see that more often these days. ![A Mac Iici with an Apple Portrait Display. The perfect desktop publishing setup.](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/2024/10/Image.png) A Mac Iici with an Apple Portrait Display. The perfect desktop publishing setup. ## 🚧 Special projects > 1️⃣ My 1Password to Apple Passwords migration is going well. The fun thing about this migration is that I relived old memories of many defunct web services I used in 2014 when I started using 1Password for storing my passwords. I disabled the 1Password browser extension on all my devices to force myself into migrating passwords. It works. ## 📱 Apps & Services > 1️⃣ Ghost is still working on implementing Fediverse. It's still too early, but Ghost users like me could see their monthly bill increase as the number of fediverse followers increases. I submitted my request to be part of the [upcoming beta](https://activitypub.ghost.org/beta-plans/?ref=numericcitizen.me). Tiny sites with small memberships are preferred; this is precisely what my Ghost site is: small. Ghost's subscription tiers are based on the number of subscribers. With Fediverse, the number of followers will add up to the subscriber count, which could translate into a price increase for me. Since my audience is relatively small, it's not an issue for me. 2️⃣ Inoreader is prepping a significant web application redesign. After switching to the beta version and testing it for a few hours, I must say that this is the most successful redesign of any web service that I have ever seen. The new look offers higher information density while being cleaner and more functional. A new sidebar provides a great way to switch between major Inoreader features like RSS feeds, audio, search, etc. I provided a screenshot of my home view so you can judge yourself. 3️⃣ I finally cancelled my Linktr.ee subscription after three years of use. It was a great ride, but I prefer to focus on fewer platforms now. 4️⃣ If you are a writer using one of the popular writing apps like Ulysses or iA Writer, consider reading [this review](https://havn.blog/2024/09/29/app-review-paper.html?ref=numericcitizen.me) of an alternative app called Paper (very detailed). ![The redesigned Inoreader web application. Wonderful.](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/2024/10/Image-1.png) The redesigned Inoreader web application. Wonderful. ![My soon-to-be-retired Linktr.ee page.](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/2024/10/Image-2.png) My soon-to-be-retired Linktr.ee page. ## 📺 YouTube > 1️⃣ Again this week, I spent quite some time watching video reviews of the RODECaster Video device and again, more than ever, I think this is something I will get. The question now is when? It's a relatively expensive device, and I'm also waiting for the next Mac mini to be announced in the next few weeks, which will probably cost a lot, too. ## 💎 Miscellaneous > 1️⃣ Google announced two new Chromebooks and the integration of Gemini AI with a dedicated keyboard key. I would consider getting the Lenovo Chromebook Duet because of its relatively good design. But why am I considering getting this? I'm curious to test the water outside the Apple walled garden. I like vertically integrated solutions, and Google can compete with Apple. ## 🔮 Looking forward > 1️⃣ I'm still looking forward to the October announcements from Apple, which will focus on the M4 Macs, including the redesigned Mac mini. From there, I'll decide if I upgrade my M1 Mac mini or buy the RODECaster Video device or do both. I wish you a great week! ✌️👋🏻 💡 This newsletter edition is also available as a Craft shared document [here](https://crafted.numericcitizen.me/ephemeral-scrapbook-edition-2024-40?ref=numericcitizen.me). Index of past editions can be found [here](https://crafted.numericcitizen.me/GHb2dEbIsUtgQ4?ref=numericcitizen.me). This week's edition is based on template version 1.5 — [Sun, Sep 1](about:blank) and was put together with ❤️ on a 15-inch MacBook Air, Craft Docs and many supporting subscriptions! Support my work ([Paypal](https://paypal.me/numericcitizen?locale.x=en%5FUS&ref=numericcitizen.me)) or [become a supporter](https://ko-fi.com/numericcitizen/?ref=numericcitizen.me) with Ko-fi! ### Apple Watch Series 10: A Significant Iterative Refinement URL: https://numericcitizen.me/apple-watch-series-10-a-significant-iterative-refinement/ Last updated: 2024-10-10T11:04:07.000Z Apple's September 2024 release of the Apple Watch Series 10 introduces a range of improvements that mark a substantial progression, particularly for users upgrading from earlier versions like the Series 6 or Series 8\. Based on my experience with the new device, I want to highlight the key innovations and enhancements that set the Series 10 apart from its predecessors. ## Performance and Design Enhancements The Series 10 is still true to its origin; the new finish and larger display make it look rounder, but I'm not sure there is a significant difference. The larger screen is handy when interacting with apps or reading notifications, making the overall experience more user-friendly while allowing more information to be displayed seamlessly. The edges of the display curve more smoothly into the casing, giving it a refined aesthetic that enhances its appearance and usability. The thinner bezels make better use of the display area, allowing more information to be shown without feeling cluttered. This thoughtful design iteration makes it easier to read messages, type on the on-screen keyboard, navigate apps, and use widgets—all contributing to a superior user experience. The Series 10 offers a significant boost in performance. Compared to my Series 8—a noticeable upgrade over the Series 6—the Series 10 is considerably more responsive. The user interface of watchOS is smoother, with apps launching faster than before. This speed improvement is especially evident for those upgrading from older models. Skipping a generation of devices is the best way to feel these differences when upgrading. Everything from switching watch faces to opening apps feels instantaneous, and this increase in responsiveness contributes to an enhanced overall user experience. ![Strangely, the Series 10 looks smaller than my Series 8 on this photo.](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/2024/10/_IMG_3451-optimised-optimised.jpeg) Strangely, the Series 10 looks smaller than my Series 8 on this photo. ## Notable New Features The new double-tap (or double-pinch?) gesture has proven incredibly useful, adding a new level of convenience when navigating or interacting with the watch. This feature allows users to quickly control apps and interact with notifications without using the other hand, which is particularly helpful when on the move. The gesture feels intuitive and becomes second nature after just a short period of use, enhancing the overall hands-free experience. It is handy for answering calls, stopping timers, or controlling media playback, reducing the need to tap buttons or use the Digital Crown. Another notable addition is the on-device translation feature, which has been very handy for quick translations. I downloaded the English and French language packs, and having translation capabilities directly on the watch has been helpful in day-to-day situations. This feature is perfect for travellers or those who frequently interact in different languages, as it provides instant translations without relying on an internet connection. The accuracy of the translations is also impressive, and the speed at which the watch processes these requests is a testament to the improved performance of the Series 10. Another surprisingly enjoyable feature is listening to podcasts or music through the watch's speakers. While it might seem unconventional, it’s a convenient option for brief listening sessions when headphones aren’t available. Given the small form factor, the speakers are clear enough for spoken word content, and the sound quality is adequate. ## Upgrade Process Challenges Despite the many enhancements, the upgrade process remains an area needing refinement. Apple’s in-store purchasing experience is seamless, but migrating settings and watch faces from an older watch is still cumbersome. The Apple Watch backup and restore feature does not work reliably, which disrupts the upgrade process for many users. The ability to share watch faces via iMessage is clever and saves time, but it doesn’t provide a complete migration solution. A more streamlined approach that allows easy transfer of all settings would significantly improve the upgrade experience. The current process requires too much manual setup. There is also the risk of losing some configurations in the process, which makes upgrading feel less rewarding than it should be. For those upgrading to the Series 10 while keeping an older watch, here’s a helpful tip: use iMessage to share watch faces from your old device to the new one. This lets you quickly set up your preferred watch faces without starting from scratch. Install your apps first, then send each watch face via iMessage to yourself, enabling easy installation on the new watch. This method saves time and helps ensure that your new watch feels familiar right from the start while still taking advantage of the improvements in performance and design. For those who decide to set up their watch from scratch, it can be an opportunity to curate watch faces and settings intentionally. I found it refreshing to start anew, choosing only the watch faces I needed rather than transferring everything from my old device. This method allowed me to simplify my watch setup and only retain the features that I found most helpful. However, not every user will find this experience liberating—many would prefer a one-click solution that ensures all settings and configurations are automatically transferred without hassle. Another area for improvement is the syncing process, particularly for music and photos. Allowing users more control over when and how content syncs would significantly improve user experience. Music and pictures only sync when the watch is charging, which is typically overnight while I wear my Series 8\. Since I got my new watch, my favorite photo album still hasn’t synced, and there’s no option to force the sync. This limitation can be inconvenient, especially for users who want certain content readily available. Apple could improve this by allowing users to manually initiate syncing, ensuring that content is updated according to personal preferences rather than the device’s schedule. Simplifying the migration process when upgrading watches would enhance the overall experience, making it as seamless as the initial in-store purchase. ## Health Monitoring and Battery Performance The health-monitoring capabilities on the Series 10 have also seen notable improvements. For instance, The heart rate monitor is more accurate than my previous Series 6\. During workouts, such as walking, the Series 10 consistently provided precise heart rate readings without blackout periods, addressing a critical problem of earlier models. This increase in accuracy is particularly beneficial for those who rely on the watch for fitness tracking, as it provides a more reliable assessment of their exercise metrics. Additionally, the Series 10 includes improvements to other health features like blood oxygen monitoring, which initially came with the Series 6, sleep apnea detection, and sleep tracking. Together, these features work more seamlessly, offering richer insights into overall health and well-being and encouraging healthier habits. Battery performance has also improved, thanks, of course, to the new battery. My Series 8, with 84% battery health, and my Series 6, at 64%, clearly showed their age. The Series 10, with its new battery, delivers much longer usage time, especially when using more demanding features like long workouts or the remote camera app. With moderate use, the watch comfortably lasts more than a day, even with health tracking and other features enabled. Before going to bed, the battery level is now at more than 60%, allowing more than a day of usage on a single charge. The low-power mode also extends battery life, which is helpful during long outdoor activities or when charging is not immediately available. This extended battery performance makes it easier to rely on the watch throughout the day without worrying about finding time to charge it. ## About The Second Hand Animation One minor inconsistency I noticed was with the animation of the second hand across different watch faces. With a 1 Hertz refresh rate, the new Reflections watch face features continuous second-hand animation, while many others do not, without any apparent reason for the discrepancy. While this doesn’t affect functionality, a small detail detracts from an otherwise cohesive experience. Apple could address this inconsistency in future updates to ensure a uniform experience across all watch faces, mainly since attention to detail is one of the hallmarks of their products. ## Conclusion Overall, the Apple Watch Series 10 represents a significant upgrade for those coming from older devices, as well as for more recent ones like the Series 8\. With improved performance, a larger and more ergonomic design, enhanced health features, and new interactions, such as the double-tap gesture, it’s a compelling choice for those using older models. While Apple’s attention to detail is evident in many areas, there remains room for improvement in the upgrade and syncing processes. Despite these minor drawbacks, the Series 10 watch pushes the boundaries of what a smartwatch can offer, making it an excellent choice for new users and seasoned Apple Watch owners. ### The Ephemeral Scrapbook — Edition 2024-38 URL: https://numericcitizen.me/the-ephemeral-scrapbook-edition-2024-38/ Last updated: 2024-09-30T10:35:42.000Z > The following is a summary of my contribution activities since the previous newsletter edition > 👨🏻‍💻 23 posts 😃 > 🏞️ 2 photos shared 😔 > 🎙️ No podcast episode published 😔 > 📺 No YouTube video published 😔 > This newsletter edition covers weeks 37 and 38. ## 👤 Personal > 1️⃣ It’s been a busy two weeks. I just returned from a business trip to Las Vegas and spent quite some time working on our future home improvement project. Plus, this underground project of going freelance also took some of my spare time. This explains why I didn’t share much in the last two weeks. ## 🗺️ Discoveries > 1️⃣ As Manuel Moreale [said](https://manuelmoreale.com/@/page/m81mrDKyV49xLQY8?ref=numericcitizen.me), discovering (non-dev) blogs is hard. 2️⃣ I found this blog, [Things](https://thingstoclick.com/?ref=numericcitizen.me), by Guy Schmidt: minimalistic, but with most of the things I like. 3️⃣ I haven't thought about it, but depending on the wallpaper you use on your iPhone, you could save battery power during the day. [These wallpapers](https://ljpuk.net/2024/09/16/download-the-apple-astronomy-wallpapers/?ref=numericcitizen.me), because of the clever use of the rule of thirds, are rather beautiful if you like astronomy. 4️⃣ I love visual notes (also called Sketch notes). I took notes during a recent brainstorming session at the office and was reminded about sketch notes' existence. I researched the web, found many great examples, and stumbled on “[Ink Company Studio](https://inkfactorystudio.com/?ref=numericcitizen.me).” What they do is clever: during a corporate event, you subscribe to the company’s service to create sketch notes during meetings or presentations. It’s very cool. While skimming different sketch note styles, I realized I like it when there is a good balance between text, iconography and colours. 5️⃣ Another cool discovery is [the official website of Alberto Ortega](https://albertoortega.art/?ref=numericcitizen.me). His artwork is made of paintings of street scenes from the fifties based on handmade miniature models that he creates. It's really cool and unique. ![Some great sketchnotes examples.](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/2024/09/a9d6623e9623848327842a898d371bb8.jpeg) Some great sketchnotes examples. ## 📖 Reading > 1️⃣ While browsing my Micro.blog timeline, I met Erlend from Norway. I came across his Micro.blog hosted [website](https://havn.blog/?ref=numericcitizen.me) that I have found to be gorgeous and unique in its design and appearance. At first, I didn't believe this website was hosted on Micro.blog using one of the available visual themes, but yeah, it is. Browsing his website is a delight both visually and with the content. I decided to support him via his Ko-Fi page. > > "So many ‘exciting’ camera upgrades, so much computational assistance, you’ll end up forgetting what it means to take a photo." — Riccardo Mori ## 👨🏻‍💻 Writing > 1️⃣ I'm enjoying [writing for Medium](https://medium.com/numeric-citizen-journeys?ref=numericcitizen.me). While doing so, I gathered a bunch of notes about my writing and reading experience on this platform. I plan to write an article about that soon. There are many things to like about Medium but a few irritating things to dislike too. It's a bit a love-and-hate relationship. ## 🌄 Photography > 1️⃣ Another excellent photo series by JF Dupuis, this time about a dear subject of mine: clouds. [Really big clouds](https://pixelfed.social/p/jfdupuis/737726216294640655?ref=numericcitizen.me). 2️⃣ For those with an old iPad, here’s a good suggestion: make it a photo frame with [this app](https://apps.apple.com/ca/app/synced-photo-frame-by-re-frame/id1667679282?ref=numericcitizen.me). I spent some time digitizing old family photos recently, and putting them on an old iPad is a good idea. 3️⃣ I decided to tweak some photo-related settings on my iPhone: Preview HDR content is now OFF and photographic styles is now set to rich contrast. My desire here is to remove some typical iPhone images flatness and this comes after watching [this iPhone 16 Pro review](https://youtu.be/0DL%5FDAdm108?si=ZdundZI6rvyvgmP6&ref=numericcitizen.me) from The Verge. 4️⃣ If you are contemplating buying the iPhone 16 Pro for its photo-related features, consider watching [this video review](https://youtu.be/QqTSnI0bfFk?si=AtJAz4bzQiK2OTzM&ref=numericcitizen.me) from Peta Pixels. Well worth your time. One of my nephew bought the iPhone 16 Pro and found the Camera Control to be finicky to use requiring a long learning curve to master. I'm skipping this year's iPhone and hope that next year Apple will tweak that new button. > > I’m wondering if the new iPhone 16 Camera Control is the new Touch Bar. – Numeric Citizen ![Photographic style changes on my iPhone.](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/2024/09/Image-7.png) Photographic style changes on my iPhone. [Dewi Koomen on Glass Photography CommunityDewi Koomen. Love to see the extraordinary in the ordinary - proud mom 👧🏻 👦🏻 🇹🇼 - Click Pro - Dutch 🇳🇱![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/icon/favicon-1.svg)![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/thumbnail/dewikoomen.jpg)](https://glass.photo/dewikoomen?ref=numericcitizen.me) Discovered Dewi Koomen on Glass. I love her photography style and the many subjects. [This photo](https://glass.photo/dewikoomen/6K2xveOOq8n1kT9J9mTNpM?ref=numericcitizen.me), for example, seems to tell a story. ## 🍎 Apple > 1️⃣ Lack of excitement. [Sameness](https://morrick.me/archives/9864?ref=numericcitizen.me). Boring. [Ennui](https://daringfireball.net/2024/09/thoughts%5Fand%5Fobservations%5Fin%5Fthe%5Fwake%5Fof%5Fapples%5Fits%5Fglowtime%5Fkeynote?ref=numericcitizen.me). These are general sentiments about the last Apple Keynote announcing the new iPhone. On top of that is the perception that Apple Intelligence won't do the trick of triggering a super-cycle. As the main backdrop, developers have been angry about Apple for quite a while now. Something wrong is happening, and I wonder if Apple is noticing. 2️⃣ Not everyone is impressed by Apple. In [this blog post](https://morrick.me/archives/9864?ref=numericcitizen.me), Riccardo Mori offers a rather harsh take on Apple and their recent announcements. Ouch. He is a longtime Apple user, but when he started with Apple, it was quite a different world, and Apple was so different. Apple, the underdog, was more likeable. 3️⃣ Manuel Moreale [hates](https://manuelmoreale.com/thoughts-on-the-new-ios-control-centre?ref=numericcitizen.me) the redesigned Control Center. It seems Apple is doing everything wrong. 4️⃣ Apple Intelligence [rollout](https://appleinsider.com/articles/24/09/22/ios-18s-slow-rollout-will-phase-in-apple-intelligence-over-the-next-six-months?ref=numericcitizen.me) will take a [long time](https://www.macrumors.com/2024/09/22/apple-intelligence-features-timing/?ref=numericcitizen.me). How could this be different? Generative AI wasn't a thing until late 2022, and Apple had about two years to figure out a whole new integration and backend infrastructure to support that in a meaningful and secure way for its users. 5️⃣ While waiting for Apple Intelligence, it might be a good idea to read [MacStories iOS 18 review](https://www.macstories.net/stories/ios-and-ipados-18-the-macstories-review/?ref=numericcitizen.me). I want to mention two things about this review. First, I like the artwork used across pages and review details. It is a direct jab at Apple's upcoming Apple Intelligence image creation tool and AI-generated content. MacStories commissioned an iPad artist to create these artworks. Second, I like the author's take on Apple Intelligence, AI in general, and his desire to be a creative guy who dislikes AI-generated artifacts, which negates the unique value proposition of humans: creativity. 6️⃣ [Meta Connect was fun](https://www.manton.org/2024/09/25/meta-connect.html?ref=numericcitizen.me), apparently. ![iPhone Pro colours over the years.](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/2024/09/Image-1-4.png) iPhone Pro colours over the years. ## 🚧 Special projects > 1️⃣ Since the official release of Apple's Passwords app, their official password management solution, I started migrating my passwords off 1Password. I came across [this article](https://rmondello.com/2024/09/19/consider-slowing-down-when-switching-password-managers/?ref=numericcitizen.me) from one of the developers behind Apple's Passwords, Ricky Mondello. He works for Apple. I'll use his "online method” to migrate and increase my online security posture. I’m trying to migrate a few passwords each day. Tedious. ## 📱 Apps & Services > 1️⃣ There are two places to look for information about iOS 18 and iPadOS 18: MacStories [detailed review](https://www.macstories.net/stories/ios-and-ipados-18-the-macstories-review/?ref=numericcitizen.me) and [this guide](https://www.macrumors.com/guide/ios-18-ultimate-guide/?ref=numericcitizen.me) from MacRumors. 2️⃣ The new Reeder app continues to trigger reactions. [Some people](https://jeroensangers.com/2024/09/12/discovering-the-new.html?ref=numericcitizen.me) really like the latest iteration. 3️⃣ [iA Writer for Android will retire](https://ia.net/topics/our-android-app-is-frozen-in-carbonite?ref=numericcitizen.me), thanks to Google’s Play Store rules. > > “Developing on Android is a daily worsening struggle with red tape, inconsistent device performance, App Store search performance gaming3, and rampant piracy.” — iA Writer developer. ## 📺 YouTube > 1️⃣ [On the ](https://youtu.be/fEy9JhHk6lg?si=JqIpBzzzHREaHboY&ref=numericcitizen.me)“[How About Tomorrow?](https://youtu.be/fEy9JhHk6lg?si=JqIpBzzzHREaHboY&ref=numericcitizen.me)” podcast with Adam Elmore & Dax Raad, DHH joins in and discusses so many interesting and controversial things that I cannot decide where to start. From Apple’s current hegemony over developers and users, quitting the Microsoft world, then quitting the Apple world and joining the Linux bandwagon, quitting the cloud, and building its things, this discussion is highly entertaining. DHH is a controversial guy, and this discussion contains so many opinionated views that there is a lot to unpack. I must admit that many of the opinions expressed resonate with me. DHH is correct when talking about Apple and its power over developers. Quitting the Apple ecosystem is something that I read more and more. Many are talking about this, but very few make the jump. I don't see myself doing it soon; I'm probably too old for that, but I can see the point. Hyperconcentration of power is not a good thing for anyone. DHH’s bravery in calling out things is necessary. 2️⃣ I came across the new RodeCaster video reviews, and I must say that I’m impressed. So much that I’m considering getting one when it is finally available. For 1200 US$, it’s not exactly cheap, but it could solve many of the challenges I have while doing video recordings and for Teams meetings at work. ## 💎 Miscellaneous > 1️⃣ I’ve been on Bluesky since April 25th, 2023\. My user number is 35,638\. Not bad. See my badge below. It reminds me of my early days on Twitter back in 2007\. I was an early adopter, too. 2️⃣ I made a video about Craft. I shared [a summary of it](https://www.reddit.com/r/CraftDocs/comments/1fhajuj/getting%5Fready%5Ffor%5Fcraft%5Fobjects%5Fconcepts%5Fideas/?ref=numericcitizen.me) on Reddit. Got called out for writing a bad summary using ChatGPT. I got some support in response. Not everyone is a jerk. Still, I hate Reddit. ![My Bluesky user number.](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/2024/09/Bluesky-10M-Users-optimised.png) My Bluesky user number. ## 🔮 Looking forward > 1️⃣ [This video](https://youtu.be/mpKKcqWnTus?si=cm6Uhz0ElfndqD7j&ref=numericcitizen.me) about Meta's Orion augmented reality glasses made me look at the Apple Vision Pro differently. Even if Apple Visio Pro is a technological marvel, Orion Glass shows the way in some areas, like device size and style. It's interesting. But I still don't like Meta and Zuckerberg. I wish you a great week! ✌️👋🏻 📌 This newsletter edition is also available as a Craft shared document ****here**. This week's edition is based on template version 1.5 — [Sun, Sep 1](about:blank) and was put together with ❤️ on a 15-inch MacBook Air, Craft Docs and many supporting subscriptions! Support my work ([Paypal](https://paypal.me/numericcitizen?locale.x=en%5FUS&ref=numericcitizen.me)) or [become a supporter](https://ko-fi.com/numericcitizen/?ref=numericcitizen.me) with Ko-fi! [Newsletter Past Editions![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/icon/apple-touch-icon-3.png)![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/thumbnail/GHb2dEbIsUtgQ4-1)](https://crafted.numericcitizen.me/GHb2dEbIsUtgQ4?ref=numericcitizen.me) ## 📅 Meta ![Things that I accomplished during the week, as seen in Things 3.](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/2024/09/Image-2-4.png) Things that I accomplished during the week, as seen in [Things 3](https://culturedcode.com/things/?ref=numericcitizen.me). ![Numeric Citizen Digital Space Tip Sheet 2024-01-Lowres.png](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/2024/09/Numeric-Citizen-Digital-Space-Tip-Sheet-2024-3.png) Numeric Citizen Digital Space Tip Sheet 2024-01-Lowres.png ### The Ephemeral Scrapbook — Edition 2024-36 URL: https://numericcitizen.me/the-ephemeral-scrapbook-edition-2024-36/ Last updated: 2024-09-15T21:29:55.000Z > The latest edition of "The Ephemeral Scrapbook" details the author’s activities, which range from sharing various posts and photos to digitizing family memories with Photomyne. Notable discoveries include Jony Ive’s new button design and Jeremy Ultey's blog on generative AI. The author expresses mixed feelings about sorting old family photos and highlights the significance of curation in combatting disinformation. The newsletter also discusses Apple's recent Glowtime event, iOS updates, and impressions of the iPhone 16\. The author contemplates the future of content creation as centered on human curation, and shares insights on writing, with a particular process involving ChatGPT for translations. Future plans include visiting an Apple Store to experience new products announced in the recent keynote. > The following summarizes my contribution activities since the previous newsletter edition. **The next edition is scheduled for early October**. > 👨🏻‍💻 19 posts shared 😃 > 🏞️ 3 photos shared 😔 > 🎙️ No podcast episode published 😔 > 📺 One YouTube video published 🙂 ## 👤 Personal > 1️⃣ Last weekend, I spent quite some time sorting out boxes of old family photos. I came out of this exercise with mixed feelings. It is strange to see in a picture that 95% of the people pictured are dead. It's hard to realize that I missed a significant portion of my parent's life when they were retired. I was too busy with my own things. I'm the youngest child, and I had a big age gap with my parents I somehow always saw them as being rather old. Nonetheless, I miss them. 2️⃣ I resubscribed to Photomyne for a month to digitize some of my family photos before throwing them out. It works great. I'm using my iPhone 15 Pro Max for this. I wrote [a review of Photomyne](https://numericcitizen.me/a-few-notes-on-my-experience-with-photomyne/) a while ago. ## 🗺️ Discoveries > 1️⃣ Jony Ive, now at “Love From” company, designed a... [button](https://www.fastcompany.com/91185536/jony-ives-lovefrom-reinvents-the-button-with-moncler?ref=numericcitizen.me). It looks cool, but I want to hear the satisfying click when both parts snap together. 2️⃣ I discovered [this "blog"](https://www.jeremyutley.design/blog?ref=numericcitizen.me) by Jeremy Ultey, a professor from Stanford University. He is currently invested in helping others take advantage of generative AI to help people and companies gain comfort and confidence. 3️⃣ Here is [a good way](https://jrn.sh/post/how-i-find-interesting-blogs?ref=numericcitizen.me) to discover new blogs. ## 📖 Reading > 1️⃣ In the article “[Curate to Create](https://www.jeremyutley.design/blog/curate-to-create?ref=numericcitizen.me),” I found the whole idea resonating. Based on the principle that nothing created is really new these days, what's left to be done is to curate and develop connections between bits of information. Also, I see that curation is one way to combat disinformation and add value to published content. In a way, it's the entire point of this newsletter. Am I good at it? No, but I'm working at it every single day. > > “The reason why the current web sucks is because way too many people are expecting things to magically get better without doing their part. The web is a collaborative product and we all have to do our part to make it better.” — Manuel Moreale ## 👨🏻‍💻 Writing > 1️⃣ Writing helps me think and sometimes [leads to solving problems or challenges](https://blog.ericgregorich.com/2024/09/04/how-writing-can.html?ref=numericcitizen.me). For example, I’ve been writing a few stories about my thoughts on becoming a freelancer, and this helped me have a clearer view of what it really means. Writing, for me, is the best way to process thoughts and ideas. Without writing, I would be blind. 2️⃣ I wrote [a new story](https://medium.com/numeric-citizen-journeys/navigating-evolving-work-conditions-a-strategic-approach-to-freelance-8b9ef1d914e8?sk=67334a252e29892401add8a474ba4cb0&ref=numericcitizen.me) on Medium this week about a personal experience at work. I followed this process: I wrote the initial story in French and then used ChatGPT to translate it into English. I read the results and felt it wasn't conveying the essence of the original text. I asked ChatGPT to improve the writing of the resulting first iteration. It came out pretty well. Then, I asked ChatGPT to elaborate on a specific story aspect I felt wasn't well explained. I was impressed with the results. What is this process telling me? It is sometimes more manageable to start writing my ideas in French. Asking ChatGPT to translate my text into English is transitory because the resulting translation often needs improvements. ## 🌄 Photography > 1️⃣ I’m still eagerly waiting for the Glass Series to launch. No official dates have been set so far. It is exhausting to wait for that. 2️⃣ I discovered Micheal Beecham on Glass while browsing black and white photos. This guy is so good at capturing the mood, and doing it in black and white offers the best way to capture the subtleties of the scenes. 3️⃣ [A series of great black & white portraits](https://pixelfed.social/p/jfdupuis/737726441978010787?ref=numericcitizen.me) from JF Dupuis on Pixelfed. [Michael Beecham on Glass Photography CommunityMichael Beecham. A Dorset-based black and white landscape photographer. Usually on a hillside, or in a woodland somewhere. Tall. Generally good-natured.![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/icon/favicon.svg)![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/thumbnail/michaelbeecham.jpg)](https://glass.photo/michaelbeecham?ref=numericcitizen.me) Another discovery this week on Glass [Jean-François Dupuis (@jfdupuis@pixelfed.social)Portraits![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/icon/favicon.png)Pixelfed![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/thumbnail/LyRZ1goC9h2dQYVSFUvjSe47GIlw3lOrPHG6PnzH.jpg)](https://pixelfed.social/p/jfdupuis/737726441978010787?ref=numericcitizen.me) Beautiful portraits ## 🍎 Apple > 1️⃣ [Like him](https://gregmorris.co.uk/2024/09/08/the-no-action.html?ref=numericcitizen.me), I rarely use the action button on my iPhone 15 Pro Max. Apple is adding another button on the iPhone 16\. Will people use it more? I guess so since it is dedicated à taking photos and videos. 2️⃣ Apple Glowtime event took place. In my opinion, we should call it an infomercial more than an event. I share most of my thoughts about it [here](https://numericcitizen.me/my-observations-of-the-its-glowtime-iphone-16-event/). 3️⃣ Reactions are mixed, I would say. 4️⃣ Apple Observatory seems to be a new construction site at Apple Park in California. According to [this article on Dezeen](https://www.dezeen.com/2024/09/09/the-observatory-apple-park-california/?ref=numericcitizen.me), it looks like a great place with a design that is similar to Apple's current architectural traits and elements. The place was first on the day of the Glowtime keynote, where the new iPhone 16 line was launched. It was used as a demonstration space, [according to Gruber](https://daringfireball.net/linked/2024/09/10/apple-park-observatory?ref=numericcitizen.me). 5️⃣ Speaking of Gruber, Manuel Moreale [wrote a small post](https://manuelmoreale.com/the-eu-vs-us-iphone-debate?ref=numericcitizen.me) about the EU vs US iPhone debate, the iPhone divide, and the way Gruber keeps hammering the subject in the name of what, exactly? We don't know. This piece might come across as bold and confrontational. The tone challenges Gruber’s perspectives on Apple’s features and policies, especially around the EU vs. US debate over iPhone functionalities. It questions the value of Gruber’s critiques and urges him to adopt a more inclusive mindset, embracing user choice and differing opinions globally [Exclusive photos reveal Apple’s subterranean Apple Park ObservatoryDezeen can exclusively reveal photos of technology brand Apple’s new events venue, which is sunk into the hillside at the Apple Park campus in California.![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/icon/safari-pinned-tab.svg)DezeenTom Ravenscroft![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/thumbnail/the-observatory-apple-park-california_dezeen_2364_hero_2-600x600.jpg)](https://www.dezeen.com/2024/09/09/the-observatory-apple-park-california/?ref=numericcitizen.me) > "Apple’s brand, product ecosystem and marketing muscle are all so strong that even the bare minimum is usually enough." — Mark Gurman ![Most of all previous iPhone models. Which one is your favourite? Mine is the iPhone 15 Pro Max, not pictured here, though.](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/2024/09/Image.jpeg) Most of all previous iPhone models. Which one is your favourite? Mine is the iPhone 15 Pro Max, not pictured here, though. > “Sameness in design is not equivalent to a lack of creativity." — Om Malik ![Apple Observatory, a new venue on the Apple Park. ](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/2024/09/Image-6.png) Apple Observatory, a new venue on the Apple Park. > “It just occurred to me that Apple (and other “gatekeepers”) are getting a bit of their own medicine with the DMA. Developers in the App Store have always had to live with unclear and changing rules, as well as the risk that Apple will effectively shut down your business with an absolute rejection. Suddenly the bully is being bullied, with changing rules and unclear guidelines — and they don't like it.” — [https://mastodon.cloud/@drewmccormack/113106933929326824](https://mastodon.cloud/@drewmccormack/113106933929326824?ref=numericcitizen.me) ![This is a fake marketing, but this is really fun.](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/2024/09/Image-1-3.png) This is a fake marketing, but this is really fun. I always like Marques Brownlee’s takes on Apple’s announcements, this one is no exception. I chose to share this YouTube video over all the others because of that. He shares a balanced view on this year’s iPhone models. [It’s Glowtime Apple Event Bingo — Basic Apple GuyApple’s “It’s Glowtime” event is scheduled for 10:00am PST on Monday, September 09.![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/icon/BALogo.png)Basic Apple GuyBasicAppleGuy![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/thumbnail/Glowtime3x2.png)](https://basicappleguy.com/basicappleblog/its-glowtime-apple-event-bingo?ref=numericcitizen.me) Did BasicAppleGuy fare well? Yes and no: 50% hit, %50 miss. ## 🚧 Special projects > 1️⃣ This Medium Publication « [Numeric Citizen Journeys](https://medium.com/numeric-citizen-journeys?ref=numericcitizen.me) » is in fact gradually becoming my newest project. Since I like documenting a lot of stuff in my life, I think this could be helpful for other people in the same situation. Consider giving it a look, I'm quite happy so far with the design. ## 📱 Apps & Services > 1️⃣ Apple's iOS 18 is finally in release candidate state while I'm using iOS 18.1 beta on my iPhone, iPadOS 18.1 beta on my iPad and macOS 15.1 beta on my MacBook Air. I'm waiting for the subsequent betas, which should be in the next few days. 2️⃣ I'm still using the new and controversial Reeder app, which is being updated to improve formatting and functionality. 3️⃣ Apple released [three ads about Apple Intelligence](https://www.macrumors.com/2024/09/13/apple-iphone-16-pro-apple-intelligence-ads/?ref=numericcitizen.me). The main character in these ads is Isabella Ramsey, who was last seen in “The Last of Us” TV series (I can’t remember her name, sorry). I'm not sure that I like the messaging of these ads, especially where they make us look “fake” by making people think we remember things or that we read what we were expected to read, which we didn't. 4️⃣ I’ve been spending some time watching videos about Realmac Software's RapidWeaver Elements, a new static website building app, for the Mac. It is still being developed and is currently in private beta. I've been watching those videos for a secret project that might require me to build a website from scratch. Elements seems like a great Mac app. I'm afraid to learn CSS, but it should be minimal if videos are any indication. I'll report back in the future. 5️⃣ In my latest YouTube video, I discuss general concepts surrounding objects and Craft Objects. This upcoming feature in Craft is a game changer, and I felt the need to share some details before the official release later this fall. 6️⃣ Scribbles.page blogging service keeps improving quite a lot. Recent additions are [live post previews](https://scribbles.page/updates/posts/post-previews?ref=numericcitizen.me) which is handy when writing longer posts and [private blogs](https://scribbles.page/updates/posts/private-blogs?ref=numericcitizen.me) for those who needs a closer exposure of their blog. ## 📺 YouTube > 1️⃣ I recently discovered and watched the Fifth Element short film on YouTube only to find out later that this short film was entirely made by AI, from the visuals, the storyline, the music, everything! How much energy in how many datacenters does this short clip require to become reality? It's far from a perfect story, but it's a boring one. It's only the beginning. ## 💎 Miscellaneous > 1️⃣ I would love to hear the click of [Jony Ive's designed button](https://om.co/2024/09/07/jony-made-a-button/?ref=numericcitizen.me). MG Siegler [talks about it](https://spyglass.org/duo-button-design-lovefrom/?ref=numericcitizen.me), too. 2️⃣ JPEG-XL image format is official, and the latest iPhone supports it. It seems too good to be true—faster, smaller, wider support. Something is scary, though: it's a complex file format requiring a lot of code to support, as reported [on Threads](https://www.threads.net/@nixcraft/post/C%5FfOJY3y4LU/?xmt=AQGzVHaPBjJfJ4QZZoxxZfKFzcwW7BbP5%5F6QC11mBxspHg&ref=numericcitizen.me). If it is true that Firefox needs 100K lines of code to support JPEG-XL, then it is safe to assume that this also becomes a great cybersecurity attack surface. Do you remember the Macromedia Player or the Adobe Flash Player? You can also find all the details about JPEG-XL on [the official website](https://jpegxl.info/?ref=numericcitizen.me). 3️⃣ This little Dji NEO drone is super cool, and while I don't need one, I wish I had one. See the following promotional video. 4️⃣ I realized that this newsletter is all about curation, human curation, to be specific. Is this the future of the web? Some people like Jeremy Utley think it is, as he shared in “[Curate to Create](https://www.jeremyutley.design/blog/curate-to-create?ref=numericcitizen.me).” The future of content creation lies in curation, as audiences face content fatigue and anxiety from endless choices. Soooo cool. I want one. ![Working with computers in Severance.](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/2024/09/Image-2-3.png) Working with computers in Severance. A picture from the Severance series is available on Apple TV+. What a strange world this series portrays. I liked how they conveyed that people working with computers are doing things I don’t understand, and I’m in IT! What they do is unknown to me, at least. They move little numbers to meet a visual target using a trackball instead of a mouse. I like this retrocomputing style. It’s so weird and useless from our point of view. Maybe this is what other non-techy people think about those of us who work in IT, anyway? ## 🔮 Looking forward > 1️⃣ I’m looking forward to visit the Apple Store next week and experience everything Apple announced during their Glowtime keynote. I’m really eyeing the Apple Watch Series 10, to replace my aging Series 8, bought in 2022\. Battery life is miserable; I’m barely making it to the afternoon. I wish you a great week! ✌️👋🏻 💡 This newsletter edition is also available as a Craft shared document ****here**. This week's edition is based on template version 1.5 — [Sun, Sep 1](about:blank) and was put together with ❤️ on a 15-inch MacBook Air, Craft Docs and many supporting subscriptions! Support my work ([Paypal](https://paypal.me/numericcitizen?locale.x=en%5FUS&ref=numericcitizen.me)) or [become a supporter](https://ko-fi.com/numericcitizen/?ref=numericcitizen.me) with Ko-fi! [Newsletter Past Editions![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/icon/apple-touch-icon.png)![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/thumbnail/GHb2dEbIsUtgQ4)](https://crafted.numericcitizen.me/GHb2dEbIsUtgQ4?ref=numericcitizen.me) ## 📅 Meta ![Things that I accomplished during the week, as seen in Things 3.](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/2024/09/Image-3-2.png) Things that I accomplished during the week, as seen in [Things 3](https://culturedcode.com/things/?ref=numericcitizen.me). ![Numeric Citizen Digital Space Tip Sheet 2024-01-Lowres.png](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/2024/09/Numeric-Citizen-Digital-Space-Tip-Sheet-2024-2.png) Numeric Citizen Digital Space Tip Sheet 2024-01-Lowres.png ### My Observations of the “It’s Glowtime” Apple Event URL: https://numericcitizen.me/my-observations-of-the-its-glowtime-iphone-16-event/ Last updated: 2024-09-10T17:17:29.000Z Generally speaking, the “Glowtime” event has too many tech sheet talks, lacks emotional conversation, and feels too long. When a device is mature, new iterations are so subtle that mentioning those subtleties is the only way to entice users to upgrade. Or is it? I’m getting tired of the Apple headquarters. I can’t believe Apple invites the press to watch a video on a big screen. What a waste of resources and money. Here are some things that I find worthwhile talking about, at least for me. ## About the Apple Watch ![Apple Watch Series 10 upgrade summary](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/2024/09/Glowtime-Apple-Event-@-2024-09-09@13.19.40-2@.png) Apple Watch Series 10 upgrade summary First, I’m a bit surprised that Apple didn’t mention the tenth anniversary of the Apple Watch. I would have preferred an emotional retrospective segment over the specs-packed ones. And we didn’t get the redesign the iPhone underwent with the iPhone X in 2017\. Speaking of design, the new watch is barely thinner by 1 mm. As per the Apple Watch mini website, the following visual comparison lets people get the gist of it. However, the jet-black finish accentuates the slimmer design over the one in black matte. I would have preferred that they used the silver finish on both sides to be a fair comparison. ![Thinner but not by much.](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/2024/09/Image-5.png) Thinner but not by much. Another strange thing is that the Apple Watch mini website offers another visual comparison, which is the screen size. Why is the Series 8 and 9 absent from the comparison? Maybe the difference would have been too incremental. Is Apple targeting mostly Series 6 and prior owners? Anyhow, I would have liked to see the Series 8 in this comparison. ![Apple Series 10 comparisons lacks the Series 8 & 9.](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/2024/09/Image-1-2.png) Apple Series 10 comparisons lacks the Series 8 & 9. More apparent is the Series 10 design change: the watch roundness, thanks to a more pronounced corner radius. I kind of like it. As always with Apple products, seeing it in person will help you make a final decision. Also, Series 10 sports double the storage of Series 8. One more thing, absent from the keynote is Jony Ive showing a new Apple Watch band with [the newly designed “button”](https://www.fastcompany.com/91185536/jony-ives-lovefrom-reinvents-the-button-with-moncler?ref=numericcitizen.me). Is such a thing possible? I wish. ## Other notes AirPods Max was given a new charging port and colors. There are no audio improvements, no size reduction, and the same stupid carrying case. Jarrod Blundy for HeyDingus website [sums it all](https://heydingus.net/blog/2024/9/first-thoughts-on-its-glowtime?ref=numericcitizen.me) up. The AirPods Max are now the new original HomePod, IMO. Getting new features with software upgrades is great, though. This is the case for the AirPods Pro 2\. That's cool, and the messaging around it was to the point. Oh, the iPhone 16\. I find it less exciting, but I wonder if it is because the features gap is less pronounced this year. The Main camera got a new name: 48 MP Fusion camera. Confused. This new camera button and mini user interface look great. Some of the photography-related changes are intriguing: the new photographic style in post-edit is really cool. The user interface for editing a photo with a specific style using a multicoloured pad is dope. I can’t wait to try it in the Apple Store on my next visit. ![Apple Intelligence everywhere but still to be shipping.](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/2024/09/Image-2-2.png) Apple Intelligence is everywhere but still not shipping. As expected, Apple mentioned Apple Intelligence a bunch of times. You can find the logo everywhere on the iPhone mini website. I can’t wait to see real-world Apple Intelligence benchmarks for the iPhone 16 Pro compared to the iPhone 15 Pro; how much difference does 8 GB of RAM and the A18 / A18 Pro CPU make? It would cost me over a thousand Canadian dollars to upgrade from my now-discontinued iPhone 15 Pro Max. I’ll pass and wait for the iPhone 17 next year. ### The Ephemeral Scrapbook — Edition 2024-35 URL: https://numericcitizen.me/the-ephemeral-scrapbook-edition-2024-35/ Last updated: 2024-10-27T18:19:52.000Z [JF Martin (@numericcitizen@pixelfed.social)Zagreb.![](https://pixelfed.social/img/favicon.png?v=2)Pixelfed![](https://pxscdn.com/public/m/_v2/583629418009617054/0e43b1202-69768b/CXRAQMU4LPGJ/rCTfqFpxlnM3teKe2OKBLiOCeBwJho2ZGlIdg6Ce.jpg)](https://pixelfed.social/i/web/post/734720230843432786?ref=numericcitizen.me) This week's edition of The Ephemeral Scrapbook highlights my recent activities, including sharing 18 posts and 7 photos on various platforms, though I didn't release a podcast episode. I introduced the third generation of my newsletter and added a guestbook to my blog, which received positive engagement. I discovered the art magazine Colossal and tested the new Reeder app's features. My reading list included an article by Anil Dash critiquing Oprah's upcoming AI show. The Blaugust blogging festival wrapped up, and I admired some exceptional photography. On the tech front, I followed M4 Mac mini rumours, WordPress updates, and several app reviews. I also created two YouTube videos about Craft, receiving mixed reactions. Lastly, I looked forward to next week's Apple Keynote. Here is a summary of my contributions since the last newsletter edition. 👨🏻‍💻 18 posts 😃 🏞️ 7 photos shared 🙂 🎙️ No podcast episode published 😔 📺 2 YouTube videos published 😃 ## 👤 Personal > 1️⃣ My consideration for freelance work is still moving along. I continue to write about this subject and find it full of interesting angles to consider and write about. I like stimulating subjects. 2️⃣ I'm happy to introduce the third generation of my newsletter, The Ephemeral Scrapbook. 3️⃣ I added [a guestbook to my blog](https://blog.numericcitizen.me/guestbook/?ref=numericcitizen.me). Reading guestbooks at the museum on the way out is always fun, so I added one to my blog. Many readers already signed it! I'm so grateful for these simple gestures. ## 🗺️ Discoveries > 1️⃣ I discovered Colossal. According to their [website](https://www.thisiscolossal.com/?ref=numericcitizen.me) description, “Colossal is an online art magazine that celebrates contemporary art and visual culture across a wide range of creative disciplines.” Colossal showcases artists of all origins and genres. Highlighted artists are often found on other platforms like Etsy or Behance. It’s intriguing. This [poster of exoplanets](https://www.thisiscolossal.com/2024/07/martin-vargic-exoplanet-infographics/?ref=numericcitizen.me) found on Colossal is superbly done. I want one! I could spend hours on this website. 2️⃣ I was on the private beta for the new Reeder app, the successor of Reeder Classic, the venerable RSS reader. The new app offers another take on content consumption, with a single feed merging all feed sources, including RSS, YouTube, Mastodon, Blusky and audio feeds. For testing purposes, I'm subscribing to most of my publication feeds ([I like to subscribe to my own feeds](https://numericcitizen.me/three-reasons-why-i-subscribe-to-my-own-rss-feeds/)). One thing that stands out in the new Reeder app is that you can assign a tag to a post, and Reeder generates a public feed for that tag. I'm testing this feature by selectively assigning a tag called “Highlight” to some of my posts that I want to be highlighted for potential readers. You can get the public feed [here](https://reederapp.net/ndo2L3J%5FRteA6qr0R4CNCQ?ref=numericcitizen.me) (this link might break in the future). Reeder is a direct competitor to Typestry, another app developed by the Iconfactory guys, the same one who did the Mastodon client named Ivory. Tapestry isn't complete yet, but my preference goes to Reeder, for now. ![The new Reeder app home feed showing my publications.](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/2024/09/Image-4.png) The new Reeder app home feed shows my publications. ## 📖 Reading > 1️⃣ The audio reading experience on Medium using a web browser is excellent. The only thing is that reading using audio requires more attention than reading the text on the computer screen. This is true of any spoken podcast, in my case. 2️⃣ Anil Dash: [How Oprah will screw up the AI story](https://www.anildash.com/2024/08/31/oprah-wrong-ai/?ref=numericcitizen.me). Mr. Dash is not confident in the upcoming Oprah show about AI. He sounds a little too quick with his assertions. Reminder: I don't think Oprah targets the scientific community in AI or the thinkers. ## 👨🏻‍💻 Writing > 1️⃣ The Blaugust 2024 blogging festival [has concluded](https://aggronaut.com/2024/09/02/blaugust-2024-in-review/?ref=numericcitizen.me) in early September. Participants had to post at least once a day for August. That's a significant feat for those who can achieve this! I applaud everyone who could do it! As much time as I spend on my creative hobby, that's insufficient to warrant participation in such a challenge. I write pretty much daily, but I don't share each day. Special mention goes to [Lou Plummer](https://amerpie.lol/?ref=numericcitizen.me) for posting close to 8 times a day spread on four blogs for the month. 👀 3️⃣ I like [this blog post](https://blog.ericgregorich.com/2024/09/04/how-writing-can.html?ref=numericcitizen.me) from Eric Gregorich, where he writes: writing is thinking. This explains why I wrote so much. I need to think and writing helps me achieve this goal. ## 🌄 Photography > 1️⃣ [That image](https://mastodon.world/@aows/113069628125056928?ref=numericcitizen.me) caught my attention because I like big structures against natural settings. AOWS photographer keeps impressing me with the quality of his images. 2️⃣ [Another great image](https://www.reddit.com/r/itookapicture/comments/1f80356/itap%5Fof%5Fsome%5Fhills%5Fin%5Ficeland/?ref=numericcitizen.me), this one found on Reddit, in r/itookapicture. The scene, the point of view, the composition, the tones and the colours all contribute to this magnificent photo. 3️⃣ Dragos Bradu is my newly discovered photographer on Glass who shares excellent photos using a style and a selection of subjects that are reminiscent of mine. I see myself in his images. Magnificent. > [ITAP of some hills in Iceland](https://www.reddit.com/r/itookapicture/comments/1f80356/itap%5Fof%5Fsome%5Fhills%5Fin%5Ficeland/?ref=numericcitizen.me) > by [u/JonEngelePhotography](https://www.reddit.com/user/JonEngelePhotography/?ref=numericcitizen.me) in [itookapicture](https://www.reddit.com/r/itookapicture/?ref=numericcitizen.me) A great photo on Reddit. [Dragos Bradu on Glass Photography CommunityDragos Bradu.![](https://glass.photo/favicon.svg)![](https://glass.photo/og/profile/bradu.jpg)](https://glass.photo/bradu?ref=numericcitizen.me) ## 🍎 Apple > 1️⃣ M4 Mac mini rumours are getting more and more interesting. The latest points to a configuration with 5 USB-C ports, of which two are in the front, which woulc be very convenient. Gone are the USB-A ports! The power supply should stay integrated even if the mini decreases in size. This mighty box should arrive in November after a rollout in October, with other M4-based Macs. I shared a more detailed take [here](https://numericcitizen.me/the-m4-mac-mini-will-be-my-best-mac-ever/). ## 📱 Apps & Services > 1️⃣ WordPress will spend human resources to [migrate Tumblr’s backend to WordPress](https://automattic.com/2024/08/27/shipping-tumblr-and-wordpress/?ref=numericcitizen.me)’. I don't know if it will move the needle. Who's still using Tumblr these days? 2️⃣ Matt Birchler [shared a video](https://youtu.be/%5FVf7R1KLqxc?si=tNSshZ1QiCZsUnsO&ref=numericcitizen.me) about apps that he really enjoys using. I discovered that Whisper is coming to an iPhone near you (it's the iPhone version of Mac Whisper, a transcription app I use to create subtitles files for my YouTube videos). I also discovered “Track My Domains,” but sadly, a display bug makes it impossible to use with iOS 18 beta 8\. The purpose of this app is to keep track of domain name renewals. 3️⃣ If you are a Synology NAS user, you might wait before upgrading to version 7.2.2 of their operating system. The [following video](https://youtu.be/8hexlkzGBvw?si=rIAic0r7k%5FWcxphU&ref=numericcitizen.me) explains it all. In short, if you depend on the Synology Video Station app or use video surveillance with your NAS, stop now and watch that video. The cause of this drama: Synology will stop paying for H.265 codec licensing costs. 4️⃣ Reeder is out with a small but pivotal update with a name change: Reeder Classic. This name change is mandatory because a brand-new app could replace Reeder Classic as a whole or in part. There is a little more info [here](https://reeder.app/?ref=numericcitizen.me). MacStories has [a detailed article](https://www.macstories.net/reviews/reeder-a-new-approach-to-following-feeds/?ref=numericcitizen.me) on the upcoming Reeder app. 5️⃣ [iA Presenter 1.3 was released](https://ia.net/topics/add-images-fast-with-unsplash?ref=numericcitizen.me) and includes support for inserting images from Unsplash. I don’t use iA Presenter as much as I would like, preferring Craft Presentation mode when I need to do some presentations while doing YouTube videos. I still keep an eye on iA Presenter, though. I'm using it for an upcoming video presentation. It's a weird app, but I like it a lot. ![The updated app icons for iA Writer and iA Presenter. Do you like them?](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/2024/09/new-icons.png) The updated app icons for iA Writer and iA Presenter. Do you like them? ## 📺 YouTube > 1️⃣ I produced two videos about Craft; [the first one](https://youtu.be/bphIcc4fOKY?ref=numericcitizen.me) was about Craft Objects and Craft Style. So far, reactions are mostly positive. [The second one](https://youtu.be/TRst8nZ3bKQ?ref=numericcitizen.me) is about configuring Craft from scratch, primarily destined for new Craft users. That one is not faring very well. 2️⃣ [iJustine video](https://youtu.be/V0BTEYkH56g?si=hpwS0mWtnUORBL58&ref=numericcitizen.me) with Becca Farsace, who used to be working for The Verge but is leaving to do [her own things](https://youtube.com/@beccafarsace?si=C8VLmFN0Dec-36UK&ref=numericcitizen.me) is interesting from a content creator perspective. iJustine indeed represents what it means to be a creative and prolific YouTuber. She's not exactly my type of YouTuber, but I admire her long streak of doing this and the energy she's putting in each of her videos. ## 💎 Miscellaneous > 1️⃣ Matt Birchler is out with an interesting [article](https://birchtree.me/blog/reviewing-my-iphone-15-pro-review/?ref=numericcitizen.me): “Reviewing my iPhone 15 Pro review”. I find it interesting to revisit a review written a year ago. For my part, the only thing that I would say is that I rarely use the action button. It is currently set to run a multi-purpose action, but I seldom invoke it even with this. For the rest, I love the fit and finish of my iPhone 15 Pro Max. I was uncertain about the device size; this was my first Max iPhone, but I quickly became used to it. For me, the iPhone 15 Pro Max is my best iPhone ever. I don't expect to upgrade in 2024, but I will wait until next year with the iPhone 17\. 2️⃣ I like the reMarkable Paper tablets for their general design and focus. I have a colleague at the office who always carries one with him, just like I do with my iPad Pro. I took a close look at the device and the screen and was seduced by the look and feel of the writing experience. The iPad is great, too, but the paper feeling is best on the reMarkable Paper tablet. The Verge reviewed the latest edition, [the reMarkable Paper Pro](https://www.theverge.com/2024/9/4/24234815/the-remarkable-paper-pro-is-as-outrageous-as-it-is-luxurious?ref=numericcitizen.me). iJustine made [a sponsered video](https://youtu.be/KZdYGDkg%5Fnk?si=Q-eb8u9AGlvsakxc&ref=numericcitizen.me) too. 3️⃣ The making of two new icons from Information Architect, the maker of iA Writer and iA Presenter. I love those [behind-the-scenes looks](https://ia.net/topics/making-icons-fresh?ref=numericcitizen.me) exposing the thinking that went into redesigning those apps icon. ![Apple Intelligence official logo. Gorgeous.](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/2024/09/Image-1-1.png) Apple Intelligence official logo. Gorgeous. ![reMarkable Paper Pro tablet. Now with a color screen.](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/2024/09/Image-2-1.png) reMarkable Paper Pro tablet. Now with a color screen. [reMarkable Paper ProreMarkable - “Replace your notes and printed documents with a digital notebook that feels like paper.”![](https://remarkable.com/icons/icon-192x192.png)reMarkable![](https://cdn.sanity.io/images/xpujt61d/production/12e35f7ecba4a51c5cf364f69d6821997b82c8a2-1200x630.png)](https://remarkable.com/store/remarkable-paper/pro?ref=numericcitizen.me) ## 🔮 Looking forward > 1️⃣ Next week is the September 2024 Keynote. New iPhone and Apple Watch are wildly expected, coupled with new operating system releases, most of which are marking the beginning of the slow Apple Intelligence rollout. I'm looking to get a new watch this year, skipping Series 9 last year. According to [my informal survey](https://blog.numericcitizen.me/2024/09/06/whos-excited-for.html?ref=numericcitizen.me), some people are excited for this next Apple keynote. I wish you a great week! ✌️👋🏻 This newsletter edition is also available as a Craft shared document [****here**](https://crafted.numericcitizen.me/ephemeral-scrapbook-edition-2024-35?ref=numericcitizen.me). This week's edition is based on template version 1.5 — [Sun, Sep 1](about:blank) and was put together with ❤️ on a 15-inch MacBook Air, Craft Docs and many supporting subscriptions! Support my work ([Paypal](https://paypal.me/numericcitizen?locale.x=en%5FUS&ref=numericcitizen.me)) or [become a supporter](https://ko-fi.com/numericcitizen/?ref=numericcitizen.me) with Ko-fi! [Newsletter Past Editions![](https://www.craft.do/share/static/apple-touch-icon.png)![](https://api.craft.do/render/preview/GHb2dEbIsUtgQ4)](https://crafted.numericcitizen.me/GHb2dEbIsUtgQ4?ref=numericcitizen.me) --- ## 📅 Meta ![Things that I accomplished during the week, as seen in Things 3.](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/2024/09/Image-3-1.png) Things that I accomplished during the week, as seen in [Things 3](https://culturedcode.com/things/?ref=numericcitizen.me). ![Numeric Citizen Digital Space Tip Sheet 2024-01-Lowres.png](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/2024/09/Numeric-Citizen-Digital-Space-Tip-Sheet-2024-1.png) Numeric Citizen Digital Space Tip Sheet 2024-01-Lowres.png ### The M4 Mac mini Will Be My Best Mac Ever URL: https://numericcitizen.me/the-m4-mac-mini-will-be-my-best-mac-ever/ Last updated: 2024-09-05T11:18:20.000Z I bought my first Mac mini in November 2020, right at the beginning of the Apple Silicon transition. I first hooked it to a 4K LG UltraFine monitor, but I later switched to an Apple Studio display when it came out. Together, they form a tremendous but aging computing duo. The time has come for an upgrade. I’ve contemplated getting a Mac Studio with the M2 processor in the last few months. Since recent rumours point to an M4 Mac mini instead, I think this is a better (and cheaper) solution. The next Mac mini would be the third generation of mini form factor; the second generation dates back to 2010\. The design would be a smaller Mac mini, close to an Apple TV in shape, size and design, but still using an aluminum casing. Gone is the USB-A port, but five USB-C ports would be offered, two of which would be located on the front. Even with a smaller form factor, the new mini would still include an integrated power supply, keeping the essence of the mini form factor. An HDMI and headphone jack will still be included. Some unknowns include the SD card slot like on the Mac Studio (slim chances, IMO) and the starting memory size configuration (probably 16 GB). The most exciting part would be the inclusion of a powerful M4 processor. I plan to get the best performance boost and future-proof configuration with the M4 Pro edition, but pricing might force me to go with the non-pro version. My Mac mini adventure marked the end of the all-in-one Macs for me, and I couldn’t be happier. Having the flexibility of combining the proper display, keyboard, and mouse is convenient. It took me a while to finally get it (having an iMac from [2007](https://numericcitizen.me/2022/09/25/remembering-my-story-of-owning-the-24-inches-aluminum-imac-2007-2017/) to [2021](https://numericcitizen.me/remembering-my-story-of-owning-the-4k-retina-21-inches-imac-2017-2021/)), and I wouldn't go back. It's time for me to write the next Mac mini chapter. And the time seems to have come if rumours are any indication. Rumours are pointing to an exciting, mighty Mac. This package could represent the best compact Mac ever created, one that perfectly fits my needs and the little space I have for it on my home office desk. With the M4 Mac mini on the horizon, the anticipation is palpable. This little powerhouse is rumoured to deliver an unparalleled blend of power, efficiency, and versatility in a compact, elegant design. It's not just about the hardware specs, though; it's about how this potential dynamo will fit into and elevate my everyday computing life. ### Creative Summary for the Week of 2024-34 URL: https://numericcitizen.me/creative-summary-for-the-week-of-2024-34/ Last updated: 2024-09-01T19:13:01.000Z [Windows and balconies.JF Martin on Glass![](https://glass.photo/favicon.svg)![](https://cdn.glass.photo/post/c83f47c9-a204-4c6f-8e93-f7167ea3ded1/photo?auto=format&fm=jpg&q=90&w=828&s=d7f1f19bb7d825892cd0c660cb6c277d)](https://glass.photo/numericcitizen/1qr6GPSyybk8oHSuSYeQUw?ref=numericcitizen.me) > The following is my sharing activities summary since the previous newsletter edition. > 👨🏻‍💻 20 posts 😃 > 🏞️ 12 photos shared 😃 > 🎙️ One podcast episode published 😃 > 📺 No YouTube video published 😔 > This edition covers a two-week period: from 2024-08-18 to 2024-08-31. ## 👤 Personal > 1️⃣ Today, I posted something on Facebook; and honestly, it felt weird. I can’t remember exactly when I last wrote on Facebook. I also had this symptom of missing out on things from my old colleagues and friends just by glancing at my timeline for a few minutes. It felt heavy. My post was about telling my “Facebook friends” about the two sites where I share my photos online: [Glass](https://glass.photo/numericcitizen?ref=numericcitizen.me) and [Pixelfed](https://pixelfed.social/i/web/profile/583629418009617054?ref=numericcitizen.me). I don’t know if people will take time off their busy lives to visit or even bookmark the sites. I shouldn’t care about that. Those who pay attention might even notice a link to [my digital hub](https://hub.numericcitizen.me/?ref=numericcitizen.me), where I share all my other sites. Because I’m curious, I’ll return back to Facebook in a few days to see if I got some comments. I’ll report back here in any case. This text also was shared as a narrated post [here](https://blog.numericcitizen.me/2024/08/31/hello-again-facebook.html?ref=numericcitizen.me). ## 🗺️ Discoveries > 1️⃣ It's not exactly a discovery, but my time spent on Medium in the last two weeks is more like a rediscovery. Many things have changed on Medium since October 2022, when I shared my previous article, essentially about how they achieve their goals for writers. 2️⃣ The prolific writer MG Siegler has a newsletter tagged as “from afar" on his Ghost-powered website. Here is one [edition example](https://spyglass.org/diverging/?ref=numericcitizen.me). This newsletter is interesting and familiar, as it is similar to mine. We both share many links and quotes and organize the content in sections. 3️⃣ I discovered this super helpful [blog post](https://birming.com/blog-inspiration/?ref=numericcitizen.me) listing many different resources for bloggers like me. It is so good that it is now on my personal creator dashboard page as shown below. ![A peek at my private digital dashboard as of 2024-01.](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/2024/09/Image.png) A peek at my private digital dashboard as of 2024-01. ## 📖 Reading > 1️⃣ I came across this [State of Medium](https://blog.medium.com/state-of-medium-c54d1706a9b4?ref=numericcitizen.me) article while reading the excellent MG Siegler’s above mentioned piece. I’m delighted with Medium announcements and find their platform principles to resonate with me to the point of making a comeback. 2️⃣ [The future of the Internet and trust](https://furbo.org/2024/08/26/slop-is-good/?ref=numericcitizen.me), according to Craig Hockenberry, is a provocative yet lucid take on what is coming next for the Internet. > “Rich kids being able to do art for a living may be a reflection on their privilege but it seems to me like a reflection on the fact that a human that doesn't have to worry about money will often choose art. everyone is an artist until rent is due. i wish we all had that right.” — Amanda for @TheCoolIssue ## 👨🏻‍💻 Writing > “Writing is part of lifelong learning that keeps us awake, clear and connected.” — [iA blog](https://ia.net/?ref=numericcitizen.me) > 1️⃣ My first real article for my Medium comeback is “[Considering Becoming a Freelancer](https://numericcitizen.medium.com/81a3f1f7df5a?ref=numericcitizen.me).” I made this article part of my publication, which is also available on Medium, “[Numeric Citizen Journeys](https://medium.com/numeric-citizen-journeys?ref=numericcitizen.me).” If you want to know more about this project, please continue reading. 2️⃣ I closely follow MG Siegler’s Spyglass website, where he writes about tech, Apple, AI, media, etc. In “[More or Less](https://spyglass.org/more-or-less/?ref=numericcitizen.me),” Siegler announces changes to his writing habits and content sharing. I realize that things are constantly moving and morphing into something else. For example, in this edition, I lament that I should have named this newsletter around the concept of scrapbooks because, overall, it's pretty much what it is. Why not consider renaming this newsletter, then? What is actually preventing me from doing it? Here is a title that I'm currently thinking about: “The Ephemeral Scrapbook Newsletter — Edition 2024-34”. Scrapbooking is about capturing artifacts to build memories and document experiences. This is not what this newsletter is about. I consider its content much more ephemeral, hence the name “Ephemeral Scrapbook.” What do you think? > “Writing helps me clarify and even *form* my own thoughts on various topics” — [MG Siegler](https://spyglass.org/more-or-less/?ref=numericcitizen.me) ## 🌄 Photography > 1️⃣ The [2024 iPhone photography awards winners were announced](https://www.ippawards.com/2024-winning-photographers/?v=7516fd43adaa&ref=numericcitizen.me). As usual, there were many gorgeous images. The grand prize goes to Erin Brooks from the United States, who used her iPhone 15 Pro Max to shoot the winning photo. A few comments are in order here. Beyond the top winners, many awards go to people from China; I found this notable. Two winning photos were shot using an old iPhone X, and others were taken using an iPhone 6s and the iPhone XS. Those images have a unique visual texture to them. The [landscape category](https://www.ippawards.com/2024-winners-landscape/?v=6cc98ba2045f&ref=numericcitizen.me) is my favourite. 2️⃣ [Two people visited the same place at two months intervals and took a photo](https://jomalo.com/2024/08/21/noticed-on-the.html?ref=numericcitizen.me). This is so cool. 3️⃣ Something scary is happening in photography on Google's Pixel 9 series phones with this Reimagine AI-powered feature. This [article from The Verge](https://www.theverge.com/2024/8/21/24224084/google-pixel-9-reimagine-ai-photos?ref=numericcitizen.me) should be enough to convince you that starting now, you should never trust an image shared online. ![2024 iPhone Photography awards](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/2024/09/Image-1.png) 2024 iPhone Photography awards [In an attempt to inject some normalcy in my feed, here is a photo from a long time ago - re-edited with new tools, new knowledge, and a better underst…Om Malik on Glass![](https://glass.photo/favicon.svg)re-edited with new tools, new knowledge, and a better underst… — Om Malik on Glass Photography Community![](https://cdn.glass.photo/post/21fc684f-b88a-4aa8-9344-a766107ccd0e/photo?auto=format&fm=jpg&q=90&w=828&s=3321c6b6c5ff51b446f733ae2680d27d)](https://glass.photo/om/3wrKAE3QrHxqJ2Gkcc2grQ?ref=numericcitizen.me) ## 🎙️ Podcasting > 1️⃣ I ordered a Rode Wireless Me microphone for my audio recordings and wanted to test it out on [a narrated post on Micro.blog](https://blog.numericcitizen.me/2024/08/31/hello-again-facebook.html?ref=numericcitizen.me), which was syndicated on [my podcasts channel](https://podcasts.apple.com/ca/podcast/numeric-citizen-blog/id1703770016?ref=numericcitizen.me). I talk about posting on Facebook feeling weird. According to [this short video review](https://youtu.be/NoaPPQQtgtQ?si=uCT6KlC8VmjJF57k&ref=numericcitizen.me), it should provide some noticeable improvements to my recordings. ## 🍎 Apple > 1️⃣ It might take a while before Apple adds Genmoji and image generation to Apple Intelligence, and [this 9to5Mac article explains why](https://9to5mac.com/2024/08/21/theres-no-beta-for-genmoji-or-ai-image-generation-and-pixel-9-headlines-explain-why/?ref=numericcitizen.me). Apple takes a cautious approach when introducing new products and features (but they aren't mindful enough when releasing ads because when they do, they often mess things up). 2️⃣ The Next Apple event has been announced. It will be on September 9th, 2024\. I have low expectations for it as I explained [here](https://numericcitizen.me/my-low-expectations-for-apple-next-boring-iphone-event/). Get a preview from [the following YouTube video showing iPhone 16 mockups](https://youtu.be/rJzQ0CIPTQQ?si=fhvgbOEvyMLCXRrb&ref=numericcitizen.me). I don’t expect too many surprises from that event, which could be the most boring iPhone release ever. 3️⃣ [I asked](https://blog.numericcitizen.me/2024/08/30/i-always-found.html?ref=numericcitizen.me) what's in this picture of Steve Jobs in his home office, and got [many answers](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=41402060&ref=numericcitizen.me). ![The animated logo seems to refer to Siri animation under Apple Intelligence.](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/2024/09/Image.jpg) The animated logo seems to refer to Siri animation under Apple Intelligence. ## 🚧 Special projects > 1️⃣ After discussing my professional life with my wife this week, I thought becoming a freelancer might be a great way to spend the next ten years. It would be something that would put me out of my usual comfort zone, but I want to take the time to think about it and what it would entail. In the next few weeks or months, I will start a project and use Craft to support my work on this. I'll consider as many aspects as possible: financials, logistics, upsides, downsides, etc. I need a way to write about this, take notes, and do some calculations, too, and Craft seems perfect for this. 2️⃣ Writing about this new project is mandatory. As mentioned above, I chose to share any future articles on Medium under a new Medium publication I created for the occasion. You can reach the publication by following this URL: [https://medium.com/numeric-citizen-journeys](https://medium.com/numeric-citizen-journeys?ref=numericcitizen.me). ![My Medium Publication “Numeric Citizen Journeys” — sharing my stories about contemplating becoming a freelancer.](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/2024/09/Image-2.png) My Medium Publication “Numeric Citizen Journeys” — sharing my stories about contemplating becoming a freelancer. > “Hobbies primarily benefit the creator, while side projects are aimed at serving others.” — Manuel Moreale ## 📱 Apps & Services > 1️⃣ If you are like me, I take many screenshots on my iPhone and iPad for many purposes. Until this week, I relied on the famous Apple Frames shortcut. The shortcut broke with the iOS 18 beta, and I cannot rely on it anymore. It's no longer an issue with [Shareshot](https://shareshot.app/?ref=numericcitizen.me), an iPhone and iPad app. Shareshot is a native app, which makes the shortcut useless. Shareshot is fast and offers many more customization options. You can select the padding size and background and add a lighting effect. I wish there were a way to save a template format to retrieve export settings quickly. For me, it's an instant buy, an oopsy subscription. Sadly, there are no lifetime licenses or a Mac version (yet). I updated [my subscriptions page](https://crafted.numericcitizen.me/current-subscriptions?ref=numericcitizen.me) accordingly. 2️⃣ Glass, the photo-sharing service, increased its subscription price recently, now at 50 CAN, There is a Patreon subscription tier at 180 CAN$, but it asks too much. I keep it. 3️⃣ Procreate developer [says NO](https://procreate.com/ai?ref=numericcitizen.me) to integrating AI in their products. Good call, and the messaging timing is spot on. In my previous newsletter, I wrote that I was getting fed up with AI everywhere. I'm not a user of Procreate myself, but I applaud the move. 4️⃣ I discovered [Series](https://seriesphotos.app/?ref=numericcitizen.me), an app that combines photos into layouts like diptychs, carousels, etc. It's useful to show two photos side-by-side for comparison purposes, which I like to do occasionally. The app is available for the iPhone and iPad. 5️⃣ I decided to dump Pocket Cast and use the Apple Podcasts app to save money. I don't listen to podcasts often enough to warrant a dedicated third-party app. ![Shareshot for creating beautiful screenshots.](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/2024/09/New-Shareshot.png) Shareshot for creating beautiful screenshots. [Shareshot — Frame Screenshots and Add BackgroundsA beautiful and fun app for wrapping screenshots with perfect-fitting frames over pretty backgrounds. Comes with powerful Shortcuts Actions for creating Pro workflows.![](https://shareshot.app/assets/appicon_180.png?_cchid=2ad90ef86c0cfcd89f19ecf980a50f3e)Shareshot — Frame Screenshots and Add Backgrounds![](https://shareshot.app/assets/share_image.jpg)](https://shareshot.app/?ref=numericcitizen.me) ![Glass prices are increasing. ](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/2024/09/Glass-Price-Increase.png) Glass prices are increasing. ## 📺 YouTube > 1️⃣ Another great video from Tiego Forte and his wife. It gets so personal. I chose this video because it shows how important striking a balance in life is important. Yes that might be at the close of being the number one, but the equilibrium is more important to me and value those who aim toward that goal. 2️⃣ I love these videos that get personal and offers a different look of a creator. I don’t know Becca Farsace, but she is leaving The Verge to continue to do what she likes the most and above all, to own what she is producing. I recently shared the news about the launch of Charts for Notion, but if you want to see the new capabilities in action, don’t miss this video from Thomas Frank. > “The only review that has any value for me is when the person reviewing something bought it with their own money.” — Jane Doe ## 💎 Miscellaneous > “Everyone alive today has grown up in a world where you can’t believe everything you read. Now we need to adapt to a world where that applies just as equally to photos and videos. Trusting the sources of what we believe is becoming more important than ever.” — John Gruber > 1️⃣ I wish I had called this newsletter "The Digital Scrapbook” from the beginning because some editions really look like scrapbooks. No worries, starting with the next edition, the name will become “The Ephemeral Scrabook Newsletter.” 2️⃣ This [deepfake on TikTok](https://www.reddit.com/r/Damnthatsinteresting/comments/1f31m5b/livestream%5Fdeepfakes%5Fare%5Fhappening/?ref=numericcitizen.me) of Elon Musk is uncanny and troubling. We cannot trust anything we see and hear now; I wonder how bad this is for societies. 3️⃣ Don't miss my Micro.blog posts monthly digest that [came out on September 1st](https://blog.numericcitizen.me/newsletters?ref=numericcitizen.me)! > Creativity is made, not generated. — The developer of Procreate ## 🔮 Looking forward > 1️⃣ I upgraded my iPhone 15 Pro Max to iOS 18.1 beta 3 to test Apple Intelligence on my primary device. I'm looking forward to experimenting with Photos Clean Up and intelligent notifications. 2️⃣ Now that [my Medium Publication](https://journeys.numericcitizen.me/?ref=numericcitizen.me) is live, I look forward to sharing more of my experiences. ![New Shareshot.png](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/2024/09/New-Shareshot-1.png) Installing iOS 18.1 beta 3 on my iPhone - I like to play with fire! ![My next Craft video, coming soon on my YouTube channel.](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/2024/09/Next0Craft-Video.png) My next Craft video, coming soon on my YouTube channel. I wish you a great week! ✌️👋🏻 💡 This newsletter edition is also available as a Craft shared document [****here**](https://crafted.numericcitizen.me/creative-summary-2024-34?ref=numericcitizen.me). This week's edition is based on template version 1.4 — [Thu, Aug 1](about:blank) and was put together with ❤️ on a 15-inch MacBook Air, Craft Docs and many supporting subscriptions! Support my work ([Paypal](https://paypal.me/numericcitizen?locale.x=en%5FUS&ref=numericcitizen.me)) or [become a supporter](https://ko-fi.com/numericcitizen/?ref=numericcitizen.me) with Ko-fi! [Creative Summary Newsletter Editions Index![](https://www.craft.do/share/static/apple-touch-icon.png)![](https://api.craft.do/render/preview/GHb2dEbIsUtgQ4)](https://crafted.numericcitizen.me/GHb2dEbIsUtgQ4?ref=numericcitizen.me) --- ## 📅 Meta ![Things that I accomplished during the week, as seen in Things 3.](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/2024/09/Image-3.png) Things that I accomplished during the week, as seen in [Things 3](https://culturedcode.com/things/?ref=numericcitizen.me). ![I made a few changes to my subdomains, can you spot the changes?](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/2024/09/numericcitizen.me-domains.png) I made a few changes to my subdomains, can you spot the changes? ![Numeric Citizen Digital Space Tip Sheet 2024-01-Lowres.png](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/2024/09/Numeric-Citizen-Digital-Space-Tip-Sheet-2024.png) Numeric Citizen Digital Space Tip Sheet 2024-01-Lowres.png ### My (Low) Expectations for Apple's Next (Boring) iPhone Event URL: https://numericcitizen.me/my-low-expectations-for-apple-next-boring-iphone-event/ Last updated: 2024-08-30T12:28:04.000Z As the season turns, so does Apple's product release cycle. September is traditionally the month when Apple unveils a series of updates, with the iPhone typically taking center stage. But will the spotlight remain on the iPhone this year? Let’s delve into my expectations and see if they align with the usual fanfare. ## The iPhone — the king of all The iPhone is seventeen years old; it is getting old and mature. Low-hanging fruits are a rarity these days in the smartphone space. Beyond being thinner, faster, with longer battery life, and a slightly bigger screen, what else should I expect? A foldable iPhone is not one of my expectations, not this year, not in ten years. I hope Apple won’t waste too much of their resources trying. [MacRumors’ summary](https://www.macrumors.com/2024/08/26/apple-likely-iphone-16-launch-date/?ref=numericcitizen.me) of what to expect is informative but cannot be more exciting than the actual rumours. Each year, Apple shuffles things around by adding features previously only available on Pro-line to non-Pro devices. The action button is coming for non-pro devices this year. The telephoto lens on the 15 Pro Max will reach the non-Max iPhone. It's so predictable. Rare exception: the capture button is coming to all models this year. Are you excited? Could a new camera lens assembly design come this year? Lens alignment will go vertical for the non-Pro devices, just like the iPhone X. The "bump” design fundamentally stays the same. Boring. A faster iPhone, a bigger screen (in a slightly bigger device), faster charging, improvements to the camera, and faster at everything. What else? It is hard to get excited, even for an iPhone photographer like me. While waiting for the iPhone 16, [this article from MacRumors](https://www.macrumors.com/guide/iphone-15-pro-vs-iphone-16-pro/?ref=numericcitizen.me) offers a helpful comparison between the iPhone 15 and iPhone 16\. While glancing at the article, I must say that a glossy titanium frame (instead of the brushed one of the iPhone 15 Pro line) would be a regression; I love the 15 Pro brushed finish! We will see soon enough. My boredom might be partly due to not upgrading [my iPhone 15 Pro Max this year](https://numericcitizen.me/upgrading-from-the-iphone-13-pro-to-the-iphone-15-pro-max-bigger-faster-even-more-possibilities/). I have other plans. Continue reading. ## The Apple Watch — the eternal iPhone companion ![watchOS 11 improvements](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/2024/08/WWDC242024-06-1013.43.042x.png) watchOS 11 improvements It’s been ten years since the launch of the Apple Watch. The iPhone’s companion, the Apple Watch, is again set to receive an update. Are we going to see an Apple Series X sporting an entirely new design, like the iPhone X was? How would we call the Series X? Series “Ten”? Series “X”? Remember when people were confused with the iPhone X naming? Anyway… Last year, when the Ultra 2 came out, I contemplated switching to the Ultra, but I never liked its design. I don’t expect this to change this year. Enters the Apple Watch Series 10, with a rumored bigger screen while sporting a thinner design. How much thinner remains to be seen, but I’m really looking to upgrade to the Series 10\. This is where my (relatively mild) excitement resides this year. But beyond a bigger screen, what else? I would take better battery life over anything else. My Apple Watch Series 8 barely reaches 5 PM under watchOS 18 beta 8 without a recharge. I don’t expect things to improve much with the official release. There won’t be a new sensor, either. What else? I would love to see different metal finishes and tints. I almost forgot: with each new watch model comes [one or more new watch faces](https://support.apple.com/en-ca/guide/watch/apde9218b440/10.0/watchos/10.0?ref=numericcitizen.me). Until Apple enables selling third-party watch faces on its App Store, the only way to get excited is to wait for Apple each year. The watchOS 11 release doesn't bring new watch faces, but a few were redesigned or tweaked, such as the Photos watch face, which [now depends on machine learning](https://www.apple.com/watchos/watchos-preview/?ref=numericcitizen.me). But, again, what else? ## The (usual) software story Apple always times its biggest OS releases with the new iPhone launch in September. This year, iOS 18 is bringing small and significant improvements across the board. The only thing is that Apple Intelligence obliterates everything because of the current hype surrounding AI in general. Apple is no different here, but their approach to AI integration is different. But what comes next will probably make us forget about the iPhone 16 fit and finish. ## Apple Intelligence Inside™ ![Craig and Apple Intelligence](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/2024/08/WWDC24-June-10-Screenshot-from-Synology.png) Craig and Apple Intelligence Expect a lot of references to Apple intelligence during the keynote, just like Apple did with 5G a few years ago. Apple Intelligence is Apple's next sales driver. The problem is that the Apple Intelligence rollout is slow and will come after the iPhone 16 becomes available. The former is expected to start rolling out later this year. Moreover, the best of Apple Intelligence will come after iOS 18.1 and maybe iOS 18.2\. This brings us into early 2025, at the earliest. In other words, for Apple, the most challenging part is yet to be overcome. It will be bizarre to announce the new iPhone marked as “ready for Apple Intelligence” while the actual rolling out of Apple Intelligence is much later. Even worse, for those like me living outside of the US, in Canada, for example, and wishing to use their iPhone in French, we shouldn’t expect Apple Intelligence to be available sometime next year. This alone is enough for me to patiently wait for the iPhone 17, which should be even [more powerful and capable of performing on-device Apple Intelligence tasks](https://www.macrumors.com/2024/08/28/kuo-12gb-ram-iphone-17-pro-max-exclusive/?ref=numericcitizen.me). Again, it’s bizarre timing. [I’m not the only one who thinks it’s odd](https://spyglass.org/more-or-less/?ref=numericcitizen.me) (search the referenced article with the keyword “aiPhone”.) ## What about the Mac? I don’t expect the new rumoured M4 Mac mini to launch in September; it would create too much noise for the same event. Apple likes to focus on a few things. Yet, I can’t wait to put my hands on a M4 Mac mini (I’m still using the M1 Mac mini, bought in late 2020). All in all, my expectations are relatively low this year. Apple is still sailing with a tailwind, but the winds are slowly turning; until now, they haven’t had to try too hard to keep selling a boatload of iPhones. And this is where the problem lies if you ask me. Apple is no longer the underdog; they don’t feel enough pressure to think outside the box like the [Nothing company](https://nothing.tech/?ref=numericcitizen.me) with its Nothing Phone. While Nothing won't dent Apple's sales, pressure will come from regulations and a decline in developers’ sentiment for creating great apps. Exhibit A: the Apple Vision Pro is the biggest flop since the Apple ///. But that is another story. ### Sharing a Bunch of Images With Friends URL: https://numericcitizen.me/sharing-a-bunch-of-images-with-friends/ Last updated: 2024-08-20T11:20:55.000Z A friend recently asked me, "When and where are you going to show me your photos from this summer’s trip to Croatia?" I told him "soon," even though I didn't have an exact plan. I knew Pixelfed wouldn't be the best solution—most people don't want to follow a daily feed and look at photos one at a time. When friends ask to see your photos, they usually want to see them all at once. So, I had to think of a different approach. Knowing my friend uses a Nixplay digital frame, I considered using its built-in feature that allows users to send pictures via email directly to a specific Nixplay frame. This would require creating a dedicated album on my friend's Nixplay account and sharing the corresponding email address. However, he dismissed this idea because the digital frame is too far from him to fully appreciate each photo. So, I needed another solution. I then thought about using iCloud public albums, but I was reluctant to import my finished photos into iCloud. Additionally, since I utilize Apple Advanced Data Protection, sharing photos via [icloud.com](http://icloud.com/?ref=numericcitizen.me) wasn't an option. Finally, the simplest solution was to create an iCloud-shared album, select my best images, and invite my friend via iMessage. As I worked on this, I decided to expand the invite list to include more friends and family, all of whom are Apple ecosystem users. This way, no one was left out. The "Activity" tab in Apple Photos shows everyone’s comments, transforming the album into a micro and private social network. It's a pretty cool way to share and interact over my summer memories. The best solution is often right in front of us. ### Creative Summary for the Week of 2024-32 URL: https://numericcitizen.me/creative-summary-for-the-week-of-2024-32/ Last updated: 2024-08-18T19:04:16.000Z > 👨🏻‍💻 27 posts 😃 > 🏞️ 6 photos shared 🙂 > 🎙️ No podcast episode published 😔 > 📺 No YouTube video published 😔 > Again, this edition covers two weeks! ## 👤 Personal > 1️⃣ I’m starting to get a bit tired of the « AI-everything » overuse and abuse. I’m a big user of ChatGPT and other tools like that but at the same time, I think generative AI is being oversold. We might be in a AI bubble. Does Apple's prudent approach with Apple Intelligence reflects that? > The web, and e-commerce, and the iPhone had to go through a painful process of growing and learning to become useful. — Benedict Evans ## 🗺️ Discoveries > 1️⃣ [Storm Tracker](https://www.cnn.com/interactive/storm-tracker/?ref=numericcitizen.me) by CNN shows impressive animations and maps of Debby. Technology is always improving, which shows in the visual products they can put online to inform us about storm tracking. 2️⃣ Thomas Heatherwick believes architecture has a “nutritional value” to society and that the public deserves better buildings. Boring buildings can lead to psychological deprivation and a fight-or-flight response. [Interesting article](https://www.wired.com/story/modern-architecture-starving-public-stimulation-thomas-heatherwick-cities-design-wired-health/?ref=numericcitizen.me). 3️⃣ To process the previous article, I have used some Apple Intelligence features on my iPad Pro running iPadOS 18.1 beta 1\. Staying in the same application to access generative AI features is convenient. 4️⃣ To better illustrate my point, OpenAI’s ChatGPT app for Mac now allows users to multitask with other apps by opening a mini ChatGPT window alongside the current app using Option + Space. This update improves efficiency by reducing window switching, especially on smaller displays. 5️⃣ Jeroen Sangers’ blog: “Brain tags” is full of nice thoughts and quotes, often about work and productivity. I knew this guy from Micro.blog because I’m following him there but I didn’t know about his blog until this week when he shared a post about [reworking his digital garden organization process](https://jeroensangers.com/2024/08/08/transforming-my-digital.html?ref=numericcitizen.me). ![An example of a webpage summary created by Apple Intelligence.](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/2024/08/Image.jpg) An example of a webpage summary created by Apple Intelligence. ## 📖 Reading > 1️⃣ I'm way behind with my readings in the past two weeks. See the next section. 🙄 > > LLM by itself is not a product - it’s a technology that can enable a tool or a feature, and it needs to be unbundled or rebundled into new framings, UX and tools to be become useful. That takes even more time. — Benedict Evans ## 👨🏻‍💻 Writing > 1️⃣ I didn’t write much this week because I was too busy getting organized. I’m testing a new version of Craft that will support some kind of database feature, prompting me to rethink how I manage my content. 2️⃣ I’ve posted something on Medium, yes, Medium, to test the water again. I wrote a small post about my desire to return to the platform to share some of my writing. My last post On Medium dates back to October 2022\. It was about [Hello, Again, Medium.Pondering the reasons why I might come back to Medium.![](https://miro.medium.com/v2/resize:fill:304:304/10fd5c419ac61637245384e7099e131627900034828f4f386bdaa47a74eae156)MediumNumeric Citizen![](https://miro.medium.com/v2/resize:fit:1200/1*2dTl2i3-hWMTYfvV4Ei7RA.png)](https://numericcitizen.medium.com/hello-again-medium-8e857ec6fcf5?ref=numericcitizen.me) ## 🌄 Photography > 1️⃣ I thought my photo had a unique feel to it. I submitted [my photo to Unsplash](https://unsplash.com/photos/a-sailboat-in-the-middle-of-a-large-body-of-water-7cLLXRNDr44?ref=numericcitizen.me), something I do for exceptional images of mine. Then I received an email telling me my photo was a copyright infringement. I replied, telling them I could send them the original RAW image I took while on a boat in Croatia. I never got a reply, but after checking back a few days later, my photo was published. Unsplash is so good that it even showed me all similar images. This is where I understood that my photo wasn't unique at all. Far from it, judging by the "related images” with about a dozen very similar images. The Unsplash algorithm probably made a mistake by flagging my image incorrectly. Far from being done with Unsplash, I uploaded [another photo](https://unsplash.com/photos/51wTCUL3w2I?ref=numericcitizen.me), which I think is unique. 2️⃣ I've been more active at posting photos on Glass and Unsplash. They compete against Pixelfed for my attention and desire to share my work with the world. 3️⃣ On Glass, we can look for photos of a specific camera brand. Some examples come from a [Nikon Z f](https://glass.photo/explore/cameras/nikon/z-f?ref=numericcitizen.me). You can view a view of mine if you pay attention and look closely. 😊 4️⃣ Remours about a new button on the iPhone 16 Pro might be intriguing for photographers. 5️⃣ I didn’t know there was an [iPhone photography school on the web](https://www.youtube.com/@iPhone%5FPhotography%5FSchool/featured?ref=numericcitizen.me). 6️⃣ I got an email from [Flickr announcing albums improvements](https://blog.flickr.net/en/2024/08/13/managing-your-albums-on-flickr-just-got-easier/?ref=numericcitizen.me). I’m pleasantly surprised that Flickr is alive and well and that the platform is improving. 7️⃣ The makers of Halide, a third-party manual camera app, released version 2.15, which adds a cool new feature: Process zero mode. In this mode, Halide takes photos and bypasses all software processing to gather the real RAW data from the 12 MP sensor. Images come out different but offer a new set of post-processing capabilities. I might re-enable my yearly subscription to try it out. Meanwhile, you can read [the detailed article](https://www.lux.camera/introducing-process-zero-for-iphone/?ref=numericcitizen.me) explaining the Process zero mode. 8️⃣ Three years anniversary of Glass! Time flies, and I’ve been happy to be part of this journey with other photographers who believe in great photography-sharing communities like Glass. > > “there will be a new camera control on the right side of the phone (at least on the new Pros). It will operate like a button on a DSLR camera, allowing you to press in slightly to trigger autofocus. A harder press will take the picture. You can also swipe along the button to zoom in and out while shooting photos and videos.” — Mark Gurman on the upcoming iPhone 16 Pro [Houman Katoozi on Glass Photography CommunityHouman Katoozi. Photographer specialising in black & white fine art street photography. Prints available through my website. My YouTube channel dedicated to all photo…![](https://glass.photo/favicon.svg)![](https://glass.photo/og/profile/houman.jpg)](https://glass.photo/houman?ref=numericcitizen.me) There are many great black-and-white photographs on Houman Katoozi Glass’s profile page. Short video from [a Montréal-based photographer](https://youtube.com/@toshikiyukawaphoto?si=MgH7a5y8p5xieJ9G&ref=numericcitizen.me) about street photographer wandering Montreal’s streets and places. Many places are within a ten-minute bike ride from my residence. [Process Zero: The Anti-Intelligent CameraIntroducing a process that uses zero AI and zero computational photography to produce beautiful, film-like natural photos. Meet Halide 2.15, with Process Zero.![](https://www.lux.camera/content/images/size/w256h256/2023/08/Lux-Favicon-512.png)LuxBen Sandofsky![](https://www.lux.camera/content/images/size/w1200/2024/08/Shrinkwrapped-Process-Picker.png)](https://www.lux.camera/introducing-process-zero-for-iphone/?ref=numericcitizen.me) ![Gorgeous take on latest release of Halide UI.](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/2024/08/Image-3.png) Gorgeous take on latest release of Halide UI. ## 🍎 Apple > 1️⃣ Each time I’m watching a small clip of Steve Jobs like [this one](https://www.reddit.com/r/ipad/comments/1eknact/steve%5Fjobs%5Ftalking%5Fabout%5Fipad%5Fin%5F1983/?utm%5Fsource=share&utm%5Fmedium=web3x&utm%5Fname=web3xcss&utm%5Fterm=1&utm%5Fcontent=share%5Fbutton), it’s a reminder of how much I think the world is missing him. I miss him too. 2️⃣ This brings me to question Apple’s aspirations regarding AI integration in their operating systems and I wonder how different things would be if Steve was still around in Cupertino. 3️⃣ Apple is having a bad moments again. First. Apple being greedy to no end is a source of frustration and people calling them out, and for good reasons. The [Apple vs Patreon Saga](https://www.creativebloq.com/creative-inspiration/apple-faces-fierce-backlash-over-patreon-pricing-policy?ref=numericcitizen.me) (more reactions [here](https://mjtsai.com/blog/2024/08/13/wrong-about-the-app-store/?ref=numericcitizen.me)). Second, [Apple is making macOS less and less Mac and more and more macOS Vista](https://birchtree.me/blog/are-you-sure-are-you-sure-are-you-sure/?ref=numericcitizen.me). I frequently use Mac utilities, and upon rebooting my Mac, I’m faced with an astonishing number of authorizations to acknowledge. This issue is also present on iOS, affecting permissions for things like widgets. Has Apple strayed from its path? ## 🚧 Special projects > 1️⃣ This week, following the beta release of Craft with support for object creation, I finally completed the reorganization of my content. It was a tedious task, but the results were worth it. This little project also allowed me to understand the functionality better, positioning me well to produce videos on the subject. 2️⃣ Is [my first post on Medium in two years](https://medium.com/@numericcitizen/hello-again-medium-8e857ec6fcf5?ref=numericcitizen.me) marking something bigger for me there? I don't know. I updated my Medium profile page, just in case. ## 📱 Apps & Services > 1️⃣ I'm a big fan of Inoreader but less of their RSS reader app. So, I usually depend on Reeder to consume my RSS feeds, but I recently restarted using Unread because it is now available for the Mac, too. 2️⃣ I briefly contemplated the idea of opening a Threads account (which implies opening an Instagram account). But then I checked the App Privacy fact sheet in the App Store. It was a great reminder as to why I must refrain from doing so. Pass. The idea was to expand the cross-posting capabilities of Micro.blog. 3️⃣ Interesting [questions and thoughts](https://www.manton.org/2024/08/07/apple-intelligence-not.html?ref=numericcitizen.me) from Manton Reece about Apple Intelligence and the potential for developers. Apple being prudent with AI forces developers who would like to quickly take advantage of Apple models to stay with third-party solutions. 4️⃣ Christina Warren is [expressing her thoughts](https://mastodon.social/@film%5Fgirl/112934469798456206?ref=numericcitizen.me) on Apple's decision about Patreon. It's well worth the read. She's mad. 5️⃣ If you are an Apple Music subscriber with many hand-crafted playlists, why not try [Denim](https://9to5mac.com/2024/08/14/playlist-cover-artwork-app-denim/?ref=numericcitizen.me), a playlist cover artwork creator? 6️⃣ Apple might be late in the game of AI with Apple Intelligence, compared with Google's latest phones, but I'm rooting for creativity-related functionality here, not tech demos or geeky useless features. ![Threads app and data tracking. Thanks but no thanks. Pass. ](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/2024/08/Image-1.jpg) Threads app and data tracking. Thanks but no thanks. Pass. ![On my iPad: three apps side by side: Inoreader, Unread and Reeder for the iPad.](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/2024/08/Image-2.jpg) On my iPad: three apps side by side: Inoreader, Unread and Reeder for the iPad. [Craft update: First look at Objects![](https://www.craft.do/share/static/apple-touch-icon.png)![](https://api.craft.do/render/preview/CPxB5gaQbX928h)](https://documents.craft.me/objects-beta?ref=numericcitizen.me) I’m not a big user of Notion outside of my professional life but I must admit that charts coming to Notion is looking rather sweet! [Playlist artwork app ‘Denim’ gets major update with new editorDenim is a cool iPhone app that helps users create unique art for their playlists. In recent weeks, the app…![](https://9to5mac.com/wp-content/themes/ninetofive/dist/svg/9to5-clock.svg)9to5MacFilipe Espósito![](https://i0.wp.com/9to5mac.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/6/2024/08/denim-artwork-app.jpg?resize=1200%2C628&quality=82&strip=all&ssl=1)](https://9to5mac.com/2024/08/14/playlist-cover-artwork-app-denim/?ref=numericcitizen.me) For those who are Apple Music subscribers, you might find it cool to have an app to create artwork for your well-crafted playlists. Not much can’t be customized without the paid subscription, though. ## 📺 YouTube > 1️⃣ if video recording (for YouTube or elsewhere) is your thing, this video from Zolotech demonstrates the Insta360 Flow Pro. It’s pretty cool and nifty for stabilizing your videos and tracking your subjects without missing a beat, thanks in part to, you guessed it, AI. 🤓 2️⃣ I decided to try an Insta360 Flow Pro for my YouTube video recording. By tweaking the position of my iPhone while recording my interaction with my Mac, the overlay should be more natural, as if I were looking at the window content. > The video discusses the importance of maintaining a positive attitude and avoiding excessive complaining, particularly in the context of photography and creative work. The speaker reflects on a personal experience with a friend and fellow photographer, Radic, who maintained a positive and grateful attitude despite challenges. This led the speaker to realize that his own negative attitude and constant complaining were holding him back. The video emphasizes that while having an ego is natural, an unchecked ego can lead to negative thinking and hinder personal growth. The speaker argues that photographers often complain about their equipment, social media, and the industry, but this negativity can rewire the brain to focus on the negative, ultimately stifling creativity and motivation. Instead, the speaker advocates for gratitude, continuous learning, and making a lot of images as the key to improvement. ## 💎 Miscellaneous > 1️⃣ Influencing people's decision to choose one app over the other… it seems [Jarrod Blundy chose to try the Arc Browser again](https://heydingus.net/blog/2024/8/7-things-this-week-149?ref=numericcitizen.me), thanks to [an article I published](https://numericcitizen.me/why-im-embracing-the-arc-browser/) a while ago. 2️⃣ The problem with EU legislation is well underscored in [this DHH blog post](https://world.hey.com/dhh/cookie-banners-show-everything-that-s-wrong-with-the-eu-3bfcf03d?ref=numericcitizen.me), you might find it insightful too. 3️⃣ Art history shows a cyclical pattern of adding elaborate decorations to clean styles and then returning to simplicity. This trend is evident in various fields, including architecture, painting, photography, literature, theatre, and fashion, and is also observed in software design. Due to its shorter timeline than other art forms, software design may experience this cycle more rapidly. [Great article](https://josem.co/simple-to-ornate-and-back-again/?ref=numericcitizen.me). ## 🔮 Looking ahead > 1️⃣ [Google’s search monopoly ends is in sight](https://www.cnn.com/2024/08/05/business/google-loses-antitrust-lawsuit-doj/index.html?ref=numericcitizen.me). Well, it could take years, apparently. Apple had better take notice and revisit some deals with Google. This judgment is a major blow to Google and will certainly send shockwaves in the tech space. Coupled with SearchGPT around the corner, you can see that Google’s business might be in trouble in the future. 2️⃣ Speaking of SearchGPT, I got an email telling me that all 10K slots are filled and that I'll have to wait for the official release to use it. I wish you a great week! ✌️👋🏻 💡 This newsletter edition is also available as a Craft shared document [****here**](https://crafted.numericcitizen.me/creative-summary-2024-32?ref=numericcitizen.me). This week's edition is based on template version 1.4 — [Thu, Aug 1](about:blank) and was put together with ❤️ on a 15-inch MacBook Air, Craft Docs and many supporting subscriptions! Support my work ([Paypal](https://paypal.me/numericcitizen?locale.x=en%5FUS&ref=numericcitizen.me)) or [become a supporter](https://ko-fi.com/numericcitizen/?ref=numericcitizen.me) with Ko-fi! [Creative Summary Newsletter Editions Index![](https://www.craft.do/share/static/apple-touch-icon.png)![](https://api.craft.do/render/preview/GHb2dEbIsUtgQ4)](https://crafted.numericcitizen.me/GHb2dEbIsUtgQ4?ref=numericcitizen.me) ## 📅 Meta ![Things that I accomplished during the week, as seen in Things 3.](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/2024/08/Image-1-1.png) Things that I accomplished during the week, as seen in [Things 3](https://culturedcode.com/things/?ref=numericcitizen.me). ![Numeric Citizen Digital Space Tip Sheet 2024-01-Lowres.png](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/2024/08/Numeric-Citizen-Digital-Space-Tip-Sheet-2024-1.png) Numeric Citizen Digital Space Tip Sheet 2024-01-Lowres.png ### My Weekly Creative Summary for the Week of 2024-30 URL: https://numericcitizen.me/my-weekly-creative-summary-for-the-week-of-2024-30/ Last updated: 2024-08-09T15:13:15.000Z 👨🏻‍💻 31 posts 😃 🏞️ 12 photos shared 😃 🎙️ No podcast episode published 😔 📺 1 YouTube video published 😃 This week’s edition covers a two-week range of activities ## 👤 Personal > 1️⃣ It's been three weeks since I returned from vacation, and I now feel up to speed with my creative hobby. I've written several blog posts and processed most of my Nikon Z f photos. I've started sharing many of them on Pixelfed and Glass, but it will take time to go through all of my best ones. 2️⃣ Recently, I was chilling with my partner in our pool. We were both silent and were enjoying the present moment. After a while, I broke the silence by saying I had nothing to say. Yep, that is so me. My partner said the same. This silence felt heavy to me without knowing why, as if I always had something to say. Why this constant pressure to fill our spaces with words and images? The following quote is spot on: > “Most of us aren’t self-aware enough to realize that the more we speak, the less we say.” — Om Malik ## 🗺️ Discoveries > 1️⃣ I always find it sad to see content like this website [disappear from the internet](https://sixcolors.com/link/2024/07/important-apple-focused-accessibility-site-to-shut-down/?ref=numericcitizen.me). There should be an official place for hosting this content, at no cost. Such a place could be founded by users, companies, and government agencies so that we can keep some memory of genuinely helpful and widely respected websites like AppleVis (no link is shared here because the link will become broken soon). ## 📖 Reading > 1️⃣ I've read a few interesting tidbits in the past two weeks. I stumbled upon [this blog](https://lars-christian.com/?ref=numericcitizen.me) while browsing my Micro.blog timeline. Someone shared a link to a post from this blog, and I decided to check it out. To my delight, I found it quite interesting. The blog covers various topics, including blogging, technology, and the open web. Another blog discovery: [this one](https://bacardi55.io/posts/?ref=numericcitizen.me) talks about tech but touches on other subjects, too. 2️⃣ I finally got Omnivore Digest to work, and it's really great. 3️⃣ Here are two quotes that I think are worth sharing with you: In ‘Surely Microsoft Isn’t Blaming EU for Its Problems?’, Om Malik writes: > “…regulators are so woefully out of touch with actual technology that they not only fail to understand how it all works, but they can’t even contemplate unintended consequences of their regulations.” Jeff Perry on Google’s exclusive access deal to Reddit content for indexing: > “This could set a precedent for other sites like Hacker News and Pinterest to start searching for the highest bidder to make their content exclusive on another search engine. Eventually other sites might do the same in hopes to thwart the serial scraping of their content for AI models to learn from and make a few bucks in the process. It is just another byproduct of the [Enshittification](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Enshittification?ref=clicked.cool) of the web.” — Jeff Perry A challenge for so many of us these days: > “One of my favorite hobbies used to be reading books. Now, it feels impossible to read one page without having to backtrack and read that page again (and sometimes...again) because I have no idea what I just read. My mind is unable to keep focus.” — [Veronique blog](https://veronique.ink/loose-thoughts/?ref=numericcitizen.me) ## 👨🏻‍💻 Writing > 1️⃣ Do real-life people know I'm writing stuff online, on a personal blog? That's the interesting question [this blog post](https://bacardi55.io/2024/07/01/do-people-irl-know-you-have-a-blog/?ref=numericcitizen.me) tried to answer and elaborate on. Very few of my friends and colleagues know what I'm doing online. I’m rather shy about it, and I'm not sure why. I prefer to write about whatever subjects I want without feeling judged by someone who knows me. 2️⃣ I tried to summarize and [share my observations](https://numericcitizen.me/using-the-ipad-with-an-external-display-space-oddities/) about using the iPad Pro with an external display. It's a new possibility since I upgraded to an M4 iPad Pro a few weeks ago, and I thought it was more interesting than writing another iPad Pro review. 3️⃣ I read an article about the aftermath of Meta blocking news sharing in Canada. After a year, we have a better idea of the consequences, which aren't what people thought they would be. That being said, [I'm utterly frustrated](https://numericcitizen.me/rethinking-news-distribution-lessons-from-metas-block-in-canada/) by Meta's behaviour regarding fake news. They still allow them to spread like wildfire. 4️⃣ Asking ChatGPT what a specific blog post I will publish means is useful. [This idea](https://www.manton.org/2024/07/31/this-approach-from.html?ref=numericcitizen.me) came from Manton, and I tried it. It really helps my writing. It is different than asking, "Improve my writing.” 5️⃣ Writing can be easy for some, but it might be challenging for others, [like for him](https://bacardi55.io/2024/07/25/rambling-on-blogging-motivations-and-energy/?ref=numericcitizen.me). Motivation might be lacking, too. As a blogger, I believe both are true: hard work and motivation are sometimes scarce. I often tell myself to write in order just to help me organize my ideas, perfect them, and learn something from them, not for others. 6️⃣ Don’t miss [my monthly post digest](https://blog.numericcitizen.me/newsletters/2024/08/01/10113.html?ref=numericcitizen.me) published on August 1st! [Rambling on blogging motivations and energy | Bacardi55’s Web Cave![](https://bacardi55.io/favicon.ico)Bacardi55's Web Caveselfhosting![](https://bacardi55.io/dragonhead.png)](https://bacardi55.io/2024/07/25/rambling-on-blogging-motivations-and-energy/?ref=numericcitizen.me) 🌄 Photography > 1️⃣ I'm done processing my travel photos from my travel to Croatia. It always takes me quite a while to process the last few remaining shots. Those aren't necessarily the best ones, but they still provide helpful visual data points. 2️⃣ I discovered [this amateur photographer](https://glass.photo/sara?ref=numericcitizen.me) on Glass last week. Sara has quite a few visual gems. 3️⃣ Glass is about to introduce a new and highly requested feature: support for photo series! Here is [an example](https://glass.photo/daniel/series/7PiqMEbpBfm8e21e6WkKUK-camel-66?ref=numericcitizen.me) from one of Glass’ founders. According to their preview, the series has a description, a photo count, and a Mansory-style grid. I can't wait to try them out with a few of my photos. I'm holding off sharing some of my photos until they go live. ![Glass Series example.](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/2024/08/Image.png) Glass Series example. Remember the movie “[The Day After](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0085404/?ref=numericcitizen.me)” back in the eighties? Well, I do and these four images made me think about it. [Campbell 66, a series by Daniel Agee — GlassMy great-great grandfather started Campbell 66 in the early 1920s. He sold it in mid-’80s. He died before I was born, so I never met him. I only knew him by the…![](https://glass.photo/favicon.svg)![](https://glass.photo/og/series/7PiqMEbpBfm8e21e6WkKUK-campbell-66.jpg)](https://glass.photo/daniel/series/7PiqMEbpBfm8e21e6WkKUK-camel-66?ref=numericcitizen.me) Series are coming to Glass and here is an example. [Sharing Photographs, and Photography, with Others and Growing as a PhotographerGreat Lakes Waterfront Trail, Toronto, 2024 Like many other photographers I regularly share my images through a social media platform. I also sometimes post them on this website. And that’s fine an…![](https://excited-pixels.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/08/cropped-electron-clipart-electron12-e1614876140391.png?w=80)Excited PixelsChristopher Parsons![](https://excited-pixels.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/07/l1029528-1.jpg?w=1200)](https://excited-pixels.com/2024/07/31/sharing-photographs-and-photography-with-others-and-growing-as-a-photographer/?ref=numericcitizen.me) That series of images is superb, especially the one with shadows of kids playing in water vapour. [The Making of Kino: You Can (Not) Build a Pro Video Camera App in Four MonthsA true story of indie app development: why we made the plunge to build our pro video camera app Kino in a few months, its whirlwind development, and many surprise twists.![](https://www.lux.camera/content/images/size/w256h256/2023/08/Lux-Favicon-512.png)LuxBen Sandofsky![](https://www.lux.camera/content/images/size/w1200/2024/07/hero-image-for-post.jpg)](https://www.lux.camera/kino-a-pro-video-camera-in-four-months/?ref=numericcitizen.me) If you want a detailed behind-the-scenes look at the making of Kino, a video recording app for the iPhone, this article tells it all. Must read. ## 🍎 Apple > 1️⃣ Apple Maps is (finally) available in beta [on the web](https://beta.maps.apple.com/?ref=numericcitizen.me). From my experience, it’s a relatively solid first version, and I’m glad to have one more option to get away from Google. 2️⃣ I'm choosing not to upgrade my iPhone this year. Still, I'll likely consider it next year, especially given the [intriguing rumours](https://www.macrumors.com/2024/07/22/iphone-17-5-major-features/?ref=numericcitizen.me) surrounding the upcoming models. The iPhone 17 Slim (or whatever name it adopts) appears unusual and fascinating. Could this signify a new direction in the evolution of the iPhone? 3️⃣ Apple is tweaking their Apple Intelligence release schedule: nothing will come publicly before iOS 18.1\. It may sound bad, but I prefer Apple to take the time to make it good. Apple doesn't have the leisure to fuck it up because Siri is living on borrowed time. 4️⃣ Speaking of which, Apple Intelligence officially enters beta for developers, and according to [this video](https://youtu.be/6gk91dpHNo8?si=1QN4DhxE0gE%5FytQj&ref=numericcitizen.me), initial feature sets seem to work relatively smoothly. I decided to install iPadOS 18.1 on my iPad Pro to give it a shot myself. The onboarding experience is relatively polished. In less than fifteen minutes, I officially entered the Apple Intelligence beta. My experience with Apple's app is rather positive, while my experience with third-party apps is a mixed bag. Some text proofing works with Craft in specific conditions, and I get better results in Ulysses. Yet, developers will have to work on providing a better experience in their respective applications. [It will take time](https://blog.numericcitizen.me/2024/07/29/i-believe-it.html?ref=numericcitizen.me) for all this stuff to mature, get to Canada, and support the French Canadian language. 5️⃣ Apple made a lot of money in their last quarter. Services are the star of the quarter with a big jump. All the charts are available in [this SixColors post](https://sixcolors.com/post/2024/08/apple-results-quarterly-record-all-time-high-in-services/?ref=numericcitizen.me). > > “In a few years, people will not remember exactly when the various Apple Intelligence components were released. However, they will remember whether or not they worked.” From [MacSparky](https://www.macsparky.com/blog/2024/07/the-big-question-about-apple-intelligence/?ref=numericcitizen.me) ## 🚧 Special projects > 1️⃣ I started and completed reworking how [my weekly newsletter editions](https://crafted.numericcitizen.me/weekly-creative-summaries-index?ref=numericcitizen.me) are created and stored within Craft. I used Craft Daily notes initially, but I recently changed my mind because of a few issues. The problem was that I needed to transpose all the content of past editions into a newly created Craft document while preserving all the shared links. It was easy to do but rather tedious. This doesn't bring much value in the end, but as a perfectionist, it makes a difference in my mind. The index page now looks gorgeous. ![Visual index of the weekly creative summary newsletter editions.](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/2024/08/Image-1.png) Visual index of the weekly creative summary newsletter editions. ## 📱 Apps & Services > 1️⃣ OpenAI [announced](https://openai.com/index/searchgpt-prototype/?ref=numericcitizen.me) searchGPT. SearchGPT will compete against Google and Bing, the owners of which are Microsoft, a significant investor in ChatGPT. For now, ladies and gentlemen, the good news is that there won't be ads… and results will probably be as good if not better because of this! 2️⃣ I made a [video](https://youtu.be/n3ZmPIzid28?ref=numericcitizen.me) with my thoughts and observations on a teaser about « Project Powerful,» the codename for a future Craft release. 3️⃣ Vernissage for Pixelfed becomes Impressia for Pixelfed. 4️⃣ Unread is now available on the Mac, and I tested it again to see if I like it better than Reeder. I’m not sure. 5️⃣ [iStats Menu 7](https://bjango.com/mac/istatmenus/?ref=numericcitizen.me) just launched, and it's a significant upgrade! Everything has been redone, and it just looks gorgeous. I’ve used iStats Menu on my main computer since version 3 but not on my MacBook Air, where I used Stats instead, a free utility. I wonder if I should upgrade to a multi-license version to use it everywhere. 6️⃣ That’s [a weird question on Reddit](https://www.reddit.com/r/thingsapp/s/NPhjvoX2mq?ref=numericcitizen.me) (Reddit is so full of weirdos anyway) regarding the future of Culture Code’s and Things 3, their well-regarded task management app. As a big fan of Culture Code’s Things 3, I don’t see why this question pops up now. The application is frequently updated, and most users seem happy with it. Sure, Things 4 is still being discussed by many, but without official words from the developer, I don’t see that as an issue. 7️⃣I’ve been testing Tapestry recently since it came out in beta, and I must say that I’m a bit disappointed. I suspect an issue with this type of application: content velocity can flood any timeline, rendering the experience similar to scrolling any timeline without much-added value. It’s still early in the application development, but … we will see. My sentiment doesn’t fall in line [with Manton’s](https://www.manton.org/2024/07/29/ive-been-testing.html?ref=numericcitizen.me). ## 📺 YouTube > 1️⃣ This animation depicts a concerning view of global CO2 emissions over a few days. The pulsating nature of the emissions results from the day-night cycle. We can clearly see industrial zones all over the eastern portion of the US with some denser spots with a lot of emissions. > The video discusses the desire among many users to run macOS on an iPad, highlighting the limitations of iPadOS compared to macOS despite the iPad's powerful hardware. Leading up to WWDC, there were hopes for significant updates to iPadOS, but instead, only minor features like a calculator app were introduced. The author experimented with running macOS on an iPad using screen mirroring via Sidecar, which allowed for some use of macOS apps with the Apple Pencil, but noted the experience was less than ideal due to the lack of touch optimization. > The discussion also includes insights from developer Riley Testut, who explains the technical challenges of porting macOS apps to iPadOS and the potential of Apple's Catalyst framework for making iPad apps available on Mac. Nilay Patel of The Verge provides a business perspective, suggesting that Apple's reluctance to merge macOS and iPadOS is driven by financial incentives, particularly the revenue from the App Store, which would be disrupted if macOS were available on iPads. > Ultimately, the video concludes that while the hardware is capable, Apple's decision to keep iPadOS and macOS separate is likely a strategic choice to maintain control over app distribution and revenue. The iPad may continue to receive updates that make it more like a laptop, but it won't replace macOS anytime soon. Here’s a video about a superb video recording app called Kino. I share this here because I think this app exemplifies application design and attention to detail. If video recording is your thing, consider looking at Kino! ## 💎 Miscellaneous > 1️⃣ Food for thoughts, here. > "AI is not human, and behind its programmatic simulation of human speech and artificial emotional intelligence, it’s just a machine with all the humanity of a toaster." — Mike Elgan ## 🔮 Looking ahead > 1️⃣ I'm on the waitlist to experiment with SearchGPT. There are 10K slots. I'm not sure I'll make it. 2️⃣ Craft is coming with [something really cool](https://www.reddit.com/r/CraftDocs/comments/1ej2z1t/project%5Fpowerful%5F2%5Fteaser/?utm%5Fsource=share&utm%5Fmedium=web3x&utm%5Fname=web3xcss&utm%5Fterm=1&utm%5Fcontent=share%5Fbutton) and powerful that will transform my use of Craft in many ways. I have so many things to think about. This will require some massive time investment but it will be worth it! Stay tuned. > OpenAI has launched SearchGPT, an AI-powered search engine designed to compete with Google and Bing. Unlike traditional search engines, SearchGPT provides conversational summaries of search results, including citations and links to original sources. This prototype is currently available to a select group of users and publishers, including the Wall Street Journal and the Atlantic, ensuring proper content attribution and fostering positive relationships with content creators. > SearchGPT integrates OpenAI's AI models with real-time web searches, offering not only text but also visual answers, such as AI-generated videos and images. This feature aims to enhance the search experience, especially for visual learners. OpenAI plans to eventually integrate these search capabilities into ChatGPT, potentially making it a more powerful tool for users. I wish you a great week! 💡 This newsletter edition is also available as a Craft shared document [****here**](https://crafted.numericcitizen.me/creative-summary-2024-30?ref=numericcitizen.me). This week's edition is based on template version 1.4 — [Thu, Aug 1](about:blank) and was put together with ❤️ on a 15-inch MacBook Air, Craft Docs and many supporting subscriptions! Support my work ([Paypal](https://paypal.me/numericcitizen?locale.x=en%5FUS&ref=numericcitizen.me)) or [become a supporter](https://ko-fi.com/numericcitizen/?ref=numericcitizen.me) with Ko-fi! [Creative Summary Newsletter Editions Index![](https://www.craft.do/share/static/apple-touch-icon.png)![](https://api.craft.do/render/preview/GHb2dEbIsUtgQ4)](https://crafted.numericcitizen.me/weekly-creative-summaries-index?ref=numericcitizen.me) ## 📅 Meta ![Things that I accomplished during the week, as seen in Things 3.](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/2024/08/Image-2.png) Things that I accomplished during the week, as seen in [Things 3](https://culturedcode.com/things/?ref=numericcitizen.me). ![Numeric Citizen Digital Space Tip Sheet 2024-01-Lowres.png](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/2024/08/Numeric-Citizen-Digital-Space-Tip-Sheet-2024.png) Numeric Citizen Digital Space Tip Sheet 2024-01-Lowres.png ### Rethinking News Distribution: Lessons from Meta’s Block in Canada URL: https://numericcitizen.me/rethinking-news-distribution-lessons-from-metas-block-in-canada/ Last updated: 2024-07-27T13:47:42.000Z Before sharing my thoughts on this news, please know that I haven’t used Facebook actively for several years now, only a few times a year for very specific use cases. I keep my Facebook account so that I can use Messenger occasionally. According to [an article](https://www.lapresse.ca/actualites/2024-07-27/un-an-de-blocage-des-nouvelles-par-meta/les-medias-et-leur-lectorat-s-adaptent.php?ref=numericcitizen.me) (in French) published by the digital newspaper "La Presse," the anticipated disaster in Canada following Meta's blockage of news sharing on its platforms did not occur. Not only did readers adapt, but they also discovered that Facebook was a means of distribution with questionable practices (duh!). The media adapted as well, and their readership increased rather than decreased: > “Since August 1, 2023, Meta, the owner of Facebook and Instagram, has been blocking media content in Canada to avoid complying with the Online News Act. This law, in effect since last December, requires digital platforms to negotiate royalties with media outlets to use their content." And: > “Some Quebec media outlets that feared the news block would harm them have instead observed increased traffic." Will the trend continue? It remains to be seen, but many media outlets that have developed a strategy of never being dependent on a third party for news dissemination are doing very well and have not been affected by Meta’s news blockade. That’s good for them, and I think it is the best way to go until something profound happens with social networks: being and acting as responsible corporate citizens. > “One year after Meta blocked news on Facebook and Instagram in Canada, many Quebec internet users have changed their habits to stay informed. Far from the predicted catastrophe, the change has allowed many to reconnect with news media and, paradoxically, to question their use of social networks.” Now, some experts wonder whether the withdrawal of news sharing might promote misinformation on Facebook. According to the report, some experts believe it does, and this could even challenge democracy. For my part, I think the business model and Meta’s practices, acting as Facebook’s toxic multiplier effect, should not be used as a conduit for sharing news. Facebook’s stance on fake news is, in fact, far scarier and challenging. I believe these platforms need to be more responsible, and without significant change, they should be regulated—the sooner, the better. > “Éric-Pierre Champagne cites the example of fake news where the faces of celebrities and the brand images of various media, including La Presse, are used to scam those who click. According to him, Meta claims, however, that this aligns with its advertising practices.” Do you see the problem here? Meta refuses to acknowledge that sharing fake news is unacceptable and to take action to prevent it. In my opinion, this is the crux of the issue. Large companies must show constant revenue growth, leading them to make decisions or turn a blind eye to fundamental issues that completely discredit them. Until these changes, we cannot rely on them to share true or fake news. I hope people will realize this one day. As a side note, the open web is more than ever an answer to closed platforms. We need to educate people about this. ### Using the iPad With an External Display — Space Oddities URL: https://numericcitizen.me/using-the-ipad-with-an-external-display-space-oddities/ Last updated: 2024-07-25T01:48:58.000Z I bought my 2018 iPad in… 2018 and sold it on eBay nearly six years later for about 500 CAN$. Coupled with the recent sale of my 2013 Mac Pro for 600 CA$ as well as three Apple Store cards worth a total of 700 CAN$, with all that money on hand, my new 2024 iPad Pro expanse didn’t cost me a lot of new money. This is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. But if I upgraded to the 2024 iPad Pro, it’s because of one thing: I wanted an OLED screen inside a more refined and future-proof device. This article is not a review. Given the extensive coverage of the updated iPads since their release, many reviews are already available online. Nearly everything about the new iPad Pro has been discussed, except for [one specific aspect](https://blog.numericcitizen.me/2024/06/05/the-m-ipad.html?ref=numericcitizen.me) that I find particularly intriguing. Today, I want to focus on this often overlooked feature of the modern iPad experience: using an iPad with an external monitor. The evolution of the iPad since its original release has been remarkable, and the ability to connect an iPad to an external display is particularly beneficial for power users like myself. This is the capability that I have been eager to test ever since the M1 iPad Pro came out in May 2021\. Many observations come from my extensive testing on the iPad Pro with an external display. These observations are shared in no particular order. - By being similar to the Mac while being distinctive, as a Mac user and iPad user, my brain can become confused when using the iPad with an external display. It’s really a strange feeling, especially with cross-platform apps like Craft. - Using an app like Craft on a small iPad screen versus an external display significantly alters my perception and expectations. I am less tolerant of poor design choices when utilizing the larger screen. - Moving an application window between displays triggers a visual reset that is unpleasant and disruptive to the workflow. It’s much smoother on the Mac. - Unlike my experience with a Mac, using iPadOS windows on an external display often feels restrictive and cumbersome. This limitation was already noticeable when using Stage Manager on the iPad, but it becomes even more pronounced with an external display. - Resizing windows on iPadOS isn’t smooth compared to the Mac. There is a lack of fluidity. - During my testing, I experienced a complete loss of image on the external display (the 5K LG UltraFine display). The iPad acted as if the cable was being disconnected and reconnected every few seconds. Rebooting the iPad fixes the issue but is utterly disruptive. I tried using the Apple Studio Display instead and never encountered the issue. I might retry this with iPadOS 18 beta. - If you've never used a Mac and you pair an iPad with an external display, your expectations and reactions to iPadOS behaviors might differ significantly. Is this combination the future for the next generation? It's quite possible. - When you unplug the iPad from the monitor and plug it back in, the desktop isn’t restored on the external display. To my knowledge, this is not the case with the Mac. It’s another limitation of the iPad experience. - Clicking on the date and time located in the top-left corner of the screen activates the notifications center, which may cause the windows on the external display to disappear unexpectedly. This behavior is unusual and not intuitive. Similarly, clicking on the battery indicator in the top-right corner of the screen will open the Control Center, but it appears on the iPad screen instead. - I experienced a crash or two of the iPad while unplugging the external display. It wasn’t a full reboot, probably just a Springboard reboot. It might be better with iPadOS 18 beta, I guess. - The CMD-Q shortcut for closing apps isn’t available on the iPad. Instead, you can close an app by selecting the close option from the three-dot menu located at the top of each window. This functions similarly to closing an app but highlights another inconsistency in the user interface. - Here’s something amusing: Craft Docs is a Catalyst app that runs both on iPad and Mac using the same package from the App Store. I can easily maximize the Craft window to full screen on an external display. However, Final Cut Pro for iPad, which is an iPad-only app, behaves differently. When I try to maximize its window on the external display, it resizes itself to match the size of the iPad screen instead of the external display, which is rather odd. Using Stage Manager on the iPad is mandatory when plugging an external monitor. In this video from 9to5Mac, you’ll get a good overview of Stage Manager features, as well as its limitations. [The One Where Quinn Nelson Tries to Create a Window with iPadOS’ Stage ManagerI’ve published my fair share of criticism regarding the iPadOS version of Stage Manager over the years. I wrote about it again last week, but most of its underlying issues date back to the original release in late 2022, which I documented here. But let’s say you don’t want to read my articles and would![](https://www.macstories.net/app/themes/macstories4/images/logo-shape-black.svg)MacStoriesLinked By Federico Viticci![](https://56243e3f6f46fe44a301-deabeb5f3878e3553d0b065ea974f9bf.ssl.cf1.rackcdn.com/256px.png)](https://www.macstories.net/linked/the-one-where-quinn-nelson-tries-to-create-a-window-with-ipados-stage-manager/?ref=numericcitizen.me) Federico Viticci summarizes Quinn Nelson’s experience of trying to create a window with the Stage Manager. It’s a rather catastrophic experience, and I wish someone at Apple had noticed and taken action. > The video discusses the evolution of the iPad's multitasking system, focusing on the latest feature called Stage Manager introduced in iPadOS 17\. Stage Manager allows users to manage apps in a window mode, enabling more flexible multitasking. It can be enabled through Control Center and allows resizing and moving app windows. The system supports up to four windows per stage and offers various keyboard shortcuts for navigation and management. > Stage Manager also improves iPhone app compatibility on the iPad and allows users to organize apps by tasks. The update in iPadOS 17 brings enhancements like better window stacking, more flexible app placement, and improved resizing. Additionally, external monitor support is enhanced, allowing up to eight windows across dual displays. Using an app available on both the iPad and Mac (referred to as a Catalyst app in Apple’s terminology) can sometimes be confusing, especially when the versions are very similar. The popular Craft Docs app exemplifies this. While Craft offers a consistent experience across platforms, the subtle differences in micro-interactions between the touch-based iPad and the indirect manipulation of Mac environments can be somewhat frustrating for users transitioning between devices. How is the possibility of using an external display with my iPad might change my creative habits? I’m not convinced that I'll ever get the new Magic Keyboard for the iPad. If I need to work on my iPad with an external display—a scenario I don’t foresee happening often—I can use an Apple Studio Display along with an external keyboard and mouse. It's a convenient possibility, but nothing more. For complex tasks, I'll stick with my MacBook Air. Could I see myself transitioning to an iPad-only setup? Yes, if I were unaware of the Mac's capabilities. While access to both computing platforms offers flexibility, using the iPad with an external monitor is convenient but somewhat limited and unconventional. Thanks to Apple’s hesitations, the iPad conundrum continues. ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/2024/07/IMG_1393.jpeg) My brand new 2024 M4 iPad Pro ### My Weekly Creative Summary for the Week of 2024-28 URL: https://numericcitizen.me/my-weekly-creative-summary-for-the-week-of-2024-28/ Last updated: 2024-07-21T22:57:00.000Z [I guess there are many sways to create contrasts...JF Martin on Glass![](https://glass.photo/favicon.svg)![](https://cdn.glass.photo/post/96d23508-8dfe-4c1a-a2a4-963e51a6fadd/photo?auto=format&fm=jpg&q=90&w=828&s=732e44304f88505329c28dc28667a555)](https://glass.photo/numericcitizen/FxIv0QSTgjcAzZwdTc9aO?ref=numericcitizen.me) > 👨🏻‍💻 13 post(s) 🙂 > 🏞️ 4 photo(s) shared 😔 > 🎙️ No podcast episode published 😔 > 📺 No YouTube video published 😔 ## 👤 Personal 1️⃣ After a refreshing three-week hiatus, courtesy of a wonderful vacation in Croatia, I'm thrilled to dive back into my writing activities and bring you this newsletter. The trip was fantastic and provided a much-needed escape from my digital routine. I hope you enjoy this lighter-than-usual edition. ## 🗺️ Discoveries > 1️⃣ I'm exploring iPadOS 18 on my M4 iPad Pro and iOS 18 on my iPhone 15 Pro Max. I like it so far, but spotting the differences is hard unless you know where to look. On the iPad, Stage Manager is still... Stage Manager and I kept it turned off because it's not as useful on the iPad without an external monitor as on the Mac. The fun stuff will only ship early next year, though. 2️⃣ Google is no longer indexing website content by default, according to [this blog post](https://www.vincentschmalbach.com/google-now-defaults-to-not-indexing-your-content/?ref=numericcitizen.me). I don't know since when but I find this to be highly problematic. We all know that Google's search results quality isn’t what it used to be, but this decision seems to accelerate Google's relevancy. Yet, how does someone get on the map? 3️⃣ Matt Birchler talks about social network behaviour when it comes to posts containing links to external websites: > > “It's been generally accepted over the years that platforms like Twitter and Meta (Facebook, Threads, Instagram) are more likely to surface posts that don't include any links to external sites.” — Matt Birchler I had no idea social networks operated in such a manner, and now that I do, I'm glad I'm not on any of those platforms. I've always believed that algorithm-based timelines are toxic and should be regulated. However, as a creator, how do you promote your work on the open web? More than ever, I feel the need for an open web. ## 📖 Reading 1️⃣ I brought a book with me on my trip to Croatia, but I never even opened it. This is typical of me—always finding something more engaging than reading. There's definitely something off about that. > Personal computers, enterprise software, and entertainment are perfect examples of the U.S. coming up with newer use cases for those technologies, leading to their future mutations. China’s manufacturing and logistics focus has helped it take the lead in many markets that need manufacturing scale. Robotics, with AI, is simply the leading edge of that expertise. — Om Malik on the rise of applied robotics in manufacturing in China ## 👨🏻‍💻 Writing > 1️⃣ Don't miss [my blog posts monthly summary](https://blog.numericcitizen.me/newsletters/2024/07/01/9596.html?ref=numericcitizen.me) generated and sent to subscribers on July 1st. 2️⃣ My Digital Legacy Management Guide was completed just before my vacations. It was a great little project, and I have managed to sell one copy of it via Gumroad so far. If this is something that might interest you, have a peek [here](https://blog.numericcitizen.me/2024/06/23/i-finally-completed.html?ref=numericcitizen.me). 3️⃣ Why am I predominantly citing the same sources or authors? What does this reveal about my reading habits? 4️⃣ On Friday, I shared a hot take about the worldwide computer outage. I first wrote it in French then used Craft AI assistant to translate it in English. Again, I should use this workflow more often as it helps me write and publish faster, especially when current events are unfolding at a fast pace. [Introducing WritebookYou know, it’s really easy to publish short form content on a variety of social platforms. And individual blog posts on a number of other platforms. These are solved problems. But it’s surprisingly challenging to publish books on the web in nice, cohesive, tight, easy-to-navigate HTML format. A collection of 20 essays can be a book. Or…![](https://world.hey.com/jason/avatar-9f11ce77d31e68e834c564594ee0bc32a005ee8d)![](https://world.hey.com/jason/avatar-9f11ce77d31e68e834c564594ee0bc32a005ee8d)](https://world.hey.com/jason/introducing-writebook-e217cae3?ref=numericcitizen.me) > The makers of [HEY Mail](https://www.hey.com/?ref=numericcitizen.me) at [37Signals](https://37signals.com/?ref=numericcitizen.me) are launching [Writebook](https://once.com/writebook?ref=numericcitizen.me), a self-publishing service for online books. I like this quite a lot, and it gave me some ideas, but having to install this thing myself, even if it is simple, as they say, is a bit of a dealbreaker for me. But I applaud the initiative. ## 🌄 Photography > 1️⃣ Now that I know which camera settings are required, NEF files can normally be browsed in Mac Finder. My photo processing workflow using Photomator is a bit simpler, but there are still some hurdles: Photomator on my M4 iPad Pro is far from stable. I’m feeding the company support team to figure out what is happening. Problems range from the inability to save the current editing session to strange behaviour when browsing, opening and closing files. Restarting Photomator helps, but after a few minutes, the problems start again. For now, I have decided to limit my usage of Photomator on my iPad. 2️⃣ I took close to 900 photos using my Nikon and many hundreds more with my iPhone during my trip to Croatia. There was a clear decreasing trend toward the end of the trip of taking fewer and fewer pictures. One possible reason was the unbearable temperatures aggravated by high humidity. 3️⃣ Is film photography more ageless than digital photography? [Someone thinks so](https://social.lol/@jbaty/112746559478247657?ref=numericcitizen.me). 4️⃣ Photomator support for new RAW image formats [keeps expanding](https://www.pixelmator.com/blog/2024/07/16/photomator-and-pixelmator-pro-add-support-for-high-efficiency-nikon-raws-and-more/?ref=numericcitizen.me), and it is good news because until now, I have had to set up my Nikon Zf to create less optimized RAW files (bigger). > > “Nikon users can enjoy previewing and editing photos taken using High Efficiency (HE) and High Efficiency Star (HE\*) compression algorithms. These algorithms are designed to maintain high image quality while significantly reducing file sizes, making RAW photos faster to open and easier to store.” ![Photomator 3.2.20 release notes](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/2024/07/Image.png) Photomator 3.2.20 release notes [Greg MorrisRe-editing old thrown out photos and found a good one.![](https://micro.blog/gregmorris/favicon.png)Greg Morris![](https://greg-morris.micro.blog/uploads/2024/24ebc96dfb.jpg)](https://gregmorris.co.uk/2024/06/07/reediting-old-thrown.html?ref=numericcitizen.me) I found this great photo by Greg Morris and I thought it was worth sharing here. ## 🍎 Apple > 1️⃣ If you want to buy a new Mac, consider looking at [this tool](https://www.apple.com/mac/best-mac/?ref=numericcitizen.me) made by Apple to help you decide which Mac model is best for you. I tried it by describing what I was doing with my Mac and was offered a 13-inch MacBook Air. The most limiting factor was probably my budget, with a maximum of 1500$. 2️⃣ A guy entered the Apple Campus right on time for the WWDC24 conference and [filmed himself](https://youtu.be/%5FQZVUpCs1zQ?si=Ah%5FSQe33g2b9YeVK&ref=numericcitizen.me) during his little journey on Apple Park. I love those videos because they cover something that no other videos do when covering WWDC. Oh, and I can’t get enough of Apple Park videos! 3️⃣ [Ads are coming](https://www.axios.com/2024/07/16/taboola-apple-news-deal?ref=numericcitizen.me) to Apple News? Probably, and it is too bad. 4️⃣ [visionOS and Peak Apple](https://www.manton.org/2024/06/28/visionos-and-peak.html?ref=numericcitizen.me) by Manton Reece: He is right. We will see small innovations and great tweaks to already good products, but that’s what it is about for Apple. Is Apple intelligence the next Apple? Too early to tell. 5️⃣ This is [how it looks](https://morrick.me/archives/9850?ref=numericcitizen.me) when someone is tired of Apple, the big tech corporation it has become. There is some value in Morri’s take. 6️⃣ I’m looking forward to the redesign of the Photos app of iOS 18\. [As reported by MacStories](https://www.macstories.net/linked/apple-executives-on-the-photos-overhaul-in-ios-18/?ref=numericcitizen.me), Apple executives explain some of the reasons behind the redesign. 7️⃣ [Nothing](https://nothing.tech/?ref=numericcitizen.me), the company that tries hard to create unique smartphone designs, is at it again and [has developed the CMF Phone 1](https://www.macrumors.com/2024/07/08/nothing-debuts-cmf-phone-1-modular/?ref=numericcitizen.me). Besides the utterly dull moniker, the design of this smartphone is unique and very nice. Not only is the hardware different, but the operating system UI is different, too, which creates a unique combo. I wish Apple tried harder to divert their design away from the iPhone. ![The newest device from Nothing](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/2024/07/Image-1.png) The newest device from Nothing ## 📱 Apps & Services > 1️⃣ Ghost [is progressing](https://activitypub.ghost.org/archive/?ref=numericcitizen.me) toward adding ActivityPub support to its platform. I can't wait for this to go live, but we are probably many weeks, if not months, before the official release. Why is it so cool? Well, people on Fediverse might become followers of my website without going through the usual Ghost sign-up process to receive updates and even reply with a comment to an article. 2️⃣ Wavelength, the messaging service that John Gruber was proud to support, [is no longer operating](https://daringfireball.net/linked/2024/06/26/wavelength-is-shutting-down?ref=numericcitizen.me). I had the opportunity to try it, and I really liked it. They quickly added AI to their platform so that you could include an AI bot in a conversation to ask questions. I tried to create a group of active users from Micro.blog, we were fifty at its peak, but the group wasn't active. 3️⃣ This is not directly related to creativity, but this past Friday, a major computer bug was affecting many computers worldwide. It was a dark Friday. I shared [some thoughts](https://numericcitizen.me/most-worse-than-the-y2k-bug-crowdstrike-update-causes-global-chaos/) about it. ## 📺 YouTube > 1️⃣ Here is a very touching [video](https://youtu.be/QGugXcveQJg?si=7sgnTtd0kkt6etNc&ref=numericcitizen.me) from Tiego Forte about his next moves in his personal life. This guy impresses me a lot with the things his has done and shared online. For a creative person like me, I find him inspiring. Back in the eighties and nineties, I was an avid fan of Michael Jackson’s music and videos. His exceptional talent in both music and dance captivated me. This [one-minute video](https://youtu.be/k%5FJKrSQQe5s?ref=numericcitizen.me) features two street dancers performing to the tune of "P.Y.T." It brings back wonderful memories and showcases some truly remarkable dancing. ## 💎 Miscellaneous > 1️⃣ If you want to celebrate the small and personal web, made possible by individual creators, you might be interested in [this](https://tinyawards.net/?ref=numericcitizen.me). Tinyawards is all about finding and spreading the word about little website gems that put a more human flavour to the web. 2️⃣ Free access is not the same as free to use [according to Viticci of MacStories](https://mastodon.macstories.net/@viticci/112661820239030330?ref=numericcitizen.me) referring to AI bot scrapping website during AI models training. Agree? Yes. Yet, personally, I don’t care too much about AI bots using my content for training purposes. 3️⃣ The [tiny house](https://www.isaacjfrench.com/work/thenook?ref=numericcitizen.me) that I'd like to own and live in. 4️⃣ I’m dubious about Microsoft’s AI boss and [his views](https://www.theverge.com/2024/6/28/24188391/microsoft-ai-suleyman-social-contract-freeware?ref=numericcitizen.me) on using the open web for models training. I’m not ok with this view of the open web. I’m ok with my content for model training but I’m not ok with this view. I don’t know why and it seems contradictory. Don’t miss Manuel Moreale’s [reactions](https://manuelmoreale.com/@/page/CntF6WFJsKpUuIcW?ref=numericcitizen.me) to Microsoft AI boss. ## 🔮 Looking ahead 1️⃣ I definitely need to restart creating YouTube videos. My next project is a three-part course on Craft, and I might start working on it this weekend. I wish you a great week! 💡 This newsletter edition is also available as a Craft shared document [****here**](https://crafted.numericcitizen.me/creartive-summary-2024-28?ref=numericcitizen.me). This week's edition is based on template version 1.3.1— [Sun, Jun 9](about:blank) and was put together with ❤️ on a 15-inch MacBook Air, Craft Docs and many supporting subscriptions! Support my work ([Paypal](https://paypal.me/numericcitizen?locale.x=en%5FUS&ref=numericcitizen.me)) or [become a supporter](https://ko-fi.com/numericcitizen/?ref=numericcitizen.me) with Ko-fi! ## 📅 Meta [My Weekly Creative Summaries Index![](https://www.craft.do/share/static/apple-touch-icon.png)![](https://api.craft.do/render/preview/GHb2dEbIsUtgQ4)](https://crafted.numericcitizen.me/GHb2dEbIsUtgQ4?ref=numericcitizen.me) ![Numeric Citizen Digital Space Tip Sheet 2024-01-Lowres.png](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/2024/07/Numeric-Citizen-Digital-Space-Tip-Sheet-2024.png) Numeric Citizen Digital Space Tip Sheet ### Through the Lens of Apple Vision Pro: A Lukewarm First Experience URL: https://numericcitizen.me/through-the-lens-of-apple-vision-pro-a-lukewarm-first-experience/ Last updated: 2024-07-20T10:16:06.000Z After several months of waiting with fading interest, I finally tried out an Apple Vision Pro at an Apple store in downtown Montreal. As mentioned on my blog this week, I was eager but not that much excited about the prospect of trying Apple's headset. Upon my arrival at the store, while waiting for my turn, I observed the demonstration area, which prompted me to make a few observations. ## General observations The store's demonstration area occupies a substantial portion of the first floor, spanning approximately one-third of the space. This seems excessive for a product that struggles with low sales. The store was relatively quiet during my visit, with only a handful of customers showing interest in the headset. An Apple employee overseeing a demo uses an iPad mini to view what the person experiencing the Apple Vision Pro is actually seeing, which I found fascinating. This made me wonder if Apple could expand on this concept and develop an iPad app that allows people to share content, such as a movie. Imagine a couple sitting on the couch, with one person wearing a headset to browse the web. If they want to share something with their partner, they could momentarily share the screen using an iPad. It's worth noting that demonstrating the Apple Vision Pro requires significantly more education and preparation than other Apple products. This raises questions about whether Apple might be missing some design fundamentals, such as discoverability and affordability. Additionally, the demo setup seems designed to obscure any waiting time for the Apple Vision Pro to boot up or connect to the iPad mini. During my visit, I didn’t see a single person purchase the headset. I’m curious about the percentage of people who, after receiving a demo, decide to buy the headset. It’s probably pretty low. ![A guy sitting in front of me while waiting for my demo to start. No more comments.](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/2024/07/IMG_3079.jpeg) A guy sitting in front of me while waiting for my demo to start. No more comments. ## About the device and the experience Now that I have experienced the Vision Pro device on my head, I have a few hot takes. The front screen is really low-res and could be the first thing to be dropped from the next iteration of the headset. This is a gimmick. The headset isn’t as heavy as I was expecting. It’s probably because I was conditioned by the numerous reviews that noted the weight of the device to be excessive. It’s relatively easy to put and secure on my head. Once in place, I could see light leakage inside. I asked if my headset was correctly in place, and the employee told me it should be fine. It wasn’t. The user interface is sleek and thoughtfully designed overall. Gesturing is intuitive, though I sometimes forget to take that brief moment to look at the intended target before performing the select gesture; it's something you really need to be mindful of. The immersive mode is spectacular but makes you feel even more isolated from the world around you. Watching a movie feels convincingly like being in a theatre, although the device's weight constantly reminds you that you're not actually there. The 8K videos and spatial videos are stunning, with impressive quality. Unfortunately, the store was too noisy to fully appreciate the headset’s sound quality. Oh, and typing on the virtual keyboard is hard and takes time to get used to. I tried to type the numericcitizen.me address in Safari to visit my blog. It was tedious, but I eventually got through. Locating the digital crown while wearing the header can be a challenge at first. The field of view is significantly narrower than I anticipated. Given the price, I expected a broader perspective. On certain occasions, when I became acutely aware of this limitation, it felt as if I were looking through a tunnel. The Apple Vision Pro is the first Apple product that doesn’t resonate with me. I struggle to see its use case or purpose. This starkly contrasts previous Apple products like the iPhone, Apple Watch, iPad, iPod, or the original Mac, which all felt immediately intuitive to me. A headset, though? Really? While it is a remarkable showcase of Apple’s design and technological prowess, some tech pundits argue that Apple should have been more transparent by presenting it as a development kit. They might have a point. As I walked out of the store, I couldn’t help but think of a quote from Steve Jobs: “You've got to start with the customer experience and work back toward the technology – not the other way around.” Here’s hoping that future iterations of the Vision Pro heed this wisdom more closely. One more thing: the price in Canadian dollars with Apple Care for the base configuration is 6400$, all taxes included. That’s not exactly cheap. Another thing: I think that some powerful groups at Apple were pushing for the idea that virtual reality and augmented reality were the future of computing. It was before generative AI, back in November 2022\. The rest is history. ![That’s me looking like a weirdo.](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/2024/07/IMG_3086.jpeg) That’s me looking like a weirdo. ### Much Worse Than The Y2K Bug: CrowdStrike Update Causes Global Chaos URL: https://numericcitizen.me/most-worse-than-the-y2k-bug-crowdstrike-update-causes-global-chaos/ Last updated: 2024-07-19T16:22:53.000Z The entire planet woke up this morning to a widespread IT problem primarily affecting Windows workstations equipped with the cybersecurity software "CrowdStrike." Read all the news [here](https://www.techradar.com/news/live/windows-outage-july-2024-live?ref=numericcitizen.me). The issue manifests as computers crashing with a "blue screen of death." The fix is relatively simple but not within everyone's reach and is currently a manual process at the time of this writing. The prevalence of this software means that several critical sectors of the economy are affected. This is by far the most significant IT outage in recent years and is more severe than the anticipated issues during the Y2K transition. One might have thought it was a massive cyber attack, but it is not; it appears to be a problem introduced [following an update to the CrowdStrike software](https://www.crowdstrike.com/blog/statement-on-windows-sensor-update/?ref=numericcitizen.me). [Having worked in IT for over thirty years](https://numericcitizen.me/celebrating-reflecting-on-my-30-years-career-in-it/), I am stunned by the scale of the outage and believe that CrowdStrike will have to answer to their clients. The impact on industries such as banks and air transport is massive. I think we will be hearing about this for a long time. I hope you weren’t personally impacted by this. I’m not. ### My Weekly Creative Summary for the Week of 2024-23 URL: https://numericcitizen.me/my-weekly-creative-summary-for-the-week-of-2024-23/ Last updated: 2024-06-16T20:39:31.000Z [JF Martin (@numericcitizen@pixelfed.social)Three tiers.![](https://pixelfed.social/img/favicon.png?v=2)Pixelfed![](https://pxscdn.com/public/m/_v2/583629418009617054/530d83cd3-f15549/0yGLCjjCj0zY/RWZlWnVFP77eypm0dParNFjVf94VNY6HrO3wMvw9.jpg)](https://pixelfed.social/p/numericcitizen/705020933205565579?ref=numericcitizen.me) > 👨🏻‍💻 24 post(s) 😃 > 🏞️ 4 photos shared 🙂 > 🎙️ 1 audiocast episode published 🙂 > 📺 1 YouTube video published 😃 ## 👤 Personal > 1️⃣ This coming weekend, I’ll be on vacation for three weeks; I don’t plan to produce new editions until I get back in mid-July. Taking a break from my writing hobby is often salutary, as I focus on photography. I usually come back with my head full of thoughts and ideas. 2️⃣ Someone called me out on Reddit because I supposedly use the /CraftDocs subreddit to promote my content on my YouTube channel. It's the first occurence of such a thing. I won't share the link to the original post here because I think this behaviour doesn't need more attention. Suffice it to say that as someone who shares a lot of content online, it's a matter of time before someone disagrees with what I do. I had a short chat with the guy and boy, it was flying low. It's hard not to take it personnally. But there are better ways than others to do it. I asked the moderators to remove that post because I think it is triggering harassment behaviours. Even if they don't remove the original post, I'll leave it at that, but [I asked on Micro.blog](https://blog.numericcitizen.me/2024/06/13/reddit-can-be.html?ref=numericcitizen.me) how I should handle such a matter. I got many thoughtful and positive responses. I feel supported. 🙂 ## 🗺️ Discoveries > 1️⃣ Remember Gravatar? [I did this week](https://blips.numericcitizen.me/post/now-18-c-12-c-58-gravatar?ref=numericcitizen.me). I wanted to update my profile with recent information, but my account is no longer accessible under the name /numericcitizen. Too bad. I discovered another Gravatar account was linked to my active GitHub account and somehow used a very avatar image. I don't know how I'm going to recover from this. [Rui Rocha on Glass Photography CommunityRui Rocha. I’m an amateur portuguese photographer. I prefer shooting street / travel / urban photography-![](https://glass.photo/favicon.svg)![](https://cdn.glass.photo/profile_picture/162f6331-6535-42e8-99a9-5953742b2396/photo?auto=format&fm=jpg&q=90&w=828&s=5a4266f8c68b89da10860c70cc263b49)](https://glass.photo/rui.rochagoncalves?ref=numericcitizen.me) A great Portuguese photographer I discovered this week who does black and white street photography. ## 📖 Reading > 1️⃣ Lot's of reading about Apple's announcements this week, obviously. You can get a glimbse of this on the logbook as generated by Things as I check items off the list, down below. > > “To me the explanation flows directly from Strategy 101: Apple Intelligence is the application of generative AI to use cases and content that Apple is uniquely positioned to provide and access” — Ben Thompson > > “Apple is positioning itself as an AI Aggregator: the company owns users and, by extension, generative AI demand by virtue of owning its platforms, and it is deepening its moat through Apple Intelligence, which only Apple can do; that demand is then being brought to bear on suppliers who probably have to eat the costs of getting privileged access to Apple’s userbase.” — Ben Thompson ## 👨🏻‍💻 Writing > 1️⃣ I shared [my hot take and thoughts](https://numericcitizen.me/on-apples-intelligent-journey-to-ai-and-much-more/) about Apple's WWDC keynote on the same day as the keynote, which was a first for me. It's hard for me to be that fast and feel great about my writing. I think this one is more than good enough. 2️⃣ Apple Intelligence triggered many reactions, positive, negative, neutral or wait-and-see types of reactions. As exposed in [this blog post](https://blips.numericcitizen.me/post/now-27-c-12-c-51-the-genie-is-out-of-the-bottle?ref=numericcitizen.me), I'm very positive, and I don't yet understand some of the pushback Apple is getting at some portions of the Apple Intelligence platform. > > “Enthusiasts present AI as a magic wand that can solve humanity’s biggest problems. In the meantime, it uses an exponential amount of energy to make everything the same. With every thought we outsource, we miss out on a chance to grow. Love it or hate it, AI is here to stay. However we use it, we need to think more, not less.” — Informations Architect blog ## 🌄 Photography > 1️⃣ I finally got Nikon Zf RAW files opening correctly in Photomator. The perfect setting to use is RAW (only) with lossless compression. Files are a two-times bigger bug, but hey, it is what it is. I must say that the Pixelmator team has been really responsive and collaborative in helping me. This means that I'll be able to edit my brand-new M4 iPad Pro while on vacation! 2️⃣ Do you take a picture, or do you make a picture? I usually take a picture, but I understand the "make a picture" too, but they convey different but subtle things. Interesting thought in [this thread on Micro.blog](https://isfeeling.social/@matt/112604753267228256?ref=numericcitizen.me). 3️⃣ There was an update to Halide this week and I started to wonder if I would use this app instead of Apple's Camera for my trip to Croatia. I could unlock all the features for a mere 2 CAN$! [aows (@aows@mastodon.world)Attached: 1 image Winter storm at the golf course, V. Indiana, January 2023 #aowsimages![](https://mastodon.world/packs/media/icons/apple-touch-icon-180x180-a75559a0af48064c1b7c71b81f3bf7c6.png)Mastodon![](https://s3.eu-central-2.wasabisys.com/mastodonworld/media_attachments/files/112/611/217/225/206/030/original/5b9f52ff3df65c52.jpeg)](https://mastodon.world/@aows/112611217404983018?ref=numericcitizen.me) Another great image form AOWS! I’m still in love with [this photographer](https://mastodon.world/@aows?ref=numericcitizen.me)’s work! ## 🎙️ Podcasting > 1️⃣ I wrote and published another [narrated post](https://blog.numericcitizen.me/2024/06/15/ponedring.html?ref=numericcitizen.me) about my upcoming trip to Croatia. On the first try, I selected the wrong blog, then on the second try, this time on the right blog, the title had a typing error (“Ponedring" instead of “Pondering”). I corrected the error but I'm not sure the podcast feed will eventually reflect that. Oh well. It's time for vacation, I guess. ## 🍎 Apple > 1️⃣ I shared many thoughts and observations about Apple's keynote and what they announced [here](https://numericcitizen.me/on-apples-intelligent-journey-to-ai-and-much-more/). Apple will be monetizing their Apple Intelligence journey. [Here's how](https://blips.numericcitizen.me/post/monetizing?ref=numericcitizen.me). 2️⃣ I'm a bit frustrated, just a little bit, that I'll have to wait maybe a year before being able to experience Apple Intelligence in full on my device. Nonetheless, it will be exciting to follow how Apple Intelligence will be rolled out in the coming months. 3️⃣ Apple no longer holds live keynotes, but this year, something feels different. I watched many YouTube videos, including [one-on-one interviews](https://9to5mac.com/2024/06/14/craig-federighi-pokes-fun-at-ai-pcs-and-windows-tablets-more-in-post-wwdc-interviews/?ref=numericcitizen.me) between a YouTuber and one of Apple’s executives. 4️⃣ [Great photos](https://sdw.space/wwdc-2024/?ref=numericcitizen.me) on Apple Campus in Cupertino by the maker of Halide, the photography app for iPhone. 5️⃣ I the new tabbar design on iPadOS 18 the new Safari tabs redesign debacle? Will Apple listen to [this comment and feedback](https://gamery.app/blog/about-the-new-tabs/?ref=numericcitizen.me) and tweak the design before the final release? I hope so because from what I'm reading from this blog post, it seems a terrible idea and regression. [Did Apple Just End AI’s First Era?AI’s performance arms race yields to the product arms race…![](https://spyglass.org/content/images/size/w256h256/2024/01/Spyglass-Rings---Multi.png)SpyglassM.G. Siegler![](https://spyglass.org/content/images/2024/06/DALL-E-2024-06-12-19.48.34---A-historical-photo-depicting-the-end-of-an-arms-race-with-a-dramatic--hopeful-scene.-In-the-foreground--old--rusting-weapons-and-artillery-are-being-a-3.webp)](https://spyglass.org/apple-intelligence-ai-arms-race/?ref=numericcitizen.me) Great video summary of iOS 18 changes. Look at this glowing effect when invoking Siri in iOS 18\. I prefer this compared to the old colorful blob. ![iOS 18 home screen in dark mode.](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/2024/06/Image-6.png) iOS 18 home screen in dark mode. I’m not sure if I like this idea of tinted icons on the iOS 18 Home Screen, but I certainly do in dark mode. Gruber’s interview was good, except for the nine first minutes for the sponsors. The best part is about Apple Intelligence. ## 🚧 Special projects > 1️⃣ I bought a second Nixplay digital photo frame to make the background behind me more dynamic while recording my YouTube videos. 2️⃣ Moving out of 1Password is a new special project I plan to complete by the end of 2024\. 3️⃣ I don't have any tattoos yet, but I know what the first one will be, and you can find it on this wallpaper reproduced by Basic Apple Guy: the mouse arrow pointer. The second might be the hourglass. Each of these shall find its place on the back of the upper portion of my arms. The Mac iconography is a symbol of where [it all started for me](https://numericcitizen.me/celebrating-reflecting-on-my-30-years-career-in-it/). [macOS Sequoia 1984 Macintosh Wallpapers — Basic Apple GuyScreen-grab of the new Macintosh Dynamic Wallpaper in macOS Sequoia.![](https://basicappleguy.com/s/BALogo.png)Basic Apple GuyBasicAppleGuy![](http://static1.squarespace.com/static/5e949a92e17d55230cd1d44f/t/6667ac58ddaafb31260ff101/1718070365319/Macintosh1036.png?format=1500w)](https://basicappleguy.com/haberdashery/macintoshwallpapers?ref=numericcitizen.me) ## 📱 Apps & Services > 1️⃣ What do Grammarly, Soulver, and 1Password have in common? They are going away from [my subscriptions](https://crafted.numericcitizen.me/current-subscriptions?ref=numericcitizen.me) with Apple's next major operating system releases this fall and beyond, especially when Apple Intelligence ships. They have been Sherlocked! I'll save some money along the way! 2️⃣ I updated [my content creator toolset website](https://world.numericcitizen.io/meta-toolset?ref=numericcitizen.me) to remove Toggl and Timery and rework some older content. 3️⃣ Whisper Transcription 8.6.1 now supports ChatGPT prompts against the transcription. This is super useful for summarizing video transcription. I can't wait to try it on my next YouTube video production! The following screenshot demonstrate this feature in action with summarization of my latest YouTube video. For those reading this edition on the Craft website (instead of the email or my main blog), you can read the generated key points for the video. > > “In the late ’90s, Apple launched a search app named Sherlock for macOS 8 that you could use to search the web and files on local systems. Now, a company called Karelia Software already had a $29 search app called Watson, with features like plug-ins for better internet search. In 2002, Apple released Sherlock 3 with features similar to Watson, making Karelia’s app redundant. Since then, people in tech circles have used the term “sherlocking” whenever they want to refer to a new feature from Apple that does the same thing as an existing third-party app.” — from [TechCrunch](https://techcrunch.com/2024/06/12/the-apps-that-apple-sherlocked-at-wwdc/?guccounter=1&guce%5Freferrer=aHR0cHM6Ly9taWNyby5ibG9nLw&guce%5Freferrer%5Fsig=AQAAAJSa3lAIPxhVAVP%5F7AGQJllLnfOfggruqstFQdQNLsLcsHPn30IV%5F-SO6XFBmyfjdI6WJ4ZvgeABRL5SfzlziK5cw2%5Fw6alnKilFz2S0JOft5dMqJkz4ZzblLGz2GeuuAHqPDH4Be%5FMwRAwdrLm3oYuOIJRGdrOhOwEAjG6j943Q&ref=numericcitizen.me) ![Summarizing a video transcript.](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/2024/06/Image-1-2.png) Summarizing a video transcript. ## 📺 YouTube > 1️⃣ For Craft users: I made another video about Craft: using it for presentations. This videos explains the features and limitations of Craft presentation mode. This video of a volcano eruption in Iceland is spectacular (in 4K resolution) and would make a great Apple TV screen saver in my opinion. Come on, Apple! ## 💎 Miscellaneous > 1️⃣ I asked ChatGPT what he knows about me as a creator. Here is the answer below. Apparently, Numeric Citizen is a creative platform! 😂 ![ChatGPT response to one of my prompts. ](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/2024/06/Image-2-2.png) ChatGPT response to one of my prompts. ## 🔮 Looking ahead > 1️⃣ I'll be starting a three-week vacation this weekend and don't plan to release a new edition before leaving. If all goes well, the next edition should come out on July 21st. I hope to see you there when I come back! I wish you a great week! 💡 This newsletter edition is also available as a Craft shared document [****here**](https://crafted.numericcitizen.me/creative-summary-2024-23?ref=numericcitizen.me). This week's edition is based on template version 1.3.1— [Sun, Jun 9](about:blank) and was put together with ❤️ on a 15-inch MacBook Air, Craft Docs and many supporting subscriptions! Support my work ([Paypal](https://paypal.me/numericcitizen?locale.x=en%5FUS&ref=numericcitizen.me)) or [become a supporter](https://ko-fi.com/numericcitizen/?ref=numericcitizen.me) with Ko-fi! ## 📅 Meta [My Weekly Creative Summaries Index![](https://www.craft.do/share/static/apple-touch-icon.png)![](https://api.craft.do/render/preview/GHb2dEbIsUtgQ4)](https://crafted.numericcitizen.me/GHb2dEbIsUtgQ4?ref=numericcitizen.me) ![Things that I accomplished during the week, as seen in Things 3.](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/2024/06/Image-3-2.png) Things that I accomplished during the week, as seen in [Things 3](https://culturedcode.com/things/?ref=numericcitizen.me). ![Numeric Citizen Digital Space Tip Sheet 2024-01-Lowres.png](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/2024/06/Numeric-Citizen-Digital-Space-Tip-Sheet-2024-2.png) Numeric Citizen Digital Space Tip Sheet 2024-01-Lowres.png ### On Apple’s Intelligent Journey to AI And Much More URL: https://numericcitizen.me/on-apples-intelligent-journey-to-ai-and-much-more/ Last updated: 2024-06-11T01:43:11.000Z These are my hot takes about Apple Intelligence and the intelligent move to embrace AI for the rest of us. AI, or Apple Intelligence. Are you getting it? Let’s dive in. - Thanks to Apple, AI, generative AI, to be more specific, is about to get more personal. - Apparently, All my devices can run everything they announced. That’s cool. I’m glad I just bought an M4 iPad Pro. - At some point in the Apple Intelligence segment of the keynote, I thought they would drop the name “Siri”. They didn’t. - I finally decided to move away from 1Password and save money along the way. However, it will take some time to move all those passwords. - I wish Apple Intelligence was here right now, but as a French-Canadian native speaker, I’ll need to wait a little bit (maybe months). - Bye bye ChatGPT app. I barely knew you as soon as Apple Intelligence ships. - Apple had to focus on privacy first; environmental questions will eventually get addressed, too, but not in a keynote. I trust Apple with this. Are Apple Silicon ships less power-hungry than Nvidia chips? What is the performance per watt comparison with Nvidia chips? - Speaking of energy consumption, is Apple’s decision to go hybrid and run things on-device most of the time and in the cloud when needed better than an always-cloud runtime architecture? Time will tell, but instinctively, I guess yes. - I love the new Siri UI with this multicolour glow around the screen edge! ![Apple Intelligence and Siri at work on the iPhone.](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/2024/06/WWDC24-June-10-Screenshot-from-Synology.png) Apple Intelligence and Siri at work on the iPhone. - I think I’m done with Grammarly when Apple Intelligence comes out. - Private Cloud Compute is based on Apple Silicon and runs a custom version of iOS. I want to see the server’s external design! It’s still impressive how Apple has come a long way with its silicon. I wonder what chip they will use for that cloud. - There is so much to digest from user interaction demos involving Apple Intelligence, like in Freeform and Notes. - Thanks to machine learning, Text recognition coupled with custom font on the fly, called Smart Script, is really cool. I’m curious to see how my handwriting will translate. - Double-tapping the slide-to-unlock handle of the iPhone screen to invoke the type-to-Siri from the lock screen is quite nice, too. - The message around being personal with AI is new and marks Apple’s unique approach to generative AI. I like this a lot. - A big “finally” for watchOS 11 to introduce the day break feature in activities. - Thanks to Apple Intelligence again, Siri will finally get multilingual phone call transcription! - Apple Intelligence will come in a future beta release this summer, not right now. Too bad. - The Control Center customization experience seems great; I like what I see. - Image Playground looks like a specialized picker that will be available system-wide. That’s nice, and I can’t wait to play with it. - I should have kept my M1 MacBook Air so that I could have played with macOS Sequoia. - I’m not sure I’ll take advantage of the free icon placement on the home screen or the icon tinting. It looks awful. - Everything about Apple Intelligence is free. For now. How long before Apple offers Intelligence+ as a subscription? - Users can ask questions about how to use a specific feature on their device, which happens locally on the device. That’s super handy and might actually kill the Tips app. - Genmoji is so cool. Who said we cannot have playful experiences on our smartphones? - I’ll take anything that makes Siri more intelligent, with or without Apple intelligence. - Apparently, there are no changes to iPadOS’s Stage Manager. Ouch—iPadOS being iPadOS. But the new tab bars user interface element is a welcomed addition. The Journal app isn’t getting the iPad treatment yet, which is a shame if you ask me. I don’t know if it is written in Swift with SwiftUI, but the idea “write once, run everywhere” seems not to apply here. - Many features will take time to roll out, probably until early 2025. - iPhone Mirroring is not only cool and clever but will prove useful! How often have I left my iPhone downstairs while working in my home office? Quite often. That’s the pure Apple ecosystem. - I expect a new round of iPhone and iPad upgrades from users willing to participate in this developing Apple Intelligence experience. - The iPhone home screen customization option now includes large icons that suppress the application’s name, just like the icon sitting in the dock. - From a security perspective, I wonder how the corporate IT world will react to Apple Intelligence, Private Cloud Compute and privacy protection. - Safari borrows a few tricks from the Arc Browser, such as picture-in-picture automatically popping up when you switch tabs. Will I switch back to Safari? Probably not. Please note that I still mostly use Safari on the Mac for the job. - While I have an iPhone 15 Pro Max, I expect this year’s iPhone 16 Pro models will be better at handling Apple Intelligence workloads. ![A possible future version of Craft running on macOS Sequoia.](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/2024/06/WWDC24-June-10.png) A possible future version of Craft running on macOS Sequoia. Today, I feel that Apple’s ecosystem is at a turning point that will prove monumental a few years from now. AI is about to blend the boundaries of apps and the web and enables metaphors and a computing paradigm. As Apple said, it’s only the beginning. ### My Weekly Creative Summary for the Week of 2024-22 URL: https://numericcitizen.me/my-weekly-creative-summary-for-the-week-of-2024-22/ Last updated: 2024-06-09T12:47:13.000Z > 👨🏻‍💻 30 posts 😃 > 🏞️ 6 photos shared 🙂 > 🎙️ 2 podcast episodes published 😃 > 📺 No YouTube video published 😔 ## 👤 Personal > 1️⃣ On June 7th, Manuel Moreale published my written interview with me on [People & Blog](https://peopleandblogs.com/?ref=numericcitizen.me). You can read the written interview [here](https://manuelmoreale.com/pb-numeric-citizen?ref=numericcitizen.me). I was excited to take part in this must-read series. Let me know if you can read the interview; you might learn a few things about me! It was undoubtedly fun to answer the questions. ## 🗺️ Discoveries > 1️⃣ In the following Marques Brownlee video, I learned about IP68, the iPhone's water resistance. I learned that durability and repairability are two attributes that fight in opposite directions: themore durable, the less repairable. It’s a great video on durability testing at Apple and a good explanation of durability vs repairability. ## 📖 Reading > 1️⃣ I have a book, “The Phoenix Project,” sitting on my bedside table. I started reading it a few years ago. As I'm going on vacation soon, I think I should take it with me and set myself the goal of finishing it once and for all. > > “It’s often fun to play with “new” software and discover how it works, even when you are not planning to adopt it” — *Christopher Curtis on* [*Enthusiasms*](https://www.curtisfamily.org.uk/technology/apple-notes/?ref=numericcitizen.me) ## 👨🏻‍💻 Writing > 1️⃣ I’ve been reading M. G. Siegler a lot recently. I like his writing and critical views on many tech subjects. However, one thing that stands out in his writing style is the intensive use of links within a single article. This article is a good example: “[NVIDIA's Last Laugh with Apple](https://spyglass.org/nvidia-3-trillion/?ref=numericcitizen.me).” I count 18 links in an article of less than 600 words. I feel that's a lot. How can he keep track of all possible links when writing an article? I'm curious about his workflow and knowledge management system. 2️⃣ I tried something different for writing [a blog post](https://blog.numericcitizen.me/2024/06/07/apples-ai-push.html?ref=numericcitizen.me): I took an article, asked ChatGPT to summarize it, and then added my take on it but mentioned that it was generated with ChatGPT. I don't know how well it was received. ## 🌄 Photography > 1️⃣ I was thrilled to see an update for the beloved Photomator app this week when it now supports RAW images from my Nikon Z f. I thought, "Finally, I can ditch Adobe DNG converter and Adobe Bridge!" However, the app currently supports only 14-bit RAW images, not the 8-bit version I use. After contacting Pixelmator support, they confirmed this limitation. I sent a sample image to their engineering team for further review and hope for future updates. Meanwhile, I’ll check how to configure my Nikon to generate 14-bit images. 2️⃣ I don't know if I already shared this observation. While searching for a new unknown photographer on Glass, I was reminded that most photographers are male! Why is that? 3️⃣ I migrated an old article from [here](https://world.numericcitizen.io/meta?ref=numericcitizen.me) to [there](https://meta.numericcitizen.me/2021/04/27/bye-bye-universe.html?ref=numericcitizen.me) that was originally posted in April of 2021 about closing my Universe account. It was three years ago. Since then, a lot has changed, both in my digital life and the landscape of photo-sharing services. [Dead Christmas Trees on Glass Photography CommunityDead Christmas Trees. I am to photography what Charles Bukowski was to the post office.![](https://glass.photo/favicon.svg)![](https://cdn.glass.photo/profile_picture/9499837a-4c47-4bf6-957d-18cbf0e4d066/photo?auto=format&fm=jpg&q=90&w=828&s=5ad541d0c3fc4cda176eed09befca2a6)](https://glass.photo/dead-xmas-trees?ref=numericcitizen.me) A great photographer that I discovered on Glass this week. I like its street photography style. ![Photomator update promising support for Nikon Zf RAW image format.](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/2024/06/Image-5.png) Photomator update promising support for Nikon Zf RAW image format. ![In fact, not all RAW images from the Nikon Z f are supported. ](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/2024/06/Image-1-1.png) In fact, not all RAW images from the Nikon Z f are supported. Street photography exists since photography is an art. Great for discovering photographers. I didn’t know any of them. ## 🎙️ Podcasting > 1️⃣ This week, I discovered an interesting feature on Micro.blog. When I create a narrated post, it automatically generates a new podcast episode. This happens because I host my podcast on the same platform, and it can't distinguish between narrated posts and actual podcast episodes. At first, I was surprised and unsure if this was intentional. However, after thinking it over, I realized it’s a pretty cool feature, similar to audiobooks. I now consider these narrated blog posts as "audiocasts" and plan to create more. ![This is how narrated blog posts appear in Apple’s Podcast app.](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/2024/06/Image-2-1.png) This is how narrated blog posts appear in Apple’s Podcast app. ## 🍎 Apple > 1️⃣ AppleInsider's video presents a compelling case for Apple's potential return to the wireless router market. While it would be exciting to see Apple re-enter this space, I'm inclined to continue using Ubiquiti's router for now. 2️⃣ LJPUK has [an article](https://ljpuk.net/2024/05/28/hands-on-with-the-new-ipad-pro-3/?ref=numericcitizen.me) about the recent iPad models. While the new M4 iPad screen offers a substantial quality improvement, the author is not convinced it’s worth it for those who own the 2018 iPad Pro. As a recent M4 iPad Pro owner who upgraded from a 2018 iPad Pro, I'm afraid I have to disagree with him. Beyond the screen, CPU and system RAM are enough to warrant an upgrade, mainly if you use resource-hungry apps. 3️⃣ Hookmark 6.2 came out, but my license expired, and I cannot upgrade. I'm wondering what to do because I don't use it much. 🤔 4️⃣ [MacRumors](https://www.macrumors.com/2024/06/05/iphone-16-pro-max-design-dimensions/?ref=numericcitizen.me) revealed the side of the next iPhones. Those bezels, especially on the Max model, will be impossibly thin! Will I switch this year? Probably not; I prefer to upgrade my aging M1 Mac mini, and my iPhone upgrade cycle is every two years. I wish Apple would return to the home router market I love this ad for the atmosphere. ## 📱 Apps & Services > 1️⃣ Apple nominated [Copilot](https://copilot.money/?ref=numericcitizen.me) for an ADA. I spent some time on the app's website, and I must say that I really like what I'm seeing. I always wanted an app to get an overview of my finances. In the nineties, I used Quicken to record all my spending transactions. Getting reports and graphs showing where my money came from and how I would spend it was valuable and fun. Sadly, Copilot is not yet available in Canada. 2️⃣ Something really cool: the restoration of an original Macintosh 128K project. All the stories can be found [here](https://84-24.org/?ref=numericcitizen.me). There is so much work on this website. The guys could have done a simple article but decided to make something special instead. 3️⃣ I can't wait to get my hands on Sublime Feeds. Here's [an introduction post](https://vincentritter.com/2024/06/03/an-introduction-to-sublime-feed?ref=numericcitizen.me). I wish the developer would make it part of Scribbles because having the possibility to write link posts directly from reading an RSS feed is something that I've been looking for. 4️⃣ it seems that the Pixelfed.app is [close to coming to the App Store](https://mastodon.social/@dansup/112547119782496551?ref=numericcitizen.me). It's been like forever. The new app is apparently built using React Native. ## 📺 YouTube > 1️⃣ I need an effective way to summarize YouTube videos. I download videos using Downie and then import the files into Whisper Transcription. Sometimes, the video is a .webm file, requiring conversion to a .mp3 format compatible with Whisper Transcription. This is a convoluted process that I wish to simplify. There is a video summarizer GPT available via ChatGPT. Still, it often fails to work as expected. 2️⃣ One of my readers pointed me to many different YouTube summarizers, and I tested [https://summarize.ing/](https://summarize.ing/?ref=numericcitizen.me). It's very well done. Summarizing a video takes a few minutes. Summaries contain a brief summary, highlights, a mindmap, keywords, highlights and the actual transcript. Here's an [example summary](https://summarize.ing/video-38982-M4-iPad-Pro-Not-For-Pros-After-All-?ref=numericcitizen.me) that I asked for a video about the iPad Pro. The one big problem I have with this service is the lack of exporting capabilities. It’s a deal breaker. That’s a video showcasing HDR content. I watched portions of it on my M4 iPad Pro and boy some segments are spectacular. ## 💎 Miscellaneous > 1️⃣ With this newsletter edition, you'll see that I made some changes to the content structure. I no longer include a separate exhibits section. Instead, I decided to spread those exhibits in their respective section. I also stopped using Craft Daily Notes to store my newsletter editions. You won't see that on your end, though. These changes should help accelerate the production process. 2️⃣ If you've been following me here and there, you know I use the same avatar everywhere. Is it time for a refresh? I don’t know yet, but the Iconfactory Kickstarter project Tapestry offered to do avatars in pixel art, and judging from this toot, they look gorgeous and well done. I wish I had mine done. It could have replaced my current avatar on special occasions. They will apparently offer a service once their Project Tapestry is completed. [Ged Maheux (@gedeonm@mastodon.social)Attached: 1 image Capturing someone’s unique “look” in pixels can be tough but I’m having a blast attempting it, that’s for sure. ✍️ #ProjectTapestry![](https://mastodon.social/packs/media/icons/apple-touch-icon-180x180-a75559a0af48064c1b7c71b81f3bf7c6.png)Mastodon![](https://files.mastodon.social/media_attachments/files/112/564/958/157/415/655/original/4d5c646c21adf702.jpeg)](https://mastodon.social/@gedeonm/112564958431641806?ref=numericcitizen.me) I wish I had my face done too! It could replace my current avatar on special occasions! ## 🔮 Looking ahead > 1️⃣ Next week is WWDC 2024\. I don't have a wish list this year. I expect a lot about AI. There will be no new hardware. It's all about the software story. I can't wait to see what's next. 2️⃣ Thanks to Basic Apple Guy, It's time for the [WWDC 2024 Bingo card](https://basicappleguy.com/basicappleblog/wwdc24-bingo?ref=numericcitizen.me). Are you excited for WWDC this year? If Apple enters the generative AI by adding it as an opt-in service, will you enable it? ![Apple logo for this year’s WWDC edition.](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/2024/06/Image-3-1.png) Apple logo for this year’s WWDC edition. I wish you a great week! 💡 This newsletter edition is also available as a Craft shared document [****here**](https://crafted.numericcitizen.me/creative-summary-2024-22?ref=numericcitizen.me). This week's edition is based on template version 1.3.0— [Sun, Jun 2](about:blank) and was put together with ❤️ on a 15-inch MacBook Air, Craft and many subscriptions! Support my work ([Paypal](https://paypal.me/numericcitizen?locale.x=en%5FUS&ref=numericcitizen.me)) or [become a supporter](https://ko-fi.com/numericcitizen/?ref=numericcitizen.me) with Ko-fi! ## 📅 Meta [My Weekly Creative Summaries Index![](https://www.craft.do/share/static/apple-touch-icon.png)![](https://api.craft.do/render/preview/GHb2dEbIsUtgQ4)](https://crafted.numericcitizen.me/GHb2dEbIsUtgQ4?ref=numericcitizen.me) ![Things that I accomplished during the week, as seen in Things 3.](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/2024/06/Image-4.png) Things that I accomplished during the week, as seen in [Things 3](https://culturedcode.com/things/?ref=numericcitizen.me). ![Numeric Citizen Digital Space Tip Sheet 2024-01-Lowres.png](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/2024/06/Numeric-Citizen-Digital-Space-Tip-Sheet-2024-1.png) Numeric Citizen Digital Space Tip Sheet 2024-01-Lowres.png ### My Weekly Creative Summary for the Week of 2024-21 URL: https://numericcitizen.me/my-weekly-creative-summary-for-the-week-of-2024-21/ Last updated: 2024-06-02T22:18:14.000Z > 👨🏻‍💻 18 posts 🙂 > 🏞️ 8 photos shared 🙂 > 🎙️ No podcast episode published 😔 > 📺 No YouTube video published 😔 ## 👤 Personal > 1️⃣ [I'm a slow creator](https://blips.numericcitizen.me/post/now-24-c-16-c-89-being-a-slow-creator?ref=numericcitizen.me). 2️⃣ I hate [Alzheimer’s disease](https://ko-fi.com/post/Alzheimer-F1F3YLF1N?ref=numericcitizen.me). 3️⃣ It seems that the pace of my online contribution (especially writing) is slowing down. Is it because summer is around the corner and I don't like to stay inside when it’s so nice outside? Should I care or just let it be? ## 🗺️ Discoveries > 1️⃣ What is more challenging for me: discovering a new photographer or writer? I would say the latter because I consume more photos than words, and the time it takes to appreciate an image is far shorter than reading someone's blog posts or articles. 2️⃣ It appears that Ubiquiti might be on the verge of releasing a network attached storage unit (a NAS) according to [this article](https://nascompares.com/2024/05/21/official-unifi-nas-drive-news/?ref=numericcitizen.me). I'm curious about this; as a Ubiquiti network user, I love their home networking wireless router and switches. I also love my Synology NAS, too. It will be interesting to watch! ## 📖 Reading > 1️⃣ I'm still unsatisfied with my reading habits. Not enough time, not enough reading, sadly. 😑 > “The web has become a kind of business over the last few decades and AI will be the final step in making the internet impersonal.” — Flips on Scribbles ## 👨🏻‍💻 Writing > 1️⃣ This week was a balancing act between migrating previously published blog posts and writing original content on my metablog. I started migrating my content from Craft to Micro.blog for this site to get RSS feeds, among other things. It's a long but fun process. 2️⃣ What should I do with my old writings that are shared online? For example, I created a small website last year about building a small virtual lab on an Apple Mac Pro. I wanted to document my building process and test different things using VMware Fusion for Mac. For many reasons, I abandoned the project. It's an eleven-page website containing more than 8000 words. What should I do with it? Delete all the content? Since I still have the source content in Ulysses, I should probably go ahead and delete it. Nobody is visiting the microsite anyway. 3️⃣ On Saturday, I decided to delete the content. Poof! 4️⃣ My monthly Micro.blog posts digest is out and can be found [here](https://blog.numericcitizen.me/newsletters/2024/06/01/9090.html?ref=numericcitizen.me). ![The SDDCbox project content has seen in Craft before deleting everything.](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/2024/06/Image.png) The SDDCbox project content has seen in Craft before deleting everything. ![The SDDCbox project source content in Ulysses is intact, and I’ll keep it for you forever.](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/2024/06/Image-1.png) The SDDCbox project source content in Ulysses is intact, and I’ll keep it for you forever. ## 🌄 Photography > 1️⃣ I forgot about [this iPhone camera review](https://www.dxomark.com/apple-iphone-15-pro-max-camera-test/?ref=numericcitizen.me) published by DXOmark after the release of the iPhone 15 Pro Max last fall. It’s a must read if you are considering upgrading to the newest iPhone. [Ben Kenney on Glass Photography CommunityBen Kenney. Musician, motorcyclist, camera owner.![](https://glass.photo/favicon.svg)![](https://cdn.glass.photo/profile_picture/9c28d9cf-b268-45e4-b544-cac34d5020d9/photo?auto=format&fm=jpg&q=90&w=828&s=8edefb9bea38fdbcaa3012ebc25d403a)](https://glass.photo/vatoben?ref=numericcitizen.me) A newly discovered photographer that I like. There is something special to its black & white photography style. ## 🎙️ Podcasting > 1️⃣ It's not about podcasting but the recently introduced audio narration on Micro.blog. Here is a great [example](https://www.manton.org/2024/05/29/weak-opinions-strongly.html?ref=numericcitizen.me). This post should have included the play button, but there is an issue with the Cards theme. I submitted a support case to the developer. Meanwhile, you can read and listen to a test post [here](https://numericcitizen-test.micro.blog/2024/06/02/testing-narrated-blog.html?ref=numericcitizen.me). ## 🍎 Apple > 1️⃣ Gruber [thinks](https://daringfireball.net/2024/05/spotify%5Fcar%5Fbrick?ref=numericcitizen.me) that Spotify is being hypocrites. I agree. 2️⃣ This fascinating article about Microsoft's Surface trying to beat Apple’s laptops is perplexing. Still, the following quote below is very telling about Intel's current state in the CPU market, and maybe in microchips in general: they are losing the general-purpose CPU mindshare. They never were in the GPU game, either. What’s next for Intel, then? 3️⃣ Apple WWDC24 is approaching, and [2024 ADA finalists](https://www.macstories.net/news/2024-ada-finalists-announced/?ref=numericcitizen.me) were announced. Djay and Rooms are my favourites on the list. I played with Djay quite a bit during my DJing course last fall. The Rooms game looks great, similar to Craft (the game) but fancier. 4️⃣ If you are an Apple fan and a LEGO fan, this guy built a unique and custom Apple Store with LEGOs. That's cool. I wonder if Apple would be willing to negotiate with LEGO and make a deal to sell such a LEGO kit. 5️⃣ Speaking of WWDC, I want someone to create a new version of [these hand-drawn notes](https://www.reddit.com/r/ipad/s/HaVWtBq5mH?ref=numericcitizen.me) for this year's edition. 6️⃣ I decided to stop using Timery and Toggl. This week’s edition will be the last, featuring a summary of my time-tracking, as seen at the bottom of this newsletter. It was a great experience to track how I spend my spare time on creative activities, but it is a burden to do and costs me too much money. > > “I’ll go out on a limb and say that today marks the beginning of the end for x86\. Either the x86 architecture has reached an inevitable endpoint, or Intel and AMD cannot compete talent-wise. (Or both.) But as of today, the performance-per-watt gulf between ARM and Intel/x86 is no longer just an Apple silicon thing — it’s now a PC thing, too. If there was any chance for Intel or AMD to catch up it had to happen between the M1’s breakthrough introduction in 2020 and now. But they couldn’t do it.” John Gruber > “Apple should outsource infrastructure (like AI) so they can focus on user-facing experiences.” — Unknown author ## 📱 Apps & Services > 1️⃣ I'm dropping Timery and Toggl Track from my digital landscape. This combo was used to track how I spend my creative time, and I reported on this in each weekly creative summary. This edition will be the last one sporting the Timery time tracking report at the end. 2️⃣ I’m considering buying TimeStory for iPad for a unique personal project. I’m a big fan of this app on the Mac, but I need the mobile version. In case you didn't know, TimeStory is an app for building timelines. 3️⃣ Craft 2.8.3 will introduce an update to support ChatGPT 4o. It’s about time! 4️⃣ I finally got the ChatGPT Mac app installed, and I like it, especially the Spotlight-like prompt window. I don't know how I'm going to continue using MacGPT. ## 📺 YouTube > 1️⃣ This [video](https://youtu.be/KAEd%5FDIwWZg?ref=numericcitizen.me) showcases the Hasselblad Master 2023 finalists. Strangely, all the photos share a common aesthetic, and I don’t know if this is a common trait among Hasselblad camera owners. It’s fascinating, nonetheless. 2️⃣ My YouTube usage increased recently because I'm listening to more and more electronic music using the service. YouTube seems better at surfacing electronic music, which I like compared to Apple Music. 3️⃣ A great photo walk [video](https://youtu.be/K3Gjvu6ANP0?si=qacSIJNNu7VSK54c&ref=numericcitizen.me) in New York, late at night. I love those videos. ## 💎 Miscellaneous > 1️⃣ Manuel Moreale is discussing what is the best consumption-to-creation ratio. After some calculations, he thinks his ratio is around 97/3\. I don't know what's mine, but if I had to do the same exercise, I would add all the writing I didn’t finish as a shared article. I have many pieces I never published, and I don't know if I ever will. I know also that I don't read enough. I also know I don't always finish reading articles or watching videos. It's a chaotic world divided between consuming all sorts of things in whole or in part and writing pieces that most find the finish line, but many are dropped along the way. 2️⃣ Because of my increasing generative AI services and apps, my use of services like Google Search and Unsplash has dramatically decreased. My case might be anecdotal, but I can confirm that one of my friend's Google usage also drastically decreased. I wonder if Google is starting to notice. ## 🔮 Looking ahead > 1️⃣ I updated my main blog's card theme to get full support for the recently introduced audio voice-over for a blog post. Now, I need to test that feature of playing my voice to read my blog post aloud. 2️⃣ I plan to tweak this newsletter starting next week's edition. The exhibits section will go, but content will be spread across sections instead. Let me know if you prefer the old way or the new way. I wish you a great week! 💡 This newsletter edition is also available as a Craft shared document [****here**](https://crafted.numericcitizen.me/creative-summary-2024-21?ref=numericcitizen.me). This week's edition is based on template version 1.2.6— 2024-05-24 and was put together with ❤️ on a 15-inch MacBook Air, Craft and many subscriptions! Support my work ([Paypal](https://paypal.me/numericcitizen?locale.x=en%5FUS&ref=numericcitizen.me)) or [become a supporter](https://ko-fi.com/numericcitizen/?ref=numericcitizen.me) with Ko-fi! [My Weekly Creative Summaries Index![](https://www.craft.do/share/static/apple-touch-icon.png)![](https://api.craft.do/render/preview/GHb2dEbIsUtgQ4)](https://crafted.numericcitizen.me/GHb2dEbIsUtgQ4?ref=numericcitizen.me) ## Exhibits 👀 Too mind-blowing not to pass around. I’m speechless. This video showcases Hasselblad Master 2023 finalists. Strangely, all photos share a common aesthetic, and I don’t know if it’s a common trait among Hasselblad camera owners. It’s fascinating, nonetheless. This photo walk video by the makers of Glass shows a view of New York City late at night. Apple Knowledge Navigator video, circa 1993\. I was so impressed when I first saw that video. Now, think about Siri, ChatGPT, and the Internet today. We’re almost there. ![Here is my Timery report for the past week, including device usage. This will be the last time tracking report.](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/2024/06/Image-2.png) Here is my [Timery](https://www.timeryapp.com/?ref=numericcitizen.me) report for the past week, including device usage. This will be the last time tracking report. ![Here is my logbook, as seen in Things 3.](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/2024/06/Image-3.png) Here is my logbook, as seen in [Things 3](https://culturedcode.com/things/?ref=numericcitizen.me). ![Numeric Citizen Digital Space Tip Sheet 2024-01-Lowres.png](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/2024/06/Numeric-Citizen-Digital-Space-Tip-Sheet-2024.png) Numeric Citizen Digital Space Tip Sheet 2024-01-Lowres.png ### Three Reasons Why I Subscribe to My Own RSS Feeds URL: https://numericcitizen.me/three-reasons-why-i-subscribe-to-my-own-rss-feeds/ Last updated: 2024-05-27T11:25:39.000Z Did you know that I subscribe to my own RSS feeds? Yep, the ones that are automatically generated from my websites. Why, you might ask? Well, there are a few reasons for this seemingly narcissist behavior. ![My RSS feeds as seen in Reeder.](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/2024/05/Cleanshot---@2024-05-27@07.12.27@2x.png) My RSS feeds as seen in Reeder. Reason #1: I want to see what my readers see from their preferred RSS readers. I think it's important to get a sense of what people are seeing from their perspective. Plus, I try to step back, look from an outsider’s standpoint, and ask myself: Was it worthwhile for readers? Reason #2: It's a good way to test RSS reader apps. I’m using Reeder, NetNewsWire, and Inoreader. All the feed items are intertwined when selecting the folder containing my feeds. Content is shown from the most recent to the older content. It’s like reading a newspaper. My RSS feeds are set up to publish posts entirely, with no excerpts. Since I don’t push ads on my websites, it doesn’t matter if readers don’t visit my websites directly and stay in their RSS reader to consume my content. I cannot count how many issues I found with my content or feeds this way. Reason #3: I occasionally take screenshots for my archives, which are important to me. One day, I’ll look back and see what it was like to be a compulsive creator. I do this even if most of my content is saved in DayOne using IFTTT automation. ![My RSS feeds as seen in NetNewsWire.](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/2024/05/Cleanshot---Numeric-Citizen-via-FeedPress@.png) My RSS feeds as seen in NetNewsWire. One last thing: I use my feeds through FeedPress. This service allows you to create a super-feed combining my individual RSS feeds, which is another way of doing the same within my RSS reader. All my feeds are documented in [my About Page](https://crafted.numericcitizen.me/about?ref=numericcitizen.me). This article was first published on my Metablog on 2021-03-21 and updated with my current set of RSS readers. ### My Weekly Creative Summary for the Week of 2024-20 URL: https://numericcitizen.me/my-weekly-creative-summary-for-the-week-of-2024-20/ Last updated: 2024-05-26T21:12:00.000Z > 👨🏻‍💻 20 post(s) 😃 > 🏞️ 5 photos shared 🙂 > 🎙️ No podcast episode published 😔 > 📺 No YouTube video published 😔 ## 👤 Personal > 1️⃣ it is hard for me to go too personal when sharing things with the rest of the world. I’m trying to be very intentional when I do this. Since starting my Ko-fi page, I have enabled a rather symbolic subscription fee so that people can become supporters. With this small paywall, I feel more open to sharing and revealing a bit more about myself and my personal life. ## 🗺️ Discoveries > 1️⃣ The [latest album](https://music.apple.com/ca/album/hit-me-hard-and-soft/1739659134?ref=numericcitizen.me) from Billie Eilish is probably one of its best to my taste. Lovely. I’m not good at reviewing artistic content, but this album is excellent, whether you are a fan or not. 2️⃣ If you want to learn about QR codes and how they are made, go to [this website](https://qr.blinry.org/?ref=numericcitizen.me)! 3️⃣ I discovered [this website](https://rss-is-dead.lol/?ref=numericcitizen.me) this week which is super cool: find RSS feed sources across your Fediverse ecosystem. I tried it with this Mastodon account @numericcitizen@techhub.social. ![RSS-is-dead.lol processing results.](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/2024/05/Image-3.png) RSS-is-dead.lol processing results. ## 📖 Reading > 1️⃣ I rediscovered [M.G. Siegler’s blog](https://spyglass.org/?ref=numericcitizen.me) this week. I really like this author, who often writes about Apple and tech in general. He used to be on Medium, then Substack, and now it seems he moved to Ghost. Anyway, I’m happy to find him back. As for photography, I try to find a new blogger or writer each week. > > To rapidly reveal the true character of someone you just met, move them onto an abysmally slow internet connection. Observe — Kevin Kelly ## 👨🏻‍💻 Writing > 1️⃣ My writing on Micro.blog diminished in recent months, thanks to my /Now posts on Scribbles. There is a finite time I can spend writing which explains this. Yet, I'm trying to engage more in conversations on Micro.blog, though, through small replies or more elaborated ones. ## 🌄 Photography > 1️⃣ Monday was a superb day outside with a lot of sunshine and rather hot but not too humid weather. I took advantage of the weather for a one-hour bike ride, then went to a local coffee shop before returning home. In the middle of the afternoon, I kept wondering if I should have gone do some photography downtown. I’m sure there were many people; this could have been a great street photography setup. But I stayed home instead. 2️⃣ I'm progressing in my photo-processing workflow tweaking with the help of the Pixelmator support team. I learned a few things about the iPad version of Photomator, which should help bring in files from the Mac for editing. More to come on this. 3️⃣ If you didn't already know, I have three places where I share my photos: Glass, Unsplash and Pixelfed. How do I decide where to post a post? It's a great question. I try to keep Unsplash for the exceptional ones, while Glass is for really good ones. Pixelfed is for the ones that I feel are ok. There is this hierarchy of "goodness” between the three. It's super subjective. I try to keep Unsplash and Glass more polished visually speaking than Pixelfed. The latter is a rather noisy place with high-volume photo sharing. [richard stewart on Glass Photography Communityrichard stewart. Osaka + (…?/OM5) = Street![](https://glass.photo/favicon.svg)![](https://cdn.glass.photo/profile_picture/3afc55de-2988-4e56-9797-76abf11c2d19/photo?auto=format&fm=jpg&q=90&w=828&s=2468ba7f80d2a2e24fd9bddf7cb4aaf8)](https://glass.photo/snappi%5Fnappi%5Fboi?ref=numericcitizen.me) A photographer in Osaka, Japan. I like his photographic style. ## 🍎 Apple > 1️⃣ If you want a glimpse of Apple silicon's future, look at past generations and trends. This [article](https://appleinsider.com/articles/24/05/15/how-fast-will-a18-in-iphone-16-be-the-ipad-pros-m4-can-tell-us?ref=numericcitizen.me) from Apple Insider is excellent in that respect. Good read. 2️⃣ Microsoft introduced “Recall” on [their CoPilot+ PC](https://blogs.microsoft.com/blog/2024/05/20/introducing-copilot-pcs/?ref=numericcitizen.me), similar to Rewind. I want Apple to do the same with the next release of macOS because I think it would be more power-efficient than Rewind, which I stopped using because it was draining the MacBook battery way too fast (Read “[Rewinding 30 Days of My Experience with Rewind for Mac](https://numericcitizen.me/rewinding-30-days-of-my-experience-with-rewind-for-mac/)”). [Limitless (previously Rewind) just got Sherlocked by MicrosoftBenj Edwards for ArsTechnica: New Windows AI Feature Records Everything You’ve Done on Your PC At a Build conference event on Monday, Microsoft revealed a new AI-powered feature called “Recall” for Copilot+ PCs that will allow Windows 11 users to search and retrieve their past activities on their PC.![](https://birchtree.me/content/images/size/w256h256/format/jpeg/2022/10/favicon.jpg)BirchtreeMatt Birchler![](https://birchtree.me/content/images/2024/05/recall.33fc9bf6a4d34d71abd88dd7c5b30c5f.jpeg)](https://birchtree.me/blog/limitless-just-got-sherlocked-by-microsoft/?ref=numericcitizen.me) [Yesterday and TodayReflecting on seven years of Today at Apple.![](https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fbucketeer-e05bbc84-baa3-437e-9518-adb32be77984.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F613bace8-e3d8-4e47-bf91-68feca7fa7aa%2Fapple-touch-icon-180x180.png)TabletopsMichael Steeber![](https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/w_1200,h_600,c_fill,f_jpg,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep,g_auto/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F2923a61d-6a56-492b-b677-f790850d501e.heic)](https://michaelsteeber.substack.com/p/yesterday-and-today?publication%5Fid=1167179&utm%5Fcampaign=email-post-title&r=1tghe2&utm%5Fmedium=email) ## 🚧 Special projects > 1️⃣ My digital legacy management template is taking shape. I’m probably 70% done. I read many new articles in this space and learned quite a bit. It’s not a simple or light subject nd I need to take my time to get it just right. One thing is clear: working on this project with Craft is pure joy. Craft has matured in the last year and I’m in love with this app. ## 📱 Apps & Services > 1️⃣ I have replaced [Ahead 1.3](https://apps.apple.com/us/app/up-ahead-countdown-widgets/id1583147528?ref=numericcitizen.me) with [Time-Ring](https://apps.apple.com/app/time-ring/id6479212418?ref=numericcitizen.me) because it is free instead of a subscription. Ahead was nicer visually, but the latter is free. Also, I discovered [Synced Photo Frame by Re-Frame](https://apps.apple.com/us/app/synced-photo-frame-by-re-frame/id1667679282?ref=numericcitizen.me), thanks to [this post](https://mb.esamecar.net/2024/05/20/what-caught-my.html?ref=numericcitizen.me). I like those posts! The latter could have been used with my late iPad Pro, but I no longer have it. 2️⃣ After spending some time searching the web, I think there is no way to convert RAW files to DNG files on the iPad but to use Adobe Lightroom, which includes such a conversion feature built-in. This sucks. This means I won’t be able to process any photos from my Nikon while travelling to Croatia this summer before returning home unless I also bring my MacBook Air with me. 3️⃣ As a paying subscriber of ChatGPT, I finally got access to download the ChatGPT Mac app. It's minimalistic, but the OPT+Space command shortcut is nice. Now, I wonder how the deal between Apple and OpenAI will add to this. ## 📺 YouTube > 1️⃣ Stephen Robles, a popular YouTuber, shared a [behind-the-scenes](https://youtu.be/nqIZj9J8T5I?si=WjlBfVfYsh9Y6xXV&ref=numericcitizen.me) video about his workflow for making videos about Apple events, among many others. It's always fun and instructive to watch those videos. I wish it made it a little bit longer, though. I often get inspiration or learn something while watching them. He refers to using Gling.ai to edit video files in this specific video. Thanks to AI, the tools remove silences, disfluencies, etc. I'd like to use such an app, but because my video recording is based on many different takes that I stitch together with Screenflow, it’s impossible to use Gling in that scenario. Most YouTubers use Final Cut Pro, and Gling is compatible with FCP. I often stumble on things that remind me that Screenflow might be suitable for screen recording but is lacking in general-purpose video recording. Sigh. ## 💎 Miscellaneous > 1️⃣ I continue to test advanced features of the iPad Pro with external display support and Final Cut Pro for iPad. It’s a bit strange like I said [here](https://blips.numericcitizen.me/post/strange?ref=numericcitizen.me). I’m taking notes for an upcoming article. 2️⃣ When I got rid of my previous iPad, I thought I could live easily without it. I must say that I was wrong. This device fills many use cases for me: media consumption (videos, music, reading), but also for creative activities like photography and writing. The difference with a MacBook is the context of use. The iPad does enable more flexibility in physical scenarios. 3️⃣ This newsletter is mainly about creativity and the tools that enable this creativity. Pixar is a symbol of ultimate creativity, and it appears that [this symbol is waning](https://daringfireball.net/linked/2024/05/21/pixar-layoffs?ref=numericcitizen.me), which is sad, thanks to [recent layoffs](https://finance.yahoo.com/news/pixar-layoffs-underway-175-jobs-162130943.html?ref=numericcitizen.me). 4️⃣ I like to read other blogger’s workflow. Some might be complex but for some [it’s pretty simple](https://manuelmoreale.com/@/page/bC091jsCZScGW50a?ref=numericcitizen.me). ## 🔮 Looking ahead > 1️⃣ I just hope to be more creatively productive this upcoming week. I wish you a great week! 💡 This newsletter edition is also available as a Craft shared document [****here**](https://crafted.numericcitizen.me/creative-summary-2024-20?ref=numericcitizen.me). This week's edition is based on template version 1.2.5— 2024-04-17 and was put together with ❤️ on a 15-inch MacBook Air, Craft and many subscriptions! Support my work ([Paypal](https://paypal.me/numericcitizen?locale.x=en%5FUS&ref=numericcitizen.me)) or [become a supporter](https://ko-fi.com/numericcitizen/?ref=numericcitizen.me) with Ko-fi! [My Weekly Creative Summaries Index![](https://www.craft.do/share/static/apple-touch-icon.png)![](https://api.craft.do/render/preview/GHb2dEbIsUtgQ4)](https://crafted.numericcitizen.me/GHb2dEbIsUtgQ4?ref=numericcitizen.me) --- ## Exhibits 👀 A bit of musing about what good photographers are shooting — hint: it’s not always worth a National Geographic cover Consider watching this video if you are curious about how chips are made. It’s probably one of the best educative videos I ever watched. I like what Microsoft is doing with their Surface, but I still don’t like Windows. This video by Stephen Robles shows how he processes live events from Apple. It’s super cool to get those behind-the-scenes to look like this. ![Here is my Timery report for the past week, including device usage.](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/2024/05/Image-1-1.png) Here is my [Timery](https://www.timeryapp.com/?ref=numericcitizen.me) report for the past week, including device usage. ![Here is my logbook, as seen in Things 3.](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/2024/05/Image-2.png) Here is my logbook, as seen in [Things 3](https://culturedcode.com/things/?ref=numericcitizen.me). ![Numeric Citizen Digital Space Tip Sheet 2024-01-Lowres.png](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/2024/05/Numeric-Citizen-Digital-Space-Tip-Sheet-2024-1.png) Numeric Citizen Digital Space Tip Sheet 2024-01-Lowres.png ### My Weekly Creative Summary for the Week of 2024-19 URL: https://numericcitizen.me/my-weekly-creative-summary-for-the-week-of-2024-19/ Last updated: 2024-05-19T11:50:07.000Z > 👨🏻‍💻 88 posts 😃 > 🏞️ 21 photos shared 😃 > 🎙️ No podcast episode published 😔 > 📺 One YouTube video published 😃 > These cover a four-week period since the last weekly newsletter. ## 👤 Personal > 1️⃣ Friday night, I talked with my wife about my job and future. I shared with her that I sometimes contemplate the idea of changing jobs. She brought up the idea of freelancing instead of working for a company. At first, this idea didn’t resonate too much with me. I'm not this type of entrepreneur. That being said, I can see many advantages to this type of professional life: having a say on which type of client I want to work for, deciding when I want to take vacations or take a break, deciding which apps, services and tools that I use to support my work. The latter is an important one. Being confined in the Microsoft 365 world is depressing. Anyway, it's something that I need to continue thinking about, for sure. ## 🗺️ Discoveries > 1️⃣ I discovered the difficulties of moving off Photomator edit files (with the corresponding .DNG file) from the MacBook Air to an iPad. It appears that Photomator cannot open the .edit files. I posted [my question](https://www.pixelmator.com/community/viewtopic.php?t=40493&ref=numericcitizen.me) on the Photomator community on the Pixelmator website. My move off Adobe is simple, but there are ramifications to this move that I still feel today. Catalog management and automatic syncing across devices are commodities but must-haves. 2️⃣ I discovered [this blog](https://lubieniebieski.pl/?ref=numericcitizen.me) thanks to [a blogroll](https://www.michalzelazny.com/links/?ref=numericcitizen.me). It's fun to discover new bloggers. ## 📖 Reading > 1️⃣ A [post](https://manuelmoreale.com/sharing-too-much-about-too-little?ref=numericcitizen.me) that made me rethink my online presence: am I sharing too much? Am I sharing the right thing? One thing that I often notice: when I'm sharing personal things about me, my challenges, my struggles (yes, sometimes I do write about those), this usually triggers the most feedback. 2️⃣ I'm trying to use more and more Omnivore as a read-later service. This week, I checked what's new on Discord’s Omnivore channel and discovered that Omnivore now offers a content digest feature. Every day, Omnivore can generate a summary of your recently added articles, thanks to some AI magic, and send it to your inbox, Omnivore account, or the Omnivore iPhone app. I read a few of them, and they are absolutely time-savers. > “...the more power we’re given, the more some people feel the need to get back to a more intimate space, a space where things move slower, where connections and interactions are given time to develop.” — Manual Moreale ## 👨🏻‍💻 Writing > 1️⃣ During my one-week trip to the French Riviera, I was reminded that writing while travelling, for me at least, is not something that I'm good at. Non-standard schedules prompted by the desire to visit places and do things while exploring a new part of the world don’t allow me to sit down and write. The only thing that endured shuffled schedules is doing photography. 2️⃣ I finished writing my Craft release report for version 2.8, which came out during the week. Those reports are fun to produce but are available only to [the Craft Bible 2.0](https://thecraftbible.com/?ref=numericcitizen.me) subscribers. 3️⃣ I shared [some thoughts](https://numericcitizen.me/short-thoughts-on-every-ipad-i-owned-and-whats-next/) about every iPad I owned since 2010. ## 🌄 Photography > 1️⃣ I took many pictures using my brand new Nikon Zf during my trip last week. The experience shows that I made the right buying decision. There is something special and satisfying when taking pictures with this camera. I'm not an expert at digital cameras, but I wouldn't be surprised by the Nikon Zf becoming one of the best digital cameras in recent times. I'll have to upload and process my images using a less-than-optimal photo-processing workflow with Synology Photos and Photomator. 2️⃣ I took fewer images with my iPhone during that trip due to owning the Nikon Zf. 3️⃣ I'll have to consider selling my Nikon D750 on eBay now. 4️⃣ Unsplash keeps diversifying itself with the [announcement](https://unsplash.com/blog/unsplash-now-has-illustrations/?ref=numericcitizen.me) of support for illustrations. That's cool. I'm still using Unsplash occasionally, even if ChatGPT can generate a lot of stuff that would fit the illustrative purpose. 5️⃣ I discovered a new street photographer on Glass: Leanne Staples. 6️⃣ I didn't share many photos this week; I was too busy processing my next batch of images. [Unsplash+ now has IllustrationsWe’re excited to announce that we’ve just released a new content type on Unsplash+. Say hello to illustrations! Unsplash+ now offers illustrations across select categories: People, Arts & Fashion, Sports & Wellness, Travel, Technology, Nature, Food & Drink, Business, Seasonal, and Conceptual. Talented illustrators have been working hard to create beautiful,![](https://unsplash.com/blog/content/images/size/w256h256/2020/07/Unsplash-Favicon-128x128px.png)UnsplashUnsplash Team![](https://unsplash.com/blog/content/images/size/w1200/2024/04/Illustration-Launch-48--Blog--6.png)](https://unsplash.com/blog/unsplash-now-has-illustrations/?ref=numericcitizen.me) [Leanne Staples on Glass Photography CommunityLeanne Staples. I’m a street photographer, artist & writer. I’ve been leading street photography workshops for over 12 years now. “The real act of discovery consists …![](https://glass.photo/favicon.svg)![](https://cdn.glass.photo/profile_picture/87221ae5-ea6c-4ae8-bc36-4f1d5123bc1f/photo?auto=format&fm=jpg&q=90&w=828&s=508c95b81277ebd73e3e7999d5c73f82)](https://glass.photo/shootnewyorkcity?ref=numericcitizen.me) [aows (@aows@mastodon.world)Attached: 1 image Shadows and dunes. Colorado, March 2024 #aowsimages![](https://mastodon.world/packs/media/icons/apple-touch-icon-180x180-a75559a0af48064c1b7c71b81f3bf7c6.png)Mastodon![](https://s3.eu-central-2.wasabisys.com/mastodonworld/media_attachments/files/112/446/965/026/222/108/original/008e35c3d97a9f86.jpeg)](https://mastodon.world/@aows/112446965205421235?ref=numericcitizen.me) > An interesting talk about doing self-portraits and acting. Wonders images in this video and on her Glass profile page. [gabrielle bones![](https://assets.squarespace.com/universal/default-favicon.ico)gabrielle bones0![](http://static1.squarespace.com/static/5e7e8b6ce6e16b68afdd45f6/t/5f9120d8cfa9022bd19988d2/1603346676140/gab1.jpg?format=1500w)](http://www.gabriellebones.com/?ref=numericcitizen.me) ## 🍎 Apple > 1️⃣ Apple finally released their updated and spec-bumped iPads. From the rather fat iPad Air (which weighs more than the new Pro) to the rather ultra-thin iPad Pro (which Apple prefers instead of making the battery bigger), we've got something new to shew on for a while. From my readings, reactions and sentiments are a mixed bag. I'll have to wait for the review to see if this holds. 2️⃣ I’ve been contemplating getting the iPad Pro with the nano-textured screen. One reason is the expectation that using an Apple Pencil on this matte surface would help create a paper-like experience when writing and drawing. I have not seen a comment about this in commentary posts published since the Apple keynote. But there is one problem: I'll have to go with the 1TB model to get the nano-textured display, which is above my storage needs and costs much more. The good side is that I get the fastest iPad Pro, with 10 CPU cores instead of nine. Coming from a 2018 iPad Pro, according to Apple, I can expect a tablet to be up to 10x faster. 3️⃣ When I sold my old iPad Pro, I discovered I was missing the iPad form factor. The full-screen-only device fills a void in my computing usage spectrum. I can't wait to get a new one. 4️⃣ Is Apple getting more and more conservative? [This post](https://om.co/2024/05/09/apple-is-primed-to-stumble/?ref=numericcitizen.me) from Om Malik about the Crushed! ad and how Apple can no longer make too many mistakes in the public space, which makes me think that Apple is becoming increasingly conservative. Just like [DHH wrote](https://world.hey.com/dhh/hating-apple-goes-mainstream-fe740007?ref=numericcitizen.me), I'm too starting to hate the mainstream mega-corporation that Apple has become. And it's partly my fault as an avid consumer of Apple products. 5️⃣ All reviews and unboxing videos about the latest iPad are listed in the following MacRumors [article](https://www.macrumors.com/review/m4-ipad-pro/?ref=numericcitizen.me). It’s a must-read if you are about to buy one of these new iPads. Get ready to learn that the iPad hardware is great, but iPadOS is not. [Tiring](https://blog.numericcitizen.me/2024/05/13/to-those-who.html?ref=numericcitizen.me). That said, [Federico Viticci](https://www.macstories.net/stories/not-an-ipad-pro-review/?ref=numericcitizen.me) has some valid concrete points. Ok, enough about the iPad. > > “An iPad does everything and nothing well. It’s *the eternal teenager of computers* that doesn’t want to grow up and commit.” — Oliver Reichenstein ## 📱 Apps & Services > 1️⃣ Craft v2.8.0 came out and brings a slew of unexpected additions and quality-of-life improvements. Watch my release video [here](https://youtu.be/lp8McvlS5AE?ref=numericcitizen.me). 2️⃣ iA Presenter will soon allow sharing presentations online with automatic device formatting. So, depending on the device visiting the presentation, the content will automatically adjust to the screen size. I could see this feature being useful for some of my upcoming projects. Imagine having an online presentation introducing a concept or a feature to complement a shared document in Craft. 3️⃣ I spent some time testing a screen recording app called Screen Studio. One feature that I think is cool is the support for automatic zooming of the screen content tied to the mouse pointer's position. Screenflow doesn't support that; it has to be done manually with Screenflow video transitions and actions added to a portion of the video recording stream. Yet, Screen Studio seems very minimalistic in features; I'll pass on that for now. 4️⃣ OpenAI made a few [important announcements](https://openai.com/index/gpt-4o-and-more-tools-to-chatgpt-free/?ref=numericcitizen.me) that are too important not to mention in this newsletter. Is the ChatGPT bot too flirty now? That [might be the case](https://mastodon.social/@caseynewton/112436530206038079?ref=numericcitizen.me). MacGPT already supports the OpenAI GPT4o model! 5️⃣ CleanShot 4.7 came out with many new features and tweaks. It's one of my favourite Mac utilities. ## 📺 YouTube > 1️⃣ My “What's new in Craft v2.8.0” video was released along with the official app release. From research to recording and post-recording processing, it took me about 3 hours to produce this video. Am I being too slow at this? I wish the Craft team would refer to my video in their release notes. It's not going to happen. 2️⃣ For the second time, I asked one of the Craft team members if I could do a recorded interview with one of their team members. I didn't get a no but didn't get a yes, either. I did one such interview with Manton Reece, the Micro.blog founder, and I found myself at ease doing this type of video. My fingers are crossed for the next one. ## 💎 Miscellaneous > 1️⃣ I recently bought a magazine about home decoration and improvement projects to find design ideas for my upcoming home improvement project. I cannot remember the last time I bought a high-quality magazine. Although the web has profoundly changed our content consumption sources, holding a high-quality magazine in our hands is still satisfying. 2️⃣ Yesterday was the [Micro.camp](https://micro.camp/?ref=numericcitizen.me) event, and I attended most of it. It was fun and not perfect, which is part of the Micro.blog fun. At one point, when Manton was ready to show the audience two new features, he found out that his Mac requested permission to share his screen with Zoom, and the latter had to be restarted, which would put an end to the session. It was embarrassing and funny for him, provided we don't take this too seriously. I wish you a great week! 💡 This newsletter edition is also available as a Craft shared document [****here**](https://crafted.numericcitizen.me/creative-summary-2024-19?ref=numericcitizen.me). This week's edition is based on template version 1.2.5— 2024-04-17 and was put together with ❤️ on a 15-inch MacBook Air, Craft and many subscriptions! Support my work ([Paypal](https://paypal.me/numericcitizen?locale.x=en%5FUS&ref=numericcitizen.me)) or [become a supporter](https://ko-fi.com/numericcitizen/?ref=numericcitizen.me) with Ko-fi! [My Weekly Creative Summaries Index![](https://www.craft.do/share/static/apple-touch-icon.png)![](https://api.craft.do/render/preview/GHb2dEbIsUtgQ4)](https://crafted.numericcitizen.me/GHb2dEbIsUtgQ4?ref=numericcitizen.me) ## Exhibits 👀 Best video review of the iPad Pro, Apple Pencil and Magic Keyboard. A great commentary video about the new iPads. A much more critical view of Apple’s recent announcements. See a detailed walkthrough of what’s new in Craft v2.8.0. The best screenshot utility keeps getting better! ![Here is my Timery report for the past week, including device usage.](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/2024/05/Image.png) Here is my [Timery](https://www.timeryapp.com/?ref=numericcitizen.me) report for the past week, including device usage. ![Here is my logbook, as seen in Things 3.](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/2024/05/Image-1.png) Here is my logbook, as seen in [Things 3](https://culturedcode.com/things/?ref=numericcitizen.me). ![Numeric Citizen Digital Space Tip Sheet 2024-01-Lowres.png](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/2024/05/Numeric-Citizen-Digital-Space-Tip-Sheet-2024.png) Numeric Citizen Digital Space Tip Sheet 2024-01 ### On Operating System Principles & Fundamentals vs iPadOS Limitations & Wishes URL: https://numericcitizen.me/on-operating-system-principles-fundamentals-vs-ipados-limitations-wishes/ Last updated: 2024-05-15T15:15:58.000Z Today, I would gladly argue with anyone that some Apple tech pundits wishing for iPadOS to be less limited and more flexible should spend some time learning operating system principles and fundamentals. As a matter of fact, I would point out that many of the things mentioned in Federico Viticci’s rather good [article](https://www.macstories.net/stories/not-an-ipad-pro-review/?ref=numericcitizen.me) are based on a lack of knowledge of operating system fundamentals. It’s a common misconception to assume that the iPad Pro, with its identical CPU and system memory to the Mac, should have the same or similar capabilities at the user interface level. However, it’s crucial to recognize that while iPadOS is built on the same foundation as macOS, just like iOS is, it operates on fundamentally distinct runtime parameters, each with its unique features and capabilities. One such unique feature is the way iPadOS manages background tasks, a design choice that may not be universally popular but is a testament to the distinctiveness of iPadOS. When people learn more about operating systems, more specifically about resource management, process and thread scheduling, portability, I/O and memory management, they might better understand why iPadOS is less powerful than macOS. It’s not a limitation in hardware, for obvious reasons; it’s a technical decision that Apple made a long time ago and lacks the desire and resources to revisit. While we wait for Apple to do just that, Apple is trying to ease some pain while creating others for power users of the famous tablet. Some like it, others don’t. Over the years, as the iPad became more powerful, it’s understandable that comparisons and hopes for a more robust iPadOS rose. However, it’s essential to acknowledge that iPadOS is what it is: it operates on a different set of runtime premises, and decisions made before 2010 dictate what is allowed at the user interface level. Without a transplant of macOS into iPadOS, significant changes are unlikely. It’s valid to feel a sense of limitation, but it’s also important to understand the reasons behind them. And you know what? I’m pretty much okay with the iPad metaphor for general computing devices as it is. Disclaimer: I have a master’s degree in computer sciences, and I’m an avid user of the Mac ([since 1984](https://numericcitizen.me/remembering-the-story-behind-every-apple-computers-i-ever-owned/)), the iPad ([since 2010](https://numericcitizen.me/short-thoughts-on-every-ipad-i-owned-and-whats-next/)) and the iPhone (since 2009). ### Short Thoughts on Every iPad I Owned and What’s Next URL: https://numericcitizen.me/short-thoughts-on-every-ipad-i-owned-and-whats-next/ Last updated: 2024-05-15T10:26:17.000Z I’ve owned an iPad since April of 2010\. Fourteen years later, I’m about to start a new chapter in my journey of working with a controversial form factor: the tablet computer, which is essentially represented by Apple’s iPad product line. Let me look back quickly at my iPad ownership over the years. ## Original iPad ![The unboxing of my first iPad](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/2024/05/DSC_7601.jpeg) The unboxing of my first iPad This is where it all started back in 2010\. The experience was both magical and familiar, with the user interface directly inspired by the iPhone. It brought a sense of novelty while maintaining the intuitive ease that Apple users had come to love. However, the physical design of the device felt a bit off to me right from the start; its sharp edges never quite felt comfortable in my hand. Despite this, it was the screen estate that truly captivated me. While by today’s standards, the original iPad screen resolution may seem grainy, at the time, it offered superb image quality and opened up new possibilities for media consumption and productivity. The large screen was perfect for browsing the web, reading e-books, and watching videos, making it a game-changer in the world of personal technology ## The third-generation iPad (retina) ![My first Retina iPad](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/2024/05/IMG_6343.jpeg) My first Retina iPad My second iPad was the Retina version, and it marked a significant upgrade for me. As the iPad has always been primarily a screen for me, the arrival of super high resolution was a revelation, especially given my passion for photography. The crisp, detailed display brought my photos to life in a way I had never experienced before. The rounded shapes represented a notable evolution in design, offering a more comfortable feel in the hand. However, despite these improvements, the device’s weight was still quite noticeable. ## The original iPad Air ![A new era of iPad design, the iPad Air](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/2024/05/IMG_0858.jpeg) A new era of iPad design, the iPad Air My third iPad was the iPad Air, and it represented the ultimate version of a high-performance tablet. With its exceptional image quality and lightweight, enjoyable design, it stood out from previous models. The addition of the Lightning port was a much-appreciated bonus, making charging and connectivity more convenient. The iPad Air's sleek design and impressive performance quickly made it one of my favorite iPad models. Its portability and functionality combined perfectly, enhancing my user experience in both daily tasks and my photography passion. ## The 11-inch 2018 iPad Pro ![The first iPad Pro](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/2024/05/IMG_9050.jpeg) The first iPad Pro For me, the iPad Pro was the culmination of a long journey: used as my only portable device for several years, this lightweight but very powerful iPad, with its pleasant and modern design, has served me remarkably well. It has adapted to modern advancements by introducing features like USB-C, mouse, and external keyboard support. After six years of more or less dedicated use, my iPad Pro has become a relic of the past and has been sold, and I find myself looking towards the future. Replacing it is a must. However, there is some uncertainty in choosing the right size and type of screen. A visit to an Apple Store will give me the necessary insights into what is feasible and suitable for my ongoing use of this hardware platform. ## What’s Next? Well, it will be the 2024 iPad Pro, probably an 11-inch version without the nano texture glass. This wonderful general computing device is a slab of glass that offers to fill many of my use cases. It doesn’t pretend to be something that it isn’t. For those asking for an iPad to be more like a Mac, they are probably, in fact, asking for an Apple tablet running macOS. I’m not one of those guys, albeit a guy with a certain degree of curiosity of what such a combo could be in reality. In 2024, I want an iPad to be an iPad, just like it all first started in April of 2010\. While the 2024 iPads aren’t exactly cheap, especially the pro models, they represent the most advanced versions of what a modern tablet should be: a device that disappears from a physical standpoint, only to expose the main entry point of every app: their main window taking up mostly all the screen. This is what I want. I don’t see that to change anytime soon. ### My Weekly Creative Summary for the Week of 2024-16 URL: https://numericcitizen.me/my-weekly-creative-summary-for-the-week-of-2024-16/ Last updated: 2024-04-28T19:36:52.000Z [JF Martin (@numericcitizen@pixelfed.social)I like those industrial complexes. A few years ago, I had an IG account where I posted this kind of image about Montreal. It gave a bad view of Montreal but that was the point because I wanted to make a statement. Not everyone understood the concept.![](https://pixelfed.social/img/favicon.png?v=2)Pixelfed![](https://pxscdn.com/public/m/_v2/583629418009617054/c6a394f69-21cf85/Gf2cZ1BI5aR9/eu5A4whpUDIyVAnerHx0WlPeaTE010vF80Vi4Hgr.png)](https://pixelfed.social/p/numericcitizen/690156019663157748?ref=numericcitizen.me) > 👨🏻‍💻 26 posts 😃 > 🏞️ 11 photos shared 🙂 > 🎙️ No podcast episode published 😔 > 📺 Two YouTube videos published 😃 ## 👤 Personal > 1️⃣ This week dragged on creatively. This office event ate up a lot of my free time. After it wrapped up, I was pretty tired. I ended up feeling somewhat passive, just chilling with some reading and watching stuff without overthinking it. 2️⃣ Because of all this, it appears that I won't be able to complete and publish this weekly edition this week, and I'll have to wait until next week, right before leaving for my trip in Europe. It's Friday night, and as I'm writing this, I might find a way to complete it before Sunday night. 3️⃣ It's Sunday and I'm good to go with this week's edition! 😃 ## 🗺️ Discoveries > 1️⃣ A small discovery: Did you know you can invoke an Apple Shortcut using a URL Scheme? For example, the following can be inserted into a Craft document to call the “Get Weather for Craft” shortcut: "`shortcuts://run-shortcut?name=Get Weather for Craft&input=[input]&text=[text]`”. What is strange is that the string for the shortcut name can have spaces without having to be put between quotes. 2️⃣ I discovered [Song.link](https://odesli.co/?ref=numericcitizen.me), a web service for sharing links to your favourite songs. It seems pretty nice and free! 3️⃣ I discovered [this blog](https://ohhelloana.blog/?ref=numericcitizen.me) while [walking in the forest](https://theforest.link/?ref=numericcitizen.me). Then, I added a new step on [my personal creator dashboard](https://youtu.be/z7Z1rJhtmk0?ref=numericcitizen.me) so that I could try to find new blogs as often as possible in my daily routine. ## 📖 Reading > 1️⃣ I've been following the news from Ukraine more closely in recent weeks. The lack of support from the US and its impacts on the battlefield were evident in the news. Things will improve soon, I guess, after military support starts to flow again toward Ukraine. This war will be a long one. > “You don’t have to be a content creator to have a website.” — [Ana Rodrigues](https://ohhelloana.blog/?ref=numericcitizen.me) ## 👨🏻‍💻 Writing > 1️⃣ I relate to the following quote from Manuel Moreale. 2️⃣ I wonder if my writing habits are a way for me to evade some internal demons. I should think more about this because this is a recurring theme of thoughts. 3️⃣ I vented a bit of [my frustration with Microsoft 365](https://blog.numericcitizen.me/2024/04/26/overrated-x.html?ref=numericcitizen.me). > “The more I write on this site, the more I realize that what I’m trying to do is to connect” — Manuel Moreale ## 🌄 Photography > 1️⃣ I took 371 photos this week at an annual event my office is holding to kick off the new year. I quite like it, more than I initially thought. Taking pictures of people is not my cup of tea, but it felt great this time. My colleagues didn't know I was an amateur photographer. My Nikon Zf retro look intrigued many, and people thought it was a film camera! One of my colleagues working in a remote branch in the US felt that I was a paid photographer, not an IT guy. On the last day, I gave a presentation about technology trends, and he was shocked that I was, in fact, one of his colleagues! He said, “Well, I might have seen the most tech-savvy photographer I saw!”. That was funny. 2️⃣ A good image tells a story, and image selection for a presentation is crucial to augmenting the message. [Good article](https://ia.net/topics/a-good-image-tells-a-good-story?ref=numericcitizen.me) from Mylene, who is writing for IA, the makers of iA Writer and iA Presenter. [8th Avenue. New York Copyright Phil Penman #Streetphotography #leica #photography #nycPHIL PENMAN on Glass![](https://glass.photo/favicon.svg)![](https://cdn.glass.photo/post/0fc64b17-55ae-47c4-b073-8925862144b1/photo?auto=format&fm=jpg&q=90&w=828&s=dc097961f743d5fbba4ce80cede90ab4)](https://glass.photo/philpenman/1T3zNKaQNqff2eXVTa5iDx?ref=numericcitizen.me) A great image that I came across this week. Black & white is hard to beat. [Adam Barnes on Glass Photography CommunityAdam Barnes. I use an Fuji XT-5, and the amazing 18+33mm f1.4 and the 56mm f1.2 and occasionally the 50-140 f2 .8\. (Oh and the Sigma 18-50mm f2.8)![](https://glass.photo/favicon.svg)![](https://cdn.glass.photo/profile_picture/a6ccc829-7a3e-46dd-8014-85809ae8ba91/photo?auto=format&fm=jpg&q=90&w=828&s=a19eb0de133be7f2c51aa727ca356627)](https://glass.photo/adam-barnes?ref=numericcitizen.me) A new photographer that I’m following on Glass. His photography style around street photography is lovely. > > “Quality AI content requires human intervention to infuse it with meaning and authenticity.” — Mylene writing for iA blog ## 🍎 Apple > 1️⃣ How many new iPads will we get this year? Three? Five? [This Reddit](https://www.reddit.com/r/ipad/comments/1c9g0a7/i%5Fthink%5Fwe%5Fwill%5Fget%5F3%5For%5Feven%5F5%5Fnew%5Fipads%5Fthis/?ref=numericcitizen.me) post says five. 2️⃣ Basic Apple Guy is celebrating his blog's anniversary: four years. This guy’s creativity is simply mind-blowing. Apple is at the center of this constant expression of creativity. Over the past four years, I have bought four T-shirts from him, and I'm wearing one as I write this. I'm not sure exactly what this guy is doing for real work, but he certainly has a talent for graphic design. Some of his pieces probably required many hundred hours of hard work. Bravo for him. 3️⃣ Apple will be holding a special event on May 7th, which certainly looks to be about the iPad, but I might not be able to watch it as I'll be on a cruise ship then. I'll catch up on the news when I return on May 10th. 4️⃣ Many Apple users reported being locked out of their Apple ID this week. The only way to fix the issue was to reset the password, requiring re-authentication on all Apple devices. That's bad and makes me wary of being tied so much to Apple these days. What if I lose access to my Apple ID? I would lose so much. [4 — Basic Apple Guybasicappleguy.com launched four years ago, on April 21, 2020.![](https://basicappleguy.com/s/BALogo.png)Basic Apple GuyBasicAppleGuy![](http://static1.squarespace.com/static/5e949a92e17d55230cd1d44f/5e949bf1af9d553df47e07b6/66229196f48f015bd09d75f6/1713708189698/Untitled+3.png?format=1500w)](https://basicappleguy.com/basicappleblog/4?ref=numericcitizen.me) ## 📱 Apps & Services > 1️⃣ Ghost is [adopting ActivityPub](https://activitypub.ghost.org/?ref=numericcitizen.me), and I shared [my enthusiasm](https://blog.numericcitizen.me/2024/04/24/ghost-and-activitypub.html?ref=numericcitizen.me) about it. It will be a long journey, but we should get all this in 2024\. 2️⃣ I'm still looking to optimize my photo processing workflow. This time, I'm trying to find a good photo browser for Mac. I don't really like Adobe Bridge, and I don't want anything beyond converting RAW files into DNG. Apple Finder isn’t powerful enough. ApolloOne seems a contender. I tried it for a few moments. Seems reasonable, but good enough? The design is a little on the “uninspired" side. One thing with ApolloOne: you can rate and tag each image, but I wonder how this metadata is being saved. 3️⃣ Scribbles.page keeps getting [better and better](https://scribbles.page/changelog/posts/2024-04-26?ref=numericcitizen.me)! I love it. [Introducing CategoriesShipped last week, you now have the ability to create categories to your posts with a super simple and slick interface to get started. Categories allows you to add one category per post so that…![](https://scribbles.page/apple-touch-icon.png)Scribbles Update Blog![](https://cdn.scribbles.page/rails/active_storage/representations/proxy/eyJfcmFpbHMiOnsibWVzc2FnZSI6IkJBaHBBaU5CIiwiZXhwIjpudWxsLCJwdXIiOiJibG9iX2lkIn19--585aae75e83fbd930b90cc2db24be6073bd145c9/eyJfcmFpbHMiOnsibWVzc2FnZSI6IkJBaDdDRG9MWm05eWJXRjBTU0lJYW5CbkJqb0dSVlE2RkhKbGMybDZaVjkwYjE5c2FXMXBkRnNIYVFJQUJHa0NBQVE2Q25OaGRtVnlld2M2Q25OMGNtbHdWRG9NY1hWaGJHbDBlV2xwIiwiZXhwIjpudWxsLCJwdXIiOiJ2YXJpYXRpb24ifX0=--f6c406fb840f2fca2d23cc237a20dddaf4addec9/category-new.jpg)](https://scribbles.page/updates/posts/introducing-categories?ref=numericcitizen.me) ## 📺 YouTube > 1️⃣ I love Arc Browser, too, Matt! Here's a [short video](https://youtu.be/4CHy9e98UBg?si=fcfuca39R4a9msTm&ref=numericcitizen.me) to learn why. 2️⃣ My YouTube channel has 1148 followers. I didn't know what to expect when I started doing videos about Craft and other things I like to discuss. The pace is lower than when I started, but I prefer doing less if the content is better. Last Sunday, I shared [a new one](https://youtu.be/z7Z1rJhtmk0?ref=numericcitizen.me) about using Craft to build a dashboard for my creative activities. Craft is not Notion when creating such content, but I managed to set up something useful. ## 💎 Miscellaneous > 1️⃣ Manuel Moreale [is writing](https://manuelmoreale.com/@/page/ShBJdZxPWoH3qe85?ref=numericcitizen.me) about doing self-promotion as a blogger. He seems to be debating with himself about the good or bad of doing self-promotion. [Another guy](https://tangiblelife.net/too-little-and-too-much-self-promotion-2?ref=numericcitizen.me) is also questioning the whole idea of asking for support. Should he ask for some support from his readers or not? Personally, I ask for support from time to time. I try to do it with moderation. Yet, we shouldn't be shy of doing it when it is done with taste and politely. 2️⃣ Today, Saturday, I went to a craft and local products market. I bought some stuff there, including a handmade greeting card. I like to support local creators. Looking at what these creators do makes me think of myself, except I have nothing to sell but everything to give. > “The days of getting a social network to grow by importing an address book are gone — instead, it is about using, reusing, and using the social graph again to launch new products.” — Om Malik ## 🔮 Looking ahead > 1️⃣ The future of AI in video production looks more and more scary. [Take a look](https://mashable.com/video/adobe-generative-ai-video?ref=onemanandhisblog.com). 2️⃣ I'm increasingly interested in Apple's upcoming foray into generative AI for its operating systems, probably within Siri. I hope Apple will use iMessage as a way to interact with Siri augmented capabilities. Wavelength, a messaging service, does exactly that. ![This is a screenshot of the Wavelength messaging app’s main window. On the left sidebar, we can see “AI,” which can answer any request, just like talking to someone. I like this type of integration.](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/2024/04/Image-5.png) This is a screenshot of the Wavelength messaging app’s main window. On the left sidebar, we can see “AI,” which can answer any request, just like talking to someone. I like this type of integration. > “Be quick to praise, but slow to criticize.” — Matt Birchler I wish you a great week! 💡 This newsletter edition is also available as a Craft shared document [****here**](https://crafted.numericcitizen.me/creative-summary-2024-16?ref=numericcitizen.me). This week's edition is based on template version 1.2.5— 2024-04-17 and was put together with ❤️ on a 15-inch MacBook Air, Craft and many subscriptions! Support my work ([Paypal](https://paypal.me/numericcitizen?locale.x=en%5FUS&ref=numericcitizen.me)) or [become a supporter](https://ko-fi.com/numericcitizen/?ref=numericcitizen.me) with Ko-fi! [My Weekly Creative Summaries Index![](https://www.craft.do/share/static/logo-192.png)![](https://api.craft.do/render/preview/GHb2dEbIsUtgQ4)](https://crafted.numericcitizen.me/GHb2dEbIsUtgQ4?ref=numericcitizen.me) ## Exhibits 👀 If you aren’t convinced about using Arc Browser, you might want to watch Matt’s video about his favourite things about it. Many photo editing apps are compared, but don’t expect a full feature-for-feature comparison in this video. A video about using Craft to create a sort of personal dashboard. I made a short video about all the new features and tweaks that made it to Micro.blog in the last two months. ![Image.png](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/2024/04/Image-1-3.png) Here is my [Timery](https://www.timeryapp.com/?ref=numericcitizen.me) report for the past week, including device usage. ![Image.png](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/2024/04/Image-2-2.png) Here is my logbook, as seen in [Things 3](https://culturedcode.com/things/?ref=numericcitizen.me). ![Numeric Citizen Digital Space Tip Sheet 2024-01-Lowres.png](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/2024/04/Numeric-Citizen-Digital-Space-Tip-Sheet-2024-2.png) Numeric Citizen Digital Space Tip Sheet 2024-01-Lowres.png ### My Weekly Creative Summary for the Week of 2024-15 URL: https://numericcitizen.me/my-weekly-creative-summary-for-the-week-of-2024-15/ Last updated: 2024-04-21T17:42:59.000Z [JF Martin (@numericcitizen@pixelfed.social)Some strange architecture, in Spain, from Gaudi.![](https://pixelfed.social/img/favicon.png?v=2)Pixelfed![](https://pxscdn.com/public/m/_v2/583629418009617054/c6a394f69-21cf85/2Bynm7UbOgzM/q2mSv2z58qGlYzR1xmi5QWHIZPvRjMfbKrMwcsp3.png)](https://pixelfed.social/p/numericcitizen/685225111065303317?ref=numericcitizen.me) > 👨🏻‍💻 21 posts 😃 > 🏞️ 11 photos shared 🙂 > 🎙️ No podcast episode published 😔 > 📺 No YouTube video published 😔 ## 👤 Personal > 1️⃣ I got [a new supporter](https://amerpie.lol/2024/04/20/the-one-a.html?ref=numericcitizen.me) this week, and I'm quite happy with that. The amount of money I get is not really important to me. But having someone take his or her time to read my work and subscribe as a supporter on [my Ko-fi page](https://ko-fi.com/numericcitizen?ref=numericcitizen.me) means a lot to me. 2️⃣ On Saturday evening, my wife and her daughter went to see a ballet show, and I was left alone at home. I love those opportunities to be alone and spend time on my preferred hobbies, like writing this newsletter. I realized I was quite at ease being alone a long time ago. ## 📖 Reading > 1️⃣ Are we spending too much time on our screens? Well, it depends. It's complicated. Tread [this thought.](https://mastodon.social/users/reichenstein/statuses/112296476522729027?ref=numericcitizen.me) 2️⃣ I hate ads. I mean it. [This article](https://sixcolors.com/post/2024/04/does-everything-need-to-be-an-ad/?ref=numericcitizen.me) from Jason Snell of Six Colors is on the spot. Do ads need to be everywhere in our digital space? I'm watching Apple's next move in this regard. I hope they won't put ads in Maps which could be a good place to advertise AppleTV+, right? (NOT). > "A man who uses his hands, is a labourer. A man who uses his hands, and his mind, is a craftsman. A man who uses his hands, and his mind, and his heart, is an artist." - Francis of Assisi ## 👨🏻‍💻 Writing > 1️⃣ Writing is hard and demanding. I've been rather quiet in recent days on my blog but it's because I do write elsewhere, like this weekly newsletter. I always thought that in order to keep enjoying writing, it's important not to put too much pressure on myself. ## 🌄 Photography > 1️⃣ I spent more time this week working on an updated photo-processing workflow based on Synology Photos and Photomator. This new workflow is the consequence of leaving Adobe Lightroom behind because the RAW image format produced by the new Nikon Zf camera is not yet supported in macOS and iPadOS (but is probably supported in Lightroom). It requires converting to a DNG file before I can edit the image in Photomator. It's not the most efficient workflow, but it's transitory. 2️⃣ How long before Apple adds support for new RAW image formats? I posted [the question](https://www.dpreview.com/forums/post/67656237?ref=numericcitizen.me) on DPReview. Spoiler alert: it could take a long time. 3️⃣ When I look at my photos, I find it fascinating how my late father probably influenced my photography subject choices: architecture, flowers, landscapes, churches, and highly graphic and geometric style. 4️⃣ I bought a microSD card for my Nikon Zf camera: 128GB in such a small format. I mean, this card is a tad bigger than a SIM card! It’s just incredible and cheap! 5️⃣ I also bought the Nikon [ZTF II lens adaptor](https://www.dpreview.com/articles/0471853775/hands-on-with-new-nikon-ftz-ii-adapter?ref=numericcitizen.me) so that I can use the other lenses I used with my Nikon D750, a 70-200mm and a 20mm lens. After some testing, it seems to work great so far. I might leave my D750 behind for my next trip. [Maykel Loomans on Glass Photography CommunityMaykel Loomans on Glass![](https://glass.photo/favicon.svg)![](https://cdn.glass.photo/post/94341b1f-c07a-45fd-8a3c-3976532bf452/photo?auto=format&fm=jpg&q=90&w=828&s=b0dcdc86a52f51718cda1b2ea47cd825)](https://glass.photo/maykel/4gYPEu3T1iyJn8175uriQl?ref=numericcitizen.me) > [https://glass.photo/jacobcook.photo](https://glass.photo/jacobcook.photo?ref=numericcitizen.me) a great photographer discovered this week. [escalator temporarily stairs, sorry for the convenience portra 400 voigtlander bessa-r indie film lab scanEvan Wiley Smith on Glass![](https://glass.photo/favicon.svg)![](https://cdn.glass.photo/post/b1ba8263-cfdb-4a21-84fb-ec319f80533d/photo?auto=format&fm=jpg&q=90&w=828&s=802b0c365cd95a6ffceacaa4aeabc89c)](https://glass.photo/evnwlysmth/qlRMU5e1OHg8WMm1mlvUd?ref=numericcitizen.me) > Great image and great interior architecture, reminiscent of an Apple Store. ## 🍎 Apple > 1️⃣ Good news for Montrealers: the Sainte-Catherine Apple Store will move to a new location, just 100m east! This will be closer to my office; the building is much nicer, too! I can't wait for the new location to open! 2️⃣ Is Apple's magic gone? Are we bored about Apple? Mike, who is writing on his blog, [thinks so](https://initialcharge.net/2024/04/apple-magic-gone/?ref=numericcitizen.me). Personally, I'm excited for two things: the next iPad Pro and what is coming to iOS this summer on the generative AI front. I do not see much excitement in the tech press except maybe what relates to AI and iOS 18, where Apple is rumoured to try to catch up finally. But beyond that, even the Apple Vision Pro seems boring now. [Apple Store in Downtown Montréal Reportedly Moving to 125-Year-Old Heritage BuildingApple is preparing to move its retail store on Saint-Catherine Street in Montréal, Québec, according to Canadian newspaper La Presse. The current…![](https://images.macrumors.com/images-new/icons/icon.svg)MacRumorsJoe Rossignol![](https://images.macrumors.com/t/iFfs_t0uj-v2MfXuaEixCOCojrA=/2880x/article-new/2024/04/Apple-Sainte-Catherine-Montreal.jpeg)](https://www.macrumors.com/2024/04/18/apple-store-montreal-relocating-report/?ref=numericcitizen.me) ## 🚧 Special projects > 1️⃣ My work on the Craft introductory course is on pause because a new version is coming soon, and I want to cover everything. The next Craft version, rumoured to be v2.8, should include a few notable additions I want to cover but I'm not allowed to talk about here. 2️⃣ While waiting for the next Craft iteration, I decided to work on my creator dashboard in Craft and get ready to record a YouTube video about it. ## 📱 Apps & Services > 1️⃣ This week, I had this brain bubble where I considered opening an [OMG.LOL](https://omg.lol/?ref=numericcitizen.me), account. But after spending some time on the website, I couldn’t endure their design language. It's too cartoonish, and I don't think it fits well with my branding of “Numeric Citizen." I'll stay away from OMG.LOL. 2️⃣ Simple Scan by IconFactory is super handy and practical for scanning documents. I have two scans left in the trial, and I might buy the app after that. 3️⃣ Rewind is no more, and [Limitless](https://www.limitless.ai/?ref=numericcitizen.me) seems to replace it. I'm not quite sure. I deleted all my data from my MacBook Air and uninstalled the app. Remember that I did some experimentation with Rewind a while ago and found the idea super interesting, but... learn more [here](https://numericcitizen.me/rewinding-30-days-of-my-experience-with-rewind-for-mac/). 4️⃣ I started testing Adobe Bridge to convert RAW files from my Nikon Zf. It's a free Mac app, but the design is awful and unintuitive. Adobe Bridge comes with the Adobe Creative app, which I'm not happy to install again on my Mac. Oh well. ## 📺 YouTube > 1️⃣ A video about the Challenger crew who died in 1987, a moment that I remember very clearly. I was attracted by the video title because I'm always curious about those strange questions.😔 2️⃣ [Great video](https://youtu.be/CHrMLowLpDY?si=dg0ksUT%5FNO%5Fr1fJO&ref=numericcitizen.me) from Matt Birchler showing ten cool apps he uses. I always like those videos. With this video, I discovered [Bento Craft](https://www.youtube.com/redirect?event=video%5Fdescription&redir%5Ftoken=QUFFLUhqbi10YVFTcFk2NHZZRmQ1MmtSc2k5S2Y0U251QXxBQ3Jtc0ttSDdHb3I4UmhNTkVIMVM4elk1YVFPVzdiSzBmMU4zX2NnNDlrdkFzSmJjMElhZTJoNFBvN2MwNWZYOUh3Q1ZxdHg1T19aWlM3NGZlSFFnR2NLYXFQVi1ha0VtVUo2eTlHTTNmcHFlRVRJM3pCNWQyWQ&q=https%3A%2F%2Fapps.apple.com%2Fus%2Fapp%2Fbento-craft-marketing-assets%2Fid6468541457&v=CHrMLowLpDY&ref=numericcitizen.me). It's an iPad app but it works ok on the Mac. I'll experiment with it for sure. I might have a few use cases for it. ## 💎 Miscellaneous > 1️⃣ In the exhibit section below, you'll find two diagrams. Both show the visitor stats for my main website: “numericcitizen.me". The first one is when my site was hosted on WordPress. The second one is since my site was migrated on Ghost. See the difference in the trend? I don't think the choice of platform makes a difference, but I think my writing habits and my content are more focused now. This could give some credence to those bloggers who think being consistent and focused helps increase traffic. 2️⃣ A year from now, Humane, the AI pin's makers, will be no more. Remember, you read it here first. 3️⃣ I found a great [Mastodon thread](https://mastodon.social/@lickability/112293994180604838?ref=numericcitizen.me) talking about the now-defunct Apple's iPhoto for iPad and iPhone. It brings great memories because I really like the design of this app, especially made for the iPad, a device that I love for editing photos. Too bad we lost this app. It's hard to imagine how this could have survived the iOS 7 redesign. ## 🔮 Looking ahead > 1️⃣ My wife and I decided at the last minute to go on a cruise trip to visit the French Riviera in the first half of May. I'm looking forward to it so I can test my new camera. We will visit several places: Barcelona, Marseilles, Toulon, Nice, Portofino, Livorno and Rome. It's crazy expensive, but we have only one life to live. I wish you a great week! 💡 This newsletter edition is also available as a Craft shared document [****here**](https://crafted.numericcitizen.me/creative-summary-2024-15?ref=numericcitizen.me). This week's edition is based on template version 1.2.4— 2024-04-14 and was put together with ❤️ on a 15-inch MacBook Air, Craft and many subscriptions! Support my work ([Paypal](https://paypal.me/numericcitizen?locale.x=en%5FUS&ref=numericcitizen.me)) or [become a supporter](https://ko-fi.com/numericcitizen/?ref=numericcitizen.me) with Ko-fi! [My Weekly Creative Summaries Index![](https://www.craft.do/share/static/logo-192.png)![](https://api.craft.do/render/preview/GHb2dEbIsUtgQ4)](https://crafted.numericcitizen.me/GHb2dEbIsUtgQ4?ref=numericcitizen.me) ## Exhibits 👀 ![CleanShot@Safari-2024-03-02@10.10.14@2x.png](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/2024/04/CleanShotSafari-2024-03-0210.10.142x.png) CleanShot@Safari-2024-03-02@10.10.14@2x.png ![Comparing my website visitor stats on WordPress and Ghost.](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/2024/04/CleanShotSafari-2024-03-0210.10.392x.png) Comparing my website visitor stats on WordPress and Ghost. ![My Mac setup, edition 2024, showing the addition of the Grovemade tabletop shelf. The next version will include a Mac Studio instead of the Mac mini.](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/2024/04/Image-4.png) My Mac setup, edition 2024, showing the addition of the Grovemade tabletop shelf. The next version will include a Mac Studio instead of the Mac mini. ![An image shared under the now defunct “The Perfect Imperfctions” series on Instagram.](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/2024/04/IMG_6998.jpeg) An image shared under the now defunct “****The Perfect Imperfctions**” series on Instagram. ![Installing Adobe Creative app to get Adobe Bridge on my Mac.](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/2024/04/Image-1-2.png) Installing Adobe Creative app to get Adobe Bridge on my Mac. The tragedy of Challenger in 1987 is still in my memory. This is a video I watched this week. Spring is a great season for photography. Seeing the photographer take a photo and the final results is fun. Most of the time, something mundane looks quite good in the photo. I use many of the apps mentioned: MacWhisper, Bento Craft (new to me), Audio Hijack, just to name a few. ![Here is my Timery report for the past week, including device usage.](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/2024/04/Image-2-1.png) Here is my [Timery](https://www.timeryapp.com/?ref=numericcitizen.me) report for the past week, including device usage. ![Here is my logbook, as seen in Things 3.](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/2024/04/Image-3-1.png) Here is my logbook, as seen in [Things 3](https://culturedcode.com/things/?ref=numericcitizen.me). ![Numeric Citizen Digital Space Tip Sheet 2024-01-Lowres.png](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/2024/04/Numeric-Citizen-Digital-Space-Tip-Sheet-2024-1.png) Numeric Citizen Digital Space Tip Sheet 2024-01-Lowres.png ### My Weekly Creative Summary for the Week of 2024-14 URL: https://numericcitizen.me/my-weekly-creative-summary-for-the-week-of-2024-14/ Last updated: 2024-04-14T11:01:53.000Z [JF Martin (@numericcitizen@pixelfed.social)Went to the office today. This is my best. I think. #blackandwhite #architecture![](https://pixelfed.social/img/favicon.png?v=2)Pixelfed![](https://pxscdn.com/public/m/_v2/583629418009617054/062ac74bd-fb82c6/5nte4emSyC76/Rqfr5kztvP7K01yjxpinBBB2QudNkWKWWEWYHDZF.jpg)](https://pixelfed.social/p/numericcitizen/678748957380207340?ref=numericcitizen.me) > 👨🏻‍💻 53 posts 😃 > 🏞️ 18 photos shared 😃 > 🎙️ No podcast episode published 😔 > 📺 One YouTube video published 🙂 ## 👤 Personal > 1️⃣ I’m considering rewriting a portion of my bio to replace the “compulsive creator” expression with "compulsive contributor.” I like the idea of humbly contributing to the world through a small community. T[his reply](https://micro.blog/Denny/34318001?ref=numericcitizen.me) on Micro.blog highly inspired me. 2️⃣ I’ve been on vacation for a week, and it made me feel eager to return to my creative and contributing journey. I think any creator should pause from time to time. This edition spans three weeks, from March 24th to April 13th. 3️⃣ I don’t watch movies in-flight. I don’t know why. I prefer playing with my iPad or iPhone and watching the flight map cycle through each view. ## 🗺️ Discoveries > 1️⃣ I’ve been reading my Nikon Zf manual and learned how to take advantage of it. I love the feeling of this camera body and the sensation of using an old camera in a modern way. ## 📖 Reading > 1️⃣ [This article](https://manuelmoreale.com/indieweb-carnival-good-enough-and-the-search-for-perfection?ref=numericcitizen.me) from Manuel Moreale resonated with me. Writing is about accepting that, at some point, the product is good enough to share. Otherwise, there is a risk of not publishing. I should settle more often on “good enough” when writing. I have many unfinished writing projects on my hand. 2️⃣ Sadly, I didn't read much in the last few weeks. I should be more constant. ## 👨🏻‍💻 Writing > 1️⃣ I think I'm finally settled on my use cases for Scribbles. One is to post a single thought with a single-word title. The other is a “Now” post with a few in-the-moment thoughts I share each morning. A few [people](https://social.lol/users/maique/statuses/112263806402738409?ref=numericcitizen.me) are reading these posts because I get a few kudos. 2️⃣ I wrote and shared [a very personal take](https://numericcitizen.me/on-blogrolls-the-good-the-bad-the-ugly/) on blogrolls and was afraid to share this with my readers. Blogrolls are bad triggers for me. The article generated quite a few responses and feedback. 3️⃣ On April 1, you got [the monthly digest](https://blog.numericcitizen.me/newsletters/2024/04/01/8023.html?ref=numericcitizen.me) of my posts on my blog. But you also got an [April Fools joke](https://blog.numericcitizen.me/2024/04/01/after-much-thinking.html?ref=numericcitizen.me). Some people took it seriously, which was funny. 🙂🤣 > “I don’t view myself as a “content creator” and recoil at that phrase. I keep a blog as a way to stay involved in the world. Simply put, my motivation is to write, share, read, engage, learn. My contribution is a drop in the ocean and irrelevant to me beyond it being my tiny contribution to the collective whole.” > “Back in the day, many of the early writing tools were called *Word*\-something. WordStar, Microsoft Word, WordPerfect.” — Dave Winer ## 🌄 Photography > 1️⃣ Much of the week has been spent reading Nikon Z lens reviews to help me decide which lens to buy with the Nikon Zf. I'm undecided between a fixed lens and a zoom lens. I could use a 28-75mm or 20-120mm zoom lens. Depending on the day, I'm leaning toward the 28-75mm or a 50mm fixed lens. Decision, decision, decision. 2️⃣ The day before leaving for vacation, I decided to get the Nikon Zf with the 40mm lens. This lens is the closest to the natural human eye’s field of view. After a few hundred images, I can report that I'm super happy with my decision. 3️⃣ There was a solar eclipse on April 8th, and someone shot a [photo](https://mastodon.social/@BasicAppleGuy/112237042912358636?ref=numericcitizen.me) using his iPhone. Great image. I wasn't prepared for this one-in-a-lifetime event and felt terrible about it. How come I didn't prepare myself better for this event? I mean, I'm a science guy, after all! I could have tried to take photos with my iPhone with the right filter in front of the camera. I could have driven to better places, directly on the path of the eclipse, because it was a two-hour drive instead of staying on the near edge of the path, which made the experience too short. Anyway. The next one is in 2100 or something. I'll be dead by that time. > > “The decision to take a shot of a stranger usually has to be made in an incredible short amount of time.” — [Lou Plummer](https://louplummer.lol/post/about-street-photography?ref=numericcitizen.me) [Bud Parr on Glass Photography CommunityBud Parr. Currently trying to get that film look by using film. Seriously though, I’m exploring formats and pushing myself to think and be a better photographer…![](https://glass.photo/favicon.svg)![](https://cdn.glass.photo/profile_picture/8c84a9a8-28a0-421e-99f2-00c165eab6a1/photo?auto=format&fm=jpg&q=90&w=828&s=58e085ec1b07c357d47bc1f710fb4db1)](https://glass.photo/budparr?ref=numericcitizen.me) A great photographer discovered on Glass. I like his imperfect styling, mostly black and white photos. [aows (@aows@mastodon.world)Attached: 1 image Tree seeking light. England, October 2023 #aowsimages![](https://mastodon.world/packs/media/icons/apple-touch-icon-180x180-a75559a0af48064c1b7c71b81f3bf7c6.png)Mastodon![](https://s3.eu-central-2.wasabisys.com/mastodonworld/media_attachments/files/112/181/035/624/503/361/original/972ddb05878db444.jpeg)](https://mastodon.world/@aows/112181035857855280?ref=numericcitizen.me) An absolutely gorgeous image from AOWS. ## 🍎 Apple > 1️⃣ I’m ready to write a review of my next iPad Pro as a comparison from the older model dating back to 2018\. I've set up a template in Craft with the desire to write about a renewed iPad Pro experience based on significantly upgraded specs since I'm upgrading from an old 2018 edition of the iPad Pro. 2️⃣ Still, my current iPad for writing is more than enough. However, an OLED display would be transformative and revealing for image editing. After all, the 2018 iPad Pro screen has been the same for more than six years. Six years is a long time in technology. 3️⃣ I started cleaning up my iPad by removing apps and content to reduce space consumption. Many apps were offloaded, but their data is still on the device. One app that I forgot about caught my attention, and it is called “Graphic.” It was a great graphic design app for the iPad but wasn’t updated in ages. The [website](https://graphic.com/?ref=numericcitizen.me) is still online. I found many documents that I’ll need to export in PDF before getting rid of this app once and for all. ## 🚧 Special projects > 1️⃣ I started working on a three-part course for Craft users using Zavala Outliner. This course will be sold through the Gumroad platform. Buyers will get a free three-month subscription to the Craft Bible. I think it's a great value for Craft users, not only for starters but also for more advanced users. I can't wait to start recording this. I hope to record the three parts back to back. I posted the course outline on Slack to gather feedback. ## 📱 Apps & Services > 1️⃣ After having an issue with Grammarly while writing a post on Scribbles, Maique on Micro.blog suggested looking at LanguageTool, an open-source equivalent. After a few minutes with it, I couldn't agree more; LanguageTool could probably replace Grammarly, but it isn't working with Craft. I need to copy the text into the LanguageTool app and then do the spell and grammar check before returning to Craft. It’s not optimal at all. Grammarly is due for renewal in August 2024, though. 2️⃣ Got the Readwise subscription renewed, and boy, this isn’t cheap. I wonder why there is no viable alternative to Readwise. 3️⃣ A guy beside me on the flight back home was using a device called AirFly to stream infotainment audio back to his AirPod. The device plugs into the USB-A plug and the audio jack. Cool device. 4️⃣ How many Apple fanboys can you find that beat Basic Apple Guy? This year's [April Fool post](https://basicappleguy.com/basicappleblog/macbook?ref=numericcitizen.me) edition is not only gorgeous and superbly executed, but it is also credible. Apple could (and should) bring special editions of the MacBook Air in glorious and colourful cases. 5️⃣ Finally, I got to sell my 2013 Mac Pro for $600 CAN. Now, I am looking to sell my 2018 iPad Pro with its Apple Magic Keyboard. 6️⃣ I shared [my thoughts on the Arc Browser](https://numericcitizen.me/why-im-embracing-the-arc-browser/). Consider giving it a look; you might switch, too! 7️⃣ After posing my article about the Arc Browser, a reader pointed me to a browser extension that does exactly the same thing as Safari Reader mode. I'm super happy with that. [Why I’m Embracing the Arc BrowserThe Arc Browser made some noise when it came out in July 2023\. I only recently decided to embrace the change. I’m glad I made the switch, but not everything is perfect.![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/size/w256h256/2021/11/Banner3.0-100x100.png)Numeric Citizen SpaceJF Martin![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/size/w1200/2024/04/Computer-screen-with-a.png)](https://numericcitizen.me/why-im-embracing-the-arc-browser/) ## 📺 YouTube > 1️⃣ . To complement the next Craft release, version 2.7.7, I had to create a YouTube video to be made available simultaneously with the release of Craft. It took me about 90 minutes to produce, which is kind of a record. The video is 12m 47s long. 2️⃣ I watched a few more videos about street photographers. I learned a few things along the way and got inspired. That's the most important thing for me. See the exhibits section below for a few references. ## 💎 Miscellaneous > 1️⃣ OpenAI’s Synthetic voices are mind-blowing. It is interesting to compare what OpenAI needs to achieve these results compared to Apple's method which requires reading out loud 150 different phrases. Apple's results aren't as convincing and require more extensive training: reading 150 sentences out loud. [Navigating the Challenges and Opportunities of Synthetic VoicesWe’re sharing lessons from a small scale preview of Voice Engine, a model for creating custom voices.![](https://openai.com/favicon.ico)![](https://images.openai.com/blob/1be0c17b-707d-4a3c-9812-1a90ab423830/tts-custom-voice-cover.png?trim=96%2C0%2C352%2C0&width=1000&quality=80)](https://openai.com/blog/navigating-the-challenges-and-opportunities-of-synthetic-voices?ref=numericcitizen.me) ## 🔮 Looking ahead > 1️⃣ I feel [undecided](https://blog.numericcitizen.me/2024/04/07/feeling-undecided-thinking.html?ref=numericcitizen.me) about my travel journaling plans. I give myself until early June to make a final decison about if and how I'm going to do my travel journaling starting this summer. So far, I'm leaning torward reusing everything that I got instead of creating a new home. Tagging posts with the “travel” tag should suffice. I wish you a great week! 💡 This newsletter edition is also available as a Craft shared document [****here**](https://crafted.numericcitizen.me/creative-summary-2024-12-2024-14?ref=numericcitizen.me). This week's edition is based on template version 1.2.2— 2024-03-17 and was put together with ❤️ on a 15-inch MacBook Air, Craft and many subscriptions! Support my work ([Paypal](https://paypal.me/numericcitizen?locale.x=en%5FUS&ref=numericcitizen.me)) or [become a supporter](https://ko-fi.com/numericcitizen/?ref=numericcitizen.me)! 🙏🏻 [My Weekly Creative Summaries Index![](https://www.craft.do/share/static/logo-192.png)![](https://api.craft.do/render/preview/GHb2dEbIsUtgQ4)](https://crafted.numericcitizen.me/GHb2dEbIsUtgQ4?ref=numericcitizen.me) ## Exhibits 👀 A great video about a well-respected photographer, Siegfried Hansen. Lot’s of great images in this short interview. He’s exactly the type of photographer I’d like to be one day. ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/2024/04/WWDC2024.jpeg) Neon styling seems popular these days, and I like this colorful version. A video that I made to go with Craft official release on Wednesday, April 3. [MacBook April Fools’ Day Mockup — Basic Apple GuyTeenie. Meanie. Mighty. Mac.![](https://basicappleguy.com/s/BALogo.png)Basic Apple GuyBasicAppleGuy![](http://static1.squarespace.com/static/5e949a92e17d55230cd1d44f/t/660b287b8ef4682dd66ebc85/1712007307389/MacBookBlue+2.png?format=1500w)](https://basicappleguy.com/basicappleblog/macbook?ref=numericcitizen.me) If only Apple made these Macs a reality. [aows (@aows@mastodon.world)Attached: 1 image This sight may fade away from your memory over time, but you will never forget the way witnessing it made you feel.![](https://mastodon.world/packs/media/icons/apple-touch-icon-180x180-a75559a0af48064c1b7c71b81f3bf7c6.png)Mastodon![](https://s3.eu-central-2.wasabisys.com/mastodonworld/media_attachments/files/112/240/832/686/797/441/original/05a72506de927da0.jpeg)](https://mastodon.world/@aows/112240832855560851?ref=numericcitizen.me) And a great photo of the solar eclipse by AOWS photographer, one of my favourite [One of the only picture I got from the totality as I was enjoying the eclipse yesterdayStéphane Curzi on Glass![](https://glass.photo/favicon.svg)![](https://cdn.glass.photo/post/02715a4e-7d72-444c-b747-10df65cfe874/photo?auto=format&fm=jpg&q=90&w=828&s=4f65dd494491954fea40e4b4bd1cee8d)](https://glass.photo/stephanecurziphotographie/4mmebekXWYcDLgnqx0WnUH?ref=numericcitizen.me) ![Here is my Timery report for the past week, including device usage.](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/2024/04/Image-3.png) Here is my [Timery](https://www.timeryapp.com/?ref=numericcitizen.me) report for the past week, including device usage. [Toggl Dashboard](https://track.toggl.com/dashboard/f995ddd9-715d-4092-87de-68f1c58038a5?ref=numericcitizen.me) ![Here is my logbook, as seen in Things 3.](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/2024/04/Image-1-1.png) Here is my logbook, as seen in [Things 3](https://culturedcode.com/things/?ref=numericcitizen.me). ![Numeric Citizen Digital Space Tip Sheet 2024-01-Lowres.png](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/2024/04/Numeric-Citizen-Digital-Space-Tip-Sheet-2024.png) ### Why I’m Embracing the Arc Browser URL: https://numericcitizen.me/why-im-embracing-the-arc-browser/ Last updated: 2024-04-11T10:35:34.000Z Switching to the Arc Browser on my Mac was probably one of the best decisions I made in quite some time. How could this be otherwise? The browser is my second most used app after Craft. But I would have laughed if you had asked me a few months ago if I would ever consider switching from Apple’s Safari to another browser based on the Chromium engine. And yet, here I am. This article details what I like about the ARC Browser and some of the implications of switching. ## What's wrong with Apple Safari? Let’s start with Apple Safari. I always liked Apple Safari because I felt my privacy was protected while browsing the web without feeding the data-hungry Google empire. But Safari is not aging well. It became apparent after spending just a few hours with the Arc Browser. - The browser extension landscape is mostly geared toward supporting Chrome or Firefox. The stringent requirements to submit an app to the Mac App Store might explain why we don’t see that many browser extensions support Safari or are taking longer to be released while being available for Chrome for months. - Safari feels bloated and gets more complex with each major release of macOS. - Profiles are not intuitive to set up. - Tab groups are not easy to manage. I still prefer Safari to Chrome or Firefox, but there’s this new kid in town: the Arc Browser. ## What is a web browser, actually? Let’s ask ChatGPT 4: > An Internet browser, also known as a web browser, is a software application used to access and view websites on the Internet. It lets you visit web pages, watch videos, listen to music, shop online, and much more. Browsers send requests to web servers using the HTTP or HTTPS protocols, retrieving the web content and then displaying it on your device. Popular browsers include Google Chrome, Mozilla Firefox, Safari (especially among Apple enthusiasts like yourself), and Microsoft Edge. They support various web technologies like HTML, CSS, and JavaScript, making the modern web interactive and dynamic. Well, that’s right. Looking at the Arc Browser, I get this feeling: the browser disappears, letting me surf the internet without getting in my way. This is what the Arc Browser is all about. It’s not only because of its novelty; it’s because of its genuine ability to make me more efficient. The Arc Browser is genuinely different and can prove to be hard to approach coming from Safari, but after a while, you get used to it. ## What's great about the Arc Browser? ![Browser extensions that I depend on.](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/2024/04/Image.png) Browser extensions that I depend on. - The Arc Browser offers a much cleaner and lighter design built around a window with really thin bezels, maximizing the content area. The full webpage experience makes a website look like an app, and the browser seems to disappear. - There are many small and nice touches all around the user interface. One example is the loading page progress indicator at the top of the window, which is subtly represented and feels more inspired than Apple’s version in the address bar. - Keyboard shortcut cues are superbly designed and have some visual depth, which I miss in today’s user interfaces. - It's a clever browser in so many ways. For example, when playing a video on YouTube, the browser will open a picture-in-picture video when switching to another tab. There is no need for an extension for this. - The Arc Browser helps me organize my digital presence by allowing me to create areas for specific browsing needs called “Spaces.” I have one default space with all my folders and frequently used websites and another space for accessing my wireless router and Synology admin pages. It’s super handy. - The Arc Browser adopts a left sidebar design, exposing many of the browser’s capabilities, such as opened tabs, tab groupings, and file downloads. - Tabs are treated differently in Arc Browser. They remind me of to-dos sitting on the left sidebar. Open tabs expire after a user-defined delay. - Chrome extensions are supported, which means there is a wider range of possibilities than Safari. It’s a big plus. I’m tired of always being left out. - Copying a text selection on a web page as a linked quote is useful for saving references. - Fun and informative release notes are provided with each release, right within the browser. Updates are more frequent, too. Releases are not tied to macOS. - I feel that compatibility with web standards is better than the Safari web rendering engine. I didn’t perform a scientific test on this, but it’s based on my general impression. - Side-by-side browsing within one big window is a quality-of-life improvement and provides a unique browsing experience. - I prefer the way Arc Browser exposes extensions in the user interface (through a dropdown menu) compared to Safari (toolbar icons) - Searching for actions using the CMD+T shortcut followed by a TAB brings a spotlight-like window where I can search for browser commands or settings. That’s for power users like me. - You can browse a website using a smaller browser version called Little Arc. It’s handy for quickly visiting a website. Visited websites go into the archive for a configured period of time. - Clicking on a link while browsing a webpage opens up a Little Arc window, like peeking at something that can be fully expanded. This is another great design choice. - A quick website summary appears when hovering the mouse on a link while holding the shift key. This is done using the integration of generative AI. It’s quite useful. - Max modules augment the browser's features set. They aren’t the same as extensions, though. They are offered as optional installable downloads. - It was already a snappy browser, but they recently introduced support for Apple Metal for tab content rendering. It’s now even better and faster—it feels as fast as Safari. ![Arc Browser release notes.](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/2024/04/Image-1.png) Arc Browser release notes. > The Arc Browser is a lightweight and very focused operating system designed to consume and interact with the web. ## What's missing from the Arc Browser? Not everything is perfect, and the Arc Browser is an example. However, the Arc Browser is still in its infancy; it was first released by The Browser Company in July 2023\. Here are a few missing things. - There is no reader mode, which I really like when visiting a busy website with Safari. It would be so lovely to have it. - The Apple iCloud Keychain extension doesn’t work well, but it is Apple’s fault—their flaky and bare-minimum browser extension for non-Safari browsers requires some attention. - Apple Shortcuts with Safari don’t work with the Arc Browser; there is no way to rewrite them. The sooner the Arc Browser supports Apple’s Shortcuts, the better. Because of this, my reading and content-sharing experience is partially broken, and I need to switch back to Safari if I want to create a link post for my Micro.blog website. - It is not available on the iPhone or iPad. Arc Search is not a browser per se and is even controversial. However, I do use it from time to time to search for specific subjects that require summarization. - Using Passkey with “Sign In with Apple” isn’t as smooth as using Safari. Each time I need to sign in, I need to scan a QR code on the screen from my iPhone to log in using a Passkey. - User tracking is not as complete as in Safari, and privacy protection reports aren’t available. I depended on the StopTheMadness browser extension, which doesn’t support Chrome. I find this ironic. - The Arc Browser isn’t available on the iPad or iPhone, and I don’t know if this will change soon. It might be when Apple opens up the operating system, like it is forced to do by the EU regulators. ## Final remarks Since its release, I’ve been a satisfied Safari user, preferring Apple’s approach to browsers even if it meant feeling left behind regarding browser extension availability. Privacy protection has always won over features—until now. While Apple does its homework to simplify Safari tabs management and group creation, I prefer using the Arc Browser, even if it means that I lose a bit of the Apple ecosystem integration flavour. ![Max add-ons](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/2024/04/Image-2.png) Max add-ons ## About Arc Search on iPhone One more thing that I want to address: it’s about the Arc Search app on the iPhone. I have it installed on my iPhone, but I rarely use it. I understand that this app is controversial in its use of web content to generate summaries without giving credit to the sources. In my opinion, it’s not a great use of AI. The Arc Browser company can and should do better. They need to find a way to let users see the sources of the summary it generates. I don’t think it’s rocket science to achieve. They can do it. Meanwhile, I prefer DuckDuckGo and Kagi search engines. ### On Blogrolls — the Good, the Bad & the Ugly URL: https://numericcitizen.me/on-blogrolls-the-good-the-bad-the-ugly/ Last updated: 2024-03-27T11:08:00.000Z Here’s a more personal blog post than usual. It’s about blogrolls and my mental health. But before jumping into that, and in case you don’t know what blogrolls are, here is a definition coming right from ChatGPT: > Blogrolls are like shoutouts to other blogs within a blog. Back in the day, when personal blogs were super popular, bloggers used to have this section, usually on the sidebar, where they'd list their favourite blogs or sites. It was an excellent way to discover new content and show some love to fellow bloggers. Think of it as a blogger saying, "Hey, check these out; I think they're cool." It's less common now with social media and all, but some folks still keep the tradition alive. Dave Winer [wrote](http://scripting.com/2024/03/13.html?ref=numericcitizen.me): > Blogrolls were a common feature in early websites. A list of blogs you follow. A checklist of places to look at. Advertising our web friendships. Blogrolls were the beginning of today's social web. Social networks mostly killed blogging and, with it, blogrolls. But the trend might be reversing. So, yeah, blogrolls are making a comeback. And they make me feel anxious. But why, you might ask? Well, let me tell you why. One last thing before going to the next section: I find [Dave Winer’s blogroll](https://blogroll.social/?ref=numericcitizen.me) interesting because the recommendations list is sorted by the last publication date for each entry. It's a useful twist to this old concept. ![Dave Winer’s blogrolls announcement](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/2024/03/Image-8.png) Dave Winer’s blogrolls announcement ## Blogrolls and Micro.blog [Micro.blog recently added a blogroll feature](https://www.manton.org/2024/03/11/recommendations-and-blogrolls.html?ref=numericcitizen.me), which I quickly adopted and started to populate with my “Hey, check these out; I think they’re cool” entries. It was an exciting and unexpected addition to Micro.blog. I think nobody really expected blogroll support to come to Micro.blog, but it was super well received by the user community. After all, it makes sense for Micro.blog to adopt such a landmark feature of what was so prevalent in the golden day of blogging, right? So, other Micro.blog users quickly joined the movement. It was fun to see people sharing their new blogroll one after the other. Until it wasn’t. The first blogroll that I read was Manton’s. Then I went to browse others. And some more. And then I started to notice a few things. First, I saw similarities in recommendations. Many blogrolls mentioned the same bloggers. I won’t name any names here—no need for that. Second, sadly, I wasn’t part of any blogrolls. I know this is stupid. I shouldn’t take it personally. But I feel bad nonetheless. Why is that? Well, there are many reasons. ## My problem with blogrolls I put a lot of effort into my creative journey. I’m very active on Micro.blog and elsewhere. I do share a lot: words, images, videos, even audio tidbits. I don’t know how many people follow me on Micro.blog, but I do get many replies all the time. I have this feeling of contributing to a community, and in return, I do feel that I’m part of this community. Returning to the blogroll concept as defined earlier, the blogroll is this little tap on the shoulder. Blogroll is a different form of “like”. With this new blogroll feature, I wasn’t on any except [for one](https://micro.blog/amerpie/33905526?ref=numericcitizen.me), and I did get an email from a guy who pointed me to his blogroll with a link to my blog. And yet… none of my websites were recommended, even from people I thought were very appreciative and active followers. Now, when I stumble upon a new blogroll, I get anxious. It’s a negative trigger, and I don’t like it—at all. So I stopped looking at them. I’m taking this personally, and I probably shouldn’t. But it is what it is. I like Pratik’s [question](https://microblog.pratikmhatre.com/2024/03/20/people-who-are.html?ref=numericcitizen.me) because it points to the blogroll’s fundamentals: What raw material should blogrolls be made of? Regarding this notion of repetitive blogroll recommendations, I feel the same phenomenon occurs on traditional and toxic social networks: popularity contests. The lack of diversity is troubling because it can be a toxic pattern. And I’m getting intoxicated. I would argue that this trend is a failure demonstration. Blogrolls should be calling for greater diversity, searching for unknown gems, and calling the lesser known. So far, from what I’m seeing, they are failing to meet this goal of being a proponent of diversity. ## My take on blogrolls First, before creating my blogroll on Micro.blog, I created a new folder called “Blogroll” on Inoreader to put all the sites I intended to recommend. The list is the first set of RSS feeds that I read in the morning. Then, I started adding my recommendations, one by one, without much thought, except for the desire to share other people's blogs. The easy thing to do was to transcribe [my current recommendations](https://www.michalzelazny.com/links/?ref=numericcitizen.me), which are currently on my main website, hosted on Ghost. Then, I added a few more. Seeing that my list was getting too long, I decided to create different blogrolls: general recommendations, Apple-related recommendations and photography-related recommendations. ![Ghost’s support for blogrolls is more generic and is called “Recommendations.”](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/2024/03/Image-1-4.png) Ghost’s support for blogrolls is more generic and is called “Recommendations.” Can you see that I'm recommending my own blog? Moreover, I decided to add the following prominent disclaimer: > This is my blogroll. This is a list of blogs I visit often for different reasons, but mostly because I like them. If you are a blogger and you don't see your blog in this list, don't be sad or offended. I want to say that I'm sorry if you feel that way. Now, why not get in touch with me and share about your blog? I love to discover new things. [hello@numericcitizen.me](mailto:hello@numericcitizen.me) Plus, I created a special section in my blogroll called “The lesser-knowns,” which is positioned at the top of my always-evolving blogroll. I removed a few “usual suspects.” Again, I won’t give you a name here, but you get the idea. Consider [this blogroll](https://www.michalzelazny.com/links/?ref=numericcitizen.me) by Michal Zelazny. You’ll find one of the best lists that fits my criteria for what should be a great blogroll: a list of potential discoveries with an excellent summary for each entry. He puts a lot of effort into maintaining his blogroll. Kudos to him. And yes, he is on [my blogroll](https://blog.numericcitizen.me/blogroll/?ref=numericcitizen.me). And yes, I am on his blogroll. Two happy nobodies are recommending each other. Yeah! One final note that I want to share: blogrolls shouldn’t be permanently displayed on the blog’s main page, [like this](https://lmika.org/?ref=numericcitizen.me), unless the website's goal is to be a recommendations engine of some sort. A blogroll like this should be readily accessible from the site’s navigation element. It's probably a matter of personal taste rather than a design rule, but I don’t see the value of having less content on the main page to display a blogroll permanently. ![A blogroll is displayed on a website’s main page.](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/2024/03/Image-2-3.png) A blogroll is displayed on a website’s main page. One more thing. I’m not begging to be listed on someone else’s blogroll by writing and sharing this with you. I’m simply sharing my state of mind after visiting a bunch of blogrolls from people in my Micro.blog community to find that none of my stuff was barely included in people’s recommendations. ### My Weekly Creative Summary for the Week of 2024-11 URL: https://numericcitizen.me/my-weekly-creative-summary-for-the-week-of-2024-11/ Last updated: 2024-04-11T11:29:25.000Z [JF Martin (@numericcitizen@pixelfed.social)Fly me to the moon. 🌖 #architecture #blackandwhite![](https://pixelfed.social/img/favicon.png?v=2)Pixelfed![](https://pxscdn.com/public/m/_v2/583629418009617054/062ac74bd-fb82c6/zCT8KK0R7zyo/deQEtu3Xse20k7ZDa6og83f9o9mxXt4FMslzQkI2.jpg)](https://pixelfed.social/p/numericcitizen/676569070400232528?ref=numericcitizen.me) > 👨🏻‍💻 34 posts 😃 > 🏞️ 12 photo(s) shared 😃 > 🎙️ No podcast episode 😔 > 📺 No YouTube video published 😔 ## 👤 Personal > 1️⃣ I've been emotional recently for different reasons related to my blogging and writing hobby. I wrote about this and am close to sharing an article about it. This writing exercise was beneficial and proved that writing is a good thing in my daily life. 2️⃣ What is the point of [telling people how many people are supporting your work](https://maique.eu/2024/03/20/cant-believe-i.html?ref=numericcitizen.me)? I'm genuinely curious. I might sound a bit harsh here, but I'm always double or triple-thinking before doing so myself. Does it serve a purpose? I talk about my website visitors' analytics from time to time. But why? For what reasons? ## 🗺️ Discoveries > 1️⃣ I wanted to find a new use case for my aging 2013 Mac Pro (the infamous trashcan Mac), but my options are now very limited. When I tried to install updates from the Mac App Store, I was prompted to enter the password for my Apple ID, only to get a warning that I could not use my Apple ID on this Mac. That’s because macOS Monterey cannot work with my other devices with an Apple ID and Advanced Data Protection turned on. I have two choices: either disable ADP on my account and use my Mac Pro or sell my Mac Pro because I cannot find a good use for it and don't want to weaken my security posture. This Mac Pro adventure wasn't really worth it after all. I had big plans for it (see “[Rebooting the SDDCbox Project](https://world.numericcitizen.io/sddcbox-project-reboot?ref=numericcitizen.me)”) and even recently thought that I could use it for work (see “[New IT Rules Prompt Me to Reconsider Revisit My Mac Usage at Home](https://numericcitizen.me/new-it-rules-at-the-office-prompts-me-to-revisit-my-mac-usage-at-home/)”). ## 📖 Reading > 1️⃣ I like those [weekly reviews](https://mb.esamecar.net/2024/03/18/what-caught-my.html?ref=numericcitizen.me). I see a few of them each week coming from different bloggers on Micro.blog. As someone who has had a weekly newsletter since last year, I like to read other’s work. I often learn new things while getting new ideas after reading similar newsletters. 2️⃣ One thing that I was thinking about this week is the idea of reading past editions of my creative summary newsletter a few years from now. I expect to enjoy the experience of looking back at my discoveries and past tribulations surrounding my creative journey. This newsletter is like an open journal about my creative journey. > > You’re all responsible for the worst that you do. That’s how it works. You vote. You lose. Things happen. You’re still responsible. Democracy is predicated upon a people engaged in the body politic and who take responsibility for the results. Only through that sense of shared responsibility a community grows. — [Guy English on Mastodon](https://mastodon.social/@Gte/112125269990392580?ref=numericcitizen.me) ## 👨🏻‍💻 Writing > 1️⃣ My [blips](https://blips.numericcitizen.me/?ref=numericcitizen.me) are for ephemeral thoughts. Micro.blog is for more developed thoughts and comments. Still with me? Read all the details in « [On Sharing My Writings — What Goes Where](https://meta.numericcitizen.me/2024/03/23/on-sharing-my.html?ref=numericcitizen.me).» 2️⃣ This week, I wondered about my inline link writing style when I wrote [On Writing Inline Links - Numeric Citizen Blog](https://blog.numericcitizen.me/2024/03/21/on-writing-inline.html?ref=numericcitizen.me). Starting with the next edition of this newsletter, I'm going with version 2\. 3️⃣ I shared [my experience](https://numericcitizen.me/the-promising-journey-of-my-2013-trashcan-mac-pro-a-bittersweet-ending/) trying to find good use cases for my aging 2013 Mac Pro. ## 🌄 Photography > 1️⃣ On my way home last week from Ottawa, I wasn't driving, so I had some free time to experiment with photography with my iPhone. I tried experimenting with Spectre, a unique camera app dedicated to long-exposure shots. I tried shooting what I saw on my right: a constant stream of trees and uncovered brown and greyish fields of corn culture. What I got was so unexpected. 2️⃣ I wrote that I'm seriously considering getting a mirrorless camera: a Nikon Zf. This camera got a lot of praise, and you can look at some photos taken with this camera [right here on Glass](https://glass.photo/explore/cameras/nikon/z-f?ref=numericcitizen.me). 3️⃣ Glass updated its website so that more content is available for browsing even when you are not a subscriber. I think it's an excellent strategy to entice people to explore more and get hooked along the way. Glass is so proud of this change that they are [Reintroducing Glass](https://glass.photo/highlights/reintroducing-glass?ref=numericcitizen.me). 4️⃣ Thursday, after work, I went to a photography store near my office and spent some time experiencing the Nikon Zf camera. At first, I thought the body was much larger than I would have hoped. It’s a bit boxy but reminiscent of the golden days of Nikon camera designs. It's a solid camera body. I tried many interior shots using a 40mm f1.8 lens and was impressed by the general snappyness of the camera. Having those traditional dials on a modern, mirrorless digital camera is strange. It's a brand-new camera, and I'll have to relearn quite a lot to get comfortable with it. I plan to go to another photography store during the weekend and give it another try. It's a mixed-feelings experience so far. 5️⃣ It's Sunday, and I'm back from a second visit to a photography equipment store to see the Nikon Zf. I took much more time to experiment with the camera this time, and I think I'm completely in awe of this device. It's been such a step up since my D750, yet its retro-style design reminds me of my debut as an amateur photographer with the fully manual Minolta SRT-200 camera and traditional films. Now, the other thing to consider is which lens I should buy with it. I already have a 20mm Sigma lens and a 70-200mm zoom. Those are two big lenses, though. Something to think about in the next few weeks. 6️⃣ I’ve been sharing those short “before & after” clips recently. It is done using Photomator’s before & after view, which I record on the iPad while moving the line from right to left. See the exhibits section below for an example. [Squall. 80/366Om Malik on Glass![](https://glass.photo/favicon.svg)![](https://cdn.glass.photo/post/713aed9f-2a9d-4d08-8b87-3b9f40a35d8b/photo?auto=format&fm=jpg&q=90&w=828&s=2bf987a390e8af2ee529831e64177184)](https://glass.photo/om/5S0isYE1SCAXMqa41i8SgK?ref=numericcitizen.me) A great, albeit sombre photo of the sea. I do have a similar photo taken somewhere in Hawaii. Mine look like the visual opposite, though (see the exhibits section below). [Monthly Category Favorites — Mountain — GlassPack your hiking boots, we’re going far this month.![](https://glass.photo/favicon.svg)![](https://cdn.glass.photo/highlights/65f3b674253cbf458968f4ee_photo.jpeg?auto=format&fm=jpg&q=90&w=1024&s=0d1772745777b640edb8dfb1baa1efb3)](https://glass.photo/highlights/mountain-favorites?ref=numericcitizen.me) Some great mountain photos in this Glass’s monthly series. > I started following [this photographer](https://glass.photo/hansberndl?ref=numericcitizen.me) on Glass. Some visual gems can be found there, mostly about street photography. ## 🍎 Apple > 1️⃣ New Apple Store openings often represent great new places to photograph. During this week, Apple opened the doors of a new store in Shanghai. The entrance is both humble and very impressive. Don’t miss [this article](https://michaelsteeber.substack.com/p/exploring-apple-jingan) from Michae Steeber, where he writes about this beautiful store and shares many more photos than what Apple share on their website. Apple official press release [here](https://www.apple.com/newsroom/2024/03/apple-jingan-to-welcome-its-first-customers-thursday-march-21-in-shanghai/?ref=numericcitizen.me). 2️⃣ If you use iCloud Drive, please read [this article](https://eclecticlight.co/2024/03/18/serious-bug-in-sonoma-14-4-will-destroy-saved-versions-in-icloud-drive/?ref=numericcitizen.me). Data loss might be waiting to happen in your case. 3️⃣ No new iPad Pro: [Gurman: No iPad Announcement Planned for March 26 - MacRumors](https://www.macrumors.com/2024/03/21/gurman-no-ipad-announcement-march-26/?ref=numericcitizen.me). 4️⃣ The US DOJ is suing Apple to bring their antitrust investigation to the next step. I’m far from an expert, and I wouldn’t say I like following this type of news. I'm guessing Apple will spend a LOT of money to defend itself and might win or not. Who knows, really? I'm also guessing that sometime in the future, our iPhone experience might be different from what we have right now. I'm not sure it will be the best ending for the end users. Anyway, it is what it is. > > (…) a sense of mystery is conveyed through a dramatic architectural landmark that invites you to explore the store below. ## 🚧 Special projects > 1️⃣ While browsing my RSS feeds, I spent some time on the Enthusiasms website by Christopher Curtis. He's a guy from the UK with many interests ranging from weather observations to gardening. His weather observation page is super cool and is based on WeatherCat software and some observation stations he has set up in his backward. After reading some of his posts detailing how this weather thing is built, I was discouraged because it involves web programming. Nonetheless, I would love to run this on my aging and rather useless 2013 Mac Pro sitting on my desk. ## 📱 Apps & Services > 1️⃣ I decided to subscribe to Timing, a time-tracking application for the Mac. It will eventually replace Timery + Toggl because it's cheaper, works offline, and does automated time-tracking. The migration should be completed by the end of this year when my other subscriptions expire. The bad side of this decision is that I won't be able to track my time on non-Mac devices, which Toggl and Timery could do. 2️⃣ I came across this photo processing app for the Mac called [Nitro](https://www.gentlemencoders.com/nitro-for-macos/index.html?ref=numericcitizen.me). Upon examination of the Mac App Store page and their website, I found an interesting photo editing app, but I prefer to stay with Photomator. But you know what? Maybe you would come to a different conclusion. 3️⃣ I've spent some time in Raycast trying to understand better some of its powerful features like AI integration and snippets creation. Raycast is really a powerful tool that I think any Mac user should install on their machine. ## 📺 YouTube > 1️⃣ I didn’t create a new YouTube video this week, but I have many ideas for my following videos. One video will demonstrate how I'm using Craft to build a personal and private dashboard of my digital life. Another video would present a template for writing critical information pertaining to digital legacy management. That video could be part of a new template I could sell on [my Gumroad page](https://numericcitizen.gumroad.com/?ref=numericcitizen.me). This template would complement “[A Guide for Preparing to Leave Your Numeric Legacy](https://numericcitizen.me/a-guide-for-preparing-to-leave-your-numeric-legacy/).” ## 💎 Miscellaneous > 1️⃣ I started a new post series on [my Blips website](https://blips.numericcitizen.me/?ref=numericcitizen.me) called “[Now](https://blips.numericcitizen.me/post/now-1-c-9-c-0-5szqgtmy?ref=numericcitizen.me)”. While the post title, which includes current weather conditions, might lead potential readers to think it's about weather forecasts, that couldn't be more wrong. These posts are snapshots of what I'm doing or plan to do in the short term, presented in a point-form format. They might also contain thoughts or observations from my current mental mood. See a sample below in the exhibits section. ## 🔮 Looking ahead > 1️⃣ I'm going for a one-week vacation soon. I'm going to take it easy for a while and pause my creative activities. 2️⃣ This creation pause should help me spend more time on upcoming projects, like the Craft Starter Kit three-part course that I'm considering doing. I didn't get any feedback so far from my posts on Slack and on Gumroad about this, but I'm giving myself some time for pondering. I might do it. I might drop it. I wish you a great week! 💡 This newsletter edition is also available as a Craft shared document [here](https://crafted.numericcitizen.me/weekly-creative-summary-2024-11?ref=numericcitizen.me). This week's edition is based on template version 1.2.2— 2024-03-17 and was put together with ❤️ on a 15-inch MacBook Air, Craft and many subscriptions! Support my work ([Paypal](https://paypal.me/numericcitizen?locale.x=en%5FUS&ref=numericcitizen.me)) or [become a supporter](https://ko-fi.com/numericcitizen/?ref=numericcitizen.me)! 🙏🏻 [My Weekly Creative Summaries Index![](https://www.craft.do/share/static/logo-192.png)![](https://api.craft.do/render/preview/GHb2dEbIsUtgQ4)](https://crafted.numericcitizen.me/GHb2dEbIsUtgQ4?ref=numericcitizen.me) ## Exhibits 👀 [John Keller (@johninparis@zx81.social)Attached: 1 image Around the time that the TV show aired, I built a plastic model of the Hawk with my dad. The Hawk was a sleeker ship, like an outer-space version of a fighter jet. I don’t remember if I liked it better than the Eagle, or if it was simply the only Space: 1999 ship at the model shop. These Eagles are die-cast metal, and have an excellent build quality. Surprisingly, they’re not much larger than my old plastic Hawk model! I should bring it out of storage to display side-by-side with these Eagles.![](https://zx81.social/packs/media/icons/apple-touch-icon-180x180-a75559a0af48064c1b7c71b81f3bf7c6.png)zx81.social![](https://media.zx81.social/media_attachments/files/111/874/361/508/201/325/original/d1f9aa584ce5375e.jpeg)](https://zx81.social/@johninparis/111874361765037856?ref=numericcitizen.me) ![Before & after photo processing session. ](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/2024/03/RPReplay_Final1710894746.gif) Before & after photo processing session. ![What a wonderful place to tell the Apple story.](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/2024/03/Apple-Jingan-China-media-preview-Forum.jpeg) What a wonderful place to tell the Apple story. ![One of my photo that I love the most. ](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/2024/03/20190717-DSC_8840.jpeg) One of my photo that I love the most. 👀 🤔 [United States of Wind — aows

adrian vila is a spanish-american black and white photographer

![](https://assets.squarespace.com/universal/default-favicon.ico)aowsUnited States of Wind![](http://static1.squarespace.com/static/591f8b9f37c58169885edc0e/t/65f845b1c915302b17d5d804/1710769585740/RIV05126.jpg?format=1500w)](https://aows.co/blog/2024/3/19/united-states-of-wind?ref=numericcitizen.me) A picture that I like because it reflects the way I see the american society in general: highly and vastly degrading, just like this floating flag. Photography is about bringing emotions. ![For sale. 128 GB of RAM. 1TB SSD. 600 CAN$. Great design, no use cases for me.](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/2024/03/IMG_4270.jpeg) For sale. 128 GB of RAM. 1TB SSD. 600 CAN$. Great design, no use cases for me. ![An example of a “Now” post on my Blips wesbite.](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/2024/03/Image-7.png) An example of a “Now” post on my Blips wesbite. ![Here is my Timery report for the past week, including device usage.](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/2024/03/Image-1-3.png) Here is my [Timery](https://www.timeryapp.com/?ref=numericcitizen.me) report for the past week, including device usage. [https://track.toggl.com/dashboard/f995ddd9-715d-4092-87de-68f1c58038a5](https://track.toggl.com/dashboard/f995ddd9-715d-4092-87de-68f1c58038a5?ref=numericcitizen.me) ![Timing dashboard for the week.](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/2024/03/Image-2-2.png) Timing dashboard for the week. ![Here is my logbook, as seen in Things 3.](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/2024/03/Image-3-1.png) Here is my logbook, as seen in [Things 3](https://culturedcode.com/things/?ref=numericcitizen.me). ![Numeric Citizen Digital Space Tip Sheet 2024-01-Lowres.png](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/2024/03/Numeric-Citizen-Digital-Space-Tip-Sheet-2024-3.png) Numeric Citizen Digital Space Tip Sheet 2024-01-Lowres.png ### The Promising Journey of My 2013 “Trashcan” Mac Pro: A Bittersweet Ending URL: https://numericcitizen.me/the-promising-journey-of-my-2013-trashcan-mac-pro-a-bittersweet-ending/ Last updated: 2024-03-23T14:55:37.000Z When I bought a Mac Pro last year, my initial use case was to run a homelab within VMware Fusion. Since VMware was bought by Broadcom, the free version of the VMware ESXi hypervisor is no longer available for download. Because of that, I’m left with a great machine that is not really useful. That is sad but also frustrating. But there is something even more frustrating that I wasn’t expecting. My Mac Pro usually sits on my desk and is turned off. I recently tried to update apps on the Mac Pro and got this error. ![A warning pops up when trying to install updates.](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/2024/03/Image-6.png) A warning pops up when trying to install updates. According to [this article](https://www.tuneskit.com/unlock-ios/cannot-use-your-apple-id-on-this-device.html?ref=numericcitizen.me), to regain the capability to update apps or download new ones, I would have to turn off **Advanced Data Protection** on my other devices (iPhone, iPad, etc.), which I’m unwilling to do. Now, I’m unable to keep this Mac up-to-date. ![Homelab definition.](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/2024/03/Image.jpg) Homelab definition. The only apps that can be installed are the ones that aren’t made available through the Mac App Store. This makes me wonder about the implications of Apple’s power on our devices. Now what? Considering I already have a great NAS, a Synology 720+, I don’t need another one running with macOS. So, what else? I could run a media server but use InFuse on my Apple device for media consumption. Many apps that I depend on are coming from the Mac App Store. Maybe something like running a weather station app like WeatherCat would be a good candidate, but I would need to buy a weather station like [this guy](https://www.curtisfamily.org.uk/weather/?ref=numericcitizen.me). I think it would be a bit gimmicky. So, what’s next? It's increasingly clear: the future is the Apple Silicon Mac. There is no point in keeping an Intel-based Mac these days. I plan to sell my Mac Pro, upgrade to the upcoming M3-based Mac Studio, and keep the M1 Mac mini instead, which will fit perfectly on this [Grovemade desk shelf](https://grovemade.com/desk-shelf-system/?ref=numericcitizen.me). I could dedicate the Mac mini for office-only work, as I suggested in “[New IT Rules at the Office Prompts Me to Revisit My Mac Usage at Home](https://numericcitizen.me/new-it-rules-at-the-office-prompts-me-to-revisit-my-mac-usage-at-home/).” Now it’s the time to write my next article in the “[Remembering the Story Behind Every Apple Computer I Ever Owned](https://numericcitizen.me/2022/03/16/remembering-the-story-behind-every-apple-computers-i-ever-owned/)” series. 😔 👨🏻‍💻 ### My Weekly Creative Summary for the Week of 2024-10 URL: https://numericcitizen.me/my-weekly-creative-summary-for-the-week-of-2024-10/ Last updated: 2024-03-17T19:56:20.000Z > 👨🏻‍💻 26 posts 😃 > 🏞️ 10 photos shared 😃 > 🎙️ No podcast episode published 😔 > 📺 No YouTube video published 😔 ## 👤 Personal > 1️⃣ I'm feeling uninspired this week. I'm considering skipping this week’s edition. I feel I have nothing interesting to share, except maybe some photos. 2️⃣ I might visit Ottawa this weekend, which could shorten my time for reading or writing. 3️⃣ I'm on nobody's blogroll and feel sad about it. I know, it's stupid, but it is what it is. 4️⃣ This week's edition is a typical case of, oh my god, I don't think I have anything to share, but as the week goes on, I find a lot of stuff to talk about. I should trust the Internet better to stimulate my creativity. 5️⃣ Ok, ok, this week's edition is not bad at all. I hope you enjoy it. ## 🗺️ Discoveries > 1️⃣ I made a few photography-related discoveries this week, as shown in the exhibits section below. One is about a street photographer sharing her views about this important photography style. She used to be very shy, and it took her a few years to warm up and find her way to snap photos on the street and feel good about it. 2️⃣ I discovered that Whisper Transcription for Mac can record computer audio. This means I can play a YouTube video and ask Whisper Transcription to transcribe the audio into a text I can save into my reading notes in Bear 2! That's cool. It works great. ## 📖 Reading > 1️⃣ Lots of small and longer reading sessions this week allowed me to fully test my reading notes processing workflow. I'm slowly getting to a state that I think is where I want to be: the best app, simple steps, light and efficient workflow. I should probably post a video about this in the future. ## 👨🏻‍💻 Writing > 1️⃣ After a slow start early in the week, things started to change, and I could work on some upcoming feature articles. My writing pipeline is relatively low for now. I would expect to add my upgrade experience when the new iPad Pro are coming and when I upgrade my device. We’re a few weeks away from this. 2️⃣ Just the very same day where I wrote about my pipeline being low, I had this urgency to write about blogrolls and the effect they have on me and my mental health. I need to set some time aside for this personal writing project. My main ideas have already been written down in Craft. ## 🌄 Photography > 1️⃣ You don't do a lot of photography if you always stick to your screen. I should repeat this to myself more often. It seems that occasions for photography sessions come when I'm on vacation. I live in a relatively big city, Montreal, and I should go out more often. 2️⃣ I love my iPhone 15 Pro Max, but holding it to take a picture is different from holding a bigger camera. My Nikon D750 is a "real" camera, but it feels too big. I realize my desire to get a mirrorless camera is partly because they are usually smaller. Using a 50mm or something lens helps a lot, too. Leica cameras have great bodies that fit this idea of a smaller, but they are expensive. 3️⃣ The [Nikon Zf](https://www.stevehuffphoto.com/2024/01/26/nikon-zf-camera-review-the-almost-perfect-camera/?ref=numericcitizen.me) camera, with its retro-style design, is very tempting and reminds me of my beginnings in photography. I spent some time watching video reviews and reading written reviews this week. Two things of note: the dedicated “BW” mode on one of the camera dials on the top, the cameras seem bigger than I would expect. On the latter, I will visit my local photo equipment dealer and see them in person. 4️⃣ The dedicated “BW” mode of the Nikon Zf is so cool that the iPhone camera app should have one readily accessible. You have to tap the top up-pointing arrow, then scroll to the right on the button tools band to get the different photo modes. There is the "Noir" style that I like a lot. See my picture in my home office in the exhibit section below. [Allison Kendall on Glass Photography CommunityAllison Kendall. For the Love of Light⚡ Californian in Canada![](https://glass.photo/favicon.svg)![](https://cdn.glass.photo/profile_picture/f2b5d94c-74ef-44b4-8f15-c492c726edf3/photo?auto=format&fm=jpg&q=90&w=828&s=bb5ed98726edd51aada49a3fe51096d4)](https://glass.photo/allison-kendall?ref=numericcitizen.me) Another great photographer discovery on Glass this week. Many great images. [Saugerties, NY - saving daylight II 677/730Tom Picasso on Glass![](https://glass.photo/favicon.svg)saving daylight II 677/730 — Tom Picasso on Glass Photography Community![](https://cdn.glass.photo/post/ef4f371e-d1ac-4cdb-9d14-0764b0b3bd2d/photo?auto=format&fm=jpg&q=90&w=828&s=9bdfddeb6806bbaca82323c1d00d9156)](https://glass.photo/tompicasso/Kga3WjEQX8SJ1oiDRHdi3?ref=numericcitizen.me) [White Sands — aows

adrian vila is a spanish-american black and white photographer

![](https://assets.squarespace.com/universal/default-favicon.ico)aowsWhite Sands![](http://static1.squarespace.com/static/591f8b9f37c58169885edc0e/t/65ecf3ffe7b5c9154b6c3879/1710027775598/DSC04902.jpg?format=1500w)](https://aows.co/blog/2024/3/13/white-sands?ref=numericcitizen.me) Wow! ## 🍎 Apple > 1️⃣ No new iPad Pro this week, sadly. It's a slow Apple news week. 2️⃣ The Apple Vision Pro might soon be headed to Canada (and other countries)! All I want is a demo of this thing. Yet, it's becoming more apparent that I won't buy the headset, not in its first generation. I prefer to save some money to replace an aging iPad Pro that I use often or buy a new digital camera that I would use much more often without feeling or looking weird while wearing a pricey headset. ## 🚧 Special projects > 1️⃣ I'm still migrating my metablog content to Micro.blog. It's tedious work, and I'm unsure it is worth it. I find some old stuff that I don't think offers much value to my readers. Yet, I keep doing it. 2️⃣ I built a list of my favourite blogs to share them with my readers easily via a blogroll. It's another tedious task, and I want the content choice to result from my intentionality. So far, I have selected a few well-known bloggers, but I might change my selection to lesser-known ones. 3️⃣ I read about this One a Month club from Manuel Moreale and Jarrod and decided to make the jump myself. I spent time rebuilding my Ko-fi page and set up a few things. My Ki-fi page is available [here](https://ko-fi.com/numericcitizen/?ref=numericcitizen.me). [One a Month Club![](https://micro.blog/jarrod/favicon.png)One a Month Club![](https://oneamonth.micro.blog/uploads/2024/heart-hands-1faf6.png)](https://oneamonth.club/?ref=numericcitizen.me) [Join Numeric Citizen’s Ko-fi Membership on Ko-fiSupport Numeric Citizen monthly on Ko-fi and get rewards.![](https://ko-fi.com/apple-icon-180x180.png)Ko-fi![](https://storage.ko-fi.com/cdn/generated/aac8fzkyo/rest-14530cb5c6457d8d6809c04a8f1f5e82-b72u0skj.jpg)](https://ko-fi.com/numericcitizen/tiers?ref=numericcitizen.me) ## 📱 Apps & Services > 1️⃣ Craft v2.7.6 is out with a few valuable changes. However, long-standing issues with the iPhone version since Craft Reloaded v2.7.0 was released have not been addressed. 2️⃣ Micro.blog, in a surprise move, introduced a new feature: blogrolls. I recreated my blogroll page using this new feature. It's pretty cool to have Micro.blog natively supports such a classic of the blogosphere. 3️⃣ I'm still learning to fully utilize the Arc Browser features and continue to gather my usage notes for a future article. 4️⃣ I think the developer behind Pixelfed is spreading himself too thin, as [I wrote to him](https://micro.blog/numericcitizen/33620817?ref=numericcitizen.me) this week in response to his numerous announcements. ## 📺 YouTube > 1️⃣ I decided not to acquire the Elgato Prompter for now, even if the reviews are generally very positive. It's not cheap, and I can make good videos without it. 2️⃣ I tweaked my recording setup in my last video: I tried using two cameras pointing at my face. When I'm talking to people watching the video, I use the front-facing camera, while I use the side-face camera when I'm demonstrating something. I think it provides an improvement. See the exhibits section below. ## 💎 Miscellaneous > 1️⃣ A year ago, I completed migrating [this website](https://numericcitizen.me/) from WordPress to Ghost and wrote [this announcement](https://numericcitizen.me/bye-bye-wordpress-hello-again-ghost/). Since then, I've been happy with my experience with Ghost. Did this migration have any impacts on my visitor’s analytics? I think so, but it might be because my content is more interesting than that of my hosting platform change. There has been an apparent uptick in the last few months related to my weekly creative summary newsletter introduction. Over 12 months, I saw 6000 more page views on Ghost than WordPress for the same period a year before. I have 128 subscribers to my website; a few are paying members! I'm pretty happy. 2️⃣ Still trying to figure out Feedland! I don't know if the time spent on this is worth it. ## 🔮 Looking ahead > 1️⃣ Of course, I'm still looking ahead to the new iPad Pro! I'm also looking forward to seeing the Nikon Zf in person. Depending on the iPad Pro announcements and pricing, I will make a final decision in April. I wish you a great week! 💡 This newsletter edition is also available as a Craft shared document [****here**](https://crafted.numericcitizen.me/creative-summary-2024-10?ref=numericcitizen.me). This week's edition is based on template version 1.2— 2024-02-18 and was put together with ❤️ on a 15-inch MacBook Air, Craft and many subscriptions! Support my work ([Paypal](https://paypal.me/numericcitizen?locale.x=en%5FUS&ref=numericcitizen.me)) or [become a supporter](https://ko-fi.com/numericcitizen/?ref=numericcitizen.me) 🙏🏻 [My Weekly Creative Summaries Index![](https://www.craft.do/share/static/logo-192.png)![](https://api.craft.do/render/preview/GHb2dEbIsUtgQ4)](https://crafted.numericcitizen.me/GHb2dEbIsUtgQ4?ref=numericcitizen.me) ## Exhibits 👀 I love great videos about street photography. When I see her pointing at people with her camera while she walks, I wonder why people don’t get upset by this. They don’t. She is smiling. A simple technique to create fuzzy pictures. I should experiment with this technique. One video review of the Nikon Zf camera. Another review with a different vibe. And some accessories to go with the Nikon Zf. ![Black & white photography using my iPhone camera app set to the “Noir” mode. I know, I look too serious.](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/2024/03/IMG_0624.jpeg) Black & white photography using my iPhone camera app set to the “Noir” mode. I know, I look too serious. ![This picture was popular on my Pixelfed profile page this week but I decided to go with an unpublished image instead for this week’s edition, see at the top of this week’s edition.](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/2024/03/IMG_0578.jpeg) This picture was popular on my Pixelfed profile page this week but I decided to go with an unpublished image instead for this week’s edition, see at the top of this week’s edition. ![Site analytics covering March 2022 to March 2023 when my site was hosted on WordPress.com.](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/2024/03/Arc-Plausible-numericcitizen.me2024-03.png) Site analytics covering March 2022 to March 2023 when my site was hosted on WordPress.com. ![Site analytics covering March 2023 to March 2024 for my site hosted on Ghost.org.](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/2024/03/Arc-Plausible-numeric-citizen.png) Site analytics covering March 2023 to March 2024 for my site hosted on Ghost.org. ![I’m speaking to people.](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/2024/03/IINA-70.-Moving-My-Reading-Notes-Out-of.png) I’m speaking to people. ![I’m looking at my screen content. I should try to improve the lighting for this angle.](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/2024/03/IINA-70.-Moving-My-Reading-Notes-Out-of-1.png) I’m looking at my screen content. I should try to improve the lighting for this angle. ![Here is my Timery report for the past week, including device usage.](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/2024/03/Image-5.png) Here is my [Timery](https://www.timeryapp.com/?ref=numericcitizen.me) report for the past week, including device usage. [https://track.toggl.com/dashboard/f995ddd9-715d-4092-87de-68f1c58038a5](https://track.toggl.com/dashboard/f995ddd9-715d-4092-87de-68f1c58038a5?ref=numericcitizen.me) ![Here is my logbook, as seen in Things 3.](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/2024/03/Image-1-2.png) Here is my logbook, as seen in [Things 3](https://culturedcode.com/things/?ref=numericcitizen.me). ![Numeric Citizen Digital Space Tip Sheet 2024-01-Lowres.png](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/2024/03/Numeric-Citizen-Digital-Space-Tip-Sheet-2024-2.png) Numeric Citizen Digital Space Tip Sheet 2024-01-Lowres.png ### Writing is Crafting URL: https://numericcitizen.me/writing-is-crafting/ Last updated: 2024-03-17T15:09:24.000Z Writing is not easy for me. It takes time and effort. For my latest feature post, “[Craft vs Notion From a Blogger’s Perspective](https://numericcitizen.me/2021/03/12/craft-vs-notion-from-a-bloggers-perspective/)”, I cannot stress enough how much effort it took me to get it out. Is it because English is not my first language? Is it because of the way I start my writing process, which is by putting unstructured thoughts and observations in a document? Who knows why? For this piece, I had no choice but to make it a long process. My writing was dependent on my actual usage and experience with Craft. Each working session with Craft brought new details, new observations or facts. Those were carefully written in no particular order in a Craft document. Moreover, updates to Craft were released during my evaluation process, posing more challenges. Many of these updates address an issue or fill a void in a young and immature (but solid) application, which is Craft. My writing had to reflect these improvements. Eventually, I had to build a storyline and reorganize it around it. Sections were needed, asking for even more thoughts on how I would write this long piece. Then came the idea of comparing Craft to Notion. Why? Because I was a big fan of Notion before Craft came into my numeric life. I still like Notion, but Craft took over. I had to explain why. It’s all in the details, and those require time to gather, organize and summarize. The best way to write about them was to show them in action, requiring even more effort. I created animated GIFs using the excellent [ImgPlay](https://apps.apple.com/ca/app/imgplay-gif-maker/id989843523?ref=numericcitizen.me) app. I had to choose which detail was worth mentioning. All in all, I'm happy with the resulting article bu, but it's now 2024, and I feel the need to revisit the original article or start over with a fresher and more actual take. Digital workflows do have many moving parts, and the writing context also changes. I might get a quite different article this time around. This article was updated on 2024-03-17 and first published on 2021-03-12 on [my metablog](https://world.numericcitizen.io/meta?ref=numericcitizen.me), now [hosted on Micro.blog](https://meta.numericcitizen.me/?ref=numericcitizen.me). ### My Weekly Creative Summary for the Week 2024-09 URL: https://numericcitizen.me/my-weekly-creative-summary-for-the-week-2024-09/ Last updated: 2024-03-10T19:30:14.000Z [JF Martin (@numericcitizen@pixelfed.social)The greenhouse was so hot inside when we visited, it was probably 115F! #urbanexploration #abandoned #urbex #urbexphotography #urbexboy #urbexboy![](https://pixelfed.social/img/favicon.png?v=2)Pixelfed![](https://pxscdn.com/public/m/_v2/583629418009617054/062ac74bd-fb82c6/cdCeQEyOucq9/eEH4SESAMMJ0VvWzDxefSEVP97vT6M2AUAxzScjo.png)](https://pixelfed.social/p/numericcitizen/672062352199574221?ref=numericcitizen.me) > 👨🏻‍💻 31 articles posted 😃 > 🏞️ 9 photo shared 😃 > 🎙️ No podcast episode published 😔 > 📺 One YouTube video published 🙂 ## 👨‍👩‍👦‍👦 Personal > 1️⃣ Sometimes I wonder why I do all this. Who does it benefit? Me? My readers? I impose discipline on myself in this creation hobby that I don't even impose at work. It's surprising, really. But in the name of what exactly? Sometimes, I would like to take a vacation. 2️⃣ This week marked the two-year anniversary when my father passed away. 😔 ## 🗺️ Discoveries > 1️⃣ . In this week's edition, it's exactly where I wish I had access to the Rewind content to see what I did and discovered. As a reminder, Rewind is a Mac app that records everything happening on the screen and recognizes characters so that we can search and ask questions using the built-in AI feature. I know I made a few discoveries this week, but I can't remember which one! That's too bad. The cost of running Rewind is too ask on a laptop to keep it running all the time. ## 📖 Reading > 1️⃣ I'm still trying to tweak my reading workflow within Omnivore. I posted [my current reading workflow](https://meta.numericcitizen.me/2024/03/03/how-do-i.html?ref=numericcitizen.me) on my metablog. Two things are missing. When I save an article into Omnivore, I wish it would create a task in Things 3 with the link to the Omnivore article. The other thing is the possibility of downloading the full article from Omnivore with the accompanying notebook in a single and well-formatted Markdown file. I could then import that file into Bear 2\. 2️⃣ Speaking of Bear 2, this is my second week with this app for storing my reading notes, and I like it. It's not an earth-shattering change to my workflow, but it’s worthwhile. 3️⃣ I like this take on Digital Gardens by Manuel Moreale. I used to maintain a digital garden but ultimately found it wasn't worth it. I prefer to see my online presence forming my digital garden, not only a specific website. ## 👨🏻‍💻 Writing > 1️⃣ I submitted my candidature for the People & Blogs series by Manuel Moreale. I got a response. 2️⃣ I updated [my Opal C1 webcam review](https://numericcitizen.me/my-experience-with-the-opal-c1-webcam/) with new information after testing it in a two-camera setup for my next YouTube recording. It's a pricey web camera, but I found a new use case. 3️⃣ I recently started a new writing process for some blog posts: I started my text in French and then asked for a translated version using ChatGPT. Why? Sometimes, it is easier for me to express my thoughts in French. The process is much more effective than if I started in English. 4️⃣ I'm an official supporter of Manuel Moreale by subscribing to the monthly subscription tier. I like what this guy is doing as a blogger. I think he merits some support. [Supporters – ManuSeveral very generous people have found some value in what I do and have decided to support it financially. As I wrote in a previous post, I think …![](https://manuelmoreale.com/favicon.ico)](https://manuelmoreale.com/supporters?ref=numericcitizen.me) ## 🌄 Photography > 1️⃣ One of my sons, who returned from a month-long trip to Asia, asked me if I could process some of his best photos taken during his trip. He used an iPhone 14, but the images were shot in HEIC format, not RAW. That’s too bad. I was limited in what I could do. I must say that his pictures are gorgeous from the start. There wasn’t much that I needed to do. I added some clarity and a bit more saturation and tried to balance highlights and contrast in the sky portion. When I sent him back the resulting images, he told me that he would print them. I was surprised as this generation is so digital; seeing that he would hang his photos on a wall was surprising. I think it’s cool. 2️⃣ If you want to learn about cameras and lenses, don't miss this guide from Bartosz Ciechanowski. It is such a jaw-dropping explanation full of text and animations. It's such a great use case of the web. [Cameras and Lenses – Bartosz CiechanowskiInteractive article explaining how cameras and lenses work.![](https://ciechanow.ski/favicon.ico)Bartosz Ciechanowski![](https://ciechanow.ski/images/og/lenses.jpg)](https://ciechanow.ski/cameras-and-lenses/?ref=numericcitizen.me) [P Aminou on Glass Photography CommunityP Aminou.![](https://glass.photo/favicon.svg)![](https://cdn.glass.photo/profile_picture/02a1cc01-99cc-4a66-acd6-76e0896666b8/photo?auto=format&fm=jpg&q=90&w=828&s=479c176a70bfe2eac3e5f3030440ffe1)](https://glass.photo/p-aminou?ref=numericcitizen.me) Another great photographer discovery on Glass. ## 🍎 Apple > 1️⃣ Good news and bad news for Apple this week. Let's start with the bad news of this 2 billion fine by the EU thanks to Spotify. Ouch. The EU is really sending a sour message to Apple. The good news, or simply the news: updated MacBook Air with the M3 processor. The original MacBook Air that came out in 2020 is no more. [It was a great machine](https://numericcitizen.me/remembering-my-story-of-owning-the-m1-macbook-air-2021-2023/). I upgraded to the M2 15-inch MacBook Air and am quite happy with it. I don't plan to upgrade to the M3 version, even if the new machine supports two external displays while the Mac lid is closed. 2️⃣ Rumors are pointing to an imminent release of a brand-new iPad Pro, and I'm excited about it, so much that I wrote [an article](https://numericcitizen.me/my-wishes-for-the-next-ipad-pro/). My 2018 iPad Pro is the oldest Apple device in use besides my original HomePod. 3️⃣ My plans to consider buying the Apple Vision Pro took a dive after reading [this](https://birchtree.me/blog/a-computer-i-cant-use-around-my-wife/?ref=numericcitizen.me) from Matt Birchler, who bought one. Using the Apple Vision Pro while others are sitting nearby is too weird. The headset is a totally solitary thing. I share his sentiments, and it probably puts another nail in the coffin. 4️⃣ While waiting for the next generation iPad Pro, why not go back in time and [play with previous and old macOS](https://infinitemac.org/?ref=numericcitizen.me), oops, MacOS versions, right from the comfort of your browser? [My Wishes for the Next iPad ProThe iPad is an essential device in my digital landscape. Even if I use it less than 20% of the time compared to my MacBook Air or Mac mini, it fills many important use cases. This is why I’m excited about what comes next.![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/size/w256h256/2021/11/Banner3.0-100x100.png)Numeric Citizen SpaceJF Martin![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/size/w1200/2024/03/The-iPadPro-With-MagicKeyboard..jpeg)](https://numericcitizen.me/my-wishes-for-the-next-ipad-pro/) ## 🚧 Special projects > 1️⃣ Manuel Moreale sent me the questions to answer for an upcoming edition of [People & Blogs](https://manuelmoreale.com/people-and-blogs?ref=numericcitizen.me). I want to take my time to answer them. I want my answers to be interesting for people and those who have been following me for a while. I can't wait to share this. I spent the whole week writing this and perfecting my answers. ## 📱 Apps & Services > 1️⃣ I started testing a Mac utility called [Transloader](https://eternalstorms.at/transloader/?ref=numericcitizen.me). This app allows me to download files on a specific Mac right from its companion app on the iPhone. Let's say I browse YouTube on my iPhone and find an interesting video. I can copy the link into the Transloader companion app and select which Mac I want the download to happen on. Next, a few seconds later, the download begins on the designated Mac. I find this to be super handy. I also use [Play](https://www.macstories.net/reviews/play-a-fantastic-utility-for-saving-and-organizing-youtube-videos-for-later/?ref=numericcitizen.me) to save YouTube video links and can trigger the same process from the Play app. I love it. 2️⃣ Zavala, a great outline editor for the Mac and iPad, is still being updated. At some point, I thought this app was being abandoned by its developer, but it's not the case at all, as you can [see on GitHub](https://github.com/vincode-io/Zavala/releases/tag/2.4?ref=numericcitizen.me). I still use Zavala to create YouTube episode script outlines. It's useful to organize the episode structure. [Transloader for Mac, iPhone and iPadStart downloads on your Macs - remotely from your iPhone, iPad, or other Macs.![](https://eternalstorms.at/transloader/favicon.ico)Eternal Storms Software - Transloader for Mac, iPhone and iPad![](https://eternalstorms.at/transloader/img/transloader.png)](https://eternalstorms.at/transloader/?ref=numericcitizen.me) ## 📺 YouTube > 1️⃣ I wanted to produce two videos last weekend but could only finish one. I think it's the best I can do. I'll take this as a gift if I ever produce more than one video. There is so much needed to prepare for recording and making the montage. 2️⃣ This week, I made [another video](https://youtube.com/watch?v=wZCgVYwqz8E&ref=numericcitizen.me) about Craft and my reading notes management. In short, I'm explaining why I'm no longer using Craft to help me manage my reading notes, as I prefer to use Bear 2 for this. I explain how I migrated my notes from Craft to Bear 2\. 3️⃣ I’ve started contemplating buying a teleprompter for my video recording. There is [this one from Elgato](https://www.elgato.com/ca/en/p/prompter?ref=numericcitizen.me) called the Prompter, which is not exactly cheap but seems to get great reviews. I'm considering this because I want better eye contact with the camera when I'm recording. With the Elgato Prompter, since it is acting as a second screen, I could drag any window into the Prompter and appear to be speaking directly to the people while I would be, in fact, looking at the screen content. I do have some hesitations: using a prompter means preparing extensive episode scripts so that I can read them. Writing scripts can be task-consuming and make the presentation delivery less natural. As of now, when I record, I'm more or less improvising. It takes less time to produce a video, but maybe the Prompter will help me elevate the production quality. I'll keep thinking about this. ## 💎 Miscellaneous > 1️⃣ I played with ChatGPT to create an article summarizer. For some reason, it often cannot do the summarization because of the required authorization. I wonder if this is because the site owner uses the robots.txt file to block access from the AI bot. 2️⃣ I'm a proud supporter of Scribbles. Pricing is out for one-time supporters, and I went ahead with the 99 CAN$. It's the best I can do to show my support for people who try different things and help diversify the technical landscape of content publishing platforms. ## 🔮 Looking ahead > 1️⃣ I hope Apple will announce a new iPad Pro this coming Monday. Last week was about the M3 MacBook Air, some iPhone cases and bands. Now, please, bring the new iPad Pro generation because [I’m in for an upgrade](https://numericcitizen.me/my-wishes-for-the-next-ipad-pro/). 2️⃣ I think I decided on the look of my travels journal blog on Micro.blog. I'll use the same visual theme for my [hub.numericcitizen.me](https://hub.numericcitizen.me/?ref=numericcitizen.me). As a reminder, I plan to create a travel journal for my next summer vacation in Croatia. I wish you a great week! 💡 This newsletter edition is also available as a Craft shared document [here](https://crafted.numericcitizen.me/creative-summary-2024-09?ref=numericcitizen.me). This week's edition is based on template version 1.2 — 2024-02-18 and was put together with ❤️ on a 15-inch MacBook Air, Craft and many subscriptions! Support my work ([Paypal](https://paypal.me/numericcitizen?locale.x=en%5FUS&ref=numericcitizen.me)) 🙏🏻 [My Weekly Creative Summaries Index![](https://www.craft.do/share/static/logo-192.png)![](https://api.craft.do/render/preview/GHb2dEbIsUtgQ4)](https://crafted.numericcitizen.me/GHb2dEbIsUtgQ4?ref=numericcitizen.me) --- ## Exhibits 👀 Many great Mac utilities to consider to make you more productive as a creator. I love Craft but for something like reading notes management, Bear 2 is better. This was shot with iPhone 15 Pro Max. Impressive. [1070 ft / 326 mBurton Rast on Glass![](https://glass.photo/favicon.svg)![](https://cdn.glass.photo/post/4154ce47-1a13-473e-b6b8-4f2d779daaf5/photo?auto=format&fm=jpg&q=90&w=828&s=a2b0e225932a024d894dcb8eae25f163)](https://glass.photo/misterburton/7GSy3DBKteERV65Oa5jBGs?ref=numericcitizen.me) An impressive sense of timing. What a great image. [Infinite MacA classic Mac loaded with everything you’d want.![](https://infinitemac.org/favicon32.png)](https://infinitemac.org/?ref=numericcitizen.me) ![Image.png](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/2024/03/Image-4.png) The Zavala outliner main window. ![Here is my Timery report for the past week, including device usage.](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/2024/03/Image-1-1.png) Here is my [Timery](https://www.timeryapp.com/?ref=numericcitizen.me) report for the past week, including device usage. [The Toggl Dashboard](https://track.toggl.com/dashboard/f995ddd9-715d-4092-87de-68f1c58038a5?ref=numericcitizen.me) ![Here is my logbook, as seen in Things 3.](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/2024/03/Image-2-1.png) Here is my logbook, as seen in [Things 3](https://culturedcode.com/things/?ref=numericcitizen.me). ![Numeric Citizen Digital Space Tip Sheet 2024-01-Lowres.png](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/2024/03/Numeric-Citizen-Digital-Space-Tip-Sheet-2024-1.png) Numeric Citizen Digital Space Tip Sheet 2024-01-Lowres.png ### My Wishes for the Next iPad Pro URL: https://numericcitizen.me/my-wishes-for-the-next-ipad-pro/ Last updated: 2024-03-06T11:47:28.000Z The new iPad Pro is just around the corner. After over a year, the 4th generation 11-inch iPad Pro came out in October 2022; the Pro line might be on the verge of the most crucial change since the Magic Keyboard and the second-gen Apple Pencil introduction. Here is what, as a 2018 11-inch iPad Pro owner wishing for an upgrade, I’m looking forward to: - The iPad is a slab of glass. It’s a touch screen for the most part. I want the best screen quality available. I love editing photos on the iPad, and the screen quality is critical. The 12.9-inch iPad Pro screen quality is ludicrous. I want something like this one but on a lower-sized iPad Pro. OLED or not. - I want TouchID on the power button, just like on the iPad Air. But I also want FaceID. Can we have both? It’s a Pro iPad, after all. - I want a bigger screen in the same device dimension, which means smaller bezels. I would love a few more millimetres of display space all around. - I want the same finish as my iPhone 15 Pro Max, with brushed metal and rounded edges. Does it need to be Titanium? Oh, and please, no glass back. - I want a lighter iPad. Holding the device with one hand for an extended period is hard on the wrist. - I want a bigger trackpad on the next-generation Magic Keyboard, which I also hope will be lighter. - I want longer battery life when using my new iPad Pro with my new Magic Keyboard. - I hope for a better way to attach the Apple Pencil to the device. Is a stringer magnet enough? Since 2018, I have lost one Apple Pencil, and my wife, who uses the same iPad model, has lost one, too. Could there be a way to integrate the pencil holder into a new smart folio case? If this case is called “smart,” let it hold the Apple Pencil, too! - I want two USB-C ports, yes, TWO. It’s the iPad PRO line, after all. - I’m okay with an M2 processor to keep prices low. The iPad is no computer replacement for serious workloads. Why bother putting the same CPU as in the MacBook Pro? The M2 should suffice. - Oh, if Apple bothers to include an M3, then I want the possibility to run a macOS virtual machine on it. Or why not reintroduce boot camp so I can use the iPad with macOS when I need it? Be wild here, Apple, be wild! - I would love more than system memory 8 GB for 512 GB of RAM configuration. - I want the FaceTime camera to be on the top while in landscape mode. - Can you make a black or dark colour version, just like for the MacBook Air? Please! - Bonus if Apple brings an always-on display to this iPad! One can dream, right? As you can see, I have (too) many wishes for the next iPad Pro. I know Apple won’t provide a positive answer to each of them, but they are my wishes nonetheless. I can’t wait for the next iPad Pro chapter. ## In summary Compared to my current iPad Pro, the next iPad Pro will at least get the following upgraded or improved features: - Much Better CPU/GPU performance (A12X to M2/M3) - Updated camera sub-system - New microphone system - Lidar support - Wifi 6E - 8 GB of RAM at 100 GB / S throughput - M2 CPU, best iPadOS 17 experience, best iPadOS 17 external monitor support - Thunderbolt support on the USB 4 port - OLED screen - Updated design This article was composed and edited on my 2018 11-inch iPad Pro. 🤓 ### My Weekly Creative Summary for the Week of 2024-08 URL: https://numericcitizen.me/my-weekly-creative-summary-for-the-week-of-2024-08/ Last updated: 2024-03-03T19:22:28.000Z [JF Martin (@numericcitizen@pixelfed.social)When I saw that broken chair, I saw a grand-ma that used to sit there, contemplating life.![](https://pixelfed.social/img/favicon.png?v=2)Pixelfed![](https://pxscdn.com/public/m/_v2/583629418009617054/7c649620b-69b6c5/fmDP11XyLkwI/0hoYMsvRlnSV5EqN5VwjD7jkPCo1FjxKwCFsUiWz.png)](https://pixelfed.social/p/numericcitizen/667477803718848143?ref=numericcitizen.me) > 👨🏻‍💻 30 articles posted 😃 > 🏞️ 11 photos shared 🙂 > 🎙️ No podcast episode published 😔 > 📺 1 YouTube videos published 🙂 ## 👨‍👩‍👦‍👦 Personal > 1️⃣ I feel guilty. This week was a busy one, like the one before it. There is so much to do at work. But also so many ideas for my creative hobby. I feel guilty because I could use some of my personal time to learn new things for work. I feel a bit outdated on some technical subjects. The problem is that when the weekend comes, I want to disconnect from my office and switch my brain to create mode. Not that I'm not being creative at work, far from it, but it's a different kind of creativity. But this intentional act of leaving my work behind is an act of mental survival and mental health. ## 🗺️ Discoveries > 1️⃣ After reading [Bear 2 for Writing and Thinking by Robert Breen](https://robertbreen.com/2024/02/23/bear-2-for-writing-and-thinking/?ref=numericcitizen.me), I decided to give Bear 2 a try. I have a 14-day trial where I'll check Bear's capabilities and see if it can affect my creative workflow. Bear’s file import and web clipper caught my attention in the article. I use the Markownload web clipper browser plugin to import web pages into Craft when needed, but it isn't perfect. Craft users have been asking for a web clipper for ages. Someone created an Apple Shortcut for this, but it’s far from optimal. But what seems to stand out compared to Craft is Bear's search capabilities, which beat hands down Craft's. I import Readwise highlights in Craft regularly, but searching in Craft is inefficient. What if I could use Bear to store web clips and Readwise highlights and be able to search them when needed efficiently? ## 📖 Reading > 1️⃣ I started following [this blog](https://blog.cassidoo.co/?ref=numericcitizen.me) after reading [this other blog post](https://manuelmoreale.com/pb-cassidy-williams?ref=numericcitizen.me) from Manuel Moreale. I like to add some new blog feeds from time to time. Cassidy's blog is fun and interesting. 2️⃣ I'm considering subscribing to the famous [https://kottke.org/](https://kottke.org/?ref=numericcitizen.me) website. I subscribed to the newsletter and will decide if I become a subscriber. It might become a good source of writing triggers. 3️⃣ If you are curious about the IndieWeb like I am, you might be interested in this IndieWeb [website](https://indieweb.org/?ref=numericcitizen.me). For some reason, glancing at the website shows that IndieWeb is popular in Europe. > Life can be much broader once you discover one simple fact: Everything around you that you call life was made up by people that were no smarter than you and you can change it, you can influence it, you can build your own things that other people can use. — Steve Jobs ## 👨🏻‍💻 Writing > 1️⃣ My blog’s [monthly digest](https://blog.numericcitizen.me/newsletters/2024/03/01/7561.html?ref=numericcitizen.me) for February is out. Why not use ChatGPT to summarize it? I tried it for you and here how it goes. I find it to be too generic and high-level. 🤖 > The webpage is a monthly digest from the Numeric Citizen Blog, discussing various topics related to Apple technology, personal reflections, and opinions on current events. The author shares thoughts on the Apple Vision Pro, its potential as a VR headset, personal anticipation for its release in Canada, and the broader implications for technology and creativity. The blog also touches on the use of different apps for personal and professional tasks, opinions on political matters, and reflections on digital and creative life, including the use of platforms like Micro.blog and Craft. For more details, you can visit the [Numeric Citizen Blog.](https://blog.numericcitizen.me/newsletters/2024/03/01/7561.html?ref=numericcitizen.me) [Numeric Citizen Blog Posts Monthly Digest - Numeric Citizen BlogNumeric Citizen Blog Basic Apple Guy writing about the Apple Vision Pro: For now, Vision Pro remains a very exclusive playground for developers and enthusiasts, …![](https://micro.blog/numericcitizen/favicon.png)Numeric Citizen Blog![](https://micro.blog/numericcitizen/avatar.jpg)](https://blog.numericcitizen.me/newsletters/2024/03/01/7561.html?ref=numericcitizen.me) ## 🌄 Photography > 1️⃣ I have hit the 500 followers mark on Pixelfed, which I could never achieve on any platform. The proximity of Pixelfed with the rest of the fediverse might help explain the results. I'm super grateful to have so many people who can see my work as an amateur photographer. 2️⃣ Om Malik continues to impress me and create emotions with his beautiful black and white photos, as [this one](https://glass.photo/om/1RNf1LuSCWCSQ3QpOQTiXb?ref=numericcitizen.me) found on my Glass timeline. 3️⃣ I often think of buying a mirrorless camera, thinking it would be my last. It could represent the ultimate evolution point to a long journey with digital cameras that started around 2003 with a Canon Powershot A40 point-and-shoot camera. This would mark the end of a thirty-year journey. One camera that I’m looking at is the Nikon Zf retro-style. What a piece of art. And a good camera, too. 4️⃣ Started to follow [this guy](https://glass.photo/xrolfx?ref=numericcitizen.me) on Glass. Great images. 5️⃣ A few recommendations for photography-related things to appreciate. [Alaska is always on my mind. 55/366Om Malik on Glass![](https://glass.photo/favicon.svg)![](https://cdn.glass.photo/post/94f2b8bb-0e10-4d3c-b64a-0865ecee6138/photo?auto=format&fm=jpg&q=90&w=828&s=3f62a90c918990a1f13dc4468ed76ebe)](https://glass.photo/om/1RNf1LuSCWCSQ3QpOQTiXb?ref=numericcitizen.me) I love Om Malik photography style. It is so calming. [Nikon Zf product imagesView Nikon Zf product images from DPReview.![](https://www.dpreview.com/resources/favicons/apple-touch-icon.png?v=2)DPReview![](https://1.img-dpreview.com/files/p/TC1200x630S1200x630~sample_galleries/9696397340/1508103224.jpg)](https://www.dpreview.com/sample-galleries/9696397340/nikon-zf-product-images/1508103224?ref=numericcitizen.me) A retro-style mirrorless digital camera from Nikon. [Rolf Venema on Glass Photography CommunityRolf Venema. Nature, architecture and live music.![](https://glass.photo/favicon.svg)![](https://cdn.glass.photo/profile_picture/9d733d50-4c2c-41cd-8e24-8f81ab176524/photo?auto=format&fm=jpg&q=90&w=828&s=4e86cc84c8458f3aee260f5b5adf4a7f)](https://glass.photo/xrolfx?ref=numericcitizen.me) A great photographer found on Glass. [Cami Turpin on Glass Photography CommunityCami Turpin. Analog film artist and portrait photographer.![](https://glass.photo/favicon.svg)![](https://cdn.glass.photo/profile_picture/d52849e5-cdd1-493e-903e-2237257cc471/photo?auto=format&fm=jpg&q=90&w=828&s=df915089550bdf0d51ebd7f681f917b8)](https://glass.photo/bluehillimages?ref=numericcitizen.me) Another great photographer also on Glass. ## 🍎 Apple ![Image.png](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/2024/03/Image.png) Image.png > 1️⃣ Apparently, the Apple Car project has been killed by Apple after [spending 10 billion dollars on it](https://www.macrumors.com/2024/02/28/apple-car-10-billion-spent/?ref=numericcitizen.me). Ouch. Not all is lost. Many engineers working on AI are joining other AI teams. During the annual shareholders meeting, [Tim Cook said Apple will break new ground in AI this year](https://www.macrumors.com/2024/02/28/tim-cook-apple-generative-ai-break-new-ground/?ref=numericcitizen.me)—more details to come soon. We should remember that Apple is already a big player in AI. Apple applied machine learning to many aspects of our devices: photography, writing recognition, voice recognition, form recognition, etc. But in generative AI, Apple looks to be way behind. To my knowledge, nothing comes close to generative AI in Apple's ecosystem. I guess Tim Cook refers to this when he speaks of breaking ground. It's hard to tell how Siri will evolve with generative AI. Are they building a new Siri, or are they trying to “fix" Siri so it can rely on generative AI when "here's what I have found on the web” seems the catch-all answer when Siri doesn't know what to do? They might also go the “Microsoft Copilot” route. From my experience with Copilot at work, I'm not impressed so far. This is where Apple could bring its usual touch: improving what others try to achieve in meaningful ways but fail to be helpful to the user. It will be exciting to see how Apple takes advantage of generative AI. 2️⃣ Whatever Apple chooses to do, it must watch its back and avoid Google Gemini's [problems](https://www.npr.org/2024/02/28/1234532775/google-gemini-offended-users-images-race?ref=numericcitizen.me). It will also be interesting to see how Apple "controls" AI hallucinations. > > “We tell all of our customers how great our products are for remote work, yet, we ourselves, cannot use them to work remotely? How can we expect our customers to take that seriously? How can we understand what problems of remote work need solving in our products, if we don’t live it?” — An Apple Employee talking about Apple’s policy to returning to office for work > “Or as Steve said: “It doesn’t make sense to hire smart people and then tell them what to do. We hire smart people so they can tell us what to do.” Here we are, the smart people that you hired, and we are telling you what to do: Please get out of our way, there is no one-size-fits-all solution, let us decide how we work best, and let us do the best work of our lives.” — Another Apple employee ## 🚧 Special projects > 1️⃣ I've been actively working on porting a portion of my metablog content from Craft to Micro.blog. I'll keep the Craft version, but I wanted to make my posts (and future posts) available on Micro.blog for added functionality: RSS feed support and POSSE support, to name a few. I expect the porting to be completed in the next few months. I wonder why I spent so much time migrating my stuff (hence my Digital nomad surname). I think it's because the work I published in the past defines me who I am today as a compulsive creator. Reading past content and seeing how things evolved is fun. The journey is the reward, not the destination. So, I made a small [announcement](https://blog.numericcitizen.me/2024/02/25/a-metablog-that.html?ref=numericcitizen.me). 2️⃣ Testing Bear 2 content import capabilities is a priority now. As mentioned in the Discoveries section, I like what I have seen. I love it so much that I decided to move all of my reading notes out of Craft to import them into Bear 2\. It was straightforward and fast to export all reading highlights from Readwise and import the resulting markdown files into Bear 2\. I'll do a YouTube video about this. ## 📱 Apps & Services > 1️⃣ I'm using Bear 2 every day, and while I like my experience in general, there is one thing that bugs me: writing and editing tags is surprisingly selective. I find this surprising because I expect a more polished experience for an app that focuses so much on tags. The worst is when editing a list of tags. When importing an article into Bear, I use the Raycast AI summarization feature to insert the summary at the beginning of the article, as shown below. It's great. 2️⃣ I created a Keyboard Maestro automation to generate a summary using Raycast AI. Inserting it at the beginning of the selected article takes a few seconds. It's a pretty clever way to save some time! ![Bear 2 with my reading notes, most of them coming from exported Readwise highlights.](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/2024/03/Bear-Bear2024-03-0208.45.592x.png) Bear 2 with my reading notes, most of them coming from exported Readwise highlights. ## 📺 YouTube > 1️⃣ To coincide with the release of Craft v2.7.4, I published [a video](https://youtu.be/vw91P5vV8ls?ref=numericcitizen.me) showcasing the star of this release: whiteboards. This video also came out at the same time as the release of my analysis report, exclusively available to the Craft Bible 2.0 subscribers. [Want to look](https://numericcitizen.gumroad.com/l/the-craft-bible-v2?ref=numericcitizen.me)? 2️⃣ Each release of Craft triggers a lot of work for me: create a YouTube video, prepare a new update to the Craft Bible and write a Craft release highlights report. Thanks to an optimized workflow, I quickly go through all of this. 3️⃣ Releasing videos timed with Craft releases is a good idea. I get way more views than usual. ## 💎 Miscellaneous > 1️⃣ I made a few changes this week in my digital publishing space. First, I added a [changelog](https://meta.numericcitizen.me/changelog/?ref=numericcitizen.me) file to [my metablog](https://meta.numericcitizen.me/?ref=numericcitizen.me). The goal is to document all changes made to my publishing workflow. Second, now that the Toggl dashboard is finally publicly available, you can view [my Toggl dashboard](https://track.toggl.com/dashboard/f995ddd9-715d-4092-87de-68f1c58038a5?ref=numericcitizen.me) for the current week. This gives you a summary of how I'm spending my time on creative hobbies. It more or less the same at the Timery screenshot below in the exhibits section. ## 🔮 Looking ahead > 1️⃣ I started thinking about my upcoming trip to Croatia this summer. I want to give you another chance to maintain a travelling journal. Until this week, I wondered what web service I would use. Pixelfed would be a great place to share my photos, but what about my blog posts? This blog post is about starting a travelling journal on Micro.blog. It was enough to convince me to do the same. Thanks to Micro.blog's multiple blogs support was recently introduced, and I decided to use Micro.blog for that purpose. I plan to use Micro.blog to complement my Pixelfed posts. Now, I must decide on the subdomain name: `travels.numericcitizen.me` or `trips.numericcitizen.me`. After that, the decision about the visual theme will come. This will be a difficult call because Micro.blog's theme gallery is limited to a travelling journal. I wish you a great week! 💡 This newsletter edition is also available as a Craft shared document [here](https://crafted.numericcitizen.me/creative-summary-2024-08?ref=numericcitizen.me). This week's edition is based on template version 1.2— 2024-02-18 and was put together with ❤️ on a 15-inch MacBook Air, Craft and many subscriptions! Support my work ([Paypal](https://paypal.me/numericcitizen?locale.x=en%5FUS&ref=numericcitizen.me)) 🙏🏻 [My Weekly Creative Summaries Index![](https://www.craft.do/share/static/logo-192.png)![](https://api.craft.do/render/preview/GHb2dEbIsUtgQ4)](https://crafted.numericcitizen.me/GHb2dEbIsUtgQ4?ref=numericcitizen.me) ## Exhibits 👀 My overview of Craft v.2.7.4 which introduces collaborative whiteboads. Notion introduces “Home” to act as a starting point for your content. The Nothing Phone 2a from the Nothing company. Really cool video. [Venice, Italy.Nick Bilton on Glass![](https://glass.photo/favicon.svg)![](https://cdn.glass.photo/post/65833224-51cc-40c6-986a-3620617a5f4d/photo?auto=format&fm=jpg&q=90&w=828&s=41d0a9fe215213d2e62f115b18d5a91d)](https://glass.photo/nickbilton/165ygIU6Fjwi8mkfkbNDC6?ref=numericcitizen.me) I love these kind of images. They tell a short story. ![Here is my Timery report for the past week, including device usage.](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/2024/03/Image-1.png) Here is my [Timery](https://www.timeryapp.com/?ref=numericcitizen.me) report for the past week, including device usage. ![Image.png](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/2024/03/Image-2.png) Time tracking in Timing.app [The Toggl Dashboard](https://track.toggl.com/dashboard/f995ddd9-715d-4092-87de-68f1c58038a5?ref=numericcitizen.me) ![Here is my logbook, as seen in Things 3.](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/2024/03/Image-3.png) Here is my logbook, as seen in [Things 3](https://culturedcode.com/things/?ref=numericcitizen.me). ![Numeric Citizen Digital Space Tip Sheet 2024-01-Lowres.png](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/2024/03/Numeric-Citizen-Digital-Space-Tip-Sheet-2024.png) Numeric Citizen Digital Space Tip Sheet 2024-01-Lowres.png ### My Weekly Creative Summary for the Week of 2024-07 URL: https://numericcitizen.me/my-weekly-creative-summary-for-the-week-of-2024-07/ Last updated: 2024-02-25T15:22:49.000Z [JF Martin (@numericcitizen@pixelfed.social)We can find big surprises when going to the attic! #urbanexploration #abandoned #urbex #urbexphotography #urbexboy #urbexboy![](https://pixelfed.social/img/favicon.png?v=2)Pixelfed![](https://pxscdn.com/public/m/_v2/583629418009617054/7c649620b-69b6c5/yzPQT2EWUEf9/XAsr444HVSzsVcCcD0vQAx9e8NNAvfoiKPUioIYc.png)](https://pixelfed.social/p/numericcitizen/665170699629544190?ref=numericcitizen.me) > 👨🏻‍💻 32 articles posted 😃 > 🏞️ 15 photos shared 😃 > 🎙️ No podcast episode published 😔 > 📺 No YouTube video published 😔 ## 👨‍👩‍👦‍👦 Personal > 1️⃣ I've been quite busy at work in the last two weeks. So much that I had to do some overtime, which I hate to do for many reasons. I'm stuck with a project that is getting started, and I’m deeply involved in this. I hope that before early March, everything will be fine, and I will move on to something else. ## 🗺️ Discoveries > 1️⃣ [Walknotes](https://walknotes.com/?ref=numericcitizen.me) is an interesting blog that I discovered through the [ooh.directory](https://ooh.directory/?ref=numericcitizen.me). A guy takes notes while doing his daily walks in south London, UK, and posts them weekly. Occasionally, I visit the ooh.directory to discover new blogs. Sometimes, I make great discoveries like this one. ## 📖 Reading > 1️⃣ Here is a great read for someone like me who builds this weekly newsletter: “[How to Plan Your Week](https://thesweetsetup.com/how-to-plan-your-week/?ref=numericcitizen.me)’. I’m happy to report that I'm pretty much in line with all the recommendations in the article. Each Sunday, I conclude my weekly creative summary, giving me a sense of accomplishment, next I prepare the next week using a template in Things 3 and set three main goals for the week. It's a very simple workflow but an effective one for me. 2️⃣ A very touching [read](https://manuelmoreale.com/on-digital-relationships?ref=numericcitizen.me) that came out of nowhere. I didn’t expect this. I'm still searching as to why. I wrote and sent him an email. He responded. Is this the beginning of a digital relationship? > The goal is to spend as much time as possible helping people, ditching social media and going online with personal websites. — Manual Moreale ## 👨🏻‍💻 Writing > 1️⃣ I unexpectedly spent some time writing a new article for the [numericcitizen.me](https://numericcitizen.me/) blog. The subject? My version of the Apple Performance card, [edition 2023](https://numericcitizen.me/apple-in-2023-the-numeric-citizen-report-card/). It's my first edition, written in response of not being invited to answer the official questionaire sent to more popular Apple pundits. This writing project wasn't planned for the week and it took me less time that I would normally expect. ## 🌄 Photography > 1️⃣ I play a game with Glass from time to time, mainly during the weekends. I go to the website and start browsing photographers. Whenever I find great images, I show appreciation and subscribe to their feed. It's fun. Glass is full of great photographers. I'm impressed each time I do this. 2️⃣ Photomator 3.3 with an integrated file browser is now out. This update is a major one for me because since [leaving Adobe Lightroom](https://numericcitizen.me/adobe-lightroom-2016-2024-rip-how-to-migrate-from-adobe-lightroom-to-photomator/), the only support for editing photos was Photomator with Apple iCloud Photos Library. Now, I can directly edit with images stored on my Synology NAS or an SD card from my Nikon camera. Pixelmator Pro has also been updated to support the new Photomator release. ## 🍎 Apple > 1️⃣ The [SixColors Report Card for 2023](https://sixcolors.com/post/2024/02/apple-in-2023-the-six-colors-report-card/?ref=numericcitizen.me) is out. It's a lengthy report about Apple’s performance in many areas (hardware, software, services, corporate citizenship, etc.). The iPad and the Watch, lacking meaningful updates in over a year, have a declining sentiment. Hardware quality and reliability are top-notch. 2️⃣ I wrote [my performance report](https://numericcitizen.me/apple-in-2023-the-numeric-citizen-report-card/), too. [Apple in 2023: The Numeric Citizen Report CardSpoiler alert: I have mostly positive feelings about Apple’s performance for 2023.![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/size/w256h256/2021/11/Banner3.0-100x100.png)Numeric Citizen SpaceJF Martin![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/2024/02/Apples.244294ece79b492c9f1bc779d04e42b0.png)](https://numericcitizen.me/apple-in-2023-the-numeric-citizen-report-card/) > “The iMessage service is not so good that it makes the iPhone more attractive to customers. It’s the *iPhone* that makes \_iMessage\_attractive. The iPhone gives iMessage its cachet, not the other way around.” — [John Siracusa](https://hypercritical.co/2024/02/09/the-imessage-halo-effect?ref=numericcitizen.me) > > “Apple needs to get serious about the iPad again in 2024 with both hardware and software, and I hope they will deliver on this front.” — Federico Viticci in SixColors Report Card for 2023 ## 🚧 Special projects > 1️⃣ A few years ago, I tried tracking my time at the office using the [Timing app](https://timingapp.com/?ref=numericcitizen.me). It wasn't something imposed by the office but a personal initiative. I wanted to know where I spent my time, and it helped me fill out the official time sheet. Timing was an excellent app for doing detailed tracking. I was impressed by its capabilities. But eventually, I left that job and stopped using Timing. I kept receiving promotional emails from time to time. It happened this week. It occurred to me that I could explore the possibility of restarting tracking my time with the app for my creative hobbies. I started a 30-day trial to experiment with it. It's pretty different than Timery with Toggl, and the goal of this trial will be to determine if I could replace them altogether. The one downside would be that I would only track my time when I use devices other than my Mac, which I do pretty often (about 10%-20% of the time, according to the following graph. Tracked time is much more granular with Timing (it is fundamentally based on the app I'm using). Tracking of tasks and projects is a semi-manual process. It doesn't mean that I don't like it, but suffice to say that I would have to adapt my tracking habits. One main benefit would be having a much more precise tracking overall, something I want if I ever switch. My current subscription to Toggl is valid until September, which is quite far. I'll see how it goes and report here as necessary. For this 30-day trial, I'll keep using both methods. ![Timing dashboard is quite extensive.](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/2024/02/Image-5.png) Timing dashboard is quite extensive. Time tracking results for the current week using Timing.app. It’s quite different tha tracking my time with Timery. It’s more refined yet less telling about my writing activities. For example, I spent more than five hours in Craft during the week, mostly for writing this creative summary newsletter edition but using Timery, this task is specifically tracked because it’s a manual process. Timing doesn’t know what I’m doing, only the apps I’m using. ![Tracking time on my MacBook Air should be enough to get a rough idea of how I’m spending time.](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/2024/02/Image-1-3.png) Tracking time on my MacBook Air should be enough to get a rough idea of how I’m spending time. ## 📱 Apps & Services > 1️⃣ iA Presenter 1.2 came out with a slew of fixes and additions. I don’t use this app as much as I should. I did a few times while recording YouTube videos to act as cue cards. An iPad version is coming out soon. All the release details are here. 2️⃣ Updating old content is a good idea when conditions that lead to writing an article change. This is the case with my article about choosing which app to use and the considerations that go into application selection. Consider the case of Raindrop.io. I decided to stop using it because of the maker's ties with Russia. Since then, I saw a comment on my blog post from the developer asking me to consider updating my post since he no longer lives in Russia and his business has since moved out of Russia, too. I updated my article accordingly. [When War in Ukraine Influences My Application ChoicesThe war in Ukraine has unsuspected side effects.![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/size/w256h256/2021/11/Banner3.0-100x100.png)Numeric Citizen SpaceJF Martin![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/numericcitizen.me/wp-content/uploads/2022/05/yura-khomitskyi-jpprnktvhxg-unsplash.jpg)](https://numericcitizen.me/when-war-in-ukraine-influences-my-application-choices/) ## 📺 YouTube > 1️⃣ I'm working on a new video to go with the next release of Craft, but I cannot share it yet. Stay tuned. 2️⃣ I'm postponing my next video about Micro.blog until early March until the month of February is complete. Many things were announced, and I need to prepare my video accordingly. Again, stay tuned for that one too. ## 💎 Miscellaneous > 1️⃣ I watched the documentary “The Greatest Night in Pop” on Netflix, which offers a unique behind-the-scenes look at the making of the “We Are The World” song. I highly recommend this documentary if you are an avid fan of the eighties. This newsletter is about creative work and the tribulations that lie around it. This documentary goes to great lengths to show what it was like to reunite a bunch of big stars around a creative project like this. Lionel Richie was animating the American Music Awards that day and then recorded the song during the whole night after the AMA. Many were obviously exhausted after this. It’s fascinating. Many artists are no longer with us (Prince, who didn't show up, Micheal Jackson, Ray Charles, etc.). So many talented people. [“We Are the World” Assembled Some of the Most Iconic Moments in Music History“By 7 o’clock in the morning, we became a family,” says The Greatest Night in Pop producer Lionel Richie.![](https://assets.nflxext.com/ffe/siteui/common/icons/nficon2023.ico)Netflix Tudum![](https://dnm.nflximg.net/api/v6/BvVbc2Wxr2w6QuoANoSpJKEIWjQ/AAAAQSbRqftzMnMK5UMP9FG2pYCAWU9tpiDUDP2lp-yhjYYuoXgWF7z0lCtdLwYgxOTw6M-XHibDA4Zg0UTLt0NBNdfbGUqJJyP0hRew7k0SfgVyy1m32ksYOfJ-jOt6VPb-Zpow4SgTcrG5HHrYsH2oQn-dK68.jpg?r=f38)](https://www.netflix.com/tudum/articles/what-happens-in-greatest-night-in-pop?ref=numericcitizen.me) ## 🔮 Looking ahead > 1️⃣ On Wednesday, Micro.blog introduced a complete rework of their subscription plans. As [the announcement](https://www.manton.org/2024/02/21/simplified-pricing-in.html?ref=numericcitizen.me) explains, premium subscribers can now have up to five blogs. This announcement made me consider moving [my metablog](https://meta.numericcitizen.me/?ref=numericcitizen.me) hosted via Craft shared documents to a new blog hosted on Micro.blog. This way, I could lower my Craft subscription costs while consolidating under one platform. The other benefit would be the addition of RSS feed support, which my current meta blog doesn’t provide. I would move my data by exporting individual documents to Micro.blog. But the problem is each document would instantly create and appear as a new post. Not ideal. I could silently migrate my content, and once completed, I could redirect my domain name to point to the newly migrated content and start sharing from there. There is a lot to think about, and I’m looking forward to doing this in the upcoming months. 2️⃣ Using Ulysses, I did a dry run of the export, import and edit process. It works, but it is tedious. I guess it would also be the right time to update my content. There is a markdown files import option on Micro.blog, but I haven't tested this option yet. I prefer the manual workflow as I have more control over it. 3️⃣ This summer I'm going to Croatia for the first time. It's a three-week trip that I'm really looking forward to. I'm wondering about possibly creating a travel journal like [I did for my trip to Italy](https://crafted.numericcitizen.me/italy2022?ref=numericcitizen.me). I won’t use Craft this time if I proceed with this project. But what else can I use then? [Summer Vacation in Italy — a Photo Diary Project Built Using Craft![](https://www.craft.do/share/static/logo-192.png)![](https://api.craft.do/render/preview/pquiPWve2Ov3kj)](https://crafted.numericcitizen.me/italy2022?ref=numericcitizen.me) I wish you a great week! 💡 This newsletter edition is also available as a Craft shared document [****here**](https://crafted.numericcitizen.me/creative-summary-2024-07?ref=numericcitizen.me). This week's edition is based on template version 1.2— 2024-02-18 and was put together with ❤️ on a 15-inch MacBook Air, Craft and many subscriptions! Support my work ([Paypal](https://paypal.me/numericcitizen?locale.x=en%5FUS&ref=numericcitizen.me)) 🙏🏻 [My Creative Week Summaries Index![](https://www.craft.do/share/static/logo-192.png)![](https://api.craft.do/render/preview/GHb2dEbIsUtgQ4)](https://crafted.numericcitizen.me/GHb2dEbIsUtgQ4?ref=numericcitizen.me) ## Exhibits 👀 A different take on the Apple Vision Pro A great overview of the Photomator 3.3 release introducing the file browser feature Another take on Photomator 3.3, a milestone release In this video, you’ll get a better understanding of Pixelmator sidecar files that power the non-destructive editing feature [A walk in the park.Hans G Andersson on Glass![](https://glass.photo/favicon.svg)![](https://cdn.glass.photo/post/b99b95f5-96bd-447e-a90c-9f8288e2095a/photo?auto=format&fm=jpg&q=90&w=828&s=5ef75cfea05e79519417bc47bef08d41)](https://glass.photo/trailofpix/2c6w0NvHKwIioxatAspBpk?ref=numericcitizen.me) An image I found to be nice is on my Glass timeline. ![Here is my Timeryreport for the past week, including device usage.](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/2024/02/Image-2-2.png) Here is my [Timery](https://www.timeryapp.com/?ref=numericcitizen.me)report for the past week, including device usage. ![Here is my logbook, as seen in Things 3.](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/2024/02/Image-3-1.png) Here is my logbook, as seen in [Things 3](https://culturedcode.com/things/?ref=numericcitizen.me). ![Numeric Citizen Digital Space Tip Sheet 2024-01-Lowres.png](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/2024/02/Numeric-Citizen-Digital-Space-Tip-Sheet-2024-3.png) Numeric Citizen Digital Space Tip Sheet ### Apple in 2023: The Numeric Citizen Report Card URL: https://numericcitizen.me/apple-in-2023-the-numeric-citizen-report-card/ Last updated: 2024-02-23T12:25:44.000Z ## My scores It’s the time of the year when SixColors comes out with [their Apple performance report](https://sixcolors.com/post/2024/02/apple-in-2023-the-six-colors-report-card/?ref=numericcitizen.me) for the previous year. As usual, there is a lot to cover in this edition. I wasn’t invited to contribute this year (and the years before, for that matter), but I decided to write my take (just like [him](https://ljpuk.net/2024/02/20/the-six-colors-apple-report-card-and-what-my-responses-would-have-been/?ref=numericcitizen.me) and [him](https://json.blog/2024/02/19/technology-report-card.html?ref=numericcitizen.me)). I'll use the order of relative devices’ importance to me. **HW reliability (5/5)**: Apple is at the top of its game when building high-quality devices. I can’t remember when I had a hardware-related issue with my Apple devices besides aging batteries. It’s one of the many ways to be environmentally friendly. **SW Quality (4/5)**: Is it getting better? Is it getting worse? Was 2023 a good year? It depends. Apple is undergoing a massive development effort each year by releasing many operating system updates in sync for all their devices. It is a significant feat in itself. But what about the quality of those releases? Is the ecosystem becoming too complex, introducing new and hard-to-fix bugs? For example, on my iPad, I see more and more visual weirdness in iPadOS 17, much less on my iPhone. My iPad can’t always keep up with the animations and drops many frames here and there. I suspect AutoLayout issues when rotating the device. It is not as smooth as it once was. On the Mac, macOS Sonoma is one of the most stable releases in recent times. I’m not a developer or doing advanced research work but a power user. On the Watch, watchOS is a less positive experience. WatchOS got too complex to interact with when Apple removed force touch as an input trigger. **iPhone (5/5)**: The year 2023 was one for [an iPhone upgrade for me](https://numericcitizen.me/upgrading-from-the-iphone-13-pro-to-the-iphone-15-pro-max-bigger-faster-even-more-possibilities/), coming from the iPhone 13 Pro. I’m enjoying the iPhone 15 Pro Max a lot. Battery life isn’t what I expected, though. But for the rest, with the Titanium finish and rounded edges, it’s one of the best iPhone designs since the iPhone 5\. Oh, did I forget to mention USB-C? Besides replacing a few accessories, I'm happy to see the convergence happening on the iPhone, too. **Mac (5/5)**: I think the Mac has never been in better shape in hardware and software. Sonoma is my favourite release in a long time. Thanks to Apple Silicon's apparent endless power, I’m in a constant mood of wanting to upgrade to something more powerful. I'm currently using a M1 Mac mini and a 15-inch M2 MacBook Air, and I'm pretty happy. If I had to make an upgrade this year, I would probably go with the Mac Studio once it gets the M3 treatment. An M3 base model would be a major upgrade compared to my 2020 Mac mini. **iPad (3/5)**: I no longer understand the iPad product line. It is way too crowded. It looks like it is in a permanent state of transition. The lack of compatibility between models and accessories is surprising. I have the feeling the iPad Pro needs a better differentiation factor. An M3 version won’t fix the iPad Pro differentiation. The software will be if Apple is willing to be slightly more adventurous. What about having the possibility of running macOS on the iPad Pro? One can dream. I know my Magic Keyboard won’t fit the new iPad Pro casing. I'm due for an upgrade for my aging 2018 11-inch iPad Pro. Will the upcoming iPad Pro be cheap enough and worth every penny for me to upgrade? Time will tell. **Wearables (3/5)**: I still love my AirPods Pro 2\. I use them for music and for conference calls at work. I also have AirPods Max, which I use for music listening and on long-distance flights. I feel my AirPods Max could be lighter. I would buy a lighter pair with USB-C and improved noise cancellation. But now we have the Apple Vision Pro. It is a technological marvel. I’m playing the wait-and-see game for the Apple Vision Pro. I think the latter is a major technical achievement, but a demo at the Apple Store will be the first step in deciding what I will do. **Watch (3/5)**: All in all, it was a slow year for Apple in this space. I wear an Apple Watch Series 8\. I didn't find the Series 9 worth an upgrade. The Ultra is not for me, and I'm not too fond of its design. I still like the Series 8 design, but it is due for an overhaul, similar to what we got with the iPhone X. Will Apple make the watch exciting again in 2024? Maybe I could upgrade with the rumoured Series X, marking a two-year cycle. **Environment/Social (4/5)**: Apple is showing the lead here while playing the marketing game. Some cynics will say that Apple doesn't care. I would argue quite the opposite and that their actions are concrete and worth their efforts. It’s better than nothing. **Services (3.5/5)**: What can I say? I’m an Apple One subscriber. I heavily depend on Apple services in general and iCloud in particular (for photos, mail, private relay, email aliases, etc.). I don't read much Apple News or play games on Apple Arcades. I think Apple has been too pushy for subscriptions in recent years, and 2023 was no exception. I hope they don't go ahead with ads-based services; that would be anti-Apple (imagine ads in Maps! Sounds awful, right?). I wouldn't be surprised to see Siri+ this year. **Developers relations (2/5)**: I’m not a developer but depend on developers to build great software to power great hardware devices. Apple is playing with fire here with its developers. It's time for an attitude reversal toward the developer’s base and governments. If 2023 is any indication, 2024 might be challenging for Apple, especially in Europe. **Apple TV (4/5)**: I use the Apple TV quite often, but as a TV, so it's an invisible device. I don't play games on it. It's small enough, fast enough, but not cheap enough. I'm not too fond of the tvOS 17 navigation sidebar. I don't navigate content much, but everything needs more clicks now. **HomeKit (3/5)**: I use a few HomeKit devices and Siri to turn the lights on or off. I also have a camera that I use when I'm away from home to peek inside my house if necessary. That's pretty much it. --- ## The Apple Health Index Finally, I have built a table of indicators that try to convey the current state of Apple. They cover the products, our expectations, the market landscape and finance. It’s purely arbitrary (choice of criteria) and subjective (score attribution). ![The Apple Health Index as of 2024-02](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/2024/02/Image-4.png) The Apple Health Index as of 2024-02 > Overall, Apple’s performance in 2023 can be seen as a mixed bag. While the hardware remains top-notch and the iPhone and Mac lines continue to impress, areas like the iPad and wearables could be improved. The company’s commitment to the environment and social responsibility is commendable, but some may argue that more could be done. Services have been a strong point for Apple, but the aggressive push for subscriptions may not sit well with everyone. Developers' relations appear to be strained, and it’s something that Apple needs to address. The Apple TV and HomeKit are useful, but minor issues could be worked on. As we move into 2024, it will be interesting to see how Apple addresses these areas and continues innovating in the tech world. ### My Weekly Creative Summary for the Week of 2024/06 URL: https://numericcitizen.me/my-weekly-creative-summary-for-the-week-2024-06/ Last updated: 2024-02-21T20:55:38.000Z [JF Martin (@numericcitizen@pixelfed.social)“Let me out, please” #urbanexploration #abandoned #urbex #urbexphotography #urbexboy #urbexboy![](https://pixelfed.social/img/favicon.png?v=2)Pixelfed![](https://pxscdn.com/public/m/_v2/583629418009617054/7c649620b-69b6c5/llRU8kfpOzug/uqkyST0DxBD0Hzn1dnt9bmkBSZfhv2jvNNjDKph9.png)](https://pixelfed.social/p/numericcitizen/664073172960926931?ref=numericcitizen.me) > 👨🏻‍💻 39 articles posted 😃 > 🏞️ 9 photo(s) shared 🙂 > 🎙️ No podcast episode(s) published 😔 > 📺 No YouTube video published 😔 ## 👨‍👩‍👦‍👦 Personal > 1️⃣ More than ever, my creative hobbies pay off at work at many levels. I do try to be creative when talking to clients. I do diagramming for specific projects, and people usually like my work. Writing is a big part of my job; I'm pretty good at it. I'm not sure all my clients read everything I write for them (I'm paid to do reports!). But I take great pleasure in writing for the IT field. 2️⃣ Speaking of work, this week wasn't easy. I'm involved in a complex migration-to-the-cloud project, and we are hitting significant roadblocks. I rarely find myself in such a state, and I wouldn’t say I like that. I need to work overtime to overcome challenges I don't like. I had to work this weekend, and I had much less time than usual to do other things like writing this newsletter! 3️⃣ Not all is bad, though. I had to do diagrams using LucidChart, which I consider the best diagramming. Still, I wouldn't say I like Visio, and I cannot understand why Visio is so prevalent in IT. That being said, I prepare some rough versions of the diagrams before jumping into LucidChart. I feel less friction doing so. When I switch to LucidChart, I already know how to layout the content. Diagramming is a creative process, and I like it. ## 🗺️ Discoveries > 1️⃣ I discovered Shoutouts, a simple web service for building shoutout embeds that can be displayed on another website. It's easy to set up and fun overall. I'm using it on my blog! Visit a blog post and look at the bottom of the post to see this in action. So far, I have seven shoutouts configured randomly displayed on my blog. Fun. ## 📖 Reading > 1️⃣ Not everything goes according to plans and inspiration. [This story](https://adamwiggins.com/muse-retrospective/?ref=numericcitizen.me) about the demise of the “Muse" app is very telling and a fascinating read. It's not wasy to build software. It's even harder to build platforms in the collaborative space. > Read-it-later services are the digital version of that stack of books on your nightstand that you’re never going to read, but with less clutter. — [Angelo Stavrow](https://angelostavrow.blog/?ref=numericcitizen.me) ## 👨🏻‍💻 Writing > 1️⃣ This week, I’m starting to do something different: reworking past content on `numericcitizen.me`. There are many reasons for doing this, as explained in [this article](https://managewp.com/blog/editing-optimizing-old-blog-posts-checklist?ref=numericcitizen.me). There is a checklist that is worth keeping close to me when doing these updates. Forget about SEO; it's about adding value or keeping the content relevant. Adding an abstract, updating the header image or using ChatGPT to rewrite a portion of an article are possible changes. 2️⃣ The first edit operation was done on [this post about Micro.blog](https://numericcitizen.me/the-return-of-micro-blogging-2/). I added an image, reworked the text with Grammarly, rearranged tags, and added a small call-out at the end to let people know the article was updated. I tested a new title with ChatGPT but wasn't satisfied with the results. The title stayed the same. The one challenge I'm seeing is how to browse past content I wrote one year or two years ago. Ghost doesn't provide an easy way for this. 3️⃣ I'm not currently working on long articles. I have a few started, but I'm not working actively on them. I feel that I'm in a writing lull. ## 🌄 Photography > 1️⃣ Can we edit photos using the Apple Vision Pro? According to [this guy](https://youtu.be/lPvxY2ICs5s?ref=numericcitizen.me), the answer is mostly yes. 2️⃣ Glass 3.6.1 is a new iPhone and iPad app release. Better share sheet and speed are the highlights of this release. This app was already fast enough. I guess faster is even better! 3️⃣ I shared the 600th photo on my Pixelfed account early Sunday morning. I'm still enjoying the ride on Pixelfed while I continue to use Glass. Both are great for sharing content and getting some feedback. [JF Martin (@numericcitizen@pixelfed.social)This is post #600\. Already. Time flies. I hope you enjoy the ride because there are many more to go. #urbanexploration #abandoned #urbex #urbexphotography #urbexboy #urbexboy![](https://pixelfed.social/img/favicon.png?v=2)Pixelfed![](https://pxscdn.com/public/m/_v2/583629418009617054/7c649620b-69b6c5/hvci3MFmWhx1/QhHFZ4ZUwpinNC76uTMafjU21Y0JMQhnaQKVa3fz.png)](https://pixelfed.social/p/numericcitizen/664812020140764828?ref=numericcitizen.me) ## 🍎 Apple > 1️⃣ The general buzz around the Apple Vision Pro makes me reconsider my upgrade plans for this year. I think a visit to the Apple Store for a 30-minute demo of the Apple Vision Pro will help a lot in deciding. Before the Vision Pro, the iPad Pro was the next I considered upgrading. But now, I'm not so sure anymore, especially since I don't use my iPad enough to warrant the upgrade of my aging device. See the table in the exhibits section below for the summary. 2️⃣ Apple has been planting the seeds of generative AI in their mainstream products for a while now. Here's [an example on GitHub](https://github.com/apple/ml-mgie?ref=numericcitizen.me). They've been doing that with their Apple Vision Pro, inventing all sorts of tech spread into their numerous products only to find the culminant point where everything is crammed into a single platform. Wait for this year's WWDC conference to see generative AI available everywhere. They are busy putting the pieces together. ## 🚧 Special projects > 1️⃣ Now I know that Ghost CMS isn't good for helping me manage the content once it has been published. \[The problem\](2024-02-12 7:21 am) will require some of my time investment to be fixed. I'll have to use Ghost Content API to get around their minimalistic posts management UI. I don't expect this to be overly complicated, though. Skimming through the online documentation, it seems to be an easy-to-understand API. It's now on my to-do list. Meanwhile, here is a full [announcement](https://www.manton.org/2024/02/13/introducing-notes-in.html?ref=numericcitizen.me) by Manton himself. 2️⃣ My next project is constructing an API request using Ghost Content API. I’m close, but I have problems with the date range. 3️⃣ I finally completed the visual design of my blog after switching themes a few weeks ago. Day and Night, my blog will use a dark theme because it is visually closer to my avatar image, which is also relatively dark. I wrote [this article](https://world.numericcitizen.io/browsing-past-published-articles-on-ghost?ref=numericcitizen.me) to document the process. [🆕 Browsing Past Published Articles on Ghost![](https://www.craft.do/share/static/logo-192.png)![](https://api.craft.do/render/preview/qcf04Hot6ZVaqp)](https://world.numericcitizen.io/browsing-past-published-articles-on-ghost?ref=numericcitizen.me) ## 📱 Apps & Services > 1️⃣ Micro.blog finally introduced a new feature for premium subscription users: Notes. With notes, users can create private documents that can be shared using a private link. Notes can serve many purposes: drafting a new post, gathering notes, a pastebin, etc. I’m still trying to figure out what I will use it for. Some community members think of using this for journaling. For now, I don’t see an obvious use case for me. The service comes with a new iPhone and iPad app, [Strata](https://apps.apple.com/ca/app/strata-for-micro-blog/id6474192080?ref=numericcitizen.me). Very simple and effective. I’ll cover this in an upcoming YouTube video. 2️⃣ I subscribed to a fun web service called [Shoutouts](https://shoutouts.lol/?ref=numericcitizen.me) and added the integration to my blog. A shoutout is displayed at the post's footer when you visit a blog post like [this one](https://blog.numericcitizen.me/2024/02/13/ive-been-granted.html?ref=numericcitizen.me). Refresh the page to get a different one. I'll be using this to show what I really like. Eventually, there will be affiliate links. 3️⃣ Inoreader 7.7 was released with a useful addition: offline mode for specific feeds or folders. 4️⃣ Maique’s [experience with Micro.blog](https://maique.eu/2024/02/15/thingsthisweek.html?ref=numericcitizen.me) wasn't good at all this week—poor guy. Scroll down to the article for that. 5️⃣ It's been a long time since [Ghost](https://ghost.io/?ref=numericcitizen.me) introduced new features. The last time it was [Nov 16th, 2023](https://ghost.org/changelog/?ref=numericcitizen.me). 🤔 6️⃣ Something rather big is coming to Craft. Stay tuned. ## 📺 YouTube > 1️⃣ Sadly, I wasn't able to create a video this week. When I have too much on my plate, doing videos is the one to drop first. Hopefully, I’ll be in a better position next week. I must prepare for what will happen the week after... stay tuned. ## 🔮 Looking ahead > 1️⃣ OpenAI [Sora](https://openai.com/sora?ref=numericcitizen.me). 👀 Mind blown. They start with one-minute videos; how long before we can ask AI to generate a feature film from a few prompts? AI is going way too fast; we don't have enough time to comprehend what is happening. [Sora: Creating video from text![](https://openai.com/favicon.ico)![](https://images.openai.com/blob/8264d3d7-922c-4343-b43d-6665e44bcb91/paper-airplanes.jpg?trim=0%2C0%2C0%2C0&width=1000&quality=80)](https://openai.com/sora?ref=numericcitizen.me) I wish you a great week! 💡 This newsletter edition is also available as a Craft shared document [****here**](https://crafted.numericcitizen.me/creative-summary-2024-06?ref=numericcitizen.me). This week's edition is based on template version 1.1 — 2024-01-28 and was put together with ❤️ on a 15-inch MacBook Air, Craft and many subscriptions! Support my work ([Paypal](https://paypal.me/numericcitizen?locale.x=en%5FUS&ref=numericcitizen.me)) 🙏🏻 [My Creative Week Summaries Index![](https://www.craft.do/share/static/logo-192.png)![](https://api.craft.do/render/preview/GHb2dEbIsUtgQ4)](https://crafted.numericcitizen.me/weekly-creative-summaries-index?ref=numericcitizen.me) ## Exhibits 👀 Incredible demonstrations of OpenAI Sora capabilities. ![My current Apple device upgrade plans. I keep this table updated all the time.](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/2024/02/Image-3.png) My current Apple device upgrade plans. I keep this table updated all the time. ![Here is my Timery report for the past week, including device usage.](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/2024/02/Image-1-2.png) Here is my [Timery](https://www.timeryapp.com/?ref=numericcitizen.me) report for the past week, including device usage. ![Here is my logbook, as seen in Things 3.](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/2024/02/Image-2-1.png) Here is my logbook, as seen in [Things 3](https://culturedcode.com/things/?ref=numericcitizen.me). ![Numeric Citizen Digital Space Tip Sheet 2024-01-Lowres.png](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/2024/02/Numeric-Citizen-Digital-Space-Tip-Sheet-2024-2.png) Numeric Citizen Digital Space Tip Sheet 2024-01-Lowres.png ### My Weekly Creative Summary for the Week of 2024/05 URL: https://numericcitizen.me/my-weekly-creative-summary-for-the-week-of-2024-05/ Last updated: 2024-02-11T21:21:06.000Z There is always something new, something different, something unexpected that I need to write about. This week is no exception. Lot’s of new stuff. Enjoy the ride! > 👨🏻‍💻 40 articles posted 😃 (now including [Blips](https://blips.numericcitizen.me/?ref=numericcitizen.me)!) > 🏞️ 5 photos shared 😔 > 🎙️ No podcast episode published 😔 > 📺 1 YouTube video published 😃 ## 👨‍👩‍👦‍👦 Personal > 1️⃣ This week, I'll be out of town starting Friday afternoon and return on Sunday afternoon. This means much less time to write this newsletter. I’m getting anxious about it because most of the work usually happens on the weekend. Hopefully, I'll have most of the work done by Thursday night. 2️⃣ Thursday morning, and the newsletter will be 95% completed! Yes! ## 🗺️ Discoveries > 1️⃣ There is a new app called [Feeeed](https://www.macstories.net/reviews/feeeed-embracing-feed-diversity-and-personal-news-curation/?ref=numericcitizen.me), which acts as an information sources aggregator. Feeeed is a unique feed reader app for iOS that allows users to combine various sources, including RSS feeds, newsletters, social media platforms, and more. It also offers personalization options such as photos from your library, step count updates, and reminders. The app's main tab is a mix of recent and older updates, presented in a curated and distraction-free manner. It also has a customizable widget and an "Explore" tab for discovering new sources. The app is free and available on the App Store for iOS and iPadOS, with a native Mac app in the works. This makes me think about the recently launched Kickstarter project for Tapestry. I will test Feeeed for a while and see how it goes. ## 📖 Reading > 1️⃣ Micro.blog announced a new feature this week: [bookmark summary](https://www.manton.org/2024/02/05/bookmark-improvements-for.html?ref=numericcitizen.me). Now, when saving a bookmark to Micro.blog, a summary will be automatically generated using ChatGPT, provided the site doesn't block ChatGPT crawling. As of now, when saving a bookmark to Micro.blog, you can also set tags, read an archived copy of the article and highlight some text while doing so. What's missing to make Micro.blog a serious read-later service? ## 👨🏻‍💻 Writing > 1️⃣ Most of my writings go to [my blog](https://blog.numericcitizen.me/?ref=numericcitizen.me). One reason is that I tend to share small comments or thoughts, which is where they go. But from time to time, a post becomes longer and deeper as I'm writing it. This is why I decide to promote it and publish it on [this website](https://numericcitizen.me/) instead. It's called Numeric Citizen Space. It doesn't happen often. This is because I want to separate low content velocity from the most busy and noisy content. So far, it served me well. 2️⃣ While searching for an old article about Micro.blog, I found some other posts that needed some content updates. I decided to set a weekly task of reworking my previously published content on [my website](https://numericcitizen.me/). Some articles will be updated with new information; others might be fully reworked, and some might get deleted. The idea here is to find new triggers for more writing project ideas. 3️⃣ I officially started and [announced](https://blog.numericcitizen.me/2024/02/07/from-an-idea.html?ref=numericcitizen.me) “Blips” in the middle of the week. It results from an impulsive decision to test Scribbles, a new blogging service still in beta. Blips is at the other end of the writing spectrum: the shortest form of writing. That's why it is called “Blips". [Numeric Citizen Blips 📡✨Compulsive creator. Digital nomad. Noisy. Why Blips?![](https://cdn.scribbles.page/rails/active_storage/representations/proxy/eyJfcmFpbHMiOnsibWVzc2FnZSI6IkJBaHBBb1lJIiwiZXhwIjpudWxsLCJwdXIiOiJibG9iX2lkIn19--b91785541e399362c0c69dae37bb748474a12e0b/eyJfcmFpbHMiOnsibWVzc2FnZSI6IkJBaDdDRG9MWm05eWJXRjBTU0lJY0c1bkJqb0dSVlE2RTNKbGMybDZaVjkwYjE5bWFXeHNXd2RwQWl3QmFRSXNBVG9LYzJGMlpYSjdCem9LYzNSeWFYQlVPZ3h4ZFdGc2FYUjVhV1E9IiwiZXhwIjpudWxsLCJwdXIiOiJ2YXJpYXRpb24ifX0=--d5470907b5b5a357fec32990d4bdb78c827f9472/My%202021%20Avatar%20500x500@72DPI.png)![](https://cdn.scribbles.page/rails/active_storage/representations/proxy/eyJfcmFpbHMiOnsibWVzc2FnZSI6IkJBaHBBb1lJIiwiZXhwIjpudWxsLCJwdXIiOiJibG9iX2lkIn19--b91785541e399362c0c69dae37bb748474a12e0b/eyJfcmFpbHMiOnsibWVzc2FnZSI6IkJBaDdDRG9MWm05eWJXRjBTU0lJY0c1bkJqb0dSVlE2RkhKbGMybDZaVjkwYjE5c2FXMXBkRnNIYVFMMEFXa0M5QUU2Q25OaGRtVnlld2M2Q25OMGNtbHdWRG9NY1hWaGJHbDBlV2xrIiwiZXhwIjpudWxsLCJwdXIiOiJ2YXJpYXRpb24ifX0=--3c8df91f93412f76d3a3f8e3dd4a2e4a29d049a2/My%202021%20Avatar%20500x500@72DPI.png)](https://blips.numericcitizen.me/?ref=numericcitizen.me) [Scribbles![](https://scribbles.page/apple-touch-icon.png)](https://scribbles.page/explore?ref=numericcitizen.me) Explore other blogs on Scribbles. Really great place to visit. It’s free. ## 🌄 Photography > 1️⃣ My preferred photo-sharing paid service, Glass, is announcing a new feature: Series. With Series, people can share a group of images in a single post. Series can live for a long time and users can add photos to them as they see fit. I do like the possibility of grouping related photos. I recently tried a similar feature on Pixelfed where you can select a group of up to ten images, but the user experience is far from optimal. According to [the Glass announcement](https://glass.photo/highlights/series?ref=numericcitizen.me), the upload experience seems far better and more refined and yet familar. The feature should arrive this spring for Patreon-supporting users (like me) and later in the summer for everyone else. 2️⃣ I have a few photo series in mind for Glass's upcoming Series feature. On Exposure, I had a four-part macro-photography series; each season had a set of photos. I'll re-publish them on Glass, since I closed my Exposure account. [A Look at SeriesOur biggest release, coming soon.![](https://assets-global.website-files.com/5e79d566743cef75bc32b5e5/65b0e911c025e3d164cc74c0_favicon-small.png)![](https://assets-global.website-files.com/5f43a08a0c00555295f95e0a/65c119094b85684d3187b27b_photo-5.jpeg)](https://glass.photo/highlights/series?ref=numericcitizen.me) ## 🍎 Apple > 1️⃣ This is the second week of full availability of the Apple Vision Pro. I'm seeing a change in tone about the Apple handset. It's like people are slowly integrating what it means in their digital life to wear and use this headset. People are slowly but surely accepting this idea that, after all, it's not that bad, thanks to some newfound use cases… > > "It feels like this success has inflated Apple’s view of themselves, twisting their perspective of what matters.” — Manton Reece ## 🚧 Special projects > 1️⃣ I expect an update to the Cards theme for Micro.blog, and I'll spend some time tweaking my blog website. The developer behind it often works on it if Github is any indication. If you follow [current issues](https://github.com/ericgregorich/micro-blog-cards-theme/issues?ref=numericcitizen.me) discussed on Gitbub, I'm not out of the woods with this, but things are improving. 2️⃣ [URL as a sentence](https://notes.neatnik.net/2024/02/url-as-a-sentence?ref=numericcitizen.me) is a great idea. They probably help to move the SEO needle, too. As reported in the article, the author registered a domain name which ends with “.IS". The full domain is the author's name. Each article published contains the whole sentence, which always translates into the article's URL. I wish I could do the same: “`numericcizen.is/always-thinking-about-something-new-to-create.html`". It's clever. The problem is that this top-level domain is reserved for Iceland and cannot be renewed forever ([here's why](https://www.namecheap.com/support/knowledgebase/article.aspx/10105/36/is-domain-registration-requirements/?ref=numericcitizen.me)). Too bad. 3️⃣ Creating a new blog using Scribbles took me less than an hour. It was fun. The project didn't take too much of my time. It was fun. [Neatnik Notes · URL as a sentence![](https://notes.neatnik.net/favicon.ico)](https://notes.neatnik.net/2024/02/url-as-a-sentence?ref=numericcitizen.me) ## 📱 Apps & Services > 1️⃣ On my MacBook Air, I made the Arc Browser the default browser (but not on my Mac mini, [here is why](https://blog.numericcitizen.me/2024/02/05/about-this-permanent.html?ref=numericcitizen.me)). After testing it for a few days, I'm totally in love with it. It is a simple browser but not a simplistic one. It has nice design touches all over. I have a few extensions installed to complement its features: AnyBox, Omnivore, ReadWise, Markdown load, and Inoreader. The focus of Arc Browser is content; everything is cleverly hidden but not at the price of making it difficult to recall. 2️⃣ Craft v.2.7.0 came out on Monday and made a big positive splash! For the first time, I could release a “what's a new video" right at the same time, thanks to the collaboration of the Craft team, who let me beta-test this release a week in advance. See the next section. 3️⃣ Zavala version 2.3 came out, too, with [a bunch of improvements](https://github.com/vincode-io/Zavala/releases/tag/2.3?ref=numericcitizen.me). 4️⃣ Another interesting discovery in the Arc Browser: I can quickly create a linked quote like the one below. When shared on social networks like Mastodon or over iMessage, I get a nice preview. Clicking on the link brings the user to the website, positioned at the exact place of the highlighted text. [Quote from “Popularity contests · Indie Microblogging”![](https://www.google.com/s2/favicons?sz=128&domain_url=https://https://book.micro.blog/popularity-contests/)![](https://arc.net/api/redirect-links/link/epnqqeri)](https://arc.net/l/quote/epnqqeri?ref=numericcitizen.me) [A Proposal For Bringing Social Indicators to Micro.blogIs there a taboo on Micro.blog? It depends to who you ask. Here’s a proposal.![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/size/w256h256/2021/11/Banner3.0-100x100.png)Numeric Citizen SpaceJF Martin![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/size/w1200/2024/02/Unknown.7fe9c81769a641228c4d09e586ff41a3.jpeg)](https://numericcitizen.me/a-proposal-for-bringing-social-indicators-to-microblog/) 📺 YouTube > 1️⃣ Early in the week, I shared [a video](https://youtube.com/watch?v=n6AzLGYJiKY&ref=numericcitizen.me) about the latest release of Craft, version 2.7.0\. This release is a major one in the short Craft history. I had the chance to test the beta a week before its release and get in touch with one of the developers at Craft. For this release, I asked if my video could be part of their release notes or at least refer to it. He couldn't commit on it. The goal for me was to get the most exposure and help the users community to transition easily to this new release. So far, this is on track to become my most watched video of all time. ## 💎 Miscellaneous > 1️⃣ Someone on Reddit posted [a diagram](https://www.reddit.com/r/Notion/comments/1ajd6wg/my%5Fnotion%5Fproductivity%5Fsystem/?utm%5Fsource=share&utm%5Fmedium=web2x&context=3) of a productivity system based on Notion and Readwise. I always like those diagrams and posts because they give a peek at someone's workflow. I’m a bit jealous because I know that the system presented works better than mine. I depend on Craft a lot, and many things are missing in Craft that block me from using a similar workflow: APIs are one of those things. 2️⃣ In a recent video from Manton Reece showing the bookmarks-related features, I noticed an addition in the left sidebar of the Micro.blog website: Notes. I think this “leak" was not intentional. But I noticed it and went ahead [sharing it on my blog](https://blog.numericcitizen.me/2024/02/07/182746.html?ref=numericcitizen.me). Manton's reaction was funny. What does a “Notes' feature mean for Micro.blog users? Soon, we will be able to store notes using a dedicated app on our phones. Only text? Audio notes? How would I use this new feature? For which new use case? So many questions, so few answers. ## 🔮 Looking ahead > 1️⃣ A new app from the maker of Reeder is in the works and looks interesting. It seems to be similar to Feeeed and Tapestry but with the look and feel of Reeder. It's interesting to see what appears to be the emergence of a new type of app for consuming content spread across many heterogeneous timelines. Could this be the consequence of the massive movement off Twitter to Mastodon, because of the Fediverse, Bluesky or, more which enables such decentralization? It could be. [Silvio Rizzi (@rizzi@gloria.social)Attached: 1 image I guess it’s time for an update on what I’ve been working on over the last year: A new app, completely rebuilt and rethought from the ground up. This probably won’t replace the current Reeder (not going away) for a lot of users. It’s not just an RSS reader. The app allows you to access content from various other sources like Podcasts, YouTube, Mastodon, and more. It won’t sync everything, only your saved items (favorites etc). No more unread counts, it remembers the scroll positions instead.![](https://gloria.social/packs/media/icons/apple-touch-icon-180x180-a75559a0af48064c1b7c71b81f3bf7c6.png)Gloria![](https://gloriasocial.fra1.digitaloceanspaces.com/media_attachments/files/111/856/945/532/026/924/original/15514c344d905e37.jpg)](https://gloria.social/@rizzi/111856959119832404?ref=numericcitizen.me) I wish you a great week! 💡 This newsletter edition is also available as a Craft shared document [****here**](https://crafted.numericcitizen.me/creative-summary-2024-05?ref=numericcitizen.me). This week's edition is based on template version 1.1 — 2024-01-28 and was put together with ❤️ on a 15-inch MacBook Air, Craft and many subscriptions! Support my work ([Paypal](https://paypal.me/numericcitizen?locale.x=en%5FUS&ref=numericcitizen.me)) 🙏🏻 ## Exhibits 👀 ![A screenshot of an upcoming app from Reeder’s developer. An app for consuming different feed sources, not only RSS feeds. I’m curious.](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/2024/02/Image.jpeg) A screenshot of an upcoming app from Reeder’s developer. An app for consuming different feed sources, not only RSS feeds. I’m curious. ![The upcoming new feature for Micro.blog premium users: Notes.](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/2024/02/IMG_8939.jpeg) The upcoming new feature for Micro.blog premium users: Notes. Fun and fond memories. ![Here is my Timery report for the past week, including device usage.](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/2024/02/Image-2.png) Here is my [Timery](https://www.timeryapp.com/?ref=numericcitizen.me) report for the past week, including device usage. ![Here is my logbook, as seen in Things 3.](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/2024/02/Image-1-1.png) Here is my logbook, as seen in [Things 3](https://culturedcode.com/things/?ref=numericcitizen.me). ![Numeric Citizen Digital Space Tip Sheet 2024-01-Lowres.png](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/2024/02/Numeric-Citizen-Digital-Space-Tip-Sheet-2024-1.png) Numeric Citizen Digital Space Tip Sheet 2024-01-Lowres.png ### A Proposal For Bringing Social Indicators to Micro.blog URL: https://numericcitizen.me/a-proposal-for-bringing-social-indicators-to-microblog/ Last updated: 2024-02-11T19:01:04.000Z Image generated with Dall-E. Micro.blog is built on principles and values of its founder, Manton Reece, which have been abundantly documented and are reflected in his book [here](https://book.micro.blog/popularity-contests/?ref=numericcitizen.me). If I understand correctly, one of those principles is to refrain from promoting the use of what I would call “social indicators” (like, reblog, followers count). According to Manton: > “Micro.blog is not a popularity contest.”. On Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter / X, likes, retweets and follower counts are indicators of someone’s relative popularity. Most “heavy-engagement” platforms voluntarily offer these on purpose for others to see. Not only that, but timeline-building algorithms are taking these indicators as input. Together, algorithms and indicators form a system where maximizing user engagement is the ultimate goal. This is not the case on Micro.blog, hence the quote “Micro.blog is not a popularity contest”. It doesn’t mean these matters aren’t discussed within the community; they are in many interesting and useful debates, like in [this example](https://help.micro.blog/t/i-wish-micro-blog-made-consuming-it-s-next-priority/2512/16?ref=numericcitizen.me). As a heavy and passionate user of Micro.blog, this discussion made me think and reflect on my position in this debate and ask myself these questions: what is my position regarding these principles? Do I agree? Is there some middle ground where principles could be relaxed a bit? Let’s see. Back in 2018, I wrote this article: “[The End of my Micro.blog Experiment](https://numericcitizen.me/the-end-of-my-micro-blog-experiment/)”: > It is impossible to see who’s popular and attracting a lot of people. I don’t even know how many people are following me. Why this obscured view? I think these design decisions are part of the problem on this platform. It makes it look like a communist party. Ouch. 🫢 I’ve been blogging for quite some time and participated in many social networks: Facebook, Twitter, Tumblr, Posterous, Blogger, etc. I’ve seen them all. I am no longer on these social networks. I don’t think about Micro.blog as a social network but as a community. That being said, I’d like some indicators for my own curiosity. For example, I subscribe to Plausible and Tinylytics and both are enabled for my blog. I don’t expect Micro.blog to add built in analytics time soon, but I do like the possibility of using these services with my blog. What about other metrics? As a blog owner, I wish I knew how many people follow me. I don’t want to brag about it; I just want to know because I’m curious about these things. As I wrote in the previously mentioned thread, and for writing this small reflection, I gave some thoughts to this and I think these popularity indicators should be “regulated” in some specific ways: 1. They should be enabled or disabled on author’s request. But enabling them wouldn’t make the indicators visible to the author just yet; 2. If enabled, they should be made available to the content owner upon request, just like the content itself; 3. The author should decide to make them publicly available on an individual basis; 4. Most importantly, they shall never be used as part of an algorithm that aims to increase user engagement with the platform or any other means without the author’s consent. Regarding statement number 1, I think the platform shouldn’t gather this data by default. Once activated, the author might want to get access to it or disable it while the data is still available and updated. People joining Micro.blog should know that by default, no followers or likes data is gathered. For some people, this is important and might be part of their decision to join and subscribe to the service. ![A screen capture of a Glass photo with some appreciative comments.](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/2024/02/Arc--1--Skating---Devin-S.-on-Glass.png) A screen capture of a Glass photo with some appreciative comments. One last thought. I’m fond of Glass’s approach with likes. They weren’t part of the service’s initial launch. Nobody can see an appreciation count on a photo, but only written comments. After their introduction, I saw a drop in written comments on my photos. It may be anecdotal. Both are feedback, and I’m appreciative of those. Do I want these appreciation marks to be public? No. Just like Glass’ appreciations, likes are another form of feedback indicator that should be under the full control of the author. This is where I draw the line between a possible addition to Micro.blog and what we get with traditional social media platforms. > If I think my followers might be interested in seeing a post, I’ll retweet it. A like is just an acknowledgment or show of support. Nobody needs to see that but the recipient. — Mitch Wagner on help.micro.com I couldn’t agree more. In summary, as [I recently shared](https://help.micro.blog/t/i-wish-micro-blog-made-consuming-it-s-next-priority/2512?ref=numericcitizen.me), I always think appreciation, likes, reactions, and follower count should be made available privately to the content owner. Making them public should be an opt-in decision, if at all possible. One final idea: if Micro.blog ever decides to enable followers to count, it should consider only “active” accounts. Accounts without activity for over a few months shouldn’t be considered as active followers. This means possible variance over time as a blog can become active after a period of silence. It occurs to me that social indicators implemented this way should, in fact, be called feedback indicators. My goal with this article is to help move the debate and possibly influence Micro.blog future, even if in a small way. Let me know about your view on this. I’m genuinely curious. ### My Weekly Creative Summary for the Week of 2024/04 URL: https://numericcitizen.me/my-weekly-creative-summary-for-the-week-of-2024-04/ Last updated: 2024-02-04T14:51:52.000Z [JF Martin (@numericcitizen@pixelfed.social)Like a painting.![](https://pixelfed.social/img/favicon.png?v=2)Pixelfed![](https://pxscdn.com/public/m/_v2/583629418009617054/7c649620b-69b6c5/dy3BSiS4sgfq/qSE2GzVXSr2IYg9KBHsVz3KtdbgBHrz0eRQlPrMT.png)](https://pixelfed.social/p/numericcitizen/658639914898233435?ref=numericcitizen.me) Welcome to the newest edition of my weekly creative summary. Lots of things are happening this week, as usual. > 👨🏻‍💻 2 articles posted 🙂 > 🏞️ 6 photos shared 🙂 > 🎙️ No podcast episode published 😔 > 📺 No YouTube video published 😔 ## 👨‍👩‍👦‍👦 Personal > 1️⃣ Early in the week, I woke up with an email from a long-time reader of mine. He wanted to express his appreciation for my creative work. Apparently, I helped him better understand Craft. It was a very touching email because he alluded to serious health issues that would put an end to his life relatively soon. I responded without knowing too much about what to write. I heard my voice and wrote a big thank you to him for his support, and I wished him to be surrounded by people he cares about for the road ahead. ## 🗺️ Discoveries > 1️⃣ Apparently, there is a movement called "The small web”. I first discovered its existence on [Github](https://github.com/kagisearch/smallweb?ref=numericcitizen.me). Think of it as the promotion of the 1995 web: small, light, privacy-friendly. There is a great description [here](https://smallweb.page/why?ref=numericcitizen.me). I like this idea. Looking at what I'm doing as a blogger with Micro.blog, I feel like being part of this movement and I feel great about it. ## 📖 Reading > 1️⃣ For news and online consumption, something is brewing on Kick Starter: “Weaving your favourite blogs, social media, and more into a unified and chronological timeline.” Tapestry, a project from Iconfactory [on Kickstarter](https://blog.numericcitizen.me/2024/01/30/im-excited-for.html?ref=numericcitizen.me), has caught my attention. After reading the project details, I went ahead and put down 125 US$ to support the project. Then, [I spread the word](https://blog.numericcitizen.me/2024/01/30/im-excited-for.html?ref=numericcitizen.me). I wonder if this will be a reimagined Flipboard clone but presented as a timeline. Let's wait and see where it goes. > *"Because of their decades of truly great products, Apple thinks they are more clever than anyone else. Because of their focus on privacy, Apple thinks they are righteous. Because of their financial success, Apple thinks they are more powerful than governments. The DMA will test whether they’re right." - Manton Reece* ## 👨🏻‍💻 Writing > 1️⃣ Last week, I emailed my few subscribers asking their input on what type of content they would like to receive as a paying member. I'm still waiting for a single reply. For now, I'll pass exclusive content. There aren't many subscribers, but I feel grateful for their support. 2️⃣ I have a few writing projects I'm working on. One article is about the next major release of Craft, version 2.7.0, which I had a chance to test for about a week. Another article, this time about Craft & AI, tries to detail how newer Gen AI models could augment Craft features and overall value. You can read it [here](https://crafted.numericcitizen.me/craft-and-next-gen-AI-assistant?ref=numericcitizen.me). I started writing about using Apple software features and other third-party services to protect my privacy. That article could be long, and I have difficulty working on it. The tentative title is "How Am I Protecting My Data & Privacy Online”. 3️⃣ Bye bye January, hello February: the blog posts monthly digest from Micro.blog is out. All previous monthly digests are available [here](https://blog.numericcitizen.me/newsletters/?ref=numericcitizen.me). It’s a great way to revisit the written past. 😌 [Numeric Citizen Blog Posts Monthly Digest - Numeric Citizen BlogNumeric Citizen Blog Just finished going through my monthly newsletter come out of Micro.blog. 😳 It’s long and feels a bit messy. 🤨 For 2024, I decided to be …![](https://micro.blog/numericcitizen/favicon.png)Numeric Citizen Blog![](https://micro.blog/numericcitizen/avatar.jpg)](https://blog.numericcitizen.me/newsletters/2024/02/01/7152.html?ref=numericcitizen.me) ## 🌄 Photography > 1️⃣ I was less active this week because of my other creative activities (writing articles, preparing YouTube videos, testing a new browser, etc.). Yet, I was able to push a few of my photos from my archives. ## 🍎 Apple > 1️⃣ The Apple Vision Pro arrived in tech reviewers' hands, and many reviews are already flowing through the gates. Consider watching the EPIC review. It's one of the best demos of visionOS capabilities that I’ve seen so far. Really, the Vision Pro certainly looks like one of the best 1.0 products Apple ever released. Coupled with visionOS 1.0 and Apple's ecosystem core technologies, Apple Vision Pro feels like pure magic on day one. And I haven't tried one yet. I'll probably buy one. Or maybe not. 2️⃣ I think Apple keeps [making a lot of money](https://sixcolors.com/post/2024/02/apple-reports-nearly-120b-quarter-full-charts/?ref=numericcitizen.me). > "*As a former customer, I wish Spotify would spend half the energy it has used to moan about Apple’s app store monopoly on creating a better customer experience and making me love the service.*" - Om Malik ## 🚧 Special projects > 1️⃣ I finally made it and updated [my blog](https://blog.numericitizen.me/?ref=numericcitizen.me) site with a new design. It took me a few hours last Sunday and I'm happy about the end-results. I was expecting this mini project to take much longer but my curiosity to try out and experiment with the new design was enough to convince me to switch as fast as I could. Each Micro.blog user gets a blog for testing purposed and I find this cool. It's probably because of Manton's background as a developer. You can have a peek at it in the exhibits section below. There are a few issues still to be ironed out but I'm confident they will be fixed in the coming days or weeks. ## 📱 Apps & Services > 1️⃣ The maker of the Arc Browser came out with Arc Search. It’s an interesting app, but it’s too early to make my default browser on the iPhone. Why? Dependency on Google for searches. No, thank you. I have the same feelings expressed in this [quick video review](https://youtu.be/-9Pw62MEdfA?si=gZoSgAaccsgTQgNN&ref=numericcitizen.me). 2️⃣ The maker of Arc Search is also making the Arc Browser. I was curious and watched a quick [video overview](https://youtu.be/KIzr2YTY47Y?si=7WaQQlATdNm0d9nX&ref=numericcitizen.me). Sounds interesting. I do see some similarities with Safari features, which I don't really use. Anyway, out of curiosity, I'll set some time aside soon to try it out. 3️⃣ Matt Birchler made an interesting video showcasing a big part of his publishing workflow. We both use Reeder, Ulysses and Ghost, but the workflow linking their use is somewhat different. I don't use Obsidian to store reading highlights; I prefer Craft for that, but my setup is manual and far from optimal. His Obsidian automation to create link posts is clever but requires advanced knowledge. There is always room for improvement. Oh, and instead of Readwise, I prefer Omnivore, a lesser-known read-later service. 4️⃣ I started experimenting with the Arc Browser, and I must say that I'm really liking it. I'm only starting to get used to it. Everything seems buttery smooth and feels less cluttered. I think this design is superior to Apple Safari’s. It’s better for consuming RSS feeds in Inoreader and YouTube videos than Safari. I should probably do an article about it in the future. ## 📺 YouTube > 1️⃣ I have four videos in the pipeline that I started working on—two videos about Micro.blog, and two videos about Craft. I'm very iterative in my creative work. I work on each video in a round-robin fashion. It's the same for my writing projects. The next will be published at the beginning of next week, probably on Monday, 5th. I'm quite happy with that one for many reasons. I think I’m still perfecting my setup. This time, I switched to the Arc Browser to demonstrate a website in my video, which looks cleaner than Safari. ## 💎 Miscellaneous > 1️⃣ I should celebrate my 13th year on Reddit, according to… well, Reddit. Should I? 🤫 I used to cross-post many of my website's articles to Reddit using IFTTT automation, thinking that people on Reddit would interact with my content, but it never really clicked, besides a few upvotes from time to time. Then came the API restrictions controversy, and I stopped cross-posting my content indefinitely. I currently have 51 members in the [/r/numericcitizen](https://www.reddit.com/r/numericcitizen/?ref=numericcitizen.me) subreddit. My last post there was published five months ago. ## 🔮 Looking ahead > 1️⃣ Next week should be exciting and very busy. I can't wait to share what I'm currently testing as I write these words. 2️⃣ I'll look for the upcoming reviews and comments about the Apple Vision Pro. I'm devouring these. But I find this piece of technology utterly fascinating. It's like the future now. I'm paying attention to how people will adapt their social acceptance of being isolated to experience a new way of interacting with a sophisticated computer. Remember the AirPods when they first came out? People were laughing at them. And still... they are everywhere now. 🤷🏻‍♂️ 3️⃣ Algoriddim released version 5.1 of Djay, their music mixing application for the Mac. Version 5.1 supports the Apple Vision Pro but also supports Apple Music as its source for music mixing. I quickly tested it to see if a streaming service like Apple Music would cause a problem. It doesn’t, apparently. I'll spend more time soon to test this out. Music quality is certainly something to consider when using streaming for mixing. I wish you a great week! 💡 This newsletter edition is also available as a Craft shared document [****here**](https://crafted.numericcitizen.me/creative-summary-2024-04?ref=numericcitizen.me). This week's edition is based on template version 1.1 — 2024-01-28 and was put together with ❤️ on a 15-inch MacBook Air, Craft and many subscriptions! Support my work ([Paypal](https://paypal.me/numericcitizen?locale.x=en%5FUS&ref=numericcitizen.me)) 🙏🏻 ## Exhibits 👀 ![A new look for my blog. It’s still a work-in-progress as there are some issues with the CSS and the visual theme. It should be fixed soon.](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/2024/02/Safari-Personal-Default-Numeric-Citizen.png) A new look for my blog. It’s still a work-in-progress as there are some issues with the CSS and the visual theme. It should be fixed soon. I always love Marques’ take on tech and on the Apple Vision Pro, he is surpassing himself. [https://youtu.be/hdwaWxY11jQ?si=YUb9TfiBmrWyXCD0](https://youtu.be/hdwaWxY11jQ?si=YUb9TfiBmrWyXCD0&ref=numericcitizen.me) An honest first review of the Apple Vision Pro: “It works until it doesn’t.” An informative review of the Apple Vision Pro. ![Here is my Timery report for the past week, including device usage.](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/2024/02/Image.png) Here is my [Timery](https://www.timeryapp.com/?ref=numericcitizen.me) report for the past week, including device usage. ![Here is my logbook, as seen in Things 3.](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/2024/02/Image-1.png) Here is my logbook, as seen in [Things 3](https://culturedcode.com/things/?ref=numericcitizen.me). ![Numeric Citizen Digital Space Sheet](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/2024/02/Numeric-Citizen-Digital-Space-Tip-Sheet-2024.png) Numeric Citizen Digital Space Sheet ### What’s in this picture? A Non-ChatGPT Description URL: https://numericcitizen.me/whats-in-this-picture-a-non-chatgpt-description/ Last updated: 2024-02-03T20:58:54.000Z Tim Cook, the CEO of Apple, Inc., inside an office at Apple Park is wearing an Apple Vision Pro and pressing its Digital Crown. He stands up. His desk table feels empty with what looks like an iPad Pro with an Apple Pencil\[1\], a HomePod mini, a glass of water and AirPods out of their case\[2\]. Two chairs for visitors can be seen, close to the wall and a window. A portrait of Robert Kennedy is on the wall between the two windows. Tim seems to like changing frames with something else as other frames are standing on the floor against the wall. One frame portrays someone working and looking at something on a large table\[3\]. Other frames are more art-related. On the opposite side of his main desk, an elevated deck holds an Apple Studio Display and a MacBook Pro with a dedicated keyboard and mouse. Tim likes to experience many Apple devices for his work. There is a coffee mug, too, on this high-standing desk. The room lighting is soft and seems indicative of a sunrise\[4\]. Tim wears an Apple Watch Ultra\[5\]. Tim looks cool. And now, the ChatGPT version. > “The photo depicts an indoor office setting with modern furnishings. A man stands in the foreground, facing the camera, adjusting a virtual reality headset with both hands. He wears a dark blue sweater, light blue jeans, and has silver hair. Behind him, the office is bathed in warm, natural light, suggesting the presence of external windows, although they are covered by blinds. > The office is neatly organized; to the left is a sizable, light wood desk hosting a laptop, a notebook, an apple, and a coffee mug. A black office chair with a high backrest is positioned behind the desk. Alongside the desk, there's a small personal area with framed photographs, adding a personal touch to the workspace. In the background, there's a secondary workstation with dual monitors, a keyboard, and a mouse on a smaller desk. The color palette of the room is quite neutral, dominated by beige and wood tones, accented by the green of a potted plant to the left. A picture hangs on the wall, adding an artistic element to the space. Overall, the image conveys a sense of modern professionalism blended with personalization.” Make your own conclusions from this experience. \[1\]: This looks like an unreleased iPad Pro model because the Apple Pencil is located on the shorter side. This would fit the rumors about the upcoming iPad Pro meant to be use in landscape mode with a new keyboard. The overall design still uses straight sides. \[2\]: Weird. \[3\]: Could this be Steve Jobs? It looks like it. \[4\]: Tim Cook is well known to wake up early and work at Apple. \[5\]: It’s hard to tell if this is the first generation or the second generation as they both look identical. ### My Weekly Creative Summary for the Week of 2024/03 URL: https://numericcitizen.me/my-weekly-creative-summary-for-the-week-of-2024-03/ Last updated: 2024-01-28T18:50:19.000Z [JF Martin (@numericcitizen@pixelfed.social)She had perfect curves... #blackandwhite #blackandwhitephotography #architecture #architecturephotography![](https://pixelfed.social/img/favicon.png?v=2)Pixelfed![](https://pxscdn.com/public/m/_v2/583629418009617054/3b17271c9-2ea36d/d9XpNfTXGuYS/9Lt558dQ8yUTq027j6q85JcG1Q3sbfUMtRatSxgx.png)](https://pixelfed.social/p/numericcitizen/656122032142570175?ref=numericcitizen.me) January is mostly over! Wow, that was fast. I guess being busy with all sorts of creative activities explains it! Enjoy this edition, my friends! 😀 > 👨🏻‍💻 31 articles posted 😃 > 🏞️ 12 photos shared 😃 > 🎙️ No podcast episode published 😔 > 📺 1 YouTube video published 🙂 ## 👨‍👩‍👦‍👦 Personal > 1️⃣ I’ve got a few paying members on [numericcitizen.me](https://numericcitizen.me/), where I host this weekly creative summary newsletter, which is available publicly. I've been thinking: what type of exclusive content could I create for my paying subscribers? I think supporters merit getting some extras, but I'm unsure exactly which content extras. So, I decided to send them an email and ask them. I'm looking forward to their response. ## 🗺️ Discoveries > 1️⃣ I discovered that one of [the guy](https://ericgregorich.com/?ref=numericcitizen.me) that I'm following on Micro.blog is the author of the [Cards visual theme](https://github.com/ericgregorich/micro-blog-cards-theme?ref=numericcitizen.me) for Micro.blog websites. After spending some time with the theme's capabilities, I decided to start a small project. See below for more details on this new little “tweaking" project. You know, I’m always tweaking something in my digital life. ## 📖 Reading > 1️⃣ Thanks to news surrounding Apple's announcement in response to DMA, I had many articles to read to better understand what was at stake. See the logbook in the exhibits section. The [best article](https://daringfireball.net/2024/01/apples%5Fplans%5Ffor%5Fthe%5Fdma?ref=numericcitizen.me) comes from John Gruber. I do think Apple is being arrogant and stubborn. They do what any corporation would do: protect their bottom line. I do believe we are hypocrites when we want to break highly profitable business models because we all benefit from them and the system allows them to become what they are. But it's a complex matter. > > *“The delicious irony in Apple’s not knowing if these massive, complicated proposals will be deemed DMA-compliant is that their dealings with the European Commission sound exactly like App Store developers’ dealings with Apple. Do all the work to build it first, and only then find out if it passes muster with largely inscrutable rules interpreted by faceless bureaucrats.”* \- John Gruber ## 👨🏻‍💻 Writing > 1️⃣ I realize that I no longer write about the war in Ukraine. This was the primary use case for my blog on Write.as. The closure of this blog has nothing to do with it because I still have many thoughts about this insane war. I still want to share my thoughts about these events. It's hard to read the news and do nothing about it. Expressing frustration or disbelief or asking questions helps to cope with the matter. 2️⃣ [Day One introduced Shared Journals](https://dayoneapp.com/blog/introducing-shared-journals/?ref=numericcitizen.me) where people can share their thoughts and general writings in a shared journal. I love this idea. I don’t plan to use it as I'm the only one using Day One in my family, to my knowledge. You must have a premium account to post, but free accounts can comment. But this new release reminds me how much I'd like to be able to write on Day One and share a specific journal entry as a blog post on the web. I know that Day One is available on the web (in beta), but I wonder if the next step isn't to allow public journals. My sentiments about this align with [Manton Reece's take on this](https://www.manton.org/2024/01/23/from-the-blog.html?ref=numericcitizen.me). Fingers crossed.🤞🏻 ## 🌄 Photography > 1️⃣ I attended the Madonna “Celebration" show and took close to 300 photos using my iPhone 15 Pro Max. Overall, I'm rather happy with the results. Shows like this don’t offer the easiest conditions for photography with a smartphone. 2️⃣ Pixeflfed needs some work to support better sharing of multi-image posts. You can view some of the best images of the show right below this section. 3️⃣ While reading articles on DPReview, I stumbled on articles about the Nikon Z8 mirrorless camera and started thinking that I wish I had one. It's not cheap and I don't use my Nikon D750 enough to justify this type of upgrade. [JF Martin (@numericcitizen@pixelfed.social)Here’s a selection of my best ten photos taken during the Madonna “Celebration” show. What a great night! Each of these images has something that, I think, conveys a unique take on this two-hour show. Sometimes, it’s the composition, the action on the scene, a ray of light, the surrounding lighting, the ambiance, the complexity of the scene, etc. All image comes without any post-processing, right from my iPhone 15 Pro Max.![](https://pixelfed.social/img/favicon.png?v=2)Pixelfed![](https://pxscdn.com/public/m/_v2/583629418009617054/3b17271c9-2ea36d/A86zNfoimfHP/Ha9SLQ7qRDmGHfgDmbj9SyDzrZa1wCvQvahg4m5B.jpg)](https://pixelfed.social/p/numericcitizen/654848906287626754?ref=numericcitizen.me) ## 🎙️ Podcasting > 1️⃣ I didn't produce a new podcast episode but I did listen to quite a few of them this week. See the logbook in the exhibits section. ## 🍎 Apple > 1️⃣ **The Mac turns 40**. I wrote [something](https://numericcitizen.me/the-mac-turns-40/) about this milestone. During the day, I could read many posts on my timeline from people sharing their first Mac they had under the #MyFirstMac hashtag. It was fun and brought me a lot of great memories. No mention of this milestone on Apple.com or the Newsroom. It's a bit sad. But we got [a lengthy article](https://www.wired.com/story/plaintext-apple-secret-40-year-old-mac-still-rules/?ref=numericcitizen.me) on Wired from Steven Levy. Apple can be nostalgic, but not about themselves. [This is fun](https://mac40th.com/?ref=numericcitizen.me). 2️⃣ Lot’s of [new things announced](https://www.apple.com/newsroom/2024/01/apple-announces-changes-to-ios-safari-and-the-app-store-in-the-european-union/?ref=numericcitizen.me) by Apple with iOS 17.4 directed to developers (and users) for the European Union and the DMA act. There is a lot to digest. One question keeps popping up in my head: how long before the modifications become available worldwide? Judging by the reactions, it seems to be a bit more positive than anyone expected. We will see how the EU will respond to this. These features requires iOS 17.4, which is currently in beta, and should be officially released somewhere in March. What happens if the EU rejects the Apple proposals? Could this delay the release of iOS 17.4 to the public? [Apple announces changes to iOS, Safari, and the App Store in the European UnionApple announced changes to iOS, Safari, and the App Store impacting developers’ apps in the EU to comply with the DMA.![](https://www.apple.com/favicon.ico)Apple Newsroom![](https://www.apple.com/newsroom/images/2024/01/apple-announces-changes-to-ios-app-store-safari-in-the-eu/tile/Apple-EU-Digital-Markets-Act-updates-hero-lp.jpg.og.jpg?202401251814)](https://www.apple.com/newsroom/2024/01/apple-announces-changes-to-ios-safari-and-the-app-store-in-the-european-union/?ref=numericcitizen.me) [Apple Details How It Plans to Comply with the EU’s Digital Markets ActToday, Apple announced how it intends to comply with the Digital Markets Act (DMA), which the European Commission says applies to the App Store. There are a lot of details to cover, but in summary, radical change is coming to the EU App Store, but only in the EU. Let’s take a look at how![](https://www.macstories.net/app/themes/macstories4/images/logo-shape-black.svg)MacStoriesJohn Voorhees![](https://cdn.macstories.net/apple-eu-digital-markets-act-updates-hero-1706205786901.jpg)](https://www.macstories.net/news/apple-details-how-it-plans-to-comply-with-the-eus-digital-markets-act/?ref=numericcitizen.me) ## 🚧 Special projects > 1️⃣ Another week, another little project: building [a new landing page](https://hub.numericcitizen.me/?ref=numericcitizen.me) that will eventually replace [my Linktr.ee](https://linktr.ee/numericcitizen?ref=numericcitizen.me) subscription. It took me about two or three hours to build this and set it to my liking. The one-page website is a new feature for premium subscribers of Micro.blog. My understanding is that we can have as many as we want. The layout is not as cool as on Linktr.ee, but it is functionally equivalent. I'll save 90 US$ a year for this, which is nearly the same for a premium subscription to Micro.blog. 2️⃣ Now that my new landing page is up (and that I’m mostly satisfied with the end results), I'm turning my attention to [start the process of switching my blog visual theme](https://blog.numericcitizen.me/2024/01/28/i-decided-to.html?ref=numericcitizen.me) to a new one, the [Cards theme](https://github.com/ericgregorich/micro-blog-cards-theme?ref=numericcitizen.me). It will take some time to get there, but it's fun, and I can't wait to see how it looks on my blog! 3️⃣ I'm always tweaking something; I spent some time updating my visitor card on Sunday morning, which I'm proudly sharing [here](https://meta.numericcitizen.me/uploads/2024/numeric-citizen-digital-space-tip-sheet-2024-01.png?ref=numericcitizen.me). 4️⃣ I'm working on another secret project that I cannot reveal right now because it involves a big partner. Let's say that I'm beta-testing an app. Something that I wanted to do for a long time for this partner. Stay tuned for that one. ## 📱 Apps & Services > 1️⃣ I decided to stop using Write.as and keep focusing on Micro.blog instead for everything, including my thoughts and observations about the war in Ukraine. I made the [announcement](https://write.as/numericcitizen/from-write-as-to-micro-blog-this-blog-content-is-moving?ref=numericcitizen.me) on my Write.as blog. Importing the content into Micro.blog was super easy and fast. I did have to do some content cleanup as some tags used by Write.as are not supported on Micro.blog and ended up in each post content. 2️⃣ Since the beginning of the year, Inoreader has been releasing a bunch of new features, and [I think they are welcomed additions](https://blog.numericcitizen.me/2024/01/22/inoreader-is-on.html?ref=numericcitizen.me). The Verge posted an article about RSS readers where Inoreader is #2, Feedly taking the top spot. I'm not considering switching, especially if Inoreader keeps improving their offerings like they do since the beginning of this year. 3️⃣ Surprise update to Craft this week. No new features, only bug fixes. Significant releases are long to come buy. They may be working on something big. 👀🕵🏻‍♂️4️⃣ I bought [Sleeve](https://replay.software/sleeve?ref=numericcitizen.me), an Apple Music player for the Mac. It's fully configurable and really well-designed. ## 📺 YouTube > 1️⃣ Don't miss the Computer History Museum event “Insanely Great: The Apple Mac at 40”. Great stories about the Mac, Apple and Steve Jobs. 2️⃣ I created [a video](https://youtu.be/m6yklhdeB-I?ref=numericcitizen.me) summarizing all the recent changes to Micro.blog. ## 💎 Miscellaneous > 1️⃣ I decided to support Birchtree after Matt Birchler announced “[More Birchtree](https://birchtree.me/blog/introducing-more-birchtree/?ref=numericcitizen.me)”. I think it’s important to support other creators like me. This makes me wonder if I could also write content for my paid subscribers. This is something I should consider. Maybe I should ask the question to my paying members? 🤔 I did. Waiting for feedback. ## 🔮 Looking ahead > 1️⃣ In the near future, I plan to replace the Timery reports (screenshots at the end of each edition in the exhibits section below) with Toggl's upcoming public dashboards. They are currently in beta, but I think they are cooler than having a bitmap. Stay tuned for that one. I wish you a great week! 💡 This newsletter edition is also available as a Craft shared document [****here**](https://crafted.numericcitizen.me/creative-summary-2024-03?ref=numericcitizen.me). This week's edition is based on template version 1.0.10 — 2024-01-20 and was put together with ❤️ on a 15-inch MacBook Air, Craft and many subscriptions! Support my work ([Paypal](https://paypal.me/numericcitizen?locale.x=en%5FUS&ref=numericcitizen.me)) 🙏🏻 ## Exhibits 👀 ![A scene from the Madonna “Celebration” I attended this week. More photos here, on Pixelfed.](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/2024/01/IMG_0073-1.jpeg) A scene from the Madonna “Celebration” I attended this week. More photos here, on [Pixelfed](https://pixelfed.social/p/numericcitizen/654848906287626754?ref=numericcitizen.me). ![Day One Shared Journals — image from Day One website.](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/2024/01/Safari-Personal-Default-Introducing-Shared.png) Day One Shared Journals — image from Day One website. ![This is where my avatar comes from, I decided to use it on my hub.](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/2024/01/Finder-2024-01-2419.35.06.gif) This is where my avatar comes from, I decided to use it on my [hub](https://hub.numericcitizen.me/?ref=numericcitizen.me). The Computer History Museum was hosting “Insanely Great: The Apple Mac at 40” event for Macintosh 40th birthday. Note: the video is available on YouTube only. This video is the first in a series describing and demonstrating recent changes to Micro.blog. ![Sleeve for Mac. I’m a fan.](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/2024/01/CleanShotSleeve-2024-01-2714.09.282x.png) Sleeve for Mac. I’m a fan. ![My updated digital visitor card, edition 2024-01.](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/2024/01/Numeric-Citizen-Digital-Space-Tip-Sheet-2024-01.png) My updated digital visitor card, edition 2024-01. ![Here is my Timery report for the past week, including device usage.](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/2024/01/Image-13.png) Here is my [Timery](https://www.timeryapp.com/?ref=numericcitizen.me) report for the past week, including device usage. ![Here is my logbook, as seen in Things 3.](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/2024/01/Image-1-2.png) Here is my logbook, as seen in [Things 3](https://culturedcode.com/things/?ref=numericcitizen.me). ### Special Message to Paying Subscribers URL: https://numericcitizen.me/special-message-to-paying-subscribers/ Last updated: 2024-01-28T13:23:26.000Z Help me imagine the future of this website. _This post is for paying subscribers only._ ### The Mac Turns 40 URL: https://numericcitizen.me/the-mac-turns-40/ Last updated: 2024-01-24T20:09:24.000Z The Mac profoundly influenced my life. And it still does. It has supported, enhanced, and multiplied my creativity since my first contact with it in 1984\. It influenced my view of the tech world and, to some degree, of the world. [My passion for Apple](https://numericcitizen.me/the-roots-of-my-passion-for-apple/), which translated into [buying a series of Macs over the years](https://numericcitizen.me/remembering-the-story-behind-every-apple-computers-i-ever-owned/), forged my reputation as an Apple fan. The Mac story is unique and reflects Apple’s history. There were indeed a lot of good times but also very troubling ones. The Mac went through many complex transitions, and it survived. Now, it is thriving. The Mac helped move consumer electronics to new territories and new classes of users. It democratized the graphical user interface. It made the computer approachable. You might love or hate it, but for me, the Mac is still the best computing experience we can get. Steve Jobs is no longer part of this world and can’t celebrate and see how things are going today. But, to me, the Mac remains one of the best parts of Steve Jobs legacy. Happy anniversary, Mac. Long “life” to you, and I hope to celebrate you when you turn 50\. I’m curious about what the future holds for the Mac. ### My Weekly Creative Summary for the Week of 2024/02 URL: https://numericcitizen.me/my-weekly-creative-summary-for-the-week-2024-02/ Last updated: 2024-02-21T20:55:50.000Z [JF Martin (@numericcitizen@pixelfed.social)So cute. #blackandwhite #blackandwhitephotography![](https://pixelfed.social/img/favicon.png?v=2)Pixelfed![](https://pxscdn.com/public/m/_v2/583629418009617054/3b17271c9-2ea36d/nwfygZyQ6sqw/l7TfR5kN7VDpe7h2uPiWqmYu27daushmNtREnR0e.png)](https://pixelfed.social/i/web/post/654123347734417113?ref=numericcitizen.me) Welcome to the second edition of 2024\. It was a busy week at the office, requiring some overtime, which meant less time for my hobbies! I hope you enjoy this edition! > 👨🏻‍💻 32 articles posted 😃 > 🏞️ 8 photos shared 🙂 > 🎙️ No podcast episode published 😔 > 📺 No YouTube video published 😔 ## 👨‍👩‍👦‍👦 Personal > 1️⃣ Compared to last week, I feel a bit more lethargic and tired. As I write this, it's Thursday; I don't feel too inspired. I have not accomplished much yet. I'm wondering if I'll be able to finish this edition. Last weekend, I intended to practice DJing, but I didn't and felt terrible about it. Instead, I chose to work on different creative projects, making no meaningful progress. 2️⃣ I went to see Madonna Saturday night. What a great way to finish the week. I am sharing one of my best pictures of the show below. It was taken using my iPhone 15 Pro Max with the 2x lens. The photo was not reprocessed and was taken during the show segment where Madonna pays tribute to people who died of AIDS. Very touching. ![IMG\_0073.jpeg](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/2024/01/IMG_0073.jpeg) A scene from the Madonna Celebration show ## 📖 Reading > 1️⃣ I read many pieces this week about Apple and the App Store. Apple looks bad, again *“Apple’s brush with bankruptcy may be more than 25 years ago, but the mindset is still there and it comes across very badly” — R. J. Faas in "Apple – You’re not a struggling company anymore so stop acting like it”* ## 👨🏻‍💻 Writing > 1️⃣ Sunday afternoon, I wrote [a long piece](https://blog.numericcitizen.me/2024/01/14/microblog-how-can.html?ref=numericcitizen.me) about volunteering for Micro.blog. At first, it didn't get the expected attention, which made me feel bad. It was directed to the team behind Micro.blog. They were busy with their life and didn't see it. [I came back on Tuesday](https://blog.numericcitizen.me/2024/01/16/im-a-bit.html?ref=numericcitizen.me) and directly tagged the people. This time was different, and many people reacted to it, including [Manton](https://micro.blog/manton/29407587?ref=numericcitizen.me) and [Jean](https://micro.blog/jean/29407613?ref=numericcitizen.me). Now I know why they didn't respond in the first place. This whole little saga means to me that writing is communicating, and it's not always producing the desired results. We have to be patient so that the message gets through. I guess spending time on Micro.blog's help forum and writing post like [this one](https://help.micro.blog/t/whats-next-early-2024-edition/2468/3?ref=numericcitizen.me) is one way to volunteer? 2️⃣ Matt Birchler asks a great question: [when is he going to retire from writing](https://birchtree.me/blog/when-am-i-going-to-retire-birchtree/?ref=numericcitizen.me)? I'm 56\. I don't see the day when I'm going to stop. In fact, I want to write as long as possible. I believe in passions having a positive effect on longevity. ## 🌄 Photography > 1️⃣ If you want to join Glass, use this [link](https://glass.photo/referral/UFQDAH6CSYTQ?ref=numericcitizen.me) to get a small rebate. You'll thank me later. 2️⃣ If you are on Micro.blog and want an easy and efficient way of uploading photos on Micro.blog, consider downloading and configuring [this shortcut](https://jb.heydingus.net/2024/01/08/entry-to-the.html?ref=numericcitizen.me) from Jarrod Blundy. He is the guy who made the shortcut to get Plausible analytics to display on a widget on the iPhone (read [my article](https://numericcitizen.me/using-plausible-api-charty-for-ios-and-apple-shortcuts-to-build-a-widget-for-plausible-analytics/) about this). 3️⃣ [GuruShot is still alive and doing quite well](https://blog.numericcitizen.me/2024/01/14/gurushots-is-still.html?ref=numericcitizen.me) apparently. I used to play a lot on this game but stopped after realizing how much time sucker this thing was. The game has evolved since the last time I played, but I prefer spending time [sharing my photos on Pixelfed](https://pixelfed.social/numericcitizen?ref=numericcitizen.me). 4️⃣ According the Marques Brownlee, [the iPhone 15 Pro is the best smartphone for photography for 2023](https://youtu.be/JkRXhe3KaPE?si=qPBGpNv7oOpXx9JB&ref=numericcitizen.me). It might be a matter of preferences, but for me, the best camera is the one you've got with you when you need one. ## 🎙️ Podcasting > 1️⃣ After all these years of GarageBand, I still wonder why Apple never created a podcast studio within GarageBand. Apple popularized the podcast, but it seems they missed this opportunity to support the indie podcasters. ## 🍎 Apple > 1️⃣ Apple Vision Pro is going for sale this week. Information coming out from people who tried it in recent weeks lays the ground for mixed success. Great for consuming content (with limited availability of optimized content), no killer app, pricey, heavy. All the ingredients of a version 1.0 product. I wonder how fast Apple will iterate on this product and expand its availability internationally. It will be exciting to read reviews from non-tech pundits. 2️⃣ There is a lot of [pushback](https://mastodon.social/@reichenstein/111781246392386854?ref=numericcitizen.me) on Apple's reaction to the new App Store rules allowing developers to direct users to payments outside the App Store. I'm not an expert in these matters. I have difficulty convincing myself to read all the news about Apple's legal challenges. But one thing is clear: developers are angry, and Apple looks bad. Bad enough to tarnish their brand. There is a limit to which you can make developers constantly angry. I don’t know if Apple will ever cross the line, but they should read the room temperature more carefully. 3️⃣ Speaking of Apple. Many were quick to mention that we shouldn't love a company like Apple. Humans should love other humans, not corporations. Apple doesn't love its customers. Why should we love them? It made me think that in fact we can be passionate about Apple ([I am](https://numericcitizen.me/the-roots-of-my-passion-for-apple/)) or a hockey team or chasing butterflies, but love is for humans. *“What Apple has done by locking down the platform is far worse than anything Microsoft ever did with Windows.* *It hurts users, it hurts developers, and I think it hurts the platform overall. Imagine how much more powerful our pocket computers could be if, for example, the folks at Panic were afforded the freedom necessary to make* [*Transmit*](https://panic.com/blog/the-future-of-transmit-ios/?ref=numericcitizen.me) *and* [*Coda*](https://panic.com/blog/the-future-of-code-editor/?ref=numericcitizen.me) *work on iOS.* *How many developers gave up on an incredible idea because they knew it would never be approved by Apple, because the business model just wouldn’t work without the ability to sell upgrades, or because it wouldn’t be feasible with Apple taking a 30% cut of the revenue?” — *Mike Rockwell* on his blog* ## 🚧 Special projects > 1️⃣ After watching [a video](https://youtu.be/dHnFP5pscaM?si=jUWIVOygfSFF6HDb&ref=numericcitizen.me) about Apple Reminders’ possibilities, [I wondered if I still need Things 3](https://blog.numericcitizen.me/2024/01/20/does-anyone-know.html?ref=numericcitizen.me). I mean, Reminders looks like features complete in many ways: Folders, templates, column views, smart lists, tags, link previews, etc. Content presentation is totally different than with Things 3—both are great designs. I do have a small preference for Things 3, but it lacks smart lists and a columns view that can act as a Kanban board. I think I will reproduce all my Things 3 setup in Apple Reminders, run both setups in parallel for a while, and decide which one to keep. I could even create a video about this project once I decided. Saturday afternoon, I discovered [one major deal-breaker](https://micro.blog/numericcitizen/29644946?ref=numericcitizen.me), though. ## 📱 Apps & Services > 1️⃣ Craft version 2.6.1 came out on Monday but without release notes. We had to wait the next day to get the gist of it. After close to two months of waiting since the last update, how can you not put release notes on the same day? It's beyond me. 2️⃣ I'm testing HyperFocus on the Mac, a utility allowing easy automatic application window placements in a user-defined arrangement. After spending a few moments with the utility, I was perplexed. Stage Manager needs to be disabled, something that I don't want. It's clear users with more than one screen are the target users of this app. I'm running on a 7-day trial period. I'll make my final call at the end of it. 3️⃣ I discovered [this video](https://youtu.be/dHnFP5pscaM?si=jUWIVOygfSFF6HDb&ref=numericcitizen.me) on YouTube about Apple Reminders’ advanced features. This video made me think that Apple Reminders could replace Things 3\. I couldn’t see anything in this video that I do with Things 3 that I couldn't do in Reminders. Apple Reminders offers the columns view that Things 3 doesn't offer. Maybe I should consider switching? 4️⃣ The makers of iA Writer are making a physical product: [a notebook](https://ia.net/topics/ia-writer-in-paper?ref=numericcitizen.me). Looks really nice. It's a great object in itself. My handwriting is so bad that it would ruin the book, so I'm staying all digital! 5️⃣ 37Signals HEY Calendar is finally available. [They circumvent Apple’s stupid rules](https://world.hey.com/dhh/we-ve-resubmitted-the-hey-calendar-app-to-apple-57240fbb?ref=numericcitizen.me) by introducing a way to browse Apple history, presented in a calendar view if you don't have a HEY account. Clever. ![Craft v2.6.1 release notes as published on Slack.](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/2024/01/Image-12.png) Craft v2.6.1 release notes as published on Slack. [Newsletters![](https://micro.blog/numericcitizen/favicon.png)Numeric Citizen Blog![](https://micro.blog/numericcitizen/avatar.jpg)](https://blog.numericcitizen.me/newsletters/?ref=numericcitizen.me) Index page of my post summary newsletter on Micro.blog ## 📺 YouTube > 1️⃣ Marques Brownlee released [a video](https://youtu.be/GQAvce3MA44?si=NEeq5Uww-GL478JJ&ref=numericcitizen.me) that really clicked with me as a compulsive creator. I don't consider myself a YouTuber but produced many videos last year. Brownlee shares many analogies to explain what it entails to be a serious YouTuber aiming at success. I really like when he talks about how, during the YouTuber journey, it will go from being a great creator to a great manager if success takes off. Then, highly successful YouTubers become managers, and the creative side takes a back seat. 2️⃣ I was supposed to record my next YouTube video on Saturday morning, but I didn't feel like it. I must be in a particular mood to set up myself for video recordings. ## 💎 Miscellaneous > 1️⃣ I wrote a longer-than-usual post on Micro.blog earlier this week. The subject was about my desire to become a volunteer for Micro.blog itself. The post didn't get any reaction. I was expecting something different. A few days later, [I expressed a little sadness](https://blog.numericcitizen.me/2024/01/16/heres-another-reason.html?ref=numericcitizen.me) about this. This time, I explicitly tagged the two people behind the Micro.blog so that I get the desired attention. They responded, and I shared how busy they were but that they would eventually return to me. So, I will see where it goes. I want to invest some of my time in a project that I believe in. 2️⃣ I continue to spend quite some time reading my Micro.blog timeline and interacting with members of the community. It's a great place to be compared to other digital spaces like X or Facebook. I like it a lot. I would say that I get 20 times more interactions on Micro.blog than I ever had on Twitter. It's priceless. ## 🔮 Looking ahead > 1️⃣ I hope the upcoming week will prove to be a better one. 2️⃣ I plan to make some changes so that [The Craft Bible](https://numericcitizen.gumroad.com/l/the-craft-bible-v2?ref=numericcitizen.me) gets more visibility and more people subscribe to it. One thing would be to use a custom domain for it, like “`thecraftbible.com`” or “`the.craftbible.com`” or “`craftbible.com`". I did finally settle on the first option. [It's live](https://thecraftbible.com/?ref=numericcitizen.me). I wish you a great week! 💡 This newsletter edition is also available as a Craft shared document [****here**](https://crafted.numericcitizen.me/creative-summary-2024-02?ref=numericcitizen.me). This week's edition is based on template version 1.0.9 — 2024-01-13 and was put together with ❤️ on a 15-inch MacBook Air, Craft and [many subscriptions](https://crafted.numericcitizen.me/current-subscriptions?ref=numericcitizen.me)! Support my work ([Paypal](https://paypal.me/numericcitizen?locale.x=en%5FUS&ref=numericcitizen.me)) 🙏🏻 ## Exhibits 👀 [![apple store](https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/53333632528_bbe5eea088_b.jpg)](https://www.flickr.com/photos/tommao/53333632528/?ref=numericcitizen.me "apple store by tommao1104, on Flickr") I love this photo so much because of the human silhouettes and the size of the wall behind, which gives a sense of the store's size. [The Roots of My Passion for AppleApple has a special place in my life because of my passion for the company, its history and most importantly because I share the same values.![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/size/w256h256/2021/11/Banner3.0-100x100.png)Numeric Citizen SpaceJF Martin![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/numericcitizen.me/wp-content/uploads/2022/02/hussam-abd-zp5upuuctqi-unsplash.b7b7e18fe41c45c3b8e6af79bb961f8d.jpg)](https://numericcitizen.me/the-roots-of-my-passion-for-apple/) From being a creator to a manager - tribulations of any successful YouTuber? Reminders from Apple is a powerful task manager Spoiler alter: best camera goes to the iPhone 15 Pro Max ![Here is my Timery report for the past week, including device usage.](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/2024/01/Timery-Summary-Report2024-01-2109.43.582x.png) Here is my [Timery](https://www.timeryapp.com/?ref=numericcitizen.me) report for the past week, including device usage. ![Here is my logbook, as seen in Things 3.](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/2024/01/Things-Logbook2024-01-2109.49.372x.png) Here is my logbook, as seen in [Things 3](https://culturedcode.com/things/?ref=numericcitizen.me). ### New IT Rules at the Office Prompts Me to Revisit My Mac Usage at Home URL: https://numericcitizen.me/new-it-rules-at-the-office-prompts-me-to-revisit-my-mac-usage-at-home/ Last updated: 2024-01-20T21:28:20.000Z I started writing this article while tinkering with new rules imposed by the IT guys at work. These rules state that everyone must ensure that personal information is not stored on computers used for work purposes. The opposite is true: users must not store work-related data on their home computers. The problem is that I use my personal Mac mini professionally because my work computer, an old 2017 MacBook Pro, is slow and has a bad keyboard. Oops. I knew this was coming. The company is forced to impose this policy because of new provincial regulations regarding personal information protection. Let’s restate the rules I must respect or consider. ## Mandatory rules to comply with To guide my reflection about how I should tweak my updated work environment at home, I must comply with the following rules. 1. No personal data must be present on the Mac used for my work. If I use my Apple ID to sign in with this Mac, iCloud Documents and iCloud Photos library must stay disabled. 2. I must keep a stand-alone Mac for my creative hobbies (good at peak performance — it must be a Mac that includes a fan or, even better, a Mac Studio). 3. I must limit the money to invest. Apple will announce new devices (Macs and iPad Pro) in the first half of 2024 and I’ll need to spend wisely. 4. Accessing the latest macOS release would be useful (I depend on Freeform for my work). 5. Having an Intel-based Mac allows me to run a Windows VM and get access to Microsoft Visio, which I need from time to time for my work. It’s a plus that I cannot get with an Apple Silicon Mac. 6. My home office is also where I record my podcasts and my YouTube videos (usually done on the Mac mini). I must limit the physical reconfiguration of my workspace when I need to record a new episode. 7. When running Windows, a TPM module 2.0 must be present or emulated. ## Current setup at home and some facts ![My home office while setting up a recording session for a YouTube video.](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/2024/01/IMG_8930.jpeg) My home office while setting up a recording session for a YouTube video. Now, let me share details about the devices I depend on for my creative work and professional life. - My main home computer is an M2 MacBook Air sitting on its stand on the right side of my desk. - Secondary home computer for more demanding tasks: M1 Mac mini sitting right in the middle of my desk. - Apple Studio Display connected to the M1 Mac mini. - An aging and rather slow 2017 Intel MacBook Pro with the dreaded keyboard provided by the company I work for. Only used when I go to the office downtown. - A 2018 11-inch iPad Pro on its stand on the left, besides the Apple Studio Display. I don’t use the iPad as much as I could. It could be removed to make some room (not shown on the picture). - An aging 2013 Mac Pro (Model 6,1) for use as my home lab, mainly for work-related activities. - An aging but perfectly fine LG UltraFine 4K Display connected to the cylinder Mac Pro (not shown on the picture). ## Keep using my personal Mac mini Next, I present the possible scenarios to meet the new office security rules. > It’s the cheapest solution that meets rule #3, but it goes against rule #1\. In the long run, it’s not possible. The IT department will eventually deploy a device management software and push some utility on my Mac mini for management purposes, which I don’t want. Obviously, with this scenario, I’m trying to buy some more time to think about my strategy. ## Use the 2017 MacBook Pro when working from home > It’s the cheapest option (rule #3). It’s probably the most obvious one. The MacBook Pro is for when I visit the office downtown about once a week. But to be workable, I need to rethink my device arrangement on my desk at home. My Apple Studio display is centered on my desk and connected to my Mac mini. On the right, the MacBook Air sits on its angled stand. I could use the MacBook Pro in clamshell mode with either the LG UltraFine 4K or Apple Studio display. The former poses an ergonomic problem by being positioned at the left. The latter would need to be disconnected each time from my Mac mini and connected to my office Mac. One thing is also clear: this 2017bMac must be replaced in the next 24 months. Finally, some apps I use on my personal Mac will need to be installed on this MacBook Pro because they are so helpful (Raycast, MacGPT, PopClip, CleanShots, etc.). This scenario allows me to run Windows and Visio (rule #5) via a virtual machine with VMware Workstation. It might be the best scenario. ## Use my unused Mac Pro (Model 6,1) > This scenario requires a similar redesign of my home office desk setup but is also cheap (rule #3). I’ll need to plug in and use one of my unused webcams (probably the Logitech one). I won’t be able to take advantage of the latest release of macOS (Ventura being the last supported version for this Mac Pro) and won’t be able to use Apple Freeform. TPM 2.0 isn’t available on this Mac (rule #7). Finally, the company is considering providing virtual desktops to some employees, which would make the ability to use a virtual machine for Windows on the Mac Pro become unnecessary. ## Buy a dedicated Mac mini with the M2 chip > The most expansive option breaks rule #3, but at the same time, it would help repurpose my aging M1 Mac mini for the office and use the new M2 Max Mac mini instead for my personal use. But I wouldn’t be meeting rule #5\. Oh well. This scenario would be more acceptable if the company goes ahead with the Cloud PC thing. I’ll have to check with the IT department if a decision is due soon. I’m still undecided as to what I should do. I’ll wait a little bit longer.🤫 ### My Weekly Creative Summary for the Week of 2024/01 URL: https://numericcitizen.me/my-weekly-creative-summary-for-the-week-of-2024-01/ Last updated: 2024-02-18T12:30:33.000Z [A lonely relic of the past, still working, but unused.JF Martin on Glass![](https://glass.photo/favicon.svg)![](https://cdn.glass.photo/post/11f31d2b-adb0-4d0b-9a2b-22ca3caa16c3/photo?auto=format&fm=jpg&w=828&s=0063be79b7e296034e07092f1755307f)](https://glass.photo/numericcitizen/7LFkE6xLr2YsX2Z614gYBc?ref=numericcitizen.me) Welcome to the first edition of 2024! I wish you a happy new year. Now, I’m back and have many updates to share with you. Enjoy this ride! > 👨🏻‍💻 27 articles posted 😃 > 🏞️ 15 photos shared 😃 > 🎙️ No podcast episode published 😔 > 📺 1 YouTube video published 😃 ## 👨‍👩‍👦‍👦 Personal > 1️⃣ My holiday break was highly appreciated. I needed to take a break from this newsletter and other creative projects. It doesn't mean I didn't have some ideas and thoughts for the future, but I wasn't actively working on something. After spending a few days with my family, we went to the Dominican Republic for a week. It's my third visit to this beautiful country. It was a wonderful trip until the very last moments, when we spent 90 minutes in a taxi heading to the airport while talking with the driver about serious subjects like religion, poverty, science, and climate change, to name a few. What a nice guy. I gave him a very good tip for this experience. ## 🗺️ Discoveries > 1️⃣ The following discovery is more like a re-discovery. [Someone](https://micro.blog/jarrod?ref=numericcitizen.me) on Micro.blog shared an Apple Shortcut that acts like an image uploader for Micro.blog. The shortcut will return the URL to the uploaded file, which can be used anywhere. This simple process means that Micro.blog can be used as a simple image hosting service, just like other services like Backblaze (when used with DropShare). This is something I'll consider in the near future because I wonder if this setup could be used instead of my current file-sharing setup involving DropShare and BackBlaze. Decision, decision, decision. 🤔 ## 📖 Reading > 1️⃣ I read many articles in my Omnivore save-for-later queue during my holiday break. Reading more is one of my goals for the year. I hope to continue that habit. I'm trying to visit Omnivore a few times a week. But, I recently discovered an issue with Omnivore's ability to synchronize text highlights with Readwise. I posted a bug report on Discord, and sure enough, it's an issue, but I'm not sure when it will be fixed. I'm unsure if the feature will resume where it left off since the last successful synchronization. Annoying. ## 👨🏻‍💻 Writing > 1️⃣ My writing projects queue is low. I had two major articles in the works. One is about my migration experience from Adobe Lightroom to Photomator, which is now completed and published. The other concerns the technical implications of newly imposed security rules at the office and how they will affect my work-from-home setup. I’m mostly done with that one. A third is about securing an Apple ecosystem using different tools and services. 2️⃣ The week's events prompted me to write two posts on [numericcitizen.me](https://numericcitizen.me/) compulsively, something that I rarely do. One post is about Apple's tough year ahead, and another is about Apple Vision, their new headset. Maybe I'm getting better at spontaneous writing. 3️⃣ I read a few articles and comments recently about the possible resurgence of blogs. [Some people](https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2023/dec/26/blogging-freedom-outdated-format?ref=numericcitizen.me) have been blogging since the early days in a compulsive matter. I started in 2009 but interrupted my journey a few times, which I regret. ![A comment from a reader on one of my article. Priceless.](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/2024/01/CleanShotSafari-2024-01-1008.48.212x.png) A comment from a reader on one of my article. Priceless. [I asked ChatGPT to draw a “social network for writers.” I love what it came up with.![](https://cdn.micro.blog/images/icons/favicon_192.png)![](https://micro.blog/photos/96/https://www.gravatar.com/avatar/2378b474e8eadf5da80e86c2bbc75a74?s=96&d=https%3A%2F%2Fmicro.blog%2Fimages%2Fblank_avatar.png)](https://micro.blog/dave/28948626?ref=numericcitizen.me) ![Visualizing: a social network for writers.](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/2024/01/social-network-for-writers.png) Visualizing: a social network for writers. ## 🌄 Photography > 1️⃣ I started actively working on my migration from Adobe Lightroom to Photomator near the end of 2023 and [finally completed the process](https://blog.numericcitizen.me/2024/01/06/finally-cancelled-my.html?ref=numericcitizen.me) this week. I'll save more than 300 CAN$ a year because of this. It was one of my goals for 2024, as reported on [my personal landing page](https://crafted.numericcitizen.me/about?ref=numericcitizen.me). I wrote a [detailed article](https://numericcitizen.me/adobe-lightroom-2016-2024-rip-how-to-migrate-from-adobe-lightroom-to-photomator/) about the migration process and some discoveries I made. Check it out. 2️⃣ My next summer vacation will be in Croatia for three weeks. As for my trip to Italy, I will bring my big camera gear. I would be sad to miss photo opportunities by leaving my real camera at home. 3️⃣ I returned to reading my photography-related news feeds, discovering that DPreview is still alive but seems to publish much less than before. Petapixel seems to be the place to go. I'm reading both. 4️⃣ One of [my published photo](https//glass.photo/highlights/everyday-favorites)s from my profile made it to the category highlight on Glass. I'm super happy that my work is being noticed on Glass. 😃 5️⃣ In December, I started beta testing an app called [Globetrotter](https://www.theglobetrotter.club/?ref=numericcitizen.me) that I find well-designed and valuable. Globetrotter allows you to browse your photo library in a different way than what Apple provides. The base canvas is a map with photos positioned according to their GPS coordinates. From there, you move around and explore your library. Statistics show how many places and countries you visited, how many landmarks you saw, etc. It's a great way to browse your photos. See the exhibits section below for two screenshots. ## 🍎 Apple > 1️⃣ After watching [this documentary](https://youtu.be/38XMIMrIg%5Fg?si=R%5FJcAw0oQWxW6%5FoY&ref=numericcitizen.me) about Tim Cook, I was prompted to write [my thoughts](https://numericcitizen.me/a-though-year-for-apple/) about the upcoming year for Apple. It won't be an easy one, for sure. Spoiler alert: regulation, anti-trust investigations. 2️⃣ Apple finally confirmed the availability of their Apple Vision Pro. Here are [my thoughts](https://numericcitizen.me/apple-vision-pro-the-missing-apple-keynote-case/). I'm getting mildly excited about the Apple Vison Pro launch, even if it’s unavailable in Canada. Yet, I don't like the idea of people wearing this thing on the face as we are already too often hooked to our screens. ## 🚧 Special projects > 1️⃣ I started digging deeper into the PARA method by reading articles and watching Tiego Forte videos. I plan to see how to adapt my workflow to adopt this information management method. I'll eventually create a video explaining how Craft can be used with the PARA method. Surprisingly, my current way of managing and storing my digital assets in Craft is similar to the PARA method. ## 📱 Apps & Services > 1️⃣ Photomator 3.3 on the Mac is currently in beta and brings a highly awaited feature: a file browser. Up to now, Photomator has always worked with Apple's Photos to store photos. It's no longer the case. Now, we can browse files anywhere and open them directly in Photomator. The file browser was available on the iPad and iPhone but was missing on the Mac. This addition helps the transition from Adobe Lightroom to Photomator for my photo processing needs. 2️⃣ Zavala, an outliner for Mac and iPad, received important updates during the holidays after a long silence. I use Zavala occasionally when working on long projects where I must first organize my thoughts. [This made me happy](https://blog.numericcitizen.me/2023/12/20/im-happy-to.html?ref=numericcitizen.me). 3️⃣ I've been using Kagi Search since last November, and I'm pretty happy with it so far. I decided to pay for a one-year subscription. Then, I read these comments on Micro.blog about the partnership between Kagi and Brave, and share search results. The problem, apparently, is Brave’s CEO, which happens to support anti-gay marriage, among other things. Some people decided to cancel their Kagi subscription. I think It's overkill, as I wrote at length [here](https://micro.blog/numericcitizen/28946472?ref=numericcitizen.me). It's not an easy call to make, but I like [this point of view](https://micro.blog/moonmehta/28956592?ref=numericcitizen.me). 4️⃣ iA Presenter for iPad and iPhone is coming soon as it is [currently in beta](https://ia.net/topics/ia-presenter-beta-for-ipad-and-iphone?ref=numericcitizen.me). My use cases of this presentation app are rather limited, but I love it when I use it on the Mac. 5️⃣ HEY Calendar is finally out, and [I don’t really like it](https://blog.numericcitizen.me/2024/01/05/hey-calendar-first.html?ref=numericcitizen.me). Judge for yourself by watching [their walkthrough video](https://youtu.be/SztU4232u%5Fo?si=MKRUQiGVLzl1kBJQ&ref=numericcitizen.me). 6️⃣ I started a monthly subscription (very cheap) to Up Ahead iPhone app after watching [this video](https://youtu.be/APHqbeVfH%5FE?si=tzKcbQ%5FbTdNmce1U&ref=numericcitizen.me) from Matt Birchler. It's a nice and joyful app to use. 7️⃣ I’ve been testing a shortcut recently, which uploads files to Micro.blog and returns the URL pointing to that file. It's the same thing I get with DropShare and Backblaze, making me wonder If I need to keep that Dropshare setup, even if it is free. ## 📺 YouTube > 1️⃣ On January 1, six months later than I was hoping, I finally [reached](https://blog.numericcitizen.me/2024/01/01/subscribers-goal-achieved.html?ref=numericcitizen.me) the 1K subscribers mark on my YouTube channel! My video release cadence is much lower than at the beginning of my journey as a YouTuber. The number of new subscribers decreased accordingly. 2️⃣ I should do more collaborative projects. I had the pleasure and the honour to be invited to [a live stream session with a friend to talk about Craft](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D9HSuhzLte0&ref=numericcitizen.me). It was exciting to talk about one of my best apps at the center of my workflow. It's in French, so if you can, use Google Translate! I briefly mentioned how Craft compares to Notion and made a few remarks about data portability. I love to do these recordings. I think it's one of many to come! 3️⃣ Matt Birchler [wrote an interesting article](https://birchtree.me/blog/getting-in-my-own-way/?ref=numericcitizen.me) that I relate to quite a lot as a creator. It's this idea that when we try too hard to do great things, like producing videos for YouTube, we get in our way and hinder our creativity. Sometimes, trying it without too much thinking and preparation is better. As I'm writing this, I know that I'll produce a new video about Micro.blog, and I spent quite some time in preparation. I hope it will make a difference in content quality. 4️⃣ I created a 14m 10s video explaining how to create and manage pages and redirects with Micro.blog hosting service. It's the first video of 2024. > Fascinating (or depressing) fact: it took me about 4 hours to create a 14m 10s video. 👀🤔 ## 💎 Miscellaneous > 1️⃣ Professor Niklaus Wirth died. Who was he? He was the creator of the Pascal computer language. He was 89\. Pascal is a synonym of my early days in computer science. It's one of the first languages that I learned on TRS-80 computers and later on the Macintosh. If I remember correctly, Pascal was the first high-level language to be available on the Mac. Just like [Manton Reece remembers](https://www.manton.org/2024/01/11/john-gruber-in.html?ref=numericcitizen.me), I have great memories of my time at school learning Pascal. John Gruber [commenting](https://daringfireball.net/linked/2024/01/11/niklaus-wirth-rip?ref=numericcitizen.me) on Wirth's passing. 2️⃣ I tweaked [my blog website](https://blog.numericcitizen.me/?ref=numericcitizen.me), updating the theme plugins and narrowing the content visually. Also spent some time updating [my meta website](https://world.numericcitizen.io/?ref=numericcitizen.me) with content validation and updates to my toolset. ## 🔮 Looking ahead > 1️⃣ I’m trying to convince someone to do an interview or have a recorded discussion about creativity. This guy is super creative, has a great photo style, and travels a lot. He is a freelance worker, too. It's quite a lot of things to talk about. I want to do something like [the one I made](https://youtu.be/vSssU-2LBUk?ref=numericcitizen.me) with the founder of Micro.blog, Manton Reece. When he agrees, I'll share more news about this. If he reads this newsletter, he will recognize himself. 🙂 I wish you a great week! 💡 This newsletter edition is also available as a Craft shared document [here](https://crafted.numericcitizen.me/creative-summary-2024-01?ref=numericcitizen.me). This week's edition is based on template version 1.0.8 — 2023-12-19 and was put together with ❤️ on a 15-inch MacBook Air and Craft. --- ## Exhibits 👀 A must-see documentary about Tim Cook A recorded discussion with a friend of mine where we talked about Craft (in French) Keeping track of important dates with Up Ahead This is an example of a video that I’d like to do more with other people. I might have found one. Video about Micro.blog pages management published this week ![My latest photo processing workflow diagram for 2024-01.](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/2024/01/Image-11.png) My latest photo processing workflow diagram for 2024-01. ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/2024/01/Globetrotter-Globetrotter2024-01-1308.57.562x.png) ![The Globetrotter app in action shows some of my photos.](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/2024/01/Globetrotter-Globetrotter2024-01-1308.56.252x.png) The Globetrotter app in action shows some of my photos. ![Image.png](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/2024/01/Image-1-1.png) Image.png ![Here is my Timery report for the past week, including device usage.](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/2024/01/Image-2-1.png) Here is my [Timery](https://www.timeryapp.com/?ref=numericcitizen.me) report for the past week, including device usage. ![Here is my logbook, as seen in Things 3.](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/2024/01/Image-3-1.png) Here is my logbook, as seen in [Things 3](https://culturedcode.com/things/?ref=numericcitizen.me). ### Adobe Lightroom 2016-2024 RIP — How To Migrate From Adobe Lightroom to Photomator URL: https://numericcitizen.me/adobe-lightroom-2016-2024-rip-how-to-migrate-from-adobe-lightroom-to-photomator/ Last updated: 2024-01-10T11:58:44.000Z ## Why leave the Adobe ecosystem? I’ve been subscribing to Adobe Photography Plan since 2019 but started using Lightroom Classic in 2016 when I started shooting in RAW format. Since last year, I’ve considered leaving the Adobe ecosystem for a while. After I began posting images on Pixelfed and decided to close my SmugMug account, I realized that my photo-processing needs don’t justify a pricey subscription like Adobe’s. This year, the stars are finally aligning: my usage of my traditional camera dropped significantly, and my usage of my iPhone took over. Synology Photos is an excellent replacement for Adobe Lightroom catalogue management, and Photomator is a mature enough alternative. Also, I’m less and less at ease with my photos being tied to a silo like Adobe’s. Moreover, the following reasons pushed me to look for alternatives and make the final call. - Lightroom feels like a perpetual migration from the old codebase, Lightroom Classic. It makes photo processing and management a bit cumbersome. Thanks to its simplicity and refreshing take, I started with the classic version and eventually went to the new Lightroom. - Adobe’s apps are not the best examples of native apps. They tend to lag behind competitors in fully exploiting Apple’s technologies like Apple Silicon, GPU, and Apple Metal. I believe native and non-cross-platform apps always feel faster and are better alternatives. Photomator is such an example. - Importing and synchronizing photos can be slow in Adobe Cloud. - I realized that I use Apple Photos more and more to edit my photos instead of Lightroom, even with RAW photos. But the Apple Photos editing interface is not my preferred one. I prefer Photomator’s take. It feels closer to the Lightroom experience, similar to an Apple-designed app, but better. - I don’t use Photoshop and rarely use Adobe Express; both apps are bundled in the photography subscription plan. At first, switching off from Adobe ecosystem looked like a daunting task. However, after some research and validation, I must confess that leaving the Adobe ecosystem is not that hard. My setup is plain: one reason is that I do not depend on sophisticated profiles, presets or any specific plugins (besides the Publish to Smugmug plugin). ## Migration process details Two preliminary steps were required: 1. Optimize and consolidate photo storage on my Synology NAS (mandatory for using Synology Photos) instead of using external SSD; 2. Tweak storage backups; My initial setup was to have Lightroom and Lightroom Classic installed so that photos uploaded through Lightroom would also show up in Lightroom Classic. A local copy would also be stored on one external SSD drive, while older photos were stored on my Synology NAS. The goal was to move everything to the NAS and turn off Lightroom’s local storage. At the end of the migration process, Lightroom Classic will be used to browse photos that were inserted into the Adobe ecosystem from 2016 to 2023 but are now stored on my Synology NAS. Starting this year, photos taken with my Nikon will also be stored on my Synology NAS, and pictures taken with my iPhone will stay in the iCloud Photos Library. The migration process goes like this: 1. Open Lightroom Classic and delete any unwanted photos (those that were marked as rejected, close to 1800 of them out of 24K needed to be deleted); 2. Make sure all photos are synched up and can be seen from Lightroom Classic; 3. Disabled photos syncing between Lightroom Classic and Lightroom. The reason for that is that Lightroom (the non-Classic version) entirely depends on the cloud to work and this will cease to work after my subscription expires; ![Lightroom albums being synced to Lightroom Classic](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/2024/01/Image.png) Lightroom albums being synced to Lightroom Classic The two-arrows icon on the left was deactivated in Lightroom. 1. Create a dedicated folder to store RAW images on my home share on the Synology NAS; 2. Move all photos stored on external SSD drives to my Synology NAS. Moving folders and files is easy within Lightroom Classic with drag-and-drop gestures. I migrated my photos in batch. Some migrations took quite a while to complete over a 1 GbE network connection (the NAS becomes quite busy while receiving files and indexing them for use and access by Synology Photos); ![Progress bar of a folder being moved with Lightroom Classic](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/2024/01/Image-1.png) Progress bar of a folder being moved with Lightroom Classic Thousands of photos needed to be migrated under my `/Home/Photos` directory so that Synology Photos could index them. This storage strategy creates an additional way to manage the same photo collection. If Lightroom stops working, I can continue browsing my photo library with Synology Photos. Finally, all my photos on my Synology NAS are now also backed up to Synology C2 cloud storage using the Synology Hyper Backup utility. ![Where to start to cancel an Adobe subscription](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/2024/01/Image-2.png) Where to start to cancel an Adobe subscription ![The warning popup Lightroom displays upon starting](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/2024/01/Image-3.png) The warning popup Lightroom displays upon starting ## Processing and managing photos in a post-Adobe world Here’s how I manage my photos in without an Adobe Creative Cloud subscription. My photo storage location is based on which camera was used. Photos from my Nikon are uploaded to the Synology NAS and managed with Synology Photos. These photos are stored outside Lightroom Classic using a different folder structure. Photos coming from my iPhone are stored, as expected, in the iCloud Photos Library and are available on all my devices and through Photomator, which also depends on the iCloud Photos Library. ![Main view of Synology Photos](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/2024/01/Image-4.png) Main view of Synology Photos ![Viewing photo metadata in Synology Photos](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/2024/01/Image-5.png) Viewing photo metadata in Synology Photos Photo management is different when using Photomator and Pixelmator Pro. I would say that the notion of catalog maintenance no longer feels central. It’s a “file-based” management style that takes over. When I return from a photo session with my Nikon, I create a new folder on my Synology NAS and copy photos in it. I make sure to adopt the `Year-Month-Date-Description` folder naming scheme. They end up in Synology Photos after completing the indexing and thumbnail generation. Next, I browse the folder using the Finder Gallery view and open up Photomator with the selected photo I want to edit. A future release of Photomator will include file browsing capabilities, bringing the Mac version on par with its iPad sibling. I'm currently testing the beta version, and it works great. ![Opening a photo from the Finder for edition in Photomator or Pixelmator](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/2024/01/Image-6.png) Opening a photo from the Finder for edition in Photomator or Pixelmator Synology Photos’ impressive capabilities, including tags, albums, smart albums, face recognition, rating, full metadata support, slideshow, and geolocation, make it an excellent replacement for the Lightroom Classic catalogue. Synology Photos acts as the Lightroom catalog replacement and can be saved as a web app on the Mac, and it works great! It’s speedy and capable! Photomator’s Sidecar file management is something to consider and could become an issue. Management is required to keep space consumption at a reasonable level. Sidecar files hold editing information and non-destructive editing actions that can be reverted as long as the sidecar file exists. Sidecar files can be rather big, with more than 100 MB, but most are under 40 MB. As I write this, my Sidecar folder contains over 325 images, totalling 4 GB of storage. The oldest images date back to 2019\. It’s probably when I started using Photomator. Sidecar files are required only for edited photos in the iCloud Photos Library. ![Editing options in Photomator](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/2024/01/CleanShotHazeOver-2023-12-2512.27.452x.png) Editing options in Photomator ![Purging old sidecar files in Photomator to save disk space](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/2024/01/Image-7.png) Purging old sidecar files in Photomator to save disk space ## What is left behind What happens after terminating my subscription to Adobe’s Photography plan? You must remember what this plan includes: Photoshop, Lightroom and Lightroom Classic. The latter is the key to doing the transition outside Adobe’s ecosystem. According to Adobe’s website, 23 apps and services are included in the photography plan subscription. Here is a quick rundown of the most significant ones. - The Lightroom web interface was nice to have, but I rarely used it. - Lightroom Classic still allows to manage the library or export a post-processed file. The Develop module is no longer available once the subscription is disabled, though and images cannot be stored in Adobe Creative Cloud. - Lightroom social features like Photo Remixes, the community, and my photographer profile were nice, but I didn’t take advantage of them. - Lightroom Classic plugins for services like Glass or Pixelfed, if they ever come, won’t have an equivalent in Photomator. - Adobe Portfolio was nice but complicated to set up to my liking, and eventually, I stopped using it. - Adobe Behance never really clicked with me. - Adobe Stock allowed me to sell a few images, but that’s it. I did ask to terminate my Adobe Stock account as a subscriber as I don’t plan to submit any new photos to the service. I prefer to focus on Unsplash, Glass and Pixelfed instead. - Adobe Express (formerly named Adobe Spark), which was cool to use to make gift cards. - Adobe Fonts collection, but I don’t remember using any of them. All of these were not part of my photo-processing workflow, and I can live without them. ## Useful facts, tips and things to know I learned some interesting facts while studying Adobe alternative apps and preparing for the migration process. - I didn’t delete my Adobe account; I only disabled my photography subscription plan. - My experience of cancelling my Adobe subscription was way better than expected. I read numerous stories of people who wanted to cancel their subscriptions but didn’t have a great experience. - To regain disk space on my Mac, I disabled “Store a copy of all Originals” in Lightroom. - Lightroom Classic consumes 4 GB to 8 GB of RAM, depending on the feature used. - Lightroom consumes 1 GB to 3 GB of RAM. - Photomator is much less hungry with a memory consumption between 500 MB of RAM and 1 GB of RAM. - Lightroom Classic takes 9 seconds to open in library mode on my M1 Mac mini. Photomator takes only 4 seconds to do the same—more than half the time. Pixelmator Pro is even faster, with a 2-second wait to load. - If I were to stop using Lightroom Classic completely, I could use two smart collections that I created to export processed images using photo rating and flagging. These two indicators point to photos that I really loved and were processed with all my attention. Any photos outside of this collection aren’t really worth it. ![Creating a smart album in Lightroom to list all photos with 5-star and a white flag for easy export](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/2024/01/Image-8.png) Creating a smart album in Lightroom to list all photos with 5-star and a white flag for easy export On the Mac, by default, when using Lightroom Classic and Lightroom, the Pictures folder will look something like the one in the screenshot below. In the Lightroom Classic folder, previous catalog backups and the actual catalog files will sit there. Also sitting there is the Lightroom library file that can be quite big. Once migrated off Adobe, the latter file can be removed because the cloud-based version of Lightroom (the non-classic one) no longer works and is unnecessary. ![A typical /Pictures folder with both Lightroom Classic + Lightroom apps](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/2024/01/Image-9.png) A typical /Pictures folder with both Lightroom Classic + Lightroom apps ## My new photo processing workflow for 2024 and beyond Compared to the [last update](https://numericcitizen.me/2022/11/20/my-photo-processing-workflow-as-of-2022-11/), simplification might be the best way to describe and summarize what’s new in this update. Now that the Adobe Lightroom era is mostly behind me, it’s time to present an update to my photo processing workflow. Photo editing results in Photomator and Pixelmator are saved into iCloud Photo Library or to disk using the export option. If I ever stop using my Nikon D750 camera, my editing solution will solely depend on iCloud Photo Library for the most part. ![My updated and simplified photo processing workflow as of 2024-01](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/2024/01/Image-10.png) My updated and simplified photo processing workflow as of 2024-01 ![The end.](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/2024/01/Image.jpeg) The end. ### Apple Vision Pro — The Missing Apple Keynote Case URL: https://numericcitizen.me/apple-vision-pro-the-missing-apple-keynote-case/ Last updated: 2024-01-09T11:53:21.000Z It’s [now official](https://nr.apple.com/Do2i0i9Tz6?ref=numericcitizen.me): Apple Vision goes on sale on January 19th and can be yours, provided you live in the US and visit an Apple Store on February 2\. Oh, and if you can pay the asking price of 3499 US$. The press release includes some new details about the headset: 256 GB of storage and 2.5 hours of 2D video playback time, and the price of optical inserts starts at 99 US$. But what else can we learn from the press release? Visually speaking, we get to see a new variant of the straps that will keep the headset secure on your head (as shown on this article’s header image). And that’s it. Apple didn’t include updated materials for this highly anticipated press release. Oh, and Apple Vision Pro is now called Apple Vision. However, we can derive a few other exciting things from this press release. The order in which Apple refers to possible use cases for Apple Vision is fascinating: productivity comes before media consumption. I find this surprising. I would have expected that Apple push content consumption first because it’s probably one of the best use cases while we wait for another killer app. Apple Vision is a unique device for Apple to sell and requires a unique go-to-market strategy. Comparing the headset’s release to what Apple did for the Apple Watch is a mistake. Why? Walk-in visitors can see and experience an Apple Watch pretty quickly, but for the headset, demos will probably be on appointment only, limiting the product’s exposure to potential customers. Let’s face it: Apple can’t sell millions of headsets in a weekend. They probably won’t even sell a million in the first twelve months. If past experience by some members of the tech press who got a chance to test Apple Vision is any indication, using the device requires a unique setup compared to setting up an iPhone with Face ID. The Apple Vision final setup process will probably be shorter than the initial demos, thanks to optimizations by Apple engineers, but still… Apparently, there won’t be an Apple keynote; Apple thinks a press release is enough. This made [some tech pundits](https://mastodon.social/@film%5Fgirl/111721921512936243?ref=numericcitizen.me) question Apple’s strategy. Should there have been a new keynote for the official launch of the Apple Vision? Considering the unique nature of the device, the unique sale process and possibly limited availability of the device, I don’t think so. Apple is counting on early adopters to share their experiences on social networks and YouTube to spread the news and keep the excitement high for weeks and months. As explained earlier, this strategy also aligns with Apple’s limited capacity to deliver the handsets to customers. In 2024, everything will improve. Many developers will buy the headset to keep it and learn the platform’s uniqueness. Apple will learn and tweak the sales process. The general public will become acquainted with Apple Vision and its capabilities. Apple will iterate and accelerate the cadence. This is how Apple operates. It’s better for Apple to play it on the safe side and get ready to react quickly to any surprises that might crop up along the way. If Apple faces any failures, even the smallest ones, the tech pundits will promptly notice and spread the bad news. Apple, under Tim Cook, doesn’t want that. Tim Cook plays it safe. Oh, we got an [ad](https://youtu.be/aqTIB%5Fq40bo?si=-1fto%5FvaIUxc87-r&ref=numericcitizen.me) using a similar storyline as the first iPhone teaser. It’s clever but not as effective. Such a unique device could have earned its unique storyline. Are you ready for this? ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/2024/01/Apple-Vision-Pro-availability-hero.jpg) ### A Tough Year Ahead for Apple URL: https://numericcitizen.me/a-though-year-for-apple/ Last updated: 2024-01-06T21:52:59.000Z In the past, I used to publish an article on my expectations related to Apple for the upcoming year. Not this year. However, I can still make some obversations, perhaps obvious ones, but they are my thoughts nonetheless. The year ahead will be particularly difficult and full of unusual challenges for Apple. In terms of regulation, Apple will be under pressure from regulatory authorities in Europe and the United States for greater openness of the iPhone, even if the definition of what that represents may vary from region to region. iOS 18 might introduce third-party App Store support to preemptively comply before it gets ugly. Speaking of software, Apple is perceived as lagging behind in the generative AI space. Is Siri going to integrate some form of Gen AI to play catchup? I have serious doubts because I feel that Siri is built on hard-to-expand foundations. On the other hand, I do not see any significant launches that could serve as revenue growth generators. The Vision Pro is a niche product with low sales velocity. The renewal of iPads does not offer particularly exciting prospects either. With the transition to Apple Silicon completed Apple is already in a mode of gradual refinement with increasingly diminishing performance gains from one generation to the next. And the iPhone is... mature. It seems like Apple failed to break previous records by a wide margin in the last two cycles (iPhone 14 and iPhone 15). Both were successful launches, but maybe not blockbuster ones. There is a limit to what Apple can add or change to the iPhone, and it seems increasingly obvious that Apple is approaching that limit. A must-see documentary about Tim Cook Finally, [this documentary](https://youtu.be/38XMIMrIg%5Fg?si=xdFUvMRAAqs3NL%5Ft&ref=numericcitizen.me) about Tim Cook made me think: will his leadership be questioned? Recent departures from the design team are troubling and might be a sign that something is wrong with current product plans. Would it be more appropriate for him to step down and hand over his position to a younger successor with a renewed focus on products? Apple can continue with relative success, but we all know what made Apple successful was a focus on creating great designs that people wanted to buy. The Vision Pro is mind-blowing but feels slightly off in the current context where everyone talks about AI. ### Another Chapter Completed in the Craft Story — The 2023 Year In Review URL: https://numericcitizen.me/another-chapter-completed-in-the-craft-story-the-2023-year-in-review/ Last updated: 2023-12-22T11:46:28.000Z Another year of Craft updates, twists and turns comes to a conclusion. I waited until the very end of 2023 before sharing this year in review. On December 21, the Craft team officially shared the news: the next release will come sometime in January 2024\. I applaud this decision because it puts the user’s interests first. Imagine if a last-minute bug popped up with this last release and just before going for the holidays. This could have been a major setback and a public relations crisis to manage at the worst time. It’s hard to tell if it was a good or bad year for Craft. Updates seemed more spaced out than last year’s, and most updates were less significant in general, with a few exceptions. Before reviewing this year’s events, I went back to read [last year’s review](https://crafted.numericcitizen.me/Sq7tLIv2ubuViN?ref=numericcitizen.me) just for fun. With mixed feelings, I have to say that most of my expectations for the year didn’t materialize. Maybe I was expecting far too much. I'll try to do better this year. This year in review highlights what I think are defining moments of the Craft journey. Your appreciation of which update was significant will probably differ from mine, and that’s ok. I usually don’t take advantage of collaborative features in Craft; this explains why I don’t see that as significant for me as other users might consider. Let’s dive in. ## Improvements to the outside The year started with a bang with four significant additions: page breaks, a sidebar redesign, a template library and the automatic table of contents. Then, near the end of the year, smart links were introduced with the ability to embed all sorts of content from web services like YouTube, Vimeo and Github, to name a few. But, fundamentally, the document creation capabilities stayed pretty much the same (except for the page break feature and smart links). For many things, Craft seems to be at a standstill: limited image manipulation, no tags, limited support for new operating system features (i.e. Shortcuts support never evolved), and many minor quality-of-life improvements are still missing (more keyboard navigation, please!). In 2023, the Craft team priorities were set to work on the outside of the Craft: collaboration and document sharing. You are the most impacted user if you work with other collaborators with more than one team and with many spaces. If you use Craft on different platforms like I do, you’ll probably encounter some inconsistencies in the user experience. Compared to the Mac version, the web version differs in a few ways: you’ll get the redesigned right sidebar and the TOC features, but not on the Mac. These inconsistencies increased during 2023, not the other way around. If you want the latest and sometimes the greatest, the web version is the place to go. And you know what? It’s a great user experience overall! It is so good that sometimes I forget I’m not using the web version! It says a lot. All in all, I have difficulty finding a new feature that made unanimity among the community. Smart links might be the one that comes to my mind. Anything else? I fail to see it. ## The severe consequences of poor user community management Now, a few words about user community management are in order. Things are confusing. Communities are often places where users voice their concerns, requests and appreciation. Craft is no exception, but there is a lot of redundancy. There is this split in the user community between Slack and Circle. The former lacks conversation retention, and the latter lacks instant communication. The engagement drastically dropped in both of them. I see Slack as being less friendly. It is the platform of choice for developers, but I might be wrong. Would a Discord server better fit the bill? Who knows. And I’m not talking about Reddit. And lastly, we still don’t have a public roadmap where people can vote for their requests (that is why [I created one](https://craft-feature-request-board.canny.io/?ref=numericcitizen.me) myself). Anyway, it is what it is. Now, let’s replay the year’s milestones. ## Year replay Here is a rundown of changes that occurred during the year. - January: **Page breaks** were introduced. 💥 - February: Major UI redesign: document tabs and sidebar become a floating vertical card. - February: **TOC** (web first). 💥 - March: **Templates** library with user submissions, more than a month before an update. The Mac app was updated with the double sidebar that was available on the web. No release of the iOS app yet. 💥 - March: First spring day brings another controversial update: the iPhone loses its search gesture. The code editor is yet again updated. - April: updates bring better **spaces and team management**. It’s finally possible to move space from one team to another. Limitations and rules about data movements are explained [here](https://crafted.numericcitizen.me/craft-guide-data-movement?ref=numericcitizen.me). 💥 - May: An update brought back the pull-down to search on the iPhone, and users rejoiced! Auto-style for document background drops. **TOC on shared documents**! It's been a long time since the web version was updated. - June: a silent web update introduced the search option on shared documents. In mid-June, I stopped expecting new Craft releases. The first releases of Apple's latest major operating system seem to break a few things in Craft, which could prolong the wait for any significant update. **User reactions** using emojis are now possible. Who asks for that? - July: a release with under-the-hood **fixes** for better cohabitation with iPadOS 17 and iOS 17\. It's really a slow year for Craft. Version 2.5.9 came out on July 17th without the usual release notes. On July 25, we got an update touching many subjects, triggering [an analysis](https://crafted.numericcitizen.me/summer-2023-update?ref=numericcitizen.me) that many people liked. - August: The first release of the month brought **Sign in with Microsoft**, **resolvable comment threads** and faster image library loading when inserting an image on iOS. There are other fixes for iOS 17 / iPadOS 17 but there are still many problems, like editing text on iPadOS with autocompletion conflicting with cursor key movement. **YouTube Embeds** introduced! 💥 - September: A quick update seemingly only about fixes, but bookmark design was also updated to be more in line with YouTube embed formatting. Another update with iOS 17 bug fixes, improvements to text display (no more clipping) and **inline commenting**. **More embeds** were added (now seemingly called "Smart links"). SSO comes in. [**The Creator**](https://creator.craft.do/?ref=numericcitizen.me) is introduced, more as a proof of concept than anything else. - October: More smart links and a more refined way to control access to shared documents using email addresses or domain names. - November: More smart links and support for a **custom subdomain** per team are introduced. During the summer, the Craft team shared a partial roadmap with many items still not delivered as I’m publishing this review (yet, they were presented as coming soon). Fundamental questions remain unanswered, too, like the future of eXtensions, which never left the beta stage. But not all is lost. Thanks to Craft's recently introduced capabilities, I devised a scheme to [sell Craft templates](https://numericcitizen.gumroad.com/?ref=numericcitizen.me) securely using the shared document’s email-based controlled access and Gumroad. In this scenario, by virtue of some new features, new use cases for Craft users emerge. I find this rather exciting. Now, back to defunct eXtensions: they could enable many more possibilities and use cases if they made a comeback. ## Looking ahead to 2024 My wish list for Craft is long and encompasses so many different aspects of this app. But, for next year, I’m rooting for a renewed focus on the core experience, and an honest acknowledgement that in 2024, a thriving user community is mandatory. Walk the talk should be the way to go. For that to happen, regular and more active community management and more transparency are required, if it means actually sticking to the communicated plans. Am I expecting too much? Time will tell. ## Last year’s year in review [The Craft Story Continues — Year 2022 in Review And Looking Ahead](https://crafted.numericcitizen.me/craft-year-in-review-2022?ref=numericcitizen.me) ### My 2023 Year in Review as a Compulsive Creator URL: https://numericcitizen.me/my-2023-year-in-review-as-a-compulsive-creator/ Last updated: 2023-12-20T11:44:50.000Z I like retrospectives because it means having an introspective look back. Looking at the year behind me is a source of reflection and inspiration for what should come next. Here are the highlights of the year. - Starting in ***January***, I’ve set out `five` `goals`. A first for me. I'm happy to report that I met many of them. You can learn more on [my landing page](https://crafted.numericcitizen.me/about?ref=numericcitizen.me). ![Five goals for 2023](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/2023/12/Image-1.jpg) Five goals for 2023 - `Twitter` is definitely behind me, I entered the Fediverse world by creating my `Mastodon` account in ***February***. I couldn't be happier. I'm not spending too much time on Mastodon, but I do pay a visit occasionally to see if I have replies to cross-posted content from Micro.blog. I reply to most of them when I do. ![My Mastodon profile page](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/2023/12/Image-7.png) My Mastodon profile page - I finally got out of `WordPress` in ***March*** and moved to `Ghost` for numericcitizen.me. It was one of my best moves of the year. As a corollary, the price of my `toolset subscription` decreased significantly as fewer subscriptions were needed, thanks to my drop of WordPress (and many paid plugins that were needed) but also after dropping other services like `Pocket`. - I left `Substack` in ***April***. With `Ghost`’s embed newsletters feature, Substack became redundant. ![A new visual design for my main blog in 2023](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/2023/12/Image-1.png) A new visual design for my main blog in 2023 - I continued publishing `YouTube` videos, but the pace slowed in the second half of the year. Since the goal of my YouTube channel was to publish videos about Craft, and the pace of Craft updates slowed, no wonder I produced fewer videos. Yet, I managed to share non-Craft videos, too. - Since ***March***, I’ve been covering how to use `Micro.blog` in a new video series. The latest video about this was released near the end of the year for a total of eight videos. Not bad. - My `creative workflow` finally feels stable and more focused. The [last update](https://world.numericcitizen.io/content-creator-workflow-update-as-of-2023-11?ref=numericcitizen.me) was published in ***November***. - I tried `Bluesky` starting in ***April*** without knowing where this would lead me. As for Mastodon, I don’t visit often, but when I do, I'm looking for replies. ![My Bluesky profile page](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/2023/12/Image-2.png) My Bluesky profile page - My generative `AI` usage increased quite a bit on all platforms, and I was able to define some use cases and ethical rules for using AI. You should read my rules by visiting [this page](https://world.numericcitizen.io/my-personal-guiding-principles-for-AI?ref=numericcitizen.me). - In ***April***, I started experimenting with `Wavelength`, a secure messaging app. My usage of this app is on and off. I'm participating in some Apple-related discussions when there is an Apple keynote. ![Wavelength — a private messaging app](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/2023/12/Image-3.png) Wavelength — a private messaging app - I massively reworked `my digital garden`, downsizing it to the point of phasing it out entirely and migrating most of its content into [my personal landing page](https://crafted.numericcitizen.me/about?ref=numericcitizen.me). It's another way of focusing my creative energy. I don't see the value of maintaining such a thing all year long. - My `Craft` usage evolved and became more focused, preferring to use more focused and dedicated apps like `Anybox` (bookmark manager), `Zavala` (outline creator), `iA Presenter`(visual support for video recording) and `Things` (task management) ![My Craft Ecosystem.png](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/2023/12/My-Craft-Ecosystem.png) My Craft Ecosystem.png - I made some much-needed changes to my online presence, concentrating my identity under one domain “`numericcitizen.me`”. The following diagram shows every sub-domain that I use. Most of this is under Cloudflare, with a few things left on GoDaddy. ![numericcitizen.me sub-domains](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/2023/12/numericcitizen.me-domains.png) numericcitizen.me sub-domains - I finally decided on those read-later services like `Readwise Reader`, `Matter` and `Pocket`. They are all gone, preferring to focus on RSS and Inoreader. I couldn’t be happier. I dropped `Raindrop.io` once and for all and started using the excellent `Anybox` instead. - `Omnivore`, an open-source project, is a new addition to my workflow, replacing `Matter`. I started to use it in May. - I think I found my `Write.as` niche: expressing my views and thoughts about the war in `Ukraine`. I should publish more often because I’m boiling inside. - It looks like, at the current new rate, I won’t be able to meet my goal of gaining 1000 subscribers to `my YouTube channel` for the first year. I had had about 813 subscribers by June 6th. Even worse. I met the 850 followers count on July 8th. At the time of publication in mid-December, I had 992 subscribers. - I decided to start a subscription to `FeedPress` in ***mid-May***. I'm finally closing into my perfect digital publishing ecosystem. - After much research, I found a better `visual theme` for my daily blog website on Micro.blog, I finally made the switch to the `Tiny Theme` in ***early June***. My digital landscape is getting closer to my desired state. ![Image.png](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/2023/12/Image-4.png) My daily blogging website finally got the visual design that I wanted - In ***June***, I got back into `photography` a bit more as I was preparing for my vacation in Morocco. - In ***July***, I officially joined `Pixelfed`, a fediverse-based photo-sharing service. Then I proceeded to migrate my photos from Instagram to Pixelfed. Finally, I deleted my Instagram account. ![My Pixelfed profile page](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/2023/12/Image-5.png) My Pixelfed profile page replaces SmugMug, Flicker, Instagram, and 500px but complements Glass - Still in ***July***, I started to learn to use `Midjourney`. I shared my first experience [here](https://blog.numericcitizen.me/2023/07/22/the-beginning-of.html?ref=numericcitizen.me). - In ***August***, I started a new `Podcast` named “Thoughts & Tribulations of a compulsive creator.". - In ***early September***, I started a `new newsletter` ([link](https://numericcitizen.me/tag/creative-summary/)) named “My Weekly Creative Summary”. Putting each edition together is a lot of fun and not too much work. - In ***mid-September***, I started to think about the implications and the process of migrating off `Adobe Lightroom`. It won't be an easy process and will take time. Will it be worth it, besides saving money? The jury is still out on that one. - By the ***end of September***, my reworked `reading workflow` was finally completed. All the details are [here](https://world.numericcitizen.io/meta?ref=numericcitizen.me). - In **early October**, I switched the `numericcitizen.me` `visual theme`, going from *Casper* to *Source*. Now I like it a lot! I’m done with tweaks to my website for this year! ![My main blog got a new visual design](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/2023/12/Image-6.png) My main blog got a new visual design theme. - Still, in ***October***, I decided to sell some Craft Templates on Gumroad. I’ve been following this online store for quite a while but never had the opportunity to sell something. Just like Notion, templates can be popular when they are well-designed, fill a specific use case and target a well-defined audience. So far, I'm really surprised by my relative success! - In ***November***, I started investing some of my spare time in learning to use ChatGPT for my creative workflow. I gave some [thought](https://world.numericcitizen.io/my-personal-guiding-principles-for-AI?ref=numericcitizen.me) to my relationship with AI for my creative work. I developed a few GTP ideas and added Gen AI to many parts of my creative workflow. - In December, I started a [feature requests board](https://craft-feature-request-board.canny.io/?ref=numericcitizen.me) on Canny.io for the Craft users community. There is no such thing, and people are asking for it. I decided to build one since the Craft team won’t do it. I got some [pushback](https://www.reddit.com/r/CraftDocs/comments/18elntk/announcing%5Fthe%5Fcraft%5Ffeature%5Frequest%5Fboard/?ref=numericcitizen.me) from a few Reddit users, but I keep going forward. That’s a wrap for 2023! See you in 2024 for another chapter of my creative journey! ### My Weekly Creative Summary for the Week of 2023/50 URL: https://numericcitizen.me/my-weekly-creative-summary-for-the-week-of-2023-50/ Last updated: 2024-02-18T12:30:18.000Z [numericcitizen shared a postLight at the end of the tunnel. That my wife walking.![](https://pixelfed.social/img/favicon.png?v=2)pixelfed![](https://pxscdn.com/public/m/_v2/583629418009617054/bc40e5d2a-3c51e6/gi6Cwx8NmgR5/rIzYrXqaq5l7hMNLL6oS0Nl7JtGu6I4ri5iJVxdI_thumb.png)](https://pixelfed.social/p/numericcitizen/641442965362019680?ref=numericcitizen.me) Welcome to the last edition of this newsletter for 2023\. I hope that you enjoyed the ride so far and looking forward to meeting you on the other side: in 2024\. Enjoy. > 👨🏻‍💻 20 articles posted on my blog & 3 articles shared on my main website 😃 > 🏞️ 11 photos shared 😃 > 🎙️ One podcast episode published 😃 > 📺 No YouTube video published 😔 ## 📖 Reading Some highlights from recent readings. > Some of us will try to neatly organize everything under one hyper-curated digital roof, while others will scatter things around on 12 different domains and 24 services. — Manu > Some things don’t change and won’t change. Only the tools used to convey those lies change – from high priests and mass media to social networks and artificial intelligence. — Om Malik ## 🗺️ Discoveries > 1️⃣ I recently started interacting with [this guy](https://micro.blog/darrenhester?ref=numericcitizen.me) on Micro.blog. I discovered an artist, and I wish I had his talent for drawing. [He's very good at it](https://darrenhester.com/2023/12/11/developing-a-sketchbook.html?ref=numericcitizen.me)! And he's very good at photography too! Kudos to him. ## 👨🏻‍💻 Writing > “Thanks for sharing! You share a ton of detail every week. It's pretty impressive how much quality content you create.” — Eric, who left this comment on my blog where this series is published. > > 1️⃣ This comment made my day. I don't often get these comments, but when I do, I'm really appreciative. 2️⃣ As I wrote in the Apple section below, iOS 17.2 was released, including the highly awaited journaling app. It's currently only available for the iPhone, which is a mistake. I understand that the journal app can kickstart the writing process by offering information tidbits and starting to write around them, but long typing sessions on the iPhone are not my thing. The iPad version is probably not far ahead, and the Mac version afterward. I've been using Day One for many years, and I don’t think Apple's take on journaling is something the maker of Day One should fear for now. Beyond some experimentation, I'm still unsure if I will use Apple Journal on specific use cases. Time will tell. 3️⃣ Day One, the leader in journaling apps on Apple's devices, doesn't stand still. They do take advantage of some new things in iOS 17.2\. See the documentation [here](https://dayoneapp.com/blog/introducing-journaling-suggestions/?ref=numericcitizen.me). 4️⃣ I had this bad dream that [I shared the details](https://numericcitizen.me/friday-notes-109-a-really-bad-dream/) in the last edition of the Friday Notes series. Behind the scenes, Day One now integrates with the [Apple Suggestions API](https://developer.apple.com/documentation/journalingsuggestions?ref=numericcitizen.me) to bring Journaling suggestions directly into Day One. This is nice. ## 🌄 Photography > 1️⃣ Each month, I receive an email from Unsplash highlighting analytics. I pasted it on the exhibit section below. Unsplash is still hugely popular if my analytics are any indication. I should probably contribute more often than I do. I prefer to focus on Glass and Pixelfed. 2️⃣ Is the upcoming Apple Vision Pro about to change photography as the iPhone did? I'm skeptical in the short term. The Apple headset price and limited availability confer a niche status to the device. Let's wait for the second generation. 3️⃣ It was Pixelmator Pro's turn to get full HDR editing support. I'm not a big user of Pixelmator; I prefer Photomator, which is from the same company. These two apps might be the ones that will replace Adobe Lightroom next year. Read all the details [here](https://www.pixelmator.com/blog/2023/12/13/pixelmator-pro-3-5/?ref=numericcitizen.me). [Why Vision Pro Will Change PhotographyFor photographers and videographers, Apple’s Vision Pro will serve as a catalyst to rethink traditional photography. This technology, when combined with smartphones, represents yet another st…![](https://149366103.v2.pressablecdn.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/09/cropped-OmIcon-1-270x270.jpg)On my OmRead More![](https://149366103.v2.pressablecdn.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/06/Apple-WWCD23-Vision-Pro-glass-230605.jpg)](https://om.co/2023/12/14/why-vision-pro-will-change-photography/?ref=numericcitizen.me) ## 🎙️ Podcasting > 1️⃣ Right in the middle of the week, I was wondering if I'll be able to record one last episode on my podcast before the end of the year. By Friday noon, an idea popped up: wrapping up the year 2023\. The episode “Wrapping up 2023” is available [here](https://blog.numericcitizen.me/2023/12/16/episode-wrapping-up.html?ref=numericcitizen.me) on Micro.blog or in the [Apple Podcast](https://podcasts.apple.com/ca/podcast/thoughts-and-tribulations-of-a-compulsive-creator/id1703770016?i=1000638790204&ref=numericcitizen.me). Enjoy. ## 🍎 Apple > 1️⃣ Apple released a slew of updates for all its hardware platforms. Update all your devices; it’s worth your time. I'm always amazed by Apple's capabilities to deliver new releases to millions of users and devices without too much trouble and issues. Software development is complex. Are there any other companies that offer something similar? 2️⃣ Apple is already working on the next betas for all its platforms, as they also released iOS 17.3, iPadOS 17.3, etc. They never stop! 3️⃣ Apple invited some press members to experience Spatial Videos on the Vision Pro. It's not the first time, but Apple asked people to bring their videos on this occasion. People reactions were enthusiastic and emotive. It's interesting to see Apple marketing machine in action and be so manipulative of the press. It's just works. Spatial videos might be > Spatial Audio? Time will tell. > > The playback of the videos happens in what seems like a hazy, light, borderless frame, giving the videos a dreamlike quality. It is a very strange feeling — as if you have been transported back in time — and the videos have a dimensionality to them. The spatial videos I experienced felt more like memories — somewhere between reality and an abstraction of it. — Om Malik ## 🚧 Special projects > 1️⃣ At the beginning of next year, I’ll have to go through [all my subscriptions](https://crafted.numericcitizen.me/current-subscriptions?ref=numericcitizen.me) and decide what to drop. The status quo is not an option. Monthly costs must go down. It’s not a creative project per se, but it might affect future creative projects. 2️⃣ I'm planting [the seeds on Reddit](https://www.reddit.com/r/Lightroom/comments/18klctw/quitting%5Flightroom%5Fadobe%5Fcloud%5Fadvice%5Frequest/?utm%5Fsource=share&utm%5Fmedium=web2x&context=3) for my next project: moving out of Adobe's photography plan and cloud. This is part of my desire to lower my subscription costs. Anxious to read the feedback! ## 📱 Apps & Services > 1️⃣ PocketCast podcast player received an update which brings bookmarks. While listening to a podcast, inserting a bookmark for easy retrieval later is now possible. PocketCast is not the most popular podcast player, but I like it. I wish I could share an audio clip like Overcast can. But I'm not ready to switch for this. 2️⃣ Timery got an update, too, with many minor improvements. As a reminder, Timery is the app that I use with Toggl to track my time. 3️⃣ Another updated app is Flighty, a flight tracker app I love! If you are a frequent traveller, consider trying this app. Flighty users get a yearly summary of their flight-related data at the time of the year. 4️⃣ I'm curious about Capacities, an alternative to Notion and somewhat a competitor to Craft. I try to follow their release notes and ponder a subscription to take full advantage of it. The only problem is that I don't have a use case. I need to experiment more with it. 5️⃣ There was a trend recently on Micro.blog where people would write about which app they use for which use case (photos, calendar, camera, cloud storage, etc.). I wrote my version [here](https://blog.numericcitizen.me/2023/11/06/nsuserdefaults-defaults-nsuserdefaults.html?ref=numericcitizen.me). Then, there was a new round of posts where people would openly share their subscription details. Then, I wrote a similar post [here](https://crafted.numericcitizen.me/current-subscriptions?ref=numericcitizen.me). The takeaway is simple: my subscriptions cost me a lot of money, and I'll have to reconsider many of them early next year. 6️⃣ Many more apps were updated in what looks like the last updates for 2023: AnyBox, Timery, and Grammarly. Each receives valuable additions and meaningful tweaks. Seeing that your favourite apps are alive and well with frequent updates is reassuring. 7️⃣ Omnivore, the open-source read-later service, [keeps improving](https://blog.omnivore.app/p/omnivore-ios-beta-updates?ref=numericcitizen.me) at a rather fast pace. I love it. > > “The quality of your app’s onboarding is a reflection of what your users will expect from the rest of your app” — Dalai Lama(Really? 🤔) ## 👨‍👩‍👦‍👦 Personal > 1️⃣ Early in the week, I felt bad about my creative work. I wasn't very positive after getting some lousy pushback on Reddit regarding my initiative to create a [feedback board for Craft](https://craft-feature-request-board.canny.io/?ref=numericcitizen.me). This episode reminded me how harmful and toxic the internet can be. Once you put something out there, for one person who will agree, there are probably hundreds waiting to disagree and hit the nail on more than once to make their point. It's the jungle out there, requiring some preparation to face it. Thankfully, after receiving positive feedback about my previous edition of this weekly newsletter, I started to see things more positively. ## 📺 YouTube > 1️⃣ A friend of mine asked me to do a recorded discussion around Craft in the near future. It's probably going to happen in January. I'm really looking forward to that one because it will be done in French and I'm more comfortable speaking in French than in English. I can’t wait for that one. ## 🔮 Looking ahead > 1️⃣ As we get closer to the holidays, my creative work will enter a slower pace. This will be my last creative summary for the year. I'll spend more time on Micro.blog, interacting with the community, which is nice, BTW. And, do more reading and podcast listening, too. 2️⃣ Next Thursday is my fourth and last DJing course. I'll wait for that last course to make a final judgment, but I'm slightly disappointed by the course content. I learned a few things, but I think I already had some knowledge that made me a bit more than a newbie, which was the target of the course audience. One thing is sure: It takes a lot of practice to improve and also requires a lot of library management, which is mandatory to build great DJ sets. For that purpose, I have found a great utility called [Meta](https://www.nightbirdsevolve.com/meta/?ref=numericcitizen.me). It's a Mac app and looks great. It is used to edit file metadata (tags, artist name, track name, artwork, etc.). It's really well done. 3️⃣ You can listen to my very first mix on [Soundcloud](https://soundcloud.com/numericcitizen/rhythmic-beginnings?ref=numericcitizen.me). ## 💎 Miscellaneous > 1️⃣ Do you pay attention to the exhibits section down below? At the end, a graph shows how I spend my time during the week. For obvious reasons, only the time spent on creative activities is shown. But in fact, it's more subtle than that. Not all my hobby time is accounted for. I'll start the timer (using Timery) when I'm really focusing on something. But, when sitting in front of the TV and doing stuff with more or less focus, I'll skip the timer thing. In other words, I'm recording the intentionality of my activities. This means that I'm spending a bit more time than what the totals are showing. I thought it was worth mentioning. 2️⃣ Raycast, a Mac utility, generates a yearly summary of my usage. I love it when apps gather this type of usage statistics, all based on local data, without any privacy-invasive techniques. See the exhibit section to get a glance at this. I wish you a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year ☃️. This newsletter will come back in early January 2024\. I might make some changes to it; stay tuned.👀 💡 This newsletter edition is also available as a Craft shared document [here](https://crafted.numericcitizen.me/creative-summary-2023-50?ref=numericcitizen.me). This week's edition is based on template version 1.0.7 — 2023-11-05 and was put together with ❤️ on a 15-inch MacBook Air and Craft. ## Exhibits 👀 ![The Flighty yearly summary is displayed on the left sidebar.](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/2023/12/Flighty-Flighty2023-12-1307.02.482x.png) The Flighty yearly summary is displayed on the left sidebar. ![Raycast analytics for the year 2023 — very cool dashboard.](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/2023/12/Image.jpg) Raycast analytics for the year 2023 — very cool dashboard. ![My Unsplash download statistics for the month of November.](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/2023/12/CleanShotHEY-2023-12-1414.17.332x.png) My Unsplash download statistics for the month of November. [My Subscriptions![](https://www.craft.do/share/static/logo-192.png)![](https://api.craft.do/render/preview/PMHTAkIFVRXFdI)](https://crafted.numericcitizen.me/current-subscriptions?ref=numericcitizen.me) ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/2023/12/CleanShotTimery-2023-12-1712.09.222x.png) ![Here is my Timery report for the past week, including device usage.](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/2023/12/CleanShotTimery-2023-12-1712.09.352x.png) Here is my [Timery](https://www.timeryapp.com/?ref=numericcitizen.me) report for the past week, including device usage. ![Here is my logbook, as seen in Things 3.](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/2023/12/CleanShotThings-2023-12-1712.11.032x.png) Here is my logbook, as seen in [Things 3](https://culturedcode.com/things/?ref=numericcitizen.me). ### Celebrating & Reflecting on My 30 Years Career in IT URL: https://numericcitizen.me/celebrating-reflecting-on-my-30-years-career-in-it/ Last updated: 2023-12-16T12:49:34.000Z While walking outside under a beautiful sunny sky, I reflected on my career and realized that this year marked three decades of hard work in this wonderful world of computers and software. I barely couldn’t believe it. Time flies so fast. I remember vividly my last days as a computer science graduate student, looking ahead and trying to imagine what I would do next. It was hard to imagine how my duties would evolve. One reason is that the computer industry was and still is a fast-moving field. The innovation and transformation pace didn’t slow down during all these years. Over three decades, my interests have always been directed to the infrastructure side of the information technology field. As passionate about programming as I was during my university years, I wasn’t a great programmer. A good one, maybe, but not much more. So, my career reflects that, and it was primarily influenced by new technologies that popped up along the way. This is why I wish to reflect on my career by dividing this journey into four phases, each marked by the introduction of some game-changing technologies. ## Pre-virtualized IT world, client-server apps, local area networks (1993-2003) ![Inside a computer room, circa 2010](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/2023/12/IMG_8152.jpeg) Inside a computer room, circa 2010 Before elaborating on my role in the first segment of my career, let’s define a pervasive client-server application, a paradigm of computing model back in the day. This definition is mandatory to set the proper context in which I worked. In the 1990s, the client-server application architecture was widely prevalent. It is a distributed computing model where application processing is divided between two types of computers: clients and servers. In this architecture, the client is a computer or device that requests and consumes services or resources from the server. On the other hand, the server is a powerful computer or device that provides services or resources to clients upon request. Key characteristics of the client-server architecture in the 1990s include: 1. **Client-side processing:** Clients are responsible for presenting the user interface and handling user interactions. They perform minimal or no processing of data or business logic. 2. **Server-side processing:** Servers handle the core processing tasks, such as data storage, business logic, and computational operations. They respond to client requests, process data, and return the results. 3. **Communication through a network:** Clients and servers communicate with each other over a network using protocols like TCP/IP. Clients send requests to servers, and servers respond with the requested data or perform the requested actions. 4. **Centralized data storage:** In many client-server architectures of the 1990s, databases and data storage were typically centralized on the server side. Clients would send queries or requests for data to the server, which would retrieve and return the data. Overall, the client-server architecture of the 1990s emphasized centralized control, with servers acting as the backbone of the system, handling the majority of processing tasks and data storage, while clients focused on user interface and interaction. ![Me inside a computer room, circa 2005](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/2023/12/JF-Martin---SPVM.jpeg) Me inside a computer room, circa 2005 The backbone of this landscape was distributed data centers and open space offices where working from home was exceptional. Countless ins and outs to the computer rooms to install something new, fix something else, check this or that were the background of my daily work. Everything being physical, nothing was easy and needed so much change management. If we ordered a new server with the wrong configuration, we were stuck with it for many years. We were proud of our data centers, but a lack of flexibility and agility came with them. Moving a data center was a significant undertaking. It was also an era of physical consolidation: small and remote computer rooms were being phased out and migrated into larger buildings with dedicated space acting as data centers. Wide area networking benefited from higher speed links, which enabled this centralization. In the next segment, you’ll learn that centralization was a mandatory step to trigger the next wave: virtualization at a massive scale. ## The virtualization of everything (2003-2015) ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/2023/12/IMG_8917.jpeg) Server virtualization gained popularity in the early 2000s primarily due to advancements in hardware technology, the need for better resource utilization, and cost-saving opportunities. Here are the key factors that contributed to its popularity: 1. **Hardware Advancements**: The increasing power and affordability of processors, memory, and storage allowed servers to handle larger workloads. This made it feasible to partition physical servers into multiple virtual machines (VMs) without sacrificing performance. 2. **Server Consolidation**: Many organizations had multiple physical servers that were underutilized, with each server running a specific application or operating system. Server virtualization introduced the concept of consolidating these servers into a single physical machine by running multiple VMs. This efficient use of resources helped reduce operational costs. 3. **Flexibility and Scalability**: Virtualization provided the ability to create, manage, and replicate VMs easily. This flexibility allowed IT departments to quickly provision and deploy new servers or scale resources up and down as needed, without the need for physical hardware procurement and installation. 4. **Improved Disaster Recovery**: Virtualization offered improved disaster recovery capabilities by enabling VM snapshots, backups, and faster recovery times. In the event of a server failure or disaster, VMs could be quickly restored on different physical servers, minimizing downtime and data loss. 5. **Testing and Development Environment**: Virtualization provided a cost-effective way to create isolated testing and development environments. Developers could easily set up VMs to test new software or configurations without affecting the production environment. Overall, server virtualization proved to be a game-changer in IT infrastructure management, offering improved utilization, scalability, flexibility, and cost savings. These factors contributed to its popularity and widespread adoption in the early 2000s. I was a big fan of virtualization, popularized by VMware, now part of Broadcom (sadly). Virtualization helped drop the barriers and make things faster and even more possible. As everything slowly became virtualized, servers, storage, networks, and old habits needed to be dropped as new ones came to take their place. Mostly gone were the ins and outs of the data center computer rooms. Everything could be done remotely, silently, and efficiently. The virtualized world moved faster at the click of the mouse. It was a great time to work in IT. During this period of my professional life, I became more involved in infrastructure architecting projects and a bit less in level-1 and lever-2 operations and troubleshooting. It was technically fun and challenging. I learned so many concepts and principles that I still use today in my day-to-day work when designing system architecture. The virtualization of the IT work paved the way for the third era in my professional life: the cloud. ## The “cloudification” of the IT landscape (2015-now) ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/2023/12/virtualization-visualization.jpg) Now, let’s see how virtualization played a major role in enabling the cloudification of the data center. Virtualization played a crucial role in paving the way for the introduction of cloud computing in companies later on. The key contributions of virtualization in the early 2000s were as follows: 1. **Server Consolidation:** Virtualization allowed multiple virtual machines (VMs) to run on a single physical server, effectively consolidating hardware resources. This consolidation resulted in better hardware utilization, reduced data center space requirements, and lower power consumption. By optimizing resource usage, virtualization laid the groundwork for the cost efficiencies that would later be associated with cloud computing. 2. **Isolation and Security:** With virtualization, each VM operates in an isolated environment, providing a level of separation and security between different applications and workloads. This isolation helped address concerns related to application compatibility, security breaches, and resource conflicts. The ability to securely isolate workloads paved the way for building multi-tenant architectures in the cloud, where multiple organizations can coexist on shared infrastructure. 3. **Elastic Resource Allocation:** Virtualization introduced the concept of dynamically adjusting resources allocated to virtual machines. IT administrators could scale virtual machines up or down based on demand, without the need to add or modify physical hardware. This ability to elastically allocate resources aligned with the scalability requirements of cloud computing, where companies can quickly provision or deprovision resources based on workload and user demands. 4. **Data Center Virtualization:** Virtualization extended beyond servers to encompass storage and networking. It enabled the abstraction of storage resources, allowing for efficient management and allocation of storage capacity. Similarly, network virtualization provided the ability to create virtual networks, enabling flexible and isolated network configurations. These advancements in data center virtualization set the stage for the "software-defined" infrastructure approach widely adopted in cloud environments. 5. **Infrastructure Abstraction:** Virtualization abstracted the underlying hardware layer, providing an intermediate layer between the operating system and the hardware resources. This abstraction allowed for greater compatibility and flexibility. Applications and workloads could run on virtual machines without being tied to specific hardware configurations. This decoupling of applications from hardware laid the foundation for the portability and mobility that cloud computing later expanded upon. Virtualization’s early adoption and success demonstrated the benefits of consolidating and abstracting IT resources, optimizing resource usage, and providing flexibility and scalability. This experience created a strong foundation and mindset around leveraging shared resources and on-demand provisioning, which were fundamental principles later embraced by cloud computing models. As a result, the advancements in virtualization technology played a crucial role in shaping the concepts and practices that paved the way for introducing cloud computing in companies. I’ve been involved in many projects with a wide diversity of clients, and most of the time, the cloud is part of the technical landscape to some degree. Some clients are moving into the cloud while others partially do it. I would argue that in the last few years, we’ve seen a more profound transformation of the IT landscape than ever before at all levels of the organizations: technology, people, and processes. Everything is changing thanks to the cloud’s foundational principles. Some people see the cloud as a danger and refuse to adopt it, while others fully embrace it. The latter will survive this significant and profound wave of change. I’m trying to surf that wave myself. I have much work to do and many things yet to learn. However, cloudification is here to stay, as organizations will take many more years to adapt and transform themselves. It won’t be done by the time I retire, for sure. But there is one more thing that is popping up that will keep me interested and fascinated about IT: AI. > Information technologies went from a physically-defined world to a software-defined one in a steady and fascinating way. ## Augmented Intelligence everywhere ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/2023/12/AI-visualization.jpg) The advent of AI as a consumer-facing technology triggers many discussions and debates. We’ve been talking about AI for many decades. While studying at university and as a graduate student, fuzzy logic systems, expert systems, and neural networks were hot. But, in 2023, AI made a pivotal change. AI is a crucial information technology trend sparking significant discussions about ethics and the role of IT in our lives. While IT has always been intertwined with ethical considerations, the advent of AI brings these discussions into sharper focus for several reasons: 1. **Decision-Making Power:** AI's ability to make decisions, sometimes without human intervention, raises questions about accountability, transparency, and fairness. The ethical implications of AI-driven decisions, especially in critical areas like healthcare, law enforcement, and employment, are a major concern. 2. **Privacy and Data Security:** AI systems often require vast amounts of data, including personal information, to learn and make decisions. This raises significant privacy concerns and highlights the need for robust data security measures to protect sensitive information. 3. **Bias and Discrimination:** AI systems can inadvertently perpetuate and amplify biases present in their training data. This can lead to discriminatory outcomes, particularly in areas like hiring, loan approvals, and law enforcement. Addressing AI bias is crucial for ensuring ethical AI deployment. 4. **Job Displacement and the Future of Work:** AI and automation bring concerns about job displacement, with AI potentially replacing human workers in various fields. This leads to discussions about the future of work, retraining, and the social responsibilities of organizations deploying AI. 5. **Control and Autonomy:** Advanced AI raises concerns about human control over technology. Ensuring that AI systems do not act beyond their intended purpose and that humans retain ultimate control is a key ethical issue. 6. **Long-Term Impacts:** The long-term impacts of AI on society, including social structures, human behavior, and our understanding of intelligence, are still unknown. This uncertainty prompts discussions about how to guide AI development responsibly. 7. **Global Regulation and Standards:** The global nature of AI technology poses challenges in creating unified standards and regulations. Different cultural, legal, and ethical standards across countries complicate the establishment of universal guidelines for AI development and use. AI is not just a technological trend; it's a catalyst for the profound ethical and societal transformation of our relationship with technology and computers. AI will shape the role of IT in our lives. Related discussions will help determine the path of AI development and integration into various aspects of society. AI will be the next frontier, the next pivot in technology that will touch every aspect of our lives, both in the IT world and the non-IT world. This will make this wave the next iPhone or Netscape moment. Many products and services will be adapted and augmented with AI-based features to help execute tasks. How we use systems in the future will be quite different from today. I can imagine system documentation to be available as plain text but also wrapped inside an AI engine where users will prompt the documentation so they can get useful information about how to accomplish complex tasks. Then, later, the system will evolve to ask the user if he or she would like the system to do it itself. Being part of these transitions for the next ten years, which will mark my forty years in IT, is promising to be even more exciting. The opportunity to watch another wave of technical transformation is full of potential for learning new things and adapting to new market requirements. Who knows what awaits me for the last decade of my professional life? I’m lucky enough to witness four different technological eras, and I appreciate each wave because they brought meaningful improvements and challenges to my career and society in general. Disclaimer: portions of this article were written using prompts and replies with ChatGPT to summarize technological landscapes in specific eras. See [guiding principles for AI usage in articles](https://world.numericcitizen.io/my-personal-guiding-principles-for-AI?ref=numericcitizen.me). ### Friday Notes #109 — A (Really) Bad Dream URL: https://numericcitizen.me/friday-notes-109-a-really-bad-dream/ Last updated: 2023-12-15T13:53:46.000Z This morning, I woke up with the remains of a bad dream. There were these diffuse thoughts that someone was trying to impersonate me online using all possible technical means: text, voice and even videos. He achieved unrivalled credibility because he knew everything about me and used the latest techniques. He knew details about my job, my hobbies, where I live, everything. How could this be even possible? Should I start to worry? As you probably know, my hobbies revolve around writing, photography, and some podcasting. I like to write about my creative journey involving apps, services, and devices. I probably write too much about myself. Using [my photos on Pixelfed](https://pixelfed.social/numericcitizen?ref=numericcitizen.me), any bad actors can learn where I went, the type of travel I’m doing (like [going to Italy](https://crafted.numericcitizen.me/italy2022?ref=numericcitizen.me)!), and my photography style. Using my articles on [my metablog](https://world.numericcitizen.io/meta?ref=numericcitizen.me) and [daily blog](https://blog.numericcitizen.me/?ref=numericcitizen.me), You can find details about the apps I use and which subscription I depend on for my creative work. [My personal landing page](https://crafted.numericcitizen.me/about?ref=numericcitizen.me) is also a source of useful information about me, like a description of my passions, my current projects, etc. Using my podcast and some readily available online tools, this bad guy could simulate my voice by using my videos and podcast episodes. I even share some of [my political views](https://write.as/numericcitizen/?ref=numericcitizen.me) about the war in Ukraine and Russian leadership! Have you tried to google “numericcitizen” recently? 😳 What if someone created a GPT with all my past articles and photos and built a digital representation of me and my work where he could prompt ChatGPT to create fake emails, articles or images using my online presence and pretend that they come from me? I mean, it is possible right now! Should I be less outgoing about myself? Should I care? Should I be worried? Once you put something out there on the Internet, it is safe to assume someone could use it in one way or another, not always in a good way. This edition of the Friday Notes series is the last one for 2023\. See you for the next one on the other side: 2024. ### My Weekly Creative Summary for the Week of 2023/49 URL: https://numericcitizen.me/my-weekly-creative-summary-for-the-week-of-2023-49/ Last updated: 2024-02-18T12:31:13.000Z [numericcitizen shared a postA storm that came too early.![](https://pixelfed.social/img/favicon.png?v=2)pixelfed![](https://pxscdn.com/public/m/_v2/583629418009617054/bc40e5d2a-3c51e6/2aHfnEVUCaCr/Z2y708iB1Qzdv15AlWOicRjOylSdZRs66GR5Y0HZ_thumb.jpg)](https://pixelfed.social/i/web/post/638967808059743390?ref=numericcitizen.me) Another busy week, my dear readers! I had less time this week, preferring to spend more time practicing and working on my music selection and DJ abilities. Nonetheless, I could still be creatively active! Let’s see what’s in store for this week! > 👨🏻‍💻 3 articles posted on my blog posts & 1 article shared on my main website 🙂 > 🏞️ 17 photos shared 😃 > 🎙️ No podcast episode published 😔 > 📺 1 YouTube video published 😃, 1 video rejected! ## 📖 Reading > 1️⃣ This week, I tried something different for my readings: I used Omnivore’s text-to-speech feature to read some longer articles aloud. The voices are stunning, but how can we highlight text while listening? It's also harder to stay focused than reading the text myself. > “Technology won’t fix human behaviour.” — [Manuel M](https://manuelmoreale.com/@/page/9AhFsuW7ArG5GH14?ref=numericcitizen.me) on Mastodon ## 🗺️ Discoveries > 1️⃣ This week's discoveries were mostly about the world of DJing, as my four-week course is ongoing. I learned how and where DJs are getting their music. If my teacher is any indication, DJs aren't too concerned about "stealing” music from others without paying a dime in royalties, and they don't expect too much in return when sharing their creations. This might not be the case, but I find this surprising nonetheless. It's a world of creative abundance, and musicians are seeking exposure. ## 👨🏻‍💻 Writing > 1️⃣ I’ve been spending some time completing my year in review posts about my creative journey and about Craft. I love to write summaries like these, especially the personal ones. Revisiting them near the end of the year helps me get a sense of all my creative accomplishments for the year. This year was a biggy! I can't wait to share this summary with my readers! 2️⃣ As I'm writing this, I plan to release three articles on my main blog and that will conclude the year. ## 🌄 Photography > 1️⃣ The last camera my late father was able to use was a digital Canon PowerShot point-and-shoot. He never owned a smartphone. As a young adult, he quickly bought a film camera in his late forties. His father, too, loved photography. I wonder how different photos would have been if my father had an iPhone. Having a camera with us always makes us the best camera and helps us document our daily lives. My sons will get access to my everyday life when I’m gone. I wish I had this from my father. 2️⃣ This week, I started digging into old boxes of photo slides shot in the nineties, before digital cameras. Among those were a few slides coming from late parents. They contain fond memories of them and find the process of opening the album, flipping through pages and deciding what's worth keeping and what should be put away hard. The whole process makes me rather sad and depressed. I'll continue the whole thing, but only in small doses. 😔 3️⃣ On the more positive side, I see so much familiarity between my current photographic style and my father’s. It's somewhat surprising that I couldn’t figure out a different style that is unique to me. The similarity is that strong. ## 🍎 Apple > 1️⃣ There are rumors that Apple is close to releasing updated MacBook Air with the M3 chip. The M2 MacBook Air that I'm currently using to write this newsletter was bought last August. Even if I'm not fully utilizing this device's power, I would be annoyed to see an M3-based MacBook Air coming out so fast. But I would probably not upgrade, preferring to see a redesign instead in the future. ## 🚧 Special projects > 1️⃣ For Christmas, I will create Christmas cards using ChatGPT and Dall-E. The idea is to make the front page image using Dall-E with prompts that relate to the person to whom the card is destined. Next, I'll simulate a short conversation with ChatGPT about asking questions like “What is the most important thing to say for Christmas”? I'm still thinking about the best way to involve ChatGPT for this. Overall, I want this to be funny for those who will get the Christmas card. 2️⃣ With a few hours of work, I put together a feature request board for Craft using the popular Canny.io web service. It's free for me and for users to use. I explain why I made this in [the public announcement](https://craft-feature-request-board.canny.io/changelog/the-craft-feature-request-board-is-now-officially-launched?ref=numericcitizen.me). So far, many people have already entered their requests, more than I expected. It's a good sign. ## 📱 Apps & Services > 1️⃣ DJay 5.0 was released, and I didn't expect that, right in the middle of my four-week DJing course! Lots of improvements and quality-of-life additions. There is [a YouTube video](https://youtube.com/watch?v=oTWGVPNkpIM&ref=numericcitizen.me) tour of the new features. 2️⃣ I'm a big user and fan of Craft, but I always keep an eye on Capacities, a similar app closer to Notion than Craft in its philosophy. I don't have any use cases for it, but it's fun to watch it evolve. I do keep a free account, just in case. 3️⃣ I've been testing Play 2.0 to gather YouTube videos from my channel subscriptions. I find this app very useful, and I see myself spending less and less time on the YouTube website and more time on Play. Here is a review [here](https://www.macstories.net/reviews/play-2-0-adds-youtube-channel-support-folders-and-a-new-premium-subscription/?ref=numericcitizen.me). Since the release, there have already been three sub-releases to add features and tweaks. ## 👨‍👩‍👦‍👦 Personal > 1️⃣ We're two weeks away from Christmas, and I'm not really into it now. I find this time of the year more stressful than anything else. It's probably the case for a silent majority of people anyway. The good thing is that I'll be on vacation for two weeks and ready to spend time with family members. I should probably be more free to spend time on my hobbies. ## 📺 YouTube > 1️⃣ There is a running controversy surrounding Google's policy blocking ad blockers for non-subscribers on YouTube. I guess the logic goes like this: if you don't want to be a premium subscriber, fine, but then you must see those pesky ads; it is what it is. As a paying premium subscriber to YouTube, I don't have a clear opinion on Google's stance because I wouldn't say I like ads. I do use ad blockers. When visiting a website which will detect that I'm running ad blockers, if the website only warns me but lets me in, I'm fine; otherwise, I move on elsewhere. The website loses, and I probably lose, too. I think the web needs to strike a new balance in the future. We're not there yet. 2️⃣ I shared a new video this week about Craft: a public announcement for [The Craft Feature Request Board](https://craft-feature-request-board.canny.io/?ref=numericcitizen.me). I got some positive feedback both on Micro.blog and Slack. I hope this video triggers some more thoughts from the team behind Craft. 3️⃣ I created a video tour guide of Play 2.0 and posted it on my YouTube channel, but Google immediately took it down for content policy violation. I made this video for nothing. You can find the video thumbnail in the exhibits section below. Too bad. More details here "[Strike One](https://blog.numericcitizen.me/2023/12/10/strike-one.html?ref=numericcitizen.me)". ## 🔮 Looking ahead > 1️⃣ There are three weeks left to 2023\. I know that my creative work for the year is coming to an end. I do have three articles mostly ready to share that will conclude my year of writing. They are a retrospective look at specific areas of my digital life. Stay tuned. ## 💎 Miscellaneous > 1️⃣ I'm wondering what the future of the [Apple Rumors Hub](https://crafted.numericcitizen.me/apple-rumors-hub?ref=numericcitizen.me) will be. It's a website about Apple rumors that I’m maintaining using Craft. It rarely gets visitors. I think I'll keep it for me, not for other people. I'll probably need to make a decision early next year. I wish you a great week! 💡 This newsletter edition is also available as a Craft shared document [here](https://crafted.numericcitizen.me/creative-summary-2023-49?ref=numericcitizen.me). This week's edition is based on template version 1.0.7 — 2023-11-05 and was put together with ❤️ on a 15-inch MacBook Air and Craft. One more thing: do you know how much time it takes to write these weekly summaries? About three hours a week. ## Exhibits 👀 ![CleanShot-CleanShot@2023-12-06@07.15.52@2x.png](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/2023/12/CleanShot-CleanShot2023-12-0607.15.522x.png) The Day version 5.0 what's new screen ![A typical view of Djay while listening to new music and building the music library (this is version 4).](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/2023/12/djay-Pro-AI-djay-Pro-AI2023-12-0420.01.392x.png) A typical view of Djay while listening to new music and building the music library (this is version 4). If you want to get a good overview of Capacities, it’s one of the videos you should look. [Play 2.0 Adds YouTube Channel Support, Folders, and a New Premium SubscriptionMarcos Tanaka’s Play has become the way I watch YouTube, which isn’t something I expected would happen as much as I’ve enjoyed the app since its launch early last year. The app, available on the iPhone, iPad, Mac, and Apple TV, started as a way to save YouTube links to watch later. That made Play![](https://www.macstories.net/app/themes/macstories4/images/logo-shape-black.svg)MacStoriesJohn Voorhees![](https://cdn.macstories.net/tuesday-28-nov-2023-07-45-48-1701175660585.PNG)](https://www.macstories.net/reviews/play-2-0-adds-youtube-channel-support-folders-and-a-new-premium-subscription/?ref=numericcitizen.me) ![The Craft Feature Request Board - Created by myself.](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/2023/12/Safari-Personal-Default-Feature-Requests.png) The Craft Feature Request Board - Created by myself. ![This video will never be found on YouTube, thanks to my content policy violation. Oopsy.](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/2023/12/Video-Banners-loweres.jpeg) This video will never be found on YouTube, thanks to my content policy violation. Oopsy. ![Timery-Summary Report@2023-12-10@12.56.00@2x.png](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/2023/12/Timery-Summary-Report2023-12-1012.56.002x.png) ![Here is my Timery report for the past week, including device usage.](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/2023/12/Timery-Reports-Overview2023-12-1012.56.152x.png) Here is my [Timery](https://www.timeryapp.com/?ref=numericcitizen.me) report for the past week, including device usage. ![Here is my logbook, as seen in Things 3.](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/2023/12/Things-Logbook2023-12-1012.58.512x.png) Here is my logbook, as seen in [Things 3](https://culturedcode.com/things/?ref=numericcitizen.me). ### My Weekly Creative Summary for the Week of 2023/48 URL: https://numericcitizen.me/my-weekly-creative-summary-for-the-week-of-2023-48/ Last updated: 2024-02-18T12:31:21.000Z This is edition #13 of my weekly creative summary. Lots of different things this week. I’m still loving putting these weekly summaries together. I hope you enjoy them as much as I do. 🙂 [numericcitizen shared a postThe Kiki Queer Bar in Iceland. What a great place! #iceland #streetart![](https://pixelfed.social/img/favicon.png?v=2)pixelfed![](https://pxscdn.com/public/m/_v2/583629418009617054/bc40e5d2a-3c51e6/qRG4mY5T26fy/xeg5WbKpzPQx18yXvFzs2ooWaK84XYsCsLfCGXmK_thumb.png)](https://pixelfed.social/p/numericcitizen/636178962064736125?ref=numericcitizen.me) > 👨🏻‍💻 9 articles posted on my blog posts & 1 article shared on my main website 🙂 > 🏞️ 7 photos shared 🙂 > 🎙️ No podcast episode published 😔 > 📺 1 YouTube video published 😃 ## 📖 Reading > 1️⃣ I've saved several articles in my Omnivore queue but failed to read them during the week! I should spend more time reading on a regular basis. ## 🗺️ Discoveries > 1️⃣ I'm learning to use the [Serato Pro](https://serato.com/?ref=numericcitizen.me) DJ app. As a user of [Algoriddim DJay](https://www.algoriddim.com/?ref=numericcitizen.me), I find Serato awful for my eyes. But the design consideration doesn't seem to be a thing in the DJ world. Maybe I'm wrong. 2️⃣ I'm also new to Google Classroom. The teacher in the DJing course uses this platform to share notes and tasks with other students. As for Serato Pro, Google Classroom is minimalistic and doesn't shine. I wish we had used Apple Classroom instead. Yet, both app reviews are awful. 3️⃣ If you like wallpapers for your iPhone, don’t miss [the latest](https://basicappleguy.com/basicappleblog/iphone-15-pro-schematics?ref=numericcitizen.me) from Basic Apple Guy. If you want to see the internals of your shiny new iPhone 15 Pro Max, get it! It's free and shows the amount of work and details that goes into producing those wallpapers. Simply incredible. ## 👨🏻‍💻 Writing > 1️⃣ I've been putting the final touches to the year in review for Craft. At the beginning of each year, I start a new document to write down changes to this note-taking app. Near the end of the year, I put up a summary and wrote my thoughts. The article should be published right after the last update, somewhere in the first half of December. It's been a strange streak of updates this year. More details soon. 2️⃣ I still have a hard time writing articles in a single stretch. I'm more iterative. I've been working on many articles during the year and rarely could write one from start to finish in a single day. I'm not sure this is a bad thing. For example, writing in a timely matter following an event is a big challenge for me. ## 🌄 Photography > 1️⃣ The annual Unsplash photo awards are out; you can find gorgeous images on their [website](https://awards.unsplash.com/2023/?ref=numericcitizen.me#/intro). This is my favourite [image](https://unsplash.com/photos/a-black-and-white-photo-of-a-long-hallway-qlwbTn4o58o?ref=numericcitizen.me). 2️⃣ The Art of Photography YouTube channel published a [video](https://youtu.be/bhCOms62Ftk?si=euAW2i3AIDhmZBjG&ref=numericcitizen.me) about a photo cataloging service called [Mylio](https://mylio.com/?ref=numericcitizen.me). What makes this service apart from the crowd is the fact that the service is based on a device-to-device network to synchronize images. There is no cloud backend. Think of it as a decentralized synchronization service. I wonder if this could be a replacement for my Adobe Cloud storage. I could probably download all my images on a master Mac and have it synced to my other devices. I'll keep an eye on that one. 3️⃣ I ordered a slide scanner from Kodak. I have a few hundred of them to scan. Stay tuned for a review of the device and the scan quality. ## 🎙️ Podcasting > 1️⃣ I still wish I had enough time to sit down and prepare a new podcast episode, but it is what it is. When I started this podcast, I wanted to publish at least once a month. I'm barely able to achieve that. 😔 2️⃣ PocketCast, my go-to app for listening to podcasts, released the year-in-review summary within the app. It's something similar to what Apple releases each year with Apple Music. According to this summary, my podcast consumption increased greatly this year (2x), mainly due to consuming more electronic music and CoreIntuition podcasts. ## 🍎 Apple > 1️⃣ Ubiquiti, the networking equipment maker, recently launched the Unified Express, a small router with bundled Wi-Fi. It reminds me of a small Apple TV but in white. Reviews are very positive, and tech pundits are enthusiastic about it. I wish Apple stayed in this market because there is a massive demand for well-designed and very focused products like this for the home and small business networking markets. Too bad. I used a Ubiquiti Dream Machine before being a satisfied Apple AirPort user. Read [my experience of migrating to Ubiquiti](https://numericcitizen.me/replacing-an-airport-extreme-with-unifi-dream-machine/). ## 🚧 Special projects > 1️⃣ I had my first DJing course this week. Of all 11 students, there are as many girls as boys. I'm the oldest. I'm learning with Serato Pro. It's not the best-looking application on earth, but it seems good for what it needs to accomplish. I still prefer DJay, though. The teacher reminds me of myself and many others when he says he likes to buy new DJ gear, test it, and resell it. And the same goes for applications and utilities in the DJ world. I could say the same with apps and computers in my creative journey. Now I need to practice what I learned this week. ## 📱 Apps & Services > 1️⃣ I came across a new service and app named “Cosmos". His goal is to be a Pinterest replacement. It's available on the iPhone and the web. It's not free, with a pretty steep monthly price (another subscription, you might say). 2️⃣ Photomator introduced complete HDR editing. I love Photomator, and it could become the Lightroom replacement if I ever quit the Adobe ecosystem. Editing HDR on the Mac or the iPad, provided the display supports HDR, is mandatory to experience the colours and the contrasts precisely like they’re coming from the iPhone (which supports HDR photos). Read the press release [here](https://www.pixelmator.com/blog/2023/11/22/photomator-introduces-full-hdr-support-with-advanced-features-for-editing-iphone-hdr-photos/?ref=numericcitizen.me). Oh, one last thing: Photomator was named Mac app of the year! 3️⃣ The YouTube videos management app, Play, released version 2.0, which adds the capability to subscribe to a YouTube channel. This makes Play 2.0 a serious content management tool. I started the 7-day subscription trial to see if I keep it. So far, I really like what I'm seeing. 4️⃣ I discovered a new app that I’ll be using for my YouTube recordings: [Bezel](https://getbezel.app/?ref=numericcitizen.me). This Mac utility enables the display of the iPhone or iPad screen on the Mac. It's useful to record a video on the iPad to demonstrate something. I'll probably buy it. 5️⃣ I’ve been using Djay this week and found out somewhere that they are close to releasing version 5.0\. I think this DJ app is an underdog and should be more popular than it is in the DJ world. I can't wait to see what they are coming with this next major release. ## 👨‍👩‍👦‍👦 Personal > 1️⃣ I was sick 🤮 on Tuesday morning, and my life was miserable all day, but I could attend my DJing course. It took me a few days to fully recover from that bug. Gosh. 😵‍💫 This might explain why I couldn't do everything I had planned for the week. 😔 ## 📺 YouTube > 1️⃣ I came across a [video](https://youtu.be/JyfBZwIuOsY?si=bddzMiQIUpPOYtGz&ref=numericcitizen.me) about Omnivore by Matt Birchler. It's a little bit less than 10 minutes long. He steals my intention of doing a similar video. I've been wanting to do a 60-minute video with Omnivore. I could still do it, but I feel slightly less inclined now. If you are curious about this read-later service, watch the video! 2️⃣ YouTube is full of potentially interesting content. Sometimes, when I find a potentially exciting video, I don't have the time to listen to it. This week, I created a workflow to fix this problem, thanks to generative AI tools like ChatGPT. You can read more details in [this blog post](https://blog.numericcitizen.me/2023/12/02/my-first-genuine.html?ref=numericcitizen.me). It's well worth your time, I guarantee you. 3️⃣ I created and shared a video about how users on Micro.blog can be more efficient at consuming their Micro.blog timeline with simple tips and tricks. I never expected that many people would watch these videos because not many people are on Micro.blog, but I like to put them together. ## 🔮 Looking ahead > 1️⃣ This week is my DJing session #2\. After learning the basics and with some practice this week-end, I'm ready to learn the next things! I wish you a great week! 💡 This newsletter edition is also available as a Craft shared document [here](https://crafted.numericcitizen.me/creative-summary-2023-48?ref=numericcitizen.me). This week's edition is based on template version 1.0.7 — 2023-11-05 and was put together with ❤️ on a 15-inch MacBook Air and Craft. ## Exhibits 👀 My newest YouTube video, this time about Micro.blog timeline consumption. [Welcome to CosmosA Pinterest alternative for creatives.![](https://www.cosmos.so/apple-touch-icon.png)CosmosA Pinterest alternative for photographers creatives designers curators artists![](http://3.229.129.62/wp-content/uploads/2023/06/home-ogimg.jpg)](https://www.cosmos.so/?ref=numericcitizen.me) A paid service as a Pinterest replacement. Are you in? [Photomator introduces full HDR support with advanced features for editing HDR photos captured with iPhone - Pixelmator BlogUnlock all-new creative workflows with full support for opening, editing, and sharing HDR images.![](https://www.pixelmator.com/assets/favicon/favicon-pro--v2.png)Pixelmator BlogPixelmator Team![](https://blog-cdn.pixelmator.com/2023-10-29-photomator-3.2/img_social.png)](https://www.pixelmator.com/blog/2023/11/22/photomator-introduces-full-hdr-support-with-advanced-features-for-editing-iphone-hdr-photos/?ref=numericcitizen.me) For those using Photomator, instead of Lightroom, this is a must-install update. [Unsplash AwardsCelebrating the best of Unsplash![](https://unsplash.com/apple-touch-icon.png)Unsplash![](https://awards.unsplash.com/img/open-graph.jpg)](https://awards.unsplash.com/2023/?ref=numericcitizen.me#/intro) The yearly Unsplash awards for 2023 are out! A demonstration (and a bit ad-like video) about a novel image cataloging app. [Mylio Photos | Best Free Photo Manager for a Lifetime of MemoriesFind photos fast! Bring every photo and video together into a single library. Download free for Windows, Mac, iPhone, iPad, and Android.![](https://mylio.com/wp-content/themes/pro-child/img/favicon/apple-touch-icon.png)Mylio![](https://mylio.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/05/hero-mylio-plus.jpg)](https://mylio.com/?ref=numericcitizen.me) Could this be the ultimate image cataloging service? A quick overview of Omnivore by Matt Birchler ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/2023/12/Camera-bump-evolution.jpeg) The evolution of iPhone’s camera bump over the years. ![Timery-Summary Report@2023-12-03@09.37.54@2x.png](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/2023/12/Timery-Summary-Report2023-12-0309.37.542x.png) ![Here is my Timery report for the past week, including device uage.](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/2023/12/Timery-Reports-Overview2023-12-0309.38.322x.png) Here is my [Timery](https://www.timeryapp.com/?ref=numericcitizen.me) report for the past week, including device usage. ![Here is my logbook, as seen in Things 3.](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/2023/12/Image.png) Here is my logbook, as seen in [Things 3](https://culturedcode.com/things/?ref=numericcitizen.me). ### My Weekly Creative Summary for the Week of 2023/47 URL: https://numericcitizen.me/my-weekly-creative-summary-for-the-week-of-2023-47/ Last updated: 2023-11-27T01:45:07.000Z > 👨🏻‍💻 10 articles posted on my blog posts & 2 articles shared on my main website 🙂 > 🏞️ 8 photos shared 🙂 > 🎙️ No podcast episode published 😔 > 📺 1 YouTube video published 😃 ## 📖 Reading > 1️⃣ I spent some time reading about the OpenAI woes of the past few days. I felt it was essential to better understand the possible disruption of one of the most well-regarded companies in a very hot field: AI. ## 🗺️ Discoveries > 1️⃣ I started using Clop, an image processing utility for the Mac that works in conjunction with Dropshare or separately. More details are below. 2️⃣ I started using Backblaze for storing files. More details are below. 3️⃣ I experimented with a somewhat unknown RSS reader called “Lire” because it recently introduced a feature to save articles into Omnivore. ## 👨🏻‍💻 Writing > 1️⃣ A recent update to Micro.blog added support to import blog posts from Write.as. I tested the import feature on my test blog on Micro.blog, and it works great. I would need to clean up a few things here and there, but that’s expected. I've been writing on Write.as at about the same time the war in Ukraine started. I wanted a dedicated space for covering this historic event simply because I didn't want to bother my followers on Micro.blog about this delicate subject. Today, I wonder if this is a good strategy. Now that I know I can migrate my content, I added a task to reconsider my use of Write.as and see if I should consolidate. That's probably for early 2024\. 2️⃣ While revisiting my content on Write.as, I decided to re-publish an article that I published early 2023 that explains the Write.freely ecosystem. ## 🌄 Photography > 1️⃣ Since using Dall-E and Midjourney, my usage of Unsplash has greatly diminished. I used to go there to grab a new image that would illustrate a newsletter edition or an article subject. I'm better served with AI in that respect. But, more importantly, my work is unique in that I don't risk using an image already used by thousands of other creators. 2️⃣ Speaking of Unsplash Awards 2023 finalists are now publicly known. This is [my favourite image](https://images.unsplash.com/photo-1695639413076-0bd6e406e942?q=70&w=1300&auto=format&fit=crop&ixlib=rb-4.0.3&ixid=M3wxMjA3fDB8MHxwaG90by1wYWdlfHx8fGVufDB8fHx8fA%3D%3D&ref=numericcitizen.me), by far. 3️⃣ Here is [a great conversation](https://maique.eu/2023/11/24/maybe-coffee-will.html?ref=numericcitizen.me) on Micro.blog about street photography, where photos depict people doing all sorts of things or in different social contexts. Is it okay to take a picture of people on the street? Should we ask permission at the risk of ruining the moment? What is okay and not okay? I'm not really into street photography, and when I'm taking photos with people in the frame, I try to be far from the subjects. I'm not at ease doing this, never. 4️⃣ In [this article](https://numericcitizen.me/the-writefreely-ecosystem-explained/) about Write.freely platform, I tried to use Dall-E to generate an image of a scene with a person typing on an old typewriter. After many iterations, I abandoned Dall-E and remembered that I had an image of an old typewriter without anyone using it, but it perfectly fit the article's purpose. ## 🍎 Apple > 1️⃣ Don't miss this year's holiday [ad](https://youtu.be/LMH5-IHrras?si=4GzI25COtO-969Gx&ref=numericcitizen.me). 2️⃣ It's a quiet time of the year for Apple. My attention is already directed to the first half of 2024 when the iPad should receive meaningful upgrades. ## 📱 Apps & Services > 1️⃣ Craft v2.6.0 is out this week with more smart link types (four more added to the long list) and better support for shared document URLs. This release is also the first to be scrutinized to produce an analysis report only available to the subscribers of The Craft Bible on Gumroad. The experience of writing the analysis report in Craft and then exporting via copy & paste operations in Gumroad emails editor is not perfect. Still, it is far more accessible than I thought. 2️⃣ As with each release, there are some heated discussions on Slack, mainly about using Slack for community discussions instead of less ephemeral platforms like Circle, Canny or Discord. 3️⃣ I started looking into an image processing app called Retrobatch from the makers of the image editing app, Acorn. It's a pretty clever design and more powerful than Squash. Now, do I need this app in my creative workflow? How often do I need to batch-process images? 4️⃣ Dropshare will drop their cloud offering, based on which my file-sharing space is based. I reconsidered my Dropshare + Short.io and selected a different cloud storage solution, Backblaze, because I could also use it as a backup destination for my Synology NAS. The transition was easy, but I had issues with my connection configuration in Dropshare. All is good now. 5️⃣ While working to fix my Dropshare issue, I discovered Clop, a free image optimization utility for Mac. It's very powerful and drastically reduces image file size without affecting quality. It works by watching a folder for new image files. As soon as some are dropped in the folder, Clop starts its magic. I typically see screenshot files from 4 MB to a few hundred KB. Even with fast internet connections, having a lightweight website improves the user experience and Google's [pagespeed metrics](https://pagespeed.web.dev/?ref=numericcitizen.me). ## 👨‍👩‍👦‍👦 Personal > 1️⃣ This week, I thought about people following me on all my sharing spaces (Micro.blog, Mastodon, Bluesky, etc.) The vast majority of them are silent and never engage in conversation. A minority will engage by giving their feedback or asking questions about my creative work. I like this a lot, and I reply most of the time. I don't have many followers compared to other creators and the potential of the whole internet jungle. The scale of the potential is mind-blowing. Comparing to that potential is not the best way to look at it and see if I'm successful or not. Consider my subscribers on YouTube. As I write this, I’ve got 978 people who, at some point, tune in to my channel to watch a video. What if those people were physically in one room? That would be a big room, for sure. Transposing those numbers into the physical world helps me better appreciate that, even if I'm not a big star on the net, I do have many people who are there to read or watch what I'm doing. And I'm ok with this. ## 📺 YouTube > 1️⃣ This week, while working on documenting my updated creative workflow, I thought it was a good time to create a YouTube video where I could share all the sites where I publish content. Now, it's [done](https://youtu.be/Rc0j5jBuXZM?ref=numericcitizen.me). ## 🔮 Looking ahead > 1️⃣ I'm starting my DJing course this week, a first three-hour session, using Serato DJ Pro. I’m more acquainted with Algorithm Djay, which is relatively simple and much more beautiful than Serato. Per the instructors’ requests, I proceeded with the Serato Pro installation on my M2 MacBook Air to get ready for my course. I wasn't sure it would work, as Sonoma is still not officially supported by Serato. The installation took quite some time but was eventually completed successfully. My first run of Serato was met with deception. The default graphic resolution is not optimized for Retina displays. I went on Reddit to [express my surprise](https://www.reddit.com/r/Serato/comments/183lim3/serato%5Fpro%5Fstill%5Fnot%5Fapple%5Fsilicon%5Fready/?ref=numericcitizen.me) about Serato Pro not being compiled for Apple Silicon, which I find a shame since these chips have been around for over three years. It didn't take long before some people started to patronize me. Reddit can be toxic. As for the display resolution, there is an option to enable high-res mode to fix the issue. More comments to come next week! ## 💎 Miscellaneous > 1️⃣ I spent some time this week reworking and updating my creative workflow. I shared this announcement [post](https://blog.numericcitizen.me/2023/11/24/today-its-time.html?ref=numericcitizen.me) about it on Micro.blog. You can find the details right [here](https://world.numericcitizen.io/content-creator-workflow-update-as-of-2023-11?ref=numericcitizen.me). I'm more and more satisfied with the foundations of my creative journey. I see less and less need to change major portions or components of it. I wish you a great week! 💡 This newsletter edition is also available as a Craft shared document [here](https://crafted.numericcitizen.me/creative-summary-2023-47?ref=numericcitizen.me). This week's edition is based on template version 1.0.7 — 2023-11-05 and was put together with ❤️ on a 15-inch MacBook Air and Craft. ## Exhibits 👀 Most of the time, holiday ads by Apple are a joy to watch. This year’s ad is no exception. ![An image processing workflow example that I created in Retrobatch.](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/2023/11/Image-6.png) An image processing workflow example that I created in Retrobatch. ![One of my shared image this week became my most popular one of all time.](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/2023/11/Safari-Personal-Default-pixelfed2023-11.png) One of the images I shared this week became my most popular one of all time. ![The top left image is mine. I was famous for a few hours.](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/2023/11/Safari-Personal-Default-pixelfed2023-11.jpeg) The top left image is mine. I was famous for a few hours. [Clop - Image, video, PDF and clipboard optimiserImage, video, PDF and clipboard optimiser. Copy large, paste small, send fast![](https://lowtechguys.com/static/img/clop-icon.png)Clop - Image, video, PDF and clipboard optimiser![](https://img.panaitiu.com/_/1200/plain/https://lowtechguys.com/static/img/clop-screenshot.png)](https://lowtechguys.com/clop?ref=numericcitizen.me) [Dropshare Apps - for macOS and iOSUpload Screen Shots, Screen Recordings, Files, Folders, just anything with Dropshare.![](https://dropshare.app/favicon.png)Dropshare![](https://dropshare.app/assets/img/og.png)](https://dropshare.app/?ref=numericcitizen.me) [Short.io — White label URL Shortener. Create your own short branded URLsShort.io (formerly short.cm) makes short links (vanity urls) on your own domain. Free signup, analytics and API. Chrome, slack, zapier and segment integrations.![](https://short.io/icons/icon-192x192.png?v=e684309adfdf6efa515a707d11a3e1f1)About us](https://short.io/?ref=numericcitizen.me) [My Complete Content Creator Toolset And Some More![](https://www.craft.do/share/static/logo-192.png)![](https://api.craft.do/render/preview/6XjF3cKQ2OdbR2)](https://world.numericcitizen.io/meta-toolset?ref=numericcitizen.me) ![My creative workflow diagram, 2023-11 edition.](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/2023/11/My-Creative-Workflow-2023-11.png) My creative workflow diagram, 2023-11 edition. ![Timery-Summary Report@2023-11-26@20.17.57@2x.png](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/2023/11/Timery-Summary-Report2023-11-2620.17.572x.png) Timery-Summary Report@2023-11-26@20.17.57@2x.png ![Here is my Timery report for the past week, including device usage.](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/2023/11/Timery-Reports-Overview2023-11-2620.18.152x.png) Here is my [Timery](https://www.timeryapp.com/?ref=numericcitizen.me) report for the past week, including device usage. ![Here is my logbook as seen in Things 3.](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/2023/11/Things-Logbook2023-11-2620.23.392x.png) Here is my logbook, as seen in [Things 3](https://cultredcode.com/things/?ref=numericcitizen.me). ### The Write.freely Ecosystem Explained URL: https://numericcitizen.me/the-writefreely-ecosystem-explained/ Last updated: 2023-11-25T13:16:38.000Z The time has come for the return of a more open web. I’m embracing this movement by joining platforms or services built on open standards and promoting the open web as a byproduct. Write.as is an instantiation version of the [WriteFreely](https://writefreely.org/?ref=numericcitizen.me) writing platform, available as an open-source project. Think of WriteFreely as the open-source version of WordPress. Anyone can get the source and install their own instance. In May 2022, I took advantage of five-year special pricing to subscribe to the Write.as platform. Without knowing what my use case would be for it, I decided to support the platform, just like I’ve been supporting Micro.blog since 2018\. After a while, I discovered the many facets of this writing ecosystem and found it to be a bit confusing. In this article, I cover all the parts of the open and dedicated blogging platform. First, let’s see what ChatGPT says about Write.as (edited responses from ChatGPT): > Aaron Taylor is the founder & CEO of [Cosmic.org](http://cosmic.org/?ref=numericcitizen.me) and a team of remote employees who work on the [Write.as](http://write.as/?ref=numericcitizen.me) and [Remark.as](http://remark.as/?ref=numericcitizen.me)platforms. He is passionate about creating secure, anonymous spaces where people can express themselves without judgement or censorship. He has worked to create tools and features that make anonymous publishing easier and more secure for users. He is also the creator of the [Remark.as](http://remark.as/?ref=numericcitizen.me) platform, which gives users more control over how and when they share their thoughts. > [Write.as](http://write.as/?ref=numericcitizen.me) is a small team project led by the founder & CEO, Aaron Taylor, at [Cosmic.org](http://cosmic.org/?ref=numericcitizen.me). They are a remote team based all over the world, from Portland to Berlin to Mexico City. > [Write.as](http://write.as/?ref=numericcitizen.me) is a platform designed to help people express themselves freely and anonymously. It allows everyone to post their thoughts without worry of judgment or censorship. All posts are public and open to comments; however, the posters’ identities can remain anonymous. The project offers a suite of applications and services to make anonymous publishing easier, more secure, and more secure for users. It also allows people to follow topics, publications, or users, engaging in thoughtful dialogue and idea exchange. > [Remark.as](http://remark.as/?ref=numericcitizen.me) is a project that is a part of the [Write.as](http://write.as/?ref=numericcitizen.me) platform. It is designed to help users to have conversations with each other in an anonymous, secure, and censorship-free environment. [Remark.as](http://remark.as/?ref=numericcitizen.me) has features like tagging topics and publications, creating polls, and engaging in private forums. It also gives users more control over how and when they share their thoughts. [Remark.as](http://remark.as/?ref=numericcitizen.me)also allows users to create polls, surveys, and other interactive features to encourage public participation. > All in all, [Write.as](http://write.as/?ref=numericcitizen.me) and [Remark.as](http://remark.as/?ref=numericcitizen.me) are projects by Aaron Taylor and the team at [Cosmic.org](http://cosmic.org/?ref=numericcitizen.me) that provide users with an anonymous, censorship-free space in which to express themselves freely and engage with others. They are both designed to make anonymous publishing easier, more secure, and to give users more control over how and when they share their thoughts. > [Write.as](http://write.as/?ref=numericcitizen.me) is a simple, privacy-focused writing platform. It allows users to create and publish anonymous blog posts, journal entries, and other types of writing without needing an account or personal information. The platform also includes a built-in editor and the ability to customize the appearance of your writing with different fonts and themes. Additionally, [Write.as](http://write.as/?ref=numericcitizen.me) supports markdown formatting and has a feature called “focuses,” which allows users to group related posts together. The platform is designed for those who value privacy and simplicity. More seriously, here’s a brief description of each component, starting with an overview. ## An Overview of the WriteFreely Ecosystem The following diagram shows all the parts making up the Write.as service, which is part of the WriteFreely ecosystem. ![Created with Diagrams for Mac](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/2023/11/o7nkLrgO.png) Created with Diagrams for Mac - The Write.as service is where all the writing experience happens. Since this article isn’t a review, suffice it to say the editor offers a minimalistic and distraction-free environment. Write.as supports adding tags to any blog posts. Cross-posting content in Write.as is available for other platforms like Tumblr, Ghost and Twitter. I connected my account to Ghost but rarely cross-post over there. It’s nice to have, though. - The writer can attach photos at the end of each post by dragging them on the bottom bar. Photos attachments go to the “[snap.as](https://snap.as/?ref=numericcitizen.me)” minimalistic photo sharing add-on, tied to Write.as. All photo attachments are shown in one place, on snap.as. Photo galleries are available, albeit with a 10$ one-time purchase. Some features are marked as coming soon, but I suspect they are long in coming. I'm unsure if I would invest in this as I prefer dedicated services like Glass. - Submit.as is another add-on to Write.as. As the name suggests, it is a way for an author to accept submissions from other writers. No registration is required from the submitter, helping a frictionless experience. This service is not cheap and comes with a 12$ per month minimal fee. It’s not cheap and I don’t know why. Again, integration with other platforms is marked as coming. - Remark.as is yet another add-on closely tied to Write.as and offers to comment on any of the writer’s blog posts. Commenting is enabled on a per-post basis by adding a special <—discuss—> line anywhere within the post. - Read.write.as is like a content feed coming from other writers. Content published on Write.as gets published on this feed. It comes from the hosted version of Write.as. According to this website, content is cross-posted to an RSS feed, Mastodon and Twitter, but I fear this has been abandoned as the content is somewhat old. - The Mail add-on is where you’ll receive comments from other writers. Those comments are grouped in one place and are public. - Café is a place for discussion, but I don’t know how posts get promoted there. Those discussions are conversations happening on the Read.write.as section. - Other add-ons like a post signature are available for a one-time purchase of 10$ and eBooks export is also available for another one-time purchase of 10$. Still with me? I know it’s not simple. Write.as certainly feels like a bunch of add-ons tied together. ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/2023/11/V5TjG2x7.png) - The Write.as experience is minimalistic and needs some polishing. I haven’t seen improvements since I’m subscribing to the platform. This annoys me. - Overall, the Write.as ecosystem feels minimalistic and unfinished. I don’t expect many improvements to come to the platform. Yet, Matt, the founder of Write.as, is active on discuss.write.as discussion forum, so it’s a good sign. - There’s a Mac app for the Write.freely ecosystem, which should support Write.as but it has been in beta for more than a year. iOS and iPadOS are also available. All apps are available [here](https://writefreely.org/apps?ref=numericcitizen.me). I didn't test these, preferring the web experience. - All these services are part of a suite called the Musing Studio. It’s more of a branding thing. The site hasn’t been updated for a while. With this article, I hope I shed some light on this open-source project dedicated to writers and bloggers. Overall I like Write.as, even with some rough edges or unfinished integration. If I failed to explain something correctly, let me know in the comments! Update #1: Some references to subscription fees for add-ons have been corrected to one-time purchases, as required. It was an error based on the documentation’s misinterpretation. Update #2: This article was first posted on Write.as on January 20th, 2023. ### My Weekly Creative Summary for the Week of 2023/46 URL: https://numericcitizen.me/my-weekly-creative-summary-for-the-week-of-2023-46/ Last updated: 2024-02-18T12:31:48.000Z [numericcitizen shared a postThe sunset is near where I’m living. That one was great back a few years ago, during summer. Can you feel the heat? #sunset #colorfulsunset #clouds #iloveclouds![](https://pixelfed.social/img/favicon.png?v=2)pixelfed![](https://pxscdn.com/public/m/_v2/583629418009617054/bf4779419-8cf74f/cLcEZOED0Pip/I851loPJzAs3gTyhCachov3k2qwWdu4YVgf4QAVz_thumb.png)](https://pixelfed.social/p/numericcitizen/629423396459112985?ref=numericcitizen.me) I could call this week: the week of AI experimentation with ChatGPT. I played a lot with ChatGPT, Dall-E during the week. > 👨🏻‍💻 11 articles posted on my blog posts & 2 articles shared on my main website 🙂 > 🏞️ 12 photos shared 🙂 > 🎙️ No podcast episode published 😔 > 📺 2 YouTube videos published 😃 ## 📖 Reading > 1️⃣ “Some things don’t change and won’t change. Only the tools used to convey those lies change – from high priests and mass media to social networks and artificial intelligence.” — Om Malik 2️⃣ “ChatGPT is the most important consumer-facing product since the iPhone” — Ben Thompson ## 🗺️ Discoveries > 1️⃣ I made my first GPT: [Describe this photo](https://chat.openai.com/g/g-7AnO8rnLg-describe-this-photo?ref=numericcitizen.me). I use it to create the ALT description of a photo when posting on Pixelfed. It's super handy and generally 100x better and much faster than what I would do. Making a GPT is easy and requires a paid subscription to ChatGPT. 2️⃣ I'm also learning more about ChatGPT query formulation for text and image generation. 3️⃣ OpenAI CEO Sam Altman Is Out, [apparently](https://openai.com/blog/openai-announces-leadership-transition?ref=numericcitizen.me). ## 👨🏻‍💻 Writing > 1️⃣ This weekly newsletter is another creative project similar to another monthly newsletter I published a while ago (The Numeric Citizen Introspection Newsletter — what a weird name!). The last issue (edition #24) can be found [here](https://numericcitizen.me/numeric-citizen-introspection-24/) and was published about a year ago. Looking at this weekly newsletter, I can see a few points in common with my previous project. I’m more confident in this weekly version because of its nature: writing about my creative journey instead of sharing my discoveries made during the month. ## 🌄 Photography > 1️⃣ In the exhibit section below, you'll find one of my photos of a guy walking in a park by night. It's very dark, but lights along the walking path light up the scene. This image was uploaded to test Dall-E, an image generation engine from OpenAI, as input to my query, and Dall-E created a beautiful black-and-white illustration. I find the results impressive and beautiful. What's more amazing is that a machine or set of machines could produce such a result based on learning a massive amount of data. I mean, that's something that any capable artist would have created in days if not weeks. I'm still trying to wrap my head around what Dall-E (and Midjourney) can come up with. 2️⃣ Now, one question: is the resulting image still one of mine with copyrights? 🤔 ## 🎙️ Podcasting > 1️⃣ I’m often thinking of publicly, while on Micro.blog, to ask for volunteers for an interview for recording a podcast. I’m pretty sure I would be good at this. Interviews generally make great podcast episodes! Who's in? 🤔 ## 🍎 Apple > 1️⃣ Apple software is generally stable and without too many issues for me. But I would say that things are not so bug-free since this year’s releases (iPadOS 17, iOS 17, etc.). Like for the wine, there are good years and bad years. I wouldn't consider this year as a good one for Apple. A recent report by Bloomberg states that Apple, for a week, paused all new development so that the developers could focus on fixing bugs. What? This is not how software development at scale works. And this [link post from 9to5Mac](https://9to5mac.com/2023/11/07/ios-18-features-paused-to-focus-on-bug-fixes/?ref=numericcitizen.me) is good at stating the possible reasons. However, the article fails to mention the possible work related to adding the required change to enable third-party App Store support for next year. I think this isn't necessarily easy to tweak. 2️⃣ Similarly, fixing software requires much effort, especially for operating systems. Apple has a lot on its plate. A somewhat well-known developer started asking other developers to boycott one crucial tool that Apple depend on: The Feedback Assistant. Why this boycott? Because he thinks that Apple doesn't care enough to process them and pay attention to fixing bugs reported within the tool. If you use Feedback Assistant, consider reading [this article](https://lapcatsoftware.com/articles/2023/11/2.html?ref=numericcitizen.me). I remember using Feedback Assistant in two scenarios: when I was an indie iOS developer (2009-2013) and as a regular user testing their beta releases. I would say that I got replies from the engineer in many cases. My experience might be representative, though. ## 🚧 Special projects > 1️⃣ Since releasing the subscription for The Craft Bible on [Gumroad](https://numericcitizen.gumroad.com/l/the-craft-bible-v2?ref=numericcitizen.me), I spent quite some time working on its content. I want this thing to expand because it fills a big void in the Craft community. People like to go to one place and find all related information curated by a Craft enthusiast and experienced user. I find this project to be exciting and gratifying. Eventually, the intensity of my contribution will stabilize when Craft gets to a certain level of maturity. But for now, there is much to be done for the Craft company or myself. ## 📱 Apps & Services > 1️⃣ As you might know already, I've been testing Midjourney and Dall-E for a while now. I'm trying to figure out which of the two I prefer. Both are impressive, but their interaction mode with the end-user differs. I find Midjourney to be easier to grasp as a beginner. I feel in control of the outcome. Dall-E's simplicity makes it harder to master because everything happens in a written conversation. I'm getting started to write an article about this; I'm gathering all my thoughts and observations. At some point, I'll probably need to drop one of them because of money! 2️⃣ I encountered a severe bug in Craft the very same day I was about to record my YouTube video introducing the Craft Bible v2.0: all images weren't displaying on the website, affecting my subscribers! I couldn't record without using Craft, the app, to demo the website, which was awkward. I'm not sure if people who watched the video noticed this. I involved the Craft team to help me on this early morning, and I got a dedicated guy who helped me out... 3️⃣ Still no Craft update this week. The last one was on October 16th. It's been over a month. The team behind Craft might be working on something more significant to close the year. 4️⃣ Notion is out with another update: “Ask AI" to search through your Notion workspace. As you might expect from the feature name, you can search inside your workspace by asking questions and getting all the places where the content is available. Very interesting. This is something that I’d like to see coming to Craft, for sure. \*️⃣ I often mention Raycast, a Mac utility for helping with a gazillion different things. They started an affiliate program for paying subscribers like me. If you subscribe using [this link](https://raycast.com/hey/1ac1e761?ref=numericcitizen.me), you get one month free; I get one month free. It's a win-win deal! Get it! ## 👨‍👩‍👦‍👦 Personal > 1️⃣ I got two vaccine shots this week: COVID and the flu. They hit me hard. 🤒 ## 📺 YouTube > 1️⃣ Early in the week, I produced [the video](https://youtu.be/-vgpNIx6W1I?ref=numericcitizen.me) announcing the release of The Craft Bible 2.0\. It's a shorter than usual video, less than 10 minutes, and I'm okay with the end results. I felt the need to create this video to explain in more detail what's new with version 2 and how potential subscribers can subscribe. 2️⃣ It didn't take long before a user complained about subscription fatigue. In return, I asked if he would be willing to make a one-time purchase instead. I think I already know the answer. 🤔 3️⃣ I had enough time Saturday to create a [second YouTube video](https://youtu.be/NdBovW2V4tU?ref=numericcitizen.me) about Craft and task management. A guy on Reddit found my approach to be a bit "trollish”. 🤔 ## 🔮 Looking ahead > 1️⃣ I’m really looking forward to my DJing course (four weeks) next week. It's a twelve-hour course. I’ve always been fascinated by music, and electronic music is the closest to what I'm willing to explore for music mixing. 2️⃣ A Craft update is planned for next week, and I’m looking forward to it. It's been more than a month since the previous release. I wish you a great week! 💡 This newsletter edition is also available as a Craft shared document [here](https://crafted.numericcitizen.me/creative-summary-2023-46?ref=numericcitizen.me). This week's edition is based on template version 1.0.7 — 2023-11-05 and was put together with ❤️ on a 15-inch MacBook Air and Craft. ## Exhibits 👀 My YouTube video presents in detail The Craft Bible v2.0 A “trollish” YouTube video title to get some attention? ![A photo of a man walking in a park at night.](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/2023/11/IMG_9607.jpeg) A photo of a man walking in a park at night. ![The illustration created by Dall-E, is based on the first image.](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/2023/11/IMG_9635.jpeg) The illustration created by Dall-E, is based on the first image. ![04071a45b379a634.jpeg](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/2023/11/04071a45b379a634.jpeg) BasicAppleGuy at work, again. Great visual montage on the theme of black & white. Great use of GPTs for YouTubers like me… Another entry of AI in Notion, now for asking questions about our own content ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/2023/11/Image-5.png) ![Here is my Timery report for the past week, including device usage.](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/2023/11/Image-1-2.png) Here is my [Timery](https://www.timeryapp.com/?ref=numericcitizen.me) report for the past week, including device usage. ![Here is my logbook, as seen in Things 3.](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/2023/11/Image-2-2.png) Here is my logbook, as seen in [Things 3](https://culturedcode.com/things/?ref=numericcitizen.me). ### Using Plausible APIs, Charty for iOS and Apple Shortcuts to Build a Widget for Plausible Analytics URL: https://numericcitizen.me/using-plausible-api-charty-for-ios-and-apple-shortcuts-to-build-a-widget-for-plausible-analytics/ Last updated: 2023-11-12T18:16:49.000Z I want to share something with you, dear readers. I’m obsessed with numbers, statistics and dashboards. I have always paid attention to my website visitor analytics trends. One of the first things I did when my blog was hosted on WordPress was to create a Google Analytics account and link it to my website to measure its popularity or attraction. I remember constantly looking for iPhone apps that could connect to my Google Analytics account and display the numbers in a beautiful way. There weren’t a lot of apps, but I remember one called [GAget](https://www.macstories.net/linked/gaget-for-iphone/?ref=numericcitizen.me), where the presentation was absolutely beautiful (this was eventually discontinued). Today, many things have changed. I no longer use Google Analytics ([here is why](https://numericcitizen.me/here-is-why-i-switched-from-google-analytics-to-plausible/)); instead, I use Plausible Analytics. However, one thing remains constant: every morning, I first check my Plausible analytics dashboard (which is [public](https://plausible.io/numeric-citizen-introspection.ghost.io?ref=numericcitizen.me), by the way). While I don't mind not having a million visitors per day, I obsess over the trends, where visitors are coming from, what page they visit the most, etc. It's fun. That's why I'm subscribing to Plausible. The issue with this service is the absence of native iPhone apps. It would be great to have visually appealing dashboard graphics on my iPhone. ![My dream dashboard — created with Dall-E — I love dashboards](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/2023/11/dream-dashboard.png) My dream dashboard — created with Dall-E — I love dashboards When Apple announced widgets for the iPhone, one of the things I wanted was to be able to display my Plausible analytics within a big widget on my Home Screen. The required components were a way to query Plausible’s APIs through an Apple Shortcut and display the data in the widget. For this, there is a super and powerful app: [Charty for iPhone](https://chartyios.app/?ref=numericcitizen.me). All the pieces were there, but they lacked the glue between them. This summer, I started looking into this. After some research, I saw the following challenges: - How do I query the APIs from a Shortcut? - How do I process the response from the API request? - How do I pass that processed information to Charty to generate a beautiful graph? Once the data is in Charty, the rest would be easy because Charty supports widgets where you select which graph to display as the widget’s data source. Sending an API request through Shortcut is relatively simple but requires some googling to learn authentication methods with an API. The more challenging part is the processing of the query reply. Plausible APIs return JSON responses. That was my main roadblock. After much reading about processing dictionaries in Shortcut, I gave up because I couldn’t figure out how. If you don’t know what a dictionary is in JSON terminology, let’s ask ChatGPT for an explanation: A dictionary in JSON format is a collection of key-value pairs enclosed in curly braces { }. It is a way to organize and represent data. Keys must be strings, and values can be strings, numbers, booleans, arrays, or nested dictionaries. For example: ```json { "name": "Alice", "age": 30, "isStudent": false, "hobbies": ["reading", "painting"], "address": { "city": "New York", "country": "USA" } } ``` In this example, "name", "age", "isStudent", "hobbies", and "address" are the keys. Their respective values are "Alice", 30, false, \["reading", "painting"\], and another nested dictionary with "city" and "country" as keys and their corresponding values. I was facing a programming challenge while working with Apple Shortcuts. Although I have experience in computer programming and successfully developed an iPhone app in Objective-C from 2009 to 2013, I struggled with Apple Shortcuts. The shortcut editor is difficult to use, and debugging is nearly impossible. I felt stuck and unable to make progress. Plus, processing nested dictionaries was also a big challenge. It wasn’t and still isn’t obvious to me. In July, I came across a post on Micro.blog from Jarrod Blundy, who was enthusiastic about creating shortcuts. Jarrod is the author of the excellent [HeyDingus](https://heydingus.net/?ref=numericcitizen.me) website. I asked him if he would like to build a shortcut for me. He agreed immediately, and I gave him all the necessary details to start the project without specifying a deadline. Jarrod returned to me in early November with several versions of the Shortcut. After downloading them from the provided iCloud links and upon the first execution, I was impressed and enthusiastic with the outcome. The shortcut not only retrieved the data from Plausible efficiently, but Charty also presented the results in a visually appealing line graph. I returned to Jarrod with my appreciative comments and sent him some money as a big thank you. Two remaining things were needed to finalize the desired solution: setting up a widget on the iPhone and assigning the programmatically created graph as the widget’s data source. ![Charty’s widgets on my iPad](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/2023/11/Sunday-12-Nov-2023-100831.png) Charty’s widgets on my iPad Since receiving the shortcuts, not only have I examined the shortcut’s logic, but I have also made some tweaks to the graph formatting. This is where I discovered how powerful Charty is. The current version of Charty is 1.4 and hasn’t been updated in a while. I checked to see if there were any plans for a new version, and sure enough, it seems the developer is working in Charty 2.0, which would take advantage of new data charting capabilities in Swift, which were announced in WWDC 2022 if I remember correctly. I can’t wait to get my hands on this update. I added my widgets to my iPhone and on my iPad, even on my Mac mini desktop, thanks to macOS Sonoma. It’s cool! The one last thing was to set an automation on my iPhone to execute the shortcut regularly. The daily stats widget gets updated every morning, and the weekly stats widget once a week, every Sunday. That was pretty easy. But there is another way: with Charty’s widget, you can set an action to execute if the widget is tapped. I could set it up to run the corresponding shortcut. Isn’t this cool enough? ![The Charty app on the iPad](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/2023/11/Sunday-12-Nov-2023-100752.png) The Charty app on the iPad Jarrod’s work on this small project is exemplary. The shortcut logic is straightforward; comments accompany each logical construct of the shortcut to describe what is being accomplished. And the shortcut works! If you have ideas for some projects like this one but are afraid of programming, get in touch with him, and you never know; he might be willing to accept the challenge. Ask him to share the Shortcut to get started if you are on Plausible, too. I’m a happy camper. 🙂 Now, I should spend some time trying to understand JSON dictionary processing using Shortcuts 🤓 ☝️ Disclaimer: AI was used to improve portions of this article. See my AI usage guidelines [here](https://world.numericcitizen.io/my-personal-guiding-principles-for-AI?ref=numericcitizen.me). ### My Weekly Creative Summary for the Week of 2023/45 URL: https://numericcitizen.me/my-weekly-creative-summary-for-the-week-of-2023-45/ Last updated: 2024-02-18T12:31:57.000Z [numericcitizen shared a postCan you believe this church was abandoned? So great architectural masterpieces are being left behind because… money. #architecture #architecturephotography #church #abandoned #abandonedbuilding #abandonedplaces![](https://pixelfed.social/img/favicon.png?v=2)pixelfed![](https://pxscdn.com/public/m/_v2/583629418009617054/bf4779419-8cf74f/QDRA3Rg2ijc6/RRwsHFPK9sNAxhS8z4Xa8ONQhjlrpFETMe3C8kJF_thumb.png)](https://pixelfed.social/p/numericcitizen/628225210006598973?ref=numericcitizen.me) With this week’s edition, you’ll find a new section called “Discoveries”. This week, I didn’t publish much and worked instead on a project involving The Craft Bible and Gumroad. All the details are below. It’s funny how the domains I’m working on change one week after the other. 👨🏻‍💻 7 articles posted on my blog posts & 2 articles shared on my main website 🙂 🏞️ 9 photos shared 🙂 🎙️ 0 podcast episodes published 😔 📺 1 YouTube video published 😃 ## 📖 Reading 1️⃣ I’ve read a few articles about Hu.ma.ne and their new (and first) product. It's certainly fascinating. The tech world was eager to come out with all sorts of analysis and take on this first gen product. It would be easy to call them doomed or DOA because of the concept novelty. They have something really unique on their hands. I'm curious to see where it's going. Beyond that, I don't have a firm opinion yet. While reading these articles about the "experience” delivery of the AI pin, I thought about the concept of the App Store that we've been enjoying since the iPhone, and I feel the concept is becoming tiring. We are really at the end of the App Store line. Is Apple aware of it? 🤔 ## 🗺️ Discoveries 1️⃣ For the first edition of this new section, I want to share my excitement for a great new app for the Mac: Keyboard Maestro. It replaces an app I used to automate some tasks on the Mac named Keysmith. It wasn’t updated in a long time and doesn't work well with macOS Sonoma. I had to find an alternative. This is where Keyboard Maestro comes into play. With other apps, Keyboard Maestro shines and helps me be more efficient and productive. I worked on many macros for use in conjunction with Craft, which in some areas lacks keyboard shortcuts. I made a video about this on my YouTube channel, see the link below. ## 👨🏻‍💻 Writing 1️⃣ Writing is a significant portion of my creative journey. Since the explosion of AI in our digital life, it was a matter of time before it made its appearance in one way or another in my creative journey. Because of that, it is now time to share my guiding principles for using AI-based tools and services. You can find them [here](https://world.numericcitizen.io/my-personal-guiding-principles-for-AI?ref=numericcitizen.me) ## 🌄 Photography 1️⃣ “John Morris, a professional photographer from Prince Edward Island, Canada, was trying to get a shot of Quebec City’s iconic Chateau Frontenac hotel on Tuesday when he was accosted by a guard from the nearby U.S. consulate.” - from a story reported by Petapixel. The story says the photographer was sitting near the U.S. consulate to shoot photos of the Chateau Frontenac in Old Quebec, Canada. He was waiting for the perfect composition with clouds in the sky. He was arrested for loitering. I bring up this story because I can see myself doing the same as he did: requesting why he should move since he was in a public place, doing nothing wrong. He will have to pay the fine but plans to challenge this in court. That's an abuse of power, plain and simple. [Photographer Waiting for Cloud Cover is Handcuffed and Fined for LoiteringHe’s contesting the fine.![](https://petapixel.com/wp-content/themes/petapixel-2017/assets/prod/img/apple-touch-icon-180x180.png)PetaPixelMatt Growcoot![](https://petapixel.com/assets/uploads/2023/11/Chateau-Frontenac.jpg)](https://petapixel.com/2023/11/06/photographer-waiting-for-cloud-cover-is-handcuffed-and-fined-for-loitering/?ref=numericcitizen.me) I would have done the same. ## 🎙️ Podcasting 1️⃣ It's been a while since I published a podcast episode. I do have many ideas but I lack the required time to push one new episode out. I feel sad about this. 😔 ## 🍎 Apple 1️⃣ Apparently, Apple is ready to let go of its walled garden in Europe by allowing third-party App Store on the iPhone. I bring this up here because it has profound implications for Apple users. I bet this will eventually come worldwide once it’s been available in Europe for a while. I guess Europe will be a test bed for Apple. 2️⃣ I'm still in awe with my MacBook Air and Mac mini, both using Apple Silicon. Apple has been on a roll in CPU development since 2020\. They recently introduced the M3 iteration, which provides substantial performance gain, depending on which Mac you are upgrading. Please look at the exhibit section below for a complete chart of all versions of Apple Silicon chips. ## 🚧 Special projects 1️⃣ My Gumroad account was finally verified, making my digital products available for search and in the Discovery section (see the exhibits section below). I'm anxious to see if it will make a difference. Fingers crossed! 2️⃣ I've been working on my next project: making The Craft Bible available as a paid subscription. My reasoning is simple: I put so much effort into maintaining this website; I think it offers genuine added value to the Craft users community, and asking for a small compensation feels reasonable. The new subscription is available [here](https://numericcitizen.gumroad.com/l/the-craft-bible-v2?ref=numericcitizen.me) on Gumroad. 3️⃣ Earlier this year, I had the idea of building a widget for the iPhone with Charty ([link](https://chartyios.app/?ref=numericcitizen.me)) to display my website visitors’ analytics provided with Plausible ([link](https://plausible.io/?ref=numericcitizen.me)). I started doing some exploratory work only to realize this was a much more complex project than I initially thought. I eventually encountered a guy on Micro.blog who shared his desire to build Apple's Shortcuts. I got in touch with him, and a few months later, I got my first version of the Shortcut, fully functional and doing precisely what I wanted. I sent him some money for his support. Charty is a fantastic app. It's been a while since the last release, but according to the developer, he is working on a new version, 2.0\. I can't wait! ## 📱 Apps & Services 1️⃣ I spend quite some quality time experimenting with Keyboard Maestro. My first use case is automating some portions of my weekly newsletter process. My second is automating portions of Craft interactions. In the latter case, this automation helps circumvent Craft's limited use of keyboard shortcuts. It's fun to be a power user! 2️⃣ I was expecting an update to Craft this week, but it didn't come. Next week, maybe. Meanwhile, I decided to reduce my implication in Slack channels regarding Craft. I'll spend my precious time on other things than playing a fake community manager. Sorry for venting some frustration here. 3️⃣ I'm still pondering if I should subscribe to ChatGPT and leave behind Midjourney. The problem is that Raycast offers GPT-4 for an additional 8$ a month, but it won't recognize my ChatGPT subscription. I would end up paying twice for the same. ## 👨‍👩‍👦‍👦 Personal 1️⃣ Did you know that I’m celebrating thirty years in information technology? Probably not. It all began in 1993 as a professional IT technician. I started writing an article on this personal milestone. More to come soon. Time flies and I think I still have another decade in front of me. After, I'll be done. ## 📺 YouTube 1️⃣ Fun fact: did you know that before being on YouTube to share my videos about Craft or Micro.blog? I tried Vimeo, but It wasn't very successful. I prefer the Vimeo publishing experience, but compared to YouTube, it felt like a ghost town. 2️⃣ I made a new video about using Keyboard Maestro with Craft for my YouTube channel. It has been a long time since my last video. I was a bit in a hurry and lacked the usual preparation time. I'm not super happy with the video quality from an execution perspective. ## 🔮 Looking ahead 1️⃣ I’ve been investing more and more of my time into ChatGPT derivative tools recently. My interest in these next-generation services is increasing significantly. I'm a light user of ChatGPT, but I'm blown away each time I use it. I'm considering augmenting my use of these tools in my creative journey. Because of this, I think it is also time to reflect on the values underlying my creative work. This is why I want to continue working on my "My Personal Guiding Principles for AI Tools and Services Use”. 2️⃣ I'm also considering increasing my subscription and accessing the more performant model, GPT-4\. I'm thinking about the best tool to use for this. Raycast is probably the one I'll go ahead with. I wish you a great week! 💡 This newsletter edition is also available as a Craft shared document [here](https://crafted.numericcitizen.me/creative-summary-2023-45?ref=numericcitizen.me). This week's edition is based on template version 1.0.6 — 2023-11-03 and was put together with ❤️ on a 15-inch MacBook Air and Craft. ## Exhibits 👀 ![My Craft Template 2024 Year Calendar and the Craft Bible in Gumroad Discovery](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/2023/11/Image-4.png) My Craft Template 2024 Year Calendar and the Craft Bible in Gumroad Discovery ![An automation example in Keyboard Maestro — Processing the title of my weekly newsletter.](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/2023/11/Keyboard-Maestro-Keyboard-Maestro-Editor.png) An automation example in Keyboard Maestro — Processing the title of my weekly newsletter. The first OpenAI keynote ever. Watch to see the future happening right now. ![The Apple Silicon family on one table.](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/2023/11/IMG_9609.jpeg) The Apple Silicon family on one table. Using Keyboard Maestro with Craft to automate simple tasks ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/2023/11/Image-1-1.png) ![Here is my Timery report for the past week, including device usage.](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/2023/11/Image-2-1.png) Here is my [Timery](https://www.timeryapp.%0Acom) report for the past week, including device usage. ![Here is my logbook, as seen in Things 3.](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/2023/11/Image-3.png) Here is my logbook, as seen in [Things 3](https://culturedcode.com/things/?ref=numericcitizen.me). ### My Personal Guiding Principles for Using AI Tools and Services URL: https://numericcitizen.me/my-personal-guiding-principles-for-using-ai-tools-and-services/ Last updated: 2023-11-09T11:45:14.000Z In today’s world, do we refrain from using a spell checker in a word processor? No. Do we hesitate to use built-in filters in a photo-processing app like Lightroom or Photomator? I would argue that we rarely do. Do we mind using the automatic outline generator feature of a word processor? Nope. What about using PowerPoint templates where most of the presentation’s content is automatically formatted using many visual attributes? Because AI offers powerful accelerators for our digital work and because of its power, for me, it seems that some guiding rules are in order to frame my AI usage. I expect they will evolve over time. By sharing them publicly, I implicitly reveal that I occasionally use AI for my creative work. 1. **Never directly use AI responses in a document unless quoted and marked as coming from AI.** As AI is seen as a complementary tool, query results must be reworked, contextualized and used to create new content. 2. **Always add a disclaimer when AI is used and divulge which tools were used.** Something like: Source: ChatGPT via Raycast. 3. **Use AI as a complementary tool to accomplish something not at the center of a specific project.** AI should be considered like another tool in a more extensive toolset, like a Word Processor or a To-do manager. I must not forget about the creative goal and desired end product. 4. **Consider each AI query as non-private; never use private information in queries.** Some AI clients could potentially gather data to help feed future training processes. It’s not a good idea to send queries with personal or sensitive data in them. Anonymize everything if such a thing makes sense when formulating queries. 5. **Never trust AI responses, stay critical and do spot checks.** One of the biggest mistakes when using AI is considering responses as the truth. It would be a recipe for a disaster from a credibility perspective. Trust but check applies here. 6. **Use AI on well-documented and established domains or bodies of knowledge.** Current AI models are trained on knowledge until the fall of 2021\. Knowledge credibility takes time and generally comes with more credibility. 7. **Use AI only on topics where I wouldn't mind talking about them in public.** I am not interested in trying controversial requests against ChatGPT or Midjourney. 8. **Use AI only if meaningful added value is expected.** Using AI for the sake of using AI doesn’t bring value. It needs to help add value to the creative process. 9. **Use AI on non-controversial subjects.** AI is about using knowledge, and in scientific communities, consensus is the basis for knowledge validation. Let the dust settle on controversies before making use of still-questionable knowledge. 10. **Use AI to create something I don’t have enough abilities to produce similar results myself.** I am using AI as a complement to my current abilities. Life is short; I cannot learn everything. I need help sometimes. 11. **When using AI for content summarization, If the content is determined of high value, it must be read in full.** When trying shortcuts like summarization, don’t forget the value of doing the real thing. 12. **Keeping the human touch must be a top priority when using AI.** Using too much AI-created content can render the content too generic. 13. **Use AI as a last resort.** It’s too easy to rely on AI all the time. Remember that AI is not an end by itself, it’s a complementary tool, and I already had great human abilities before AI came to be. These rules are now officially part of my creative ethos. Do you have any? Finally, AI is used within my creative workflows through these front-end conduits: - ChatGPT website - Raycast AI Chat - MidJourney - Whisper - Micro.blog podcast transcription - Audio Hijack Transcription block - Kagi Summarize Results, Summary Document, Ask Questions - Craft Assistant - Grammarly You can find [this page](https://world.numericcitizen.io/my-personal-guiding-principles-for-AI?ref=numericcitizen.me) on [Numeric Citizen I/O](https://world.numericcitizen.io/meta?ref=numericcitizen.me). [Numeric Citizen I/O — A Blog About Blogging![](https://www.craft.do/share/static/logo-192.png)![](https://api.craft.do/render/preview/gVLvfSTBqusJUb)](https://world.numericcitizen.io/meta?ref=numericcitizen.me) ### My Weekly Creative Summary for the Week of 2023/44 URL: https://numericcitizen.me/my-weekly-creative-summary-for-the-week-of-2023-44/ Last updated: 2024-02-18T12:31:32.000Z [numericcitizen shared a postSomewhere in Colorado![](https://pixelfed.social/img/favicon.png?v=2)pixelfed![](https://pxscdn.com/public/m/_v2/583629418009617054/f1538e3aa-7b3151/JqJLqgTXZgEP/esFBJ6TlPhcACOR7dO9jLFOOoWaDCal9WjPgJv9o_thumb.jpg)](https://pixelfed.social/p/numericcitizen/624345524781501899?ref=numericcitizen.me) Last week I was too busy at work to be creative at home. I’m back from this business trip, so my creative activities have resumed. In this edition, something new from Apple, lots of new apps and services news, and some news about my Craft template sales. 🗞️ 22 articles posted on my blog posts & 2 articles shared on my main website 👨🏻‍💻 🏞️ 22 photos shared 😃 🎙️ No podcast episode published 😔 📺 No YouTube videos published ☹️ ## 📖 Reading 1️⃣ I did some reading of saved articles in Omnivore. Since I’ve been using Omnivore, my reading time increased a bit. I'm more intentional about reading. I don't know exactly why because before Omnivore, I was using Matter and before, I used Pocket. Something about Omnivore might make me want to return to it and read, which is a good thing. 2️⃣ I'm not the only one who creates weekly summaries like this one. I recently started paying attention to [this one](https://maique.eu/2023/11/05/thingsthisweek.html?ref=numericcitizen.me) from Maique. It's quite different than mine. It is more family matters oriented with touches of professional life tidbits. I like it. ## 👨🏻‍💻 Writing 1️⃣ I published [a long list](https://numericcitizen.me/apps-every-mac-users-must-install-right-now/) of Mac utilities that I find hyper-useful and depend on all the time. That article was quite easy to put together, for once. It gained some traction among my readers. Some people told me they discovered a few apps. I’m grateful for that. 2️⃣ My monthly posting summary on my blog went out to subscribers on November 1\. It's always surprising how much writing I can achieve in a month. Don't miss the next issue, if you prefer emails, read my posts [right here](https://blog.numericcitizen.me/subscribe/?ref=numericcitizen.me). ## 🌄 Photography 1️⃣ Unsplash introduced a new and revamped homepage. All the announcement details can be found [here](https://unsplash.com/blog/new-homepage/?ref=numericcitizen.me). It's subtle, but it’s interesting. The homepage should adjust according to the user usage (frequent users, occasional, etc.). One notable change is the removal of the photo of the day. One quick note: my use of Unsplash with my content could potentially decrease since I started using Midjourney to generate the article's header images. It is fun and more creative than picking an image from a random photographer. 2️⃣ I received a reminder to renew my subscription to Exposure, a photo-sharing service. Exposure is quite expensive at 319 CAN$ per year. In the last twelve months, I created and shared six visual stories. I got three subscribers. And I only got a few likes for my stories. It's not worth my time. With my current migration to Pixelfed, I can no longer justify my subscription to Exposure. So, I cancelled my subscription. The sad part is that Exposure doesn't offer an export feature. The next subscription to be cancelled is SmugMug next year. As I wrote in the past, in 2024, Pixelfed will be my only place online for sharing my photos. 3️⃣ As I'm migrating my photos to Pixelfed, I wonder what it would take to run my own Pixelfed instance. Setting up my instance wouldn't create an isolated silo because Pixelfed is based on Fediverse. I would expect to have my instanced federate across other instances. It could be a project for next year; who knows? I would need to consider how to migrate my photos from one instance to another. ## 🍎 Apple 1️⃣ Scary Fast event took place on Monday, late at night, a first, to my knowledge. As [I wrote](https://blog.numericcitizen.me/2023/10/29/so-far-i.html?ref=numericcitizen.me), I wasn't too excited about it the days before. The event lasted 30 minutes. It's probably the shortest Apple Event of all time. Apple set a spooky look to the production, which was more or less convincing. The focus was the Mac, as the invite animation hinted at it. The third-generation Apple Silicon was introduced. Welcome to the M3, M3 Pro, and M3 Max variations. The first Macs to take advantage of them are the MacBook Pro and the iMac. The latter was a bit of a surprise, but it was long overdue for a processor upgrade. I'm still impressed by Apple’s execution in the micro-processors field. The pace of iterations is steady, and the M3 seems a hyper-powerful chip. Kudos to them. I just got an M2 MacBook Air and don't plan to upgrade anytime soon. The space black colour is gorgeous. ## 🚧 Special projects 1️⃣ Started working on a third Craft template for sale on Gumroad. This one was a biggy: [the 2024 Calendar](https://crafted.numericcitizen.me/2024-calendar-template-v1?ref=numericcitizen.me)! My Gumroad account is still in the queue for official review. Until then, the exposure I get is minimal. I did sell a few of my templates without much exposure, except for my promotional posts on Slack and Mastodon. When publishing this weekly summary, I sold three times the calendar template! Not bad. 😀 ## 📱 Apps & Services 1️⃣ I had a twenty-minute feedback interview with Rewind's community manager. We went through some of the concerns exposed in my written review. She seemed happy to have me for a few moments. 2️⃣ Pixelfed's third-party client, Vernissage, was updated to version 2.0\. What I find strange is how fast this app is being updated while we wait for version 1.0 of the official Pixelfed app. This app has been in beta forever. 3️⃣ Flipboard was a novel idea back then, and I wanted to take advantage of it and share my content on the platform. But nobody is noticing. I’m not going to do anything with this. 4️⃣ Don't miss [this list](https://numericcitizen.me/apps-every-mac-users-must-install-right-now/) of Mac apps I like. 5️⃣ I recently started testing Kagi, a paid search engine. I'm still exploring while using my free search requests. I like what I'm seeing. More comments in the future. 6️⃣ Glass updated its app to [add more widgets](https://glass.photo/highlights/updated-ios-widget?ref=numericcitizen.me) and support for Stand By mode and macOS Sonoma widgets. I like it when apps get updated to support the latest technologies. 7️⃣ Ghost launched (in beta) a [new recommendation feature](https://ghost.org/changelog/recommendations/?ref=numericcitizen.me), and I’m ready to see how it will move the needle for me. I don't expect much, but I like this idea of showing my recommendations for other websites I like when people subscribe to my blog. 8️⃣ Audio Hijack 4.3.0 came out with the support of audio transcription, thanks to AI (again)! I can see myself using it while recording a podcast! Phew, that was a busy week. 9️⃣ If you want an automation app on the Mac, don't buy Keysmith. I explain the reasons right [here](https://blog.numericcitizen.me/2023/11/05/another-case-of.html?ref=numericcitizen.me). An automation app lets you record repetitive steps to create a macro or process you invoke using a key combination. I decided to try Keyboard Maestro, and I'm super excited. It works great and is not subject to a software subscription but a one-time purchase. ## 👨‍👩‍👦‍👦 Personal 1️⃣ My business trip to Las Vegas was intense and prevented me from doing meaningful creative activities. As expected, stepping back from my creative hobby and taking a distant look at what I was doing was okay. I came back exhausted but also willing to return to my usual activities. 2️⃣ I started thinking about my career in IT this week because I've been in this field for three decades! I learned so many things (I still do) and underwent many changes and technological waves. I must start to write about this journey. There are so many things to talk about. ## 📺 YouTube 1️⃣ It's been a while since I posted a new video on YouTube. The lack of meaningful new features in Craft is probably one of the reasons. While people like Matt Birchler [expand their subscriber base](https://isfeeling.social/@matt/111341890103637528?ref=numericcitizen.me), mine is stagnant. I still get some new subscribers, though. ## 🔮 Looking ahead 1️⃣ I want to produce a new YouTube video or a Podcast episode in the coming weeks. With my current exploration with Keyboard Maestro, I might have found my next YouTube video idea: automating Craft using Keyboard Maestro. Stay tuned. ## 💎 Miscellaneous 1️⃣ I started gathering AI use cases in my day-to-day creative life. On what occasion do I go to ChapGPT to ask something? About what? How often? It's an exciting and valuable introspection. I'm already at half a dozen use cases. Stay tuned for all the details about each. 2️⃣ I'm considering subscribing to a paid version of ChatGPT. Many apps would benefit from this because they require an API token from ChatGPT to enable AI-related tasks. 3️⃣ Speaking of AI, I read Om Malik's article where he refers to Augmented Intelligence instead of Artificial Intelligence this week. I prefer this appellation. The idea is to convey the idea that AI augments human capabilities instead of replacing them with a pale copy of their capabilities. 4️⃣ Without really knowing it, I'm part of the POSSE movement: write and publish on one open platform and cross-post to other open platforms. If I get replies on those platforms, I try to respond to them, like on Bluesky. All ActivityPub platforms get a reply from Micro.blog, the closest to the content's origin. I wish you a great week! 💡 This newsletter edition is also available as a Craft shared document [here](https://crafted.numericcitizen.me/creative-summary-2023-44?ref=numericcitizen.me). This week's edition is based on template version 1.0.5 — 2023-10-15 and was put together with ❤️ on a 15-inch MacBook Air and Craft. ## Exhibits 👀 [Apple-Morphing-into-Mac-loop.mp4![](https://numericcitizen.me/favicon.ico)Apple-Morphing-into-Mac-loop.mp4![](https://micro.blog/numericcitizen/avatar.jpg)](https://go.numericcitizen.me/0BRrBF8b?ref=numericcitizen.me) A cool animation created for the Scary Fast event invite ![MacBook Pro visual fact sheet](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/2023/11/Scary-Fast2023-10-3020.24.292x.png) MacBook Pro visual fact sheet ![iMac visual fact sheet](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/2023/11/Scary-Fast2023-10-3020.28.322x.png) iMac visual fact sheet ![Image.png](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/2023/11/Image.png) ![Image.png](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/2023/11/Image-1.png) Here is my [Timery](https://www.timeryapp.com/?ref=numericcitizen.me) report for the past week, including device usage. ![Image.png](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/2023/11/Image-2.png) Here is my logbook, as seen in [Things 3](https://culturedcode.com/things/?ref=numericcitizen.me). ### Software Is Really Never Finished URL: https://numericcitizen.me/software-is-really-never-finished/ Last updated: 2024-02-18T12:32:36.000Z I read [this linkpost](https://daringfireball.net/linked/2023/10/31/finished-software?ref=numericcitizen.me) from Gruber about **the beauty of finished software**. Gruber was linking to [this piece](https://josem.co/the-beauty-of-finished-software/?ref=numericcitizen.me). As a passionate user of software, this article triggered a few thoughts. I wonder if the idea of a finished software is even possible in today’s world. It’s a fascinating subject. ![Craft is updated quite frequently](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/2023/11/App-Store-App-Store@2023-10-31@20.07.22@2x.png) Craft is updated quite frequently Consider how modern software and services are built using continuous integration and continuous delivery pipelines (CI/CD) in an agile development organization. The whole concept of CI/CD was partially put together to deliver bug fixes and new features faster, in an iterative matter. Continuously updated software is systematized under the umbrella of DevOps. **What is CI/CD in Software Development?** CI/CD (Continuous Integration/Continuous Delivery) is a software development practice that enables developers to integrate code changes into a code repository, build the code, test it, and deploy it quickly and reliably. It is a key part of DevOps, a set of practices that combines software development and operations to improve the speed and quality of software delivery. CI/CD helps to automate the process of software development and delivery, allowing teams to deploy faster and more frequently. When Apple releases a new version of macOS, new features are available to the end-users and new APIs to the developers. Because of this relentless effort by Apple to move the software needle and support new hardware features, third-party software has to evolve, too. In this dynamic landscape, apps or software are never done. And I’m okay with it as long as we don’t take too many steps backwards with each release. I hate using an app that fails to embrace recently introduced operating system-level features, like Shortcuts or something even more basic like Share Sheets. I’m looking at you, Craft 👀. We could try to elaborate a list of reasons for software updates: - Add, update or remove functionality; - Update the application’s internal third-party libraries and dependencies; - Adopt a new operating system feature (Apple Pay, Metal, Passcode); - Support a new hardware feature or a new device (Halide for iPhone 15); - Adopt new UI paradigms (iOS 7); - Update application non-executable assets (correct translations); - Adopt new platforms within an ecosystem (Catalyst); - Fix a security issue; - Conform to external rules and legislations (App Store’s new rule, GDPR, etc.); - Conform to a legal issue (cease to desist order, etc.); - Adopt a new or updated back-end service in the cloud; - Enable connection to a new app in the same app ecosystem (Photomator + Pixelmator); - For some optimization (app size, CPU consumption, memory consumption, network bandwidth, etc.); As you can see, updates are mandatory in today’s complex and dynamic world. Otherwise, there might be something wrong with the developer. When looking to add an app for any of my workflows, One of the first things I’ll consider is the history of updates. Unless it’s a straightforward and highly focused app, an app without recent updates is a red flag for me. ![Tot, a simple text editor hasn’t been updated for a year.](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/2023/11/App-Store-App-Store@2023-10-31@20.03.34@2x.png) Tot, a simple text editor hasn’t been updated for a year. Oh, and one last note: did you know that Microsoft Word turned 40? Yet, it is still being updated after all these years. I find it funny bringing Microsoft Word here, as the original article referred to WordStar 4.0 as a good example of finished software. As tools, software can’t always be compared to a hammer or a screwdriver. Software stands in a unique category of tools made by humans for humans, but a tool mostly in constant mutation. ### Apps Every Mac Users Must Install Right NOW! URL: https://numericcitizen.me/apps-every-mac-users-must-install-right-now/ Last updated: 2023-10-29T21:46:10.000Z The following list of Mac-only utilities is at the censor of everything I do on the Mac. They are essentials. I couldn’t live without them. Maybe not. But they are super useful. In no particular order, let’s dive into the list. 1. [**Raycast**](https://www.raycast.com/?ref=numericcitizen.me) — A powerful utility assistant full of possibilities, thanks to its ever-expanding plugin collection. Everything is accessible from a Spotlight-line command line. 2. [**CleanShot X**](https://cleanshot.com/?ref=numericcitizen.me) — Push screenshot capabilities to new levels. Don’t settle for the built-in screenshot feature of macOS because CleanShot X offers so much more. 3. [**NextDNS**](http://nextdns.io/?ref=numericcitizen.me) — Stay secure and block those trackers while surfing the web. Don't forget these two honourable mentions if security and privacy are something you cherish: 1Blocker and StopTheMadness Safari extensions. 4. [**Little Snitch Mini**](https://obdev.at/products/littlesnitch-mini/index.html?ref=numericcitizen.me) — You’re never protected enough. This little firewall will tell you what’s going on on your Mac and enable blocking some traffic you don’t like going out. 5. [**NetNewsWire**](https://netnewswire.com/?ref=numericcitizen.me) \+ [**RSS Button for Safari**](https://rssdiscovery.app/?ref=numericcitizen.me) — RSS feeds aren’t dead, far from it. This free and venerable RSS reader is very capable and macOS native. Combined with RSS Button Safari, you’ll be all set to search for new RSS feeds while browsing the web and being well-equipped to read RSS feed content. 6. [**Downie**](https://software.charliemonroe.net/downie/?ref=numericcitizen.me) — Download any video files from the internet, including from YouTube! 7. [**Permute**](https://software.charliemonroe.net/permute?ref=numericcitizen.me) — The ultimate media converter for macOS. 8. [**Tot**](https://tot.rocks/?ref=numericcitizen.me) — Jot down some notes from the menu bar when needed. 9. [**Hazel**](https://www.noodlesoft.com/whats-new-in-hazel-5/?ref=numericcitizen.me) — Don't be crazy with automation. This file management utility covers a lot of use cases. Simple to master. 10. [**Bartender 5**](https://www.macbartender.com/?ref=numericcitizen.me) — Supercharge the menu bar with this powerful utility to help you organize and tweak menubar items. 11. [**PopClip**](https://www.popclip.app/?ref=numericcitizen.me) — Text utilities right at the cursor reach. Extensible via free plugins. I can't live without it. 12. [**Default Folder X**](https://www.stclairsoft.com/DefaultFolderX/index.html?ref=numericcitizen.me) — Quick access to your files and folders while saving or opening documents, no need to go to the Finder. This one is a venerable utility, available since the early days of Mac OS. 13. [**HazeOver**](https://hazeover.com/?ref=numericcitizen.me) — Add more visual focus to your work with this visual tweak to any Mac app. 14. [**Mapper**](https://apps.apple.com/us/app/mapper-for-safari/id1589391989?ref=numericcitizen.me) — Divert any Google Maps links to Apple Maps for believers and Apple fanboys only! 15. [**SF Symbols**](https://developer.apple.com/sf-symbols/?ref=numericcitizen.me) — Go Beyond basic emojis, go for Apple’s Symbols. 16. [**Stats**](https://github.com/exelban/stats?ref=numericcitizen.me) — Take a peak at your Mac performance from the menu bar for free! 17. [**Vinegar**](https://www.applevis.com/apps/ios/safari-extensions/vinegar-tube-cleaner?ref=numericcitizen.me) — Clean up YouTube and bring it closer to the Mac visual style! 18. [**Unclutter**](https://unclutterapp.com/?ref=numericcitizen.me) — Keep frequently used information tidbits at your fingertips, including notes, clipboard history and files. Just scroll down from the top of the screen and, voilà! Can also be replaced by those two utility (it’s a matter of preference): – [**Paste**](https://pasteapp.io/?ref=numericcitizen.me) for Clipboard history + Text snippets. Paste offers a richer clipboard management feature, though.– **Default Folder X** for easy access to files. 19. [**Latest**](https://max.codes/latest/?ref=numericcitizen.me) — keep all of your installed apps up to date with this free and open-source utility. No need to buy MacUpdater. 20. [**CheatSheet**](https://cheatsheet-mac.en.softonic.com/mac?ref=numericcitizen.me) — Get a global view of all keyboard shortcuts for any app displayed on one big panel! 21. [**Unsplash Wallpaper**](https://apps.apple.com/bh/app/unsplash-wallpapers/id1284863847?mt=12&ref=numericcitizen.me) — Get an infinite stream of beautiful wallpapers for your Mac desktop! I run more utilities than those listed here, but those utilities are really helping me be more efficient and productive. Don’t miss my documented content creator toolset page. [My Complete Content Creator Toolset And Some More![](https://www.craft.do/share/static/logo-192.png)![](https://api.craft.do/render/preview/6XjF3cKQ2OdbR2)](https://world.numericcitizen.io/meta-toolset?ref=numericcitizen.me) These apps and utilities are part of my many micro-workflows, as documented here. [My Micro-Workflows Explained![](https://www.craft.do/share/static/logo-192.png)![](https://api.craft.do/render/preview/b4dh2rsXtboXAv)](https://world.numericcitizen.io/my-micro-workflows-explained?ref=numericcitizen.me) ### My Weekly Creative Summary for the Week of 2023/42 URL: https://numericcitizen.me/my-weekly-creative-summary-for-the-week-of-2023-42/ Last updated: 2023-10-22T11:42:45.000Z [numericcitizen shared a postThis room was empty and usually was used for concerts of classic music. I feel lucky that I was able to come across this place when’re there was nobody. #blackandwhite #blackandwhitephotography![](https://pixelfed.social/img/favicon.png?v=2)pixelfed![](https://pxscdn.com/public/m/_v2/583629418009617054/f1538e3aa-7b3151/65OVOLbgiAIZ/OaYBDgxErS0NHQ92YGBnrGEmv5qjHWCpW1a7sJ5K_thumb.png)](https://pixelfed.social/p/numericcitizen/621080044334768485?ref=numericcitizen.me) Another busy and creative week for me! Enjoy this detailed summary of all the things I did. Next week I’ll be out of the country for a business trip. I don’t think I’ll be able to create next week’s edition. Enjoy this one, meanwhile. 👨🏻‍💻 16 articles posted on my blog posts & 1 article shared on my main website 🏞️ 17 photos shared 🎙️ 1 podcast episode published 📺 0 YouTube videos published ## 📖 Reading 1️⃣ I discovered [this blog](https://paulstamatiou.com/?ref=numericcitizen.me) from the co-founder of Rewind, Paul Stamatiou. I'm sharing this here and now because it's a prime example of creative expression. His recent post describes an application, Stocketa, that he designed and programmed but never shipped for different reasons. Software development is a prime example of craftsmanship and creativity expression. It's just too bad! These subjects are the focus of this weekly newsletter. Moreover, this blog inspires great web design, creativity and focus. You should visit this website and look at the photos section. There are many gorgeous photos in there. This guy is doing awe-inspiring work. ## 👨🏻‍💻 Writing 1️⃣ After four weeks of work and gestation, my iPhone 15 Pro Max review is finally out. If you are curious or thinking of replacing your aging iPhone, you can read it right [here](https://numericcitizen.me/upgrading-from-the-iphone-13-pro-to-the-iphone-15-pro-max-bigger-faster-even-more-possibilities/)! It's my third review of a new iPhone. Looking back, I conclude that none of them are alike. I like how my latest review came out. It uses a different style than the others. The iPhone 15 Pro Max was undoubtedly a great device to write about. [From iPhone 7 to iPhone 11 Pro: The Return of DelightsThis year, Apple brings back delights to the iPhone in so many ways. Here is my iPhone 11 Pro review from a photography enthusiast perspective.![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/size/w256h256/2021/11/Banner3.0-100x100.png)Numeric Citizen SpaceJF Martin![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/numericcitizen.me/wp-content/uploads/2019/09/ddb4989c-b8ad-457d-b0d8-ce3c4afbd39a.dc4d78b42ecd4ce8864c019dbded4e16.jpg)](https://numericcitizen.me/from-iphone-7-to-iphone-11-pro-the-return-of-delights/) [Upgrading From the iPhone 11 Pro to iPhone 13 Pro — the Love Story ContinuesAfter skipping the iPhone 12 last year, this year I made the jump from the iPhone 11 Pro and upgraded to the iPhone 13 Pro. A few observations.![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/size/w256h256/2021/11/Banner3.0-100x100.png)Numeric Citizen SpaceJF Martin![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/numericcitizen.me/wp-content/uploads/2021/11/iphone-booting.0f97d6a5e21844929f1970c1d266e53c.jpg)](https://numericcitizen.me/upgrading-from-the-iphone-11-pro-to-iphone-13-pro-the-love-story-continues/) [Upgrading from the iPhone 13 Pro to the iPhone 15 Pro Max — Bigger, Faster, Even More PossibilitiesThe iPhone 15 Pro Max is not a revolution but a meaningful step forward—a simple and lucid review from a previous owner of an iPhone 13 Pro.![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/size/w256h256/2021/11/Banner3.0-100x100.png)Numeric Citizen SpaceJF Martin![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/2023/10/IMG_8806_small.976390212a044db0911a1a8c887c6914.jpg)](https://numericcitizen.me/upgrading-from-the-iphone-13-pro-to-the-iphone-15-pro-max-bigger-faster-even-more-possibilities/) ## 🌄 Photography 1️⃣ One of my SSDs where Adobe Lightroom images are being synced to and saved was getting full. I needed to revisit my photo management workflow. Older images I don't expect to process leave the SSD and are moved elsewhere on my Synology NAS. 2️⃣ This is precisely what I did by moving about 150 GB of photos to my NAS. Later, I created a backup task to back up the photos to the cloud on Synology C2\. I feel better now. 3️⃣ While working on my digital garden, I started thinking about my goals for the next year, and I decided to spend more time doing photography. You can see the goals in [my About Page](https://crafted.numericcitizen.me/about?ref=numericcitizen.me), in the “Five goals for 2023 and beyond” section. 4️⃣ I posted more photos on Pixelfed this week. One of them stood out quite nicely (see the header image of this article). ## 🎙️ Podcasting 1️⃣ This week, I'm back with a new short podcast episode. After fixing my audio recording issues, I'm talking about deciding against doing some new creative projects. Don't miss the [episode](https://blog.numericcitizen.me/2023/10/15/episode-sometimes-its.html?ref=numericcitizen.me)! The sound quality is, I think, one of the best I came up with, thanks to a combination of my old Blue Yeti microphone, Audio Hijack audio processing workflow and Adobe Podcast Voice Enhancer. I'll stop complaining about this and be happy to move on to more positive notes! 2️⃣ A recent episode (#572) of the [Core Intuition podcast](https://coreint.org/?ref=numericcitizen.me) talks about the introduction of Fediverse support by WordPress.com. It's an exciting development that validates one of the foundations of a more open web. Even if you can follow a WordPress blog using RSS, having the possibility to interact with such a blog using a Micro.blog account is a fantastic possibility for bloggers. ## 🍎 Apple 1️⃣ After deciding to cut down on creative projects and focus on the most important things, I shared my thoughts in a podcast episode. But I also made some significant changes to the [Apple Rumors Hub](https://crafted.numericcitizen.me/apple-rumors-hub?ref=numericcitizen.me), which will continue to live for now. I decided to scale it down to a consolidated summary of Apple rumors. Gone are the long lists of links to past rumors. I won't do the Apple Vision Pro Hub either. This year was about focusing, and those decisions align with that goal. 2️⃣ No new iPad was announced this week while rumors pointed to the contrary, but we got a cheaper Apple Pencil. Yet, look at the exhibit section below to see why buying an iPad is complicated. And Apple is rumored to be working on a bigger iPad Air... and a foldable one, too! How many iPad models can the world get? You tell me. Now, we have three Apple Pencil models. ## 🚧 Special projects 1️⃣ I'm still waiting for Gumroad to verify my account so that my digital product (two Craft templates) can be made discoverable in the Discovery section. This should help boost my sales. It could take another week or two. 2️⃣ I'm thinking about another Craft template I'll sell on Gumroad. One thing to consider is adding meta content to a template so it becomes more valuable to the buyers, like a methodology description supporting the use of the template. 3️⃣ While working on [my next template](https://numericcitizen.gumroad.com/l/craft-tmpl-personal-landing-page-v1?ref=numericcitizen.me) for Gumroad, a personal landing page, I started to think that I should merge the content of my personal landing page with my digital garden, a long-running experiment. This is another way to reduce my digital footprint and focus on the essentials. More details [here](https://blog.numericcitizen.me/2023/10/21/some-mustneeded-changes.html?ref=numericcitizen.me). Speaking of digital gardens, [I'm not alone](https://kevquirk.com/blogs-gardens-and-thinking-aloud-in-public?ref=numericcitizen.me) in those who want to cope with their maintenance. 4️⃣ It's funny that all that Gumroad thing wasn't even planned or on my radar just a few weeks ago. ## 📱 Apps & Services 1️⃣ A new Craft release came out, version 2.5.18\. Nothing too fancy came with this version, nothing changing what type of content I can create in Craft. This has been the case for quite a while. Someone made this remark when talking about this release: it's been quite a while since Craft made a change significant enough to enable new types of content to be created. I must agree with this statement. It's a bit sad. 2️⃣ I'm considering buying iA Writer for the Mac. It's not cheap, but it's not a subscription, either. iAWriter Version 6 supports Ghost and Micro.blog. I’m already using Ulysses; why should I look elsewhere? Am I in need of new sensations? I should focus on what already works. I'm moving on. ## 👨‍👩‍👦‍👦 Personal 1️⃣ Not a good week to be a Craft power-user. I’ve been heavily dependent on apps like Craft for my creative journey. [I’ve found my niche](https://numericcitizen.me/finally-finding-my-niche-and-feeling-good-about-it/) where I can act as a subject expert. I've produced nearly 60 videos on YouTube, most of which are about Craft. I spend quite some time in online communities about Craft, on Slack and Circle. I recently started to get some pushback with my presence on the Craft community on Slack. The most perplexing one was from one of the engineers at Craft. He or a few team members don't like some of my critical views that I share on Slack and my YouTube channels. ## 📺 YouTube 1️⃣ Following the release of a new Craft version, I often create a new video to talk about the new features. It's been quite a long time since I made one, simply because there is nothing worth discussing in recent releases. For version 2.5.18, I decided to skip again and wait for the next update. 2️⃣ I created a quick poll on my YouTube channel asking where users spend most of their time in a Craft users community among Reddit, Circle, and Slack. ## 🔮 Looking ahead 1️⃣ I'll be out of the country for an IT conference in Las Vegas for my job this coming week (2023-43). I expect to be quite busy and won't have much time for my creative hobby. I might manage to post a few things here and there, but I'm not making any promises. And you know what? It's ok. Taking a break and stepping back from all this will be beneficial for inspiration. ## 💎 Miscellaneous 1️⃣ I removed my publishing timeline from [my Digital Garden](https://crafted.numericcitizen.me/digitalgarden?ref=numericcitizen.me) and rebuilt it in Things 3, the world's best to-do management app. This way, I'll have fewer places to update when managing my to-do. I would argue that Craft is not the best place to manage a list of tasks besides basic ones. I briefly experimented in Notion to build a Kanban board to manage my publishing pipeline but decided against going in that direction. Focus, focus, focus on fewer tools but the best one for the right task. 2️⃣ I made some other changes to my Digital Garden, too, as explained [here](https://blog.numericcitizen.me/2023/10/21/some-mustneeded-changes.html?ref=numericcitizen.me), in more detail. I wish you a great week! 💡 This document is also available as a Craft shared document [here](https://crafted.numericcitizen.me/creative-summary-2023-42?ref=numericcitizen.me). This week's edition is based on template version 1.0.5 — 2023-10-15 and was put together with ❤️ on a 15-inch MacBook Air and Craft. ## Exhibits 👀 ![My image made it to the Discover page on my Pixelfed instance.](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/2023/10/Safari-Personal-Default-pixelfed2023-10.png) My image made it to the Discover page on my Pixelfed instance. ![Zsombor doesn’t like my style on the Craft community on Slack, apparently. It is unjustified.](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/2023/10/Image-9.png) Zsombor doesn’t like my style on the Craft community on Slack, apparently. It is unjustified. ![Buying an iPad these days is quite complicated!](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/2023/10/Safari-Personal-Default-iPad-Keyboards.png) Buying an iPad these days is quite complicated! ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/2023/10/Image-1-4.png) ![Here is my Timery report for the past week, including device usage.](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/2023/10/Image-2-4.png) Here is my [Timery](https://www.timeryapp.com/?ref=numericcitizen.me) report for the past week, including device usage. ![Here is my logbook, as seen in Things 3.](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/2023/10/Image-3-2.png) Here is my logbook, as seen in [Things 3](https://culturedcode.com/things/?ref=numericcitizen.me). ### Upgrading from the iPhone 13 Pro to the iPhone 15 Pro Max — Bigger, Faster, Even More Possibilities URL: https://numericcitizen.me/upgrading-from-the-iphone-13-pro-to-the-iphone-15-pro-max-bigger-faster-even-more-possibilities/ Last updated: 2023-10-18T00:41:12.000Z *Here’s another iPhone 15 review, an iPhone 15 Pro Max review, to be more specific. I should rather say: a commentary article about the iPhone 15 Pro Max from an ex-owner of the iPhone 13 Pro. Plus, as a bonus, a surprising revelation about using ProRAW. Let’s start.* I’m coming from an iPhone 13 Pro. This is my baseline. Most reviews compare this year’s iPhone with last year’s models. This is not what the review is all about. While many people upgrade their phones every year, I suspect that a majority aren’t doing that. These people are the perfect target for this article. My intention with this review is not to provide a detailed review of image capabilities. I’m not good at this; others are much better than me. This review aims to provide the best description of the newfound photo opportunities that this new iPhone gives me and the most discerning differences. ## Why upgrade? My iPhone 13 Pro screen was lightly scratched in three different places. The battery health was at 86%, barely holding a charge after half a day of work. I wanted to get a bigger phone. Thanks to a softer contour design, I was looking to the camera’s improvements and a better in-hand experience. None of these reasons, taken individually, justified upgrading, but taken together, it was a good decision. And I have no regrets. I enjoy the bigger screen, which shows a little more information. Battery life is enough to last comfortably all day with the Always On display enabled. The screen quality is gorgeous; it is the best camera viewfinder you can buy. And finally, the cameras produce solid results when used in the right conditions, like any camera. Finally, regarding the device speed, the iPhone 13 Pro always felt like a fast device, but we always like to get faster, especially if it enables new photographic possibilities. > The iPhone is clearly on a multi-decade trajectory toward becoming a thin, featureless slab of glass. — Jason Snell ## Compared to the iPhone 13 Pro — what are the most notable (and less notable) improvements? We rarely see comments or review pointing to improvements from older generations devices. I wish there was more of that. In that spirit, I try to fill this void here. Upgrading from the iPhone 13 Pro brings this list of changes by order of importance of significance (many items on the list are confirmed by this 9to5Mac [article](https://9to5mac.com/2023/10/11/iphone-13-pro-vs-15-pro/?ref=numericcitizen.me)): - 48 Megapixels main camera, which brings better image resolution and a 2x zoom; - A17 Pro is a powerful CPU ([link](https://9to5mac.com/2023/09/15/a17-pro-vs-a16-bionic-comparison/?ref=numericcitizen.me)); - The improved photographic engine make the iPhone 15 Pro Max a worthy upgrade; - Better FaceTime front camera; - The system RAM going is going from 6GB GB to 8 GB; - Dynamic Island is a novel addition; - The screen is brighter screen outside, best screen overall on the market ([link](https://www.macrumors.com/2022/09/27/iphone-14-pro-max-best-smartphone-display/?ref=numericcitizen.me), [link](https://www.displaymate.com/iPhone%5F14Pro%5FShootOut%5F1P.htm?ref=numericcitizen.me)); - The iPhone 15 Pro and Pro Max are 19 grams lighter than their predecessors; - Up to 38% faster 5G speeds ([link](https://9to5mac.com/2022/09/19/iphone-14-pro-faster-5g-speeds/?ref=numericcitizen.me), [link](https://9to5mac.com/2022/10/17/iphone-14-pro-faster-download-speeds/?ref=numericcitizen.me), [link](https://9to5mac.com/2023/09/15/iphone-15-pro-comes-with-major-boost-in-5g-speeds/?ref=numericcitizen.me)); - USB-C connector with support for USB 3 standard (20x faster than before at 10Gbps); - Bluetooth 5.3 ([Link](https://www.macrumors.com/2022/09/20/apple-watch-series-8-se-2-bluetooth-5-3/?ref=numericcitizen.me)); - Better GPS accuracy ([link](https://www.macrumors.com/2022/09/10/iphone-14-pro-dual-frequency-gps/?ref=numericcitizen.me)); - Support Wi-Fi 6E; - The iPhone can connect to an external display without any dongle, just with the right capable (UBC-C to USB-C). It works great as one would expect; - Better speaker quality (louder) and better microphone quality, too. Am I missing something? Probably. Here’s a nice summary put together by Matt Birchler in his review: - Zoom levels 1-1.9x are 24MP - Zoom levels 2-2.9x are 12MP - 1x portraits are 24MP - 2x and 3x portraits are 12MP - Night mode photos are 12 MP - Panoramas as 12MP - HEIF Max are 48MP - ProRAW are your choice, 12MP or 48MP To complement his summary, here is one of mine. ![I am trying to figure out typical image sizes across different camera modes.](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/2023/10/Image-8.png) I am trying to figure out typical image sizes across different camera modes. > “Due to the scale and breadth of these improvements, most ‌iPhone 13‌ Pro will be able to justify upgrading to the ‌iPhone 15 Pro‌, especially if they value the new design, USB-C port, Action button, and camera improvements.” — Hartley Charlton ![The action menu for the action button.](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/2023/10/ActionButton-Actions.png) The action menu for the action button. ## Here is a Q&A following my experience with the iPhone 15 Pro Max 1. Is it noticeably faster? *Absolutely*. 2. What are my thoughts about Dynamic Island? Are my favourite apps taking advantage of it? *Yes, it’s a genuinely joyful and useful addition to the base iPhone experience.* 3. This is my first time with the Max, how is it like using it with one hand? *At first, yes, it felt big, but after a few days, I wouldn’t go back. I recently looked at a dead iPhone 5, this phone was so small.* 4. Am I using the always-on display? *Yes*. 5. Does USB-C make a difference in my workflows? *Yes. I had to replace my Finch Lavalier microphone with one with a USB-C plug.* 6. What is battery life like? *It’s good but it not a two-day battery life.* 7. How do I like the fit and finish of the titanium material? *Probably the best iPhone yet*. 8. How is the 5G speed compared to my iPhone 13 Pro? *Hard to tell for my use cases.* 9. What is it like to use the 5x / 120mm lens? *Very stable, I’m* mind blown*. I must be honest, quality is good but in best conditions (lots of light).* 10. Are the photo improvements significant? *Yes, when using the 24MP images of the 1x lens, when closing up. Colours feel more natural and post-processing feel less harsh.* 11. Why did I decide to go with the Max this time? *Bigger screen. Longer battery life. Telephoto lens.* 12. Which case did I buy? How about doing a mini review of the Peak Design Case? *I bought the Peak Design one with a bar mount for my ebike. I also bought a mount for the car. I also bought a Nomad leather case.* 13. Does the iPhone 15 Pro Max finally kills my Nikon D750? *It too early to tell. The type of trip will also be a factor in the decision. Photos with the Nikon are probably better, when I can bring the camera with me!* 14. Am I content with my choice of colour? How does the black compares to the iPhone 11 Pro, which was black too? *I love the dark, black matte finish. I prefer the black finish; the lenses better fit with a dark finish instead of having three big black circles on a light finish. My wife has a black iPhone 14 Pro, and the colour is very close to the iPhone 15 Pro Max.* > (...) what Apple really succeeds in with this major camera update is to bring much-needed depth to the photographic experience for average users — not just pros." — Sebastiaan de With ![The many framing possibilities of the iPhone 15 Pro Max.](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/2023/10/AnimatedImage.gif) The many framing possibilities of the iPhone 15 Pro Max. ## Notes, comments and observations And now, more or less random comments and observations. I’m sharing my observations as someone who needed an upgrade, and in that context, the iPhone 13 Pro is my reference against which I’ll look at the iPhone 15 Pro Max—coming from the iPhone 13 Pro with a scratch screen and battery health at 86%. - I prefer the Dynamic Island over the Notch. I feel it’s more organic visually. It’s really useful, especially with Flightry and Timery. - The most useful Dynamic Island usage is with the excellent Timery application. It’s hard to forget about a running timer when it is displayed in the Dynamic Island. - Dynamic island: it’s a stupid name only Apple can come up with, but it’s a brilliantly executed idea. - The battery provides a full day of autonomy but not two or three days when the iPhone 12 Max came out. The Always On display might be one of the causes. The A17 processor is the other one. - In the pocket, I do feel a difference in size. In my hand, I’m still able to do most of the navigation with one hand, but I do hold the phone with my two hands more than before. I do have big hands with relatively long fingers. That helps. - The rounded contours make the device much more comfortable to hold or slide into a pocket. I love this! I do use my iPhone without a case quite often. - The slightly curved glass where it meets the phone’s edge reminds me of the infamous iPhone 6\. Even if it was one of the worst devices Apple ever designed, the curved glass was a great design aspect. I’m happy to see it come back, albeit not as pronounced as before. - After four weeks with it, I no longer feel the iPhone as being “big”. It’s the new normal to me, and anything else feels small. I made the right choice by going with the Max. - I cannot use the Action button easily with my Peak Design case on my iPhone. The case contour thickness makes the button harder to reach and push. The company runs a program for those who want this issue resolved. - The action button location is problematic for me. I wish it were lower, more centrally located. I understand that since I’m not using it as a camera shutter, it doesn’t matter. But for those who do, this could be problematic. Many reviews mention this issue, too. - I use the Action Button to execute a shortcut to present me with a menu of choices. At first, I wanted a single action to be triggered, but then I changed my mind. - The new Portrait mode is transparent; it is a joy to use as we no longer need to overthink it. It’s such an improvement that it makes me smile when I use it. - When first starting the iPhone’s Camera app, I wished there was an onboarding questionnaire to determine my profile as a photographer: an amateur-type, a semi-pro, or a pro photographer should lead to different default configurations. - Shooting with the iPhone 15 Pro Max is not as simple as with a previous iPhone. There are many more options (HEIC, ProRAW, each applying to different lenses, lending different resolutions). - Images are less over-processed / over-sharpened than with my 13 Pro. - Sometimes, the portrait mode will be available for photos where there is nobody, in architecture photography, for example. - As a webcam using Continuity Camera, it’s a solid improvement, too, compared to my previous iPhone. The sound is good enough to record a few podcasts or YouTube videos, even as a microphone. - The telephoto lens is a welcome addition for someone like me who travels with a 70-200mm zoom. Image stabilization is impressive and makes me wish they added something like this to the ultra-wide camera for macro photography if this makes sense. - The screen is bigger than my iPhone 13 Pro, for sure. The bezels are thinner, and I like this. There is more room to display content, but not by much. I knew that in advance, having visited the Apple Store many times in the past year to compare both sizes. Overall, It’s a solid improvement compared to the 13 Pro. - The iPhone 15 Pro Max not only improves image quality, but the screen acting as a deluxe viewfinder is absolutely gorgeous. But overall, this iteration of the iPhone brings more options than ever when shooting photos. This and excellent image quality form an undeniably powerful modern camera. - Some reviews will mention the limited improvements of the primary camera and super wide camera compared to last year’s iPhone 14 Pro. These remarks fail to acknowledge that many people like me will come from older iPhone generations. And this is the key to enjoying the improvements to this year’s iteration. - On a lunch break while at the office, I went outside for a quick photo break and spent some time in a park. I took a few dozen photos using Halide. While the phone doesn’t get too hot (the device was running iOS 17.0.3), the battery power level dropped more than I would have liked. This means during a trip while walking in cities and looking for photo opportunities, battery life could be similar, at best, to what it was with my aging iPhone 13 Pro. It’s a bit of a deception. This year, I was expecting a longer battery life by going with the Max. - One of my Apple Watch had to be unpaired and re-paired following the data migration. I wasn’t wearing it then, and it’s probably the cause. Also, many apps needed re-authentication (Microsoft Authenticator, Slack, Craft, etc.). It’s a bit frustrating and tedious. After all these years, replacing an iPhone or an Apple Watch is finicky. > "I went into the 15 Pro Max expecting a little discomfort with a giant slab of glass and metal in my hand, but to my surprise, it felt manageable." — Sebastiaan de With ![The iPhone 13 Pro compared to the iPhone 15 Pro Max — A bigger screen to show more content.](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/2023/10/InformationDensityCompared-iPhone13Pro-15ProMax.png) The iPhone 13 Pro compared to the iPhone 15 Pro Max — A bigger screen to show more content. ## Surprising confessions regarding ProRAW Apple’s introduced ProRAW with the iPhone 12 Pro in 2020\. I must confess something: I’m still unsure how to understand ProRAW. I know the RAW format concept: the iPhone takes a snapshot of the light getting to the sensor (a CCD). The RAW format dictates that the resulting file contains the sensor data without advanced processing, hence the “RAW” moniker. On the iPhone, when editing a photo in RAW format, there is this moment where the selected image will lack contrast and look dull upon entering in edit more until the iPhone generates a JPEG version of it acting as the photo preview after leaving edit mode. That, I get it. Back to ProRAW, is the following explanation enough? > “Apple’s ProRAW actually retains a couple of the brand’s imaging techniques, including [Deep Fusion](https://www.trustedreviews.com/explainer/what-is-deep-fusion-4215802?ref=numericcitizen.me) and [SmartHDR](https://www.trustedreviews.com/explainer/what-is-smart-hdr-3565603?ref=numericcitizen.me), so that these images still keep hold of Apple’s trademark detail and punchiness even though they haven’t gone through the usual range of other post-processing changes.” - [Peter Phelps of Trusted Reviews](https://www.trustedreviews.com/explainer/what-is-apple-proraw-the-camera-tech-explained-4254855?ref=numericcitizen.me) In other words, ProRAW does some more processing than RAW but not enough to lose the sensor’s RAW data when the image is taken. Is that it? With a ProRAW image, how does the app interpret the richer data? Why is it better if the processing probably ends up at the same place: contrast, saturation, definition, etc? I’m lost. Josh Ginter writes: > “ProRAW skips out on Deep Fusion and provides more control for clarity, texture, and sharpness in post.” That is exactly my point, starting from a RAW image and applying a clarity, texture and sharpness filter, you could end up in with similar visual results. Does a query to ChatGPT through Raycast help get a better understanding? Here is what ChatGPT had to say about Apple’s ProRAW: > “Apple ProRAW is a proprietary raw image format introduced by Apple. It is available on certain iPhone models and combines the benefits of the raw file format with Apple's computational photography capabilities. ProRAW files contain significantly more data and provide greater flexibility for post-processing compared to standard JPEG or HEIC formats. They preserve more detail and offer a wider dynamic range, allowing photographers to have more control over aspects like exposure, color, and noise reduction during editing.” I’m still unsatisfied with this explanation and how it makes a difference with RAW + manual post-processing. If you know of a better explanation, use the comment section below! ![The Nomad and Peak Design cases to protect my new iPhone.](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/2023/10/Two-cases-1-1-1.jpg) The Nomad and Peak Design cases to protect my new iPhone. ## Concluding remarks The iPhone 15 Pro Max is a solid stepping stone in iPhone history. It brings me more possibilities, mainly in creativity, especially in photography. I like the improvements to the look of photos coming out of this year’s iPhone. Like for the Canon vs Nikon, the iPhone has its look and personality when it comes to photography, and I prefer this year’s version. With the addition of the 5x telephoto lens, we get more addressable use cases that align with my style. I’ll probably keep this iPhone for the next two years. I’ll undoubtedly enjoy every moment of it. ![Who knows what comes next.](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/2023/10/MyRecentiPhoneJourney.png) Who knows what comes next. ## Photo section showcasing the possibilities of the iPhone 15 Pro Max ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/2023/10/IMG_8883.jpeg) ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/2023/10/IMG_8947.jpeg) ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/2023/10/IMG_8955.jpeg) ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/2023/10/IMG_9022.jpeg) ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/2023/10/IMG_9087.jpeg) ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/2023/10/IMG_9145.jpeg) ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/2023/10/IMG_9256.jpeg) --- This article was written on my 2023 M2 MacBook Air using Craft and Ulysses. ### My Weekly Creative Summary for the Week of 2023/41 URL: https://numericcitizen.me/my-weekly-creative-summary-for-the-week-of-2023-41/ Last updated: 2024-02-18T12:32:06.000Z [numericcitizen shared a postIn 2020 we rented a country house, and in the forest nearby, there was this abandoned cabined. It was really a spooky place. #spooky #spookyvibes #spookymood #darkness #dark #blackandwhite #blackandwhitephotography #abandoned #abandonedbuilding![](https://pixelfed.social/img/favicon.png?v=2)pixelfed![](https://pxscdn.com/public/m/_v2/583629418009617054/f1538e3aa-7b3151/GvPtbeUUAJyb/zP7WmXzvOyzVQPMZRZ4oCJLxQXmX7p4h0v75J6eX_thumb.png)](https://pixelfed.social/p/numericcitizen/617063954186458652?ref=numericcitizen.me) Fall is taking over now; after a beautiful and summer-like weather streak, the wind, the rain, and the cold temperatures now come. It’s the best type of weather for staying inside for reading, writing and creating. Let’s see what I’ve done this past week. > 👨🏻‍💻 Blog posts posted 8 & articles shared 4 > 🏞️ Photos shared: 10 > 🎙️ Podcast published: 0 > 📺 YouTube videos published: 1 ## 📖 Reading > 1️⃣ I read some more articles related to the iPhone 15 Pro line. This week is probably where my reading on this subject started to wind down quite a bit. I'm preparing to finish my review and publish it sometime next week! 2️⃣ Reminder: you can see all my reading in the logbook in the exhibits section below. ## 👨🏻‍💻 Writing > 1️⃣ I rarely write on my small website on Write.as, but when I do, it’s often about war. This time, it was about the 9-11-style attack by Hammas that struck Israel. So sad. So infuriating. I can't take sides, only share my ominous thoughts. 2️⃣ I decided to convert all my current research projects to the new Craft template I started selling recently on Gumroad. It's a bit of manual work, but it is well worth it because it helps forge a similar workflow from one research project to another. ## 🌄 Photography > 1️⃣ I'm migrating most of my photos to Pixelfed, but I'm still an enthusiastic subscriber of Glass. They recently launched [a new way to explore photos](https://glass.photo/highlights/updated-explore?ref=numericcitizen.me) on their platform. We can now ask something like “Paris at night” to see pictures of Paris at night. I tried it with “Montreal at night" and got some photos from... Boston. Other requests were more on-target. 2️⃣ My photos feed on Pixelfed is diluted with many images; many aren't photos. It contrasts with Glass, which is focused on photography art. This might be enough for me to keep using Glass in the future. 3️⃣ I'm now at 310 followers on Pixelfed. I never reached that level of followers on any photo-sharing platforms in my entire digital life. I think it comes from the fact that Pixelfed is a Fediverse member and allows people from Mastodon to interact with my posts quite easily. 4️⃣ I posted half the images I wanted to post this week. ## 🎙️ Podcasting > 1️⃣ I finally got my new microphone, the same Lavalier Finch microphone, but this time with a USB-C plug. It works with my new iPhone and on the Mac, anywhere with a USB-C port. My initial tests with it were a disaster because of a persistent white noise from the microphone. To fix that, I now use Audio Hijack with the following workflow to improve sound quality and volume and tweak my voice. To record, I start the workflow, enable voice isolation mode in the macOS Control Center, and then set ScreenFlow to record the computer audio instead of recording from the microphone source. It works great. 2️⃣ I'll continue to watch for a better audio recording solution because I’m not entirely satisfied with this setup. One thing I like about a Lavalier microphone is that I feel free with my head movements and at ease while recording instead of staying close to the microphone in front of my face. 3️⃣ I remembered Adobe Podcast audio enhancer and decided to try it again. The best results come from processing the iPhone 15 Pro Max recording with voice isolation turned on. 4️⃣ In conclusion, the Finch microphone is terrible, and I still have to find a permanent solution for my audio recordings. ![Audio Hijack sound processing to improve the quality of the microphone for use with ScreenFlow. This is not the final workflow as I'm still trying to optimize things.](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/2023/10/Image-7.png) Audio Hijack sound processing to improve the quality of the microphone for use with ScreenFlow. This is not the final workflow as I'm still trying to optimize things. ## 🚧 Special projects > 1️⃣ I've started working on a short article about some old Apple promotional materials I recently found when cleaning up box content in my home office. I have included one photo in the exhibits section showing a portion of this material. 2️⃣ Will have a chance to talk to the community manager and user experience manager from Rewind in two weeks. She wants to have more feedback following my published review of Rewind. 3️⃣ I finally decided not to create a dedicated website on Apple Vision Pro. Until this week, it was something I considered doing, something similar to the Apple Rumors Hub, a website I keep updating with the latest rumours about Apple products. The website is not popular and rarely gets visitors. This contributed to my decision not to go ahead with the other website. It's a matter of better focus as a creator. Not everything needs to be created. ## 📱 Apps & Services > 1️⃣ Adobe released new versions of Lightroom. The iPhone app is easier to use and offers an end-to-end HDR editing experience, provided your iPhone is HDR-capable. Recent iPhone models are. On the Mac, Lightroom brings support for local storage capabilities. You no longer depend on Adobe Cloud storage to work with your photos. That's a significant change if you ask me. Does it change my intention of leaving Adobe behind? I don't know. It's too early. 2️⃣ Anybox 2.1 was a surprise update introducing folders to help organize the bookmarks collection. Coupled with tags, Anybox is a solid app to help manage hundreds of bookmarks. ## 👨‍👩‍👦‍👦 Personal > 1️⃣ This week was socially busy, having dinner or get-togethers with friends and my family nearly every day. I had much less time to work on this newsletter or to be creative. It shows in the number of cancelled to-do items from my weekly planning. Oh well... striking a balance between work, personal life, and hobbies is often a challenge for any passionate creator like me. Overall, I was able to find some time to meet my goals. ## 📺 YouTube > 1️⃣ I created and shared [a video](https://youtu.be/dwO%5FBBITjdg?ref=numericcitizen.me) on [my YouTube channel](https://www.youtube.com/c/numericcitizenvideos?ref=numericcitizen.me) explaining the use of my recently released Craft Template for researchers & writers [on Gumroad](https://numericcitizen.gumroad.com/p/hello-world-c341a801-1a23-4552-ac76-609d6521f668?ref=numericcitizen.me). It took me about three to four hours of preparation, production and upload to YouTube for a video that is less than 27 minutes. Feel free to take your own conclusions. On the same day this video was released, I got my first template sale on Gumroad. The next day, another sale. That's cool and unexpected. 2️⃣ I've been tracking my follower count, currently at 939 subscribers. The pace of new subscribers has slowed down considerably. It's hard to get traction on YouTube. My average watch time per video is very low; I don’t know how to change that. It's a challenging space, for sure. ## 🔮 Looking ahead > 1️⃣ Next week, another Craft update is expected. It's always fun to see what's new, but I’m often a bit disappointed by the lack of improvements I wish for. Maybe things will be a bit different this time. 2️⃣ Since I'm using Omnivore more and more, I'm considering doing a “60 minutes with Omnivore” video shortly. ## 💎 Miscellaneous > 1️⃣ Here is a thought I often have when using an app: the more I can take advantage of all the features and capabilities of an app, the better I feel. I don't like it when my app usage is too narrow, not too deep; I prefer to master every aspect of an app to reach some level of expertise and ultimate mastery. This might explain, in part, why I spend so much time with Craft, the app that is at the center of everything that I create and share online. See my visual workflow summary in the exhibits section below. I wish you a great week! 💡 This document is also available as a Craft shared document [here](https://crafted.numericcitizen.me/creative-summary-2023-41?ref=numericcitizen.me). Based on template version 1.0.4 — 2023-10-09\. This weekly creative summary was built with ❤️ on a 15-inch MacBook Air and Craft. ## Exhibits 👀 ![I should probably spend some time updating this diagram; so many tweaks have been made since.](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/2023/10/Image-1-3.png) An outdated diagram of my blogger workflow. I should be working on a new version soon. I should spend some time updating this diagram; so many tweaks have been made since. ![This page was part of some Apple dealer marketing material found in one of my old souvenir boxes. The Mac was such a unique design. The full set of images is published in “Remembering Apple in 1985 — Apple Dealer Promotional Material”](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/2023/10/Image-9.jpg) This page was part of some Apple dealer marketing material found in one of my old souvenir boxes. The Mac was such a unique design. The full set of images is published in “[Remembering Apple in 1985 — Apple Dealer Promotional Material](https://numericcitizen.me/remembering-apple-in-1985-apple-dealer-promotional-material/)” In this video, I learned to use Audio Hijack in combination with ScreenFlow. ![Image.png](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/2023/10/Image-2-3.png) ![Here is my Timery report for the past week, including device usage.](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/2023/10/Image-3-1.png) Here is my [Timery](https://www.timeryapp.com/?ref=numericcitizen.me) report for the past week, including device usage. ![Here is my logbook, as seen in Things 3.](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/2023/10/Image-4-1.png) Here is my logbook, as seen in [Things 3](https://culturedcode.com/things/?ref=numericcitizen.me). ### Remembering Apple in 1985 — Apple Dealer Promotional Material URL: https://numericcitizen.me/remembering-apple-in-1985-apple-dealer-promotional-material/ Last updated: 2023-10-13T11:27:34.000Z I recently spent some time cleaning up old boxes sitting in a closet in my home office. I rediscovered old promotional materials from Apple from 1985 and 1986\. Back then, I was working at an authorized Apple dealer as a pre-sales and post-sales technician. One of the business owners probably gave me a copy of the Macintosh Dealer Guide you see in these photos. Here is a selection of what are the best parts. ![Image](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/2023/10/Image-8.jpg) This logo is a piece of contemporary art. It is aging very well and feels timeless. I used to have a poster in my room while attending college, but I can’t remember exactly what I’ve done with it. ![Image](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/2023/10/Image-1.jpg) Look at the list of “application programs” (this was before the “App Store” and “Apps”). It is fascinating. MacDraw was my favourite. The vast majority of companies no longer exist. Microsoft is absent from the list. Strange. And those floppy disks… I still own an original box of those floppy disks without them inside. ![Image](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/2023/10/Image-2.jpg) The “Own-a-Mac” promotional program was a clever way to educate salespeople about the Mac and become great advisors with real clients. There was a workshop to attend, but it was before the Internet. I can’t remember how you could “attend” these seminars, maybe by watching a VHS videotape? ![Image.jpeg](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/2023/10/Image.jpeg) This illustration of the Macintosh’s internals was so well done. Looking at every detail inside the computer view was my passion for a while. It’s strange to see the mouse on the left, which was usually positioned on the right of the Mac. The following black & white Macintosh illustrations were for use in newspaper advertisements. We had to cut out the needed illustration and send it to the newspaper with promotional text for processing and to create an ad. It was way before Google AdSense! ![Image](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/2023/10/Image-3.jpg) ![Image](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/2023/10/Image-4.jpg) ![Image](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/2023/10/Image-5.jpg) The printer is an ImageWriter with an optional numeric keypad ![Image](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/2023/10/Image-6.jpg) My favourite angle Special mention goes to the following black & white photo of the Macintosh. It’s an original printed on a Kodak paper. It’s an 8x10 studio photo of the Mac. It is now in its frame in my home office. You can see it in [my YouTube video](https://youtu.be/dwO%5FBBITjdg?ref=numericcitizen.me). ![Image](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/2023/10/Image-7-1.jpg) Image Next up is the well-known traditional promotional flyer. I remember having it with me all the time, at home, at school, and even at the dentist’s waiting room. The comparison between the Mac and an IBM PC struck my imagination and was a clever way of showing the Macintosh’s unique proposition. It was a graphical user interface for the masses. ![Image.jpeg](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/2023/10/Image-1.jpeg) ![Image.jpeg](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/2023/10/Image-2.jpeg) ![Image.jpeg](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/2023/10/Image-3.jpeg) ![Image.jpeg](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/2023/10/Image-4.jpeg) Image.jpeg ![Image.jpeg](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/2023/10/Image-5.jpeg) ![Image.jpeg](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/2023/10/Image-6.jpeg) In the series “Remembering The Story Behind Every Apple Computer I Ever Owned”, you can read stories of some of my memories of Apple’s computers. [Remembering The Story Behind Every Apple Computers I Ever OwnedWelcome to the start of a new series: the story behind every Apple computers I ever personally owned. There are twelve in total. Buckle up for the ride!![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/size/w256h256/2021/11/Banner3.0-100x100.png)Numeric Citizen SpaceJF Martin![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/numericcitizen.me/wp-content/uploads/2022/03/29370-47319-000-3x2-apple-history-mac-launch-xl.0a9ba1d726c64cb6a384c572cc1bfb44.jpg)](https://numericcitizen.me/remembering-the-story-behind-every-apple-computers-i-ever-owned/) ### My Weekly Creative Summary for the Week of 2023/40 URL: https://numericcitizen.me/my-weekly-creative-summary-for-the-week-of-2023-40/ Last updated: 2024-02-18T12:30:47.000Z For this sixth edition of my weekly creative summary. It was a busy week. The general theme seems to be my unfinished iPhone 15 Pro Max review. 😑 Let’s dive in! > 👨🏻‍💻 Blog posts posted 10 & articles shared 3 > 🏞️ Photos shared: 12 > 🎙️ Podcast published: 0 > 📺 YouTube videos published: 0 ## 📖 Reading > 1️⃣ Reviews of the iPhone 15 keep coming in. I try to keep up by reading the most interesting ones, those focusing on the photography side of the story. I'm getting late to finish writing my review myself, thanks to all this reading. ## 👨🏻‍💻 Writing > 1️⃣ After over a month of silence, I had a subject to write about for my Friday Notes series. It was about slow conversation happening by using email. This idea came up thanks to a new friend on Mastodon and our recently started email conversation. 2️⃣ After a month of testing Rewind, a Mac recording utility, I finished my review of the Mac utility and posted it [here](https://numericcitizen.me/rewinding-30-days-of-my-experience-with-rewind-for-mac/). I always find that I spend too much time writing those reviews. I must continue working on my iPhone 15 Pro Max review. ## 🌄 Photography > 1️⃣ If there is one review about the iPhone 15 Pro Max to read, it is [the one](https://www.lux.camera/iphone-15-pro-max-review/?ref=numericcitizen.me) from the maker of the excellent Halide camera app. It focuses on photography. It's well written and not only compared to last year's iPhone but the previous generations, older than last year’s. 2️⃣ The battery life of the iPhone 15 Pro Max is not as good as I expected, if my recent photo shoot outside during lunch break at the office is any indication. Was it because I was using the recently updated Halide camera app? 3️⃣ Posting on Pixelfed continues at a regular pace. Eventually, I'll be done with this and be able to close my Smugmug account, but with 413 photos more to go, I'll need to increase the pace; otherwise, I won't be able to complete it before the end of my Smugmug subscription. 😜 ## 🎙️ Podcasting > 1️⃣ My audio recording issues were resolved. I tried a new microphone, a Rode NT-USB ([see Amazon](https://www.amazon.ca/Rode-NT-USB-USB-Condenser-Microphone/dp/B00KQPGRRE/?%5Fencoding=UTF8&pd%5Frd%5Fw=9YrMU&content-id=amzn1.sym.0606cc44-75bd-471a-a861-3925e60effe6%3Aamzn1.symc.e5c80209-769f-4ade-a325-2eaec14b8e0e&pf%5Frd%5Fp=0606cc44-75bd-471a-a861-3925e60effe6&pf%5Frd%5Fr=SERQN8JSDQWF9N0GFPMD&pd%5Frd%5Fwg=7i5KO&pd%5Frd%5Fr=785aaa71-57b4-4403-8dfd-1ebc73578c83&ref%5F=pd%5Fgw%5Fci%5Fmcx%5Fmr%5Fhp%5Fatf%5Fm&ref=numericcitizen.me)), but it didn't fare well for the price. It came with an old USB-A port (and I wanted a USB-C port; it wasn't specified in the Amazon description). Background noises were way too easily picked up. It's not a directionaly microphone. Voice isolation with ScreenFlow didn't work. It's probably a problem with Screenflow. My solution for now is dead simple: I'll use the iPhone 15 Pro Max as the camera and the microphone as the source while connected with USB-C to my Mac. It works great. It's certainly not a professional sound and image quality, but the iPhone 15 Pro has improvements in both areas compared to the iPhone 13 Pro. This is what it is. ## 🍎 Apple > 1️⃣ This weekend, I made discoveries while cleaning old boxes in my home office. I (re)discovered many of my drawings done on a Macintosh computer using MacPaint back in 1985 and 1986\. I had many illustrations but made a selection I'm sharing with you, dear readers. I've been a long-time creative person, as you can see. I kind of like those. Apple computers and devices have long been central to my creative journey. ![IMG\_9180.jpeg](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/2023/10/IMG_9180.jpeg) IMG\_9180.jpeg ![IMG\_9181.jpeg](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/2023/10/IMG_9181.jpeg) ## 🚧 Special projects > 1️⃣ I’ve been contemplating the idea of selling Craft templates on Gumroad. This is a popular thing in the Notion world, where people build more or less templates that other people can buy and reuse in their digital world. The first template could be the subject research and writing template. I didn't overthink and went ahead with the idea! The announcement is right on [my Gumroad page](https://numericcitizen.gumroad.com/p/hello-world-c341a801-1a23-4552-ac76-609d6521f668?ref=numericcitizen.me). I don’t expect to make much money. It's just for fun. Putting things for sale on Gumroad is super easy. 2️⃣ I marked as completed my reading workflow rework in [my Digital Garden](https://crafted.numericcitizen.me/digitalgarden?ref=numericcitizen.me) in the [goals for 2023 and beyond section](https://docs.craft.do/editor/d/89be96dd-90e8-0d56-9b26-44f4dd4e6181/C68C4C48-2E49-4007-8D45-953F91D79FA3/b/01DC9B46-CCE4-489A-8462-A224A55D6591?ref=numericcitizen.me#5A33EAA3-12F9-4B75-B7A1-78894C6E7DDC). I feel relieved. ## 📱 Apps & Services > 1️⃣ Halide was updated and added full support for the iPhone 15 Pro. I had a chance to use it for a short photowalk outside. It's the best camera app out there. 2️⃣ I decided not to test [Camera+](https://apps.apple.com/us/app/camera-pro-camera-editor/id1313580627?ref=numericcitizen.me) and [ProCamera](https://www.procamera-app.com/?ref=numericcitizen.me). They were on my to-do list for a while. I decided to focus on Halide instead, which I'm using to test my iPhone 15 Pro Max and also used extensively during my trip to Morroco this past summer. 3️⃣ Omnivore, the read-later service I use, keeps improving, as detailed in [this blog post](https://blog.omnivore.app/p/octobers-updates-newsletter?ref=numericcitizen.me). I wish it could transcribe podcasts like [Matter can do](https://youtu.be/hO7-dfIEa6E?si=kql7eqoW3HIbGkFU&ref=numericcitizen.me). ## 👨‍👩‍👦‍👦 Personal > 1️⃣ My conversation with [my new polish friend](https://numericcitizen.me/friday-notes-108-slow-but-delightful-conversations/) continues. I like having this kind of conversation. I'm looking forward to make last as long as possible. ## 📺 YouTube > 1️⃣ I have many ideas for upcoming YouTube videos. One video would be to talk about why I decided to try selling Craft Templates on Gumroad. I could also talk about the template itself and why I think it has some value to it. 2️⃣ Speaking of templates, I reworked my YouTube video production template, too. It is now based on a similar structure as the one I'm selling on Gumroad. I could put it for sale too, who knows. ## 🔮 Looking ahead > 1️⃣ Finish my iPhone 15 Pro Max review, maybe? Get a new replacement microphone for my YouTube videos and podcasts recording, maybe? ## 💎 Miscellaneous > 1️⃣ Because of the release of a new visual theme by Ghost (read [the official announcement](https://ghost.org/changelog/the-source-theme/?ref=numericcitizen.me)), the service where my [numericcitizen.me](https://numericcitizen.me/) website is hosted, I decided to switch to the new design, called “Source”. The new design better suits my website content than the previous one, using Casper. Tell me what you think. 2️⃣ I played with Midjourney to produce imagery for future subjects I plan to research for and write about. I asked for many different illustrations without specifying too many parameters, like the drawing style. Midjourney always amazes me when it comes back in a response. In the exhibits section below, I share an example of imagining a workflow diagram. It took less than 15 seconds to create. I wish you a great week! 😊 💡 This document is also available as a Craft shared document [here](https://crafted.numericcitizen.me/creative-summary-2023-40?ref=numericcitizen.me). Based on template version 1.0.3 — 2023-09-24\. This weekly creative summary was built with ❤️ on a 15-inch MacBook Air and Craft. ## Exhibits 👀 ![My first Craft Template for sale on Gumroad.](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/2023/10/Image-6.png) My first Craft Template for sale on Gumroad. I love to see Microsoft still trying hard to set itself apart from Apple’s iPad [Rewinding 30 Days of My Experience with Rewind for MacRewind diligently and cleverly records and indexes everything happening on your Mac screen and the audio. It consumes lots of power and shortens battery charge, but does it move the needle of my creative workflow? Let’s find out.![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/size/w256h256/2021/11/Banner3.0-100x100.png)Numeric Citizen SpaceJF Martin![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/2023/10/CleanShot-CleanShot@2023-10-07@07.39.33@2x..png)](https://numericcitizen.me/rewinding-30-days-of-my-experience-with-rewind-for-mac/) ![\_numericcitizen\_a\_workflow\_as\_an\_complex\_entity-relationship\_di\_602ce64d-aa20-464f-945c-7d26a5dd8b34.png](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/2023/10/_numericcitizen_a_workflow_as_an_complex_entity.png) The Midjourney request was: imagine a workflow diagram drawn by hand. 😳 Could this come to Omnivore app too? ![Here is my Timery Report for the past week, including device usage.](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/2023/10/Image-1-2.png) Here is my [Timery](https://www.timeryapp.com/?ref=numericcitizen.me) report for the past week. ![And here is my logbook, as seen in Things 3. Double-click to expand! This version of the logbook is expanded to show all sub-tasks. Reverting to a more compact version next week.](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/2023/10/Image-2-2.png) And here is my logbook, as seen in [Things 3](https://culturedcode.com/things/?ref=numericcitizen.me). Double-click to expand! This version of the logbook is expanded to show all sub-tasks. Reverting to a more compact version next week. ### Rewinding 30 Days of My Experience with Rewind for Mac URL: https://numericcitizen.me/rewinding-30-days-of-my-experience-with-rewind-for-mac/ Last updated: 2023-10-07T11:45:21.000Z I’ve been watching Rewind development for quite some time and have always been curious about this Mac utility. Rewind launched in late 2022\. A recent post about a new free tier made me download Rewind and install it on my 15-inch MacBook Air to try it after nearly a year of maturation and development. Let’s dive into my experience of this novel Mac utility. ## A fascinating but scary dystopian-like utility Put simply, Rewind records everything happening on your Mac (both the screen and the audio). You can disable one of them or both. On top of that, the content is searchable because Rewind depends on machine learning to do content recognition and indexing in near real-time. Everything is saved locally on your machine and can be searched just like you would google for something and also can be queried just like you would do with CharGPT. Rewind offers something unique but creepy, too. Someone, or something, is always watching over my shoulder. It’s a bit dystopian. In summary, one could say that Rewind is a mix of CleanShot, Screenflow and ChatGPT, all tied together to record your activities on your Mac. It’s cool to look back visually and see everything I did and what occurred on my Mac so fast. I’ve been using Rewind for the past month without changing my Mac usage: reading, writing, photo editing, browsing the web, etc. The only exception is when I’m watching videos on YouTube. In that case, I often turn off screen recording to limit space consumption. Watching YouTube while Rewind is doing its magic, the Mac turns very hot. For a M2 machine, that says a lot. > What if, one day, Apple decides to build something like Rewind into the operating system or inside Time Machine? How would this fit into Apple’s stance on user privacy? It might never happen, but contemplating the idea offers a possible trigger for arguing over this idea. Since using Rewind, one thing has changed: I no longer leave the screen unlocked while at my desk. I’ll unlock the device only when needed. The reason is that I don’t want Rewind to record a static screen where nothing is happening, even if the compression algorithm limits space consumption in that scenario. As reported by the makers of Rewind, very low space consumption is guaranteed, thanks to a very effective compression algorithm. But battery consumption is quite another matter. I’ve been using Rewind for a month, and the amount of space consumed is 6 GB. I excluded a few apps from recording, like 1Password, but everything else was recorded, but there was no audio. I set Rewind to keep three months’ worth of recording. Do the math. The image quality of recordings is surprisingly good, except when things are moving fast. This is where resolutions get a bit more fuzzy. Each frame can be saved to a PNG file in excellent quality. > When I think about Rewind, It reminds me of Apple’s Time Machine. They both complement each other, from a data protection perspective. ## Ressources consumption ![Rewind is always using significant energy according to macOS](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/2023/10/Image-5.png) Rewind is always using significant energy, according to macOS. ![The time interval marked in a blue square is when Rewind was disabled.](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/2023/10/Image-1-1.png) The time interval marked in a blue square is when Rewind was disabled. It’s hard to perceive any performance degradation on my M2 MacBook Air while Rewind is running, but the machine is getting much hotter than usual. The Mac temperature increases to around 85F-87F, which rarely happens on the MacBook Air, without Rewind running. Without Rewind running, the temperature goes down to 47F-50F. It’s a 32F difference! It is well-documented that when this happens, the Mac can throttle down the CPU performance to help cool things down. It’s not good. I didn’t feel that happening, but what if I were to do photo processing while listening to music or exporting a video from Screenflow? That could be impacted. The MacBook Air has no fan to cool down, so throttling is necessary. The Mac is constantly marking the Rewind process as consuming a significant amount of power. My experience confirms that I’m losing around 10% of battery power per hour, double the usual depletion rate. Rewind takes advantage of all the capabilities of the M2 CPU. My experience of stopping and restarting Rewind shows that it consumes about 15% more CPU, double the baseline, as shown in the following diagram. In other words, the baseline is about 15% CPU; with Rewind running, it brings the CPU consumption to about 30%. ![Comparing battery power usage with or without Rewind open. The slopes are quite different. With Rewind, 45 degrees, without, I would put it at 30 degrees inclination.](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/2023/10/Image-2-1.png) Comparing battery power usage with or without Rewind open. The slopes are quite different. With Rewind, it is 45 degrees. Without Rewind running, I would put it at 30 degrees inclination. ## Some useful use case examples In my month of testing, I did only two searches and asked a few questions using the AI assistant, and the response formatting was amazingly cool, fascinating and valuable. It indeed serves as a great tech demo. But what else is in for me? I have failed to see numerous use cases so far. The following are the two queries where Rewind made a difference in my workflow. 1. While working on my weekly creative summary, I wanted to search for a screenshot of Pixelfed showing one of my photos trending on a specific day. Got it with Rewind timeline browsing. Yeah. 2. I was looking at the time that someone on my Micro.blog talked about the new Rewind free subscription tier. Got it with Rewind search. Yeah. And that’s it. But, I think one more use case would be helpful for me, and it is at work: recording a virtual course. It could be beneficial to have the possibility of searching for some text in the recording while studying the content to pass a follow-up exam, for example. I wonder if this would require special permission by the teacher, though. Another use case, similar to attending an online course, is to listen to a podcast or watch a YouTube video. I tested the feature on one video and found the transcription mostly accurate. The audio becomes searchable. Another use case would be recording an Apple Keynote so the content would be fully searchable, visually and by transcript. There seems to be an issue during audio transcription where Rewind thinks that I’m speaking and assigns portions of the recording to me. Another possible use case is when I’m creating my weekly creative summary. It’s the time I reflect on the past seven days of creative work. What did I do? Where did I spend the most time, and to do what, exactly? ![This type of response to a query is mind-binding—It’s really impressive.](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/2023/10/Image-3.png) This type of response to a query is mind-binding—It’s really impressive. ![Consider me impressed by the detailed answer.](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/2023/10/Image-4.png) Consider me impressed by the detailed answer. It doesn’t mean Rewind is a bad app. Quite the opposite. It is superbly executed and well designed while offering potentially useful capabilities, which is possible thanks to Apple Silicon processing power. Yet, Rewind doesn’t help meet any of my current needs. It might be a solution in search of a problem. I might not have any valuable case for it after all. That said, it is cool to manually play back a short portion of the timeline just by scrolling back and forth with the timeline and seeing what happened at an accelerated speed. It’s like fast-forwarding a movie. > For a long time, people have been summarizing their daily life in a journal. Many people still do this manually. But with our powerful computers, the ability to automatically summarize everything we do on them seems a natural evolution of any modern computing platform. ![With macOS Sonoma, an app recording the screen or the audio will be displayed in this new menu in the menubar.](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/2023/10/Image-5-1.png) With macOS Sonoma, an app recording the screen or the audio will be displayed in this new menu in the menubar. ## What is missing and looking to the future Rewind updates are coming quite frequently. Rewind’s nature probably requires tight maintenance to stay a good macOS citizen, limiting its impacts on the Mac user experience. It’s a good thing. Updates bring new features and some tweaks. During my month-long testing, Rewind introduced the Daily Recap, a feature for summarizing how I spend my time on my Mac. It’s a potentially helpful complement to [Timery](https://www.timeryapp.com/?ref=numericcitizen.me), a manual solution for getting a similar result with a list of apps and websites visited, each with the time spent on them. I like that. I would like to get a weekly and monthly summary. That could be of use for my weekly creative summary newsletter. I experimented with this summarization feature of Rewind, covering a week. This is not currently something possible. It involves too much data. I tried a query covering the last 24 hours, and it worked. Without a clear use case for me, here’s what I’d like to see in a future Rewind release. - A more prominent display for space consumption. - The ability to exclude a website from being recorded (not only the ones with private browsing turned on). - Ability to set a different recording frequency, currently at every 2 seconds. - The ability to replay a portion of the timeline or save it as a video file. - The possibility to use arrow keys (left and right) to move within the timeline. All my feedback got a response from the customer success manager. I’m positive about the outcome. I feel the team behind Rewind is listening and engaging with the user community. I did spend some time browsing the user community on Slack. I’ll sunset my Rewind usage after the Pro subscription trial ends on October 23rd. Then, I’ll wait and see and be attentive to missed opportunities because Rewind is no longer running on my Mac. If that ever happens, I’ll probably reconsider using Rewind. Meanwhile, I’ll keep an eye on its evolution and pay attention to any claimed improvements to resource consumption. > This article was written on my 2023 15-inch M2 MacBook Air using Craft, Ulysses and published on Ghost. ### Announcing an Updated Look for Numeric Citizen Space Website URL: https://numericcitizen.me/updated-look-with-the-source-theme/ Last updated: 2023-10-06T21:55:24.000Z Today, I wanted to share some news about this site. With the release of a new visual theme (called "Source") by the hosting service Ghost, I decided to take a close look at the design attributes and found them to be so good that I decided to switch to the new look. The "Source" visual theme clicked with me for its simplicity and flexibility in making my content visually pleasing. Since the theme pays special attention to featured articles, I revisited the list of articles I want to emphasize more. This list will change over time. I don't make this change too often; when I do, it's because you, the readers, benefit. I hope you like the new design as much as I do. Please feel free to comment in the comments section accompanying each article like this one. Thanks for being one of my readers. ### Friday Notes #108 — Slow But Delightful Conversations URL: https://numericcitizen.me/friday-notes-108-slow-but-delightful-conversations/ Last updated: 2023-10-06T12:00:32.000Z Text messages and FaceTime calls all break human interactions into tiny blips and fragments of instant communication. It’s the modern way of communicating these days. It’s happening often, in little periods, at a more or less fast pace. But this way of communicating seems to erase a much slower rate of human interaction we used to have not too long ago up until the late nineties: emails. One advantage of email is that it allows for more thoughtful and deliberate communication. Unlike instant messaging or phone calls, where responses are often quick and on the spot, email will enable individuals to take their time to compose well-thought-out messages. Email communication allows for more thoughtful and well-considered responses thanks to its asynchronous nature. Unlike synchronous forms of communication such as phone calls or instant messaging, where there is an expectation of immediate responses, email allows individuals to carefully craft their messages and review and revise them before sending them. This contributes to clearer and more accurate communication, as people can take their time to gather information and reflect on their thoughts before replying. Email also provides a written record of communication. It’s nice to have access to such past communication between two persons, especially for long conversations over a long time. With instant messages, it tends to be hard to keep, or we don’t bother to scroll back up to recount the conversation unless there is a particular need. I recently was in an email exchange with a stranger in Poland. I’ve been following him on Mastodon from my Micro.blog account for some time. I always read his posts and his thoughts. He recently expressed his desire to converse by email with people he follows on social networks. He wished he would be more acquainted with people he didn’t know about. I decided to raise my hand and start the conversation with him. We have exchanged four or five emails so far. We learned a little bit about each other at each turn. As I write this, I await his response to my last email. It’s been a week. The pace is slow, and that is ok. There is a six-hour difference between us. Unless he prefers to write during his lunchtime or early morning, I always get his response later in the day. Who knows what other part of his life he will decide to let go and reveal to me? Something is refreshing about waiting for someone else to answer. The time is slowed. I tend to anticipate what is going on the other side. I do other things, and eventually, I get this email, waiting to be read, at the moment of my choice. I don’t know where this email conversation will lead us. Maybe we will become friends. Maybe not. At the moment, this is not what is essential. Enjoying the slow conversion is. If you want to engage in the conversation, please consider going ahead and using [hello@numericcitizen.me](mailto:hello@numericcitizen.me) to send me your email and introduce yourself. I'll be more than happy to respond. Did you know you can subscribe to all my publications through a [single RSS feed](https://feeds.numericcitizen.me/?ref=numericcitizen.me)? ### My Weekly Creative Summary for the Week of 2023/39 URL: https://numericcitizen.me/my-weekly-creative-summary-for-the-week-of-2023-39/ Last updated: 2023-10-01T23:35:50.000Z [numericcitizen shared a postI like taking photos with minimalistic subjects.![](https://pixelfed.social/img/favicon.png?v=2)pixelfed![](https://pxscdn.com/public/m/_v2/583629418009617054/ea59ea880-d2aad0/XVeFUsvkLgEQ/CuKCqwKr8hk9R4nZDhjDc33Z06BDZYMOTNB7enDe_thumb.png)](https://pixelfed.social/p/numericcitizen/612602118159277736?ref=numericcitizen.me) This is the fifth edition of this newsletter. It’s really fun to put together. It’s more fun than I thought it would be. Enjoy this week’s ride. I couldn’t accomplish all my objectives this week, and I don’t know why. It’s probably due to many small reasons, like my troubles with my audio recordings and the release of Craft, which always prompts a new release analysis. Without further due, let’s dive in, shall we? > 👨🏻‍💻 Blog posts posted: 24 & articles shared: 1 😊 > 🏞️ Photos shared: 11 😅 > 🎙️ Podcast published: 0\. 😔 > 📺 YouTube videos published: 😑 ## 📖 Reading > 1️⃣ I recently referred to my CODE workflow when discussing my creative workflow. I learned this week while watching [this YouTube video](https://youtu.be/%5FAbNVsoMs%5FM?si=%5FQHgO4ZeTeXkv1d4&ref=numericcitizen.me) that [Tiago Forte](https://www.youtube.com/@TiagoForte?ref=numericcitizen.me), the inventor of [the PARA method](https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLVNXAaej57W6qCYoMb%5FhbzDhX9et%5FGVlj&si=Zsuej6s%5FO%5FBC9SpQ&ref=numericcitizen.me), inspired this. I forgot that the same guy created the CODE moniker for some reason. 2️⃣ I'm forcing myself to read at least one article per day using Omnivore read-later service. 3️⃣ I often ponder if great writers need to be big readers. I'm not. I rarely read books, and I feel guilty about this. I prefer to read articles. 4️⃣ In recent months, I’ve been working hard to optimize my reading workflow. While doing so, I created a table comparing many popular read-later services. You can download it [here](https://go.numericcitizen.me/pFscoL0x?ref=numericcitizen.me). ## 👨🏻‍💻 Writing > 1️⃣ The writing of the iPhone 15 Pro Max review progresses relatively slowly. I'm not sure about the actual format of this review. It might be shorter than my past two reviews about my iPhone upgrades. 2️⃣ After finishing the first draft of my reworked reading workflow diagram, I started and completed the writing in detail about each step. 3️⃣ A new release of Craft requires a new in-depth analysis. This is what I have done [here](https://crafted.numericcitizen.me/v2517?ref=numericcitizen.me). 4️⃣ It's been a month since I wrote an edition of the Friday Notes newsletter. I have an idea for the next edition. Now, If only I could have some more time to put it into words. ## 🌄 Photography > 1️⃣ I’ve been testing my iPhone 15 Pro Max photo capabilities this week. I went to t an electronic music show called Piknik Electronik outside on Friday. The weather was perfect, lots of people. I had a chance to try photography in low-light conditions. I took about sixty photos, a few live photos, and videos, many using the telephoto lens. I would say that the iPhone 15 Pro Max, or any cameras for that matter, can't do miracles in very low light conditions. It's as simple as that. ## 🎙️ Podcasting > 1️⃣ Now that I know for sure that my Finch Lavalier microphone doesn't work with my new iPhone 15 Pro Max, I spent some time testing different combinations of recording. It appears that the iPhone 15 connected with USB-C on my Mac mini while using Voice Isolation produces respectable results ([sample here](https://go.numericcitizen.me/LpXOVfJU?ref=numericcitizen.me)). Tell me what you think. Using Continuity Camera, the connection often breaks, rendering the recording useless. I'll buy a new microphone from Rode. Can't wait to see if my audio recording issues will finally go away. ## 🚧 Special projects > 1️⃣ I’ve been working to finish documenting and detailing my reading workflow this week, completing the description of each step and which apps are part of it. It took me more than a year of work. In [this blog post](https://blog.numericcitizen.me/2023/10/01/announcing-my-reading.html?ref=numericcitizen.me), I briefly explain the main reason why. You can read all the details [here](https://world.numericcitizen.io/my-reading-workflow-as-of-2023-10-01?ref=numericcitizen.me) on Numeric Citizen I/O. Enjoy the read! ## 📱 Apps & Services > 1️⃣ This week, Apple released macOS 14 Sonoma. A bunch of apps got updated to support the new operating system. My favourite new features of Sonoma are 1) widgets on the desktop, 2) web application saved in the Dock, 3) The integration of the screen saver into the login screen, which was redesigned too. 4) updated autocorrect to match the iOS 17 advances. 2️⃣ DefaultFolderX got a significant upgrade to version 6.0\. This venerable Mac utility proves to be super useful and a big timesaver. I'm using a fraction of the app's possibilities. 3️⃣ BarTender passes to version 5 and is another major upgrade. 4️⃣ While waiting for the official Pixelfed client, Vernissage added support for iPad in this week's release. Also, I decided to use the mobile version of Pixelfed on my iPhone; it's better than the native iOS app. 5️⃣ Craft came out with a new feature called Creator. I shared my observations [here](https://crafted.numericcitizen.me/v2517?ref=numericcitizen.me). 6️⃣ I bought the Affinity suite (Photo, Publisher, Designer) many months ago when version 2 came out, and Affinity Publisher came out for the iPad. I love these apps and thought they could be useful. Sadly, I never used them. It was more of an impulsive buy. They got updated this week with version 2.2\. I might check them out again, especially Affinity Photo. \*️⃣ I wanted to wait a bit before upgrading to macOS Sonoma so that third-party apps get updated to support it fully. I didn’t want to break any of my apps that are part of my creative workflows. But initial [reports](https://appleinsider.com/articles/23/09/27/with-rare-exceptions-most-mac-apps-seem-happy-with-sonoma?ref=numericcitizen.me) are very positive and none of my apps are affected. So, I upgraded my MacBook Air. All is good so far. I love the widgets on the desktop. Then I upgraded my Mac mini. All is good, so far. ## 💎 Miscellaneous > 1️⃣ Every month, Micro.blog, where my blog is hosted, a summary of all my past posts of the month is automatically put together for me. It's a nice retrospective of all my posts beautifully formatted. Each month, I'm always surprised by how much work I put into all this writing. 🤯 Don't miss the next issue by subscribing [here](https://blog.numericcitizen.me/subscribe/?ref=numericcitizen.me). ## 🔮 Looking ahead > 1️⃣ Looking ahead for my new Rode microphone and testing my iPhone Pro 15 Max photography capabilities a little bit more. I wish you a great week! 💡 This document is also available as a Craft shared document [here](https://crafted.numericcitizen.me/creative-summary-2023-39?ref=numericcitizen.me). Based on template version 1.0.3 — 2023-09-24\. This weekly creative summary was built with ❤️ on a 15-inch MacBook Air and Craft. ## Exhibits 👀 An interesting reading workflow based on physical paper reading and annotation. ![My Mac desktop with widgets, thanks to macOS 14 (Sonoma)](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/2023/10/Image.png) My Mac desktop with widgets, thanks to macOS 14 (Sonoma) ![During an electronic music show, late in the evening, while testing iPhone 15 Pro Max night shots capabilities](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/2023/10/IMG_9063.jpeg) During an electronic music show, while testing iPhone 15 Pro Max night shots capabilities late in the evening. There are always great comments from Marques Brownlee on the iPhone 15 Pro ![Here is my Timery Report for the past week, including device usage](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/2023/10/Image-1.png) Here is my [Timery](https://www.timeryapp.com/?ref=numericcitizen.me) report for the past week, including device usage. ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/2023/10/Timery-Reports-Overview@2023-10-01@19.33.48@2x.png) ![And here is my logbook, as seen in Things 3](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/2023/10/Image-2.png) And here is my logbook, as seen in [Things 3](https://culturedcode.com/things/?ref=numericcitizen.me) ### My Weekly Creative Summary for the Week of 2023/38 URL: https://numericcitizen.me/my-weekly-creative-summary-for-the-week-of-2023-38/ Last updated: 2023-09-24T18:20:00.000Z [numericcitizen shared a postThis one will go into the Textures collection. Shot from a past urban exploration session with one of my friends. #textures #urbanexploration #abandoned #urbex #urbexphotography #urbexboy #urbexboy![](https://pixelfed.social/img/favicon.png?v=2)pixelfed![](https://pixelfed.social/storage/m/_v2/583629418009617054/ea59ea880-d2aad0/Qe1tJSddbEjK/pt7sM6KYucsZvgHHVAqZNMUCmQAgqijIDzd0tzKi_thumb.png)](https://pixelfed.social/i/web/post/609343318104199478?ref=numericcitizen.me) Welcome to the fourth edition of the weekly creative summary newsletter. Thanks to recent tech events, there was a lot of reading for me this week. Reading is part of my **`CODE`** workflow: **C**ollect, **O**rganize, **D**istill, and **E**xpress. It's not as much of a discreet continuum as it may look, but you get the idea. As such, a new section to the newsletter was added: **reading**. Let's dive in! > 👨🏻‍💻 Blog posts & articles published: 16 > 🏞️ Photos shared on Pixelfed: 11, and on Glass: 2 > 🎙️ Podcast published: 1 > 📺 YouTube videos published: 1 ## 📖 Reading > 1️⃣ I read more than usual this week thanks to Apple's recent announcements. Most of my readings were directed to reviews and commentary about the new iPhone 15 line. I used this opportunity to tweak my reading workflow, which is one of my objectives for the year. This workflow involves apps and services I already use for other aspects of my creative journey, including Reeder, Things 3, Craft, and Omnivore. I should probably write an article about this in the future and post it [here](https://world.numericcitizen.io/my-micro-workflows-explained?ref=numericcitizen.me), where I document many aspects of my creative work. ## **👨🏻‍💻 Writing** > 1️⃣ My article template that I was referring to [in my previous creative summary](https://crafted.numericcitizen.me/creative-summary-2023-37?ref=numericcitizen.me) edition is mostly complete. To put it to the test, I decided to write two long articles based on it. The first is a review of the Rewind utility. The second is a review of the iPhone 15 Pro Max. The template offers a list of recurring tasks, a place to store references, and a space for storing similar articles, images, and diagrams. All these tidbits contribute to building the knowledge required to write on a specific subject. There is a dedicated place for writing the actual article, of course. The exhibits section below offers a visual peek of the template (also viewable [here](https://crafted.numericcitizen.me/article-template-v2?ref=numericcitizen.me)). ## **🌄 Photography** > 1️⃣ I am still processing my past photos and share them as needed on my Pixelfed page. This week, I dropped a few images posted on my SmugMug account, but they won't make it to Pixelfed. At some point, a photo might look good enough to share, but for some reason, it's no longer the case as time goes by. Some of my past images don’t bring any memories or emotions. I wonder why I put them out there in the first place. Anyway, the exhibits section below contains such an image as an example that won't make the Pixelfed feed. Let me know what you think, and drop me a comment! 2️⃣ I got my new iPhone 15 Pro Max, and I'm experimenting with its photography capabilities. A photowalk with my previous and new phone in my pockets was the best way to do this. Stay tuned for my first impressions. ## **🎙️ Podcasting** > 1️⃣ I recorded and posted episode 04 of my podcast. I share a few details about my early years as a blogger. This episode was way too long to prepare and produce. Part of the problem is my use of “so”, “ah”, "hum”, etc., while I talk. This creates way too much post-production editing work. I have to talk to myself and stop saying those words to be more fluent and natural. 2️⃣ Is my Lavalier microphone working with the USB-C to Lightning adaptor on my new iPhone? [Sadly, no](https://blog.numericcitizen.me/2023/09/23/well-now-one.html?ref=numericcitizen.me). ## **🍎 Apple** > 1️⃣ By officially releasing iOS 17 and iPadOS 17, Apple opened the gate for many application updates. The general theme of these updates is about getting interactive widgets and the [iPhone StandBy support](https://support.apple.com/en-ca/guide/iphone/iph878d77632/ios?ref=numericcitizen.me). My initial experience is so-so. iOS 17 seems to have difficulties rendering interactive widget content, as I showed [in this blog post](https://blog.numericcitizen.me/2023/09/18/playing-with-recently.html?ref=numericcitizen.me). Nonetheless, when carefully implemented, interactive widgets can reduce friction in using an application on the iPhone or iPad. A typical example is to mark a task as completed directly on the home screen without opening the to-do manager. That's cool, and it was long overdue, in my opinion. 2️⃣ I think Apple created the best iPhone with the 15 Pro. I shared [my initial reactions](https://blog.numericcitizen.me/2023/09/22/iphone-pro-max.html?ref=numericcitizen.me) after using the device for a few moments. I think that's the best iPhone I ever owned. ## **🚧 Special projects** > 1️⃣ After many weeks of waiting, the timing was finally right to interview Manton Reece, the founder of Micro.blog. I expected a thirty-minute interview, but it lasted more than 45 minutes! Manton talked about his visit to Canada, the App Store and the challenges of distributing an app on it, Twitter and the future of Micro.blog. It was my first interview, and it went pretty smoothly overall. Manton is smart and easygoing. He's the type of guy I would get along with pretty quickly. You can watch the interview [here](https://youtu.be/vSssU-2LBUk?ref=numericcitizen.me). ## **📱 Apps & Services** > 1️⃣ For this newsletter about creativity, I’m particularly interested in apps that add support for features that will augment, enhance or add value to my creative workflow. Things 3 comes first (interactive widgets, StandBy mode support). Second place goes to Timery (interactive widgets, StandBy mode support). The third position is Play, a YouTube video catalog management app (interactive widgets). Honourable mention goes to Flighy, one of my favourite apps. Flighty is not about creativity; Flighty is central to my travel plans and experience. During my trips, I visit many places, which become photography opportunities. See? There is always a way to link back to the creative workflow. 2️⃣ Ulysses got updated and introduced a new keyboard bar for quick access to editing functions. 3️⃣ Great update to the the Omnivore Safari extension. Fully redesigned, it is much more complete and useful. Omnivore is the name of an open-source Read-Later service that I use increasingly in my creative workflow. I found a quick way to copy and paste all my text highlights and annotations back into Craft. 4️⃣ I recently tried Apple's Freeform diagramming app on my iPad with iPadOS 17\. Apple made some changes and tweaked the app, which is now even better. Here is a diagram I created with Freeform. ![This diagram is a work in progress, but I’m getting close to the finish line!](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/2023/09/Image-3.png) This diagram is a work in progress, but I’m getting close to the finish line! ## 📺 **YouTube** > 1️⃣ The interview with Manton was conducted over Zoom. Since I'm not paying for the service, the meeting is limited to 45 minutes. We had to create a second segment to complete the interview. It was a bit funny. I use the occasion to insert an ad into my video. 🤣 ## 🔮 **Looking ahead** > 1️⃣ I'll continue experimenting with my new iPhone, especially the photography side. This will be a significant portion of my upcoming review of the device, and it was one of the main reasons for upgrading this year. The very first image I took with the new iPhone was an autoportrait using the front camera. After the image was taken, I experimented with the portrait mode, and I could change the focus point to exactly where I wanted it. It's really impressive that we can do that after the image is shot. I wish you a great week! 💡 This document is also available as a Craft shared document [here](https://crafted.numericcitizen.me/creative-summary-2023-38?ref=numericcitizen.me). Based on template version 1.0.3 — 2023-09-17\. This weekly creative summary was built with ❤️ on a 15-inch MacBook Air and Craft. ## Exhibits 👀 ![Adding widgets to iOS home screen. iOS can’t render widget content. A reboot was required to fix the issue. iOS 17.0.1 might fix the issue.](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/2023/09/Monday-18-Sep-2023-114344.png) Adding widgets to the iOS home screen. iOS can’t render widget content. A reboot was required to fix the issue. iOS 17.0.1 might fix the issue. ![The top-level view of my article template built using Craft.](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/2023/09/Image-1-2.png) The top-level view of my article template was built using Craft. MacWhisper, Midjourney, I use both in my creative workflows ![An image that wasn’t posted on my Pixelfed page but previously could be found on my SmugMug account.](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/2023/09/img_8934-for-pixelfed.png) An image that wasn’t posted on my Pixelfed page but previously could be found on my SmugMug account. Here are my [Timery](https://www.timeryapp.com/?ref=numericcitizen.me) reports for the past week. ![I spend quote some time each week on my creativity!](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/2023/09/Image-2-1.png) I spend quite some time each week on my creativity! ![Which device do I use the most?](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/2023/09/Image-3-1.png) Which device do I use the most? And here is my logbook, as seen in [Things 3](https://culturedcode.com/things/?ref=numericcitizen.me). ![My weekly logbook](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/2023/09/Image-4.png) My weekly logbook ### My Weekly Creative Summary for the Week of 2023/37 URL: https://numericcitizen.me/my-weekly-creative-summary-for-the-week-of-2023-37/ Last updated: 2023-09-20T00:16:05.000Z Thanks to Apple, it was a busy week for news consumption. More readings, less writings. And it’s OK. Starting with this week’s edition, I added a new section at the very end, in the exhibits down below: statistics. ## **👨🏻‍💻 Writing** > 1️⃣ Earlier in the week, I explained and shared [in more detail](https://blog.numericcitizen.me/2023/09/10/my-excitement-about.html?ref=numericcitizen.me) why I was excited about Apple's keynote, Wonderlust. Then, on the day of the presentation, I did my readings, packaged my observations into a blog post and shared [my initial impressions](https://blog.numericcitizen.me/2023/09/12/apple-wonderlust-event.html?ref=numericcitizen.me) about the whole event and product announcements. That was faster than usual. ## **🌄 Photography** > 1️⃣ A rather busy week on Pixelfed with many more images shared. Some of them got a lot of attention. The header image of this week's summary is an example. The best since the beginning of my Pixelfed journey. 2️⃣ I find myself posting less and less to my Glass page. What should I conclude from this? Maybe I should focus on one platform. 3️⃣ I'm considering leaving Adobe Lightroom in favour of Photomator and Pixelmator instead. I already own those two excellent apps. I'm wondering how I can keep my originals and my processed images. I'll need to do some research to get a good understanding of the technical implications. A few Google searches revealed that it won't be a piece of cake, far from it. 4️⃣ Friday, I posted [this image](https://glass.photo/numericcitizen/57YeT7TA1M9yXCYAwpdTTK?ref=numericcitizen.me) on my Glass page. Finally. ## **🎙️ Podcasting** > 1️⃣ I'm using a Lavalier microphone for voice recording for my podcast (and YouTube videos). It comes with a Lightning male connector and is MFi certified. It's a great microphone. The problem? It won't work with the iPhone 15 Pro, which will come with USB-C. Looking for a female Lightning to a USB-C connector adaptor was unsuccessful until Apple released their own adaptor. I received my adaptor on Friday and tried it with my iPad Pro and two apps: Ferrite and Voice Memos. No luck. It doesn't make my microphone work with my iPad. It could be that the micriphone was really meant to work with an iPhone. I hope my experience with the iPhone 15 will improve when I get it. ## **🍎 Apple** > 1️⃣ I won't repeat [my initial impressions](https://blog.numericcitizen.me/2023/09/12/apple-wonderlust-event.html?ref=numericcitizen.me) here. Suffice it to say that I'm happy with what I saw this week coming out of Apple. Reactions are mostly positive. I should be getting my new iPhone in about a week. I can’t wait. I've been waiting for this upgrade for two years. 2️⃣ Apple's operating systems are at the center of everything I create. They all get updates this week. Check them out in all the glorious details in PDF format ([iOS 17](https://www.apple.com/ios/ios-17/pdf/iOS%5FAll%5FNew%5FFeatures.pdf?ref=numericcitizen.me), [iPadOS 17](https://www.apple.com/ipados/ipados-17/pdf/iPadOS%5FAll%5FNew%5FFeatures.pdf?ref=numericcitizen.me), [macOS Sonoma](https://www.apple.com/macos/sonoma-preview/pdf/macOS%5FAll%5FNew%5FFeatures.PDF?ref=numericcitizen.me)). ## **🚧 Special projects** > 1️⃣ I'm getting ready to start working on my iPhone upgrade experience. I want to write a more or less lengthy article about my appreciation of the new iPhone 15 Pro Max. I have a Craft document set up with different information tidbits gathered while reading the news. I want to use this occasion to (re)build an article template that I could use for similar articles (reviews, analysis, etc.). My current template ([get a peek at it here](https://crafted.numericcitizen.me/vvJLeWGeKCcEBA?ref=numericcitizen.me)) is a bit dated. So, I started to create [a new one](https://crafted.numericcitizen.me/article-template-v2?ref=numericcitizen.me) that I think is more useful and supportive of my writing workflow. If you are a Craft user, you can download a copy of it. ## **📱 Apps & Services** > 1️⃣ A new version of Craft was released, and I had a chance to explore the new features and tweaks. You can find [my release analysis here](https://crafted.numericcitizen.me/v2516?ref=numericcitizen.me). 2️⃣ AnyBox 2.0 changed something significantly: Collections are now Tags. My previously created folder structure was flattened out, and I had to redo my organization. Nothing major, but it’s a bit annoying. Tags can now be nested, which is more powerful for organizing link collection. 3️⃣ I still depend on Mailbrew for a few things, but according to their [changelog](https://changelog.mailbrew.com/?ref=numericcitizen.me), the service hasn't been updated for two years. 4️⃣ I tweaked my blog to use Tinylytics’ new features and Hugo 0.117\. 5️⃣ I'm still testing Rewind, but the toll this utility is putting on battery power consumption makes me wonder if I'll keep using it. ## **👨‍👩‍👦‍👦 Personal** > 1️⃣ I visited Quebec City to see friends and a football game. I know close to nothing about football. The weather was perfect. We left after half the game. 🙃 ## 🔮 **Looking ahead** > \*️⃣ I'm just waiting to get my hands on my new iPhone 15 Pro on September 22td. Then, I'll start working more extensively on my review. I wish you a great week! 😊 💡 This document is also available as a [Craft shared document](https://crafted.numericcitizen.me/creative-summary-37?ref=numericcitizen.me). Based on template version 1.0.2 — 2023-09-10\. This weekly creative summary was built with ❤️ on a 15-inch MacBook Air and Craft. ## Exhibits 👀 Statistics 👨🏻‍💻 Blog posts & articles: 16 🏞️ Photos shared: 14 🎙️ Podcast published: none 📺 YouTube videos published: none ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/2023/09/screenshot-pixelfed.jpg) Trending on September 11th, one of my images came at position #3 with 99 likes. Now, with 109 likes. Not bad. Too funny not to pass. Some serious messages, too. ![IMG\_8754.jpeg](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/2023/09/IMG_8754.jpeg) Apple USB-C to Lightning Adaptor ![IMG\_8758.jpeg](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/2023/09/IMG_8758.jpeg) ![My Lavalier microphone is connected to the new USB-C to the Lightning adaptor on my iPad Pro and Ferrite. Doesn’t work. 😑](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/2023/09/IMG_8759.jpeg) My Lavalier microphone is connected to the new USB-C to the Lightning adaptor on my iPad Pro and Ferrite. Doesn’t work. 😑 ![Here is my Timery Report for the past week.](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/2023/09/Timery-Summary-Report@2023-09-17@15.31.45@2x.png) Here is my [Timery](https://www.timeryapp.com/?ref=numericcitizen.me) Report for the past week. ![And here is my logbook, as seen in Things 3.](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/2023/09/Things-Logbook@2023-09-17@15.28.29@2x.png) And here is my logbook, as seen in [Things 3](https://culturedcode.com/things/?ref=numericcitizen.me) ### My Weekly Creative Summary for the Week of 2023/36 URL: https://numericcitizen.me/my-weekly-creative-summary-for-the-week-of-2023-36/ Last updated: 2023-09-11T12:46:33.000Z After a slow week-end enjoying life in general, the rest of the week was busy working on many different things, [in a very iterative way, as usual](https://pca.st/episode/7e51c658-69df-4f26-9850-237577ed1fbe?ref=numericcitizen.me). This second weekly creative summary might be a bit longer than usual. This summary is available online and by email for all my subscribers. Buckle up! This document is available as a Craft shared document [here](https://crafted.numericcitizen.me/creative-summary-36?ref=numericcitizen.me). ## **👨🏻‍💻 Writing** > I started a new writing project. It's a long shot. It is about sharing my observations and my frustration even about the more and more frequent occurrence of user hostility from companies selling their apps and services. It will take time before I publish anything as I want to document and frame typical cases in different areas of our modern life. \*️⃣ This blog post is about what I accomplished from a creative perspective and what I couldn't do. Again, I couldn't write a new edition for this week’s Friday Notes series (lack of subjects). I wish I could publish more regularly for this series. ## **🌄 Photography** > Nine more photos were shared and posted on [my Pixelfed page](https://pixelfed.social/numericcitizen?ref=numericcitizen.me). The header image of this blog summary is the one that gathered the most appreciation. My migration off SmugMug continues, one day at a time, one photo at a time. My SmugMug subscription ends next April 2024\. I still have time to move my stuff. \*️⃣ I listened to an interesting discussion [on a recent ATP podcast episode](https://pca.st/episode/fa7c18cb-975d-4783-816f-f14250be3551?ref=numericcitizen.me) about cropping images with the iPhone 14 Pro while using a 2× zoom vs cropping a 1×. Apparently, it's better to crop from the telephoto using the 40MP resolution instead of 12MP using the same telephoto. 🤔 I'll see for myself when I finally upgrade my aging iPhone 13 Pro in the upcoming weeks. ## **🎙️ Podcasting** > I shared [episode 03](https://blog.numericcitizen.me/2023/09/09/episode-im-excited.html?ref=numericcitizen.me) of my recently launched podcast. I refer to the upcoming Apple announcements and how they will trigger news waves, observation and analysis. While amid all this, It will be hard to keep up and come out with my comments and my own take. It's stressful but exciting at the same time. ## **🍎 Apple** > Rumors about the upcoming iPad Pro redesign in 2024 are starting to pick up, and it looks like they are setting up the stage for an upgrade on my 2018 iPad Pro. I still use the iPad, but much less than the Mac, but still… my iPad Pro dates back to 2018 and next year, it will mark the sixth year of use. Battery life is not what it used to be, and the lack of modern hardware (M1 CPU, more system memory) prevents me from using it with my larger Apple Studio Display. I'll start to save my money for it. \*️⃣ *Only two days before the Apple Wonderlust keynote, announcing the next iterative design of the iPhone lineup.* \*️⃣ Finally, in [this blog post](https://blog.numericcitizen.me/2023/09/06/on-apps-by.html?ref=numericcitizen.me), I wonder why Apple self-promote their apps. \*️⃣ *On the eve of the iPhone 15 release, where the Dynamic Island is expected to arrive on the non-Pro models, do you think it lived to its full potential?* ## **🚧 Special projects** > I consider my interview preparation with Manton Reece to be a unique project. Initially, I wanted to do it when I started [my video series about Micro.blog](https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLCOfsHY0LYDagvo0dTq9XjqX7ZhvNxevh&si=lM%5F5Sd5me9GF%5FO6i&ref=numericcitizen.me), but the timing wasn't perfect. Now that vacation time is behind most of us, the timing is right. We had to postpone the recording and move it further into September. We should record near the end of the month, if all goes well in [his life](https://www.manton.org/2023/09/08/a-couple-people.html?ref=numericcitizen.me)! ## **📱 Apps & Services** > A recent update to my beloved app, Craft, version 2.5.15, brought some design tweaks to URL bookmarks (or rich links as they call it in the app). There are some issues with the new design, and old bugs are still waiting to be fixed. I submitted my feedback on the company's Slack channel, but I also created [a short YouTube video](https://youtu.be/xMWregpoEfo?ref=numericcitizen.me) about this so the team behind Craft really gets the message. Things 3 got an important update introducing variable text size, supposedly a highly requested feature. Since this app is central to my creative workflow, I'm happy to report that after testing it on the Mac, I enjoy the bigger text size, especially on the Apple Studio Display. CleanShot X received a significant update, too, focusing on video recording improvements and other little details that are quality-of-life tweaks. Omnivore, the open-source Read Later and Pocket/Matter/Instapaper alternatives, is still being improved. I spent some time this week to look at improvements and boy, I like this service. I started testing the fascinating and troubling [Rewind utility](https://www.rewind.ai/?ref=numericcitizen.me) after they decided to add a free tier, [as noted by Matt Birchler](https://isfeeling.social/@matt/111026555467420475?ref=numericcitizen.me). This utility enables recording of everything happening on the computer screen and microphone. Searching back in time using the AI assistant is simply freaking cool. I'm still not sure I want this, but I already found a handy use case while writing this: I wanted to search when I learned about the recently introduced free tier yesterday. I knew I saw it somewhere. Using Rewind search, it took me a few seconds, and I could return to the exact website at the right place. ## **👨‍👩‍👦‍👦 Personal** > Earlier this week, I returned from a weekend trip to my hometown. I had a blast. The weather was splendid, allowing me to ride twice on my bike for a long ride. I visited a state park by bike for the first time. Incredible landscapes surrounded me all along. I wish I had more time for an extended stay in the area. Instead, we had to limit our stops to a minimum, preferring to cover more places instead of focusing on specific park area. This translated to a limited number of photos taken during our short stay there. \*️⃣ *I got an email from one of my readers following the publication of edition #107 of the Friday Notes newsletter. It was unexpected (I rarely get emails from my readers) but a heartfelt gesture. You can say hello@numericcitizen.me too!* ## 📺 **YouTube** > I posted [a short video explaining](https://youtu.be/xMWregpoEfo?ref=numericcitizen.me) what Craft could do to improve the user experience with bookmarks (also called rich links). We shouldn't have to fight software to take advantage of it. This video feedback was also posted on Craft's Slack channel so that people at Craft would notice. Plus, I shared [a video](https://youtu.be/lpg9bAXQDDs?ref=numericcitizen.me) explaining the process of putting together this weekly creative summary, from Craft to Ulysses, then to Ghost, my hosting service. ## 🔮 **Looking ahead** > The upcoming will be a busy one, thanks to Apple releasing their new iPhone and watches. A big portion of my spare time will be spent reading the news. My expectations are quite low regarding what I'm going to accomplish this week because next week-end I'll be travelling to Quebec city to meet friends. I'll see how it goes. ## **💎 Miscellaneous** > As a creator, should I care about the durability of the content I create and share? What if one of my beloved app, Craft, cease to be updated or even stop working altogether? [This blog post](https://stephango.com/file-over-app?ref=numericcitizen.me), from Steph Ango, makes me think about these issues in our modern creative world. > “*File over app* is a philosophy: if you want to create digital artifacts that last, they must be files you can control, in formats that are easy to retrieve and read. Use tools that give you this freedom. *File over app* is an appeal to tool makers: accept that all software is ephemeral, and give people ownership over their data. I wish you a great week!” 💡 Based on template version 1.0.1 — 2023-09-09\. This weekly creative summary was built with ❤️ on a 15-inch MacBook Air and Craft. ## Exhibits 👀 A huge update to Things 3 A visual highlight of new features in Cleanshot 4.6 For the second time, I tried a different video styling for this short video Who said you can’t be creative with the iPad Pro? Procreate Dreams. Wow. ![Here is my Timery Report for the past week.](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/2023/09/Image-2.png) Here is my [Timery](https://www.timeryapp.com/?ref=numericcitizen.me) Report for the past week. ![And here is my logbook, as seen in Things 3](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/2023/09/Image-1-1.png) And here is my logbook, as seen in [Things 3](https://culturedcode.com/things/?ref=numericcitizen.me) ### My Weekly Creative Summary for the Week of 2023/35 URL: https://numericcitizen.me/my-weekly-creative-summary-for-the-week-of-2023-35-2/ Last updated: 2024-02-18T12:31:04.000Z I've started a weekly post summarizing my creative work for the week. I enjoy reflecting on my past accomplishments. Every Sunday, I'll share a collection of highlights and some introspective thoughts. I decided to publish it [on **Numeric Citizen Space**](https://numericcitizen.me/). The first edition is shared online and by email. Subsequent editions will go online here and additionally as [an individual shared document directly from Craft](https://crafted.numericcitizen.me/create-summary-2023-35?ref=numericcitizen.me). Why Sunday, you might ask? This is the day when I conclude my weekly creative sprint and start another one. It’s the perfect time to reflect on what has been accomplished. This web series was inspired by the prolific [Maique](https://maique.eu/2023/08/28/thingsthisweek.html?ref=numericcitizen.me), which in turn inspired Greg Morris with [his own edition](https://www.gr36.com/2023/08/28/week.html?ref=numericcitizen.me). ## **👨🏻‍💻 Writing** > I wrote and published [edition #107](https://numericcitizen.me/friday-notes-107-restarting-my-podcast-and-a-personal-update/) of my Friday Notes newsletter (previous editions are available [here](https://numericcitizen.me/tag/friday-notes-series/)). It's been a long time since my last edition. I’m pretty happy with it. It's a diversified one. This creative summary took me a while to put together because I had to set up everything from scratch (the template, the list of required to-dos, etc.). ## **🌄 Photography** > I completed the download of all my photo archives from Smugmug and converted all photos so they are ready to share on Pixelfed. The migration process will be a long one, but it is a rewarding one. This [photo](https://pixelfed.social/p/numericcitizen/601939138034821911?ref=numericcitizen.me) got some attention on Pixelfed. I wasn't expecting that. I get many more interactions on Pixelfed than on Instagram or Twitter oopsy X. ## **🎙️ Podcasting** > I made a new [podcast episode](https://blog.numericcitizen.me/2023/08/29/episode-im-an.html?ref=numericcitizen.me) that was better than the previous one. I’m getting more efficient at getting one out the door. No feedback so far 😒. As shown in the screenshot down there in the exhibits section, I'm using iA Presenter for my cue cards while recording, and I love it! What a great piece (and little-known) of software. I like doing this podcast and hope to do it for a long time. ## **🍎 Apple** > I’m excited about the upcoming Apple Event: Wonderlust. The iPhone 15 line will be announced. It’s an [upgrade year for me](https://blog.numericcitizen.me/2023/08/29/waiting-for-the.html?ref=numericcitizen.me) (coming from the aging iPhone 13 Pro). I shared some of [my expectations](https://blog.numericcitizen.me/2023/08/29/some-of-my.html?ref=numericcitizen.me). I'm going big this year with the Max / Ultra model. ## **🚧 Special projects** > I worked a bit on my interview with Manton Reece, the founder of Micro.blog. I’m getting nervous with this one. I kept exploring Midjourney to see how to use it in my creative workflow. I want to settle on a specific styling that reflects my “branding" online. Midjourney request formatting is the key to getting the best results. ## **📱 Apps & Services** > iOS 17 betas are rock solid. I'm still not convinced that installing macOS Sonoma on one of my Macs would be a good idea. Some utilities are getting updates to improve compatibility with the OS, though. I need full compatibility with Screenflow and a DJ app called Serato. The latter is officially not supported on Sonoma as of this writing. ## **👨‍👩‍👦‍👦 Personal** > I'm publishing this from my birth town. Tomorrow is my birthday. It's a mixed-feelings type of weekend. Got to my parents’ funeral (please consider reading the latest edition of the [Friday Notes series](https://numericcitizen.me/tag/friday-notes-series/)). The weather is splendid, with higher-than-normal temperatures and a mostly sunny sky. We went for a few bike rides. ## 📺 **YouTube** > Apple shared [this tip video](https://youtu.be/i4fuAVWE55I?si=xZDiLH3rJ%5FPsgfFT&ref=numericcitizen.me) about creating personal guides in Apple Maps. I didn’t know you could do this in Maps! It's not super intuitive. Some critical features are missing, but at least we can create a list of important references of places visited or to be visited. I'm a big fan of Things 3, a to-do manager. Matt Birchler has a great [video about how to make the most of Things 3](https://youtu.be/XITnx%5FKFwIo?si=R6pfjNKibWs8t4k7&ref=numericcitizen.me). ## **💎 Miscellaneous** > I'm finally happy with [my blog](https://blog.numericcitizen.me/?ref=numericcitizen.me)’s visual styling. It is explained [here](https://blog.numericcitizen.me/2023/08/28/finally-settled-on.html?ref=numericcitizen.me) in more detail. Recent tweaks include the use of footnotes. I spent some time tweaking my digital garden. I'm still not sure why I'm maintaining this. I updated my indicators dashboard on August 31 and most are up. These indicators are about subscriptions, followers and readers to my content. It's always good to know that someone is paying attention. A few micro-workflows were added to my [Numeric Citizen I/O meta website](https://world.numericcitizen.io/my-micro-workflows-explained?ref=numericcitizen.me). Check them out! I wish you a great week! 💡 Based on template version 1.0 — 2023-09-03\. This weekly creative summary was built with ❤️ on a 15-inch MacBook Air and Craft. ## **Exhibits 👀** [numericcitizen shared a postMontreal is a city of colors. In many ways, shapes and forms. This is one of many samples. #montreal #montrealphoto #modernism #modernistarchitecture #architecture #architecturephotography![](https://pixelfed.social/img/favicon.png?v=2)pixelfed![](https://pixelfed.social/storage/m/_v2/583629418009617054/c51ea9690-856390/fhi2uMWMAB5O/sDVM7IEHD1xhJreKNVb5UFSyg2P9f8fGdPT97bDA_thumb.jpg)](https://pixelfed.social/p/numericcitizen/601939138034821911?ref=numericcitizen.me) ![This screenshot shows iA Presenter with a cue card document from one of my recent podcast episodes. The little circle is the Tomato timer app](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/2023/09/iA-Presenter-TTCC---Episode-02---Im-an-1.png) This screenshot shows [iA Presenter](https://ia.net/presenter?ref=numericcitizen.me) with a cue card document from one of my recent podcast episodes. The little circle is the [Tomato timer](https://www.tomatotimerapp.com/?ref=numericcitizen.me) app ![Here is my Timery Report for the past week.](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/2023/09/timery-report.png) Here is my [Timery](https://www.timeryapp.com/?ref=numericcitizen.me) Report for the past week. ![And here is my logbook, as seen in Things 3](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/2023/09/Things-report.png) And here is my logbook, as seen in [Things 3](https://culturedcode.com/things/?ref=numericcitizen.me) ### Friday Notes #107 — (Re)Starting my Podcast and A Personal Update URL: https://numericcitizen.me/friday-notes-107-restarting-my-podcast-and-a-personal-update/ Last updated: 2023-09-30T17:31:58.000Z Last week, I (re)started my podcast. This time, the format and the content are different. Each episode, to be produced more or less regularly, will have a maximum duration of more or less 5 minutes (episode 02 is seven minutes sharp 🤦🏻‍♂️). I’ll try to limit the time it takes to prepare, record and post-edit each episode to keep production efforts to a minimum. I feel it is more personal to use an audio medium compared to written words to share thoughts and my tribulations of being a compulsive creator. And podcasts offer a great delivery platform. ## Why (re)start a podcast? Sometimes, talking is faster than writing. I’m not a fast writer. It takes quite some effort for me to write an article in English. Audio podcasts seem more spontaneous in nature. Plus, people read less and less. Why not try to meet them with their favourite medium? And, of course, I wanted a different way to connect with my audience. You can subscribe to my podcast on Apple Podcasts ([link](https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/thoughts-and-tribulations-of-a-compulsive-creator/id1703770016?ref=numericcitizen.me)). I hope you enjoy and subscribe. The podcast is hosted on my Micro.blog website. [This RSS feed](https://blog.numericcitizen.me/categories/podcast/feed.xml?ref=numericcitizen.me) will bring all my podcast episodes to your favourite RSS reader. Your feedback is always welcomed. Did you know that you can reach me by email at hello@numericcitizen.me? Say Hello! ![The new podcast artwork](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/2023/08/My-2021-Avatar-3000x300072DPI-TTCCPodcastLogo.png) The new podcast artwork ## What is a Podcast? > A podcast is a digital audio or video file that is available for streaming or downloading on the internet. It is a form of media where individuals or groups create episodes on various topics, such as news, entertainment, education, or storytelling. Listeners can subscribe to podcasts and listen to them at their convenience using computers, smartphones, or other portable devices. – ChatGPT ## When were podcasts invented? > Podcasts were invented in the early 2000s, with the term "podcast" being coined in 2004\. They are a form of digital media that consists of audio recordings, typically in the form of episodes, which can be downloaded or streamed online. Podcasts have gained popularity as a convenient and accessible way to listen to a wide range of topics and content. – ChatGPT ## On a more personal note ![a group of people holding flowers in a cemetery on a rainy day for a ceremony](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/2023/08/_numericcitizen_a_group_of_people_holding_flowe.png) a group of people holding flowers in a cemetery on a rainy day for a ceremony This weekend, I'm going to my hometown where my parents used to live. It may be the last time I visit for a while. As a reminder, [my dad died in March 2021](https://numericcitizen.me/seeing-death-from-a-distance-through-facetime-calls/), and [my mom died in February of 2023](https://numericcitizen.me/friday-notes-99-bye-bye-mom/). Since then, they have been waiting to join the rest of the family at the cemetery (COVID made it hard to schedule a ceremony there; we had to wait for many months). We'll all turn the page of this family book. We'll put the book close to us, in our family bookshelf that we cherish in our hearts. It's time to move on now. I’m really looking forward to this family reunion. --- What Did I Learn This Week — I learned to use the [Midjourney image generation tool](https://www.midjourney.com/?ref=numericcitizen.me) based on AI. We interact with the Midjourney “engine” through the Discord messaging platform. It's a bit surprising, but it is what it is. It gives a sense of talking to an entity like HAL 9000 in The Space Odyssey, except the answers are images. I’m only getting started with Midjourney. Like searching on the web or getting useful answers from ChatGPT, the best results are achieved with effective requests and queries. A guide for helping formulate good requests is available [here](https://aituts.com/midjourney-cheatsheet/?ref=numericcitizen.me). Here are some sample images I asked the tool to create for me. I'm still trying to wrap my mind around this. It is mind-blowing. ![A group of people waiting a giant spaceship to land](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/2023/08/NumericCitizen_a_group_of_people_waiting_a_gian.png) A group of people waiting a giant spaceship to land ![Cyberspace information theft matrix style](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/2023/08/_numericcitizen_cyberspace_information_theft_ma.png) Cyberspace information theft matrix style ![A detailed drawing of an old computer room](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/2023/08/NumericCitizen_a_detailed_drawing_of_an_old_com.png) A detailed drawing of an old computer room ![Colourful cloudy sky watercolor](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/2023/08/_numericcitizen_colourful_cloudy_sky_watercolor.png) Colourful cloudy sky watercolor ![An hurricane as seen from spacecraft](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/2023/08/_numericcitizen_an_hurricane_as_seen_from_space.png) A hurricane as seen from spacecraft Thanks for reading, and see you for another edition soon! Did you know that you can subscribe to all my publications through a [single RSS feed](https://feeds.numericcitizen.me/?ref=numericcitizen.me)? ### Remembering my Story of Owning The M1 MacBook Air — 2021-2023 URL: https://numericcitizen.me/remembering-my-story-of-owning-the-m1-macbook-air-2021-2023/ Last updated: 2024-03-04T23:16:10.000Z When I upgrade one of my Macs (see “[Stepping Up to the 15-inch M2 MacBook Air: My Observations](https://numericcitizen.me/stepping-up-to-the-15-inch-m2-macbook-air-my-observations/)”), it’s time to reflect on the story of the Mac being demoted, replaced with something new, refined, and perfected. [Coming Out of a Rabbit Hole and Buying Two MacBook AirI was seriously looking to buy an 2021 12.9” iPad Pro. I had so many use cases for it. I ended up buying two MacBook Air instead. What happened? Here is my story about falling in a rabbit hole.![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/size/w256h256/2021/11/Banner3.0-100x100.png)Numeric Citizen SpaceJF Martin![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/numericcitizen.me/wp-content/uploads/2021/09/2020-macbookair.974edf79fea540a0a1c24c6ffbf36a7a.png)](https://numericcitizen.me/coming-out-of-a-rabbit-hole-and-buying-two-macbook-air/) ## What came before the 2020 M1 MacBook Air? The MacBook Air is an iconic model for Apple. Last summer, I had a chance to buy an old 2011 MacBook Air just for fun and to experiment with the MacBook Air form factor in the 11-inch size. I fell in love almost instantly. I know I'm late to the party. I loved everything about it: the keyboard, the device’s overall size, the weight, the screen. The latter was low-resolution compared to today’s standards, but it didn’t bother me too much. This machine was surprisingly fast even with macOS BigSur. Battery life was miserable, though. I gave this machine to my older son for his school and bought myself a M1 MacBook Air with 8GB of RAM and 512 GB of SSD. My complete story here is [Coming Out of a Rabbit Hole and Buying Two MacBook Air](https://numericcitizen.me/2021/09/01/coming-out-of-a-rabbit-hole-and-buying-two-macbook-air/). ![Early MacBook Air editions](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/2023/08/DSC_4297.jpeg) Early MacBook Air editions The Air with Apple Silicon is a Mac without compromising performance, autonomy and design. Getting onto the MacBook Air bandwagon at this particular time of its long story was the best timing I could imagine. My experiment with the 11-inch Air was just a small taste of what would come after. The screen size was just right, but the Air was still true to its origins with a much better screen. The Air is a combination of iPad mightiness with the flexibility of the Mac. For a creator like me, it’s a perfect solution. The Air replaced most of my iPad usage. The latter is used in rare edge cases, such as while abroad. To me, two critical points in the MacBook Air evolution are indeed game changers: the upgrade to the Retina screen and the transition to the Apple Silicon. Without those two evolutionary steps, the Air wouldn’t be the mighty device it has become over the years. Both of these transformations made the Air a perfect machine for the things I like to do the most: writing, editing, photo-processing and publishing. I like to do this at home, in a coffee shop or while travelling. This is what the M1 MacBook Air is all about – a perfect machine for a compulsive creator like me. Overall, owning the M1 MacBook Air has been a transformative experience. It has enhanced my productivity and allowed me to create content more efficiently. The M1 MacBook Air is a true testament to Apple's commitment to pushing the boundaries of technology and providing users with the best possible experience. I can't wait to see what the future holds for this iconic device. Can it even be perfected? What is missing from the Air today? It’s hard to tell. I’m not sure, at this time, Apple really knows. [Remembering The Story Behind Every Apple Computers I Ever OwnedWelcome to the start of a new series: the story behind every Apple computers I ever personally owned. There are twelve in total. Buckle up for the ride!![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/size/w256h256/2021/11/Banner3.0-100x100.png)Numeric Citizen SpaceJF Martin![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/numericcitizen.me/wp-content/uploads/2022/03/29370-47319-000-3x2-apple-history-mac-launch-xl.0a9ba1d726c64cb6a384c572cc1bfb44.jpg)](https://numericcitizen.me/remembering-the-story-behind-every-apple-computers-i-ever-owned/) ### Stepping Up to the 15-inch M2 MacBook Air: My Observations URL: https://numericcitizen.me/stepping-up-to-the-15-inch-m2-macbook-air-my-observations/ Last updated: 2023-08-23T10:56:24.000Z ## Why upgrade in the first place? When I bought my M1 MacBook Air in mid-2021, I tried to limit my spending amount and chose the 8GB / 512 GB configuration. My intensive use of this Mac proved that it wasn’t the best decision. It’s fine 80% of the time, but when I open apps like Craft, Lightroom and Photomator, things start to slow down a bit, which is something noticeable on such a fast machine, even in its base configuration. Having to “manage” open apps is something that we shouldn’t care about too much. The new MacBook Air configuration had to address that. But, other than that, there was much more to it than simply adding more memory: the much bigger screen and the following: - Improved overall design, which I like quite a lot (bigger trackpad, rounded edges). - Improved sound quality because I like watching videos and listening to music on the go. - MagSafe charging connector because removing such a clever invention from previous generations was a mistake. - 8GB to 16 GB of RAM for better performance in all my use cases and from 512 GB to 1TB of SSD for better future-proofing. A special note about the overall design: One could argue that all Mac laptops look the same now. The loss of the unique MacBook Air tempered design certainly contributed to this: > *"When Apple changed the design of the MacBook Air with the new launch, I was disappointed. It was losing its uniqueness. Instead of an icon, it looked like any other Apple (or Windows laptop.) Sure it was thin and light, but the design looked pretty ho-hum. (…) by losing the iconic shape, Apple has shorn the “Air” line-up of its instant recognizability. For me, MacBook Air signified — practical, smart, and sensible. The new MacBook Air is just another faceless slab of aluminum in an ocean of laptops. Unlike John Gruber and others, I just can’t get over the loss of an iconic design.” — Om Malik in “*[*Some thoughts on the 2022 MacBook Air*](https://om.co/2022/09/05/is-the-2022-macbook-air-good-for-photography/?ref=numericcitizen.me)*”* I’m not sure on which side I stand. The old MacBook Air certainly had an iconic look and design, but like everything else, change comes for all purposes and objectives. ![About This Mac — Renaming the old MacBook to prevent confusion](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/2023/08/Image.png) About This Mac — Renaming the old MacBook to prevent confusion Besides those improvements, I had this question in mind: did I really need it? I had my doubts before making my final decision. The cost of the upgrade was not that much, thanks to a student store credit promotion (worth 200 $CAN), the return of my MacBook Air (worth 580 $CAN) and the use of store credits earned through my daytime job (worth more than 1800 $CAN). Overall, this upgrade is probably the cheapest upgrade ever. The decision was much easier to make. ## The upgrade process using the Apple Migration Assistant ![Thunderbolt 4 certified cable for the data transfer](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/2023/08/IMG_8288.jpeg) Thunderbolt 4 certified cable for the data transfer For the first time, I used the Apple Migration Assistant to transfer my apps and settings from the older MacBook Air. I had a certified Thunderbolt 4 cable to make the transfer. I thought that data from iCloud (Drive, Photos, Music) was not managed by the migration assistant and is downloaded separately as part of the user account process. But when I opened up Photos to check, all the content was already there, just like before. I expect that the migration assistant also copied that content, making life easier on Apple’s cloud infrastructures. ![Apple’s Migration Assistant in action](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/2023/08/IMG_8307.jpeg) Apple’s Migration Assistant in action Before starting the migration process, I spent a few hours selectively removing unneeded apps using [AppCleaner](https://freemacsoft.net/appcleaner/?ref=numericcitizen.me). Then, I applied any available updates from the Mac App Store and outside of the store using the mighty little and free utility: [Latest](https://max.codes/latest/?ref=numericcitizen.me). I renamed my old Mac to add “-old” so there wouldn't be a naming conflict during the migration. I’m not sure that was necessary, though. I also ensured how to create the first account with the same naming for the home directory. The Migration Assistant takes care of that early, before creating any accounts. I knew there would be some issues to address after the migration. Software licenses would need to be reactivated. Privacy configuration would need to be reconfigured for many utility apps. But overall, it wasn’t too bad. [Transfer to a new Mac with Migration AssistantUse Migration Assistant to copy all of your documents, apps, user accounts, and settings to a new Mac from another computer.![](https://support.apple.com/favicon.ico)Apple Support![](https://support.apple.com/library/content/dam/edam/applecare/images/en_US/macos/macos-ventura-migration-assistant-app-icon.png)](https://support.apple.com/en-ca/HT204350?ref=numericcitizen.me) The migration process was flawless, with perfect guidance and no ambiguity whatsoever. The process took about 45 minutes to transfer about 375 GB of data spread in 700K files with a peak speed of 650 MB/s over the Thunderbolt 4 cable. The new Mac didn’t come with the same release of macOS. The Migration Assistant had to apply the latest update first. This process took about 20 minutes before the actual transfer. Overall, the migration took about an hour. ![Weird behaviour with iCloud Drive after the migration process. This thing wouldn’t resolve by itself](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/2023/08/Image-1.png) Weird behaviour with iCloud Drive after the migration process. This thing wouldn’t resolve by itself Upon the first login, I was met with many permissions requests for many utilities once the migration process was completed. Apple Pay was disabled because of an issue with the Mac update settings. All my credit cards needed to be re-added. This is the expected behaviour. Next were the few apps that needed license reactivation. CleanShot X was an example. I had to disable the license on the source Mac before being able to reactivate it on the new Mac. Again, this is expected behaviour. Some apps are better at handling the migration, though. Permute seems to detect the migration that took place and asks to relicense the app. Besides these issues, everything was right where I left off on the old MacBook Air. ![An example of a license in need of being reset](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/2023/08/Image-2.png) An example of a license in need of being reset ![A Thunderbolt 4 cable is mandatory for a fast migration experience with the Migration Assistant](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/2023/08/IMG_8299.jpeg) A Thunderbolt 4 cable is mandatory for a fast migration experience with the Migration Assistant ## My experience so far with Apple’s 15-inch MacBook Air Safari feels snappier™. Everything feels snappier™ 😜 One of the things that I’m the most pleasantly surprised about is the speed improvement. I wasn’t expecting much in that respect, coming from the M1\. The M2 processor contributes to this perception, but the 16GB RAM instead of 8GB also makes a difference. Running many small utilities consumes some non-negligible amount of RAM. Yet, it does feel faster in most of my use cases. One in particular that’s benefiting the most is Adobe Lightroom. Who knew? Battery life feels about the same: bigger screen but bigger batteries too! My charging habit depends on MagSafe at home and USB-C on the road. Oh, and MagSafe marks a first for me. It’s such a clever design. ![The return of MagSafe is like having an additional USB-C port](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/2023/08/IMG_8436.jpeg) The return of MagSafe is like having an additional USB-C port I felt the Mac was a bit heavier than expected. The rounded edges are welcome when the screen lid is closed. The space grey is a compromise over the darker tone, a much better look, but it is a fingerprint magnet. On my lap, while on the couch, the device feels right, just like my previous MacBook Air, if not a tad better. It feels more comfortable thanks to bigger palm rest areas and a bigger touchpad. [I wondered if it would be too big on my lap](https://blog.numericcitizen.me/2023/06/13/on-inch-macbook.html?ref=numericcitizen.me), but it wasn’t. The sound quality is vastly improved and, for the first time, I can consider listening to music on the Mac possible without feeling the usual cheap and metallic sound. The expanded trackpad and full-size function keys are welcome improvements. For once, I feel Apple fixed all issues with their keyboards. Why did it take so long? Why did we have to suffer so much? ![Running a Mac with 16 GB of memory has its advantage](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/2023/08/Image-3.png) Running a Mac with 16 GB of memory has its advantage ## The NOTCH I was wary of going from a machine with a standard screen without any “imperfection” to a “notched screen”, just like on my iPhone. Sure, I got used to the notch on my iPhone, but on the Mac, the notch is so big and “in my face”! My overall experience is that I don't notice it most of the time. When I reach out to the menu bar to access a utility app, it is where I notice it the most. Sure, I hope the camera returns to the bezels in the future. In today's world, it is hard to defend that Apple needs this notch to put a rather-low-resolution webcam. I mean, come on. If Apple can create the Apple Vision Pro, they can fix the notch by removing it. ![With the notch in the menu bar, my use of Bartender changed to display a bar of icons underneath the menu bar](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/2023/08/Image-4.png) With the notch in the menu bar, my use of Bartender changed to display a bar of icons underneath the menu bar Speaking of the menubar, am I alone who doesn’t like the following two visual elements? I love the top rounded corners of the MacBook Air screen but this visual disconnect? I don’t. I prefer the old days when the menu was not visually disconnected from the menu bar. I only there was a setting to revert this design. ![CleanShot-CleanShot@2023-08-10@20.40.51@2x.png](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/2023/08/CleanShot-CleanShot2023-08-1020.40.512x.png) CleanShot-CleanShot@2023-08-10@20.40.51@2x.png ![Previous-generation menu](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/2023/08/menubar-name02.jpeg) Previous-generation menu [TopNotch for macOS](https://topnotch.app/?ref=numericcitizen.me) Mandatory utility: TopNotch, from the maker of Cleanshot X. In theory, this utility will make the notch disappear, but it doesn’t do its magic on my setup for some reason. [Numeric Citizen BlogI don’t like these two “disconnected” visual elements: the menu bar from the dropdown menu. The highlighted portion of the menu bar and the menu itself. There, I said it. On a positive note: on recent MacBook Air like mine, I love the rounded screen corners.![](https://micro.blog/numericcitizen/favicon.png)Numeric Citizen Blog![](https://cdn.uploads.micro.blog/6803/2023/cleanshot-cleanshot2023-08-1020.40.512x.png)](https://blog.numericcitizen.me/2023/08/10/i-dont-like.html?ref=numericcitizen.me) ![The classic Apple logo decals](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/2023/08/IMG_8285.jpeg) The classic Apple logo decals ## The verdict I’m happy with my MacBook Air upgrade. It is well worth it. It’s THE best laptop I ever owned. The MacBook Air at 15 inches results from a perfect balancing act by Apple and their designers. ![Done. Happy.](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/2023/08/IMG_8313.jpeg) Done. Happy. ### Which Messaging Apps do I Use, And for What Purpose URL: https://numericcitizen.me/which-messaging-apps-do-i-use-and-for-what-purpose/ Last updated: 2023-07-24T01:20:30.000Z Don’t you think we’re using too many messaging apps? How could this be otherwise? What if there was one unique app to rule them all? While waiting for this less-than-probable future, I created a list of all the messaging apps I use in my digital life. There are (way too) many of them. For this article, I define the messaging app category as an application or service that allows, at the minimum textual communication between two people, a group of people or within a forum space. It might be a bit too large a definition, but it encompasses all the apps I use to stay in touch with someone or a community. A more complete description is given at the end of this article. So, let’s start with… ### iMessage I’m living in North America, in Canada, more specifically. I often say Canada is the next biggest iPhone country after the US. Most people I care to text with are iPhone users, so I use iMessage personally and professionally. Apple’s iMessage is an excellent messaging service, secure and reliable, if most people use iPhones, too. Over the years, iMessage got some nice additions and much-needed ones, emojis, applets, etc. With iOS 17, Apple finally sorted out the keyboard’s design and the sharing action. It’s a no-brainer for someone like me, who’s heavily invested in Apple’s ecosystem. ### Telegram > Telegram, meanwhile, has transcended being a mere messaging service. The company iterated on its group messaging system creating a system that supports communities and even blog-style posts. Its more recent forays into live streaming suggest an ambitious expansion. Telegram is hands-down the best platform for social messaging. — [Max Eddy](https://www.pcmag.com/picks/best-secure-messaging-apps?ref=numericcitizen.me) for PC Magazine Telegram is the second most enjoyable messaging app. I’m using Telegram in a “one-way mode” to get news about the war in Ukraine by subscribing to many channels, all feeding information about the war. Some are using Twitter for that, but I’m no longer on Twitter (read [how to leave Twitter the right way](https://numericcitizen.me/five-steps-for-safely-leaving-twitter/)). Did you know that Telegram is one of those well-designed apps? It really is. I wouldn't say I like the founder's [position on Apple](https://www.inverse.com/input/culture/apparently-the-ceo-of-telegram-really-really-hates-apple-products?ref=numericcitizen.me), though. He's pretty opinionated. Nevertheless, Telegram is a joy to use. I pay a monthly subscription, which I'll stop when the war ends. ![Telegram with subscription to channels about the war in Ukraine](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/2023/07/Image-15.png) Telegram with a subscription to channels about the war in Ukraine ### Wavelength ![Wavelength main window](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/2023/07/Image-1-2.png) Wavelength main window Mainly as a complement to Micro.blog, but in no way associated with it, [Wavelength](https://www.wavelength.app/?ref=numericcitizen.me) [tries to make its place in the messaging apps landscape](https://techcrunch.com/2023/04/20/wavelength-is-a-new-app-trying-to-make-group-chat-suck-less/?ref=numericcitizen.me). A small group of Micro bloggers are there. Here is the invite [link](https://wavelength.app/invite/K8vZnQI51dy?ref=numericcitizen.me#M3iTwlw1LzkPjaBFp8UZGw--). It free. I joined a few other groups during the WWDC conference back in June. I'm staying there to keep an eye on this underdog messaging app. It gets updated frequently. It runs on all of Apple's platforms. Natively. Oh, there is some AI integration into the platform. You can invoke the AI assistant right in the middle of a conversation like it was another member of the group. They also introduced AI personality, where you can build a bot based on different variables to give some personality to the bot. Clever. I made one representing Steve Jobs! You can read a portion of my conversation with "him” below. ![Chatting with a bot trying to impersonate Steve Jobs](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/2023/07/Image-2-1.png) Chatting with a bot trying to impersonate Steve Jobs ### Discord What a clusterfuck! Discord UI feels and looks so busy! Discord is similar, from my experience to Slack, only worst. I’m subscribing to fewer than ten server instances: Hu.ma.ne., Omnivore, Pixelfed, Power On, Capacities, Inoreader and Midjourney. It’s a good way to stay in touch with user communities and product news. ![Discord main window](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/2023/07/Image-3-1.png) Discord main window Another reason I use Discord is to interact with [Midjourney](https://www.midjourney.com/home/?ref=numericcitizen.me), an AI-based image-generation service. Midjourney can produce impressive imagery, as seen on its showcase [website](https://www.midjourney.com/showcase/recent/?ref=numericcitizen.me). This is [my first experiment](https://blog.numericcitizen.me/2023/07/22/the-beginning-of.html?ref=numericcitizen.me) with Midjourney. I'm still in awe. Discord disappears in that context, thanks to Midjourney’s artistic prowess. ![A Discord private session with Midjourney bot. I was testing with one of my pictures.](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/2023/07/Image-4-1.png) A Discord private session with Midjourney bot. I was testing with one of my pictures. ![The end results of my experimentation with one of my images.](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/2023/07/NumericCitizen_cyberpunk_style_e75431d9-248d.png) The end results of my experimentation with one of my images. ### Slack Finally, the venerable Slack is the last platform worth mentioning. I am only on Slack for the Craft Docs community of users and the direct link with the developers. This is where discussions and debates happen after each Craft release. In-between releases, the community is very quiet. ### WhatsApp Speaking of Meta... I recently created an account on WhatsApp just before going to Morocco. It was a matter of conveniently getting in touch with our tour guide. A vast majority of people in Europe, South America are on WhatsApp. I mean, more than two billion people are on WhatsApp! I also have a friend living in Tulum, Mexico. There too, WhatsApp is a standard. One thing that I don’t like about this app: is the “fake” requirement to get access to all my contacts to improve the user experience. Bullshit. That’s Meta in its full glory. I reluctantly agreed to allow access to my contacts. 😔 If I could summarize my sentiment about WhatsApp: the main problem with this platform is... being owned and operated by Meta. Consequently, I minimize my use of it. ### Facebook Messenger I rarely use Messenger because I despise Meta, its business model, and its founder. I use Messenger only to talk to some friends or family members, not on an iPhone or too lazy to get outside of the Facebook world. Sigh. ### Not on the list Circle and Reddit didn’t make the list because these platforms focus not on one-to-one communication but on the community of people sharing information. Both of them support sending messages to another user, but it’s not the focus. A more complete and definitive definition of messaging apps follows, thanks to ChatGPT. > Messaging apps are a category of applications that enable users to exchange messages and communicate with each other in real-time or near real-time. Several defining characteristics set messaging apps apart from other types of applications: 1. Real-time communication: Messaging apps facilitate instant or near-instantaneous communication between users. Messages are typically delivered and received instantly, allowing for quick and fluid conversations. 2. Text-based messaging: While many messaging apps now support multimedia content like photos, videos, and audio messages, the core functionality revolves around text-based communication. Users can send and receive text messages in individual or group chats. 3. Multimedia support: As mentioned, messaging apps often support various types of multimedia, including photos, videos, GIFs, stickers, and voice messages. This enriches the communication experience and allows users to express themselves more creatively. 4. Presence and status indicators: Messaging apps often display the online/offline status of users and sometimes indicate when a user is currently typing a message. This feature helps users understand each other's availability for conversation. 5. Read receipts and delivery confirmation: Many messaging apps provide read receipts or delivery confirmation, indicating when a message has been seen by the recipient or successfully delivered to the server. 6. Group chats: Messaging apps allow users to create group conversations where multiple people can participate and interact simultaneously. 7. Emojis and reactions: These apps often include many emojis and reactions that users can use to convey emotions, responses, or show appreciation without typing a message. 8. End-to-end encryption: Some messaging apps offer end-to-end encryption, ensuring that only the sender and recipient can read the messages and not even the service provider can access the content. 9. Voice and video calling: Many messaging apps now include voice and video calling capabilities, allowing users to make audio or video calls within the app. 10. Cross-platform availability: Messaging apps are usually available on multiple platforms, such as smartphones, tablets, desktop computers, and web browsers, allowing users to communicate seamlessly regardless of their devices. ### I’m on Pixelfed Now — My Observations After Using the Service for a While URL: https://numericcitizen.me/im-on-pixelfed-now-my-observations-after-using-the-service-for-a-while/ Last updated: 2025-02-01T12:37:13.000Z I’ve seen references to [Pixelfed](https://pixelfed.org/?ref=numericcitizen.me) many times in the last few years. It's been around since 2018\. It is an open web alternative to services like Instagram, but it didn’t click with me until recently when I wanted to find a new way to share pictures of my trip to Morocco with my family and friends. Even if I share photos on **Glass**, **Smugmug** or **Unsplash**, for different reasons or use cases, I felt these services weren’t made for what I was really looking for a modern, privacy-friendly, free and open-web-friendly service. Moreover, I’ve been on Smugmug after leaving Flickr and 500px, but I won’t renew my subscription when it’s over in the spring of 2024\. I'm limiting my content addition on Smugmug. Glass is for a very selective set of images for a photographer’s community. Most Glass users are paying members, which sets the target users in a specific category. Unsplash is for testing my photography abilities. Pixelfed felt like the right candidate. I gave it a serious try. Pixelfed supports Fediverse and ActivityPub. In other words, just like Mastodon, Pixelfed is a decentralized network of instances or servers. My account is on the primary instance: pixelfed.social, located in the US, apparently. The onboarding experience is similar to Mastodon’s. You select an instance and then create an account over there. Besides being very similar to Mastodon, the web experience reminds me of both Instagram and Twitter. Oh, and it appears that soon, you can log in to Pixelfed using your Mastodon account if you have one. I started my Pixelfed journey by sharing a selection of photos from my trip to Morocco. It was done mainly on the web interface, but I eventually got on board the Pixelfed iPhone app beta later. The iPhone app is a near complete experience regarding Pixelfed’s capabilities but lacks a few features to support iOS fully. For example, I cannot share an image directly from the Photos.app via a share extension. There a no rich notifications either. Collections aren’t supported on the iPhone, though. Yet, overall, the iPhone app is a solid one, and the iPad is supported too! What else could I ask? Maybe a tvOS version? ![Creating a new post on Pixelfed brings up this selection dialogue box.](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/2023/07/Image-1.png) Creating a new post on Pixelfed brings up this selection dialogue box. Pixelfed supports the typical features of a social network: tagging of people, hashtags, likes, reposts, and comments. I’m not looking for social validation, but this is what it is. I’m ok with this because I don’t feed ads platform or some algorithm that look to maximize engagement. I didn’t use hashtags on the first few posts but started doing so later to expand my reach to the community. The best way to share images so people can glance at them easily is to use the portfolio feature. It’s simple to configure. You can manually decide what images go into the portfolio or set images to be the most recent ones. RSS feed is supported, too and many other content options can be selected. Post comments aren't included in the portfolio. I’m a happy camper now. This is [my portfolio](https://portfolio.pixelfed.social/numericcitizen?ref=numericcitizen.me) and the corresponding [RSS feed](https://pixelfed.social/account/portfolio/numericcitizen.rss?ref=numericcitizen.me). The results are quite nice, in my opinion. I’m impressed by the general finish of the user interface both on the web and on the iPhone app. Browsing images with a keyboard (on a MacBook) or swipe (on the iPad) is supported. By the way, Pixelfed offers a mobile version of its web interface for browsing content from an iPhone. The general speed of the UI is excellent. I don’t have many negative points to note about this. Pixelfed feels more finished than Mastodon and as polished as Instagram, if not a bit better. Here is a funny anecdote. When I started to play with Pixelfed, my wife said: “can you use something more standard, please? Nobody knows about that service; how will they like your photos?” Huh? My response was, “If people come to see my pictures, I’m fine. I’m fine if they cannot like them because they don’t want to open an account with Pixelfed. I don’t need those “likes” in my life.”. Indeed, I don’t need validation from people visiting my portfolio. I’m simply looking to share the best of my work, nothing more, nothing less. In that respect, Pixelfed does a great job and offers niceties and bonus features. Pixelfed isn’t only about photography. As the name implies, it’s also about visual arts. In this respect, Pixelfed offers more variety in content than on a platform like Glass or Instagram. It’s especially apparent when browsing the global feed. It reminds me of Tumblr in its heyday. You might already know I’m a big user of Micro.blog (see my profile page [here](https://numericcitizen.micro.blog/?ref=numericcitizen.me)). From there, I subscribe to my Pixelfed account, as I subscribe to my Mastodon account. Below is how a portion of my timeline looks. More than ever, Micro.blog is central to my online social life. ![A Pixelfed post on my Micro.blog timeline](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/2023/07/Image-1-1.png) A Pixelfed post on my Micro.blog timeline ## Migrating from Instagram to Pixelfed My experience with Pixelfed is highly positive, so good that it precipitated my urgency to close my Instagram account, finally. But before the fatal move, I had to migrate my content to Pixelfed. The process was simple. First, I logged on to the web interface of Instagram. Then, I selected the Activity tab. From there, there is an option to download all the posts in HTML or JSON format. Next, turning to Pixelfed, I used the Import feature to upload the JSON file and select which photos I wanted to import. Before, I created a Pixelfed collection named “Instagram 2008-2023”. Here are a few screenshots showing the overall process. ![Import from Instagram screen](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/2023/07/Image-2.png) Import from Instagram screen ![The required file must be the zip file that came from Instagram export](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/2023/07/Image-3.png) The required file must be the zip file that came from the Instagram export The issue was caused by Safari, which was configured to open safe files. The .zip file got expanded automatically. Recompressing the file doesn’t work. I had to disable the auto-expansion and then try another time to download the archive. It worked. I first tested with a single photo, then the rest of the bunch. ![Selecting which photo to import into my Pixelfed profile](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/2023/07/Image-4.png) Selecting which photo to import into my Pixelfed profile ![Selected photos require a bit of processing before being available](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/2023/07/Image-5.png) Selected photos require a bit of processing before being available ![Once the processing is completed by Pixelfed, you can review the final results](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/2023/07/Image-6.png) Once the processing is completed by Pixelfed, you can review the final results ![One image imported from Instagram](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/2023/07/Image-7.png) One image imported from Instagram After experimenting with a single photo, I learned that imported images are not published to my RSS feed, which is good. It was vital for me not to flood my RSS feed or my timeline during the import process. It didn’t. A total of 212 images were imported. Pixelfed supports importing photos in multiple sessions using the same .zip file for import each time. Already imported photos aren’t shown in the photo grid, which is good. There is a maximum of 100 photos per import session. The overall process is simple once tested but could be better explained. The image, the accompanying text, tags, and the original post date are all imported as is. I would be happy if I could put all my imported Instagram photos into a collection. I think it’s currently a bug. Now, the big question: If I’m being honest with myself, I have to ask: *why keep Glass?* For now, the subscription on Glass act as a filter. Mostly photo enthusiasts are making the jump to Glass. Moreover, Glass doesn’t support many features that we currently have on Pixelfed and Instagram. Pixelfed supports many things that Glass doesn’t. Hashtags are one example. Many photographers will use them to get traction for their posts, but I like to use them to add another dimension to the textual description. The overall experience is really focused on the photo, not the social interactions. I like to have both. I will see. ## Some notes and observations - Building a community around your work is not limited to people being on the same Pixelfed instance or on Pixelfed. People from a Mastodon instance can follow you too! That’s the magic of Fediverse! - If you know about Mastodon, it’s quite easy to understand how Pixelfed fits in the fediverse landscape. - Pixelfed web experience is surprisingly polished, both visually and in features. It’s fast and responsive too. - We can create a photo collection on Pixelfed. This is what I did for my trip to Morocco ([link](https://pixelfed.social/c/583633376386901859?ref=numericcitizen.me)). We cannot decide on the collection's URL, sadly. - There are no push notifications in the Pixelfed iPhone app. I’m wondering if it is a good thing or a bad thing. - Adding an ALT description is easy, and I try to set it on each post. They add contextual information to each image. - There is a small Reddit [community](https://www.reddit.com/r/PixelFed/?ref=numericcitizen.me) around Pixelfed—less than a thousand followers. - Apparently, PixelFed instances are limited to 1000 registered users. It’s by design, and this limit is in place to encourage the federation of other instances. It’s surprising, and it could limit the service appeal. I hope it will change sooner than later. A little check confirms that the main instance is at 85K current users. I’m not sure about this limit anymore. Was it a thing in Pixelfed’s early days only? I certainly hope so. - Embedding a photo hosted on PixelFed is not supported natively on platforms like Ghost or WordPress. For the latter, a plugin might be required. To embed content, you must access the share action on an individual post, then select Embed. ![Select “Share” to create an Embed to be used on Ghost](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/2023/07/Image-9.png) Select “Share” to create an Embed to be used on Ghost ![The Embed option for use with platforms like Ghost, WordPress](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/2023/07/Image-10.png) The Embed option for use with platforms like Ghost, WordPress ![The generated HTML code that must be copied](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/2023/07/Image-11.png) The generated HTML code that must be copied ![The end result of a post as seen on Ghost](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/2023/07/Image-12.png) The end result of a post as seen on Ghost - Photos are limited to 15 MB in size, which could be a problem for serious photographers. I systematically reduce the size of my images to meet this upload limitation. In my Pixelfed instance, the content size limit is 7 GB which is another reason to reduce my image’s resolution. I try to limit the size of my photos to less than one megabyte. - My goal in creating a PixelFed account was to share pictures with friends or family. I found out that the browsing experience on the web is not optimal. People get to see a photo grid, but the website doesn’t support scrolling across individual photos without returning to the grid. It’s less than optimal. To fix that, the Portfolio feature is an alternative that works great. - There are not that many people on Pixelfed. User reactions can be scarce. You're in luck if you get more than a few dozen followers. And that’s ok. - Searching for who’s behind Pixelfed led me to find three contributors on GitHub. A guy named [Daniel Supernault](https://mastodon.social/@dansup?ref=numericcitizen.me), a Canadian, seems to be the principal contributor and the service's founder. I’m a little worried that the “team” is so small. A search on GitHub reveals that the source code is frequently updated, and new releases are available ([link](https://github.com/pixelfed/pixelfed/releases?ref=numericcitizen.me)) occasionally. - Pixelfed is part of a federation of other instances of Pixelfed instances. There is no central control for filtering the content you see. And yes, I did see NSFW content in the Global Feed, which is the super feed of content coming from other federated instances. - There are a few bugs on the Pixelfed website, which I reported on Discord. No feedback, though. - My photos on SmugMug are at a much higher resolution than the ones I’m posting on Pixelfed. I decided to use Squash to reduce the resolution in batch before importing them on Pixelfed. It works really great, and it’s fast. ![This is Squash, an image manipulation utility for the Mac](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/2023/07/Image-13.png) This is Squash, an image manipulation utility for the Mac ![This is my Pixelfed feed as seen from within Flipboard which recently added fediverse support](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/2023/07/Image-14.png) This is my Pixelfed feed as seen from within Flipboard which recently added fediverse support Overall, I’m excited for Pixelfed. I’ll probably [become a supporter](https://pixelfed.org/support-our-project?ref=numericcitizen.me) in the near future. This wouldn't be the first time that I support a project that offers an interesting alternative to an established platform. Now, back to work, I have some more migration work to do! I created a [60-minute video tour of Pixelfed](https://youtu.be/NXn7MYFxbGU?ref=numericcitizen.me) if YouTube is your thing! ## Important links - Pixelfed main page: [https://pixelfed.org](https://pixelfed.org/?ref=numericcitizen.me) - Pixelfed main instance: [https://pixelfed.social](https://pixelfed.social/?ref=numericcitizen.me) - Pixelfed blog: [https://pixelfed.blog](https://pixelfed.blog/?ref=numericcitizen.me) - Pixelfed on Mastodon: [https://mastodon.social/@pixelfed](https://pixelfed.blog/?ref=numericcitizen.me) - Pixelfed on Discord: [https://discord.gg/sxhADKFSWF](https://discord.gg/sxhADKFSWF?ref=numericcitizen.me) - Pixelfed on Github: [https://github.com/pixelfed](https://github.com/pixelfed?ref=numericcitizen.me) - Pixelfed on Reddit: [https://www.reddit.com/r/PixelFed/](https://www.reddit.com/r/PixelFed/?ref=numericcitizen.me) - My Pixelfed profile: [https://pixelfed.social/numericcitizen](https://pixelfed.social/numericcitizen?ref=numericcitizen.me) - My Pixelfed portfolio: [https://portfolio.pixelfed.social/numericcitizen](https://portfolio.pixelfed.social/numericcitizen?ref=numericcitizen.me) - My Pixelfed profile RSS feed: [https://pixelfed.social/users/numericcitizen.atom](https://pixelfed.social/users/numericcitizen.atom?ref=numericcitizen.me) - My Pixelfed portfolio RSS feed: [https://pixelfed.social/account/portfolio/numericcitizen.rss](https://pixelfed.social/account/portfolio/numericcitizen.rss?ref=numericcitizen.me) - A third-party Pixelfed client, available on the App Store (iPhone): Vernissage: [https://apps.apple.com/pl/app/vernissage-for-pixelfed/id1663543216](https://apps.apple.com/pl/app/vernissage-for-pixelfed/id1663543216?ref=numericcitizen.me) ![RIP Instagram (2010-2023)](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/2023/07/FE018B0E-1D04-4D08-A511-7A9F50C4EE09.png) RIP Instagram (2010-2023) ### Friday Notes #106 — Don’t Be Fools: We’re Already Disconnected From Each Other URL: https://numericcitizen.me/friday-notes-106-dont-be-fools-were-already-disconnected-from-each-other/ Last updated: 2023-07-07T12:00:34.000Z I wrote about this many times, but my recent trip to Morocco reminded me of a worrisome trend that seems to be spreading worldwide. In the “physical world”, people are less and less connected to each other, not the opposite. When in physical proximity, family gatherings, or friends meetup, people aren’t really together; they look and act more like being disconnected. For example, in the lobby of a hotel and at a restaurant recently, I observed that for a vast majority of families, most family members were using a smartphone before having lunch, while eating and after dessert. The mother, the father and the kids all stared at their smartphones. Instead of listening to adult conversations or watching them interact with each other, kids bypass all that and listen to TikTok or play games non-stop. I think kids are missing essential social skills learning here. Nothing beats the real world for this. No wonder why anxiety levels are so high among the young generation. I feel uneasy with this society of seemingly disconnected people because, more than ever, I think we need to connect and face our collective challenges. The climate crisis challenge won’t find a solution by watching two hours of TikTok daily. ![Isolation in action](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/2023/07/gaelle-marcel-FLdK5N-YGf4-unsplash.jpeg) Isolation in action - Photo by [Anne Hoang](https://unsplash.com/@annezor?utm%5Fsource=unsplash&utm%5Fmedium=referral&utm%5Fcontent=creditCopyText) on [Unsplash](https://unsplash.com/photos/%5FaJGH0swpoo?utm%5Fsource=unsplash&utm%5Fmedium=referral&utm%5Fcontent=creditCopyText) Maybe I’m old school, but I’m old enough to remember what it was like before the Internet and the iPhone. As a young boy, I was the type of child listening and observing a lot. And oh boy, I was talking a lot too. Now, I’m deeply concerned. I don’t believe those saying kids get these social skills differently. Not in a minute. People are socially isolated by barely listening, looking around and staying silent. Similarly, those watching only hyper-violent movies eventually find some normality in a violent society. For me, over-isolation and over-exposure are signs of unhealthy habits. ![Which is best, this or …](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/2023/07/joanes-andueza-SutU8_Hkdic-unsplash-2.jpeg) Which is best, this or … ![Or that?](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/2023/07/9a426492-a710-4498-bd81-7c676d2fb3d7.jpeg) Or that? Now, remember when Apple officially announced their upcoming Apple Vision Pro headset? Many people quickly jumped on the occasion to say, “Oh my god, we’re all going to look like isolated people; we are becoming cyborgs!”. Referring to my earlier comment, I’m afraid we are already there. We certainly look like this quite too often. Of course, having a headset in our faces won’t help, but it’s a different way of being physically disconnected. It’s nothing new. Apple seems to have given some thought to this by having this strange “avatar-ish” look when people get closer to the headset user. Yet, fundamentally, by wearing such a device on our faces, we accept the terms and conditions: we will be even more disconnected from our physical surroundings and from others, just like when we stare at our smartphone, plain and simple. I would argue that the only differences are aesthetics and the overall physical package format of the isolating device. Those who think the contrary are living in wonderland. We’re giving smartphones to the kids way too early. We park them in so they get lost and leave us quiet. I’m unsure how I react when my sons park their kids with smartphones or tablets. Until then, I’ll share my views with my sons. Maybe they will catch and accept a portion of them. ![A far too common scene](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/2023/07/anne-hoang-_aJGH0swpoo-unsplash.jpeg) A far too common scene - Photo by [Anne Hoang](https://unsplash.com/@annezor?utm%5Fsource=unsplash&utm%5Fmedium=referral&utm%5Fcontent=creditCopyText) on [Unsplash](https://unsplash.com/photos/%5FaJGH0swpoo?utm%5Fsource=unsplash&utm%5Fmedium=referral&utm%5Fcontent=creditCopyText) By sharing this article, I hope to trigger some reflection about our collective social behaviours. Now, it’s time to go out for a long walk. Thanks for reading. Did you know you can subscribe to all my publications through a [single RSS feed](https://feeds.numericcitizen.me/?ref=numericcitizen.me)? ### Notes, Observations & Thoughts Gathered During My Trip to Morocco URL: https://numericcitizen.me/notes-observations-thoughts-gathered-during-my-trip-to-morocco/ Last updated: 2023-07-04T10:29:47.000Z I recently visited Morocco on a two-week vacation. We spent the last three days in Agadir, an all-inclusive resort, to relax and enjoy the sun after a streak of stops in many cities and villages. The following notes come from my visit to the many important Moroccan points of interest, not the all-inclusive resort, where not much can be noted (except the “buffet” at [the Iberostar Resort, Agadir](https://www.iberostar.com/en-ca/hotels/agadir/iberostar-founty-beach?ref=numericcitizen.me)). On June 30th, it was the famous “Eid al-Adha” holiday (learn about this holiday [here](https://www.nationalgeographic.com/culture/article/eid-al-adha-a-joyful-holiday-for-everyone-but-the-sheep?ref=numericcitizen.me)). Everything is closed that day, and the Islam world is in a holiday mood (not the sheep, though)! ## Technology-related notes & observations Let’s start with tech! I’m a techie guy, so I always have an eye for anything that is somehow related to the use of technology. - Using Day One journaling app to document the trip was a [great decision](https://blog.numericcitizen.me/2023/06/09/date-june-at.html?ref=numericcitizen.me). Day One is a wonderfully designed app. - People in Morocco are generally poor. We visited a nomad family living in the desert and were surprised to see many nomads with smartphones. They say they mainly used it for music. I doubt it. - My first experience in using an eSIM was flawless. Airalo service offers a great user experience from the selection of the eSIM type to the activation process. It is well-documented too. iMessage got mixed up when I disabled my primary line, though. It returned to normal once I got back home after rebooting my iPhone. I saved 200 $CAN using an eSIM instead of my home data plan abroad. I will repeat the experience for my next trip to the Canary Islands in early August. - I’m always in awe and appreciative when travelling abroad and staying connected to cyberspace. It makes the world feel so small. - In most places that offered “free wifi”, the wifi security level was either weak or nonexistent. They use old routers in Morocco, I guess. - I left my MacBook Air at home, preferring to bring my iPad Pro with me. Again, the ïPad is the best device if you want to travel light yet have a robust computing environment. - You get a cellular signal in the desert, in most parts, at least in the areas I covered. Count me surprised. Wireless was a major developing factor in Africa, where landlines were way more challenging and costly to deploy. - Wireless speed is generally lower than what we get in Canada. Their subscription prices probably reflect that. It costs 100 Dhs (less than 15 $CAN a month) for 20 GB of data and 11 hours of talk time. I pay 85 $CAN for 25 GB a month. - Free Wi-Fi access in the airport, in Casablanca, for example, is more than good enough. I remember a few years ago when we had to pay for Wi-Fi access. It was horrible. - Using Share Play with Apple Music on a plane to share music with my wife still feels like magic. ![Weather on the way app in action (App Store link)](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/2023/07/Image.png) Weather on the way app in action ([App Store link](https://apps.apple.com/ca/app/weather-on-the-way/id1471394318?ref=numericcitizen.me)) ## Environmental notes The environment is a constant preoccupation of mine. These notes are gathered around this subject matter. - During the two-week stay, we used an astonishing quantity of plastic bottles. It’s a shame because there are many water sources where we could have filled our reusable bottles instead. Speaking of plastic bottles: in certain regions, we could see a lot of littering in the desert or on the side of minor roads. It’s heartbreaking. - Morocco sits on a highly diversified geographic configuration. While travelling from one city to another, I was constantly amazed by the geomorphology of the terrains. So much happened in Africa in the last billion years. - Houses are made of a blend of earth, small twigs and water creating a sort of concrete resistant to rain. Over time, it deteriorates, and eventually, if not repaired, it will return to its original form—earth—with no environmental waste. - I saw on many occasions people burning trash, including plastic-based traces, creating very dark and toxic smoke. How is it still possible in 2023? - I tried a [different weather app](https://blog.numericcitizen.me/2023/06/27/im-trying-out.html?ref=numericcitizen.me) for this trip. It was super useful. - We had temperatures ranging from 21C to 45C. It’s hot but without humidity. - The desert is such a quiet place where you go before 10 AM or after 7 PM; otherwise, it is way too hot. - We experienced going through a [dust devil](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dust%5Fdevil?ref=numericcitizen.me) while driving. It was a bit too faint for my taste, but it was better than nothing. - The desert is a harsh place, but I didn’t expect that, in Morocco, you’ll find fresh drinkable water if you dig about 4 meters deep under the sand. - According to our travel guide and the people we talked to, the weather started is abnormal, which could be the norm. It’s a global phenomenon. - Most decorative water fountains in parks or in cities aren’t operating because of the lack of water. - We crossed the [Noor solar panels complex](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ouarzazate%5FSolar%5FPower%5FStation?ref=numericcitizen.me) on our way to Marrakesh. The focal point where all solar panels converge produces a white flare around the center tower. It’s strange. - Solar panels can be seen on many houses in the desert, but not that many wind turbines, though. - We visited a few oases in the desert. These are really special places which offer contrasting views of the desert surrounding them. - Our guide for the desert tour didn’t use GPS. He used to live there and knows how to get around simply by using his knowledge and experience. He doesn’t follow roads or trails. It’s disorienting, but we get used to it quickly. At the beginning of the tour, he asked us if we knew where he was going. We said no. He responded: *me neither and started to laugh*! Funny guy. - In the south, it’s mostly dry and a desert landscape; it can be boiling hot and dry: 45C. Even without humidity, it’s starting to hit my extreme supportable heat limit. - Some places really look like Mars (maybe Mars is a projection of what Earth will look like eventually at this rate?) ![Rocks in the desert of Morocco](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/2023/07/IMG_6932.jpeg) Rocks in the desert of Morocco ![A martian landscape](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/2023/07/Image.jpeg) A martian landscape - Neighbour countries like Spain influenced the food and design of the north of Morocco. I find it fascinating how a country can interpret cultural signs and behaviours and integrate them into society. Because of the French’s protectorate of the early 1900s, French culture is very present in cities like Rabat, Casablanca or Tangier. French is everywhere but is losing ground with the young generation who prefer to speak English. - Public restrooms are pay-per-use in most parts of the country. They are immaculate and well-maintained because of that. I had to pay 1-2 Dhs per visit. I’m ok with that. ## Social observations - Kids seem happy here, even in challenging living conditions. It makes me rethink my conception of “happiness”. I should talk about that with my two sons. - Moroccans are hard workers, but working in the heat is challenging, so they must rest quite a lot and find shade. - Souks are cities within cities. The one in Fes is big but relatively quiet. In Marrakesh, it’s quite the opposite. - Moroccans are traders. When purchasing things in souks, bargaining the price is mandatory and is a common practice. - Hearing calls for prayers five times a day gives a special touch to the city’s ambiance. That said, I prefer the tone in Dubai, which is more melodic than in Morocco. - Crossing the street in busy cities is challenging. You have to trust that cars will stop, don’t wait on the side for traffic to stop. It won’t happen. Crosswalks are useless. - We still can find some COVID-related distancing rules displays or hand washing instructions in public places. It’s simply because they don’t care to remove those signs. COVID in Morocco wasn’t a big deal. - We crossed many traffic control police—a lot. We never got a speed ticket, though. - The sheep play an important role in Morocco and for Muslims. There is this yearly religious ritual of killing one sheep per family, marking the start of the “Eid al-Adha” holiday. More details can be found [here](https://www.nationalgeographic.com/culture/article/eid-al-adha-a-joyful-holiday-for-everyone-but-the-sheep?ref=numericcitizen.me). According to CharGPT: “*Eid al-Adha is a Muslim holiday that commemorates the willingness of Ibrahim (Abraham) to sacrifice his son as an act of obedience to God. It is also known as the "Festival of Sacrifice" and involves prayer, feasting, and the distribution of meat to the less fortunate.*” - In Morocco, people speak Arabic, [Berber](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Berber%5Flanguages?ref=numericcitizen.me), French and English (especially young people). I learned a few Arabic words but won’t retain them for long. - I find it interesting to chat with older people who prefer their quiet old place to bigger cities’ busy and modern life. And yet, they own a smartphone (usually an old model, a sign of modernity). I find the contrast highly fascinating. - There are a lot of bikes and scooters on the edge of the roads, and many young kids are on scooters without wearing a helmet. I didn’t expect that. - It’s common to see older men sleeping on the side of highways, under a tree shade, in the afternoon when the temperatures are at their highest level. Dogs do the same too! - Driving in Marrakesh is like playing a game in organized chaos. Surprisingly, accidents are a rare thing here. I’m glad we had our private guide. ## Photography-related notes A trip like that is an excellent opportunity to take some photos. - I took 1068 photos using my iPhone 13 Pro and 574 photos using my Nikon D750\. This represents a ratio of 65% / 35%. Photos from my Nikon were processed with Adobe Lightroom. Photos shot on my iPhone were processed with Photomator. One day, I’ll need to find a better workflow and use the same app for all my processing needs. - My iPad was used to import photos from my Nikon camera so that I could do some photo processing on my flight back home. - On the iPhone, photos I knew needed to be processed were shot with the Halide camera app with the maximum quality setting. Ordinary scenes were shot using Apple’s Camera app in HEIC format. - Sharing photos between me and my wife was a nightmare. I didn’t have a strategy in place before the start of the trip. In the first days of our trip, I set up the shared iCloud Photo Library. I didn’t like the idea of “moving” my pictures into this common library. Creating a shared album was ok. But it’s impossible to glance at photos already shared to the shared albums quickly. Photos sent through AirDrop are not identified as such either. I’ll need to ask my wife for her iPhone and browse her photos so I can send to myself via AirDrop the one I like. Life should be easier. - When I started the day with my 70-200MM zoom on my Nikon, my iPhone complemented the wide and ultra-wide lens. The opposite was also true: when I had my 21mm lens, my iPhone was used with the telephoto lens. - I use the caption field in Apple’s Photos app to add a comment or an explanation for a few photos. This is something I never did in the past, even after the introduction of this new field. - The iPhone color processing had difficulty with color balance with orange tones. This is a [well-known issue](https://www.theatlantic.com/technology/archive/2020/09/camera-phone-wildfire-sky/616279/?ref=numericcitizen.me), apparently. You should monitor [my Glass profile page](https://glass.photo/numericcitizen?ref=numericcitizen.me) for a chance to see some of my pictures from my trip. ## Miscellaneous travel notes Notes not fitting in any category! - Thanks to plane travel, my wife had a cold in the first week. I got her a cold in the second week. Bleh. - Most places we visited were empty because the last two weeks of June were the closing tourism season. The next period is at the end of the summer when temperatures get a bit colder and bearable. For a photographer like me who likes a certain type of city imagery with fewer people, it was perfect timing. - We spent two days in the desert. We experienced a mild sandstorm one day. Dust was everywhere—in houses, cars, and my mouth. Bleh. - When I look at the regional architecture of the habitant’s houses, I find them rather drab and uninspiring. But there are two reasons for that. First, Islamic people don’t spend money on the house’s exterior but on the interior. Second, the weather can be so hot here that people stay inside to take advantage of shades and cooler temperatures inside the house, thanks to closed window shades. - I like dromedaries. I took many pictures of them. I like the way they walk and how they look around them. In the desert, when a dromedary feels right when looking at you, provided it is not tied to a tree, it will slowly come toward you. I experienced that once when I was setting myself off to take pictures of them. - I’m privileged to travel as I do. I think of this every time I travel. [Summer Vacation in Italy — a Photo Diary Project Built Using Craft![](https://www.craft.do/share/static/logo-192.png)![](https://api.craft.do/render/preview/pquiPWve2Ov3kj)](https://crafted.numericcitizen.me/italy2022?ref=numericcitizen.me) You can read my travel notes for last’s year trip to Italy [here](https://crafted.numericcitizen.me/italy2022?ref=numericcitizen.me). For my next trip, I’ll travel to the Canary Islands in late July and early August for a seven-day stay in a rented apartment. ![On my way back home, writing this article on my iPad](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/2023/07/IMG_7481-1.jpeg) On my way back home, writing this article on my iPad Me and my iPad Pro with Magic Keyboard on the plane working on this article ### Friday Notes #105 — The Environmentally Friendly Consumer: The Ultimate Shopping Spree That May Never Happen URL: https://numericcitizen.me/friday-notes-105-the-environmentally-friendly-consumer-the-ultimate-shopping-spree-that-may-never/ Last updated: 2023-06-16T10:47:56.000Z As someone lucky enough to live in North America, in Canada more precisely, and relatively financially in good posture enable a powerful buying power. I have so many ideas for things I’d like to buy, some more valuable than others. Being able to distinguish between the two is the basis for responsible consumption. As someone trying to respect the environment, I’m not a freak about this environment respect, but I do care. Still, I try to be a moderate consumer where I buy only things that I either really need by bringing tangible value. Let’s get started. - A **Tesla Series Y**: my next car will be fully electric. I’d love to buy a Tesla because of my view of being the Apple equivalent but for vehicles. The only problem: I don’t like Elon Musk; I don't share his views on many things. I'll vote with my dollars on something else. On the other end, my current car, a Mitsubishi PHEV hybrid, is supposed to be durable and last ten years. I'm not even in the middle of its life expectancy. And yet, a fully electric car would be fantastic! I'll probably decide a few years from now, like in 2026, but I will start to shop around in 2025. - **An electric bike** like [this one](https://www.vanmoof.com/en-US/s4?ref=numericcitizen.me): My current bike dates back to 1993\. I want to change to something new, more ergonomic and practical. I’m considering buying an electric bike to take longer rides. I’m getting older, and this would be cool to have some “assistance” when doing longer distances. I’ve been trying [since 2021](https://numericcitizen.me/friday-notes-27/) to get an ebike, but I always miss the buying season, and when I’m ready, there is nothing left in stores. I could try a second-hand ebike, too, which could lead to a less expensive purchase and a more environment-friendly one. ![A Vanmoof electric bike sold in Europe only](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/2023/06/POP-DM-S5-Dark-01_0.jpeg) A Vanmoof electric bike sold in Europe only - An **electric scooter** like [this one](https://store.segway.com/ninebot-kickscooter-max?ref=numericcitizen.me): It’s light, it’s fast, but is it healthy? I should probably keep walking or biking with my older bike or a future ebike. Yet, electric scooters are cool! - A brand new **automatic espresso coffee machine**. I probably make between one to two thousand expresso coffee per year. My twelve years old machine is getting old and needs regular maintenance, which can be expensive. I could buy a more modern one, with a touch screen, a better grinder, etc. But mine still works, albeit with some problems when preparing a coffee shot from time to time, where it needs to redo the process, wasting coffee along the way. It's tempting to go the Nespresso way, but these machines produce a lot of waste, and the coffee choices are limited. I'm waiting for that morning and facing a broken machine beyond repair before deciding. - The **biggest iPad**. As much as I like my 11-inch iPad Pro, the bigger 12.9-inch version offers a much-better screen, perfect for photo editing. But I'm not a professional photographer and don't do enough photography to justify such a purchase. - The **Mac Studio**. I'm good with the M1 Mac mini, but I wish it would have more ports than on my current Mini. I could upgrade to the M2 Mac mini, which also comes with more ports and is cheaper. But I'm not really in need of all that horsepower. I'll skip it. - A **mirrorless camera** like [this model](https://petapixel.com/2023/06/03/nikon-z8-review-the-best-camera-for-most-serious-photographers/?ref=numericcitizen.me). Let's face it; discreet camera market share is going downhill. Mirrorless doesn't buck the heavy trend. Yet, as an owner of a traditional full-frame camera since 2018, I'd love to experiment with mirrorless cameras. They are not cheap, and battery life is a fraction of what I currently get with my Nikon D750\. On top of that, iPhone cameras are getting better each year. I'll upgrade to the upcoming iPhone 15 Pro this fall and get the latest technologies in a hyper-compact package. Maybe this will be enough to make me forget about mirrorless cameras. - A **slides scanner** like [this one](https://www.kodak.com/en/consumer/product/printing-scanning/film-scanners/slide-n-scan?ref=numericcitizen.me). I have a few boxes of old photos of my family and the old Kodak slides. I should convert them into a digital version to keep these family memories accessible. It’s probably a lot of work with long hours of manipulation to digitize each slide. But I’m unsure I have the patience to work through all that. I feel guilty for not trying. - A new **home theatre A/V system** with better speakers. My home theatre A/V system is over five years old, while my speakers are over 25 years old. AirPlay 2 is not supported with my current unit. I don't have a suitable room configuration for a full-blown home theatre system, but I know the sound can be better. Meanwhile, after spending a few hours recently reconfiguring connections between my current A/V system, my TV, and the Apple TV allowed me to gain the possibility to have the sound output to both the sound bar and the speaker pair. It's quite an improvement which renders the replacement of the A/V head unnecessary. - A more sophisticated **DJ controller** like [this one](https://www.pioneerdj.com/en-us/product/all-in-one-system/xdj-rx3/black/overview/?ref=numericcitizen.me). I have a small and straightforward Pioneer DDJ-400 that I bought in the fall of 2021 during the pandemic to get a chance to mix electronic music. I was in partial confinement, and we wanted to find ways to entertain myself. ![A sophisticated all-in-one DJ controller](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/2023/06/Image-5.png) A sophisticated all-in-one DJ controller - A **drone** like [this one](https://www.dji.com/ca/mini-3-pro?ref=numericcitizen.me). I recently had my first experience with a drone, and I thought it was super cool. The idea of sending a small engine two or three kilometres away and being able to take pictures and videos from there is very cool to me. But do I need that? After playing with it for a few hours, what would I do with it? Moreover, I'm not very good with game controllers; I would risk the drone’s loss pretty quickly. I'm passing on that one, too. - An **astronomical telescope**. Since my youth, I’ve been interested in astronomy. Even back then, I dearly wanted to buy a telescope, but it was way too expensive, and I could convince my father to get out of town at night to look at stars and planets. I’m currently living in Montreal, Canada. The sky darkness isn’t great because of the light pollution of big cities. So, it doesn’t make sense to buy such a thing. But, I recently discovered a website called “[iTelescope](https://www.itelescope.net/?ref=numericcitizen.me)". This could change everything! - **Apple Vision Pro**. It’s a version 1.0 product. It's unavailable yet and probably won't be until late 2024\. It will go down in cost with new iterations beyond 2025\. I don’t need that. I’m not a gamer. I’m not watching that many movies. But I wish I could experience it! - The latest generation Apple **HomePod**. I own a first-generation HomePod and like them a lot when using them, which is not as often as I should. The newer version looks a tad better, inspired by the design of the mini version. But am I listening enough to music on my current ones to justify the replacement? Frankly, no. I better wait for them to die (I don’t expect that to happen anytime soon). The other option could be to give them away to someone who will appreciate them, then replace them with newer ones. - **The Saturn V Lego kit**. Lego played (pun intended) a big part of my youth. The NASA Apollo program came before me, but space exploration was (and still is to some degree) fascinating. I’d love to get and build this Saturn V Lego kit! But then what? Another bunch of plastic pieces that will eventually be wasted? ![The Saturn V rocket lego model](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/2023/06/Image-1-1.png) The Saturn V rocket lego model - **A chalet-style house**. As I get older, I often feel the need to leave the city and find quieter places. I’ve settled on renting them instead, but year, I’d love to own my own. I don't need a big one, just a practical and well-located one. Chalet houses are not cheap, and I'm not sure I would visit the place that often. They need to be maintained, too, and I'm not a manual guy. Some weekends when I would skip going to the place, I would feel guilty for not taking advantage of it. Renting is a much less stressful option. ![Great design example of a chalet house in the woods](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/2023/06/Cabinscape_SummerHeader_Compressed.jpeg) Great design example of a chalet house in the woods The thing that links together these “don’t buy decisions” is the environment and climate change. Fighting against the fast deterioration of our world must translate into concrete actions affecting our way of living and consuming. There is no such thing as free lunch when thinking about how to make a difference. ## A few must-see links to fulfill your curiosity For this edition of Friday Notes, here are a few links worth sharing with you, dear readers. [Life Expectancy in the US is All Over the PlaceMichael Hiltzik: Column: America’s Decline in Life Expectancy Speaks Volumes About Our Problems Most developed countries have begun to recover the longevity losses they experienced during the pandemic; thus far, there’s scant evidence that the U.S. is following the trend. The U.S. suffered a greate…![](https://birchtree.me/content/images/size/w256h256/format/jpeg/2022/10/favicon.jpg)BirchtreeMatt Birchler![](https://birchtree.me/content/images/2023/05/948E886B-62A2-4A50-B93B-BE675380BCED.jpeg)](https://birchtree.me/blog/life-expectancy-in-the-us-is-all-over-the-place/?ref=numericcitizen.me) > 👥 It’s a fascinating map of how the US’s life expectancy is geographically distributed. Why is life expectancy so lower in the mid-south? Is it related to skin colour and economic status? I wish we had a similar map of Canada so we could compare. I would be curious to see how patterns of East to west coast differ. [iTelescope - Leaders in Internet Astronomy since 200622 Internet Telescopes across 5 Observatories. Download Image Sets Now updated every 14 days. Direct control of telescopes. Internet Astronomy, Astrophotgraphy. Scientific Reserach including Photometry, Variable and Double Stars, Asteriods, Comets, Supernova, Exoplanets and Deep Space Imaging. LRGB![](https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5a18a65ba803bbe2355d8de2/1518652670179-I53UNOEXN7FQSODMTS9N/favicon.ico?format=100w)iTelescopeHome](https://www.itelescope.net/?ref=numericcitizen.me) > 🌌 I recently learned about the existence of iTelescope, a telescope-renting service available online. What is so special about it is that you use it from the comfort of your home, and you can use telescopes available in really dark sky areas around the world. This is on my bucket list. [Innovation is overratedYesterday I was speaking to a university class and, as it usually does, a question about innovation came up. “How do you stay innovative? How do you encourage innovative thinking at work?” My answer: You don’t stay innovative and you don’t encourage innovative thinking at work. WHAT? Yes. Innovation…![](https://world.hey.com/jason/avatar-9f11ce77d31e68e834c564594ee0bc32a005ee8d)![](https://world.hey.com/jason/avatar-9f11ce77d31e68e834c564594ee0bc32a005ee8d)](https://world.hey.com/jason/innovation-is-overrated-4994874c?ref=numericcitizen.me) > 🤖 We often have a wrong view of innovation at companies like Apple. I guess we don’t always know that we are innovating. [Spike in ocean heat stuns scientists: Have we breached a climate tipping point?](https://www.wfla.com/weather/climate-classroom/spike-in-ocean-heat-stuns-scientists-have-we-breached-a-climate-tipping-point/?ref=numericcitizen.me) ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/2023/06/North-Atl-SST-anom2.jpg.webp) > 🌪️ Oceans temperature is abnormally high this year all around the globe. This article tries to expose the reasons behind this exceptional condition. Spoiler alert: there is no good news in this article. Lastly, one last link. I wrote a blog post about a dystopian future thanks to climate change. [Are We Ready for This Dystopian World?Warning: it’s not about the Apple Vision Pro headset, which many people think will bring a touch of a dystopian future to our life. Something else more serious will.I read this week somewhere that, to get climate back into the normality zone🌪️ to ensure the sustainability of the human race and lif…![](https://micro.blog/numericcitizen/favicon.png)Are We Ready for This Dystopian World?![](https://micro.blog/numericcitizen/avatar.jpg)](https://blog.numericcitizen.me/2023/06/14/are-we-ready.html?ref=numericcitizen.me) ## Two weeks vacation in Morocco One day, I should write a similar post about all the travel destinations I’d like to visit and will probably go to. That’s for another day. Meanwhile, I’ll be using Day One to document my trip. It’s my first time using this app for this purpose. Last year, I used Craft ([the travel journal is still online](https://crafted.numericcitizen.me/italy2022?ref=numericcitizen.me) if you plan to go to Italy). Thanks for reading! Did you know you can subscribe to all my publications through a [single RSS feed](https://feeds.numericcitizen.me/?ref=numericcitizen.me)? Best place to follow my publications when I'm on a trip! ### WWDC 2023 — My Notes & Observations URL: https://numericcitizen.me/wwdc-2023-keynote-notes-observations/ Last updated: 2023-06-08T21:35:55.000Z Right after the WWDC keynote, for about 36 hours, I purposely held back from reading too much social media and tried to stay on the official source: Apple’s website, to learn more about the announced products and software. It was only early Wednesday that I opened up my news and commentary horizon and looked at what others had to say. So, let’s get started with Apple’s OS platforms and share what I have to say about these. Spoiler alert: mostly quality of life updates, but… ## macOS ![macOS updates summary card](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/2023/06/Safari-Apple-Events---Special-Event-Stream.png) macOS updates summary card I’m happy to see many things coming to macOS that were originally available on other Apple platforms. Login screensavers are an example (such screensavers were on the Apple TV only). Apple finally liberated widgets on the Mac. They can be placed anywhere on the desktop, where an invisible grid helps the user for more precise placement. It’s not what the Dashboard used to be in its layer, but it is what it is. Widgets coming from the iPhone, without having to have the corresponding apps installed on the Mac, are so cool and unexpected. This is Apple ecosystem integration at work. Videoconferencing with FaceTime gets an update for macOS Sonoma. I find the FaceTime Ventura edition hard to use sometimes; the interface is not intuitive enough. Zoom integration looks promising for those, not in hybrid computing work, which is pretty much everyone in business these days. Camera reactions and presenter overlay are examples of applied machine learning. Safari keeps improving too, and welcome to web apps on the Mac! Safari Profiles will be a boon for switching between my work and personal land YouTube workflows. They look like first-class citizens. Sharing passwords with trusted contacts? M’ok. I can see a few use cases like Netflix. PDF also gets some love, with easier data entry in forms and better handling in Notes. Linking notes is another welcomed addition. It’s interesting to see Apple investing in Notes. It become a powerful note-taking app over the years. All in all, macOS Sonoma seems like a solid upgrade. ## iOS ![iOS updates summary card](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/2023/06/Safari-Apple-Events---Special-Event-Stream-1.png) iOS updates summary card The iOS update is more exciting than I originally thought it would be. Autocorrect gets a correction, finally! I’ll wait to see when I’ll be using it for a final judgment. iMessage keyboard tweaks make the UI less clunky with more space for the content. I like that. Interactive widgets are now available, and the examples look useful but obvious additions (Apple Music player). The StandBy mode is cool but will require a physical stand to make it look nice on my table beside my bed. I guess this is something I’ll have to buy sooner than later. Does this mean Apple won’t release a dedicated device for the home like rumors are pointing to? StandBy will probably come to the iPad next year. The iPhone auto-transcription of incoming calls certainly looks quite useful, and I’m curious if it will be available in Canada, especially for French Canadian users like me. Apple is not the first to offer that, right? Stickers get a major upgrade and make iMessage look like WhatsApp or other advantaged messaging solutions. Journal is coming to the iPhone, but I don’t see that as a killer of DayOne. Yet. Nonetheless, the app looks to be a solid start in the journalling space. It will be more than enough for most people, especially with data integration with other on-device apps. I’ll probably use it because I like documenting my personal life. The Phone app will allow people to decide how they want to look on the iPhone they call, something like our avatar in iMessage as seen by others, provided that you send an update to their contact. Using your iPhone as the camera with an Apple TV during a FaceTime call merits a big FINALLY! The NameDrop contact exchange feature and execution are soooo cool to see in action! Can’t wait to try that one. AirPlay, coupled with on-device intelligence, should improve our experience of the feature usage. Offline maps are also welcomed for those travelling in places with no wireless network coverage. AirDrop gets more intelligent, allowing the transfer of information tidbits by bringing devices close together, and the transfer can finish while being out of range. That’s clever. Nothing is earth-chattering here, but those additions and tweaks make the iPhone experience better, more complete and supportive of more use cases. It’s a quality-of-life-type upgrade. Don’t miss the following video with over 140 new features and changes exposed. ## iPadOS ![iPadOS updates summary card](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/2023/06/Safari-Apple-Events---Special-Event-Stream-2.png) iPadOS updates summary card The home screen gets the widgets and the customization capabilities that first appeared on the iPhone two years ago! Yes! That is cool. Stage manager gets a tweak or two with more freedom for windows management, but I fear that won’t be seen as enough, except for [this well-known guy](https://www.macstories.net/stories/with-ipados-17-stage-manager-is-finally-moving-in-the-right-direction/?ref=numericcitizen.me) who seems to welcome the changes. Freeform will get new tools in the drawing palette and forms recognition, which brings it closer to what we can do with Notes. Health comes to the iPad is a great addition and is a great way to browse health data on a bigger screen. I always thought it was weird that health data be only on the iPhone, especially knowing the data was backed up in the cloud. Oh, and I expect the StandBy mode to come on the iPad next year or the year after. This is how Apple rolls. iPadOS 17 is a solid upgrade too. My iPad is still supported with all the features. ## watchOS ![watchOS updates summary card](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/2023/06/Safari-Apple-Events---Special-Event-Stream-3.png) watchOS updates summary card It’s close to being an entirely new experience, in my opinion. WatchOS is probably the least mature OS platform from Apple, and this partial redesign is a turning point. Is this the iOS 7 moment for the Apple Watch, as some are calling it? I wouldn’t say so because iOS 7 was a redesign nightmare, and watchOS 10 is not; it looks like improvements everywhere. The dynamic stack is probably what was referred to as the return of the Glances. I like what I saw, and I think it makes the watch less of a watch and more of an information appliance. I’m ok with that because I’m not a watch guy. Is the Siri watch face still available? What happens in a watch face that used to react where numbers would get bigger while scrolling the Digital Crown up? Is it still possible? A video is worth many thousand words. Don’t miss the following one to see all the major changes in action and coming to the watch this fall. ## AirPods ![Audio & Home updates summary card](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/2023/06/Safari-Apple-Events---Special-Event-Stream-4.png) Audio & Home updates summary card These mighty little devices still have room for improvement. Adaptive audio, if used in busy cities, could be a game changer for many. I didn’t expect Apple to continuously update and add features to the AirPods as they do. AirPods are becoming much more than a simple device for listening to music with good quality. Adaptive audio is cool, and I can’t wait to experience it. The way adaptive audio is described makes me think about how the Apple Vision Pro reacts when people around the headset user come into view or get closer, which brings me to the next section. ## The One More Thing… thing Before going into the “thing”, why did Apple choose not to show the live audience in the Steve Jobs theatre so we could hear the “ooohhhh” and “aaaaws”? This is where I feel that this keynote was a bit too much sanitized. ![Tim Cook announced the “One more thing” everyone was waiting for](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/2023/06/Safari-Apple-Events---Special-Event-Stream-5.png) Tim Cook announced the “One more thing” everyone was waiting for The Apple Vision. Such a better naming than Apple Reality. In fact, I find this to be a clever name. The Apple Vision is now becoming clearer (pun intended here). This thing has been in the making for the last ten years. It will be a long journey that started maybe ten years ago at Apple. There is too much to wrap my mind around about this thing. All the pieces of the puzzle are now being put in place. And then more. Much more, in fact. The Apple Vision Pro is the Apple vision in its clearest incarnation. Apple is the master of integration. 1 + 1 = 10\. Simple as that. The Apple Vision Pro looks weird on the face, just like the AirPods first looked weird in the ears. And the original Mac, too, with a mouse. It all looked weird at first, then eventually became part of our daily, hourly life. No, I’m not sure I’ll pay for this thing. But I’ll never say never. This is how Apple rolls. This is how we roll (most of us, anyway). Is the Apple headset iconic? It certainly looks as good as you could possibly imagine. They look like Apple in every way. From hardware to software up to the intentions behind it. Apple is starting with the Pro tier because there will be a non-Pro version in the future. It should be crystal clear. This is how Apple rolls. Spatial computing > Metaverse. Much less pretentious. During the presentation, I couldn’t help but think about Hu.ma.ne’s recent conference, where they introduced another computing paradigm. I’m unsure how well it will fare, but Apple’s vision certainly looks much less timid. Maybe Hu.ma.ne is skating where the puck is going, and Apple is skating where the puck currently is. I'm not sure. Anyway. Apps like Maps, Flighty, Skyline, and NightSky could be impressive when used with the Apple headset. Gestures seem to be natural instead of caricatural, not exaggerated. This was first developed for the Apple Watch. The Apple headset will replace the TV in the living room for the next generations. We are already transitioning to this future because more and more the young generation is less and less watching TV, the big screen. The next big screen is the one that you put on your head. I'm not sure I’ll use Microsoft Word or Teams or Keynote on the Apple Vision, but watching a movie or browsing my photos, you bet, especially if image quality is up to Apple's claims. I'm mind blown by how Apple could show and portray the 3D experience as it could be seen by the headset user. They clearly achieved their goals here. The general design is so futuristic, singular, and unique. Apple's take on security and privacy is notable here too. Using the headset capabilities to show the user's eyes expression while using the device is certainly a mandatory touch to help keep the user connected with their surroundings and for people around. Of course, seeing people walking into the office with the headset on is ridiculous and probably looks like troubling behaviour from a psychological perspective. I believe that in a few years from now, it will become a "normal" thing to do. Just give us some time to get used to it, just like we had for these AirPods in our ears. EyeSight is a good idea, but it makes people look strange. It's definitively something making the Apple Vision Pro apart from the others. The amount of engineering Apple has put into this thing is mind-blowing. ![A women wearing the Apple headset](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/2023/06/around_you__bfdlxkwczahe_large_2x.jpeg) A woman wearing the Apple headset Interesting fact: the idea of using the digital crown to go from AR to VR and back was developed by a guy who worked at a company based in Montreal, Canada. The company was bought by Apple in 2017 for 30 millions$. Of course, wearing the headset at a family reunion to take a spatial photo or video does look strange. Ten years from now, I’m not so sure about that. Perception changes over time, especially if the device finds great use cases. Younger generations are born with touch screens worldwide; this generation could be more open than us to accept these “requirements”. ## Other thoughts After watching the keynote, not only I couldn’t remember what came first, but I found my Mac mini with macOS Ventura to be a bit depressing to look at and to work with. Kind of the same experience when using Windows 3.11 after coming from the Mac. Apple didn’t refer to AI or ChatGPT-like technologies during the week. I think they carefully select their words. I applaud this deliberate move. I will take applied machine learning and non-generative AI anytime if it creates better and more immersive user experiences on my devices. Anyway, as someone wrote it, [nobody seemed to care](https://birchtree.me/blog/apple-didnt-release-an-ai-chatbot-at-wwdc-and-no-one-cared/?ref=numericcitizen.me). The keynote was a bit more than two hours long. Not what many expected. Where is the new CarPlay experience? [Still scheduled for much later this year](https://www.macrumors.com/2023/06/07/carplay-new-features-on-ios-17/?ref=numericcitizen.me). What about the AirPlay or the Control Center Redesign (only for the ATV)? I won’t upgrade to any beta until later in the summer, after my trip to the Canary Islands and after switching to the 15-inch MacBook Air. ![Apple AudioVision Display from the nineties](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/2023/06/Apple_AudioVision_14_Display.png) Apple AudioVision Display from the nineties The old AppleVision display (without a space). Nothing to do with Apple Vision (with a space). The short-term winner this week is the Mac ([well said, Jason](https://www.macworld.com/article/1946010/?ref=numericcitizen.me)!) My short-term Apple upgrade plan is confirmed: I’ll move from my M1 MacBook Air to the 15-inch version when I come back from my trip to Morocco and after reading a few reviews or, even better, after paying a visit to an Apple Store to play with it! Here are links to interesting content and articles published while writing my notes and observations. Most articles are, in my opinion, honest and balanced comments. [Introducing MacBook Air 15” | Apple](https://youtu.be/0okuAwqTHs0?ref=numericcitizen.me) [Introducing Apple Vision Pro](https://youtu.be/TX9qSaGXFyg?ref=numericcitizen.me) [Two visions of the future](https://world.hey.com/jason/two-visions-of-the-future-88e4d9bf?ref=numericcitizen.me) [My ten takeaways from WWDC 2023](https://om.co/2023/06/05/my-big-takeaways-from-wwdc-2023/?ref=numericcitizen.me) [Hands on With Apple’s Vision Pro: The Opposite of Disappearing](https://www.wired.com/story/apple-vision-pro-hands-on-demo/?ref=numericcitizen.me) [12 Compelling Features Coming to Apple’s Operating Systems in 2023 - TidBITS](https://tidbits.com/2023/06/05/12-compelling-features-coming-to-apples-operating-systems-in-2023/?ref=numericcitizen.me) [Apple Vision Pro Impressions!](https://youtu.be/OFvXuyITwBI?ref=numericcitizen.me) [Apple announces robust new privacy and security features](https://macdailynews.com/2023/06/06/apple-announces-powerful-new-privacy-and-security-features/?ref=numericcitizen.me) [Camcorders Were Weird Too](https://birchtree.me/blog/camcorders-were-weird-too/?ref=numericcitizen.me) ## My watching setup To watch the keynote, this is what I did to get ready and efficient. - M1 MacBook Air setup with Ivory / Mastodon for “live feed”. Saved images from the feed go to Apple’s Photos. I had to move them to my Synology NAS after the keynote. Those images are mainly for the pre-event. After half an hour, more than 3000 posts were filling up my Mastodon feed. Hard to follow. - My screenshots automation was tested more than once and worked perfectly. - The Synology Photos webpage was opened in the browser to monitor screenshot importing. - Using a Mac mini with Safari to watch the video feed, not in full screen, though. - Safari on my iPad was open to apple.com, so I could refresh the page as soon as needed. - Craft daily notes for taking notes while watching the keynote (to serve as the basis for writing this article). - Inoreader played a significant role later in tracking all the coming news with specific keyword monitoring. - Do not Disturb was turned on. AirPods Max on my ears! - I enjoyed the show! ![Image.jpeg](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/2023/06/Image.jpeg) My personal setup for watching WWDC 2023 Keynote ### Apple’s WWDC 2023 Keynote — Thoughts Before The News Flood URL: https://numericcitizen.me/apples-wwdc-2023-keynote-thoughts-before-the-news-flood/ Last updated: 2023-06-03T23:53:30.000Z ## The Event itself This will be an in-person two-and-a-half-hour presentation at the Steve Jobs Theatre. Should we expect a full live keynote? I don’t think so. Expect something hybrid where pre-recorded videos take a higher proportion. A tour of Apple Park during the week for on-site developers and attendees is also expected. I expect production quality to be exceptional, as always. I’m ready to watch and catch keynote pictures, as documented [here](https://blog.numericcitizen.me/2023/06/03/getting-ready-for.html?ref=numericcitizen.me) using Stream Deck mini, Cleanshot X and Hazel automation. ## Hardware On the hardware front, the only thing that I really care about, to be honest, is the new and bigger MacBook Air. The **Mac**: The 15-inch MacBook Air seems a given. Bigger could mean an even longer battery life. I’m looking to go with the 15-inch version with an M2 processor, 16 (or 24?) GB of RAM and 1 TB SSD to replace my agin 13-inch M1 MacBook Air. The 13-inch version currently costs 2499 $CAN. I expect 200 $CAN - 300 $CAN for the 15-inch version. What else? A new Mac Pro? It’s become long in the tooth; we are more than two years in Apple Silicon transition. Late rumours about a bunch of Macs with M2 variants are being tested too. Could it be the Mac Studio update instead of the Mac Pro? A bigger iMac? I don’t see the latter coming with Apple’s current Mac strategy (a discreet Mac + separate display). The **iPad**: Nothing new is expected here. The iPad (Pro) will receive a major update next year, according to the [Apple Rumors Hub](https://crafted.numericcitizen.me/apple-rumors-hub?ref=numericcitizen.me). The **iPhone**: Nothing new is expected here. New iPhones are for September. The **Watch**: Generally goes with the iPhone in September. The **Apple TV**: The hobby is still a hobby, albeit a serious one. Nothing is expected here. ![1\*pZHZ85HNneHY2ILe3CfARg.jpeg](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/2023/06/1pZHZ85HNneHY2ILe3CfARg.jpeg) 1\*pZHZ85HNneHY2ILe3CfARg.jpeg “**Other**” hardware: the xrOS-based AR/VR headset as the “**One More Thing**”. This is where the fun “might” begins. The highly anticipated AR / VR headset will be finally unveiled. Not that I care a lot, but it will be interesting to see how Apple pitches the device (for devs and the general public / early adopters). Don't miss this [excellent article](https://jonnydaenen.medium.com/how-apple-prepared-for-their-augmented-reality-headset-b2f5ef078e5d?ref=numericcitizen.me) on Medium (possible paywall) about how Apple has been putting the building blocks one by one in the last few years right in front of our eyes (pun intended) that could be found in the headset device and experience. The headset will represent the first real new product category since the Apple Watch and the first real one under Tim Cook’s leadership. A new hardware platform means a new set of developer tools. Again, how software is built for the headset and what type of apps can be developed are all questions that should find answers very soon. I'm not buying this future where people walk around with their headsets in their faces. For gaming? It’s probably one of the biggest use cases for the headset. I’m not into gaming. But beyond that? FaceTime? You get a call, you look for your headset, put it on, turn it on, and get into FaceTime. It’s a long process compared to picking up an iPhone sitting on the table or in your pocket. I’m full of unanswered questions: what about safety while using the headset inside or while outside? What does it mean to be a « mixed reality »? How do you flip from one mode to another? What are possible first-party apps: an augmented Maps? FaceTime? What about iMessage? How are notifications displayed? Is there such a thing as a home screen? Is Stage Manager present and playing a role in the headset experience? 💡 The WWDC conference, or the Worldwide Developers Conference, is an annual event organized by Apple. It was first held in 1983, and since then, it has been a platform for developers to get an early look at Apple's latest technologies and software updates. The conference typically features keynote presentations, technical sessions, and hands-on labs for developers to learn and collaborate. The event has evolved over the years, and with the rise of Apple's hardware and software ecosystem, it has become a crucial event for both developers and Apple enthusiasts around the world. ## Software Things that I’m really looking forward to on the software front: the place of **AI** (or whatever Apple wants to call it) that Apple will play in its developer tools, in Xcode, for particular. Next up, AI in iOS / iPadOS / macOS could find some timid ways in through Siri, but I’m not holding my breath. I don’t expect a lot as I feel Apple is late in the game of virtual assistant in general. Why do I think Apple was caught off guard by LLM-based AI tools? iOS and iPadOS could receive **interactive widgets** while the Apple Watch gets [glances](https://www.macworld.com/article/671665/how-to-add-and-remove-glances-on-apple-watch.html?ref=numericcitizen.me) ([link](https://www.macrumors.com/how-to/add-glances-apple-watch/?ref=numericcitizen.me)) that were removed in the early days of watchOS (during the development of watchOS 3, I believe). Interactive widgets & glances help developers enrich their offerings which eventually enrich the global Apple ecosystem. Are we going to get the **Watch Face store**? Will **Stage Manager** on iPadOS receive any tweaks? Many users certainly hope so. I’m looking forward to seeing the **health.app** comes to the iPad. This move could also come with a redesign of the layout that we currently have on the iPhone. I'm curious about the **rumoured journaling** app, like many people. What **macOS** could get is harder to guess besides a new release name. My only ask: fix the notifications and bring back the dashboard so we can place the widgets all over the screen! One last thing: **CarPlay**. We don’t read many rumours about it. I’m still wondering what was the intention of Apple when they showed it at last year’s WWDC keynote. With no Apple Car in sight, I wonder if it was a preemptive move to keep car makers interested and on board. It wasn’t enough for GM, apparently. We’re very close to WWDC 23 keynote, and I can’t wait to see what Apple has in store for all of us! Don’t miss the following WWDC 2023-related articles published before the keynote. It will be fun to see how they age after the event! [WWDC23 Keynote Bingo — Basic Apple GuyGrab your daubers, it’s time to play some WWDC Bingo!![](https://basicappleguy.com/s/BALogo.png)Basic Apple GuyBasicAppleGuy![](http://static1.squarespace.com/static/5e949a92e17d55230cd1d44f/t/6478cb31194d7b3c8560ab05/1685637944803/WWDC23Bingo2x3.png?format=1500w)](https://basicappleguy.com/basicappleblog/wwdc23-bingo?ref=numericcitizen.me) [My WWDC 2023 Wish ListWWDC23 is officially one week away, and my anticipation is building. After a year of being somewhat checked out of the beta train, I’m ready for![](https://blotcdn.com/blog_89b569cdbab148fbbb602bcc7f20b0cf/_avatars/04916bb3-6417-48a2-b3c0-697cfd5c2cd2.png)HeyDingus by Jarrod BlundyJarrod Blundy![](https://heydingus.net/_files/hd-square-1024.png)](https://heydingus.net/blog/2023/5/my-wwdc-2023-wish-list?ref=numericcitizen.me) [My Off-the-Wall WWDC GuessesWWDC is just over a month away, and before the leaks really start coming, I wanted to write down a few of my wild and wacky predictions for the event. Random 1\. A presenter in the keynote makes a “mistake” 2\. A presenter is wearing a headband 3\. The phrase![](https://birchtree.me/content/images/size/w256h256/format/jpeg/2022/10/favicon.jpg)BirchtreeMatt Birchler![](https://birchtree.me/assets/images/search.SVG?v=4fbe4b2e73)](https://birchtree.me/blog/my-off-the-wall-wwdc-guesses/?ref=numericcitizen.me) [Macs Already Run the Most Popular PC Games. No One CaresDid you know that the top 2 games on Steam are available for the Mac? That’s right, Counter Strike: Global Offensive and DOTA 2, which at any moment in time have about 2 million concurrent players on Steam alone, are sitting right there for Mac users to download and play.![](https://birchtree.me/content/images/size/w256h256/format/jpeg/2022/10/favicon.jpg)BirchtreeMatt Birchler![](https://birchtree.me/assets/images/search.SVG?v=4fbe4b2e73)](https://birchtree.me/blog/macs-already-run-the-most-popular-pc-games-no-one-cares/?ref=numericcitizen.me) Matt Birchler on Mac gaming [Matt Birchler on Apple and GamingLink to: https://birchtree.me/blog/macs-already-run-the-most-popular-pc-games-no-one-cares/![](https://daringfireball.net/graphics/apple-touch-icon.png)Daring Fireball![](https://daringfireball.net/graphics/df-wide-card.png)](https://daringfireball.net/linked/2023/05/31/birchler-apple-gaming?ref=numericcitizen.me) John Gruber's comment on Matt's take [What I’m watching for at the WWDC keynoteIt’s almost time. Apple’s Worldwide Developers Conference (WWDC) is just days away. Come Monday morning, both Dan Moren and I will be somewhere on the Apple Campus, watching Apple unvei…![](https://149426355.v2.pressablecdn.com/wp-content/themes/sixcolors/images/apple-touch-icon.png)Six ColorsJason Snell & Dan Moren![](https://149426355.v2.pressablecdn.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/06/wwdc22-6c.jpg)](https://sixcolors.com/post/2023/06/what-im-watching-for-at-the-wwdc-keynote/?ref=numericcitizen.me) ### iA Presenter — A Different & Clever Take at Presentation Software URL: https://numericcitizen.me/ia-presenter-a-different-clever-take-at-presentation-software/ Last updated: 2023-06-03T11:58:37.000Z A long time ago, I was a happy user of **iA Writer**, a well-known minimalistic text editor. Then came along **Ulysses**, and I made the switch (why is another story, for another day). Recently, I came across **iA Presenter**, created by the same developers behind iA Writer. I immediately recognized the visual signature of iA Writer and remembered how I used to love that writing app. It felt familiar and yet very different. I gave iA Presenter a try by joining the beta program. Now that iA Presenter is finally out of beta, I’m happy to share some thoughts and observations after using it for a few weeks in my creative workflow, specifically while producing YouTube videos. I’ve been using presentation software since the beginning of this software category. First PowerPoint, then Keynote. Today, I still use both. PowerPoint is for work, and Keynote is for personal projects. iA Presenter holds a unique position because of its focus on the content for editing. This sounds like a big gamble for presentation software in today’s world, where the visual plays a significant role. Yet, iA Presenter really focuses on the content, the story, not the presentation. The latter is handled automatically by markdown formatting interpreted to generate the visuals. It’s really a novel idea. [![iA Presenter in action during a YouTube video session recording](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/2023/06/Image.png)](https://youtu.be/tmaAaNi0MI8?ref=numericcitizen.me) iA Presenter in action during a YouTube video session recording The central concept behind the design of iA Presenter is to let the user focus on the story instead of worrying about the formatting. iA Presenter uses Markdown formatting to build and render the presentation automatically. I like this idea a lot. Compared to PowerPoint or Keynote, iA Presenter doesn’t work on the principle of direct manipulation of the visual canvas. Everything is done through a simple and effective text editor, and iA Presenter automatically renders the output in the slides sidebar according to the slide template and the header level. You influence the presentation’s formatting and structure by using specific text markup, like three consecutive dashes, marking the creation of a new slide. Presenter’s notes can be added to each slide simply by typing text without indentation. A markdown formatting guide is handily available on the right sidebar for those unfamiliar with this. > Did you know that the first presentation software is generally considered to be Harvard Graphics, which was released in 1986 by Software Publishing Corporation? It allowed users to create slides with text and graphics, and was widely used in the early days of computer-based presentations. However, it's worth noting that there were earlier predecessors and alternatives, such as Slide Show, a program developed by Apple for the Apple II computer in the late 1970s. The slide type is based on the heading level on the first line. Slide body text is triggered by typing a `tab` and entering the desired body text. Most of Markdown is supported, which gives more flexibility in formatting. Most styling can be applied using a keyboard shortcut. Tables can be added too! ![The iA Presenter theme builder, available on the web](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/2023/06/Image-1.png) The iA Presenter theme builder, available on the web ![Building a custom theme for use in iA Presenter](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/2023/06/Image-2.png) Building a custom theme for use in iA Presenter Presentation formatting is based on formatting attribute rules for each markdown instruction forming a set of slide templates grouped in a theme. A theme builder is [available on the web](https://themes.ia.net/?ref=numericcitizen.me) (but will be added to the application in a future update). I created a personalized theme reflecting the Numeric Citizen branding. I’m not sure I’m done yet with my theme. I don’t think it reflects my Numeric Citizen branding enough. I'm finicky. I’ll keep working on it in the near future. Nonetheless, It’s one of the best theme builders that I experienced. Once completed, these can be downloaded and imported into iA Presenter. Many different themes can be downloaded and used right out of the box. ![Markdown formatting sidebar on the right](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/2023/06/Image-3.png) Markdown formatting sidebar on the right Entering presentation mode is done by clicking a play button on the slide thumbnail on the left sidebar. There is no animation effect in iA Presenter. This could be a deal-breaker for some who like to present their content one step at a time. I suspect this could come later in a future release. It’s not an issue for my use case, which is to build cue cards for my YouTube videos. One example of this can be seen in [this video](https://youtu.be/tmaAaNi0MI8?ref=numericcitizen.me): the presentation sits at the bottom right corner and is a visual support in my video. This is not something we see often these days on YouTube videos. I don't know what the viewers think about it, though. > History fact: Steve Jobs, the co-founder of Apple, had a vision for presentation software enabling users to create stunning presentations with elegant typography, smooth transitions, and visually engaging effects. He wanted a tool to empower presenters to captivate their audience and deliver impactful messages. This is why Apple created Keynote. It’s important to note that iA Presenter can export the presentation in PowerPoint format. This means that it can also be used in Keynote. After a few tests, my results were mixed. If iA Presenter depends on a non-standard font, the exported presentation might look weird and need work. Since Keynote is not supported (yet), exporting in PowerPoint and then importing in Keynote is probably not the best workflow. ![iA Presentation presentation mode](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/2023/06/Image-4.png) iA Presentation presentation mode In conclusion, iA Presenter is a refreshing take on an old software category. Will it take over PowerPoint or Keynote? No, and that’s just fine. iA Presenter’s focus on content instead of formatting makes it a simple and effective presentation software. Of course, markdown is fundamental in formatting the slides deck, which could be considered rebarbative for some users. Still, a formatting guide constantly available within the app’s main window could help make it easier to use. I can’t wait to see where iA Presenter is headed. ### On Creative Work in a Coffee Shop URL: https://numericcitizen.me/on-creative-work-in-a-coffee-shop/ Last updated: 2025-11-30T18:34:13.000Z ![From-my-eyes-in-the-coffee-shop.jpeg](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/2023/05/From-my-eyes-in-the-coffee-shop.jpeg) A scene in a coffee shop near my home Going to the coffee shop to study isn’t something new. This popular trend started in the late 20th century. Millennials popularized this habit even more with the availability of technology like laptops and WiFi. I find this a fascinating movement. I love spending time in a coffee shop with my iPad or MacBook Air. I usually go in the afternoon, right after lunch. I’ve been doing that for decades, with varying regularity. I’m unsure when it all started; maybe around the mid-nineties. I usually spend 30 minutes to 2 hours in a coffee shop. I visit at least one coffee shop in each city I travel to abroad. Fun fact: I have always been more into coffee shops than my wife and past girlfriends. Even though men are bigger coffee drinkers than women, [this article](https://coffeebeansdelivered.com.au/blogs/news/coffee-habits-men-vs-women?ref=numericcitizen.me) suggests coffee shop moments are more popular among women. I might be wrong on that, don’t quote me. > People may prefer to work in a coffee shop because of the ambient noise, which can help them focus, and the atmosphere, which can be more stimulating than a quiet or sterile workspace. Additionally, being around other people can provide a sense of community and motivation. ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/2023/05/IMG_5246.jpeg) The entrance of a famous coffee shop in Bueno Aires, January 2023 I’m wondering why I prefer going to my coffee shop, which is close to my house, instead of staying home in a quieter place. I’m not the only one who prefers the environment of a more or less busy coffee shop. Why do people go to the coffee shop to study, work or read? I mean, coffee shops can be busy places with a lot of noise, right? Well, according to a few studies, coffee shops are the right place to find the following: - It’s a 3-minute walk from my house. - It’s a bright, spacious and well-designed place. - People of all ages visit the place: teenagers, young adults, students, workers, older adults, and older adults with kids and grandkids; it feels like a family place. - The music is good, not too loud. - Coffee and healthy food selection are great. - And for the smell of the coffee, obviously! - Because caffeine helps the brain focus better; - It’s a source of inspiration and creativity because of some unfamiliarity found in coffee shops (people, objects, noises, decor, etc.) - Being outside the house, a place so familiar and sterile for creative work, coffee shops offer variety and a sense of creative community. [Science Proves You Should Be Studying at Coffee Shops Instead of the LibraryCoffee shops have the recipe for success – warm lighting, caffeine, and ambient noise.![](https://spoonuniversity.com/images/favicon/apple-touch-icon.png)Spoon UniversityErin Thomas![](https://s3.amazonaws.com/secretsaucefiles/photos/images/000/108/923/large/DSC_00981-1024x682.jpg?1485373577)](https://spoonuniversity.com/lifestyle/coffee-shops-are-where-you-should-be-studying?ref=numericcitizen.me) ``` “Coffee shops have the recipe for success – warm lighting, caffeine, and ambient noise.” "Research shows that coffee shop ambiance increases creativity, alertness, and learning ability.” “Research shows that a semi-distracting background helps you think more broadly and outside the box. Rumor has it the selfie stick was even invented in a Starbucks.” ``` [The Strange Scientific Connection Between Coffee Shops And Creativity](https://www.fastcompany.com/3013437/the-strange-scientific-connection-between-coffee-shops-and-creativity?ref=numericcitizen.me) ``` “a study has found that individuals came up with more creative ideas when exposed to ambient sound at 70 decibels - the average volume of a bustling coffee shop.” “While extreme quiet lends focus, the kind you need to do your taxes or proofread a paper, the Times reports, it inhibits creative thinking.” “a touch of noise, a pinch of distraction, and a sprinkle of conversation can cause a helpful disfluency, which, research suggests, spurs you to think on a more abstract level.” "Enough stimulation can help you get deeper into your work–but too much can pull you out.” ``` [Why do students go to Starbucks to study instead of studying at home?Answer (1 of 55): That’s a really interesting question! XD Some students go there truly for studying. I have been studying in the boarding school for like years and pretty much I am not used to studying at home. (Yeah, pretty-low efficiency) We can easily see customers in Starbucks working on “t…![](https://qsf.cf2.quoracdn.net/-4-images.favicon-new.ico-26-07ecf7cd341b6919.ico)Quora![](https://qph.cf2.quoracdn.net/main-custom-t-1337-600x315-ieudsgjgmpdbsfaazjrwwyzcjhbhahpl.jpeg)](https://www.quora.com/Why-do-students-go-to-Starbucks-to-study-instead-of-studying-at-home?ref=numericcitizen.me) ``` “Less comfortable than home, but still optimally comfortable.” “Some students prefer cafes and public places like Starbucks — the constant movement in the background provides ample white noise instead of anxiety-inducing silence or the piped music from headphones.” ``` [Remote work - Wikipedia![](https://en.wikipedia.org/static/apple-touch/wikipedia.png)Wikimedia Foundation, Inc.Contributors to Wikimedia projects![](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/d/df/Home-based_worker_percentage_2019.svg/1200px-Home-based_worker_percentage_2019.svg.png)](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Coffeehouse%5Feffect?ref=numericcitizen.me) ``` “…it has been proven that when exposed to new stimuli, possibly including the sounds and scents in cafes,[3] the brain tends to create new mechanisms to accomplish tasks.” ``` [Coffee Shop Mondays Are For Writing - Original Mac GuyCoffee Shop Mondays are when I get my blog posts written. They combine productivity with pleasure, get me out of the house, and give me some variety.![](https://i0.wp.com/www.originalmacguy.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/01/cropped-OMGlogo.jpeg?fit=192%2C192&ssl=1)Original Mac GuyJim Eagar![](https://www.originalmacguy.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/08/IMG_0656-800.png)](https://www.originalmacguy.com/coffee-shop-mondays-are-for-writing/?ref=numericcitizen.me) ``` “Having a coffee shop day has become something my partner and I look forward to every week. We alternate the coffee shops we visit, trying a new shop every few weeks. It gets me out of the house and acts as a way for me to focus on writing a blog post. It brings some variety and pleasure into my life at the same time as accomplishing my work. If you haven’t tried a coffee shop day as a way of getting your creative work done, I’d encourage you to do so. It’s a nice way to mix productivity and pleasure.” ``` ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/2023/05/IMG_5224.jpeg) A scene from the Cafe Tortoni in Bueno Aires Each time I go to a coffee shop, I take a few notes, for fun, just like the following ones. - Most clients use a notebook, a vast portion being Apple MacBook of all models. - Some people use iPad, but a big portion uses an iPhone. - Many are using AirPods, but it is not the majority. I guess to isolate themselves. Why go to the coffee shop, then? - Many students seem to have difficulty concentrating; besides their open books, they stare at their iPhones. So why do I think they aren't productive? It looks like they're fighting against themselves. - I find it fascinating to see others use their computers, be it an iPad or a MacBook. However, observing others while not looking like I’m trying to read their screen content is hard. - After setting up my MacBook for work, I often open AirDrop in the Finder to see who’s there. Naturally, I don’t know anyone from the list of available devices. It’s just for fun. - It is sad to see people sitting at the same table, their smartphones in hand, staring at their screens for long periods without exchanging a word. - When you see someone with noise-blocking earpieces, it’s clear they come for the food or the coffee, even though they work. Otherwise, I don’t get it. According to some queries done to ChatGPT, here are three fun facts about coffee shops: 1. Birthplace of Innovation: Coffee shops have historically been associated with fostering creativity and intellectual discussion. In the 17th century, coffee houses in Europe were gathering places for philosophers, artists, and thinkers, where they exchanged ideas and engaged in lively debates. Famous figures such as Voltaire, Rousseau, and Benjamin Franklin frequented coffee houses, making them hubs of innovation and enlightenment. 2. Third Place Phenomenon: Coffee shops often serve as a "third place" in people's lives, distinct from home (first place) and work (second place). They provide a welcoming and comfortable environment for socializing, studying, working, or taking breaks. Coffee shops have become popular spaces for individuals to meet, connect, and relax outside the usual confines of home or office. 3. Latte Art: Many coffee shops have mastered the art of creating intricate designs in the foam of espresso-based drinks, known as latte art. Baristas skillfully pour steamed milk into espresso, creating patterns, shapes, or even portraits on the surface of the drink. Latte art adds an aesthetic and creative touch to the coffee experience, making each cup visually appealing and unique. ![Screen Shot 2021-10-02 at 1.48.38 PM.png](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/2023/05/Screen-Shot-2021-10-02-at-1.48.38-PM.png) An AirDrop window in Apple’s Mac Finder to see surrounding devices that can accept files over wireless. From my personal experience, I do enjoy creative work while in a coffee shop. Of course, my productivity level is highly variable, but it’s ok. Observing people around me, listening to the ambient noises, and having a great cappuccino is all it takes to be happy and enjoy a Saturday afternoon. ### For RSS Feeds Junkies Out There — Follow Me! URL: https://numericcitizen.me/for-rss-feeds-junkies-out-there-follow-me/ Last updated: 2023-05-25T11:20:30.000Z If you’re one of those RSS feed junkies, read carefully. To get a complete view of my publishing journey as it happens (`articles` | `posts` | `photos` | `videos` | `musings`| `visual stories`), consider subscribing to the following megafeed: [https://feeds.numericcitizen.me](https://feeds.numericcitizen.me/?ref=numericcitizen.me) (from there, your RSS reader should figure out the feed for yourself, but if you want a specific format: [XML](https://feedpress.me/numericcitizen-feeds.xml?ref=numericcitizen.me) | [JSON](https://feedpress.me/numericcitizen-feeds.json?ref=numericcitizen.me) | [HTML](https://feedpress.me/numericcitizen-feeds.html?ref=numericcitizen.me)). Why should you use this “megafeed,” you might ask? Well, besides getting access to all my content in one place, if I ever change one of my web hosting services or any of the domain names, you won't have to update anything on your side! I’ll make sure to update the feed configuration behind the scenes. That’s the future, now! Moreover, because I’m a nice guy and want to provide you with maximum flexibility, you can (and should) selectively subscribe to my content with the following feeds, depending on your desires. > **Space** — My main website with longer posts: [https://feedpress.me/numericcitizen-space](https://feedpress.me/numericcitizen-space?ref=numericcitizen.me) ([XML](https://feedpress.me/numericcitizen-space.xml?ref=numericcitizen.me) | [JSON](https://feedpress.me/numericcitizen-space.json?ref=numericcitizen.me) | [HTML](https://feedpress.me/numericcitizen-space.html?ref=numericcitizen.me)) > **Blog** — My blogging place with short posts: [https://feedpress.me/numericcitizen-blog](https://feedpress.me/numericcitizen-blog?ref=numericcitizen.me) ([XML](https://feedpress.me/numericcitizen-blog.xml?ref=numericcitizen.me) | [JSON](https://feedpress.me/numericcitizen-blog.json?ref=numericcitizen.me) | [HTML](https://feedpress.me/numericcitizen-blog.html?ref=numericcitizen.me)) > **Musings** — A place of thoughts about subjects outside of any of my comfort zones: [https://feedpress.me/numericcitizen-musings](https://feedpress.me/numericcitizen-musings?ref=numericcitizen.me) ([XML](https://feedpress.me/numericcitizen-musings.xml?ref=numericcitizen.me) | [JSON](https://feedpress.me/numericcitizen-musings.json?ref=numericcitizen.me) | [HTML](https://feedpress.me/numericcitizen-musings.html?ref=numericcitizen.me)) > **Photos** — My photos wall shared on Glass: [https://feedpress.me/numericcitizen-photos](https://feedpress.me/numericcitizen-photos?ref=numericcitizen.me) ([XML](https://feedpress.me/numericcitizen-photos.xml?ref=numericcitizen.me) | [JSON](https://feedpress.me/numericcitizen-photos.json?ref=numericcitizen.me) | [HTML](https://feedpress.me/numericcitizen-photos.html?ref=numericcitizen.me)) > **Videos** — Videos produced and shared on my YouTube channel: [https://feedpress.me/numericcitizen-videos](https://feedpress.me/numericcitizen-videos?ref=numericcitizen.me) ([XML](https://feedpress.me/numericcitizen-videos.xml?ref=numericcitizen.me) | [JSON](https://feedpress.me/numericcitizen-videos.json?ref=numericcitizen.me) | [HTML](https://feedpress.me/numericcitizen-videos.html?ref=numericcitizen.me)) > **Visual stories** — Visual stories composed from a selection of my best photos accompanied with little stories and shared on Exposure: [https://feedpress.me/numericcitizen-visualstories](https://feedpress.me/numericcitizen-visualstories?ref=numericcitizen.me) ([XML](https://feedpress.me/numericcitizen-visualstories.xml?ref=numericcitizen.me) | [JSON](https://feedpress.me/numericcitizen-visualstories.json?ref=numericcitizen.me) | [HTML](https://feedpress.me/numericcitizen-visualstories.html?ref=numericcitizen.me)) Again, if you are already a subscriber to one of my previous feeds, please, consider updating your subscription. Thank you. ### Empowering My Reading Workflow With Inoreader URL: https://numericcitizen.me/empowering-my-reading-workflow-with-inoreader/ Last updated: 2025-02-11T12:04:33.000Z ## Summary Here’s a quick overview of Inoreader’s features. > Inoreader is a web-based RSS reader and news aggregator that allows users to subscribe to and organize news feeds and content from various sources such as websites, blogs, and social media. Inoreader provides a customizable user interface that enables users to filter, categorize, and tag content according to their preferences, and it offers features such as keyword alerts, article translation, and social media sharing. > Inoreader offers both free and paid versions of its service. The free version includes basic features such as feed subscriptions and limited filtering options, while the paid version offers more advanced features such as unlimited subscriptions, advanced filtering and search options, and integration with third-party services such as Evernote and Pocket. > In addition to its web-based interface, Inoreader also offers mobile apps for iOS and Android devices, which allow users to access their feeds and read articles on the go. Inoreader also provides a browser extension for Google Chrome that enables users to save articles to read later and receive notifications for new content. > Inoreader is a powerful tool for managing and staying up-to-date with news and information from multiple sources, and it offers a range of features to help users customize their reading experience. There are a few unique features that set Inoreader apart from other RSS readers and news aggregators: 1. **Rules** \- Inoreader allows users to create rules that automatically filter, tag, or categorize content based on keywords, author, and other criteria. This can be a powerful tool for managing large numbers of feeds and ensuring that users only see the content they are interested in. 2. **Active search** \- Inoreader offers an "active search" feature that allows users to set up keyword alerts and receive notifications when new content matching their search criteria is published. This can be a great way to stay on top of breaking news and other topics of interest. 3. **Article translation** \- Inoreader has a built-in translation feature that can automatically translate articles in a user's feed into their preferred language. This can be especially useful for reading content from sources unavailable in a user's native language. 4. **Integration with third-party services** \- Inoreader integrates with various third-party services, such as Evernote and Pocket, allowing users to easily save and share articles across platforms. Overall, Inoreader's advanced filtering and search options, built-in translation, and integration with other services make it a powerful tool for managing and staying up-to-date with news and information. At the time of publishing this article, Inoreader was at version 13.4.3. --- You are reading a special report that required many long hours to put together. It’s more than 7000 words that explain what Inoreader is and how it is helping me be more productive at consuming valuable content. The last three sections of this report are exclusively available if you are a subscriber to this website. Finally, an exclusive 60-minute feature video is available. You’ll see me exploring Inoreader features so that you can judge for yourself. Without further due, let’s dive in! ## Introduction News Explorer has been my go-to solution for reading RSS feeds for many years ([I switched from Reeder a few years ago](https://numericcitizen.me/rss-readers-war-from-reeder-to-news-explorer/)). It runs on all Apple devices natively. It’s not the most talked-about RSS reader. The problem: the more I subscribed to RSS feeds, the more content I was exposed to, and the more I needed a way to filter out the noise. The lack of powerful content filtering features in News Explorer has triggered my search for alternatives. ## What’s missing from News Explorer Let’s recap the missing features of News Explorer that, over time, made me look elsewhere. - Advanced feed filtering features; - Text highlighting and annotation; - Integration with Readwise for saving content; - A web version, just like Google’s old RSS reader back in the old days; - Mastodon native source integration; - A more up-to-date visual design. ## Why Inoreader? I discovered Inoreader while reading “[The Best RSS Feed Readers (Because the Internet Is a Mess)](https://www.wired.com/story/best-rss-feed-readers/?ref=numericcitizen.me)”. When I seriously started looking at Inoreader, I discovered a powerful RSS reader and a powerful content-reading service with features that I was looking for in News Explorer: content highlight, tags and non-RSS content ingestion capabilities. Inoreader seemed so powerful and features-rich that it could even make me forget about Readwise’s Reader or Matter. In fact, it did! I’m really looking into augmenting my reading workflow in the following ways: - Acting as a reading hub with support for sources that I depend on (RSS, Reddit, Telegram, and YouTube as a bonus); - Having text annotation features like annotation, highlighting; - Helping me with some form of automation; - Support for some form of integration with other apps or services (Safari extension); - Support for third-party clients; - Having a read-later capability. Inoreader replaced News Explorer, the closest competitor in the field of RSS feed consumption. But Inoreader achieved much more than that; it prevented me from going further on the road of new players like Matter (which I liked a lot until they removed some important features) and Readwise Reader as someone who consumes most of its content online through RSS feeds, Inoreader kind of became the best choice for me, thanks to its processing and automation power. > Inoreader has become my RSS reader of choice, my newsletters consumption app, my YouTube subscription browser, and my read later service. I wasn’t looking for a native app for my devices but a service that I could use comfortably on all my devices; this is quite different. This article is not a review of the Inoreader.app. 0:00 / 1× Scrolling down to load a more complete version of the article ## Understanding Inoreader Information Processing Flow Most sophisticated services or apps are built on an internal process that dictates most service abilities and behaviours. This is why it is essential to pay attention to understand and be able to describe visually what is happening behind a service like Inoreader. This is the goal of the following diagram. ![Inoreader general overview.png](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/2023/05/Inoreader-general-overview.png) Inoreader general overview.png When consuming content on the web, the time spent in the past year tells me that I’m an RSS-type-of-guy rather than anything else. In other words, I usually consume small pieces of information, not long articles. Matter is an excellent service for the latter, but I’m not subscribing for now. My reading habits don’t justify it. So, this is where Inoreader comes into play: it is fundamentally a powerful RSS reader which can also import long articles and act as a read-later service. It is pretty powerful, but it comes with goodies like the possibility to read newsletters, Reddit, and YouTube, which are not consumed through RSS feeds per se. I started testing Inoreader by exporting my subscriptions from News Explorer in an OPML file which was then imported flawlessly into Inoreader. By default, Inoreader brought articles dating back 30 days in less than a few minutes. Using the feeds management feature, I quickly made some cleanups of feeds that were no longer valid or didn’t publish in a while. ![Inoreader supported feeds](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/2023/05/Image-9.png) Inoreader supported feeds and sources ## The Many Faces of Inoreader Both Inoreader and News Explorer support similar sources, but the former adds Telegram and Google News. Independently of the source, they are all treated the same in Inoreader: sources generate articles. When a website adds new content, it becomes an article in its RSS feed for Inoreader to ingest. An article is the basic information element of Inoreader. Not only can you tag, annotate or create highlights, but you can also search across articles within all your RSS feed subscriptions or extend your search within all publicly available articles that Inoreader is aware of, thanks to its community of users. That’s pretty powerful for information junkies like me. Let's see each supported content source. ### RSS feeds As expected, adding RSS feeds is easy using the “+Add new” button on the sidebar (on the web version). The add feeds screen allows you to search for feeds using either URL or by browsing their discovery feature. ![Adding a new RSS feed screen](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/2023/05/Image-1-1.png) Adding a new RSS feed screen When using a website URL, Inoreader will do some magic to find the RSS feed. But not all websites support RSS. For those who don’t, Inoreader can help here. Take, for example, a website built using Craft. ![When a website doesn’t have an RSS feed](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/2023/05/Image-2-1.png) When a website doesn’t have an RSS feed Selecting the Create RSS feed, Inoreader will crawl the website and try to find patterns in the site’s structure that can lead to individual articles. The Craft-based website found candidates possibly containing more than 20 articles. Inoreader was good at guessing this one out; I clicked the Follow button. When Inoreader can’t guess, a manual process can be used, but I didn’t test it. ![Inoreader AI results at guessing a website structure and content](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/2023/05/Image-3.png) Inoreader AI results in guessing a website structure and content ### Google News That is something that I didn’t have access to within News Explorer. In Inoreader, you can enter queries for Google News and get a list of results updated continuously. I'm using it for things like searching Google News with the keyword “Apple”. ![Examples of Google News queries](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/2023/05/Image-4.png) Examples of Google News queries ### Facebook Pages For those who want to monitor Facebook page content, there you have it. I couldn’t care less because I’m not on Facebook. I thought it was important to mention it, though. ### Reddit Posts from Reddit are presented like normal articles. Moreover, each subreddit is available as an RSS feed which is consumable by Inoreader. I use this to get content from many different subreddits of interest to me (like /r/Craftdocs). ### YouTube You can link your YouTube subscriptions to Inoreader too. YouTube videos are treated like articles, so you get the video at the top and the description underneath. Somehow, I find this to be more useful than what YouTube offers in the Subscriptions section on the left sidebar on YouTube. ![A sample of my YouTube subscriptions as seen through Inoreader](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/2023/05/Image-5.png) A sample of my YouTube subscriptions as seen through Inoreader ### Telegram Channels Telegram is something that News Explorer didn’t support. Since the beginning of the war in Ukraine, I re-enabled my Telegram account to follow news sources related to the conflict. I’m glad to get this content within Inoreader. After quitting Twitter, being able to consume content from Telegram into Inoreader is certainly a nice addition. ![Displaying available Telegram sources with the keyword “Ukraine”](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/2023/05/Image-6.png) Displaying available Telegram sources with the keyword “Ukraine” ![Telegram content looks like a plain RSS feed](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/2023/05/Image-7.png) Telegram content looks like a plain RSS feed ### Twitter Twitter is no longer supported following Twitter API rules changes, and I’m no longer on Twitter either. ### Bookmarklet You can save a bookmarklet in Safari’s Favourites bar to easily access saved articles in Inoreader. The Safari extension works fine but feels uninspired with minimal functionalities. You cannot add a tag or annotate the article when using the bookmarklet. The browser extension is way better on Firefox. I couldn’t find the same bookmarklet for Firefox. ![The Inoreader bookmarklet as shown in Safari](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/2023/05/Image-8.png) The Inoreader bookmarklet, as shown in Safari ### Newsletters You can use the Inoreader built-in inbox feature to send all your newsletters to Inoreader instead of your personal inbox. It works great in general, but I found out that Mailbrew-generated newsletters are not well rendered. ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/2023/05/Firefox--13892--Inoreader---Newsletters.png) ## Content Display Formatting These are a few formatting options for displaying content while viewing a list of articles. ![Articles list formatting options](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/2023/05/Image-9-1.png) Articles list formatting options Depending on the article's nature, it may be more appropriate to show articles as cards, like in the following example. It's great for consuming high-velocity feeds and photography-oriented sources like the following one. For text-oriented content, a simple list view might be more appropriate. ![Feeds with visual content can be displayed as cards](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/2023/05/Image-10.png) Feeds with visual content can be displayed as cards ### Article content layout options Formatting articles within the article viewer allows for a more personalized reading experience, as shown here. Options are a tad limited. The following settings are the ones that I’m using. ![Content layout options](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/2023/05/Image-11.png) Content layout options ### Inoreader layout The sidebar on the left can be hidden to maximize the content area. Folders in the sidebar can be rearranged manually. Four color themes are offered. I’m using the Sepia version. ![Image.png](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/2023/05/Image-12.png) Image.png Inoreader allows you to set the start page when you log in. It can be a folder or a feed. There is a dashboard feature that allows for content areas to be configured in many different layouts. It’s useful to have a single pane of glass of your content going through Inoreader. ## Consuming & Processing Content ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/2023/05/Firefox--14311--Inoreader---Raycast.png) Consuming content in Inoreader is the most important part of using the service. In a feed content list, if you rarely visit the feed, you may end up with a long list of unread articles. Don’t worry, you’ll be able to mark unread articles as read using a dropdown menu like the one below. It’s easy to clean up the list and start reading only recent content if you wish. You can control how long articles are kept within a feed by entering the enclosing folder properties. ![Marking articles as read](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/2023/05/Image-13.png) Marking articles as read While reading an article, you can do things like tagging the article, writing notes and highlighting text sections. Notes can be tied to a specific text highlight too. It’s handy when analyzing an article for a research project. ### Tagging Tagging content wasn’t part of my initial search for News Explorer alternatives, but I take it as a bonus. I use tags when I read an article that I find interesting enough to keep it for further processing. For example, one of the tags I use is “LinkPost”, which is assigned to an article to which I will write a link post in the near future. Another set of tags that I’m using is for tagging articles that may end up in my Numeric Citizen monthly newsletter. These tags start with the “NCI” letters followed by the target section name, like “NCIClimate”. Inoreader maintains a smart folder for each tag, so it’s super easy to track articles with a specific tag. ### Highlighting Text highlighting is the most sought feature for me to consider leaving News Explorer behind. Inroad, in that respect, doesn’t disappoint. However, certainly missing is a Safari extension with support for text highlighting what saving an article in Inoreader. ![Annotation and note examples](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/2023/05/Image-14.png) Annotation and note examples ### Notes ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/2023/05/Firefox--14309--Inoreader---Facebook.png) Notes are available at the article level or the annotation level. Once the text is highlighted, a note can be added at the top of the article, where all the highlights and notes are gathered. Notes are always private. Comments at the end of an article are public and can be “broadcasted”. More on that later. Notes are great, but they are not exportable or shareable. Text highlights in an article can have notes attached to them. However, when Inoreader sends highlights to Readwise, associated notes don’t come with them. I visited the export data option and see these notes cannot be part of the export file. ![Beware of the limited data export in Inoreader](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/2023/05/Firefox--14133--Inoreader---My-Channel@2023.png) Beware of the limited data export in Inoreader This lack of data portability is a major concern to me. ### Annotating ![Adding a private note to an article ](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/2023/05/Image-15.png) Adding a private note to an article Annotating articles is one of the reasons for switching from News Explorer to Inoreader, which offers a simple and effective annotation tool. You can write annotations in two places: at the article level or at the text highlighting level. Inoreader offers a smart folder (oops, a system folder in Inoreader terms) with a list of all the annotated articles. It’s very handy as more and more content is processed. All annotations are private and can’t be shared, something that could become handy, like in Readwise or Matter, but I’m not in Inoreader for the social side of it. Also important to note: Inoreader can sync text highlights to Readwise but not the attached notes. It’s kind of a bummer. These annotations aren’t exposed to IFTTT either, which is another bummer. ![A small yellow pen icon denotes where there is annotations](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/2023/05/Image-16.png) A small yellow pen icon denotes where there is annotations ![Writing annotation with a text highlight](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/2023/05/Image-17.png) Writing annotation with a text highlight ![Writing annotation at the article level](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/2023/05/Image-18.png) Writing annotation at the article level ### Commenting Commenting on an article with Inoreader is like commenting on a blog post or a YouTube video. Inoreader offers a social side, but it doesn’t seem to get a lot of traction. I’m not using this feature. ![Comments are different than notes and are public ](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/2023/05/Image-19.png) Comments are different than notes and are public ### Searching Inoreader offers a powerful search engine. All incoming articles into your account are fully indexed. Searching is done via the search bar. From the search results, you can filter out content based on tags, sources, feeds, folders, content from subscribed feeds, or all known feeds to Inoreader. If you don’t find what you are looking for, you can extend the search scope to all public articles that Inoreader is aware of (this is my understanding). If too much content is returned with a specific search, you can set a narrower scope by focusing on a specific folder or feed. You can decide to use the search keywords to become monitored keywords from the search results. Inoreader will then constantly do its magic in the background. Searching is fast. It’s flexible and powerful. ![The search bar](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/2023/05/Image-20.png) The search bar Inoreader also supports complex searches created using an advanced query builder that is very simple to use. The query builder received a major rework during my service’s initial trial period ([Making complex searches easy with our new query builder](https://www.inoreader.com/blog/2023/04/making-complex-searches-easy-with-our-new-query-builder.html?ref=numericcitizen.me)). ![The search feature of Inoreader is really powerful and fast](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/2023/05/Image-21.png) The search feature of Inoreader is really powerful and fast ![You can create complex search requests](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/2023/05/Image-22.png) You can create complex search requests ![The build search query window](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/2023/05/Firefox--14457--Inoreader---Monitored.png) The build search query window As seen below, the query itself can be converted to a feed. This means that filtering content of the feed can be applied, like removing duplicate articles based on the title, for example. Coupled with colourful text highlighters, the end results are useful for tracking certain subjects. The next step could be to create a rule for triggering a notification when the query returns a matching article. ![Search results which can become a feed](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/2023/05/Firefox--14457--Inoreader---Monitored-1.png) Search results which can become a feed ![Text highlights in search results](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/2023/05/Firefox--14460--Inoreader---iPhone-16.png) Text highlights in search results ### Content management Once you get to the point of subscribing to dozens or hundreds of sources, Inoreader really shines in helping you take control of your feeds. In the following screenshot, you can see how granular source updates can be, your engagement level, and the recent health status of any feeds. For low-engagement feeds, it might be the right place to consider removing the feed altogether using this list with a trashcan at the right. ![The feeds management panel (located in Inoreader’s preferences)](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/2023/05/Image-23.png) The feeds management panel (located in Inoreader’s preferences) ![Details of a broken feed](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/2023/05/Image-24.png) Details of a broken feed ## What Goes in Must Go Out Besides RSS feeds, Inoreader supports many third-party services like Blogger, Telegram, Buffer, Evernote, LinkedIn, Hootsuite (yep, really), Pocket, Google Drive, Instapaper, OneNote, Hatena Bookmarks and Dropbox. It’s 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. I wish Raindrop.io or Notion would be supported; after all, both services offer APIs. Too bad because, in general, with integration often come more efficient workflows. Let’s see each of these in more detail. ### Folders As your number of feeds grows, you’ll need a way to put some order into this potential mess. Folders are an important building block for organizing your feeds. A feed can be in multiple folders. You might group feeds within a folder representing a subject and another folder for regrouping feeds from a specific source. For example, you can have a Reddit feed stored in a “News” folder and a “Reddit Sources” folder. It’s very flexible. This is something that I couldn’t do in News Explorer. Possibilities are limitless. When browsing content within the Inoreader web interface, focusing on a folder will display a list of articles from all sources contained within that folder, interleaved by the publication date. Folders are nodes containing feeds that can serve as an RSS source to RSS clients. It can replace services like the defunct [rssmix](http://rssmix.com/?ref=numericcitizen.me) and [rss.app](https://rss.app/?ref=numericcitizen.me). Let me explain. The popular Reeder client doesn’t support Telegram channels as a source. By subscribing to the folder in Inoreader, they can now access new source types. As you can see, folders are a group of feeds that, in turn, can be used as an RSS source. People can subscribe to a folder once the RSS feed link is enabled, provided that you share the RSS feed link. In that case, users will get content from the folder sources merged into a single source. I’m using it to bundle all my content publishing sources to allow people to subscribe and everything I do in a single source. Pretty clever. Folder properties are where you can set the number of days to keep articles. By default, it is set to 30 days. It’s more than enough for me. Note that tags can be a source of a user-defined RSS feed that can be shared too. HTML clips for content embedding into a web page is interesting. I could embed a clip of my recent publications into a Ghost newsletter edition by adding an HTML block. ![Attributes for creating an HTML embed of a feed](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/2023/05/Image-25.png) Attributes for creating an HTML embed of a feed You can manage feeds and Folders, Tags and System folders deep within the Preferences section. For example, for a Tag, you can enable Feed output, which will tag all the articles with a specific tag in the output RSS feed. The same goes for Folders. ![Tags can be an RSS feed if you enable it](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/2023/05/Image-26.png) Tags can be an RSS feed if you enable it Note that folders and tags cannot be of the same name. Weird. ### Bundles Bundles are fascinating as they allow the aggregation of different sources into one bundle that becomes an object from which you can share the link. People can then subscribe to this bundle from within their Inoreader subscription. ![A bundle for all my publications](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/2023/05/Image-27.png) A bundle for all my publications The Channel / Broadcast feature was initially available on Matter but was later removed. I like this. They allow OPML file distribution for others to import into their favourite RSS feeds reader. Inoreader can get a great reader view of your bundle with a header image, description, etc. Getting the link to the bundle file is super easy. You can test it with this link: [Numeric Citizen Publications bundle on Inoreader](https://www.inoreader.com/bundle/0014cd641dc1?ref=numericcitizen.me), available on my [ Numeric Citizen Inoreader Profile Page ](https://www.inoreader.com/u/NumericCitizen?ref=numericcitizen.me). ![Seeing the bundle’s list of published articles](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/2023/05/Image-28.png) Seeing the bundle’s list of published articles ### Broadcast The last thing I want to share details about is the broadcast feature. When I read an article, I can “broadcast” it, and it will be shared on my Inoreader user profile page. You can access this page [here](https://www.inoreader.com/u/NumericCitizen?ref=numericcitizen.me) (you must be registered to Inoreader to visit this page). It’s a social side of Inoreader. I got one follower. I don’t intend to maintain this per se, but I find the feature interesting. I guess those working on a team can use this to “share” what they find interesting enough to put on their profile page. ![My profile page on Inoreader where articles can be broadcasted](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/2023/05/Firefox--14145--Inoreader---My-Channel@2023.png) My profile page on Inoreader where articles can be broadcasted Other things that can be seen on the profile page are recent activities, bundles, followers and connections (provided some are configured). ### Email Digests Email digests can be created on many different objects: a Tag, a Folder, a Monitored Keyword, the Read Later folder, Liked Articles, and Saved pages. Sadly, this feature is only for Enterprise subscribers. Meanwhile, I couldn’t test email digests which is too bad. In the next section, you’ll see that upgrading your subscription will gain the Enterprise tier, which comes with email digests. ![Too bad](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/2023/05/Firefox--14460--Inoreader---iPhone-16-1.png) Too bad ## Automation Automation is one of my most significant interests in switching to Inoreader. In the following section, I’ll explore each Inoreader’s unique feature in the automation space. Besides IFTTT, a service outside of Inoreader, Filters, Rules, Highlighters, and monitored keywords are different content-processing tools that come with an Inoreader subscription. In addition, a certain amount of filters or rules can be defined for the active subscription tier. The following screenshot is my current consumption of these features. ![Inoreader subscription allotment of content processing. They can be individually upgraded. ](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/2023/05/Firefox--14469--Inoreader---iPhone-15-in-my.png) Inoreader subscription allotment of content processing. They can be individually upgraded. These limits can be upgraded individually, which is flexible but can become quite expensive. In the following example, my Pro subscription would be upgraded to Enterprise tier with the addition of two adding (20 more duplicate filters and 20 more rules would bring the monthly cost to 22.99$ a month). ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/2023/05/CleanShot-CleanShot@2023-05-15@07.14.06@2x.png) ### Filters One of the reasons to switch away from News Explorer is to be able to filter out some content coming from my RSS feeds. Inoreader is pretty powerful in that respect. Here are some of the possibilities. ![Inoreader filter types](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/2023/05/Image-29.png) Inoreader filter types ![Inoreader filter to keep articles in a feed](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/2023/05/Image-30.png) Inoreader filter to keep articles in a feed Filters act on incoming feed articles by keeping or dropping articles. You can also apply a filter to remove potential article duplicates on a feed or in a folder. In any case, filter goals are available to remove the noise. For example, the first filter I created was to remove articles acting as advertisements. Some websites are notorious for generating articles that are, in fact, ads. AppleInsider is one example of such a website. ![Complex filter to exclude articles from a feed](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/2023/05/Image-31.png) Complex filter to exclude articles from a feed Another use case for filters is to keep only articles containing images from a photo-related RSS feed. ![Filter to only display articles with an image](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/2023/05/Image-32.png) Filter to only display articles with an image Filters for keeping or removing articles are mutually exclusive. You either create a filter to remove or save articles, leaving the rest out. Deciding which type of filter to create depends highly on the feed’s content and consumption goals. ### Rules Rules are another layer of content processing automation. In a rule, you set a condition similar to the one you can put in filters, then an action if the condition is met. For example, you can create a rule to star an article and add a tag if the title contains a specific keyword. Rules can have many actions, like sending a notification to the mobile application or saving in Pocket. ![Building a rule which is based on If This then That](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/2023/05/Image-33.png) Building a rule which is based on If This then That I set a few rules for particular use cases, like when a new article contains rumours about the 2024 iPad Pro or when an article from a specific author appears in the feed. ![Generated notifications from a defined rule](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/2023/05/Thursday--11-May-2023-06-17-25.png) Rich notifications generated from a rule ### Highlighters When reading articles, it can be helpful to have a word or set of words to be automatically highlighted in the text. That is the purpose of highlighters in Inoreader. I currently use one to have the “iPhone 15” text highlighted in the feed articles list. ![Example of automatic text highlighting in Inoreader](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/2023/05/Image-34.png) Example of automatic text highlighting in Inoreader ![Text highlight options](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/2023/05/Image-35.png) Text highlight options ### Monitored keywords Finally, monitored keywords, when used with highlighters, provide a great way to bring more focus to particular articles. Monitored keywords are created from the search bar. The search scope behind monitored keywords can be my subscriptions or all sites known to Inoreader and restricted to a specific feed or a group of feeds within a particular folder. It’s utterly flexible. Using the Advanced syntax, a complex query can be built for monitoring a set of keywords. It’s important to note that the monitored keywords can become RSS feeds, just like folders or tags. It’s really powerful. ![Building a query for monitored keywords](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/2023/05/Image-36.png) Building a query for monitored keywords ![List of articles meeting a monitoring keywords query with automatic text highlighting applied](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/2023/05/Image-37.png) List of articles meeting a monitoring keywords query with automatic text highlighting applied ### IFTTT ![IFTTT applets available for automation with Inoreader](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/2023/05/Image-38.png) IFTTT applets available for automation with Inoreader Inoreader and IFTTT integration offers interesting potential. I can see at least two opportunities. One involves Raindrop.io, and the other is Google Sheets. Using Raindrop.io for saving links for future linkposts, IFTTT can take articles with specific tags. I created an applet that creates a new bookmark in a Raindrop collection called “Possible Link Post” for each recent article tagged with “LinkPost” on Inoreader. It works. But then, I dropped Raindrop.io (pun intended) in favour of Anybox, which doesn’t support API and automation. Oh well. The question now becomes: is this automation really useful? Is it overkill? The only problem is that Raindrop.io is not fully integrated into my workflow. Annotations and notes are not available via IFTTT (and in Raindrop.io). I need to refer back to Inoreader to find the notes. ![Inoreader data available to an IFTTT applet](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/2023/05/Image-39.png) Inoreader data available to an IFTTT applet I use Google Sheets to save links for future link posts, which I do to keep my Micro.blog posts. If Craft support for Apple Shortcuts was more extensive, it would offer exciting possibilities, as explained [in this article](https://crafted.numericcitizen.me/IJfCzMvJGcKisF?ref=numericcitizen.me). But, sadly, it’s not the case. For now, my Inoreader automation with IFTTT is more theoretical than practical. ## Using a Third-Party RSS Reader Client Inoreader doesn’t make a native macOS client. Using the Inoreader iPad app on macOS is not exactly the best experience. The app hasn’t been tested for the Mac, and it shows. Scrolling down to load the full article content is hard to trigger, if not impossible. For this reason, I usually use the web version on the Mac. When I’m using a third-party client for a faster reading experience, compensating for the Inoreader less than an optimal client, I tested two applications: Reeder and ReadKit. Both offer support for all of Apple’s platforms. They all feel and act as native applications on their respective platforms. Both support subscribing to RSS feeds from within Safari. Comparing the two applications in the following screenshots show how similar they look and present content. ![Reeder at the top, Readkit at the bottom](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/2023/05/Image-40.png) Reeder at the top, Readkit at the bottom ![Reeder at the top, Readkit at the bottom](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/2023/05/Image-41.png) Reeder at the top, Readkit at the bottom ![Reeder at the top, Readkit at the bottom](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/2023/05/Image-42.png) Reeder at the top, Readkit at the bottom ![Reeder at the top, Readkit at the bottom](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/2023/05/Image-43.png) Reeder at the top, Readkit at the bottom This article is not about reviewing RSS clients per se, but I wanted to share a few important details about those two apps. ### Reeder Here’s the funning thing: I was a big fan of Reeder before using News Explorer. I switched to News Explorer, as explained in [this article](https://numericcitizen.me/rss-readers-war-from-reeder-to-news-explorer/) because of its more extensive support for sources other than RSS. Reeder can connect to Inoreader, which is nice because Reeder is a great RSS reader that offers a better reading experience than Inoreader’s app. Unfortunately, many Inoreader extras aren’t available, like tagging, highlighting, etc. This RSS reader is renowned for its outstanding design, yet it does not offer filtering rules. Additionally, it does not provide per-feed viewing options, which would benefit reading photo-related feeds with a more visual approach than text-oriented feeds with a denser view. Unfortunately, this is not a deal-breaker, but it is a shame. ### ReadKit ReadKit is an excellent multi-platform (in the Apple ecosystem) RSS reader. Still, a few issues that aren’t deal-breakers must be considered: user-defined filtering rules don’t sync across devices. In addition, the same limitation regarding per-feed view formatting options applies here, like for Reeder. Overall, ReadKit presents content with more visual density. ![Editing a Smart Folder in ReadKit](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/2023/05/Image-44.png) Editing a Smart Folder in ReadKit ### Is it a tie? From a design perspective, Reeder wins by a small margin (very subjective); it feels more organic to me, which I like. ReadKit’s smart folder capabilities are nice but could be redundant to Inoreader’s rules. Unfortunately, none of these clients can access Inoreader system folders; it’s probably a limitation of Inoreader’s APIs. Lastly, one thing we rarely mention these days is memory consumption. In my experience, Reeder consumes 30% less memory than ReadKit. This is something to consider on a MacBook Air with only 8GB of memory, even if the M1 system-on-a-chip is efficient at moving things around internally. ### A free and open source alternative: NetNewsWire I use NetNewsWire for a specific use case with Inoreader (more on that in the workflow improvements section). It’s a lightweight, no-fuss-free RSS reader available on all Apple platforms. Articles content rendering is not as good as with Reeder, though. ![NetNewsWire main window](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/2023/05/Image-45.png) NetNewsWire main window The last thing to know about using a third-party RSS reader with Inoreader is that articles consumed through them aren’t considered as interaction with Inoreader. I wouldn’t bet on this affirmation, but this is an educated guess. Engagement is available through the web version of Inoreader. ## Observations After Three Months of Use *The last three sections of this article contain a personal take based on my experience with Inoreader throughout three-month. Moreover, I expose a list of things I like to see added or tweaked in Inoreader, again based on my experience and use cases. Finally, I share how Inoreader influences my workflow as an information consumer and a content creator.* *These sections are available to subscribers only. Don’t worry; subscribing to this website is free, but if you feel my shared experience is valuable, you can decide to subscribe with a paid tier.* _This post is for subscribers only._ ### Friday Notes #104 — The Price of Experience & Being Relevant URL: https://numericcitizen.me/friday-notes-104-the-price-of-experience-being-relevant/ Last updated: 2023-05-12T21:35:33.000Z Here’s a short story. *A giant ship's engine broke down, and no one could repair it, so they hired a Mechanical Engineer with over 30 years of experience.* *He inspected the engine very carefully, from top to bottom.* *After seeing everything, the engineer unloaded his bag and pulled out a small hammer.* *He knocked something gently. Soon, the engine came to life again. The engine has been fixed!* *A week later, the engineer mentioned to the ship owner that the total cost of repairing the giant ship was $20,000.* *"What?!" said the owner.* *"You did almost nothing. Give us a detailed bill."* *The answer is simple:* *Tap with a hammer: $2* *Know where to knock and how much to knock: $19,998* *The importance of appreciating one's expertise and experience… because those are the results of struggles, experiments and even tears.* *If I do a job in 30 minutes, it's because I spent 20 years learning how to do that in 30 minutes. You owe me for the years, not the minutes.* — Author Unknown --- I relate a lot to this story because of my late father and my late mother and the professional life they had (and endured). I heard so many stories when they were discussing (or arguing) about client prospection or when they had to justify the charges they were asking for their work. I always felt sorry for them about that. At the beginning of my father’s career, I could understand the lack of experience as being a solid argument to challenge pricing on a project but after thirty or forty years? No way. Thankfully, I’m not subject to these challenges for many reasons. One of them is that my job is in a high-demand field and is highly respected and valued by the population in general. The information technology field looks arcane and even mysterious to the vast majority of people and business owners. They are willing to pay the bills when we fix their business problems. But now the question is: with AI being all over the place (it’s coming near you, if not already there, pay attention), how long before I’m being challenged myself? I recently had a conversation with a few people (using [Wavelength](https://www.wavelength.app/?ref=numericcitizen.me)) who are anxious about the increasing place of AI in our society. I’m not anxious yet, but I can understand their point. 👉🏻 **Disclaimer**: This blog post was entirely created by the author and is free of any AI-generated content. 🙂 That’s it for this week. Thanks for reading me. 🙏🏻 Did you know that you can subscribe to all my publications using [this consolidated RSS feed](https://www.inoreader.com/stream/user/1005513934/tag/Numeric%20Citizen?ref=numericcitizen.me)? Recently shared articles and blog posts (open in a browser for a better viewing experience) ### Why It’s So Hard to Make Up My Mind About Digital Tools? URL: https://numericcitizen.me/why-its-so-hard-to-make-up-my-mind-about-digital-tools/ Last updated: 2023-05-07T12:00:10.000Z This [article,](https://blog.numericcitizen.me/2022/05/07/my-reading-workflow.html?ref=numericcitizen.me) posted back in 2022, was a glimpse at a great moment of confusion. Following the publication of “[Things That Don’t Stick With Me](https://numericcitizen.me/2022/07/03/things-that-dont-stick-with-me/)”, the next logical thing to do now is to talk about my seemingly permanent state of confusion with my choices of many digital tools. In short, the problem is that, in many cases, I use different apps to do the same thing. The worst case to come to my mind is RSS feeds readers. After many years with **News Explorer**, I tried **NetNewsWire**, **Reeder** and **Inoreader**. Oh, I forgot about **ReadKit** too. The light at the end of the tunnel is in sight because News Explorer is now out. After discovering and experimenting with Inoreader, I concluded that News Explorer no longer fit my needs. One of them being the text-highlighting capability. That is one less app to use or consider. NetNewsWire simplicity makes the app attractive. Reeder’s design is also beautiful. I do use Inoreader with Inoreader web service. I’m not decided yet on the following steps: which one should I keep? **Twitter** vs **Tweetbot** was another example. When I was on Twitter, I constantly switched between those two. The funny thing is that for those still on Twitter, third-party apps for Twitter are all dead. This would have fixed my issue! Now, with **Mastodon**, it’s worst because of the plethora of available apps. There are too many to list here, and the list keeps expanding. Thankfully, I don’t use Mastodon much, but if I did, you know the drill by now, right? On Micro.blog, same issue. I’m constantly moving between the original **Micro.blog** app and **Gluon**. Both are great, but the latter is a bit more complete. **Box** and **Dropbox** used to be examples of my indecision before I went all in with **iCloud Drive** a few years ago. I still use **Google’s Drive** for storing Google’s Sheets updated via an IFTTT automation. But, that, I’m no longer sure about its usefulness. Clipboard managers were another source of conflicting views. There were three apps in that space: **Copied**, **Pastebot** and **Unclutter**. I’ve settled on the latter because it is so much more than a clipboard manager. Yet, it took me too long to decide which one to keep. As a result, I don't use a clipboard manager on the iPhone anymore. ![Unclutter window on my Mac — Three Areas: the clipboard history, content of a folder and content of a specific text file](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/2023/05/Image.png) Unclutter window on my Mac — Three Areas: the clipboard history, content of a folder and content of a specific text file - Here's another one: Apple’s **Notes**, **Notion** or **Craft**. I use Craft 95% of the time, Notes 4%, and Notion 1% for the rest. Oh, I forgot to mention **Tot**, a nifty tech editor! So what is preventing me from settling on Craft for everything? I use Notion for storing information about a sideline project because Craft is not as good for that type of information. - For my photo processing and retouching needs: **Acorn 7**, **Pixelmator Pro**, **Photomator**, **Adobe Lightroom CC** and **Lightroom Classic** are installed somewhere on my devices. I should probably drop Adobe Suite, but It would be a mess to retrieve all my photos backed up to the Adobe Cloud. I’m being lazy here. I’m really enjoying Photomator on my iPad and iPhone. This application is better designed than Apple's Photos for photo editing. Photomator is coming soon to the Mac, too, apparently, to make matters worst, I guess. I'm on the waiting list for a TestFlight invite. - As a computer performance enthusiast, I use utilities like **Sensei**, **iStats Menu**, **iStatistica Pro**, and the open-source project “**Stats**” available on GitHub. I use iStats Menu on my Mac mini, Stats on my Mac Pro (used for [my SDDCbox project](https://world.numericcitizen.io/sddcbox-project-reboot?ref=numericcitizen.me)) and iStatistica Pro on my MacBook Air. Sensei should probably be dropped. ![iStatistica Pro — view of memory consumed by applications](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/2023/05/Image-1.png) iStatistica Pro — view of memory consumed by applications - **Reddit,** **Apollo**, **Slide** and **Comet**. There are all Reddit clients. They all offer nice and different things when consuming or interacting with Reddit content. For example, Slide comes with the best widgets but lacks active development and isn't the best at browsing content. Comet hasn't been updated in two years. Apollo runs on Apple Silicon Macs but suffers from some display bugs. - Password Managers, another story of indecision and laziness: **1Password** and Apple’s **Password Keychain**. I should move from 1Password to Apple’s solution once and for all. Maybe if Apple had a discreet password manager? I’m undecided. - Tasks managers represent another case of spreading myself all over the place. For personal to-dos, I depend on **Apple’s Reminders**. For my creative workflow, I depend on **Things 3**, but there was a time last year when I tried using Craft as a to-do manager. It didn’t go well, and I decided to bring back Things 3 in my workflow. I documented my change of heart in [this video](https://youtu.be/GnKA9XyMaZg?ref=numericcitizen.me). One comforting thought, I know that I'm not alone in my quest for the best tools. This [documented case](https://www.curtisfamily.org.uk/technology/things-omnifocus-a-personal-story/?ref=numericcitizen.me) with Things 3 and OmniFocus is a good example. ## There is hope I might sound like a tormented person, but I’m not. I would say that I’m not as focused as I should be. But there is hope because I do make decisions from time to time when things become clear. Let’s see a few examples. - On the publishing platforms front, things are improving. Thankfully, this year, I’m focusing. There used to be **WordPress**, **Micro.blog**, **Substack**, **Ghost**, **Blot** and **Write.as**. WordPress is out. Substack is out. Blot is out. I’m down to two publishing platforms: Ghost and Micro.blog. That’s it. Sure, I cross-post some content to Mastodon, Bluesky and Flipboard. But that doesn’t count. - On the photography side, at some point, there was **500px**, **Smugmug**, **Unsplash**, **Glass**, and **Exposure**. 500px is out. I decided to move out of Smugmug by the end of my subscription (next year), so that I can focus on Glass and Exposure. ![My homepage on Exposure](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/2023/05/Image-2.png) My homepage on Exposure - I recently dropped **Pocket**, **Matter** and **Readwise Reader**. So, you see, there is hope! - For bookmarking, at some point, I was using Apple’s Safari **Reading List**, **Pocket**, **Craft bookmarks**, **Apple’s Quick Notes**, and **Mailbrew** saved items. I dropped all of these in the last year to focus on **Anybox**. I couldn’t be happier. Oh, I sometimes use Micro.blog bookmarking feature to archive articles that I can highlight and then create a linkpost using these highlights. - Since I got my M1-based **Mac mini**, I bought a M1 **MacBook Air**. I constantly use both of them. One thing that I like to do is to use one app on one Mac and another competitive app on the other Mac. For example, I use “Stats” on my MacBook Air and on my Mac mini, I use iStats Menu. - iPad Pro vs MacBook Air: because [reasons](https://numericcitizen.me/coming-out-of-a-rabbit-hole-and-buying-two-macbook-air/). I love both but in different usage scenarios. I’m fortunate enough to have both. - My reading workflow was ||is|| in a state of flux: [https://numericcitizen.micro.blog/2022/05/07/my-reading-workflow.html](https://numericcitizen.micro.blog/2022/05/07/my-reading-workflow.html?ref=numericcitizen.me). But, thanks to my decision to drop traditional read-later services like Matter or Pocket, I'm more focused now on that area. I should update this article occasionally because my digital toolkit constantly evolves. So you probably should keep an eye on [my documented toolset](https://world.numericcitizen.io/meta-toolset?ref=numericcitizen.me) that I keep up to date. ### Friday Notes #103 — I Would Go Back to University For This Simple Reason URL: https://numericcitizen.me/friday-notes-103-i-would-go-back-to-university-for-this-simple-reason/ Last updated: 2023-05-05T12:00:22.000Z I’m a curious and easily fascinated type of guy. I love to learn new things. I often think that I could or should, one day, return to study something new at the university. I completed a master’s degree in computer science in 1993\. I’m proud of this accomplishment. What I learned and did at that time is still with me today, at work and in my personal life too. University studies, these days, from what I’m seeing with one of my young adult kids, feel familiar but so different too. Compared to today, what was it like back in the day to do post-graduate studies? The Internet was primarily experienced through freeware or shareware apps like [Gopher](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gopher%5F%28protocol%29?ref=numericcitizen.me) for browsing content, [Usenet newsgroups](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Usenet%5Fnewsgroup?ref=numericcitizen.me) , the ancestor of Reddit, Mail and FTP to exchange files, all running on a Mac SE, for me at least. I shall remind you, dear readers, the maximum speed to connect to the internet was with a 14400 bauds modem, a small fraction of today’s internet access speed. To read literature and research on a specific subject, scientific articles from other universities had to be ordered from the university’s library on a non-computer-based system as far as I can remember. Once ordered, we had to wait from 5 days to many weeks before we could get our hands on them, depending on their sources and origins. It wasn’t a free service. We also had to go to the faculty administrative offices to get our semester schedule. Then, to get our semester scores, we also had to go to the teacher’s office to look at the billboard on the wall beside their office door. I would return to study anytime to experience what it is like to learn and use modern tools like “The Modern Internet”, and powerful apps like Notion, Obsidian, Tana, Logseq or Craft to manage newly acquired knowledge. Today, a student must use the university’s website for many things, like reserving a service, getting an appointment with a teacher, or verifying a course schedule. Study assignments are given online too, and results are also submitted online. Back in the day, it was already possible to exchange emails with anyone in a community, but now, there are more ways to meet and discuss virtually. It must be such an empowering environment, or is it? I wonder if all that technology would be too distracting for me. I can see myself spending countless hours trying to devise a [PKM system](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Personal%5Fknowledge%5Fmanagement?ref=numericcitizen.me), switching from one app to another, and trying to strike the right balance between effectiveness and simplicity. Finally, returning to university to study the same subjects I did in the late nineties but in a much different context and with much more advances in knowledge would be fascinating. Provided that I remember the experience, comparing the two would be educative. But, that being said, If I ever return to school, it will be to learn something new, something that would add a new dimension to what I already know or think that I know. ### A Time Bomb Waiting to Explode URL: https://numericcitizen.me/a-time-bomb-waiting-to-explode/ Last updated: 2023-05-02T11:25:11.000Z I met my sister-in-law this past weekend for a family dinner. We had a discussion following a question she asked me about a problem with her iPhone. Oh boy, I didn’t know what I was getting into. It all started when she explained that she had a long-standing issue with her iPhone X: some lack of space preventing her from storing more photos. This is how she described her “issue”. She gave me her device to quickly look at it in case I could find an explanation. First thing first: what version of iOS is this iPhone running? iOS 13\. Yep, iOS 13 🙄. She has a 64GB iPhone X with less than 4 GB of free space. Weird, she should be able to take pictures (but I hope she has enough space to complete any future iOS upgrade!). Upon further examination of her device, the following issues were found. First, in Settings, her payment info was flagged as needing an update. Of course, Apple Pay wasn’t configured. The iCloud Photo Library couldn’t sync nearly 1700 items because her 5GB free-tier iCloud space subscription was full. Ah! That’s the problem. Since her iCloud backup was turned off (because she was tired of getting warnings about her iCloud storage being full), I decided not to upgrade her iPhone to iOs 16.4.1: no recent backup, no iOS upgrade. Just in case something goes really wrong during the upgrade. Instead, I gifted her a little note in the Notes.app containing the following instructions: - Fix your payment info; - Upgrade to 50GB of iCloud storage; - Enable iPhone backup to iCloud; - Wait a few days so that iCloud Photos Library can sync past-due items and have a complete backup of your iPhone; - Upgrade to iOS 16.4.1; - Wait a day for the next backup to complete; - Add one of your credit cards to enable Apple Pay; - Call your brother-in-law to say: thank you very much for your guidance. A few observations. She didn’t want to pay a subscription to get more iCloud storage, but she had photos she didn’t want to lose in case she lost her iPhone. Something has to give. She reluctantly agreed to subscribe. Sometimes I think technology is failing us. Sure, she has to pay to get some cloud storage which would fix most of her issues, and she dismissed important warnings, but most of the issues could have led to a disaster if she ever had a fatal problem with her iPhone. So how can Apple improve the user experience? Can some AI-based behavioural analysis be added to the base OS and the Tips.app be brought into play here to help guide the user to fix the problems? Complex devices like the iPhone these days require some minimum attention and manual management. Is your iPhone having a similar issue? Look at it and fix it now! So it was really a time bomb silently waiting to explode. ### Say Hello to the Apple Rumors Hub URL: https://numericcitizen.me/say-hello-to-the-apple-rumors-hub/ Last updated: 2023-04-29T12:38:51.000Z I’m happy to announce the official release of the [Apple Rumors Hub](https://crafted.numericcitizen.me/apple-rumors-hub?ref=numericcitizen.me). > The Apple Rumors Hub aims to inform future buyers of Apple technology about what is coming in the future so they make the best buying decisions at the right time. This website has been long in the making and was previously only accessible deep within my digital garden. By popular demand, I decided to give it a promotion and build its own website for better accessibility and visibility. ![Rumors are organized into product lines](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/2023/04/Safari-Apple-Rumors-Hub@2023-04-29@08.36.50@2x.png) Rumors are organized into product lines Rumours have been an integral part of the Apple aura for as long as I can remember. The importance of Apple rumors lies in the fact that they can give us a glimpse into the future of technology. These rumors give us a sneak peek into what Apple has in store for us and what new features and products we can expect from the company. They also generate excitement and anticipation among Apple fans and tech enthusiasts, who eagerly await the release of these new products. Additionally, Apple rumors can also impact the stock market as investors try to gauge the potential success of Apple’s upcoming products and make investment decisions accordingly. Overall, Apple rumors significantly shape the tech industry and keep consumers, and investors informed and engaged. This website is a work in progress. Expect many additions in the coming weeks leading to the next Apple event: the WWDC ’23 conference. One of the things that I’d like to add is a selection of past rumors who played an important role in shaping Apple history. One such rumor is when [the story of a lost iPhone 4 prototype](https://gizmodo.com/how-apple-lost-the-iphone-4-5520438?ref=numericcitizen.me) was made public. At first, it was portrayed as a rumor. Please note that you can drop on comment on it by hovering your mouse over any part and clicking the text bubble on the right. If there is anything that you would like to see added, let me know! ### Why I’m Leaving Substack Behind URL: https://numericcitizen.me/why-im-leaving-substack-behind/ Last updated: 2024-08-14T17:16:46.000Z After closing my WordPress account, as I’m still trying to focus my online presence better, I turned my attention to my presence on Substack. What am I doing there? Is it for personal newsletters subscription only because it’s been a while since I posted meaningful content over there? After starting a monthly newsletter in August of 2020, a newsletter that never really took off (and that I’m not able to keep alive on Ghost, by the way, and to be honest), Substack didn’t fulfill many of its promises for me. I experimented more or less with every addition to Substack since its inception: Chat, Notes, and the iPhone app, just to name a few. Unfortunately, none of that really made a difference in subscriptions or traction with my “readers”. Strangely enough, even without any new content for quite a while, my Substack gathered new subscribers occasionally (see chart below). Yet, it didn’t influence my desire to move ahead, delete my content and leave my account in read-only mode. ![My subscribers count over time](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/2023/04/Substack-subscriptions-rise.png) My subscribers count over time While reflecting on my experience, I have concluded that Substack is probably for a small elite. I never felt part of it, and I never will be. I’m curious to know the subscriber distribution across all writers. I suspect that very few writers gather a vast majority of subscribers. It’s sad if that’s the case and pretty much not in line with the initial goals of Substack’s founders. ![My last post on Substack](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/2023/04/Im-done-with-substack.png) My last post on Substack Oh, and what about my newsletter consumption? Well, I’m dropping most of them. I’ll keep the following one: [Tabletops by Michael Steeber](https://app.hey.com/contacts/87411167?ref=numericcitizen.me). My content has been merged into this blog and deleted on Substack. As you can see, it’s not a philosophical reason, only a personal desire to reduce my digital distribution footprint and focus on things that make a difference. Substack was an interesting journey. Nothing more, nothing less. If you're interested, I shared [my experience](https://numericcitizen.me/my-experience-with-substack/) with Substack in November 2020. ### My Life After Twitter: Reflections on a More Peaceful Digital Landscape URL: https://numericcitizen.me/my-life-after-twitter-reflections-on-a-more-peaceful-digital-landscape/ Last updated: 2025-11-30T19:21:10.000Z It’s been more than four months since I left Twitter. I'm now ready to share a few thoughts about this. Does four months without Twitter in my digital life make a difference? You bet. - Quitting Twitter wasn’t easy, but it was well worth it. Many of Elon Musk’s decisions that followed my exit only assured me that my time on Twitter was up. It was probably up for a longer time than I'm willing to admit. - My digital landscape definitely feels less noisy. I no longer feel the urge to open Twitter and scroll for the latest tweets. - My fear of missing out didn’t last long. Telegram replaced a portion of what I was looking for on Twitter. More than ever, I depend on RSS feeds. These feeds are now consumed through Inoreader. This proves that Information sources can be found elsewhere without much effort. - Sure, there was a few Twitter accounts that I could no longer follow, and for a while, before Twitter ended free API access, Inoreader offered me a way to read these accounts. [However, it’s no longer the case](https://www.inoreader.com/blog/2023/04/twitter-feeds-no-longer-supported.html?ref=numericcitizen.me) , and I can live with that. - Micro.blog plays a replacement role but with a totally different community with a totally different vibe. I get much better engagement with this micro-community than on Twitter. The latter was impersonal for the most part. - Strangely enough, my interest didn’t pick up even though I was initially enthusiastic about having my Mastodon account. I rarely open a Mastodon client. Some of my content is cross-posted on Mastodon, and I get some feedback from time to time, mostly about my photos coming from Glass, which are cross-posted to Mastodon using Micro.blog cross-posting feature. And that’s about it. And that’s fine. - [Bluesky](https://blueskyweb.xyz/?ref=numericcitizen.me) is coming (a similar service based on a federated social network), and I’m not sure I’ll even pay attention. Who knows. If Mastodon isn't clicking with me, why would Bluesky? I think I'm being more selective with social networks, centralizing platforms. - Spending less time on Twitter (and skipping the Mastodon phenomena for now) means I have more time for my creative projects. In addition, it is a great way to focus on one of my main goals for 2023 (as documented in [my Digital Garden](https://crafted.numericcitizen.me/prWu9ohKSgta1T?ref=numericcitizen.me)). - I find it surprising that so many companies are still publishing on Twitter (only half left the platform and are no longer advertising on it, [apparently](https://www.vox.com/technology/2023/3/23/23651151/twitter-advertisers-elon-musk-brands-revenue-fleeing?ref=numericcitizen.me)), Apple included. Maybe individuals left in drove (or did they?), but companies? [This report](https://www.vulture.com/article/twitter-companies-quit-tweets-list.html?ref=numericcitizen.me) seems to say that some are leaving. But is that it? And what about social organizations, media, or government agencies? Is centralizing platforms required for this critical mass to attract these entities? - One final observation: I find the stories about “verified” users losing their blue check mark pretty amusing. Some are freaking out about this. If I had those guys in front of me, I would argue this: you don’t need to get verified, validated or blue check-marked to exist! Get over it, move on and look forward, for god’s sake! Leave Twitter to [those scumbags](https://daringfireball.net/linked/2023/04/24/the-twitter-blue-apocalypse-is-nigh?ref=numericcitizen.me). Many pundits knew Twitter was about to implode the minute Elon Musk took over. It’s happening right before our eyes—time to move elsewhere. Forget Parler because it [is shutting down](https://variety.com/2023/digital/news/parler-shut-down-new-owner-starboard-twitter-clone-conservatives-1235583709/?ref=numericcitizen.me) too. Good riddance. I couldn’t be happier without Twitter. I’m resisting, without too much effort, I might say, to spend time on Mastodon or elsewhere besides Micro.blog. Doing so would be a waste of time. You can find my tweets archive [right here](https://tweets.numericcitizen.me/?ref=numericcitizen.me), thanks to Micro.blog tweets archive feature. If you are still on Twitter, consider reading [My Five Steps Plan for Leaving Twitter](https://numericcitizen.me/five-steps-for-safely-leaving-twitter/). Who knows, maybe you'll find that a world without Twitter is not bad at all. [Five Steps For Safely Leaving TwitterThanks to Elon Musk, I decided to leave Twitter and move on. Here’s my five-step plan for safely leaving Twitter behind.![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/size/w256h256/2021/11/Banner3.0-100x100.png)Numeric Citizen SpaceJF Martin![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/numericcitizen.me/wp-content/uploads/2023/01/pexels-photo-3861798.jpg)](https://numericcitizen.me/five-steps-for-safely-leaving-twitter/) ### Friday Notes #102 — Reflections on a Caribbean Vacation: Notes on Plastic Waste, War, and the Meaning of Life URL: https://numericcitizen.me/friday-notes-102-reflections-on-a-caribbean-vacation-notes-on-plastic-waste-war-and-the-meaning/ Last updated: 2023-04-23T11:33:05.000Z I recently came back from vacation in the Dominican Republic. The last time I visited the island was in 1994\. I stayed near [Miches](https://www.tripadvisor.ca/Tourism-g2441050-Miches%5FEl%5FSeibo%5FProvince%5FDominican%5FRepublic-Vacations.html?ref=numericcitizen.me), a small town at 90 minutes drive from the airport. Here are a few notes and observations. ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/2023/04/FlightToPuntaCana.png) **About that beach**. Rarely have I seen such quiet and beautiful long beaches in the Caribbean. Yet, the bucolic view of the ocean was stained by reminders of our plastic waste and littering. A reminder that humans are never that far away. I find this really sad and don’t see how it will ever improve. Someone once told me that poor people don’t care about trash, the environment in general or climate change; they care about surviving. I can understand that, and in a way, it’s our fault, developed countries. While walking on the beach, I couldn’t help but try to capture a close-up of what I saw. ![Did you know that it is estimated that a plastic bottle can take anywhere from 450 to 1000 years to decompose completely? However, for a leaf, it’s a matter of just a few years.](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/2023/04/Litter-on-the-beach.jpeg) Did you know that it is estimated that a plastic bottle can take anywhere from 450 to 1000 years to decompose completely? However, for a leaf, it’s a matter of just a few years. --- **On the war in Ukraine**. I barely stayed connected, only for sporadic notifications checking and reading news about the war in Ukraine. On that front (pun intended), I couldn’t help but feel sorry for the state of the war. Things aren’t moving in any significant directions. Both sides are losing quite a lot of combat power and capabilities. I came across the report of a Ukrainian soldier beheading. I saw the first few frames of the video and stopped watching right away. I feared the mental images this could trigger for the remainder of my vacation. Probably utterly disgusting. The Russian army is fighting hard to beat [ISIS](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Islamic%5FState?ref=numericcitizen.me) on the scale of barbarism. --- **Too many ideas, not enough time**. Being outside of my normal daily routine, taking the time to pause always puts me in an ideas-triggering mode. Being on vacation is when I get new creative ideas about writing projects, digital things to experiment with, photos to take and process and new videos to create. Sadly, I often conclude that I’ll never have enough time to do everything I envision. Is it a good thing? Probably yes. --- **Deep conversations**. Finding the purpose of our lives came up during a conversation between friends while sipping our glass of wine. Someone suggested that life was about creating a magnum opus (see definition below in “What did I learn this week”). My initial thoughts were that I didn’t have one yet if I was strictly reading the definition. On the other hand, my father, an architect, created one in his professional life with all the buildings he designed. That’s pretty obvious. And I’m so proud of his work. Steve Jobs made several wonderful things he put out there that will inspire future generations ([at Disney](https://daringfireball.net/linked/2023/04/12/iger-jobs-book-letter?ref=numericcitizen.me), see “[Making Something Wonderful](https://book.stevejobsarchive.com/?ref=numericcitizen.me)”). Being creative is an essential personality trait for building a magnum opus. After much thought and discussion, it became clear that mine will be about making a difference around me, especially at work, where I find more tangible results. It’s not something physical like my father and Steve Jobs. Does it still count? I like to think the answer is yes. --- **Miscellany**. I want to say hello to all my new subscribers! I’m glad that you are joining me in my writing journey. Disclaimer: This newsletter is mainly made of my original work except for the title and information on how long it takes for a plastic bottle and a leaf to decompose, which were written using ChatGPT. 💡 What did I learn this week? What is a *magnum opus*? According to ChatGPT: Magnum opus refers to a great work, especially the most significant single work of an artist, writer, or composer. It is a term used to describe a person's most significant achievement or masterpiece. ### Friday Notes #101 — The Need for Creativity in My Life URL: https://numericcitizen.me/friday-notes-101-the-need-for-creativity-in-my-life/ Last updated: 2023-03-31T15:37:50.000Z Creativity is central to my life. It takes many forms and is experienced in different ways. Writing has been one way of creative expression since maybe I was a teenager. Even today, I’m certainly more into words than pictures, but I constantly go from one form to another. [I recently cleaned up my blog](https://numericcitizen.me/bye-bye-wordpress-hello-again-ghost/) and [deleted many old and irrelevant posts](https://blog.numericcitizen.me/2023/03/19/manuel-moreale-writes.html?ref=numericcitizen.me). From 766 posts, my blog is now down to 330\. Posts were dated from the end of 2018 to 2023\. Of all deleted posts, the vast majority were older ones. I’m still unsure if it was a great idea because I don’t like the principle of content disappearance on the web. My blogging journey has two eras: from 2009 to 2013 and from 2015 up to now. When I returned to blogging in 2018, I had this urgent desire to write about anything daily, even if I didn’t have something worthwhile to share. Some blog posts looked like tweets in content and length. They were destined to be short-lived, ephemeral. The motivation for all this writing was, in fact, a pretext for feeling creative. It was like practicing to stay in writing shape. [A blogger](https://www.kaa.bz/2023/03/26/the-act-of.html?ref=numericcitizen.me) recently wrote this on his blog, which [resonated with me](https://micro.blog/numericcitizen/17945976?ref=numericcitizen.me) a lot: > Making things and putting them out into the world is something that makes me happy. For the same reason, I spend so much time in front of a computer, creating things more or less worthwhile for others but immensely worth it for me. From photography to written words and, more recently, to [videos](https://www.youtube.com/c/numericcitizenvideos?ref=numericcitizen.me), these immaterial pieces are spread on an infinite digital canvas I like to play with. I find satisfaction in the results and the tools I use to create them. This explains why I care so much about [evaluating them](https://world.numericcitizen.io/meta-toolset?ref=numericcitizen.me), testing them, experiencing them, writing about them and [sharing my experience](https://world.numericcitizen.io/meta?ref=numericcitizen.me) doing all this. This creative habit comes from my parents, especially my mother. My father was a creative person too, but his creativity was directed toward his work as an architect. On the other hand, my mother used her creativity in her leisure time. She had many hobbies at different times (enamel on copper, loom, elaborate gardening, macrame, etc.) Just like her, my spare time is, for the most part, spent on creative activities. Following [a recent heated but amicable debate with my wife about AI](https://blog.numericcitizen.me/2023/03/26/this-morning-i.html?ref=numericcitizen.me), ChatGPT and how humans should consider and use AI in their life, I decided to ask the following question to ChatGPT: *“Is creativity something only humans are capable of?”* Here’s the answer I got on the first try: > Creativity is not limited to humans. While humans are undoubtedly highly creative, there are many examples of creativity in the animal kingdom. > For example, birds build intricate nests using a variety of materials and techniques, and some primates have been observed using tools in innovative ways to solve problems. Dolphins have been known to engage in playful behavior and create bubble rings, and some insects create complex patterns in their webs or tunnels. > However, the extent and complexity of creativity may differ between species. Human creativity is undoubtedly unique in its ability to produce highly complex and abstract creations, such as music, literature, and art. Additionally, humans are capable of imagining and creating entirely new concepts and ideas, which may be more challenging for other species to achieve. > In summary, while creativity is not limited to humans, the scope and complexity of human creativity are likely unparalleled in the animal kingdom. Not bad. It’s an answer that I can live with. If many living species can be creative, humans exercise it in the deepest and broadest possible ways. Of course, not everyone experiences creativity at the same level and intensity; I’m certainly one who does it intensively, thanks to my genetic baggage and the environment in which I grew up. One last thought. I recently went to see a multimedia exposition on the [impressionism](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Impressionism?ref=numericcitizen.me) art movement. During the presentation, there were many short films of Paris in the late 1800 or early 1900 (like in [this video](https://youtu.be/mgVl6Yk4itw?ref=numericcitizen.me)) showing mundane scenes of people at cafes, walking in streets or playing in parks. One thing that came to my mind while watching: the apparent slow passing of time in people’s lives back then. I thought it was both fascinating and destabilizing. To create is to accept to slow down our lives for a moment. Maybe I’m just discovering another reason creativity is such an essential part of my life: it gives me the impression of slowing things up a bit. ### This Is a Test Post From Craft URL: https://numericcitizen.me/this-is-a-test-post-from-craft/ Last updated: 2023-03-25T19:26:57.000Z This small post was written with Craft and, using a Craft eXtension, pushed directly to my Ghost site. ![Image](https://res.craft.do/user/full/8be213c9-40b2-f2eb-9703-50ab1f333635/doc/20563BD9-9748-4E06-847A-E078EAB87389/C082CD6D-8ECF-4539-A3A8-2FAE9A3C8E07_2/iWPhxtzvIxmYq1QJqitEkHDEzH67hfFWoqH9e3j4c88z/Image.png) An important limitation of this workflow is the fact that the eXtension doesn’t support setting the post in draft mode, nor does it support setting other metadata. It’s a dealbreaker for me. ![Image](https://res.craft.do/user/full/8be213c9-40b2-f2eb-9703-50ab1f333635/doc/20563BD9-9748-4E06-847A-E078EAB87389/57CC483D-05EB-4A47-A4DE-E05BECE6FBE1_2/KfmW3Wlxx2xIHGhpTnQlERoEy1nYyZbSC759pC5J7a4z/Image.png) Returning to normal programming. 🤖 The content is formatted as a Markdown-formatted block. The post header set in Craft wasn't uploaded either. ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/2023/03/Safari-This-Is-a-Test-Post-From-Craft---Numeric-Citizen-Space@2023-03-25@15.24.45@2x.png) ### Bye Bye WordPress — Hello (Again) Ghost URL: https://numericcitizen.me/bye-bye-wordpress-hello-again-ghost/ Last updated: 2025-07-05T11:48:34.000Z Today, I’m happy to announce that one of my objectives for 2023 has been accomplished. After many long hours of hard and meticulous work: **numericcicizen.me** and **numericcitizen-introspection.blog** are now united under the [Numeric Citizen Space](https://numericcitizen.me/). The **numericcitizen.me** domain is the one that wins! Now you know why I’ve been quiet in recent weeks. In this process, people who subscribed to my Substack newsletter have been brought in too. As a subscriber to my newsletter (Friday Notes Series), you probably didn’t know about the existence of my other publishing space: **Numeric Citizen Blog** (hosted on WordPress since 2015). I no longer believe in the need to keep to separate places. It was time for me to merge both sites and extend the possibility of subscribing to my content to all my blog visitors too. Visitors can now subscribe from the main page or an individual post, which wasn’t possible before. I’ll continue to share my personal thoughts and stories along with longer-form articles related to my preferred subjects: Apple, photography, privacy protection and climate change. Not all content will be sent by newsletters, don’t worry. I’ll continue to reserve those for the **Friday Notes Series** or other content that I think will make sense to read like an email. Moreover, as a result of this merge operation, the site design has been refreshed and vastly simplified, which makes it more responsive, thanks to Ghost’s efficient hosting platform. Finally, consider updating your RSS subscription if you consume this site content through your RSS reader: . Starting next week, I’ll return to a more regular publishing schedule. Thanks for reading and for staying with me in my writing adventure. PS. I almost forgot. I do publish much more frequently and much smaller pieces on [blog.numericcitizen.me](https://blog.numericcitizen.me/?ref=numericcitizen.me) about my preferred subjects, so join me there too! ### Special Announcement - Some Important Changes Coming Soon URL: https://numericcitizen.me/special-announcement-some-important-changes-coming-soon/ Last updated: 2023-03-22T16:46:15.000Z To all my dear readers, I’ve been silent recently and it is because, in the upcoming days, this site will see a few important changes. Here are the details. First, content from my other site @ [https://numericcitizen.me](https://numericcitizen.me/) will be migrated “as-is” on this website. If you subscribe to this site’s RSS feed, you’ll see a few hundred articles appearing. This is normal. It’s part of the migration process. Second, once the content is migrated, I’ll start the process of renaming this website domain: From: [https://numericcitizen-introspection.blog](https://numericcitizen.me/) To: [https://numericcitizen.me](https://numericcitizen.me/) You should consider updating your bookmarks and RSS feed subscription, which will become the new site name followed by a /rss/ at the end. Third, when newsletters resume, they will come from the new site identity. Thanks for your attention and your support. I hope you find this change positive and enjoy more of my content in a single place. ### Anybox – My Experience with a Bookmarks Manager URL: https://numericcitizen.me/anybox-my-experience-with-a-bookmarks-manager/ Last updated: 2024-08-19T01:41:07.000Z In a recent discussion on Micro.blog, someone mentioned Anybox as being an interesting alternative to Raindrop.io. [As a light user of Raindrop.io](https://numericcitizen.me/2022/05/18/when-war-in-ukraine-influences-my-application-choices/), I was curious, so I spent some time investigating what Anybox was all about. Boy, I quickly became enthusiastic about it. In just a few hours of use, it was clear that my content creator workflow would be somewhat transformed. Here’s why and how. ## How it started Anybox came to my numeric life while I wasn’t really looking for a bookmarks manager. Sure, I heard about Goodlinks in the past and used Raindrop.io in recent years, but I didn’t feel the need to invest in a bookmark manager simply because I thought that bookmarks were useless. Thanks to Google or Safari, anything always seems to be in close sight. Why bother saving bookmarks? Then, I started thinking about all the bookmarks I stored in Craft for preparing articles or working on my monthly newsletter. When the quantity of bookmarks increases, Craft isn’t the right tool for storing this collection without any metadata capabilities. This is where an app like Anybox comes into play and becomes essential. The ability to set metadata for each bookmark is valuable over time. ## Getting things in Anybox is a native app on macOS, iOS and iPadOS. There is no web version of Anybox; I can live without it for now. Most of the time, bookmarks are saved using the provided Safari extension, which allows bookmarks to be assigned to collections and starred, as well as a brief comment. I’m still pondering how I could put the starring option to good use, but the option is there. Things like images and files can be saved into Anybox. This is not something I plan to do for now. I have other means of keeping those objects. > According to my incomplete statistics, Anybox supports importing bookmarks in more than 14 ways, which is the most exaggerated application I have ever seen. — Found on the internet ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/numericcitizen.me/wp-content/uploads/2023/03/draggedimage.png) I wanted to get my data out of Pocket too. Using the [/export](https://getpocket.com/export.php?ref=numericcitizen.me) webpage, I could easily export the content as an HTML file. I didn’t want to reuse the tags in Pocket, so I simply saved them in my newly created collection. The next step was to create a collection to receive my Pocket data. Then I revoked all access to my Pocket account and deleted the account data before cancelling my subscription through the Mac App Store. The whole process took less than five minutes to complete. ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/numericcitizen.me/wp-content/uploads/2023/03/draggedimage-1.png) ## Organizing bookmarks ![Anybox Sidebar](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/numericcitizen.me/wp-content/uploads/2023/03/draggedimage-2.png) Anybox Sidebar As the bookmarks collection grows, this is where collections become mandatory. Collections are presented like tags in Anybox, but the naming refers to collections. A bookmark can be assigned to many collections. Anybox allows for just the right amount of customization. Each collection can have its icon and colour, something I like to customize to my liking. > Anybox is incredibly flexible. The app isn’t overly complex, yet it offers just enough options and advanced features to allow more demanding users to tailor it to a wide range of use cases and workflows. The number of collections can grow quickly. Anybox allows for collections grouping using something like “headers”. In fact, headers act like folders. In one of the screenshots, “Areas of interest” is grouping four collections. The exciting thing about collections is the ability to download the webpage automatically pointed out by the bookmark. This setting is done at the collection level. Articles are saved in the Safari Reader format, with the visual noise removed. Any bookmark with downloaded content contains a pair of glasses indicator, just like with Safari’s Reader mode. I set up an “Archive now” collection to quickly save any bookmarks with website content at my fingertips. It’s pretty handy. Right-clicking on the bookmark and selecting Show Reader will display the downloaded content. Make no mistake; it won’t replace Inoreader or become a read-later app. It’s just handy to have this. Anybox can copy a deeplink pointing to any collection or header. Then, using the generated URL scheme, you can reuse the link within an app like Craft or Things 3.0\. I like the integration possibilities between those three apps, something vital in my content creation workflow. I use this to create a recurring to-do that reminds me to look into a specific collection as writing inspiration sources for linkposts. This is an example: anybox://collection/8273617A-6C0E-43B2-BF1B-F21EE5915EE9. ## Many useful goodies and observations Anybox is essentially a bookmarks manager with many small goodies that a power user like me appreciates. Here are a few of them. - Anybox feels native and light. - Anybox contains an extensive metadata sidebar. Collections assigned to the bookmark can be removed from there and see the read view if there is one saved for the bookmark. - The collection’s icons are based on Apple’s Symbols, the most extensive set of high-quality icons you can imagine, all searchable with keywords. I love this. - Anybox can save a webpage as a PDF or an image. For example, the latter is a great way to create a thumbnail for use in a Craft document. Here is an example. - Anybox supports creating smart lists to display bookmarks based on more or less complex criteria, as shown in the following screenshot. ![Anybox smart list criteria screen](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/numericcitizen.me/wp-content/uploads/2023/03/draggedimage-3.png) - Anybox offers Anydock for frequently storing used bookmarks that you can quickly open from a floating toolbar on the screen. The Anydock supports a different set of bookmarks grouped within profiles which the user can switch between them from the keyboard. Moreover, since Any supports adding bookmarks with a URL scheme, it can become an app launcher. Clever. I don’t use the feature much, though. ![Anybox Anydock](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/numericcitizen.me/wp-content/uploads/2023/03/draggedimage-4.png) Anybox Anydock - Anybox adds a menu item in the menu bar, which can be configured to your liking with frequently used bookmarks. - Anybox also has a Raycast extension for a quick search of bookmarks from Raycast and many commands Anybox can execute. - Anybox’s bookmarks are indexed with Spotlight on iOS, iPadOS and macOS. - Anybox automatically maintains four smart folders: Today, Starred, All, and Inbox. They are pretty handy. - I like the information density in the bookmarks list and the navigation sidebars. - Anybox is well integrated into Apple’s ecosystem, supporting things like Spotlight, Shortcuts, AppleScript, widgets, etc. It’s crucial to see such a commitment by the app developer. - Bookmarks can be copied in the clipboard in many format arrangements: as markdown with or without the bookmark description, with the description followed by the link. It’s handy for adding a reference in Craft or Ulysses. The following was generated using “Copy As / Link with Title”: The Craft Bible 📔 [https://www.craft.do/s/vgvQKijqkbyo6q](https://www.craft.do/s/vgvQKijqkbyo6q?ref=numericcitizen.me) - List content can be displayed as icons or as a gallery. It’s a per-collection setting. When asking Anybox to generate a screenshot of the website, the thumbnail is replaced with the screenshot. It doesn’t always work, though, for some reason. ## What Anybox helped me replace > I love when a new app replaces one of the similar apps I currently use. Adding Anybox in my workflow triggered a significant cleanup in my Safari bookmarks. Some were as old as fifteen years old. With Anybox, I moved my bookmarks off Craft where it made sense. I had a few documents for storing interesting bookmarks on websites that I wanted to keep track of, but I couldn’t add metadata to each bookmark cleanly. These bookmarks are now saved into collections within Anybox. Raindrop.io is also definitively retired and out of my numeric life once and for all. I know this is a popular bookmarking and text highlighting application, but I never really liked the iPad or the Mac app nor used the text highlight feature. ## Concluding words I feel that 2023 is the year of focusing on the right things that make a difference in my digital life and one discovery like Anybox. I never thought that a bookmarks manager was something I would add to my toolset. At some point during my first few moments with Anybox, I wanted to surf the web just for the pleasure of saving bookmarks. I know it’s a bit crazy, but I guess this speaks to success from a design perspective. Anybox is a joy to use and offers features for power users like me while not feeling intimidating for casual use. ![Anybox bookmarks collection gallery view](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/numericcitizen.me/wp-content/uploads/2023/03/draggedimage-5.png) Display as gallery ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/numericcitizen.me/wp-content/uploads/2023/03/draggedimage-6.png) Display as list ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/numericcitizen.me/wp-content/uploads/2023/03/draggedimage-7.png) Display as cards ### Friday Notes #100 — Taking a Pause From Alcohol Drinking URL: https://numericcitizen.me/friday-notes-100-taking-a-pause-from-alcohol-drinking/ Last updated: 2023-02-10T13:00:33.000Z Here’s another personal story. It’s about drinking habits and my desire to have better control over it. In December, I decided that I would put a pause on my alcohol consumption habits after the holidays after returning from vacation. I did. For the second time in recent years, I decided to put this old habit on pause and see how it went. I wanted to know if I could live without drinking. Yes, I can. Since my return to work on January 8th, I didn’t have alcohol at all. I wanted to reduce my alcohol consumption dramatically. Drinking alcohol is not a healthy habit, even in tiny quantities. My goal was to stop drinking during the weekdays or weekends if it wasn’t a special occasion. During peak times, I could drink 2-3 glasses of wine on Friday, the same on Saturdays and sometimes even Sundays. Add a vodka martini on top of it all on Fridays after work. I used to drink for (too) many reasons: while preparing food near the end of the week, after work on Friday night, during the weekend, with each meal. But, in reality, drinking is also a way to relax or cope (albeit in a bad way) with stressful days. Alcoholic people are often looking for drinking opportunities. Since January 8th, I have tried to skip social events where I knew people would be drinking. It’s quite the opposite of an alcoholic, I guess. It’s funny to see that It’s when you want to stop drinking that you realize how pervasive alcohol drinking is. Alcohol is everywhere: in social events, TV, and movies. This weekend, I’m going to see some very good friends of mine. We have similar drinking habits. We all do enjoy great wines with food. One of my friends is organizing a wine-tasting contest. It means tasting a few wines (four or five) to see if we can recognize them. For this weekend, I’ll happily join the crowd and play the social game. Still, I should feel proud of myself. I’m ok with this and accept to relax some of my rules. But, when I return from the weekend, you might guess, I’ll resume my break from drinking alcohol until the next exceptional occasion. A side note: my late mother probably flirted with alcoholism at certain times. Many researchers point to a possible genetic component in increased chances of becoming an alcoholic. [Friday Notes #99 — Bye Bye MomThoughts about the passing of my dear mother.![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/size/w256h256/2021/11/Banner3.0-100x100.png)Numeric Citizen IntrospectionJF Martin![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/2023/02/Crosses-in-Cimetery..png)](https://numericcitizen.me/friday-notes-99-bye-bye-mom/) Thanks for reading. Wow, already at edition #100! 😀 ### Friday Notes #99 — Bye Bye Mom URL: https://numericcitizen.me/friday-notes-99-bye-bye-mom/ Last updated: 2024-01-06T14:17:31.000Z After losing my father on March 7th, 2021, it was now my mother who slowly left us on the 30th of January at exactly 9:20 PM. After suffering from Parkinson’s disease for many years, it was time for her to go and rest peacefully and be liberated from all her suffering. Although her body barely responded to her wishes, she still had great mental clarity in her last few years. > Writing is one form of therapy. Talking with friends too. Communicating triggers healing. I couldn’t be present with my father when he passed away. It was too difficult for me to see him go that way. So I attended his departure from afar through many FaceTime calls with the help of my sisters. For my mother, it was different. I was close to her until her very last breath. Maybe her state of consciousness had something to do with it. My father was unconscious when he entered the hospital while my mother was. So, it was essential to be there for her and ensure all her children were present before she went on her last long journey. Furthermore, important friends of hers were present with her. So she left us well surrounded. ![My mom's hand](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/2023/02/IMG_5420.png) My mom's hand My mother slowly “faded away.” Maybe that’s why I was fascinated throughout her transition toward her final living moments. Her face gradually changed, her usual body stiffness slowly disappeared, and her shallow, quick breaths preceded those often interrupted by long pauses. Of course, it was a difficult moment, but I was still fascinated by her slow journey to the afterlife. Ultimately, it was an enriching experience about the end of life, which awaits us all. > Losing my mother is one thing, but losing one’s last remaining parent is all the more difficult. I’m relieved to know Mom left peacefully. She was 89 years old. She had a life that wasn’t always perfect, sometimes even a bit difficult, but she had a fulfilling life. Now we are the four children, alone, with parents that exist only in our memories, with no possibility of seeing them again. It’s sad, but that’s life, and we must deal with it. On my way back, a journey of more than six hours of driving, I didn't want to put music or podcasts in the car. But it was a good idea. I wanted to keep that silence that allowed me to review the events again to appreciate what had happened. I wanted to make room to restart my normal daily activities better later in the week. This long silence was sometimes interrupted by my crying, but it was necessary. To finish, stepping back and trying to make sense of what happens to us, I realize that I like the idea that we come from the stars and return there. We are very brief clumps of energy that one day will return where it came from to merge with the rest. > Doing things we love, like writing, and creating, helps us get through it. I received incredible sympathy messages from people who read me here or follow me on [Micro.blog](https://blog.numericcitizen.me/?ref=numericcitizen.me). Thank you in advance for those kind words. Even though these messages of support came from people I do not know personally, it is immensely reassuring. It is an essential human gesture. Some other published articles related to death and getting old [LifeHere is a more personal blog post. I don’t know where it will go from this very moment. My time spent here has been on the decline for a while. I’m not sure that I have full control of …![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/size/w256h256/2021/11/Banner3.0-100x100.png)Numeric Citizen SpaceJF Martin![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/numericcitizen.me/wp-content/uploads/2019/12/cezypkdceqc.jpg)](https://numericcitizen.me/life/) [Remember You Will DieRemember you will die. It’s a fact that we tend to forget. Embracing death can make your life much easier. See how in this short blog post.![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/size/w256h256/2021/11/Banner3.0-100x100.png)Numeric Citizen SpaceJF Martin![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/numericcitizen.me/wp-content/uploads/2021/01/cemetery2.jpg)](https://numericcitizen.me/remember-you-will-die/) [A Guide for Preparing to Leave Your Numeric LegacyWhen someone passes away, managing his or her legacy can be challenging. Younger generations are building a numeric legacy that can prove to be impossible to manage. See how an emergency kit can al…![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/size/w256h256/2021/11/Banner3.0-100x100.png)Numeric Citizen SpaceJF Martin![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/numericcitizen.me/wp-content/uploads/2020/05/will-van-wingerden-czvthlrnlnq-unsplash.jpg)](https://numericcitizen.me/a-guide-for-preparing-to-leave-your-numeric-legacy/) [Managing The Elderly’s Numeric LifePhoto by Matthew Bennett on Unsplash Managing the elderly’s numeric life poses many challenges. One of them is how do you keep valuable data from being lost from one generation to the other. Here i…![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/size/w256h256/2021/11/Banner3.0-100x100.png)Numeric Citizen SpaceJF Martin![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/size/w1200/wp-content/uploads/2019/08/matthew-bennett-78htqvjyms4-unsplash.jpg)](https://numericcitizen.me/managing-the-elderlys-numeric-life/) --- Writing this text was the start of some healing process. It was first written in French, my primary language, and then translated into English with the help of a digital assistant based on ChatGPT. It was easier for me to start in French. I then reviewed the whole text to correct what I thought were imperfections. I hope I didn’t mess it up too much. Thank you for reading. ### Friday Notes #98 — Moving Forward and Feeling Good About It URL: https://numericcitizen.me/friday-notes-98-moving-forward-and-feeling-good-about-it/ Last updated: 2023-01-27T13:00:44.000Z Today, I want to share a portion of my jubilation with you. The source of this joy overflow is that I’m officially off the Twitter platform. In other words, I’m a “Qwitter”. Just like when I decided to quit Facebook, I have the exact same sentiment of liberation, of being free again. Originally announced before the December Holidays, with the expectation that it would take me the year of 2023 to complete my exit from Twitter, it took me less than two weeks to complete the move. If you consider doing the same, my journey is well documented [here](https://numericcitizen.me/2023/01/13/five-steps-for-safely-leaving-twitter/). I didn’t close my account per se because I wanted to block any attempt by a Twitter user to reuse my Twitter “handle”. So I don’t post anything or pay attention to Twitter. I decided to get off the Twitter train when I realized that not only I had spent too much time fighting the very nature of Twitter with some [tricks](https://numericcitizen.me/2021/01/24/the-ultimate-twitter-tips-and-tricks-for-mastering-your-twitter-experience/), I was no longer sharing Twitter’s new owner’s views and values about free speech and democracy. Long story short: I’m not married to any web platforms. When I disagree with a corporation’s values, if it goes too far, I quit and move on. Leaving Twitter triggered a few ripple effects in my digital playground. I unsubscribed from web services like Buffer (used for tweet scheduling) and Typefully (used for writing threads) because they no longer made sense. These services cost me money in challenging economic conditions, and they only made my decisions obvious. Finally, leaving Twitter means I have more time to renew my commitment to a more friendly and open platform, Micro.blog. I brought my blog under the “numericcitizen.me” umbrella, hence the [blog.numericcitizen.me](https://blog.numericcitizen.me/?ref=numericcitizen.me) address. There’s also something else that makes me somewhat excited. I will leave another platform, WordPress (hosting service for numericcitizen.me), and move my content into Ghost, the web service on which this newsletter is hosted. This decision is based on a desire to simplify my publishing workflow, nothing more. I’m not ready yet to move, but you can read more about it [here](https://numericcitizen.me/important-change-coming-to-this-website/). Again, this decision is part of my desire for a consolidation and simplification process. More on that in the future. Stay tuned. [Important Change Coming to This WebsiteToday, I wanted to share an update about my publishing plans for 2023.![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/size/w256h256/2021/11/Banner3.0-100x100.png)Numeric Citizen IntrospectionJF Martin![](https://images.unsplash.com/photo-1585776245991-cf89dd7fc73a?crop=entropy&cs=tinysrgb&fit=max&fm=jpg&ixid=MnwxMTc3M3wwfDF8c2VhcmNofDEyfHxuZXdzfGVufDB8fHx8MTY3NDQwMDMxMQ&ixlib=rb-4.0.3&q=80&w=2000)](https://numericcitizen.me/important-change-coming-to-this-website/) Thanks for reading. 🙏 ### Important Change Coming to This Website URL: https://numericcitizen.me/important-change-coming-to-this-website/ Last updated: 2023-01-22T15:15:16.000Z As we enter 2023, I decided to change some of the services I depend on for publishing. You probably know I’m publishing on another website: [numericcitizen.me](https://numericcitizen.me/). This website is hosted on WordPress.com, which is very expensive because I’m paying for a plan which suppresses advertisements. I no longer see a reason to keep it that way. I plan to move the content over here, on Ghost. While migrating the content, the domain name "numericcitizen-introspection.blog” will transition to “numericcitizen.me”. This means that content from both sites will merge. This transition should be transparent for numericcitizen.me readers, but subscribers to my newsletter will probably need to update their subscriptions. I need to investigate this. Also, the site will lose its naming (I’ll drop the “Introspection” part in the name). I’ll keep you informed in due time. This means you’ll see more content published on the website (if you subscribe to the RSS feed or visit this site regularly), but I won’t flood your inbox. I’ll keep sending newsletters for the Friday Notes Series and the Numeric Citizen Introspection. Also, I decided to stop sharing photography-related content here and instead will do so on [my Exposure page](https://numericcitizen.exposure.co/?ref=numericcitizen.me). Exposure is a dedicated photo-sharing service with a focus on storytelling. I already have six visual stories online. Lastly, not directly related to this website but to general blogging, you can read my regular posts on [blog.numericcitizen.me](https://blog.numericcitizen.me/?ref=numericcitizen.me) (hosted on Micro.blog). You can read a similar announcement: [A Message to my Readers & Followers on WordPress.com - Numeric Citizen Blog](https://numericcitizen.me/2023/01/20/a-message-to-my-readers-followers-on-wordpress-com/). ### A Message to my Readers & Followers on WordPress.com URL: https://numericcitizen.me/a-message-to-my-readers-followers-on-wordpress-com/ Last updated: 2023-03-23T16:47:56.000Z I have a special message for you today. I’ve been here for quite a few years and loved the experience of publishing on WordPress, but the time has come for some changes. I’m in the early stage of planning for the migration of this website to another platform. I’ll explain the reasons why in the future in a more detailed article [here](https://world.numericcitizen.io/meta?ref=numericcitizen.me). Meanwhile, according to the WordPress.com service, there are 154 subscribers to this website, and I want to let you know that you should get ready to update your subscription and follow me on Ghost. The process is easy (3 min max): - Go to [https://numericcitizen-introspection.blog](https://numericcitizen.me/) - Locate the ***Subscribe*** button and subscribe, it’s free. If you want to contribute, you can subscribe to the paid version. It’s up to you. Following your subscription, you’ll receive a confirmation email. Just confirm your subscription, and you’re done. I won’t flood your Inbox, I promise. Not all posts will go out as newsletters or emails. I’ll continue to publish here on WordPress for now while I’m getting ready to move. I plan to use the same domain name (numericcitizen.me), so the migration process should be mostly transparent, except for a few visual changes. I’ll keep you posted on the migration status in the future. If you have comments or questions, please use the comment section, and I’ll answer to the best of my knowledge. Thanks for your time and interest in my work. ### Friday Notes #97 — Thoughts & Observations During My Trip to South America URL: https://numericcitizen.me/friday-notes-97-thoughts-observations-during-my-trip-to-south-america/ Last updated: 2023-01-13T13:00:32.000Z I recently came back from a two-week vacation in South America. I had the chance to visit Sao Paulo, Rio and Bueno Aires, to name the main cities I visited. Half of this vacation was spent on a cruise ship. Overall, it was a great vacation, and I thought I would share some personal thoughts and observations gathered along the way for this first Friday Notes edition. ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/2023/01/IMG_5254.jpeg) - Let’s start on the tech side. AirTags are the new must-have thing, but they induce anxiety when the status lacks frequent updates, as I experienced [here](https://numericcitizen.micro.blog/2022/12/28/airtags-can-be.html?ref=numericcitizen.me) while waiting for my next flight at the airport. ⚪ - Speaking of airports, I took five flights and visited five different airports. I can attest that airports, in general, are the place where customer experience having a terrible time. Most airport designs and service delivery go against optimal user experience. It is, simply put, just mind-boggling how bad things can be. There are so many things that I can count or remember. Here is a short list: restroom location is questionable, poorly displayed indications, and overflowing boarding areas make it hard to keep optimal passengers’ movements. I know that airports are complex and probably hard to manage, especially in a time with hard-to-find reliable personnel. Nonetheless, air travel has its challenges. But not all is lost; power plug to charge devices using USB-A is common now. Amen. ✈️ - Air travel is a massive waste generator. 💺 - I’m wondering what the costliest travel means: cruise ships or airplanes, from an environmental perspective? 🧐 - For the first time in my life, I fled first class on the way home, a ten-hours flight from Buenos Aires to Montreal. I travelled in a Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner. Great plane. Boy, it made a difference in everything, from eating and writing to sleep. I had two windows with electronic shading (using a variable polarized thin layer). I’m tall and never had so much space for stretching myself. What a joy to incline my seat without worrying about degrading the flight experience of the passenger behind me. Oh, and definitely gone are the days when we couldn’t recharge our devices while in flight. 🛩️ - I visited three major cities: São Paulo, Rio and Buenos Aires. Like in every big city, you’ll find many people, great and beautiful things, bad and ugly things and poverty. On the matter of poverty, the worst scenes were in Sao Paulo. Some cities are better or worst in each area. Rio was a letdown. Bueno Aires is my favourite one. 🎆 - I’m used to going to Europe and visiting old places, like very old. In South America, a lot started in 1800, which is not very far back. No wonder why Europe is called the old continent. 🏢 - In Buenos Aires, the wireless speed of LTE is constantly ten to fifteen times slower than in Montreal. Was it because cellular reception was bad, or were too many people in one place? I don’t know. I don’t remember having connected to a 5G network. 📶 - Punte Del Este and Montevideo were small gems, the former being my favourite one, thanks to the surrounding of the Atlantic ocean or river. 🌆 - There weren’t too many visitors or crowded places, which is nice for a photographer like me who prefers to have more room to move around while taking pictures. 😊 - Apple Pay is available everywhere, which is super efficient. I wasn’t expecting that. 💵 - We can find many people still wearing a mask in public areas, especially in Brazil. The pandemic isn’t done yet for the most fragile people. 😷 - Every local person I had the chance to chat with had a common theme: weather is abnormal everywhere, getting worse, and becoming a real challenge for resources like water. Climate change is real, ladies and gentlemen. 🌪️ - I’m still amazed by the power of electronic tools like smartphones and tablets to ease our travel experience worldwide. I can’t help but feel lonely when there is no internet access. I couldn’t fly without my noise-cancelling AirPods Pro 2\. 📲 - I had to use a non-Apple tablet to complete a feedback survey after completing a guided tour by bus. It made me realize how smooth the iPad experience can be for editing text. Filling out this survey was awful. 💻 - If you fly often, I highly suggest trying the Flighty app. It is valuable and reassuring to know what is happening about our flights, from when they are booked to when you touch down. There are so many things that can happen in between. 📱 - There are no rats in São Paulo because snakes eat them. This is what our tour guide told me. This brings me to this long-time question about rats: why don’t we see them more often since they outnumber humans? 🐀 - I wish I had more time to spend in the Buenos Aires cemetery. I could spend the whole day there taking pictures. 🪦 - WhatsApp is THE communication application standard in South America. You know someone uses WhatsApp by how he or she holds the smartphone in front of their face-to-ear messages or records an audio clip message. I don’t know why people don’t hold their phone against their ear, like a normal telephone call. 🤳🏻 ![Taken from the sugar loaf](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/2023/01/IMG_4597.jpeg) Taken from the sugar loaf In the coming weeks, I’ll select the best photos and publish a visual story on [my Exposure site](https://stories.numericcitizen.photos/?ref=numericcitizen.me). You can view [the photo diary of my trip to Italy](https://www.craft.do/s/pquiPWve2Ov3kj?ref=numericcitizen.me) past summer. ### Five Steps For Safely Leaving Twitter URL: https://numericcitizen.me/five-steps-for-safely-leaving-twitter/ Last updated: 2023-10-06T21:43:08.000Z In this article, you’ll find a five-step plan for leaving Twitter behind in an orderly fashion. It might not be easy, but the journey will be well worth it, trust me. Follow these steps, all of which are fully detailed. ![This is my Twitter archive in Safari](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/numericcitizen.me/wp-content/uploads/2023/01/safari-your-twitter-data-2023-01-13-07.00.43-2x.png) This is my Twitter archive in Safari ## 1) Pause & Assess The very first thing that needs to be done is to pause your use of Twitter. For many people like me, Twitter is well entrenched in their digital life and getting rid of their Twitter account can be daunting. Pausing means to stop visiting Twitter’s website or using any Twitter client. Turning off all Twitter notifications is a must. Also, if you’re on an Apple device, consider using screen time to limit the time spent on the platform using any Twitter client. Better yet, delete any Twitter client from all your devices. Another aspect of Twitter consumption is visiting a link pointing to Twitter. You should also stop visiting these links. The whole idea is threefold: see if you can live without Twitter, stop feeding the Twitter platform (stop feeding the beast) and start planning for your world without Twitter. During the assessment phase, you’ll have to consider Twitter alternatives, depending on the reasons why you are using Twitter. If it is to get news in a specific domain, try to go to the news source outlet instead or consider using news aggregators like Techmeme or HackerNews. If you don’t find an aggregator that suits your needs, consider building your own using RSS feeds. ![You can follow people on Twitter using RSS readers like News Explorer](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/numericcitizen.me/wp-content/uploads/2023/01/follow-from-rss.png) You can follow people on Twitter using RSS readers like News Explorer. Because Twitter DMs aren’t encrypted you’ll need to stop using Twitter DMs as soon as possible because they aren’t encrypted. Ask everyone you’re chatting with to join you on another more secure platform like Signal or Telegram. The idea is that you need to slowly disappear from the platform and stop feeding the beast so it can slowly die. You’ll also send a signal to others that Twitter is no longer the place to be and that viable alternatives exist outside (they do). It’s a powerful message, don’t underestimate it. You should pay attention to the list of connected applications as seen on the Twitter Apps and sessions page. Review each app, revoke access as needed and consider any impacts of revoking these connected apps. You may find apps that no longer exist or that you no longer use. Finally, if you use services like Zapier or IFTTT that connect with your Twitter accounts, it’s the right time to log in and turn off any automation that you might have configured using Twitter. These applets will stop working once your Twitter account goes private. As you can see, quitting Twitter is not a free ride, but it is achievable. > **Quitting Twitter has become a coolness factor. So much so that people quitting Twitter got their name: Qwitters.** ## 2) Go Private The next step of the plan is to protect your tweets by converting your public account to a private one. This means that people not following you won’t see any of your content. This also means that newcomers will have to send you a request to follow you, which you’ll kindly decline. This step marks the beginning of the end. You can still log in to your account but freeze any possible addition to your followers list. Speaking of lists, consider examining your Twitter lists if you use them and do whatever you think is required. In my case, I took notes of the accounts I wanted to stay in touch with that added a Mastodon link to their profile. I’m using Micro.blog to follow their Mastodon presence. Delete unneeded lists, private and public ones. People who subscribed to your public Twitter lists will be removed too. ![Turning your Twitter account into a private one](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/numericcitizen.me/wp-content/uploads/2023/01/protect-tweets.png) Turning your Twitter account into a private one ## 3) Wait & See At this stage, your Twitter usage should be minimal to non-existent, including DM usage. Non-followers won’t see any of your past tweets. You’ll systematically refuse new followers. Your Twitter account should look frozen. It’s a good time to change your Twitter profile description, indicating your account is being phased out. Expect to see your followers drop one by one. ## 4) Get Your Data ![Getting your Twitter data is a mandatory step in the plan](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/numericcitizen.me/wp-content/uploads/2023/01/download-your-twitter-data.png) Getting your Twitter data is a mandatory step in the plan You must request your data before deactivating your account (the next and last step). It can take a few days before receiving an email with a link to the archive file. Wait for it, and make sure you download the file and open it up. One fun thing to do: unzip the file, open the text file and go back in time and see your first tweets. It might be fun or not. By the way, you can request your data at any time. You can test the process if you want. ## 5) Deactivate Your Account ![The final and optional step](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/numericcitizen.me/wp-content/uploads/2023/01/deactivate-your-twitter-account.png) The final and optional step Depending on your situation, this step is optional. You might want to keep your disabled account to preserve your Twitter handles for commercial or branding purposes. If you let go of your account, it means that someone else can open an account with your previously used handle. It might not be something that you would want, especially if your account is linked to your business identity or some sort of branding. Personally, I decided to let go @Apple\_Observer but kept @numericcitizen. Deactivated accounts can be restored for up to 30 days after their deactivation. Don’t forget. When the account is deactivated after 30 days, there is no way back. It is a one-way trip. You’ll be officially off Twitter. ![You'll get a notification when the Twitter archive file is ready for download](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/numericcitizen.me/wp-content/uploads/2023/01/twitter-archive-download.png) You’ll get a notification when the Twitter archive file is ready for download. --- This five-step plan was executed as is when I decided to leave Twitter after using it for fifteen-year. My accounts are still there because I want to keep the Twitter handles. It is the third major social network that I quit after Facebook and Instagram. ### Friday Notes #96 — Happy Holidays Edition URL: https://numericcitizen.me/friday-notes-96-happy-holidays-edition/ Last updated: 2022-12-23T13:00:23.000Z For this year’s last edition of the Friday Notes series, I want to share a few thoughts about the current year that is coming to an end and looking to 2023. First, let me ask you this: where did 2022 go? I’m asking because, you know what? It went in a snap. I think I know why: I had many creative projects on my plate, and quite a few were completed, but many are still ongoing and even more are in the pipeline. They kept me busy. I rarely stop asking myself what I am going to do now. Second, it was a somewhat challenging year in some areas. International events can’t be ignored, and I find the war in Ukraine unbearable. It is affecting me in different ways. I wrote about it quite a lot [here](https://write.as/numericcitizen/?ref=numericcitizen.me). I’m screaming in my head when I see [stories like these](https://www.nytimes.com/video/world/europe/100000008299178/ukraine-bucha-russia-massacre-video.html?ref=numericcitizen.me) in the NY Times. I wish the best for the Ukrainians and the worst for the Russians. I wish for a decisive military defeat for Russia as fast as possible, as hard as possible. Then, peace talks will be possible. I guess. I learned in the past months when reading about the history of wars that wars need to end by military means, not by negotiation. You may disagree, but history seems to point in that direction. I do have an internal debate about all of this. As I write this blog post, that’s how I feel anyway. The other personal challenge comes in the form of guilt. I’m not optimistic about the state of the environment worldwide and our response to the climate crisis, both personally and globally. I’m not proud of our generation, the only one I can speak for. For those who follow us, my children, I ask for pardon. Simple as that. Third, I’m looking forward to 2023 sharing my thoughts and quick introspection session results here. I hope for more positive thoughts, though. Plus, I’m going to change a few things in my digital life that could positively impact my presence here. One of them is my desire to close my Twitter accounts sometime in 2023, sooner rather than later. I’ll explain the whys and the hows in detail in due time. I’ll give you a hint behind my motivation: Elon Musk’s puerile attitude. If you’re curious about my quest for a Twitter-free world, open up your RSS reader app and subscribe to [this feed](https://numericcitizen.micro.blog/categories/qwitter/feed.xml?ref=numericcitizen.me). Finally, I hope to return to a more physically active life after the holidays. I’m not at the level I wish I was; it shows in my physical feelings. That’s it. Thanks for reading, and happy holidays. Peace. ### The Craft Story Continues — The Year 2022 in Review And Looking Ahead URL: https://numericcitizen.me/the-craft-story-continues-the-year-2022-in-review-and-looking-ahead/ Last updated: 2024-08-11T12:37:34.000Z ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/numericcitizen.me/wp-content/uploads/2022/12/2022.png) This week’s release of Craft, version 2.4.1, marks this year’s last release, continuing a long streak of a fast pace iterative cadence (close to thirty releases!) The second full year of Craft’s existence was a busy one and saw the introduction of many new features and improvements and marked new directions for the still-young note-taking application. If I had to highlight the three most areas where Craft received improvements this year, they would be the document-sharing features, collaboration and the Craft AI Assistant. Here are more details about each of them. **Document sharing** — Several releases added features and functionalities in the content-sharing space: *Custom domains*, *Google indexing*, *shareable* user-defined *templates*, and *analytics,* to name the biggest ones. These additions make Craft a more and more serious content publication application. I don’t think Craft poses a challenge to CMS like WordPress, but Craft addresses a small portion of users who want to share beautiful content on the web easily. Custom domain support is an important first step in the direction of making Craft one of the best web publishing applications. There’s still a lot to be done, but here we are with this ability to share great and rich content behind domain names of our choice. **Collaboration** — Next up are collaboration-related features with redesigned *commenting*, support for *mentions* and better *notifications*. The latter was long in coming. With Craft receiving improvements in this area, they are enabling better collaborative work because rarely content creation is done alone. Many people need to work together, and Craft, in that respect, is making things a bit better this year. Is it the best collaborative platform? Nope. Not yet. Should it become one? It depends on who you ask. For me, it doesn’t move the needle. **Craft AI Assistant** — Last but not least, the unexpected addition of the writing *assistant* created stir and surprise among Craft users, myself included. The dust still has to settle a bit more, though. Craft is essentially a beautiful note-taking and writing application; in that respect, the assistant can offer some interesting and useful help. We’re still getting acquainted with the assistant, but from my personal experience, I’m cautiously adding use cases for it. It has already proved to be useful in some circumstances. > 👀 I asked the Craft AI Assistant a question 👇 ![The Craft AI Assistant seems to have trouble with the notion of time. LOL](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/numericcitizen.me/wp-content/uploads/2022/12/craft-ai-one.png) The Craft AI Assistant seems to have trouble with the notion of time. LOL ## Looking ahead to 2023 ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/numericcitizen.me/wp-content/uploads/2022/12/2023.jpg) The year 2022 saw Craft enter new directions, and many features seem to show a “work-in-progress” status. Next year has to be a year of maturation in the core experience and improvements to basic Craft UI elements. I wish Craft won’t spread too thin in too many directions. Quite a few elemental things need attention and some reworking to make the core experience even better. Frankly, I don’t see multi-month efforts required to rework some popup menus, keyboard shortcuts and share sheets redesign. Frankly, there are far too many low-hanging fruits for the Craft team to gather. They have to put to rest long-lasting criticisms that plague each new Craft release. While we wait for a roadmap like [the one found on the Capacities web app](https://capacities.io/roadmap?ref=numericcitizen.me), maybe the Craft team could look into [my wish list](https://www.craft.do/s/dxwb0SsrGtPF47?ref=numericcitizen.me) and [this one](https://www.craft.do/s/K73vzG6zV0uPzx?ref=numericcitizen.me), too, to find their next steps. Here’s some help and three of my highly awaited things for Craft. ![Mmmm, well, m’ok.](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/numericcitizen.me/wp-content/uploads/2022/12/craft-ai-two.png) Mmmm, well, m’ok. More consistency & improvements to all platforms — Don’t be afraid to define keyboard shortcuts for all platforms, better popup menu organization and expanded Shortcuts support enabling new automated workflows would be a good way to improve Craft. Expanding objects formatting options — Bigger text size, more fonts, SF Symbols support, page icons, user-customizable colour palette, expanded image arrangement in page and formatting attributes, horizontal cards alignment, better headlines formatting to make them more distinctive from each other, address fix weird spacing issues, add more embed types like YouTube video, Tweets, etc. The list could go on and on. Anything that will help make visually richer and more personal documents. Improved information organization enablers — Tags, yes, real tags support must come to Craft sooner than later. Bring them in using a unique twist, not only trying to replicate what’s available elsewhere. I don’t expect tags to be implemented like in Obsidian or Capacities, though. Craft isn’t really, from my perspective, emphasizing document content being a series of nodes, but I do see them coming at some higher level. Searching across spaces, please, not only document titles but full content, too, from anywhere. Wild dreams — Expand custom domains to private space too, add RSS feeds support, allow for 365 days of analytics, expand SEO support, and improvements to third-party CMS publishing too would be appreciated for Write.as, Micro.blog and support Draft mode for these. For a complete summary of Craft release highlights, refer to [this shared document](https://www.craft.do/s/Sq7tLIv2ubuViN?ref=numericcitizen.me). ### Friday Notes #95 — It’s Good Enough URL: https://numericcitizen.me/friday-notes-95-its-good-enough/ Last updated: 2022-12-09T13:00:38.000Z Artificial Intelligence is spreading around us: in our smartphones, cars, cameras, etc. It’s not a new concept, far from it. Machine learning and deep learning, two essential fields representing AI advances lately, seem to have boosted their presence in many digital areas left untouched. As a prime example, consider Dall-E from OpenAI, which can create surprisingly creative artworks given a simple phrase. Dall-E isn’t the only one. There are a few other competitors in this space. Again, from OpenAI, there is GPT-3 that can generate text from a simple text input like “Write a blog post about artificial intelligence.” > The applications of AI don’t stop there. AI is finding its way into many consumer products, from home appliances to cars. It’s becoming a key technology that’s expected to revolutionize many industries. Its ability to process large amounts of data and draw conclusions in a short period of time is what makes it so attractive. Plus, its ability to learn and adapt to new circumstances and data is an incredible advantage. > The idea of having an AI system that can outperform a human being on certain tasks is exciting, but it also can be a bit daunting. For one, there’s the worry that a machine could take decisions that are biased or wrong. People also worry about the implications of AI on our privacy and safety. > We should keep in mind, however, that AI is still in its infancy. AI’s capabilities are still in their infancy, too. But we’re likely to see more from this technology in the near future. And, as it advances, AI is likely to become even more powerful and capable in tackling complex tasks. > But for now, AI is only “good enough” for certain tasks. We have to accept that AI’s capabilities are still limited and that it’s not advanced enough to do things that “we can do, but faster”. But that doesn’t mean we can’t benefit from it. AI can certainly do many things better than a human being and is expected to do even more in the future. So, let’s keep an open mind and see what AI can do for us. The previous four paragraphs were generated using Craft AI Assistant, which taps into the GPT-3 “engine.” Not bad, right? In a recent [discussion](https://community.craft.do/c/craft-ai-assistant/a-public-wordpress-post-about-craft-assistant?ref=numericcitizen.me) in the Craft community forum on Circle, I read something that really resonated with me. The author asks many questions. How do we make sure that the generated text is based on facts? How do we ensure there are no copyright issues with the generated text? When someone asks to create an article summary, something that Craft AI Assistant can do, how do we ensure the summary reflects the article content? What if students start using GPT-3 based services to write an essay? Is this original work? Is it good enough? Some would argue that as soon as the text is slightly modified to correct any obvious errors, the text should be considered an original one and good enough. The question of something like a service being good enough has haunted me since I was a teenager. As an architect, my father struggled quite a lot with many potential clients who constantly asked, “why would I hire an architect to design my house if a technician in the same field can do the same?” The reason for asking this type of question is that an architect doesn’t come cheap, but a technician, yes. It’s about saving money. Along the way, it’s about saying, “it’s good enough.” The work of an architect, when creating a new house for his client, involves asking questions like how they live. Do they have hobbies? Do they plan to have children? Are they planning to have their parents with them in the future? Etc. Then, the thinking begins, and the design phase starts. These phases require experience, know-how, and time. They come at a price. The clients need to understand this and value the process and the likely results. If they don’t care, they won’t use an architect and settle for the “good enough” alternative. Are we in for the same reasoning when it comes to AI? I find many similarities between my father’s professional challenges and using artificial intelligence for creative purposes. Sure, the models will improve over time faster than we can comprehend. We will constantly be impressed by how fast results come in and how “good” they are. But I wonder if we are somehow missing the point of human creativity. ### Friday Notes #94 — Unleashing Creativity — Exploring Three Creative Projects in My Spare Time URL: https://numericcitizen.me/friday-notes-94-unleashing-creativity-exploring-three-creative-projects-in-my-spare-time/ Last updated: 2022-12-02T13:00:03.000Z For this week’s Friday Notes, I wanted to give you a quick update about my recent projects. My publishing streak was interrupted recently because of a few creative projects that grabbed most of my spare time. First, I’m constantly producing new YouTube videos about Craft every week or so. They are mostly under 20 minutes, but it takes quite some preparation. I love doing this. It's pretty different than writing articles or blog posts. You can find (and watch) the videos [here](https://www.youtube.com/c/numericcitizenvideos?ref=numericcitizen.me). Now 34 videos and counting. Second, I recently started posting visual stories on the excellent photo-sharing web service “Exposure.” It’s a mix between Flickr, Smugmug and Glass. So far, I have managed to publish four stories. You can find my Exposure site [here](https://stories.numericcitizen.photos/?ref=numericcitizen.me). I'll try to post another one this weekend. Finally, last week, I restarted the SDDCbox project. I decided to reboot my journey exploring using a Mac to experiment with virtual labs using software like VMware Fusion. Because I refrained from buying a shiny new iPhone 14 Pro Max this year, I decided to invest some money into buying an old 2013 Mac Pro instead. Yep. You read it well—a nice-year-old machine. You can read all the details about this project [here](https://world.numericcitizen.io/sddcbox-start-page?ref=numericcitizen.me). [The SDDCbox Project Start Page![](https://www.craft.do/share/static/logo-192.png)![](https://api.craft.do/render/preview/tGNIXcT0I16uPm)](https://world.numericcitizen.io/sddcbox-start-page?ref=numericcitizen.me) Building a data center in a box Creativity is the common denominator of these three projects. It is an essential part of life for many people. It can be expressed through art, music, writing, programming, and many other activities. It has the power to spark joy, spark emotion, and bring something new to the world. For some, creativity is a means of self-expression, while for others, it is an outlet to explore their interests and have fun. Whatever your creative outlet, it is an integral part of life and makes life more exciting and rewarding. 💡 What did I learn this week? Human body cells get entirely replaced by new ones every 15 years, more or less. In other words, 15 years from now, none of my current cells will be the same. Mind-bogging. ### Carousel: The iPhone App That Never Was URL: https://numericcitizen.me/carousel-the-iphone-app-that-never-was/ Last updated: 2023-03-23T16:47:56.000Z Here’s a short story about a short episode of my journey as an indie and part-time iPhone apps developer back in 2009. ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/numericcitizen.me/wp-content/uploads/2022/12/the_carousel_app-mockup.jpg) This is a mockup of the Carousel app. From 2009 to 2013, before becoming a content creator, I spend my spare time creating iPhone apps. There was a short period between the two where I took a break from digital creation. As an indie iPhone developer, I had a few application ideas, one for an app called “Carousel.” The goal of this application was to enable its users to capture digital elements like photos, sound, videos, etc. and then act on these captured elements by sharing them on social networks or on the device itself. At the time, [Posterous](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Posterous?ref=numericcitizen.me) was a popular social network, my application would have been a Posterous client. First, let’s define what a Carousel is, according to Wikipedia: > “A **carousel** or **carrousel** (mainly [North American English](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/North%5FAmerican%5FEnglish?ref=numericcitizen.me)),[\[1\]](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Carousel?ref=numericcitizen.me#cite%5Fnote-1), **merry-go-round** ([international](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List%5Fof%5Fsovereign%5Fstates?ref=numericcitizen.me)), **roundabout** ([British English](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/British%5FEnglish?ref=numericcitizen.me)),[\[2\]](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Carousel?ref=numericcitizen.me#cite%5Fnote-2) or **hurdy-gurdy** (An old term in [Australian English](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Australian%5FEnglish?ref=numericcitizen.me), in [SA](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/South%5FAustralia?ref=numericcitizen.me))[\[3\]](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Carousel?ref=numericcitizen.me#cite%5Fnote-3) is a type of [amusement ride](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Amusement%5Fride?ref=numericcitizen.me) consisting of a [rotating](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rotation?ref=numericcitizen.me) circular platform with seats for riders. The “seats” are traditionally in the form of rows of wooden [horses](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Horse?ref=numericcitizen.me) or other animals mounted on posts, many of which are moved up and down by gears to simulate [galloping](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Horse%5Fgallop?ref=numericcitizen.me), to the accompaniment of [looped](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Music%5Floop?ref=numericcitizen.me) [circus music](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Circus%5Fmusic?ref=numericcitizen.me).”Wikipedia At the beginning of the application conception, I wanted to call it “Capture” because it was, for the most part, the starting point of the application usage. But, after a while, I remembered that I thought this name was a bit lame and wasn’t catchy enough, so Carousel came up because of the general design of the screen. When I had the concept pretty much drafted, I went to see iPhone app developers I knew about, asked them to sign an NDA, and then exposed the application concept and design. It didn’t impress, at best; they found the basic design “interesting.” The design elements at the center of my Carousel app were three rotating circular cylinders. Each cylinder had a specific row of icons for a designated set of available actions. The top row was the “capture” cylinder. The user could rotate the cylinder and stop at specific action, for example, the camera icon. The middle cylinder was the action row where the user could save, tag, and file the digital element he was about to take (from the top cylinder). The lower cylinder was the “share” row from which the user could share the digital nuggets with another person or post on social networks for which the user would have set the credentials. That was the gist of the app. I know there was a link between the three rows of icons, but I can’t remember exactly what it was and how it would have affected the application interaction. Finally, the application’s settings were accessible by tapping the bottom right gears icon. Eventually, I abandoned this idea and moved to something else. I made a password manager, which I put on sales and maintained for five years. It was an enriching experience. I made 5000$ along the way and learn a lot about iPhone app development and the App Store publishing journey. ### My Photo Processing Workflow As Of 2022-11 URL: https://numericcitizen.me/my-photo-processing-workflow-as-of-2022-11/ Last updated: 2024-04-22T01:06:13.000Z My last photo processing update is more than two years old. Quite a few things have happened since 2020: many things are in, but many things are out too. I learned to use new services while dropping those that don’t fit my content creation journey. Let’s see what’s in and what’s out. ![My photo processing workflow as of 2022-11](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/numericcitizen.me/wp-content/uploads/2022/11/2022-11-photo-processing-workflow.png) My photo processing workflow as of 2022-11 (click to enlarge) ## What’s in - **Glass**, the new kid on the block of photo-sharing services, is in, and I like it a lot, as I wrote in “[my experience with the service](https://numericcitizen.me/2021/08/18/thoughts-and-observations-from-my-experience-with-glass/).” - **Exposure** is in, and I love it so much that it will replace Smugmug as my official home. The main reason is the possibility of a great mix of images and text forming beautiful posts. All posts published on Exposure are cross-posted to Micro.blog. - **Adobe Spark** was renamed to **Adobe Express** recently. I’m rarely using it, but when I do, I like this creative tool. - On the hardware side, my **iPhone 11 Pro** was upgraded to an iPhone 13 Pro back in the fall of 2021, and I wrote in detail in [Upgrading From the iPhone 11 Pro to iPhone 13 Pro — the Love Story Continues – Numeric Citizen Blog](https://numericcitizen.me/2021/11/13/upgrading-from-the-iphone-11-pro-to-iphone-13-pro-the-love-story-continues/). In summary, it was a great upgrade for my photography creativity. ## What’s out I guess the following items should be added to my long list of “[Things that don’t stick with me](https://numericcitizen.me/2022/07/03/things-that-dont-stick-with-me/)” article. Let’s see one by one the ousted service or app. - My iPhone 13 Pro played a major role during my trip to Italy last summer. Two-thirds of my shots came through my iPhone 13 Pro device, one third with my Nikon D750\. The trend is worrisome. Is my **Nikon D750** on the way out? Not yet, but… I know it won’t be part of my next trip to South America this coming December. - **500px** is out ([it previously replaced Flickr](https://numericcitizen.me/2020/02/02/online-photo-sharing-services-my-experience-with-500px/)) and eventually was, in turn, [replaced by Smugmug](https://numericcitizen.me/2021/05/29/smugmug-the-definitive-home-for-my-online-photo-library/). The latter is on the way out too, and will be replaced by Exposure. The process has already started (read [my Experience using the service](https://numericcitizen.me/2022/11/19/my-experience-with-exposure-a-visual-storytelling-service/) recently published). - **Universe** was a one-year experience but was later abandoned. It gave me the unique experience of building a simple website showing my urban exploration photographic work. - **Gurushots**, a photo contest community, is out of my digital life. I still have an account but I no longer spend time on this website. It’s a big waste of time as fully documented [GuruShots Tips and Tricks Guide — The 2021 Edition — Part I – Numeric Citizen Blog](https://numericcitizen.me/2021/02/07/gurushots-tips-and-tricks-guide-the-2021-edition-part-i/) and in [GuruShots Tips and Tricks Guide — The 2021 Edition — Part 2 – Numeric Citizen Blog](https://numericcitizen.me/2021/02/10/gurushots-tips-and-tricks-guide-the-2021-edition-part-2/). - **Camera+** is another victim of my workflow constant optimization. It was briefly replaced by the excellent Halide, but again it was dropped in favour of Apple’s stock Camera app. If I had an iPhone 14 Pro, I would probably switch back to Halide as it offers an easy way to turn on and off the 48-megapixels camera mode. - Also out is my content on **Adobe Portfolio** (I wrote [a small review](https://numericcitizen.me/2019/02/17/adobe-portfolio-review/) about the service a while back). While the tied integration with Adobe Lightroom is nice, it wasn’t easy to create a website to my liking, and I eventually dropped the service. Exposure is a photo-sharing service that goes way beyond Adobe Portfolio. - My use of Adobe Lightroom Classic has significantly decreased since my last workflow update. My go-to photo editing app is Adobe Lightroom (both on iPad or M1 MacBook Air), and Pixelmator Photo on the iPad comes in second. The latter was extensively used during [my summer trip to Italy](https://www.craft.do/s/pquiPWve2Ov3kj?ref=numericcitizen.me). - I also stopped using **Skylum Aurora HDR & Luminar** as my need for HDR is nonexistent (it used to be the case when I was doing urban exploration, which is no longer the case, sadly). - On the hardware side, I sold my **2017 4K Retina iMac** (read “[Remembering My Story of Owning The 4K Retina 21.5 inches iMac — 2017-2021 – Numeric Citizen Blog](https://numericcitizen.me/2022/10/29/remembering-my-story-of-owning-the-4k-retina-21-inches-imac-2017-2021/)”) and bought an M1 Mac mini shortly after it came out on the market. I wrote a must-read article on [how to migrate Adobe Lightroom Classic from one Mac to another](https://numericcitizen.me/2021/09/07/migrating-adobe-lightroom-classic-to-a-new-computer-my-experience/). A few months later, I got an M1 MacBook Air. Both of these machines are simply incredibly mighty. ## Miscellaneous I’m still using **Unsplash** for selecting photos for addition to my content when it makes sense. I contribute from time to time, and that ok. I’m not investing much time in selecting photo content for publication on Unsplash. Sometimes, less is more. I used to have an **Instagram** account ([The Perfect Imperfctions](https://www.instagram.com/theperfectimperfctions/?ref=numericcitizen.me)) and mostly stopped posting on it. Time is a finite resource, and I have to make choices on where I spend my time creating new and meaningful content. One thing is for sure, Instagram is not what it used to be for photography lovers like me. ## Concluding words My photography workflow is constantly changing but maybe not as often as [my blogger workflow](https://world.numericcitizen.io/meta?ref=numericcitizen.me). It has been more than two years since my last workflow update, and a lot has changed in two years. I don’t see major changes in the future, as I’d like to keep things a bit more stable for now and use my creativity to make good use of my toolset. ### My Experience With Exposure — a Visual Storytelling Service URL: https://numericcitizen.me/my-experience-with-exposure-a-visual-storytelling-service/ Last updated: 2024-02-08T12:47:36.000Z I’ve been a long-time subscriber to photo-sharing web services. First with Flickr back in 2008, [then 500px](https://numericcitizen.me/2020/02/02/online-photo-sharing-services-my-experience-with-500px/) before moving on to [Smugmug](https://numericcitizen.me/2021/05/29/smugmug-the-definitive-home-for-my-online-photo-library/) and [Glass](https://numericcitizen.me/2021/08/18/thoughts-and-observations-from-my-experience-with-glass/) more recently. The latter is undisputed, the one I’m keeping, but Smugmug is in clear danger of being kicked out of my digital landscape, thanks to a new experiment with Exposure. Here are my observations and thoughts following my recent work with the service. ## Why Exposure? First, let me share the reasons why I was tempted by Exposure and started to publish visual stories on it. - Older companies like Smugmug have become lazy and offer things I don’t need, like importing all my photos into the service or backing up my RAW files. This is not what I’m looking for, and I have no need for these new features. ![Flickr release notes are showing a stagnating photo-sharing platform. Same for Smugmug.](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/numericcitizen.me/wp-content/uploads/2022/11/flickr-release-notes.png) Flickr release notes showing a stagnating photo-sharing platform. Same for Smugmug. - I generally like Smugmug, and it was a big step up after leaving Flickr, but I find their lack of support of Apple’s latest features like Widgets a deal-breaker, and I’m not talking about their lack of RSS feeds, which is a shame in 2022. - As much as I love Glass, I don’t feel this is the place to write visual stories. It’s ok to post a few photos here and there and interact with photo enthusiasts, but that’s about it. - Exposure has been around since at least 2013, according to [this review](https://blog.thomasfitzgeraldphotography.com/blog/2014/06/review-exposure-photographer-publishing-platform?ref=numericcitizen.me) and this one from [The Verge](https://www.theverge.com/2013/12/6/5178624/exposure-creates-stunning-graphic-stories-out-of-your-photo-sets?ref=numericcitizen.me). I consider Exposure to be a solid foundation for sharing photos and stories. - Exposure better supports my desire to express something beyond images. Something that I do in my Photo Legend Series, for example. I like the concept of writing short stories behind an image or a set of images. Exposure allows that in a beautiful editing environment. - Exposure isn’t cheap but offers relatively fair differentiation across the subscription tiers. I’m subscribing to the Pro Plus plan because I want more features like in-story audio and more flexibility in designing my posts. ## The Exposure Editor Experience Now, let’s talk about the story writing and editing experience. - I have created three stories so far. I consider myself quite acquainted with the service. - Somehow, Exposure reminds me of Squarespace from a design perspective and of Medium for their story editor. Both services try to provide the best user experience to support content creators in sharing their work pleasantly and as frictionlessly as possible. Exposure’s editor is based on blocks where you can insert different photo arrangements, text blocks, embeds, quotes, etc. It offers just enough possibilities for creating rich visual and textual stories. ![Exposure editor provides inline tips for helping new users like me better take advantage of the platform features.](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/numericcitizen.me/wp-content/uploads/2022/11/exposure-inline-instructions.png) The Exposure editor provides inline tips for helping new users like me better take advantage of the platform features. - In a sense, I’m experimenting with Exposure just like [I did with Universe](https://numericcitizen.me/2020/05/22/introducing-numeric-citizen-visual-space-on-universe/), another visual website creative service. My stay with Universe [lasted one year](https://numericcitizen.me/2021/05/16/bye-bye-universe/). It was good for posting images but lacked text editing. - Smugmug and Flickr have mobile apps but generally lack evolution (see release notes of these apps! This is pathetic). Exposure, the underdog, offers a great web experience with a constant flow of meaningful improvements. Surprisingly, editing a story from an iPad is good. I largely prefer working on a Mac, though. - Exposure offers quite a lot of design flexibility for the general look of a website. Branding a website is straightforward. You happen to be able to create something unique yet familiar to Exposure design language. I prefer my design on Exposure to the one on Smugmug. - Designing a sophisticated website is also possible using the Exposure menu builder. - Formatting options are flexible. Photos can be inserted as individual images or as a photoset. There are many formatting styles for each option for photos and text positioning. - Going from edit to preview mode and back is super smooth. It’s very fast to see how the story will display while editing in the browser. Any changes made to the content are immediately reflected live on the site. - In principle, Exposure offers a WYSIWYG editor. Still, in a 2014 review of Exposure, there was this remark: “*There are a couple of design oddities about the site that I came across while going through the process. When adding the title, the text is in a nice lowercase font which actually looks quite well, but when you publish, it turns to uppercase. In the FAQ, it says that this is an aesthetic choice, but as it’s a WYSIWYG editor, I don’t get why it’s in lowercase to begin with. I know this is a little thing, but as a design-focused site, it’s a bit of an odd decision.*” The behaviour is still the same today. - Stories can be assigned user-defined categories and can be submitted to Exposure-defined categories for curation and eventually for publication on one of their curated feeds. I’m excited to report that one of my stories has been selected for the photography category. Was it because they knew I was still on the 14-day trial period and wanted to incite me to subscribe? I’m a bit cynical here. - Contrary to Smugmug, Exposure supports RSS feeds. The content of each post comes from the first image and the first text paragraph. I like this. ![This is how Exposure RSS feed content is generated. I like this.](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/numericcitizen.me/wp-content/uploads/2022/11/reeder-view-of-exposure-rss-feed.png) This is how Exposure RSS feed content is generated. I like this. - Exposure offers plenty of options for story embedding. I tested story embedding in Ghost and WordPress editors. The best results are on WordPress. - Setting a story’s unique URL to a readable format is possible and is recommended for better SEO. - Speaking of SEO, Exposure offers SEO-related features like site metadata for indexing and social media sharing appearance configuration. - Once a story is published, Exposure offers a media view called “Media Archive,” which is a condensed view of the story’s visual content where each image can be individually downloaded. I like this a lot. - I decided to move my numericcitizen.photos main domain out of Smugmug and assign it to Exposure instead. So, it now becomes stories.numericcitizen.photos. It was an easy process that took five minutes to accomplish. ## About the Consuming Experience Once stories are created, consuming stories created and published by others is pure joy. - Since Exposure uses high-resolution images, browsing a story is network bandwidth-hungry, and loading images can take a few seconds. I experienced a 4-6 seconds delay constantly. - Browsing images is keyboard-friendly. Right and left arrows and the ESC key are supported to return to the story’s main page. ## What’s missing so far? - Only Google Analytics is supported. I wish there were more flexibility and a way to support Plausible, which I use for my other. - Again, I don’t mind having only the website to interact with Exposure. It’s probably because it is well-designed and way better than Smugmug, Flickr or 500px. - Unless Exposure branding is turned off, Favicon is not supported. The RSS feed or bookmark in any web browser will display the Exposure logo. I made sure Exposure branding is off. ## Looking Ahead I’m planning to close my Smugmug account when my current subscription comes to an end in 2024\. This allows me to move my content from one platform to another in no rush. Thankfully, it is easy to download my images into a zip file, ready to be re-imported into Exposure to create a new story. ### Concluding remarks During the 14-day trial period, I had enough time to learn to use Exposure by setting up my website and putting together three visual stories, one of which made it to the curated view of the Photography section. I wonder if it has something to do with the curation on the last day of my trial period to entice me to sign up for a subscription plan. I’m a bit cynical here, I know. That said, I’ll subscribe to Exposure, and it will be a great alternative to Smugmug and a nice complement to my Glass profile page. Update: 2024-02-08: I'm no longer using Exposure: too expansive and no new features. ### Friday Notes #93 — Remembrance Day URL: https://numericcitizen.me/friday-notes-93-remembrance-day/ Last updated: 2022-11-11T12:00:05.000Z 💡 Today is Remembrance day. 🌺 Please, do me a favour and take a moment today to think about all those who died for us in the past. And think about those Ukrainians who die right now 🇺🇦. They do that for the exact same reason: freedom. They shall be remembered. --- Last weekend, I spent many hours digging into a few of my old souvenir boxes. It’s funny how they followed me from place to place, where I stayed without being opened. My parents used to keep them in the house basement because I didn’t have room in my apartment when I was studying at university. It’s only a few years later, after graduating, that I cared to take them back with me, but I never really spent the time to go through their content. This is what I did last weekend. This made me go back in time and brought back many memories I didn’t remember until now. Among the things found are a lot of pictures. This website is all about being more personal with you, dear readers. So, here you go, a small slice of my life when I was young, still a child. The following photos represent many important memories about things that were important to me at some point. ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/2022/11/me-happy.jpg) That was me when I was 11 or 12\. My late father took this photo. We made a trip together, just him and me, in Montreal. It was at the amusement park. I know he didn’t really like this kind of place, but he agreed to come with me. Growing up in a tiny town, I always wanted to go and see Montreal, a big city that seemed so far from me. I look like a happy boy, isn’t I? ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/2022/11/the-rocket.jpg) When I was an early teenager, I was passionate about building rocket models that I could later fly. My brother took this particular photo just at the right time. I still have that rocket somewhere. Today, using the iPhone’s slow-motion video recording, we can get even cooler recordings of our memories. Too bad it wasn’t available back then. ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/2022/11/the-space-shuttle.jpg) I was a fan of the space shuttle program. At the time, we didn’t have video recording capabilities like today. The way to record memories was to take pictures of the TV screen. This was one of the first space shuttle flights before they stopped painting the main tank white. ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/2022/11/the-fuzzy-car.jpg) This is my first experiment with my Minolta SRT-200 camera. I don’t remember the occasion, but I think it was some sort of car racing. At the time, I was processing my black & white films myself. ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/2022/11/my-desk-with-a-mac.jpg) This was my desk in my room at college around 1985 or 1986 (as I wrote in “[Friday Notes #47 — From My Personal Archives](https://numericcitizen.me/friday-notes-47/)”). The Mac was an essential part of my life back then (read “[Remembering the Story of Owning a Macintosh Plus\*](https://numericcitizen.me/2022/03/27/remembering-my-story-of-owning-a-macintosh-plus-1986/).”). On the desk are the first three volumes of the [Inside Macintosh series](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Inside%5FMacintosh?ref=numericcitizen.me), which were books for learning how to program the Mac. Also on the desk is an ImageWriter printer. One of the best dot matrix printers back in the day. Next up, many floppies in a box and many MacUsers and MacWorld magazines are on the shelves and other computer-related magazines. I wish I still had this mug with a traditional Apple logo. ### My Experience With the Opal C1 Webcam URL: https://numericcitizen.me/my-experience-with-the-opal-c1-webcam/ Last updated: 2024-03-03T19:56:08.000Z In May 2022, I was invited to order the long-awaited [Opal C1 webcam](https://opalcamera.com/?ref=numericcitizen.me). I was waiting for something to replace my Logitech Brio 4K, thinking I would get better image quality. However, my enthusiasm vanished after unboxing the camera, plugging it in, installing the required software, and experimenting with it. After months of experimenting with an experimental product, here are my observations and thoughts. ## From the physical side of the story First, let’s talk about the physical device itself, which is where it shines. - The camera packaging is very well designed. Simple. Similar to what you can see from an Apple product. - The physical appearance is stunning and very Apple-like. The camera seems to be coming from Apple’s design language of the nineties. Not everything was terrible at the time. It also reminds me of some old camera finish in the seventies. It’s an excellent little device with a solid feel to it. - The camera has a protective lens cap, which snaps into place with a magnet. That is another nice touch. It reminds me of the MagSafe charger with the iPhone. The cap is covered with some tissue to clean the lens, another clever design decision. - When plugging the camera in. I wasn’t sure which end of the cable had to go where. The twisted portion goes at the back of the camera. ## On the software side The software side of the story is quite another matter. Great visual design should never excuse any software instabilities. - At release 0.23, the software is still in beta, six months after getting the device and many more since the device hit the market. The software has a great piece of user interface design to it and features rich. As you might expect with a beta label, even though the software is a work in progress, it doesn’t look unfinished. The problem is that updates are long in coming, generally every month. At this pace, I’m not sure I’ll have a fully functional and, most importantly, stable camera before the end of 2022. - You can record both the Mac desktop and your face and save this into a QuickTime file. This can be very useful for work purposes or if you are into producing training videos. Image filters are available, too. You can record in 1080p or 4K resolution. ![The Opal C1 Webcam waiting to start within the application utility.](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/numericcitizen.me/wp-content/uploads/2022/11/opal-c1-webcam-waiting-to-start.gif) The Opal C1 Webcam is slow to start in general. Sometimes it won’t even turn on. ## Using the camera - It takes a few seconds before the image appears within the Opal C1 utility, longer than for the Logitech or FaceTime camera on my Apple Studio Display. It is slow to start. - Upon the first connection, I found the image quality of lesser quality than the Logitech Brio 4K. After playing with the software, I discovered that the camera was defaulting to a resolution of 1440 pixels instead of 4K. Even after enabling the higher resolution option, the image quality wasn’t as good as I expected. Some artifacts appeared in certain parts of the image, which I cannot eliminate. - The camera can become quite hot after a prolongated period of use. The documentation says it’s not a problem; we shouldn’t worry. Yet, if the camera becomes really hot, I guess it’s consuming a lot of power, so it’s something to think about when you use it with a laptop. - Videos can be recorded from within the camera application. However, something is missing: we cannot decide where the videos are stored. QuickTime Player is opened once the recording stops. From there, it’s easy to locate the file in the finder and move it to the desired place. Not very practical. I would like to set the location for storing the files. - One major issue was that recording video in ScreenFlow didn’t work initially, which could have been a deal breaker. I use Screenflow to record my YouTube videos. It still doesn’t work. - There was an issue with Screenflow 10.0.7 and macOS Ventura: Screenflow cannot display the video feed when recording with both video and audio. - Still, with Screenflow, when the Opal camera works, which is not always the case, if I set the sound to come from my Yeti Blue microphone, the sound isn’t in sync with the video feed. There’s a lag between the two, which is a deal breaker. I’m unsure who’s at fault here: Screenflow or the Opal C1 camera software. - Sometimes, the camera refuses to work and needs to be unplugged from the USB-C port and plugged back in. It happened a few times but is hard to reproduce. - Gesture control is cool, in principle, but I only get one to work: the peace sign to turn on or off the camera. - A face tracking feature, similar to Apple’s Center Stage, is nice. It feels a bit more aggressive than Apple’s version. But we can control the sensitivity of the feature. - During a FaceTime call, I lost the sound, and the Opal application popped up in the background as if the camera was quickly disconnected and reconnected. I couldn’t get the sound working again on that FaceTime call; I had to hang up and restart it. - In summary, the image quality coming out of the Opal C1 camera is good compared to, say, the integrated webcam of my Apple Studio Display, but compared to the Logitech Brio 4K webcam, it’s hard to determine who’s the real winner here non-scientifically. I’ll give a slight edge to the Opal camera. ## Concluding remarks I waited many months before finishing this review to be in sync with the camera software release cadence. I was expecting a more finished product. I cannot recommend anyone to buy the Opal C1 webcam, even though you’ll find plenty of positive reviews of the camera online. Frankly, It is hard to believe this webcam is still on sale. It’s not ready for prime time yet. It’s a tremendous physical device with work-in-progress software and an impressive user interface. I’m not even sure if it will ever be finished. For those with macOS Ventura, the possibility of using your iPhone as a webcam poses a real danger to the Opal webcam future. It’s just another reason to pass on the Opal C1 webcam. It’s a sad and expansive experiment. Now that this review is complete, please let me put the device in the drawer. **2024-03-02 update**: I recently got the Open C1 out of my drawer for two video feeds in Screenflow. One feed takes my face straight in front, and the second feed is at 45 degrees. I can then alternate between the two when doing my video montage. It has been over a year since I plugged the Opal camera into my M1 Mac mini. I re-installed the Opal Studio application, and a firmware update was needed upon connecting my Opal camera, which I promptly applied. Since writing this article, I have upgraded my iPhone to the iPhone 15 Pro Max. When comparing the two camera image quality, the iPhone wins by a wide margin. The iPhone seems better at white balance. I'm happy to be using both cameras simultaneously and think that the Opal C1 camera does a decent job at adding visual variety to my video production workflow. [Working From Home? How to Improve Your Web Conferencing ExperienceThe coronavirus forces many people to work from home. Here is how to improve your use of collaborative software like web conferencing applications and be a good meeting attendee. The world is in a …![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/size/w256h256/2021/11/Banner3.0-100x100.png)Numeric Citizen SpaceJF Martin![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/numericcitizen.me/wp-content/uploads/2020/03/glenn-carstens-peters-sl5d_8ywaaa-unsplash.jpg)](https://numericcitizen.me/working-from-home-how-to-improve-your-web-conferencing-experience/) ### Friday Notes #92 — Ten Years Left of Professional Life URL: https://numericcitizen.me/friday-notes-92-ten-years-left-of-professional-life/ Last updated: 2022-11-04T11:00:41.000Z During a recent walk in the forest with one of my dear friends, we discussed retirement broadly. At some point in the discussion, we talked about how many years of professional life we thought we had in front of us. After a quick calculation, I concluded that I had ten years left. This sounds like a long time, but I guarantee you it isn’t the case. Ten years will fly in a snap. For example, I’ve worked at the current organization for five years, and it feels like I started there yesterday. Looking back at my career, I can divide my pro years into four main segments spanning more than twenty-five years: the beginning, the long journey, the transition and the exploration era. I’m currently working in a company which makes me feel like an explorer. It may sound surprising that I’m now in the exploration phase, but it pertains to the nature of my current job. And I love it. Learning as much as I do after all these years is a blessing, an opportunity. The beginning phase is when I started working for real after my university years. I had a few jobs in IT and moved from a small city named Sherbrooke to a much bigger one, Montreal. My job had me travel between the two cities, and I wasn’t happy with that. I eventually left because they couldn’t make a better work arrangement for me. Then the long journey began, for nearly twenty years in the same public sector organization. It was a job where I learned a lot and slowly moved up the ladder, gaining expertise and experience. In the last few years there, the work climate became toxic, I had the feeling of not being in the right place all the time, and I felt like I was missing opportunities. I had to go. I left. It was the beginning of a quick and intense transition that lasted a year, and I found myself in a job market where things changed quite a bit and were a bit different than I expected. But it was much better than I thought. I had to learn a new organizational culture, learn to work with new colleagues and make new friends. It was a year of constant stimulation, and a new world of possibilities opened up to me. But the unexpected happened: I received a new job offer that I couldn’t refuse. So, after a quick stay of less than a year, I started a new journey, the current one. I’m currently in my fourth segment: the exploration stage. After close to five years in my current company, I’m not only feeling at the right place at the right time, I’m learning more than ever every day, and I think I make a difference around me. And yet, I wonder: what the next ten and last years of my professional life be made of? How do I want to spend the rest of my career? Should I move on and try something else? What am I missing that I cannot get with my current job? I think this is a question we should ask ourselves as often as possible, at the beginning of our career but also all along and especially near the end. The good thing is I’m currently defining my current job as I see fit. When I’m wondering about what could come next, there is something that I didn’t touch: teaching. In the last stretch of our professional journey, isn’t it the obvious and logical next step for many of us to teach the following generation what we’ve learned? Aaaah, I can smell the greener grass in the neighbour’s backyard. 💡 What did I learn this week? I started an experiment with **[Exposure](https://numericcitizen.exposure.co/?ref=numericcitizen.me)**, a visual storytelling web service that could replace Smugmug. I like the end-user experience so far. ### Imagining My Digital Life After Twitter URL: https://numericcitizen.me/imagining-my-digital-life-after-twitter/ Last updated: 2023-04-27T12:23:04.000Z ![gray and black cat sketch](https://images.unsplash.com/photo-1585007600263-71228e40c8d1?crop=entropy&cs=tinysrgb&fit=max&fm=jpg&ixid=MnwzMDAzMzh8MHwxfHNlYXJjaHw0Mnx8dHdpdHRlcnxlbnwwfHx8fDE2NjczODI1ODI&ixlib=rb-4.0.3&q=80&w=1080) Photo by [visuals](https://unsplash.com/@visuals?ref=numericcitizen.me) on [Unsplash](https://unsplash.com/?ref=numericcitizen.me) I’ve been on Twitter since 2007\. I don’t have many “friends” on Twitter. I do have about 1420 followers, probably, the vast majority aren’t actually using the platform or are simply bots. This leaves probably very few people, among which even fewer actually care about what I’m sharing over there. And that’s fine[1](#footnote-1). On the consumption side of the story, I follow, via the use of Twitter lists, many interesting people from which I get information. One example is a [list of information sources](https://twitter.com/i/lists/1497945269626880000?s=20&ref=numericcitizen.me) related to the war in Ukraine. Many accounts are from fighters at the front lines. I don’t know how I would get my news otherwise. Many users worldwide use Twitter to share essential news about critical situations that need the world’s attention. [Subscribe](#/portal/signup) My presence on the platform has been like a rollercoaster ride. In recent years, I found a balance: I learned how to circumvent some of the platform's shortcomings (noise, non-linear timelines, etc.). But with recent events, It doesn’t take a lot of thinking to understand that Twitter has become fragile. Its future is nowhere certain. Nobody knows where the platform is going. I bet Musk doesn’t even know, either. Kicking out the management team and enabling the verified badge for all paying members are probably small blips in the long and tumultuous story of Twitter[2](#footnote-2). The fundamental problem is that Twitter's relevancy is fading among its user base and ad buyers. [Tech pundits look at Twitter as a crumbling castle that once symbolized the greatness](https://www.theverge.com/2022/10/28/23428132/elon-musk-twitter-acquisition-problems-speech-moderation?ref=numericcitizen.me) of social platforms. It’s a big problem. People are not dumb. On top of that, thanks to the latest layoffs, Twitter is about to undo many advances it made in recent years regarding content moderation. What’s next, we shall ask? Why not turn off APIs access while you’re at it, Elon? Tighter control over the platform consumption is probably something he could do in a heartbeat. I wouldn’t be surprised if it is being discussed internally. I’m not holding my breath on that one. --- But you know what? I shouldn’t care too much for Twitter’s future, a big virtual town under the hands of a rich weirdo. What I should care about is imagining my digital life beyond Twitter. There are other ways to get discovered or followed. There are other ways to engage and have a great conversation. The following is a superb example. [Join my new subscriber chatToday I’m announcing a brand new addition to my Substack publication: the Hardcore Software by Steven Sinofsky subscriber chat. This is a conversation space in the Substack app that I set up exclusively for my subscribers — kind of like a group chat or live hangout. I’ll post short prompts, thoughts, and updates that come my way, and you can jump into th…![](https://bucketeer-e05bbc84-baa3-437e-9518-adb32be77984.s3.amazonaws.com/public/images/4ab797f1-169e-4875-883d-2ad97d37e253_326x326.png)Hardcore Software by Steven Sinofsky](https://hardcoresoftware.learningbyshipping.com/p/join-my-new-subscriber-chat?ref=numericcitizen.me) Looking at Twitter alternatives, the future is bright. I’m looking at Substack. Again[3](#footnote-3). Substack is made up of a community of newsletter readers. Author who wishes to do so can start discussion threads, aside of their newsletters. This alternative to the fakely busy place that is Twitter supports discussions, likes, newsletters (of course), followers, and even RSS feeds for content syndication. On top of that, the writing experience on Substack is so much better. No need for things like [Typefully](https://typefully.com/?ref=numericcitizen.me). Just like Facebook, a place I rarely visit these days[4](#footnote-4), without nostalgia for that matter, Twitter could become the next place I’m leaving behind in my busy digital life. As I get older, quieter and potentially more respectful places become very attractive. Reading longer pieces instead of information blurps provides a less transactional experience for consuming content. I like that more and more. Yep, there is life after Twitter. Let’s read the news in the coming weeks. And I’ll see. --- 1. I think it’s lower than 5% of my followers who actually spend time on Twitter scrolling through my tweets. [↩](#footnote-anchor-1 "Jump back to footnote 1 in the text.") 2. These are the latest moves under Musk's “leadership.” [↩](#footnote-anchor-2 "Jump back to footnote 2 in the text.") 3. I’ve been on Substack since early 2020\. [↩](#footnote-anchor-3 "Jump back to footnote 3 in the text.") 4. I don’t want to delete my Facebook account because I don’t want to leave my graph of acquaintances. [↩](#footnote-anchor-4 "Jump back to footnote 4 in the text.") ### Is Substack the Future of ... Twitter? URL: https://numericcitizen.me/is-substack-the-future-of-twitter/ Last updated: 2025-08-15T20:58:03.000Z Many people aren’t too happy about Twitter and its new owner. Employees are being kicked out, many Twitter users are looking elsewhere. Elon seems to not care. I do. [I invested quite a lot of time of my life in making Twitter bearable](https://numericcitizen.me/2021/01/24/the-ultimate-twitter-tips-and-tricks-for-mastering-your-twitter-experience/). If there was a viable alternative to Twitter, I would jump ship in a heartbeat and make the switch. Is Substack this viable option? Let’s find out, and start a conversion. Prove me that there is a future beyond Twitter, in the name of Substack. Show me that we can have real, honest, constructive conversation here on Substack. Let me know if we can grow over here, for real, without playing the SEO game. I really would like to believe that Substack has grown up to a point of being more than a newsletters platform. What’s your view of what is currently happening and how people can (and probably should) preemptively start looking beyond Twitter. [Leave a comment](#ghost-comments-root) ### Remembering My Story of Owning The 4K Retina 21.5 inches iMac — 2017-2021 URL: https://numericcitizen.me/remembering-my-story-of-owning-the-4k-retina-21-inches-imac-2017-2021/ Last updated: 2024-08-11T12:35:59.000Z ![The 4K Retina iMac was announced at the WWDC17 conference.](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/numericcitizen.me/wp-content/uploads/2022/10/wwdc-2017-website.jpg) The 4K Retina iMac was announced at the WWDC17 conference. This iMac was a gift I gave myself when I turned 50\. My older 2007 iMac was due for a replacement. Before choosing the Retina iMac, I tried to shop for the Mac mini with a great external monitor, but I couldn’t find a satisfying combination at a reasonable price. The Retina iMac was a very good deal, thanks to its gorgeous integrated display and powerful configuration ([tech specs here](https://support.apple.com/kb/SP758?ref=numericcitizen.me)) with its integrated fast SSD capable of more than 1 GB/s of sustained reads. [What a difference it made compared to the Mac it was replacing](https://everymac.com/systems/apple/imac/imac-aluminum-tapered-edge-faq/differences-between-imac-aluminum-mid-2017-early-2019-models.html?ref=numericcitizen.me). This machine really enabled a great computer experience. Apple was (and still is) the king of all-in-one computers on the market. When Apple announced their first crop of M1 Macs, I was tempted by one of them, the mini in particular. It was hard to get rid of the Intel-based iMac. I was sporadically using VMware Fusion, Microsoft Teams and Microsoft OneDrive for Work. These apps weren’t yet compatible with the M1-based Mac mini. I waited a few months before buying the Mac mini, and slowly but surely, my usage of the Intel iMac declined to the point of gathering dust on my desk. This Mac became the starting point for using Adobe Lightroom Classic to process images that, up until that time, I was shooting in JPEG. A fast SSD, 16 GB of RAM and a gorgeous screen provided me with the minimum required to get a good Lightroom editing experience. Eventually, I left this device to work on the M1 Mac mini, but [that’s another story](https://numericcitizen.me/2021/09/07/migrating-adobe-lightroom-classic-to-a-new-computer-my-experience/). After all, the 4K Retina iMac had a relatively short stay in my digital life. It came with macOS High Sierra and was upgraded to macOS Big Sur in its last year before selling it to a computer graphics student. ## Artifacts ![Comparing the latest iMac to the first edition. ](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/numericcitizen.me/wp-content/uploads/2022/10/imac.png) Comparing the latest iMac to the first edition. I didn’t get the new M1 iMac, but Basic Apple Guy did and wrote [a great piece](https://basicappleguy.com/basicappleblog/imac-1-year-later?ref=numericcitizen.me) about using it for close to a year. Highly recommended read. ### Critical Thoughts on Apple Stage Manager URL: https://numericcitizen.me/critical-thoughts-on-apple-stage-manager/ Last updated: 2023-03-23T16:47:57.000Z First announced during the [WWDC22 conference last June](https://numericcitizen.me/2022/06/12/observations-and-notes-on-wwdc-2022-keynote-announcements/), I’ve used [Stage Manager](https://www.apple.com/ipados/ipados-16/?ref=numericcitizen.me) since macOS Ventura beta 8 and iPadOS 16.1 beta 4 when Stage Manager was made available to non-M1 iPad Pro. Stage Manager sparks controversy. Its value is not clear to me. It seems to make more sense on a Mac than on an iPad. Here’s a list of observations. ## Stage Manager generalities Before going into full details about Stage Manager implementation on the iPad and on the Mac, there are a few general observations that apply to both platforms. - Applications in the Stage Manager stack are “elected” when you open an application for the first time and cannot be “ejected” manually. Right-clicking on an application thumbnail doesn’t bring up any popup menu where we could close the application. In a way, Stage Manager stack content is hard to predict. - On all platforms, clicking or tapping on the dark grey background outside a window won’t bring the finder or the home screen into view. This could dismiss the Stage Manager. It is strangely not the case. - Because I use the same set of applications across different working contexts, I don’t use the ability to create a “workspace” of grouped applications. This is something that was at the center of the initial demo during the WWDC conference last June. It’s not at the center of my current workflow. Maybe there is something I don’t get. - In some ways, Stage Manager brings the Mac closer to the iPad experience and vice versa. Was it the ultimate goal of Apple? > Ask yourself this question: if Apple is so proud and cool about Stage Manager, why does it provides a way to disable StageManager in Control Center on the iPad or on macOS? ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/numericcitizen.me/wp-content/uploads/2022/10/macos-stage-manager-stack.png) ## Stage Manager on macOS Ventura Let’s dive into it right now because there is so much to say. - With each major release of macOS, Apple seems on the lookout to introduce a splashy and “in-your-face” feature. Stage Manager for macOS 13 seems to be that feature. What would be macOS Ventura without Stage manager? - There are now four ways to switch between running applications: Exposé using a swipe-up gesture with three fingers, using the keyboard with the CTRL-TAB to bring the task switcher, using the dock by clicking on the application icon (recent applications is a variation of the static dock icons), and now using the Stage Manager. - Stage Manage is limited to six slots on the left (except on my MacBook Air, only four slots are available, which must depend on the screen resolution). - Stage Manager can be used in conjunction with macOS Spaces. In this context, when you turn on Stage Manager, it is on for all defined spaces, but each space gets its unique set of Stage Manager slots. One important note: as of October 24, the current release seems to break the use of Stage Manager on the non-primary space. It’s impossible to bring Stage Manager to display the slots on the left side beside the first space. Is it a new behaviour or simply a bug? After the release of the GM, the behaviour didn’t change. - Quitting an application won’t return the user to the desktop but to an application in Stage Manager. Which one? It’s hard to tell. It’s quite different than what I’m used to. And it’s not always what I was expecting. - After restarting a Mac where apps are left open, the desktop preparation will endure a series of application switching within Stage Manager. It feels weird. - Stage Manager gets its own menu in the menu bar with a setting to disable or enable it. Why? Is it for debugging purposes? There’s already a tile in Control Center for this purpose. Using Command-Drag, I removed the menu from the menubar. > On macOS, Stage Manager makes the Mac a little bit more like an iPad. On the iPad, Stage Manager brings the iPad much closer to the Mac, albeit in a clumsy way. In a sense, Stage Manager serves as a common ground between the two platforms. - At the beginning of testing Stage Manager, I couldn’t figure out how to create a “workspace-like” setup to mix two or three apps in the same group. I had to search the Internet to find instructions. When Stage Manager is active, you can bring one app into another to create a space by dragging its windows. I should have known better. - Depending on the current window size, when bringing the mouse close to the left edge of the screen, the thumbnails displayed will be either flat (when they overlay the windows underneath) or slanted (when the current app window isn’t close to the screen edge). ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/numericcitizen.me/wp-content/uploads/2022/10/stage-manager-stack-views.png) - Stage Manager can interfere with third-party utilities like Magnet, a window management utility. - With Stage Manager enabled, using Universal Control to control another Mac, when moving the mouse on the edge of the screen to cross the screen boundary and move to the other Mac, the Stage Manager thumbnails are displayed and stay there until a return of the mouse focus on the second Mac. Hard to explain, but it doesn’t feel right. - Stage Manager content is on a per-desktop basis instead of being global. Selecting an app from the Stage Manager won’t make you switch to another desktop. - With two spaces on more non-primary space, it’s impossible to have Stage Manager display its vertical stack. It’s probably a bug. My overall score for Stage Manager on macOS is 3.5 out of 5\. Stage Manager is a somewhat useful addition to help users switch among running applications, but it is far from perfect. ## Stage Manager on iPadOS Here are my observations gathered during multi-week experimentation of Apple’s iPadOS 16 with Stage Manager enabled. Observations are in no particular order. ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/numericcitizen.me/wp-content/uploads/2022/10/ipados-stage-manager-settings.png) - Never before a new feature has transformed the iPad experience that much. The mouse and keyboard support introduction didn’t break the iPad experience as much. In fact, it was pretty much transparent to the user. For example, with Stage Manager, tapping a window top edge to return the scroll position at the beginning no longer works while an app is displayed as a window. This is something I experienced in Tweetbot and Twitter. Grabbing the scrollbar on the right edge of the floating window seems harder than ever. These are examples where Stage Manager breaks a well-known behaviour of the basic iPad experience. - Some apps react badly when resized with the curved handle on the bottom right corner. - When Stage Manager is enabled, slide-over and split-view are no longer possible. The only thing possible is to add another window, which could come from another app sitting in the applications switcher or from the dock or from the Home Screen. - When launching an app, it’s no longer possible to predict if it will open in full screen or in a zoomed-out view. If you prefer to use an iPad app in full screen like before, you’ll need to resize the application’s window quite often or turn off Stage Manager. - Why is the curved handle sometimes located on the bottom right or bottom left of the application’s window? In what context does this change? > Stage Manager on the iPad is unpredictable and unsettling. Sometimes it makes a positive difference in my efficiency, but most of the time it breaks everything I expect about the iPad experience. - Dragging the app window from the top can trigger the three-dots popup menu, which can be annoying. - Swiping from left to right on the left of an application window to back up in a hierarchical view no longer works in most situations. Apps will need to be updated to address this issue. News Explorer, a lesser-known RSS reader, is affected by this. - The Stage Manager feature is a resources hog on older non-M1 iPad Pro. Scrolling in the app switcher view was hampered by stuttering animations. It’s the one feature that could make me consider upgrading my 2018 11-inches iPad Pro. It got better with each beta, though. - The higher-density resolution comes on the older iPad Pro, and I like this a lot. Stage Manager can be used with or without it, but I prefer high information density. Stage Manager can be used in normal resolution too. - Turning off Stage Manager and back turning it back on will reset previous apps and windows grouping and arrangements. Could Apple designers and engineers preserve them instead? Would that even make sense? My overall score for Stage Manager on iPadOS is 1 out of 5\. I’m a bit harsh here, but until Apple revises Stage Manager as they did for Mission Control and Spaces, I’m being honest about my feelings here. ## Conclusion I think Apple wanted a user-facing and notable addition to its macOS iteration this year, which comes in Stage Manager’s name. Another tasks and windows management option comes on top of Spaces and Mission Control. Overall, I would argue that Stage Manager on macOS makes sense to a certain degree. On iPadOS, Stage Manager is a highly questionable addition that breaks the iPad experience in too many ways. I’m still undecided. Even after all the tests that were needed to write this article, I still don’t know if I’ll keep Stage Manager active on my iPad Pro. One thing is that I’m keeping the display zoom to get higher information density. All is not lost. Will we have to wait for iPadOS 16.2 or iPadOS 17 next year to see improvements to Stage Manager? I’m certainly hoping for the former. ### Friday Notes #91 — The Future is Now URL: https://numericcitizen.me/friday-notes-91-the-future-is-now/ Last updated: 2022-10-21T12:00:45.000Z Here’s a little peek at a recent early morning on a rare occasion when I was going to work downtown, in person, taking a break from my remote work routine. It’s early in the morning; I put my coat on, get my iPhone, AirPods and backpack, and head to the metro. On my way to the office, I have to go downtown old Montreal and buy a used iPhone Xs for one of my sons. I pick up my iPhone 13 Pro, enter the seller’s address in Maps and ask my way by transit. It will take 40 minutes to get there. Next, I open Matter, a read-later application, select an article about the war in Ukraine, and tap the play audio button. After a few minutes of listening, I get an audio notification about my first meeting in the morning, an hour from now. The audio reading resumes shortly. In the metro, I try to focus on the audio while looking around at people wearing their AirPods and staring at their iPhones. I get out of the metro station, and ten minutes before arriving at the iPhone seller’s building, I share my position with the seller so he knows I’m close. He responds: “thanks; I’ll be waiting in the lobby.” Upon my entry into the building, the guy is there, says hi, holding the original box with the used iPhone in it; a quick inspection reveals the perfect condition of the device. It’s a deal. I opened my bank application and entered the required contact information to send him the money electronically. He says, “thanks, have a great day.” I need to go and head to my office on a walk before my first meeting starts. I put back my AirPods and resumed the audio article. A few minutes later, I got an audio notification telling me the guy had just accepted the electronic transaction. Then, while still walking to my office, I notice an art-deco building that I really like on the other side of the street. I pick up my iPhone to snap a few pictures of it before resuming my short walk to the office. The office building is just the other side of the street; I look at my iPhone and notice the focus mode is turned on and set to “Work.”. From now on, my iPhone displays only a subset of home pages and my notifications are set to a minimum. This little mundane story is full of technology use cases that weren’t possible a few years ago and could only be seen in sci-fi movies. I find this to be so cool. I’m so grateful to be able to take advantage of all this. Who knows what an ordinary early morning will look like ten years from now? [Friday Notes #89 — On Travelling Before & After The Internet AgeJust try to remember what it was like traveling before the Internet age. Now, think about your last trip. What a world of differences.![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/size/w256h256/2021/11/Banner3.0-100x100.png)Numeric Citizen IntrospectionJF Martin![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/2022/09/IMG_3597.82c0f6da4df74c9aba146e8a2a7913a7.png)](https://numericcitizen.me/friday-notes-88-on-travelling-before-after-the-internet-age/) A previously published article about the place of tech in travel ### Friday Notes #90 — This Is My Space URL: https://numericcitizen.me/friday-notes-90-this-is-my-space/ Last updated: 2022-10-07T12:00:16.000Z Spending some time alone has always been something important for me. However, with young kids, I had to put this egoistic pleasure on pause for many years. With my first newborn, I had to transform my office at home into a child’s room. While my kids grew up, I spent most of my time reading or working in the living room or a small space adjacent to the kitchen. It was nothing like having my own space where I could isolate myself for a short while. I’ll let you imagine what it was like during COVID-19. Things are different now: COVID-19 is mostly behind us, and I have had my home office in a closed room since my kids left the house. This room is now my space. A small but cozy place where I work, think and create. It’s the place to be when I need to be alone. I tried to make this space a reflection of what I like and cherish. I chose every frame on the walls, the furniture, the reading chair, the lighting, and the window dressing. I always thought that the things we use the most and where we spend a lot of time merit our attention, the suitable investments. I don’t mind spending money on an excellent computer display or great decorative but valuable furniture and having something in sight all day has to be the expression of great design, good condition, and great value. I’m not done yet with my home office setup. I’m not sure I’ll ever be, but I’m happy with the overall look and arrangement. I got two windows, something I never had, which makes such a difference. Even if I’m not looking at the sea or a chain of mountains, but at my neighbour's house, light is coming in abundantly. If you are curious and have a peek at my home office, watch the following YouTube video: “[Behind the Scenes Look of My YouTube Recording Setup.](https://youtu.be/5gKRtiyapQY?ref=numericcitizen.me)” Drop a comment if you like it. 💡 What did I learn this week? I experienced and learned how to use DALL-E, an AI-based image generator. It’s pretty cool and impressive. For example, you write a phrase describing a scene, and you get an entirely singular set of images out of it. The header image was generated using DALL-E. Pretty impressive if you ask me. ### Numeric Citizen Introspection Newsletter #24 URL: https://numericcitizen.me/numeric-citizen-introspection-24/ Last updated: 2023-11-15T11:19:35.000Z ## HIGHLIGHTS `Finally Finding My Niche And Feeling Good About It` ***Craft***, a writing application, is central to my creative workflow. I recently reflected on its importance and how I’m slowly becoming an ambassador of this application. It’s like finding a niche as a content creator. Read all the details [here](https://numericcitizen.me/2022/07/24/finally-finding-my-niche-and-feeling-good-about-it/). `Numeric Citizen Now on YouTube!` In June, [I started creating YouTube videos](https://numericcitizen.me/2022/06/09/numeric-citizen-now-on-youtube/) focusing mainly on Craft. I’m still into it and love it very much. I’m now at 25 videos produced. `My Love Letter to Craft` Speaking of Craft, even though I often criticize Craft, I love it nonetheless and wrote [a love letter](https://numericcitizen.me/2022/07/16/my-love-letter-to-craft/) about it. `Things That Don’t Stick With Me` Craft will stick with me for a long time, but there are many other applications or services that come into my numeric life only to be left behind shortly after. It is close to being pathetic. Here’s the [list of left behind](https://numericcitizen.me/2022/07/03/things-that-dont-stick-with-me/). `Summer Vacation in Italy — a Photo Diary Project Built Using Craft` During my summer vacation in Italy, I experimented with Craft to create and maintain [a photo diary](https://www.craft.do/s/pquiPWve2Ov3kj?ref=numericcitizen.me). I wrote [a summary](https://numericcitizen.me/2022/09/12/using-craft-for-sharing-photos-my-thoughts-from-my-experience/) of my experience. ## APPLE TIDBITS > Which iPhone front design do you prefer? [pic.twitter.com/hxEh84J0ZD](https://t.co/hxEh84J0ZD?ref=numericcitizen.me) > > — Apple Hub (@theapplehub) [September 30, 2022](https://twitter.com/theapplehub/status/1575697308255064065?ref%5Fsrc=twsrc%5Etfw&ref=numericcitizen.me) 1️⃣ One of the best features introduced by Apple in recent memory is [**Dynamic Island**](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WuEH265pUy4&ref=numericcitizen.me). 2️⃣ Last June, Apple released an updated version of its popular ***MacBook Air***. [Reviews are unanimous](https://www.macrumors.com/review/m2-macbook-air/?ref=numericcitizen.me): the best lightweight and most powerful laptop you can buy these days. I’m myself using a MacBook Air of the previous generation, and I love it. Will I upgrade from my current M1 MacBook Air? The jury is still out. 3️⃣ In a recent [article](https://thenewsprint.co/2022/05/21/my-three-favourite-giddy-worthy-apple-products/?ref=numericcitizen.me) from The Newsprint, Josh Ginter writes about his **favourite Apple products**. From his list, I would swap the M1 MacBook Pro with the M1 MacBook Air and the iPad Magic Keyboard with the Apple Watch. Other than that, I’m on the same page. 4️⃣ “Steve Jobs (d. 2011) was the co-founder, chief executive, and chair of Apple, Inc., CEO of Pixar and held a leading role at the Walt Disney Company. His vision, imagination and creativity led to inventions that have, and continue to, change the way the world communicates, as well as transforming the computer, music, film and wireless industries.” — [The White House](https://www.whitehouse.gov/briefing-room/statements-releases/2022/07/01/president-biden-announces-recipients-of-the-presidential-medal-of-freedom/?ref=numericcitizen.me) giving a **presidential medal of Freedom** to Steve Jobs. 5️⃣ Many governments and regulatory bodies are [trying to break Apple’s](https://www.macrumors.com/2022/05/05/eu-plans-to-regulate-apple-delayed-to-spring-2023/?ref=numericcitizen.me) success. They want to “fix it” because when Apple is making tech easy to use, enabling a massive adoption, they think they are abusing their power… I just think they don’t understand anything about tech. Another great example of the EU trying to regulate the tech world: forcing Apple to use USB-C on the iPhone. A Christina Warren tweet explains why this isn’t a good idea. I wish Apple would simply skip the USB-C and go portliest. Either way, many people will be frustrated to learn that their chargers are now obsolete. > It’s one of the reasons I think the EU is being so EU (which is to say, good idea in theory, short-sighted and dumb in practice) to try to mandate all devices have USB-C connectors. There are 18 flavors or USB-C and they all have different speeds! Ports and cables! > > — Christina Warren (@film\_girl) [May 5, 2022](https://twitter.com/film%5Fgirl/status/1522200473448632320?ref%5Fsrc=twsrc%5Etfw&ref=numericcitizen.me) 6️⃣ [Retaining dollar value](https://macdailynews.com/2022/05/09/apples-iphone-holds-its-value-far-better-than-any-other-smartphone-on-the-market/?ref=numericcitizen.me) is something that holds true for Apple’s iPhone after all those years. This year is no exception, with the release of the iPhone 14 series. Last year, I returned my old iPhone to get a credit on the new one instead of trying to sell it myself. I simply wanted to skip the ping pong game of potential buyers asking questions about the phone. Yet, the value I would get by selling the phone is significantly higher than what Apple credits on my next purchase. It's a matter of balance. 7️⃣ Never before, the iPhone experience was as customizable as it is today. The iPhone gets more personal. Lock screen widgets are fun, but the limited slot makes it hard to select widgets to put in there. It’s like having to choose between two of our children which one is the best. > Selecting the right lock screen widgets is like choosing which of my child I like the most. Designing a satisfying lock screen is such a pain. 😟 [#ios16](https://twitter.com/hashtag/ios16?src=hash&ref%5Fsrc=twsrc%5Etfw&ref=numericcitizen.me) > > — An Apple Observer (@apple\_observer) [September 26, 2022](https://twitter.com/apple%5Fobserver/status/1574531674142314496?ref%5Fsrc=twsrc%5Etfw&ref=numericcitizen.me) 8️⃣ Stage Manager, a new multitasking paradigm coming to the iPad in the coming weeks, won’t be available on all iPad models. The reason is that the Stage Manager is a resources hog. Yet, it seems that [Apple could revise its stance](https://www.manton.org/2022/06/20/stage-manager-compatibility.html?ref=numericcitizen.me) on this and let Stage Manager run on all iPad Pro or recent iPad Air when there is no external monitor connected. Everyone would understand and probably accept this compromise. Just before publishing this edition, in its latest beta release of iPadOS 16.1, Apple introduced Stage Manager for older versions of iPad Pro. And guess what? It’s slow like molasse. Apple seems to be listening but at the cost of the user experience. Is the experience good? Not really. I don’t understand the need for the Stage Manager as it is currently implemented. It breaks the iPad's multitasking simplicity. ## MUST SEE PHOTOGRAPHY STUFF The ***Webb telescope*** is finally in space, and the [first images](https://mymodernmet.com/debora-lombardi-flower-photography/?ref=numericcitizen.me) to come out of it are spectacular, to say the least. > Oh, this is just a gorgeous explainer video of just how stunning the detail is from the first pic out (today!) from NASA’s new James Webb Space Telescope. > > Look at all those worlds. 🥺[pic.twitter.com/RJNSlQJHu6](https://t.co/RJNSlQJHu6?ref=numericcitizen.me) > > — Mike Galsworthy (@mikegalsworthy) [July 12, 2022](https://twitter.com/mikegalsworthy/status/1546804812129488897?ref%5Fsrc=twsrc%5Etfw&ref=numericcitizen.me) > Compare Webb’s Mid-Infrared (L) & Near-Infrared (R) views. Lens flares? Nope, the spikes you see are when light from bright objects like stars is bent by the edges of the telescope. They’re less prominent in mid-infrared. > > More on diffraction spikes: [https://t.co/9uT2kIZP8o](https://t.co/9uT2kIZP8o?ref=numericcitizen.me) [pic.twitter.com/sp9DgxHfS8](https://t.co/sp9DgxHfS8?ref=numericcitizen.me) > > — NASA Webb Telescope (@NASAWebb) [July 12, 2022](https://twitter.com/NASAWebb/status/1546867560892829697?ref%5Fsrc=twsrc%5Etfw&ref=numericcitizen.me) > ✋🏼 Galactic high five! > > In Webb’s image of Stephan’s Quintet, we see 5 galaxies, 4 of which interact. (The left galaxy is in the foreground!) Webb will revolutionize our knowledge of star formation & gas interactions in these galaxies: [https://t.co/tlougFWg8B](https://t.co/tlougFWg8B?ref=numericcitizen.me) [#UnfoldTheUniverse](https://twitter.com/hashtag/UnfoldTheUniverse?src=hash&ref%5Fsrc=twsrc%5Etfw&ref=numericcitizen.me) [pic.twitter.com/b2kH1tSyMs](https://t.co/b2kH1tSyMs?ref=numericcitizen.me) > > — NASA Webb Telescope (@NASAWebb) [July 12, 2022](https://twitter.com/NASAWebb/status/1546874376351612930?ref%5Fsrc=twsrc%5Etfw&ref=numericcitizen.me) But, much closer to us — the Full moon in all its glory. > Lucky stargazers across the UK caught a glimpse of the spectacular supermoon on Wednesday night that lit up the night sky.[https://t.co/DNr4HQo9j1](https://t.co/DNr4HQo9j1?ref=numericcitizen.me) > > — The Mirror (@DailyMirror) [July 15, 2022](https://twitter.com/DailyMirror/status/1547857557556932613?ref%5Fsrc=twsrc%5Etfw&ref=numericcitizen.me) This volcano eruption, as seen from space, is astonishing. > This is what a volcano eruption looks like from space 🌋 [pic.twitter.com/OCC1mymgOT](https://t.co/OCC1mymgOT?ref=numericcitizen.me) > > — Vala Afshar (@ValaAfshar) [August 16, 2022](https://twitter.com/ValaAfshar/status/1559550011335184385?ref%5Fsrc=twsrc%5Etfw&ref=numericcitizen.me) I love trees in real life and on paper. These illustrations are so nice. I wish I could draw like that. > Winter trees > (1963) > SRBadmin [pic.twitter.com/rCRoHLV0YU](https://t.co/rCRoHLV0YU?ref=numericcitizen.me) > > — Helen Day (@LBFlyawayhome) [December 13, 2021](https://twitter.com/LBFlyawayhome/status/1470477246695682052?ref%5Fsrc=twsrc%5Etfw&ref=numericcitizen.me) October excites us at Halide HQ. Apple releases new iPhones, and they’re certain to upgrade the cameras: > "Since iPhone 12 Pro, Apple has introduced its own RAW format for shots. Previously, taking RAW photos meant you lost out on all of Apple’s magic and powerful image-processing — photos often required lots of editing when shot in RAW vs. JPG. Images were noisy and lacked dynamic range; after all, in regular JPG shots, the highlights and shadows were brought out by taking multiple exposures. Enabling ProRAW gives users a way to get this smart processing, with all the flexibility and image quality of a RAW file." — The Team behind Halide, a camera app for the iPhone. If you’re into photography or iPhone photography, don’t miss [this review](https://sixcolors.com/post/2022/09/iphone-14-pro-review-no-phone-is-an-island/?ref=numericcitizen.me) of the iPhone 14 Pro Max, recently introduced by Apple. ## CLIMATE CHANGE & CRISIS > [#GOESEast](https://twitter.com/hashtag/GOESEast?src=hash&ref%5Fsrc=twsrc%5Etfw&ref=numericcitizen.me) is continuing to monitor [#Hurricane](https://twitter.com/hashtag/Hurricane?src=hash&ref%5Fsrc=twsrc%5Etfw&ref=numericcitizen.me) [#Ian](https://twitter.com/hashtag/Ian?src=hash&ref%5Fsrc=twsrc%5Etfw&ref=numericcitizen.me) this morning as it heads toward the coast of the Carolinas, where hurricane conditions and a life-threatening storm surge are expected by this afternoon. > > Latest:[https://t.co/FYrreOueMf](https://t.co/FYrreOueMf?ref=numericcitizen.me) [pic.twitter.com/cRw3QINiqj](https://t.co/cRw3QINiqj?ref=numericcitizen.me) > > — NOAA Satellites (@NOAASatellites) [September 30, 2022](https://twitter.com/NOAASatellites/status/1575826937070505985?ref%5Fsrc=twsrc%5Etfw&ref=numericcitizen.me) Ian, a hurricane of category 5 to hit Florida, shows signs of what’s coming in the future, thanks to climate change. Rapidly changing hurricane characteristics like wind speed are directly related to changing environmental conditions like the water temperature of the ocean. More details in this [article](https://readwise.io/reader/shared/01ge5mta15wcyktqr2gbhwgzem?ref=numericcitizen.me). [Super video](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pDZdnbI0MAc&feature=youtu.be&ref=numericcitizen.me) about Apple’s Daisy recycling robot. The idea is simple: keep your phone as long as possible, when you’re done, give it to someone else, or sell it or trade it in with Apple to get a new one. If it’s not working, bring it to Daisy… oopsy, to Apple for recycling. “Almost half of Europe is experiencing a historic drought, threatening new ecological and economic pain for a continent already grappling with the effects of Russia’s war in Ukraine.” — NBCnews, April, 22th, 2022 You can see visually around the world the effects of numerous droughts with before & after imagery in the following [annotated article](https://readwise.io/reader/shared/01ge70kj3wq24x9z1cax9d7sye?ref=numericcitizen.me). Leaks in the Nord Stream gas pipeline under the sea in Northern Europe are troubling and emitting much methane. According to [this report](https://www.cnbc.com/2022/09/30/climate-nord-stream-gas-leaks-sees-methane-spew-into-the-atmosphere.html?ref=numericcitizen.me), as much as 300 000 tons of methane could be rejected in the atmosphere: > “300,000 tons of methane are expected to be released into the atmosphere from the leaks. Methane is significantly more harmful to the climate than carbon” and > “over a 100-year period one ton of methane causes as much warming to the atmosphere as 25 tons of carbon.” I don’t know, we don’t know who did this, but this is tragic. ## PRIVACY PROTECTION The password-less digital world is coming soon to a website near you. Apple, Microsoft and many other tech companies [committed to creating a new standard to eliminate the need for passwords](https://www.apple.com/newsroom/2022/05/apple-google-and-microsoft-commit-to-expanded-support-for-fido-standard/?ref=numericcitizen.me) and yet augment the posture security of users. Learn the tech side of this [here](https://www.tomsguide.com/news/apple-passkeys?ref=numericcitizen.me). Once it is ready, you’ll need to upgrade your devices to the latest operating system release to take advantage of it. What does it mean for the future of products like 1Password? 🤔 [Instagram and Facebook Could Track Everything You Do in Their In-App Browsers](https://tidbits.com/2022/08/15/instagram-and-facebook-could-track-everything-you-do-in-their-in-app-browsers/?ref=numericcitizen.me). I can already see Facebook taking advantage of the side-loading of applications in the future to create a more sneaky version of its app to better track its users. [VPNs for iOS Are Broken, and Apple Knows It](https://www.macrumors.com/2022/08/18/vpns-for-ios-are-broken-says-researcher/?ref=numericcitizen.me), Says Security Researcher. Apple should be more outgoing about this VPN issue and fix the problem. Is this a problem by design? I wonder if the same behaviour is observed on Windows. If you plan to use VPN, this is something that you need to consider. ## NOTABLE QUOTES > “The fast pace life of social media can lead us to believe that we always have to be producing new and exciting work. However, sometimes it's OK to just let yourself be in a slump” — **Jordan McChesney** ***Phil Schiller***, now an Apple fellow, once wrote in an internal email while at Apple: > ”whenever we make a change, we do it from a position of strength rather than weakness." > “Photos and videos are more often visual receipts of you being at some location at some time” — **Michael He** ## SOME LEFTOVERS 1️⃣ In [this story](https://9to5mac.com/2021/10/14/dude-wheres-my-car-airtag-finds-stolen-subaru/?ref=numericcitizen.me), ***AirTag*** is responsible for tracking down a stolen Subaru. Are there stories like this one with other trackers like Tiles? 2️⃣ Speaking of tracking objects… at the beginning of the war in Ukraine, it appears that some Russian soldiers who stole AirPods [were being tracked with Find My](https://appleinsider.com/articles/22/04/19/airpods-looted-by-russians-giving-away-their-location-via-find-my?ref=numericcitizen.me)app by Ukrainians. Russia’s soldier stupidity levels have no boundaries. 3️⃣ Benedict Evans: Russian military communications tech are a mess - they spent a lot of money on a secure encrypted system that doesn’t work (guess where the money really went) and are using unencrypted Chinese consumer walkie-talkies and local mobile phones instead, all of which the Ukrainians can listen to. 4️⃣ What's causing all company logos to look the same? Don't miss the [Twitter thread](https://twitter.com/david%5Fperell/status/1545819896004624384?s=21&t=IgEGshaDLk7CvvR6%5FKHNKQ&ref=numericcitizen.me) to learn some possible answers to that question. 5️⃣ Speaking of design… Microsoft isn’t a synonym for good taste when it comes to UI designs. With Windows 11, is the worst behind them? I certainly hope so. The following [tweet](https://twitter.com/MartinNobel%5F/status/1551160266196365312?s=20&t=6-D879CwY82YqveoqrwAAQ&ref=numericcitizen.me) shows the visual history of the Windows Start Menu, an important part of Windows identity. 6️⃣ And speaking of “evolution”, "Comparing warning labels on gym equipment. From the 80s on the left, from the 2000s on the right. The one from the 2000s says a“lot more, but the one from the 80s means a lot more.”. — Jason Fried [Hey World](https://world.hey.com/jason/how-it-goes-downhill-1be1ca09?ref=numericcitizen.me) ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/2022/09/80svs2000s.jpg) ## WHAT’S NEXT Should Apple open up iPhone NFC to third-party developers? They partly did it in the last year, but the EU thinks it’s not enough. [Great commentary post](https://daringfireball.net/2022/05/vestager%5Fnfc?ref=numericcitizen.me) by Gruber, worth your time reading. Do you think it is possible to create imagery from a simple text snippet? Well, yes, it is, and it works great, actually, thanks to [DALL-E](https://openai.com/blog/dall-e/?ref=numericcitizen.me) from OpenAI. Here’s a beautiful example. > “We used to walk here together.” [#midjourney](https://twitter.com/hashtag/midjourney?src=hash&ref%5Fsrc=twsrc%5Etfw&ref=numericcitizen.me) [#dalle](https://twitter.com/hashtag/dalle?src=hash&ref%5Fsrc=twsrc%5Etfw&ref=numericcitizen.me) [#photoshop](https://twitter.com/hashtag/photoshop?src=hash&ref%5Fsrc=twsrc%5Etfw&ref=numericcitizen.me) [pic.twitter.com/ldyqboP3Ij](https://t.co/ldyqboP3Ij?ref=numericcitizen.me) > > — Ken Kocienda (@kocienda) [August 7, 2022](https://twitter.com/kocienda/status/1556310754529120257?ref%5Fsrc=twsrc%5Etfw&ref=numericcitizen.me) I tried myself since there is no more waiting list to register an account. Here’s the phrase I used: “*walking on the street surrounded by abandoned buildings on a rainy day*”. This got me the following picture, which I happen to like a lot, after spending five minutes with the service. Impressive. And spooky. !["walking on the street surrounded by abandoned buildings on a rainy day" - image negerated with DALL-E](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/2022/09/DALL-E-2022-09-30-09.38.42.png) "walking on the street surrounded by abandoned buildings on a rainy day" - image generated with DALL-E --- This concludes the Numeric Citizen Introspection Newsletter #24 for September 2022\. See you soon for the next edition! Header image credit: [generated using DALL-E from OpenAI](https://www.popsci.com/technology/open-ai-dalle-outpainting/?ref=numericcitizen.me). Building this edition of the newsletter took approximately ***four hours of work***, spread during the month of September. If you enjoy my newsletter, show me your appreciation through [PayPal](https://paypal.me/numericcitizen?locale.x=en%5FUS&ref=numericcitizen.me) or by becoming a paid member. Thanks a lot for your support. Sign up [here](https://numeric-citizen-introspection.ghost.io/?ref=numericcitizen.me#portal) 🙏🏻 ### Friday Notes #89 — On Travelling Before & After The Internet Age URL: https://numericcitizen.me/friday-notes-88-on-travelling-before-after-the-internet-age/ Last updated: 2022-09-30T13:04:16.000Z > “Traveling has become ubiquitous, yet traveling today is fundamentally different from even two decades ago. The Internet, especially social media, changed travel's essence, distribution, and potential.” — Michael He I often think about the world and how things were before the Internet became at the center of everything we do these days. I’m [old enough](https://numericcitizen.me/55/) to remember when there was no Internet in our lives. Remembering life (both real and digital) helps me better appreciate the world as it is today. As much as I like modern times, I miss many small things that were part of our slower life. As far as I can remember, everything was at a much slower pace when I was a teenager or a young adult. We could spend time on simple things like playing in the garden for hours without any interruption. We didn’t know the “fear of missing out” syndrome. Everything in the world was much farther away than it is today; we often travel the whole world virtually from the comfort of our homes at the speed of light. This has a profound impact on how we build expectations before travelling physically. Travelling around the world these days is so different, too. Everything can be booked in advance, and places are explored just to make sure it will be ok. So walking the streets of a big city for the first time using our iPhones is either a much less stressful experience or an experience lacking a few surprises. I wouldn’t go back to paper maps and public phone booths to find a room in Milan after coming off the plane. Yet, I remember the world of the unexpected awaiting me when coming off the plane. > “A new place isn't all too unfamiliar nowadays. Even without booking packaged tours (most infamously cruise trips), you have unlimited directions, recommendations, audio-visual materials, and financial resources on demand. For many years these resources were available separately in different (and often inconvenient) formats. Today it exists all within an iPhone, something short of a miracle.” — Michael He Even photography was different at the time, before the Internet, before digital cameras. Going on a short trip, and taking pictures, would require having to send the film rolls for processing. Then, after a few days or weeks of delay, we could finally see the photos we took, giving us the impression of redoing the trip for a second time at an even quicker pace than the actual trip. Travelling in modern times has its advantages for booking flights, and hotels, finding the best path between point A and point B, recording high-quality clips, searching on maps, asking Google for the best places, etc. and but having done this before the Internet age makes me better appreciate what we have now. So, I know, I’m feeling a bit of contradiction here. ### Remembering my Story of Owning The 24-inches aluminum iMac — 2007-2017 URL: https://numericcitizen.me/remembering-my-story-of-owning-the-24-inches-aluminum-imac-2007-2017/ Last updated: 2023-03-23T16:47:57.000Z ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/numericcitizen.me/wp-content/uploads/2022/09/img_8627.jpg) The aluminum iMac had a more serious design that I really liked. The black and rounded bezels surrounding the screen gave it a serious but approachable look. The 2018 11 inches iPad Pro is reminiscent of this design more than ten years later. No computer company could ever come close to Apple’s design for all-in-one machines. The 2007 iMac was part of my life for exactly ten years. Initially shipped with Mac OS 10.4 Tiger, it is sitting in its original box with macOS 10.11 El Capitan. It tried many times to put it for sale, but unsuccessfully. It is still in good working, but the screen is really looking tired. At best, it can be used for surfing the web or listening to music with iTunes. If I had my room for my home office, I would probably put it on a desk to display pictures as a slide show. Maybe one day. This venerable iMac supported my journey as an indie iOS developer from 2009 to 2013\. During that time, I had three iPhone apps in the App Store. The iMac was also my photo processing machine. By today’s standards, it was a slow machine with a low-resolution display. Yet, it was a great, compact, all-in-one, Mac. ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/numericcitizen.me/wp-content/uploads/2022/09/safari-applespecialeventaugust2007-introduction-of-the-first-aluminum-imac-youtube.png) The iMac came with a redesigned, low-profile keyboard. At that time, it was one of the best keyboards I had ever used on a Mac. It was a stark difference from the one that came with the previous iMac I was replacing after my home robbery. It was a bit less clicky, and key travel was much shorter. Today’s external keyboards are still using a similar design. In June 2017, Apple made an announcement at its WWDC conference: the introduction of the 4K Retina Display 21.5 inches iMac with an updated design. Previously published in the series: [Remembering my Story of Owning a 20-inches iMac](https://numericcitizen.me/2022/08/04/remembering-my-short-of-owning-the-20-inches-imac-g5-2005-2007/). ## Artifacts & references ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/numericcitizen.me/wp-content/uploads/2022/09/img_8704.jpg) ### Photo Legend #33 — Experimenting With Street Photography and Feeling Good About It for Once URL: https://numericcitizen.me/photo-legend-33-experimenting-with-street-photography-and-feeling-good-about-it-for-once/ Last updated: 2024-08-15T11:06:07.000Z I recently came back from a summer vacation in Italy. Three weeks of pure joy visiting this wonderful country full of photography potential. In [edition #87](https://numericcitizen.me/friday-notes-87-make-me-learn-something/) of the Friday Notes series, I wrote about the two types of street photographers and put myself in the “fisher” category. Before going to Italy, I decided to pay more attention to potential street scenes, which paid off occasionally. I was able to capture the picture above. The picture was taken at ‎⁨Piazza de Ferrari⁩ in ⁨Genoa. Fountains are focus points in cities grabbing our attention and can be an excellent place for street photography. I passed by and stayed a few moments, enough to look at the surroundings and see people playing in front of the water fountain. Then I waited a bit for the magic of unpredictability to come into the scene. But, frankly, why do I like this photo? I love it and think it is a good street photography example because, when I look at the image, I see movements and joy in people. It isn’t perfectly framed, which it seems is something that is more openly permitted. Also, the presence of birds complements humans. Plus, the water movement and the dome it creates in the fountain add to the dynamism of the scene. I like this shot a lot. I recently added more photos involving [humans](https://numericcitizen.smugmug.com/Humans?ref=numericcitizen.me) as subjects to my Smugmug album; many shots are street photography examples. ### Friday Notes #88 — Random Thoughts & Discoveries Collected During My Trip to Italy URL: https://numericcitizen.me/friday-notes-88-random-thoughts-discoveries-collected-during-my-trip-to-italy/ Last updated: 2022-09-16T12:00:24.000Z It’s been a week since I returned from my summer vacation in Italy. It was a beautiful trip. Here is a list of observations and thoughts collected during my recent trip to Italy. Disclaimer: I’m not a travel blogger. My observations are related to the places I visited and are not a generalization in any way. - Italy can be overwhelmingly charming and giving. Being contemplative is the key. - I always felt secure everywhere, at any time. - Italians are way more invested in waste recycling and waste management. That being said, I’m surprised by how much water in plastic bottles they seem to consume (maybe it’s a tourist thing). - In many small towns or villages, you’ll find water fountains with drinkable water. No need to buy bottled water. - I can’t count how often I saw people on bicycles on regional roads. Always felt it was a dangerous place for biking. - Online restaurant reservations can be a challenge. The best way is to plan in advance, which can be a challenge too. - We rarely get hassled to enter a place for dinner while calmly walking the streets during dinner hours. - Starbucks coffee shops are non-existent (except one in Milan), and very few McDonalds. Good thing. - If you see someone using iMessage on the iPhone, it’s a tourist (north American) because otherwise, most people there are using WhatsApp as their messaging application. - Tesla cars are rare and electric cars are scarce. I failed to see one recharge station. Is the high costs of electricity production the cause? - Lot’s of electric scooters in the streets, though. - Italians are fast drivers. Bikers are even worse. They don’t seem to follow any rules. - Don’t settle on highways to travel inland; small country roads reserve many wonderful views and surprises. - Driving on Italy highways is an expansive pleasure. Highways are in top shape, but many are toll highways. - I get the feeling that train usage is decreasing and car usage is increasing. I had to endure a few traffic jams. - Didn’t see many Russians (are they too busy with their war with Ukraine?) but lots of Germans, and a few French people. - For the most part, gas prices seem on par with those paid in Canada. I find this surprising. I was expecting much more expensive prices. - I like the aperitif time where they serve some food with the drinks, which makes the experience even better. ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/2022/09/IMG_2064.jpeg) - Eating in restaurants is not as expensive as I was expecting. The restaurant bill is paid inside even though we used the terrace outside. - Using toilettes is a jack-in-the-box experience; we never know what to expect regarding toilet designs and how they work. I’ll stop here. - Even at the very end of the tourist season, there were a lot of people at some places. Could this indicate a shift in travelling habits to cope with higher-than-normal temperatures? - There are so many trails in Italy, it’s incredible. A paradise for walkers. - We still have to pay to go to the public restroom. At least they are always clean. - We probably crossed a thousand roundabouts. - The more I visit this country, the more I feel there is so much more to discover. - Europeans are tall and thin in general, Italian are no exceptions. - Many churches look ordinary on the outside, but inside it’s quite another story. We were often pleasantly impressed many times. - In most villages, it’s fascinating to see houses with closed shutters. You would think it’s because there is nobody living there, but, it’s a way of keeping the house temperature lower and more tolerable. ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/2022/09/IMG_3505.jpeg) - I don’t remember seeing a 5G network in any place I visited. - COVID-19-related restrictions are still in place in public transportation but are highly partially respected. - Italians are smoking more than I would like and in more places. - Italians are big coffee (espresso) drinkers. Taste varies quite a lot from one place to another. - There are dogs everywhere. Italians seem to like pets a lot. Didn’t see a lot of cats, though. ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/2022/09/IMG_2242.jpeg) - Graffitis are rare in a small village but are much more present in big cities like Milan. - Very small cars are a thing in Italy. ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/2022/09/IMG_2397.jpeg) - I had a chance to see a few museums, one had a collection of old marionettes used in a theatre. They look spooky and frightening. ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/2022/09/IMG_2629.jpeg) - Some villages use dated interactive information kiosks running a version of Windows XP. Ouch. - [Italians love the iPhone](https://numericcitizen.micro.blog/2022/09/03/away-from-apples.html?ref=numericcitizen.me), but Android phones too. Don’t miss my [Italy vacation photo diary](https://www.craft.do/s/pquiPWve2Ov3kj?ref=numericcitizen.me). ### Using Craft for Sharing Photos — My Thoughts From My Experience URL: https://numericcitizen.me/using-craft-for-sharing-photos-my-thoughts-from-my-experience/ Last updated: 2023-03-23T16:47:57.000Z ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/numericcitizen.me/wp-content/uploads/2022/09/dsc_1910.jpg) Vernazza Because [I love Craft so much](https://numericcitizen.me/2022/07/16/my-love-letter-to-craft/), during my summer vacation in Italy, I wanted to try Craft instead of using platforms like Facebook, Instagram or Smugmug to share my photos. So, throughout my three weeks of vacation, I diligently shared a few of my best images each day. Here’s the result, [a Photo Diary of my three weeks in Italy](https://www.craft.do/s/pquiPWve2Ov3kj?ref=numericcitizen.me), but most importantly, on this blog, I want to share my thoughts about my experience of sharing my photos using Craft. --- My daily routine was pretty simple. At the end of each day of visiting the surrounding towns or villages, I would import my photos taken with my Nikon D750 into Lightroom on my iPad Pro and make sure my iPhone would sync the newly taken photos to the cloud before going to bed. The morning after, using my iPad Pro, I would select some of the best pictures, process them and create a new page on the photo diary to place them. Of course, each page had to include some textual context and a map of the visited areas. This is where the issues started to show up with Craft. The iPad isn’t the best device to import content into Craft. I have a slight preference for the MacBook Air for this task. Yet, on macOS, photos need to be inserted one at a time using the command menu (slash) unless I’m going to the finder, select the exported files and drag them up into a visible portion of the Craft window. Another way is to drag and drop directly from Photos to Craft document. Depending on the situation, the import varied. Next, there is no carousel or album “construct” in Craft. Photos are treated as individual blocks sitting on a page. Formatting options are limited, and photos’ metadata cannot be exposed to the people visiting the shared document. ![Image sizing options in Craft - limited if you ask me](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/numericcitizen.me/wp-content/uploads/2022/09/image-sizing-options-in-craft.png) Image sizing options in Craft – limited if you ask me. Photo captions need to be created manually in Craft. They must be simulated by inserting a text block under each image and formatting them to look like captions using the “caption” style and centring the text. Manually created captions aren’t linked to the image; they both live in their own objects. Speaking of which: you cannot assign a link to an image in Craft. This link could help build a visual path or connection to a map or Wikipedia article. It should be added, and part of [my rather long Craft wish list](https://www.craft.do/s/dxwb0SsrGtPF47?ref=numericcitizen.me). ![Browsing the photo diary in Craft](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/numericcitizen.me/wp-content/uploads/2022/09/summer-vacation-in-italy-photo-diary-project-built-using-craft-navigation-2022-09-02.png) Browsing the photo diary in Craft That’s the content creation part of the story. Next is the experience of visiting the photo diary on the web. Shared documents in Craft are mini websites on the Internet. They can look gorgeous if you spend the time making them look good, of course. That’s the best part of using Craft. The limitations begin to show when the visitor wants to glance at each image. Navigation aids (next image, previous image) are provided in a particular context. When images are arranged side-by-side without any text block in-between, Craft will add arrows when viewing a picture, as shown below, arrow keys on the keyboard can be used. Otherwise, if images are sparingly separated by text blocks, arrows are displayed. Visitors need to “open” and “close” each image to browse the content. It’s basic compared to the experience provided by sites like Smugmug or Flickr. Speaking of which, you can visit my Smugmug page to glance at my best image of Italy. Still, users can open photos in full-screen view and peek at the picture at native resolution, which is nice. Craft doesn’t compress images, apparently, which is a must for serious photographers. ![Arrows displayed to browse images](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/numericcitizen.me/wp-content/uploads/2022/09/browse-image-with-arrows.png) Arrows displayed to browse images. --- The results aren’t that bad; quite the contrary. But, many photographers like me are perfectionists and like to get as much control as we can when presenting our work. Besides that, browsing the website is fast, even with high-resolution images. It’s just too bad that users cannot access photo metadata. So, I had to build a navigational structure by adding a “Next day” link at the bottom of each day page. Craft automatically provides a way to go back to the previously seen page. In summary, Craft is an excellent application for easily sharing content on the web without much friction. For sharing photographic content, as long as you are aware of its limitations, Craft can help achieve the job to some degree. Yet, in its current incarnation, I would argue that Craft is best for sharing written content containing images, not photo-centric content. Nonetheless, it was super fun to create this photo diary, and I’ll keep it online and live as long as possible. Don’t miss [my YouTube videos](https://youtu.be/IVk-CigUd3Y?ref=numericcitizen.me) for a more detailed view of my experience. ### 55. URL: https://numericcitizen.me/55/ Last updated: 2022-09-04T17:13:47.000Z Today, I'm 55\. Already. Time flies. I could summarize my state of mind right now: *I'm living the best years of my life in every possible way*. For me, it seems like everything is (still) possible. It looks like I am at my best professionally and in my personal life. My kid is becoming adults and I have many friends that I love. I know this won't last forever, but I'm always grateful for it. Yet, I have this sentiment that experience coupled with knowledge and creativity is a powerful combination that I take advantage of as often as possible. I hope it isn't a peak but a gently increasing slope. That's my wish for my birthday. ### Friday Notes #87 — Make Me Learn Something URL: https://numericcitizen.me/friday-notes-87-make-me-learn-something/ Last updated: 2022-08-19T12:00:30.000Z I’m in the final stage of preparation for my vacation in Italy. My mindset is starting to turn into a photographer’s mindset. Now that I have settled on the gear to bring, I’m thinking about the photos I’d like to take and how different my style should be this time. This mindset helped me create the idea of a photo diary that can be found here: “[Summer Vacation in Italy — a Photo Diary Project Built Using Craft](https://www.craft.do/s/pquiPWve2Ov3kj?ref=numericcitizen.me).” This week, I watched two YouTube videos related to photography that I found inspiring and learned a few things from. First, I like this rant from AOWS about what should be considered real photography. As you might expect, it’s a matter of perspective (pun intended), and there is no definitive answer. Yet, this video somehow comforted me about my position on the subject. Modern digital photography allows us to do things that are so far away from what was available to previous generations of photographers. Yet, many techniques currently used by many of us are not that far from the basic techniques like dodging and burning to enhance an image, which have existed for hundreds of years. So, what is real photography in the digital world is an eternal debate. The second video is about street photography and the challenge it might represent for some photographers. I generally like street photography style, and I learned something interesting from this video. Street photographers can be labelled as hunters and fishers. The hunters will set their minds on a specific subject and hunt for it in the city until they find it. Some photo subjects might find this intrusive and disrespectful if they notice they are photographed. Fisher photographers, on the other hand, are more passive and frame the environment for potential subjects and wait for their subjects to move in. In many cases, the subject won’t bother or might even excuse themselves for crossing the photographer’s path. Here, instead of confrontation, you get excuses. It’s an entirely different approach. For shy photographers like me, being of a fisher type offers a better way of doing street photography. I could try to be a fisher photographer in Italy. --- Both of these videos made me learn something. In response, I paid the author using YouTube’s thanks feature for the first time. It’s not a lot of money, but it signifies deep appreciation. When I learn something, I’m much more willing to say hi and thank the author. I hope the authors will appreciate it because I suspect this isn’t very common. Unfortunately, so far, I didn’t get any form of acknowledgement. Oh well. ![Image.png](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/2022/08/Image.png) ![Image.png](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/2022/08/Image-1.png) On a slightly different note, street photography can also be the source for doing street portraits. Sitting in a park, watching people come and go, for many photographers, it’s tempting, even can be the occasion, to ask permission to take a portrait of a stranger. But, unfortunately, it’s not an easy thing to do for me. I have never done it. I’m far too shy to ask, even following the rules and advice in this article: [How To Ask A Stranger For A Portrait](https://wesley.substack.com/p/process-035-how-to-ask-a-stranger). --- 💡 What did I learn this week? There are two types of **street photographers**: the hunter and the fisher. The former is much more aggressive and willing to get the scene they are looking for. The latter adopts a passive attitude and waits for the magic to happen. ### Now With Native Commenting Support URL: https://numericcitizen.me/now-with-better-comment-support/ Last updated: 2022-08-16T01:13:22.000Z Thanks to my hosting website service, Ghost, I have transitionned from Commento to Ghost's native comments support. You can now react to each of my blog posts using your subscription account (free or paid). As soon as you are a subscriber, you'll be able to respond or comment using the "Start the conversation" at the end of each post. Sure, you can react via Twitter or Microblog (each post being cross-posted to Twitter and Microblog), but the best experience is using the comments here so others can jump into the discussion! Below is an example of what you should see when visiting the website and reading a specific post. Rest assured, no past comments have been armed in the process. 😎 ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/2022/08/Safari-Photo-Legend--32---Where-Are-They-Now@2022-08-15@16.36.19@2x-1.png) ### Photo Legend #32 — Where Are They Now? URL: https://numericcitizen.me/photo-legend-32-where-are-they-now/ Last updated: 2024-08-15T11:06:53.000Z Here is a photo that I like a lot because it reminds me of an emotionally tense moment. I always wanted to visit a concentration camp, so I did in the nineties when I spent half a day at the [Dachau](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dachau%5Fconcentration%5Fcamp?ref=numericcitizen.me) concentration camp. It was a stop during a trip to Austria. It was a strange and highly emotive visit, even though I don't have any family, to my knowledge, who was directly impacted by the nazi's concentration camps. Yet, the whole day when the visit took place felt bizarre. I remember being in a strange, sorry and sad mood. At some point during my visit, this group of young men was listening to a guide. I was there, from a distance, watching them listen to the camp's history. Then, this young man, looking somewhere. That's the moment I took the picture. I often ask myself: what was this person looking at? What was he thinking about? Was he diverting his attention from the recounted horror stories? So many stories were hard to listen to. Now, at the time of this writing, I'm wondering: where are they now? Who were they? Where were they from? Are they part of an army? Or was it a defining moment for any of them to change their course and head to a different future? I'll never know. It's part of the mystery and the reason behind my love for this image. The original photo was a print, not a numeric file. It was digitized a long time ago but only recently processed. I intentionally dropped the colour saturation and the exposure. ### Friday Notes #86 — Getting Ready for My Vacation in Italy URL: https://numericcitizen.me/friday-notes-86-getting-ready-for-my-vacation-in-italy/ Last updated: 2022-08-12T12:00:53.000Z I’m getting closer to my summer vacation. Work at the office is slowing down; meetings are becoming scarce. Many colleagues are still on vacation while I’m looking for mine. My mood is steadily and definitely turning to vacation mode, my thoughts focusing on what needs to be done to get ready for this long-awaited trip to Italy. I’m anxious to get myself prepared for that one. You can imagine my motivation level at work going down the drain. 😜 This vacation will mark a return to trip photography: a much more intense period of snapping images while I’m walking uncharted territories. It’s the first trip since the summer of 2019 (Hawaii) where I’ll bring my rather heavy camera backpack (containing a Nikon D750, a telephoto and a wide-angle lens). I’ll have to revisit the backpack content this weekend, practice a bit with the camera, and recharge the batteries. Besides the backpack content, I’ll have to decide which iPhone camera app I will use: [Halide](https://halide.cam/?ref=numericcitizen.me) or the stock Camera App. Most probably, I'll stick to the iOS built-in camera app; I stopped paying the subscription to Halide a while ago. On the other hand, I'm using a beta release of iOS 16, and it works great so far. In all cases, I’ll be shooting in RAW most of the time. As for computing devices: my MacBook Air will make the trip in the oversized luggage bin while the iPad, you know, [the reading device](https://numericcitizen.micro.blog/2022/08/03/about-this-reading.html?ref=numericcitizen.me), will stay with me in my backpack in the cabin. Expect many updates to the [Photo Legend Series](https://numericcitizen.me/tag/photo-legend-series/) in the coming weeks. Unfortunately, these posts won’t make it to your inbox, only on the web and via your favourite RSS feed reader. I would rather not spam your inbox. I'm uncertain if I'll be able to put together the next few editions of the Friday Notes series while on this trip; I prefer to focus on photography content. I'll see how it goes. --- ### Miscellaneous and more or less random thoughts - It’s the first time [I’m getting close to a war zone](https://write.as/numericcitizen/war-zone-danger-zone?ref=numericcitizen.me). Sounds stupid, maybe, but it’s real. The was in Ukraine seems so far from us in Canada. Going to Europe will probably make it feel more concrete, for sure. - With all the challenges airline companies have these days, I’ll have to manage my luggage content accordingly, just in case I don’t get my main luggage as I should at the destination. - I’ll use my roaming data plan to use LiveText translation of restaurant menus, direction panels, etc. Unfortunately, I know close to nothing in Italian. Oopsy. - This week, the hosting platform of this newsletter and website, Ghost, announced Ghost Explorer. It’s a directory of authors using Ghost as a publishing service. That’s pretty cool for indie creators like me, as discoverability of content was difficult. Like Substack, Ghost is trying to create a community around creators. That’s cool. I can’t wait to see if it makes a difference. ![My website as shown in the Ghost Explorer gallery.](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/2022/08/Safari-Ghost-Explore---Discover-the-top.png) My website as shown in the Ghost Explorer gallery. One week before departure. ### Special Message to Visitors From Ghost Explore URL: https://numericcitizen.me/special-message-to-ghost-explorer-visitors/ Last updated: 2022-08-19T19:58:02.000Z Today, out of nowhere, Ghost introduced **Ghost Explorer**: a simple way to discover authors like me. I'm so glad. After more than a year out of Substack, I was really missing the discovery part of Substack. Welcome to my introspection world to all visitors who found this blog via Ghost Explorer. This space is the home of a free monthly newsletter, a Friday notes Series and photo stories. Thanks for visiting. 👋 ### Friday Notes #85 — Some Observations About My Retired Friends URL: https://numericcitizen.me/friday-notes-85-some-observations-about-my-retired-friends/ Last updated: 2022-08-05T12:00:04.000Z I had a great time last weekend with my friends, who are retired (some for a few weeks, others for more than five years). I’m not retired. I probably have at least ten years of work in front of me. It seems a long time, but I’m pretty sure it will fly without me noticing. While speaking with my friends, listening to their stories about how busy they have been since they retired made me smile. They certainly look happy and enjoy their “busy” life. They spend their time doing things they like, things of their choosing. Furthermore, they have many projects on their plate: creative projects or travelling for the most part. My closest friend retired a few weeks ago and never thought about his work. How can this be? He’s been working at the same place for at least ten years. He was swamped and invested in his career. He had many responsibilities as a high-level director. He had some serious health issues early this year, just before his retirement, that is behind him now, which probably helped a lot to start thinking about life after work. Being able to pivot that fast from one type of life to another is quite surprising to me. Another thing that I find pretty interesting: the notion of weekend versus weekday is murky now for them. Time is a continuum. They no longer have the repetitive routine of “going to work” five days a week and relaxing two days a week. They go with the flow. Is it different from when we were five years old? Then, we didn’t have the notion of time, so everything we did took forever. Our parents kept saying, “come on, we’ll be late for school! Hurry up!” Life is a wide circle that is being slowly closed as we get older. When I’m thinking about my friends and their life as retirees, I’m starting to think I’ll probably like it too. I’m just not there yet. But since time flies, even ten years from now feels like it’s after tomorrow. I’m still fully invested in my professional life, [doing my best](https://numericcitizen.me/friday-notes-83-my-three-rules-for-aiming-for-the-top-tier/), and too busy to look beyond the next six months. ### Remembering My Short Story of Owning The 20-inches iMac G5 — 2005-2007 URL: https://numericcitizen.me/remembering-my-short-of-owning-the-20-inches-imac-g5-2005-2007/ Last updated: 2023-03-23T16:47:57.000Z ![My desk at home with my iMac in 2005, picture taken with Canon PowerShot A610](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/numericcitizen.me/wp-content/uploads/2022/08/my-desk-in-2005.jpg) My desk at home with my iMac in 2005, picture taken with Canon PowerShot A610 The iMac G5 was a gift from my then-wife, the mother of my children. In the years preceding my return to the Apple ecosystem, I used to spend quite some time in a local Apple dealer to see how Apple’s Mac was evolving. I did countless visits experimenting with Mac OS and slowly fell back in love with the Mac. After getting my new iMac setup, I remember transferring my iTunes library from my Windows PC to the Mac and plugging my 2003 20 GB iPod for the first time. It felt like magic and very satisfying. iTunes was really the first of many use cases for my new Mac back then. My story with this iMac was abruptly interrupted by a robbery in my house in the summer of 2007\. A few weeks before the launch of the redesigned aluminum iMac. Rumours were rampant, and I asked my insurance company if I could wait a few weeks before replacing my stolen machine. They didn’t see any issue with my request. This is how I upgraded to the first aluminum iMac, which I owned for quite some time, but this is for another episode. My previous story in this series can be found [here](https://numericcitizen.me/2022/07/10/remembering-my-story-of-owning-a-powermac-7100-1995-1996/). ### Friday Notes #84 — What Am I Creating That Will Be Bigger Than Me? URL: https://numericcitizen.me/friday-notes-84-what-am-i-creating-that-will-be-bigger-than-me/ Last updated: 2022-07-29T12:00:43.000Z In a [recent and lengthy conversation with a friend](https://numericcitizen.me/friday-notes-81-in-praise-of-a-special-friendship/), one thing came up about our existence: the notion of creating something bigger than ourselves. What will my passage here on earth allow me to create that is bigger than me? Isn't it the goal of our passage here on earth? If yes, what am I doing with my life that will transcend my existence? Is this the same as creating something that will endure the passage of time beyond my death? This [article on Medium](https://medium.com/curious/how-to-create-something-bigger-than-yourself-90c11fdc0c37?ref=numericcitizen.me) offers some cues about finding our way here on earth and our purpose. My father was an architect. He designed office buildings, houses, utility buildings, museums, and hospitals. He passed away a bit less than two years ago. The vast majority of his work is still there, scattered all over the province. In the last decade of his life, he also donated his blueprints to the provincial archives. It's called an architectural legacy. He's gone but is left so much behind him. He basically did what I'm trying to say here. His journey brought him into creating something much bigger than himself. He succeeded. Let's get back to my purpose. Professionally, I'm working in computer sciences. I'm a numeric content creator in my spare time as a hobby. I basically and ultimately turn on and off strings of ones and zeroes. These are ephemeral, unpalatable, and invisible. I'm basically at the other end of the spectrum of what my father was doing. He contributed to building physical things. I'm working on invisible electricity states between silicon gates. That's fascinating somehow. Last week, I wrote and published [edition #83 of the Friday notes](https://numericcitizen.me/friday-notes-83-my-three-rules-for-aiming-for-the-top-tier/) about trying to do my best in everything I do, professionally and in my spare time. Maybe there's the start of an unexpected turn in my search for a better answer. I guess I'll have to find a different look at my existence. It will be a long journey of introspection. --- Please note that I won't publish the regular [monthly newsletter](https://numericcitizen.me/) "**Numeric Citizen Introspection**" this weekend. Thanks to my time spent working on YouTube videos, I couldn't spend as much time reading as I wished this month. However, I'll be going on vacation in mid-August, and I'll have much more time for reading. My queue is full of things to read. ### Finally Finding My Niche And Feeling Good About It URL: https://numericcitizen.me/finally-finding-my-niche-and-feeling-good-about-it/ Last updated: 2023-03-23T16:47:57.000Z Thanks to my passion for content creation using Craft, I finally found a niche as a content creator: becoming a Craft SME (subject matter expert) and ambassador of some sort. I’m investing time in building a series of videos on YouTube revolving around Craft (see Series introduction video). I’m engaging in conversations about Craft on the Craft community on Circle as an ambassador on Reddit /r/craftdocs and Slack. I’m learning about Craft nearly every day. That’s satisfying. Oh, and I’m not paid in any way. > Niche definition: “a specialized segment of the market for a particular kind of product or service: he believes he has found a niche in the market | smaller cooperatives must find and develop a niche for their speciality product.”Wikipedia Why can an application like Craft be at the center of my newly found niche instead of pushing further my long-time passion: photography? Thanks to COVID-19, my time spent as a photographer has declined sharply in the last two years. I never recovered from it. Other than that, It’s easy to tell why, but becoming an expert at Craft is much easier than being a photography expert. I could spend the rest of my life working on my photography style and technique, and I wouldn’t be considered an “expert.” It’s another matter for Craft. Craft is much more approachable by being intuitive to use and inviting to start with. I get positive feedback for my involvement, and people appreciate my interventions. It’s stimulating. This brings me to the subject of “recognition.” Is this newly found passion for YouTube video creation all about feeling the recognition from a dedicated community? Maybe. Maybe not. I don’t know. Suffice it to say that people’s engagement level with my Craft-related activities is much higher than readers commenting on my published content. I like this interaction with people who are consuming my content. I have this constant desire to explore new things and new tools and enjoy my use of those tools when they are well conceived, mostly perfect in their design and execution. Craft is such a tool. It is not perfect, its road to maturity is not straight, and I have to be patient. Yet, in its current incarnation, Craft is a joy to use, making me better at my content creation hobby. So I want to share my passion for it, help others get the most out of it and eventually become as passionate about it as I am. > There is something in Craft that makes you want to use it more.Numeric Citizen Lastly, Craft is a pretext for returning to YouTube as a content creator and exploring the video medium. I’m learning to like YouTube more than Vimeo a few years ago. Everyone is on YouTube; my content’s engagement levels reflect that reality. I like that too. You can have a look behind the scenes at my production setup (both in hardware and software) in [this video](https://youtu.be/5gKRtiyapQY?ref=numericcitizen.me). Who knows where this will leads. Now, If you’ll excuse me, I have a video to finish. ### A Few Thoughts and Observations on Making YouTube Videos URL: https://numericcitizen.me/a-few-thoughts-and-observations-on-making-youtube-videos/ Last updated: 2024-08-12T17:19:59.000Z I’ve been making YouTube videos ([don’t miss the Behind the Scenes look](https://youtu.be/5gKRtiyapQY?ref=numericcitizen.me)) for a few weeks now, and I wanted to share my experience so far as someone who generally prefers written words to videos. Spoiler alert: I love it quite a lot! Here’s why. I’m unsure what the trigger was for me to start creating YouTube videos about Craft. I do remember, though, that I was expecting a daunting task to produce each video. However, that’s not the case simply because I’m using the right tools and good workflow. Craft is at the center of the process, not only the subject of my videos. I use a Craft Template to guide my work and lay out the list of tasks I need to accomplish. It’s a frictionless process because I spent the time perfecting my template. With each video, I made a few tweaks here and there. Now I’m pretty satisfied with it. You’ll see my template in action in the second part of my video about my production setup and process. It’s pretty cool. Besides Craft, I’m using Screenflow, which I think is pretty well known to many people doing YouTube videos about computer software. It’s a joy to use. It’s easy to learn and get the job done fast. With each video came new tricks, and I learned how to work quicker and more efficiently. Running on an M1 Mac is also helping to speed up the process, thanks to its M1 chip. Using great and efficient tools doesn’t negate the time it takes to get great results. I must say that since I started creating those videos, my time spent doing other content creation activities changed drastically. [Time is not an elastic resource](https://numericcitizen.micro.blog/2022/06/18/theres-no-such.html?ref=numericcitizen.me). Nonetheless, the efforts spent are invaluable in learning new things, new tools and experimenting with a medium that is so popular these days: videos. YouTube Studio, the web platform for publishing videos, was new to me. It’s easy to master and get the job done, very “Googleiiish.” I’m pretty overwhelmed by the amount of analytics the platform provides to its creators. It is mind-blowing. I shouldn’t be surprised; it’s Google, right? That being said, the numbers I’m seeing over time are encouraging. People seem to like my videos, spend more and more time watching them and engage with comments, which I individually acknowledge. I’m getting close to a perfect score of 100% on the percentage of people who likes the videos. I’m getting quite a few new subscribers each day. Publishing on platforms like Slack, Circle and Reddit, where the Craft community is hanging out, helps a lot. I’m rigorous in my process: when my video finally becomes available on YouTube, I publish a small post specifically tweaked for each platform’s audience. As a result, I get some engagement on each platform, and I try to actively answer comments about my videos. It’s fun and still quite manageable. Videos that offer the most value for the viewers are the most popular. Videos about increasing productivity somehow are the ones that produce the most favourable viewing time. Videos about more specific areas of Craft tend to have less viewing time. I don’t bother too much about that. I’m creating the videos that I want to create and share for the fun of it. It’s not a popularity contest. I’m okay with that as soon as I learn something along the road. The vast majority of my video is less than 20 minutes. From a style perspective, I recognize that my videos are more on the “slow” side compared to current style trends, which deliver content at a much faster and more dynamic pace. I don’t want to follow that trend. I prefer the master class format, where I take my time to express and explain what I want to talk about. Producing videos is a delicate process that requires planning and a good mastery of the tools involved. However, I’m happy to report that I’m feeling pretty good at doing this. Now I can better understand what kind of efforts are required to become a YouTube star. That’s not easy; long-lasting success doesn’t come free for sure. Producing videos about Craft helped me find a niche in a crowded world on YouTube. I feel I’m making a slight difference in the community of current or future Craft users. It’s highly motivating. I hope to be able to produce many more videos in the future and that people will keep coming to my YouTube channel. My YouTube channel address is [https://www.youtube.com/c/numericcitizenvideos](https://www.youtube.com/c/numericcitizenvideos?ref=numericcitizen.me). ### Friday Notes #83 — My Three Rules for Aiming for the Top Tier URL: https://numericcitizen.me/friday-notes-83-my-three-rules-for-aiming-for-the-top-tier/ Last updated: 2022-07-22T10:40:06.000Z In all my projects, I always aim to do my best and never settle for good enough. Most of the time, I’ll try to do more or exceed what was expected from me. I naturally put myself in the top performance tier by doing so consistently. So why not target the top? Am I being an elitist? No, but an explanation is in order. First, I’m speaking for myself. I’m not suggesting everyone should always target the top tier in everything, but I would argue trying to exceed the expectations is a goal that anyone should try to achieve. When doing something at work, in my personal life, or in my hobbies, I always try my best and aim for the top first tier in execution, content quality and rigorousness. My life experience shows me that to be noticed and get a minimum of credibility goes beyond good manners and being polite. This is where credibility kicks in. Being in the top tier is the sweet spot. Trying to stay ahead of the crowd, just enough to be in the top tier, has always served me well over the years. This is how I get noticed by the management at work, for example, and earn respect from most of my colleagues. It’s simple as that, for me anyway. Why not target the top, you might wonder? Well, it’s a matter of striking a balance in life. Targeting the top of the top is where things get much more complicated, and too many sacrifices are needed besides the basics. The higher you aim, the more effort it will take. It’s not a linear progression; the efforts required follow an exponential curve. Elites pay the price to be at the very top. This could partly explain why athletes or highly successful artists sometimes show signs of breakdown or not being well in their personal lives. The hard work it takes to be the best of the crowd is immensely phenomenal. I’m not ready to pay that price in my personal life. I admire those who do: Steve Jobs, Prince, Michael Jackson, etc. That’s not for me, and I’m probably not gifted enough, in general, to pretend to be up there if I was really willing to. Put differently, my goal is to try to give the best of myself as often as possible, at work, in my hobbies, while creating, and in my relations with others. I have this habit of being a perfectionist, but not overly perfectionist, just enough to put me in what I’m referring to as the “top tier of the crowd.” Lastly, I always try to identify people who are top performers in their field. I prefer to hang out with the top people simply because they tend to drag me up with them. Being with the best is a motivational factor. It’s a source of learning and inspiration. That last rule is probably the most important one. It can have a profound impact if you hang out with the right persons, willing to work as a group and share. In summary, here are three rules I’m trying to follow all the time: 1. Give the best of myself all the time. Never settle for the “good enough”; 2. Target the top tier, not the top; 3. Hang out with the best in their field. --- I took a break from the Friday Notes series last week simply because I felt this blog post wasn’t ready. It wasn’t up there, in the top tier. This post took longer to write, and I felt that I had to be coherent with my principle exposed in it. Unfortunately, my mother language is French; I’m far from certain my words here fully reflect my thoughts. Oh well… One last thing: up until now, the Friday Notes series never was interrupted. Eighty-two weeks without interruption, that’s not something I would have thought when I started. --- 💡 What did I learn this week? Nikon announced they are no longer creating new models of DSLR cameras, concentrating their efforts on mirrorless cameras instead. That’s the end of an era for sure. ### My Love Letter to Craft URL: https://numericcitizen.me/my-love-letter-to-craft/ Last updated: 2023-03-23T16:47:58.000Z Hi, I’m Numeric Citizen, a digital content creator. It’s been a while now. The first time we met was in December of 2020\. For testing purposes, I created a short blog post that I later [published on Micro.blog](https://numericcitizen.micro.blog/2020/12/15/my-first-contact.html?ref=numericcitizen.me). Coming from Notion, the great design of Craft was seducing, exciting and refreshing. The second document was about Craft’s unique proposition, features set and design. This became [an article on this blog](https://numericcitizen.me/2021/03/12/craft-vs-notion-from-a-bloggers-perspective/). Then, I created another document at the beginning of 2021 to continuously update it all year long. It was a year summary of my work as a content creator interested in many subjects: Apple, photography, privacy and climate change. This document, which was never published, allowed me to experience Craft in all its glory with document structure, page cards, numerous formatting options and easy information manipulation. It was at this point that I started to reconsider my choice of using Notion. Craft was seducing me so much that in a very short time, it became at the center of my blogger workflow, leaving Notion behind and a daunting task of eventually having to bring my content to Craft. I was pivoting my whole workflow for Craft, tweaking all aspects of my workflow. Without regrets. With joy. In this journey of getting acquainted with Craft’s unique features and behaviours, I felt empowered, enhanced, and propelled to new heights as a blogger, a writer, a photographer, and a content creator. Each new release of Craft brought joy and excitement, the comforting sentiment of having made the right choice and left me wanting for even more. I slowly but surely became passionate. I found new uses for Craft to create things that I never thought were possible for me, like [a Digital Garden](https://numericcitizen.me/2021/04/06/introducing-my-digital-garden/) and a YouTube Videos channel about Craft. The match between Craft and me is so good that I’m creating more with it, not less. Frictionless. Passionately. Yet, Craft isn’t perfect. Nothing is. It’s part of life. Perfection is a matter of perspective. From my point of view, the column of pluses is far longer than the column of minuses. The whole is much greater than the sum of its parts, including the less perfect details. The fast pace of version releases ensures that I’m patient and willing to accept a few rough edges. Now. Here we are. Eighteen months later. Writing this on Craft on my MacBook Air using the recently introduced Focus mode, an enhancement specifically targeted to users like me. Feeling undistracted, focused, and confident, I’m reflecting on my journey with Craft. Roads aren’t always linear. Craft has been turning here and there in new and unforeseen directions. I learn to accept the unexpected. I’m also thankful for using Craft, a perfect app citizen in the Apple ecosystem that is skipping the dark side that comes with non-native applications. I’m still in love with this software, if such a thing is possible, a well-crafted piece of bits and bytes put together and enhancing my numeric life and, obviously, my real life. Thanks to the Craft team for creating Craft and keeping it evolving. ♥️ With love, Numeric Citizen. ### Remembering My Story of Owning a PowerMac 7100 — 1995-1996 URL: https://numericcitizen.me/remembering-my-story-of-owning-a-powermac-7100-1995-1996/ Last updated: 2023-03-23T16:47:58.000Z It was the only PowerPC Mac that I ever owned. I never liked the general design, which looked too much like a styled Windows PC. It was Apple at his worst from a design perspective. Personally, and professionally, it was a transition period in my life. I was working in IT in a consulting company after spending more than a year at an Apple Dealer. My technical world flipped into the Microsoft ecosystem and Windows world. It was a dark period where I was learning a lot. My Mac usage wasn’t that much and was generally uninspiring. I have very few souvenirs of that period. **The decade where I didn’t own or use an Apple computer is like a black hole in my ownership streak.** I remember the speed difference when using software optimized for the PowerPC, but in retrospect, it wasn’t as impressive as it is today with the M1 processor, compared to its Intel counterpart. Yet, it was a big move for Apple to leave the Motorola era and start the IBM PowerPC journey. Software like GraphicConverter (which still exists today at [version 11](https://www.lemkesoft.de/en/products/graphicconverter/?ref=numericcitizen.me)) saw a big speed boost while converting JPEG images. Again, I can’t remember how I got rid of this machine. But I do remember what came after the start of a ten-year hiatus of Windows PC ownership, away from the Apple universe. If the PowerMac 7100 represented a dark era, the following ten years were an even sombre era, starting with Windows 95. ### Friday Notes #82 — Friendship Between Generations URL: https://numericcitizen.me/friday-notes-82-friendship-between-generations/ Last updated: 2022-07-08T12:00:32.000Z I recently spent some quality time with one of my colleagues at a coffee shop on a sunny Sunday morning. In the last couple of years, I’ve been working on different projects with her on and off. Over time, we became friends, and our discussion subjects became more and more non-work related. She’s probably at least 20 years younger than me. On my way to meet her at the coffee shop, I was thinking about friendships in general but more specifically about the fact that most of my friends are my age. She is not. And I like it. Why, you might wonder? Well, I'm more and more appreciative of this friendship spanning generations. As I wrote in [my previous Friday notes](https://numericcitizen.me/friday-notes-81-in-praise-of-a-special-friendship/) article, I have a friend who happens to be of the prior generation; at 72, he’s my oldest friend. Being in her twenties, my colleague is probably the youngest friend in my friend's circle. Cross-generation friendship is helping me get a peek at the young generation that follows me, besides my children. It’s exciting and helpful to learn about their language twists, new trendy things, know what’s out, how they see the world, what they expect for the future, etc. This generation is the one who will take care of me and what we leave behind us. So having conversations between generations is a way of learning from each other. When I express my numerous thoughts on so many different mundane subjects, she knows about me, but also she’s getting a peek at why, maybe, the world is what it is, for the good and bad sides. I don’t know where this friendship will go in the future, how long it will last, or how long life will keep us on the same path. How could I know? We don’t know what someone will bring into our life. The mystery is what makes the moments on the same path precious. I can’t wait to see where this will lead us. 💡 What did I learn this week? Insects are vital to life on earth and climate change is threatening their existence all over the world. It’s really that serious. Insect populations all around the planet are drastically decreasing. This change affects all ecosystems and eventually will impact humans. Oh, one last thing, you heard that song “Human” by Rag’n’Bone Man? Well, I like it a lot, and I should probably sing it out loud because, yeah, I’m only human, and that is why I couldn’t help myself and decided to install iOS 16 on my iPhone and iPadOS 16 on my iPad in their beta form, breaking my intention of waiting ((as I wrote in “The Joy of Waiting”) for as long as possible before doing so. ### Remembering Owning The PowerBook Duo 210 — 1993-1994 URL: https://numericcitizen.me/remembering-owning-the-powerbook-duo-210-1993-1994/ Last updated: 2024-08-11T12:32:49.000Z I got the [PowerBook Duo 210](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/PowerBook%5FDuo%5F210?ref=numericcitizen.me) because I could get it for a discount as an employee of an Apple dealer. I thought it was cool to get a portable Mac. At the time, it was considered a light and small portable. Its slightly rounded edges, and relative thinness, made it look light, highly portable and approachable. The PowerBook Duo 210 had a greyscale screen, and its performance was relatively modest compared to the Centris 610, but it was portable. The lack of any port was alleviated by introducing the expansive Macintosh Duo Dock, which I didn’t have. Coupled with the Duo Dock and an external monitor, it was a cool and novel setup. The Duo Dock made this machine enjoyable to experiment with. We had one at the store so I could put my PowerBook in it and work with a bigger display. It was really cool. This Mac sported a trackball and a low-profile keyboard. I was not too fond of the trackball as the pointing device. The keyboard wasn’t that great either. But, it was small and highly portable. [Then and now](https://numericcitizen.micro.blog/2022/02/19/old-computerrelated-memories.html?ref=numericcitizen.me). The PowerBook Duo 210 didn’t stick too long with me. I eventually got rid of it, and it wasn’t replaced with another Mac. So for about a year, I was a “Mac-less person.” The reason for that was simple: I could test almost any Mac I wanted by working at an Apple dealer. I even remember bringing a Power Macintosh 8100 home to test software on it (man, this machine was heavy). ## Artifacts Because of its short stay in my life, I don’t have any more artifacts to go with this article. ### Things That Don’t Stick With Me URL: https://numericcitizen.me/things-that-dont-stick-with-me/ Last updated: 2023-03-23T16:47:58.000Z Throughout *my numeric life*, there are a lot of new things like applications or services appearing on my radar. At first, many of them seem worthwhile or even must-haves but eventually, they fade into oblivion. To stick with me, this application has to be highly useful, well-designed, accessible, and a conduit for something of high value at all times. Here is a rundown of the forgotten, thrown out and left behind. There are so many that I wonder if there is something wrong with me. ## Apple’s Fitness+ It is a cool service, very accessible for people like me who are not big exercisers. Yet, I cannot find a way to incorporate suggested activities into my daily life. It’s not an issue with the service but with me and my relation to exercising. I prefer to take a long walk or by bike to nowhere. ## Apple’s Arcades First, let me be clear: I’m not a gamer and I’ll probably never be. Abundance doesn’t entice me to play more games. I barely play my favourite game: [Townscraper](https://numericcitizen.me/2020/07/07/a-simple-review-of-townscraper/). I was a fan of SimCity a long time ago, on PC and then on the iPad but over time the game became way too complex to play, and they lost me along the way. ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/numericcitizen.me/wp-content/uploads/2022/07/apple-arcade.jpg) ## Apple’s Mindfulness application on the Apple Watch Every morning or evening I get a notification that asks me to take a big breath of fresh air. It’s still enabled, but I rarely do the breathing exercise. The notification reminds me how bad I am at spending some time relaxing. I should probably turn that one-off, once and for all. ## Apple News From time to time I open News on my iPhone. For some reason, the News app feels like a mess to me and lacks some personality. If you think about newspapers like The New York Times or the Financial Time, these names already evoke a style both in its form and content. Apple News? Nope, just a mess, an endless work-in-progress. ## Podcast listening Podcast is a popular medium and a great way for consuming content. The fact that I’m not commuting to work, I don’t have that many hours during the week to fill with podcast listening. I prefer to spend time writing or creating the next edition of my monthly newsletter. I’m probably missing a lot of great content. ## Clubhouse & Twitter spaces On paper the Clubhouse idea was great and I was one of the lucky ones to be on the invite-only list when Clubhouse started. The problem is content. When looking at upcoming episodes on those platforms, it seems that everything is about NFT, cryptos and how to make money quickly. I’m not interested in those subjects. Getting things in order takes a lot of management and tweaking. That being said, Clubhouse still has some potential for content creators like me. Maybe I should run my own show? Nah, I prefer creating YouTube videos like [these](https://www.youtube.com/c/NumericCitizenVideos?ref=numericcitizen.me). ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/numericcitizen.me/wp-content/uploads/2022/07/twitter-spaces-feature-image-1.jpg) ## Automation tools like Alfred, Hazel or Shortcuts It’s hard for me to remember all the key combinations to invoke any automation. I don’t have long and complex processes that could benefit from automation. The very few Shortcuts that I use were developed by others and are mostly used with Craft. On my iPhone or iPad, I do have a widget on my home screen which shows important shortcuts. The problem is that I’m never sure how I should invoke a specific shortcut: from within Safari with the share sheet or is it simply by hitting the button? Will it work? I don’t know most of the time. Oh, and the fact that some Shortcuts on iPadOS won’t work on macOS or vice versa, it’s makes things even more complicated. ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/numericcitizen.me/wp-content/uploads/2022/07/apple-shortcuts.png) ## Keyboard keys combination Alfred, Keyboard Maestro, all of these utilities are great for creating keyboard shortcuts but the simple fact that I often forget which key combination to invoke for a shortcut renders the whole thing useless. Again, what’s wrong with me? ## macOS Spaces & Exposé During the turmoil of the controversial Stage Manager introduction, even in beta, this reminds me of other desktop management features that I’m not using enough: macOS spaces and Exposé. They are certainly cool and useful, they’re fast and easy to set up, and yet, I simply forget to make good use of them. Maybe I’m not the power user I claim to be? ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/numericcitizen.me/wp-content/uploads/2022/07/image-2.png) ## Readwise As I read my saved bookmarks in Matter and highlight content, snippets of information are being saved to Readwise. And then nothing happens. I should go more often to see passages of my reading sessions, but I rarely do it. Yet, each time I do it, I’m happy that I did. There’s even a Craft eXtension to get access to my Readwise highlights, but I rarely use this. ## Apple’s Magic Trackpad The trackpad is sitting in my office. I can’t remember the reasons I bought it. It’s definitely a good-looking object, yet, it’s useless. ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/numericcitizen.me/wp-content/uploads/2022/07/image-3.png) ## Reading newsletters I’m subscribing to the Mailbrew service so I can build a newsletter with information sources of my choosing. I like it a lot but I fail to read the newsletters that are being generated on a daily basis. It’s a shame. ## iMessage applications I rarely receive a message from an iMessage-compatible application like stickers or other types of content. At first, it was cool and nice but the UI for selecting an application to use for sending a certain type of object is convoluted and unfriendly. I’m not sending this type of message either. ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/numericcitizen.me/wp-content/uploads/2022/07/7ea14ada08859942e798753d3cf9060d.jpg) ## Personal and manual daily journaling I’m a long-time user of DayOne. In the beginning, I was writing in my journal every day, then I gradually stopped. Now, I’m [documenting my numeric life](https://numericcitizen.me/2018/12/22/documenting-your-numeric-life/), automatically. It’s clever but nothing like writing my own words every day. ## macOS Widgets in Notifications Center It’s all Apple’s fault because they are badly designed and hard to manage, they don’t make sense with notifications. Bring back the Dashboard and I’ll be happy. ## The Intercom feature available in the HomePod and Apple’s Home application When it launched, I used the feature a few times, but after a while without using it, I find it hard to remember how to invoke it through Siri. It seems I cannot find the right way to say what’s needed to make the feature work. The other reason is that I don’t have HomePod in every room of my house. ## Apple Watch hand washing monitoring It was cool and somewhat useful when we were at the peak of COVID-19, but now it feels a bit tired and a gimmick. I should turn that off, but keep washing my hands! ## Leaving the house with my Apple Watch full of music and listen to music with my AirPods Pro It may sound cool and the closest to what the original iPod experience was in spirit, but leaving the house without my iPhone is not going to happen. The iPhone is the iPod, an internet communicator and a phone, are you getting it? If I had the Apple Watch cellular would make a difference; I would be more willing to leave my iPhone behind. ## Apple’s Quick Notes on macOS & iPadOS Quicknote is a great idea but I don’t like the way notes are stored within the Notes.app. To highlight web content, I use Matter which offers more functionality. ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/numericcitizen.me/wp-content/uploads/2022/07/monterey-quick-note.jpg) ## Tags in Apple’s Reminders and Notes Tags need too much management and discipline. Items in Reminders don’t stay there for long anyway; it doesn’t add value for me to tag Reminders items. Categories are enough. I’m barely keeping up with tags in Matter. ## Apple’s SharePlay I guess I need a lot more friends with the same music tastes for this feature to become useful. The same goes for watching videos with others. I need more friends. ## Camo + iPhone as a webcam On paper, using the iPhone as a webcam is a seducing idea. So seducing that even Apple thinks it s great idea. In practice, it can be quite another matter. Using an application like Camo on macOS makes the process relatively simple. Plugging the iPhone with the lightning cable to the Mac, and making sure the Camo utility is open and running should be enough to start a Zoom call using the iPhone. Problems start when you want to use Teams, which isn’t compatible with Camo. Another issue: getting a phone call while on Zoom, if Continuity isn’t enabled on the Mac and iPhone, it’s hard to know who’s calling, unless you have an Apple Watch. There are too many gotchas. Will the upcoming release of iOS 16 and macOS 13 this fall help dissolve the friction? Probably. ## Netflix or Apple TV Series I have a hard time finishing any series that I start watching. The latest is Planet Dinosaurs. And The Servant Season 3. ## Special Mention to Rene Ritchie’s YouTube Videos He makes great informative videos but his way of talking, his tone, I can’t stand it for more than five minutes. It’s not as bad as it was, I guess he’s trying to have a more “neutral” tone. If he was to listen to my videos, he would not like my English accent either! So, there you have it, a list of things that felt into the “nice but no” cracks. What are the things that you dropped along the way in your numeric life? Leave a comment below this article. ### Friday Notes #81 — In Praise of a Special Friendship URL: https://numericcitizen.me/friday-notes-81-in-praise-of-a-special-friendship/ Last updated: 2022-07-01T11:51:37.000Z I first met him back in 1985 or 1986\. He was one of my teachers in computer science. For three years before getting my first degree in computer science, I had the chance to spend time with him in a student-teacher relationship that slowly evolved into a friendship. I remember admiring his teaching skills, passion for the bird observation field, chess player skills (I realized that I had never played against him), and his general culture. We could talk about mostly anything. Eventually, I left my hometown to continue my computer science studies at the university. We kind of put our friendship on pause for a long time. Facebook made me reconnect with him. We exchanged a few emails between 1987 and today. We had some time together in a coffee shop a long time ago; I can’t remember exactly when. After that, we stayed connected on and off. Last summer, we reconnected unexpectedly, as I wrote in my [Friday Notes edition #40](https://numericcitizen.me/friday-notes-40/). Since then, we have exchanged a few emails. Then, I recently decided we needed to meet again in person. On a recent trip to my hometown to visit my old mother, I made sure to put some time aside for this long-time friend. We met in front of a restaurant on the street following a beautiful sea shore. He was sitting on a bench, looking in front of him at sea. Resting. Observing. Listening. I went in front of him, said hello, shook hands and went to the restaurant for a coffee. I felt like we had met just the month before. That wasn’t the case, of course, but it was telling of something we can only find in typical long-lasting friendships. We ordered our coffees, and the conversation started. The coffee-sipping session eventually became “having lunch together.” I can’t count how many subjects we touched: birds, science, professional and personal life, death, journaling, machine learning, artificial intelligence, getting older, etc. Then, I remembered how easy, enlightening and enriching it was to spend time with him. He’s probably feeling my enchantment of spending time with him, but he’s only getting a glimpse of it. I wish we could spend more time together, even walking in a forest and seeing him observe birds, experiencing a life-long passion. People with passions have always attracted me. Passions are something that defines him. During our conversation, he said something I wanted to note on my iPhone so that I could remember: some people are creating things that become way bigger than their own person. This becomes their legacy. My friend will undoubtedly leave behind many things that are bigger than him. Since then, I started asking myself: What will I leave behind that is bigger than me? This question and so many others define the center of my friendship with him: creating opportunities for reflection. Someone said: we are the sum of people we meet in our life. I’m a lucky guy. ### Numeric Citizen Introspection Newsletter #23 URL: https://numericcitizen.me/numeric-citizen-introspection-newsletter-23/ Last updated: 2022-06-30T10:26:00.000Z ## HIGHLIGHTS `A new YouTube Channel is born` In June, I started publishing ***YouTube videos about Craft***. You can join the YouTube Channel if you’re curious. Read all the details [here](https://numericcitizen.me/2022/06/09/numeric-citizen-now-on-youtube/). `There is no such thing as time elasticity` Learning to proceed with high-quality YouTube videos takes time. The consequence is that I’ve had less time for writing. [Time elasticity](https://numericcitizen.micro.blog/2022/06/18/theres-no-such.html?ref=numericcitizen.me) isn’t possible yet, sadly. In this article, discover **how much time did I spend producing my videos**. `Before WWDC 2022, I had some wishes…` Each June, ***Apple WWDC*** conference took place and a plethora of announcements are common. Before the conference, [I had a few wishes](https://numericcitizen.me/2022/06/04/wishes-for-wwdc-2022/). `…and a Twitter thread about new hardware announcements` Oh, and I had [this to say on Twitter](https://twitter.com/apple%5Fobserver/status/1533777341595328514?s=21&t=B6xLMqiCkUzN1MLcnUhPig&ref=numericcitizen.me) about the possibility of new hardware announcements. I thought it was to be the **Mac Pro**. I was wrong. `WWDC 2022 came, then I had some observations` Following the WWDC conference, I took the time to write down **[my observations](https://numericcitizen.me/2022/06/12/observations-and-notes-on-wwdc-2022-keynote-announcements/)**. Here they are, as a wall of text. There is a reason why I chose this format this year. ## APPLE TIDBITS 1️⃣ Following the publication of [this article](https://appleinsider.com/articles/22/04/01/how-to-run-macos-7-and-macos-8-in-your-browser-today?ref=numericcitizen.me) on Apple Insider, here’s something cool I discovered. If you’re old enough, you’ll probably remember experiencing ***Mac OS 8***. If you’re a bit nostalgic about it, do yourself a favour and run [Mac OS 7 or 8](https://macos8.app/?ref=numericcitizen.me) within the browser of your choice. Enjoy. I’ve played with it for a little while and I’m just mind-blown about this: how do this even works? How is it possible, within a browser, to run on an ARM M1 chip, at that speed? I tried to record an AppleScript with the Scripts editor. Works just fine. Mind blown. 2️⃣ With **Apple’s current headquarters**, it’s easy to forget about the past, what it was like in Apple’s office in 1990 or in 2000\. It’s fascinating to see the interior's evolution in style and breath and Apple’s personality settling in in [this photo series](https://appleinsider.com/articles/22/03/07/see-how-much-apples-campus-design-has-changed-in-30-years?ref=numericcitizen.me). 3️⃣ Fascinating tidbits about the birth of the iPhone software, iOS, then called ***iPhone OS***. I cannot get enough of those [stories](https://daringfireball.net/2022/02/on%5Fthe%5Forigin%5Fof%5Fthe%5Fiphone?ref=numericcitizen.me). > Flights to [#WWDC22](https://twitter.com/hashtag/WWDC22?src=hash&ref%5Fsrc=twsrc%5Etfw&ref=numericcitizen.me) be like > > cc: [@mufasaYC](https://twitter.com/mufasaYC?ref%5Fsrc=twsrc%5Etfw&ref=numericcitizen.me) [pic.twitter.com/wzJMGi7pZR](https://t.co/wzJMGi7pZR?ref=numericcitizen.me) > > — Philip "Phil" Niedertscheider (@philprimes) [June 3, 2022](https://twitter.com/philprimes/status/1532691621132771329?ref%5Fsrc=twsrc%5Etfw&ref=numericcitizen.me) > June 29, 2007: The iPhone launches 📱 [pic.twitter.com/LbLT5b8b2b](https://t.co/LbLT5b8b2b?ref=numericcitizen.me) > > — Basic Apple Guy (@BasicAppleGuy) [June 29, 2022](https://twitter.com/BasicAppleGuy/status/1542147506880106499?ref%5Fsrc=twsrc%5Etfw&ref=numericcitizen.me) This is the most important inflection point in phones history ## MUST SEE PHOTOGRAPHY STUFF > batch photo editing in iOS 16 🚀 [pic.twitter.com/6KOIguNWLe](https://t.co/6KOIguNWLe?ref=numericcitizen.me) > > — zac hall (@apollozac) [June 9, 2022](https://twitter.com/apollozac/status/1534903049373761537?ref%5Fsrc=twsrc%5Etfw&ref=numericcitizen.me) Cool and useful new feature coming in iOS 16 Photos app Something cool and really useful is coming to ***Photo editing*** in the upcoming ***iOS 16*** release this fall. Speaking of editing photos, do you know you can use a browser to do very basic but useful stuff, no software required? Try “[edit.photo](https://edit.photo/?ref=numericcitizen.me)”. Surprisingly powerful. Saved to my bookmarks. I always like those ***before & after photo edits*** *(see below)*. It’s a great way to learn. It’s like the Adobe Lightroom Discover feature, which I happen to browse from time to time. Really nice, really educative. > iPhones can take great shots, but edits can really make them shine. Check out how [@kyler\_steele](https://twitter.com/kyler%5Fsteele?ref%5Fsrc=twsrc%5Etfw&ref=numericcitizen.me) does an edit: [https://t.co/TaKQ3o8TlK](https://t.co/TaKQ3o8TlK?ref=numericcitizen.me) > > — Halide (@halidecamera) [March 31, 2022](https://twitter.com/halidecamera/status/1509650917662072843?ref%5Fsrc=twsrc%5Etfw&ref=numericcitizen.me) ## CLIMATE CHANGE & CRISIS A [study](https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2022/may/05/flying-insect-numbers-have-plunged-by-60-since-2004-gb-survey-finds?ref=numericcitizen.me) conducted in Great Britain points to a drastic diminution of insect population. The method used to detect insects was the number of insects who smash a car registration plate while going out for a ride. Duh. **Reduce energy consumption** and **transfer energy sources to cleaner ones**. [That’s the goal](https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-60984663?ref=numericcitizen.me). According to the IPCC, we not only need to use cleaner energy sources, but we also need to cut down on energy consumption, period. We need more sustainable life patterns. Yet, many countries are starting to look for old coal plants to circumvent Russia’s intention to cut gas. What happens around an ***airport*** when ***storm cells*** are crossing the path of landing plains. Fascinating. Not related to climate change, but to intense weather events, nonetheless. > Check out this super cool timelapse of aircraft dodging storms on their way into ATL. [pic.twitter.com/sX4272EN8z](https://t.co/sX4272EN8z?ref=numericcitizen.me) > > — Flighty App (@FlightyApp) [June 15, 2022](https://twitter.com/FlightyApp/status/1537154092363022337?ref%5Fsrc=twsrc%5Etfw&ref=numericcitizen.me) Speaking of reducing our energy consumption. We need to stop Bitcoins. Fast. > Some statistics to start the year: > > During 2021 Bitcoin consumed 134 TWh in total, which is comparable to the electrical energy consumed by a country like Argentina. > > Related CO2 emissions were \~64 Mt; enough to negate the entire global net savings from deploying EVs. > > — Digiconomist (@DigiEconomist) [January 1, 2022](https://twitter.com/DigiEconomist/status/1477420461122375683?ref%5Fsrc=twsrc%5Etfw&ref=numericcitizen.me) Read the full Twitter thread ## PRIVACY PROTECTION Why so much attention to the use of [hard-locking your iPhone](https://daringfireball.net/2022/06/require%5Fa%5Fpasscode%5Fto%5Funlock%5Fyour%5Fiphone?ref=numericcitizen.me)? Why is it important? Can we really refuse to hand over your device to a police officer? Can you refuse to unlock your device? Is this the same answer if you’re in the US, in Canada, in France or anywhere else on earth (except in Russia, they will probably be jailed you or even worst, kill you for refusing, who knows..) **Facebook** [isn’t in control of its data](https://www.cpomagazine.com/data-protection/leaked-documents-from-facebook-indicate-engineers-have-lost-control-of-user-data-cant-keep-up-with-international-privacy-regulations/?ref=numericcitizen.me) it has been accumulating like forever. How are they supposed to comply with regulations? As [reported by MacRumors](https://www.macrumors.com/2021/12/22/survey-amazon-and-google-user-data-more-than-apple/?ref=numericcitizen.me), according to this study, people are trusting Google and Amazon to handle personal data. I’m surprised by these results. Amazon? Is Apple at fault for its CSAM debacle? ***Abortion laws*** versus ***privacy***, what do they have in common? [This post](https://www.reddit.com/r/privacy/comments/vmal0d/roe%5Fvs%5Fwade%5Fis%5Fa%5Fperfect%5Fcounter%5Fargument%5Ffor/?ref=numericcitizen.me) on Reddit is very telling. ## NOTABLE QUOTES > As you become an adult, you realize that things around you weren't just always there; people made them happen. But only recently have I started to internalize how much tenacity \*everything\* requires. That hotel, that park, that railway. The world is a museum of passion projects. > > — John Collison (@collision) [May 25, 2022](https://twitter.com/collision/status/1529452415346302976?ref%5Fsrc=twsrc%5Etfw&ref=numericcitizen.me) ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/2022/06/DraggedImage.png) ## SOME LEFTOVERS 1️⃣ ***A boat in Rotterdam***. Quite fascinating to see the maze the boat is going through. It looks like boats are winning over cars in Rotterdam. > In 2013 a special water transport traveled from Rotterdam to Amsterdam. A timelapse camera took 30.000 photos every 3 seconds, resulting in a unique and stunning view of the old Dutch waterways, in 4K \[source, full video: [https://t.co/4BAzOVEX8X](https://t.co/4BAzOVEX8X?ref=numericcitizen.me)\] [pic.twitter.com/YnRoO0yLHo](https://t.co/YnRoO0yLHo?ref=numericcitizen.me) > > — Massimo (@Rainmaker1973) [May 15, 2022](https://twitter.com/Rainmaker1973/status/1525827098027380737?ref%5Fsrc=twsrc%5Etfw&ref=numericcitizen.me) 2️⃣ Watch the whole thing. Fascinating to see the process of layering the different landscapes, at the same pace, in four different seasons. A lot of planning needs to go into this. > Imagine being this talented [pic.twitter.com/x0ozU1GKdJ](https://t.co/x0ozU1GKdJ?ref=numericcitizen.me) > > — Lance 🇱🇨 (@KingIrg\_) [September 18, 2021](https://twitter.com/KingIrg%5F/status/1439246841535680514?ref%5Fsrc=twsrc%5Etfw&ref=numericcitizen.me) 3️⃣ Must-see video featuring an [interview with **Tony Fadell**](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4oDZyOf6CW4&t=2459s&ref=numericcitizen.me), one of the principal architects behind the iPhone creation. 4️⃣ **Are you missing iTunes on macOS**? Here’s something to test on your Mac: [a music mini player](https://marioaguzman.github.io/musicminiplayer/?ref=numericcitizen.me) built on top of Apple Music. I tried it and it is pretty cool and useful. The Apple Music app needs to be open for the mini player to work. 5️⃣ ***Elon Musk***: Or you’re in, literally, or you’re out, literally. No work from home for Mr. Musk’s employees. > From [@elonmusk](https://twitter.com/elonmusk?ref%5Fsrc=twsrc%5Etfw&ref=numericcitizen.me) on remote work… tell us how you really feel! > (email from yesterday) [pic.twitter.com/692C59YrDw](https://t.co/692C59YrDw?ref=numericcitizen.me) > > — Sheel Mohnot (@pitdesi) [June 1, 2022](https://twitter.com/pitdesi/status/1532006979291402240?ref%5Fsrc=twsrc%5Etfw&ref=numericcitizen.me) One last thing, John Roach, ***Pioneer of the Personal Computer***, dies at 83\. He’s the guy behind the famous TRS-80 personal computer, which I remember so well. We had a RadioShack in my home town where they used to sell them. More details [here](https://www.nytimes.com/2022/03/23/technology/personaltech/john-roach-dead.html?ref=numericcitizen.me). ## WHAT’S NEXT You know when an operating system is mature when the only innovative feature introduced is a redesign of the ***Settings***. Get used to [the new Settings.app on macOS](https://basicappleguy.com/basicappleblog/settingsapp?ref=numericcitizen.me). It’s the future of system preferences on the ***Mac***. Speaking of the future… here’s some pretty cool stuff from Apple… we can see where they are going with this: [AR glasses](https://www.roadtovr.com/apple-roomplan-ar-mapping/?ref=numericcitizen.me). > ⚡️Associated Press: Google executive says Ukraine ‘a crystal ball’ for info warfare. > > Speaking at the UN Security Council, a Google exec warned that cyberattacks, disinformation and other forms of info warfare being waged in 🇺🇦 are a “crystal ball” for future problems elsewhere. > > — The Kyiv Independent (@KyivIndependent) [June 21, 2022](https://twitter.com/KyivIndependent/status/1539367962095722498?ref%5Fsrc=twsrc%5Etfw&ref=numericcitizen.me) Misinformation is part of our daily life since the invention of newspapers. Today’s medium makes things far worst because of information density, velocity and general availability. More than ever, a friend of mine told me recently, that critical thinking is needed. **Cyberspace**, and eventually metaspaces are going to be the next frontiers of the battlefield in my opinion. Interesting [blog post by Matt Birchler](https://birchtree.me/blog/im-conflicted-on-apples-webkit-mandate-for-iphones-and-ipads/?ref=numericcitizen.me) commenting on an article about the lack of ***web rendering engines*** besides Apple’s on the iPhone and the iPad. I’m perplexed when I consider that, as stated in Birchler’s post, most browsers on Windows are built using the same engine: Chromium. Is this all about the veneer, then? Just remember that design is not only how it looks but also how it works. Does this apply to browsers too? I would argue that yes. Oh, one last thing… > 50 years ago today Atari was incorporated. I look back and marvel at how little we knew and the journey it would lead us. > > — Nolan K Bushnell (@NolanBushnell) [June 27, 2022](https://twitter.com/NolanBushnell/status/1541462567557533698?ref%5Fsrc=twsrc%5Etfw&ref=numericcitizen.me) --- This concludes the Numeric Citizen Introspection Newsletter #23 for June of 2022\. See you next month for the next edition! Building this edition of the newsletter took approximately seven hours of work, spread during the month of February. If you enjoy my newsletter, show me your support through [PayPal](https://paypal.me/numericcitizen?locale.x=en%5FUS&ref=numericcitizen.me) or by becoming a paid member here. Thanks a lot for your support. Sign up [here](https://numeric-citizen-introspection.ghost.io/?ref=numericcitizen.me#portal) 🙏🏻 ### How Much is Too Much? URL: https://numericcitizen.me/how-much-is-too-much/ Last updated: 2022-06-28T01:19:45.000Z 🇺🇦 When reading about the war raging in Ukraine, there is so much to read, see and… digest. As it has become the focus of my attention from a news consumption perspective since the start of the invasion, I tend to talk about it with my surroundings. I think they are starting to feel the war fatigue. They look at me with rolling eyes 🙄, wondering why I focus so much on what’s happening in Ukraine. Now, here’s the question: who’s at fault here? 🧐 I feel sad about our reactions to this mess. It’s a major issue that will occupy the political, economic and world hungriness for quite some time. Most of these will have some sort of impact on us, individually. We should care and stop turning this war into just another war we don’t have control over. We do. ### Friday Notes #80 — Return To Normal, For Real This Time URL: https://numericcitizen.me/friday-notes-80-return-to-normal-for-real-this-time/ Last updated: 2022-06-24T12:00:15.000Z With summer’s warm and sunny weather returning, festival openings one after another, and major sports events taking place for the first time in more than two years, I really have the impression that I live in a post-COVID era. Air traffic with trans-continental flights is returning en masse in the sky over my house. Gone are masks and COVID-19 tests mandates; gone are restrictions in public places. People have a smile on their faces, not a mask. I really have this feeling of returning to some form of normalcy. In a recent friends gathering, if the conversations were any indications, it was clear to me that COVID-19 left profound marks on the collective mindset and caused what looks to be irreversible changes to our society. There is a fracture point: before COVID-19 and after COVID-19\. It’s the new reference point, just like 9/11 was and still is. We are still learning a lot about what the pandemic left behind. We don’t understand most of the changes that came with COVID-19, and I suspect the post-pandemic world will offer a plethora of research subjects to explore in the coming decades. As an example, consider a small business like local stores or restaurants: they are feeling a lack of personnel. All small businesses are fighting for them. Those businesses are all crying to get back their staff at pre-COVID levels. Moreover, I feel more scarcity than before in all sorts of domains beyond people: from what’s not available on the restaurant menu to what will take months to get, like an Apple MacBook or even an apartment for rent. As you might expect, prices of goods are on the rise. Yet, remember when many economists were saying that it would take years to recover from the economic crash created by COVID-19? Instead, it appears it was temporary, and everything is running on all cylinders, like living our lives. We are making up for the lost opportunities and doubling down on many things. I'm not sure if it's good or bad, but we can definitively feel the heat. On a final note, I’m excited about my next trip to Europe in August without having to bother about COVID-19 regulations and to prepare for restrictions to follow. What a good riddance. It will be a trip like I used to do them. PS. Yes, I’m aware that COVID-19 cases are on the rise, again, but… shuuuuuuuut, don’t break my illusions. ### Friday Notes #79 — The Joy of Waiting URL: https://numericcitizen.me/friday-notes-79-the-joy-of-waiting/ Last updated: 2022-06-18T01:49:53.000Z I read somewhere, I can’t find it anymore, that people who prioritize patience over immediate pleasure could live a happier life in general. I often remember a phrase that one of my computer science teachers once told me: people anxiously waiting for something are dead. I tend to think it’s true. Albeit a plethora of new and exciting features spread across all Apple platforms, I won’t be installing any of Apple’s beta releases this summer. I’ll wait for the official releases when they are ready for the public in September. In previous years, not long after Apple’s announcements, I would jump in and get in the betas cycle as soon as the first signs of relative stability appeared. Not this year. I don’t want to feel the pain of running betas just for the kick of experiencing cool new features. These will come in due time. In August, I’ll be travelling to Italy, and I don’t want to risk having a non-working device stuck at installing a new beta version. It’s far too risky. So I’ll wait until my return in mid-September. Pleasure often comes while waiting for something. Waiting is an opportunity to let imagination flourish and project ourselves into the future where the expectation becomes a reality or not. Remember when your parents put Christmas gifts under the tree a few days before Christmas? I do. I would spend hours in front of the Christmas tree, staring at the gifts, imagining what they could be. Then, when the time finally came, it lasted maybe half an hour on Christmas Eve to unpack them. I was overwhelmed, sometimes wondering what was the most enjoyable: waiting or unpacking? Only when we got older could we finally say because we learned that pleasure is most often found while waiting for something. Dear readers, thanks for being there. 🙏 ### Observations and Notes on WWDC 2022 Keynote Announcements URL: https://numericcitizen.me/observations-and-notes-on-wwdc-2022-keynote-announcements/ Last updated: 2023-03-23T16:47:58.000Z The **WWDC** 2022 **keynote** was highly anticipated, as usual. Production quality seems to keep improving as if it was possible. For me, the event, as a whole, felt underwhelming, but after watching a second time, things were a bit different. Make no mistake, Apple showed the tech world that they still know how to push their platforms ahead and make them work together in better ways. There’s one theme that stood out: they spent way too much time showing device management features: manage your windows, manage your notifications, manage your health, manage, manage, manage. Another thing to manage: the lock screen. They took quite some time to show how cool the lock screen customization is. It’s not a game-changer. But it is cool and probably appealing to the young generation. As much as I think Apple is cleverly adding cool features in **Continuity** (FaceTime call is one of them), there are signs that Apple’s platforms are feeling like **bloatware**, thanks to the numerous things to manage. Is it the inevitable trend of any maturing platform or service? There are way too many things to tackle in order to take advantage of all the shiny new things. Consider **Focus modes**. They require a lot of management and tweaking to make them work as advertised. Is iOS 16 going to make it easier? Apple is trying to simplify something. Expect a lot of trial and error and missed calls or notifications. Remember what Steve Jobs said about **multitasking** on the **iPhone** when it was introduced? You don’t have to **manage** it. After you’re done with Focus Modes, now manage your windows! Now, think about Apple introducing **Stage Manager**. Here’s something more to manage: windows! How many windows management features can the Mac have? It appears that Apple thinks there was room to add another one. It’s probably something I’ll keep turned off on my Mac. Apple’s website looks more and more like a giant storefront. Scrolling the MacBook Air section feels sluggish even on the mighty M1 MacBook Air! **MacOS Ventura**, **Windows Vista**. I had this wish before the keynote that Apple could start naming their iOS or iPadOS release as they do with macOS. With Ventura, I’m no longer wishing for this. What an awful marketing name! The marketing team was uninspired this year. When thinking about iPadOS 16 and external monitor support (which only M1-equipped iPad will benefit from), questions are popping up in my mind: is the iPad killing the Mac or is it the opposite? Maybe they benefit from each other? Or are they going their own way? A few cool things, though: the collaborative application, called “Freeform,” to launch this fall, probably following the initial release of each platform update, like a few other features, in a dot one release, looks interesting and… useful. Freeform will be potentially better than anything **Microsoft** or **Zoom** could have done. Using the **iPhone as a webcam** wirelessly without latency is cool. No cable is required. Just in time for a port-free iPhone? Speaking of Freeform, let’s turn to Freedom: Apple didn’t show any sign of opening up its platforms, especially on the App Store side. **No sideloading of applications**. Surprise. Surprise. Is Apple done with iOS 16? Has it peaked? **FaceTime** keeps morphing into a more collaborative platform enabler. But, who’s using FaceTime at the office, beyond Apple, for collaborative work? I was hoping for Apple to redo their **Notifications Center** on **macOS** and liberate the widgets with the return of the Dashboard. But they chose to redo the System Preferences and rename it to **System Settings**! [With mixed results](https://mjtsai.com/blog/2022/06/08/system-settings/?ref=numericcitizen.me). [Good call by BasicAppleGuy on that one](https://basicappleguy.com/basicappleblog/settingsapp?ref=numericcitizen.me). I’ll have to wait another year of my life to maybe be able to place widgets anywhere I want on my big Apple Studio display! Now, the **redesigned MacBook Air**. Wow. That new dark tone is mystic but probably a fingerprints magnet too. No sign of Mac Pro. In a short Twitter thread, I was expecting the closure of the first round of **Apple Silicon transition**. With the MacBook Air and the **M2**, Apple is already on its journey to improve what was already a marvel of engineering. I can’t wait to see this MacBook Air in person. It could be my next. The M1 MacBook Air is still available. Same price. The Mac product line is growing… like the iPhone product line. More price points. [Apple is really leaving **Intel** behind](https://www.macrumors.com/2022/06/08/macos-ventura-features-intel-macs-no-support/?ref=numericcitizen.me), with the M2 and macOS Ventura. I’m happy to see that journalists and tech pundits had the chance to see the new device in person, in Cupertino, after a long two years without the possibility to enjoy Apple’s headquarters and the **Steve Jobs theatre**. I won’t install betas this year. The underrated waiting pleasure of waiting for something. It won’t be easy, but I’ll wait after returning from my trip to Italy in mid-September. All is not bad. Sure, iOS 16 and iPadOS 16 received a lot of welcomed tweaks, refinements and additions. A wall of text. This represents my feelings about this year’s Apple platforms releases: standing in front of a wall of text. Like the one in this post. PS: I would guess that a lot of enthusiasm this year about WWDC relates to the fact that after two long years of COVID restrictions, people sharing the same passion for software and writing apps for Apple devices could finally meet together. This brings a lot of emotion for sure and probably predisposes people to have a favourable take on what Apple is doing this year. Oh, one last thing, close to none of [my wishes](https://numericcitizen.me/2022/06/04/wishes-for-wwdc-2022/) were fulfilled. ### Friday Notes #78 — The Importance of Accessibility URL: https://numericcitizen.me/friday-notes-78-the-importance-of-accessibility/ Last updated: 2022-06-10T12:00:08.000Z Recently, I observed that my Siri usage increased noticeably, especially to dictate text on my iPhone. On many occasions, responding to someone texting me is often much faster than trying to type on a tiny on-screen keyboard. You are probably one of those who think that autocorrect quality and efficiency have both degraded over the years with each version of iOS. My usage of Siri is also affected by something else: my ability to precisely type on the keyboard keys at a rapid pace has decreased. While typing a text message, I make many more typing errors than before because I’m hitting the wrong keys. This is something new to me lately. I’m guessing that my fine motor skills are deteriorating with time. This is where accessibility comes into play. Apple makes countless efforts to make its device accessible for people with different disabilities. Just spend a few moments on their [accessibility website](https://www.apple.com/accessibility/?ref=numericcitizen.me). It’s pretty impressive. I wouldn’t say that I have disabilities. But something normal is happening, aging, and Siri helps me circumvent this to a degree. I feel relieved in a way, knowing that technology is helping me. Siri dictation improved recently in accuracy and functionality, as speech processing happens on-device primarily now. An internet connection is no longer needed, which makes the process faster. Features like increasing text size or tapping the back of my iPhone to bring the notifications center are other aids to make our device more usable in more edge-case situations. I like Apple for that and hope to keep using my means as long as possible before having to depend on software features to compensate. But if I even need to rely on such an accessibility feature, I know I’ll be able to find what I need. I’ll feel like someone who’s still in the game. It’s crucial. ### Numeric Citizen Now on YouTube! URL: https://numericcitizen.me/numeric-citizen-now-on-youtube/ Last updated: 2023-03-23T16:47:58.000Z Today, I am excited to share some news with you. I’m starting my YouTube videos channel, “Craft Videos for Creators & Crafters.” As the channel name implies, it’s all about Craft, a well-known note-taking and writing application that is less than two years old. My goal is simple: by sharing how I’m using Craft in my blogger workflow, I hope that you’ll learn new tricks, maybe start using Craft for yourself or find new ways of using it. Each video will be focused on a specific area of Craft and be rather short in length, less than 20 minutes. The first video is live on [my YouTube Channel](https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCpdbqSdJxiT4FoaFCwgCtZw?ref=numericcitizen.me). Please, be sure to subscribe and post comments or show your appreciation and support by liking videos. It would mean a lot. 🙏 **Disclaimer**: I’m not paid to create those videos. I subscribe to the Craft Pro plan. ### Wishes for WWDC 2022 URL: https://numericcitizen.me/wishes-for-wwdc-2022/ Last updated: 2023-03-23T16:47:58.000Z I recently shared [a blog post](https://numericcitizen.micro.blog/2022/05/24/im-not-publishing.html?ref=numericcitizen.me) in which I said that I wouldn’t make a wish list for this year’s WWDC conference. I lied. Here is my wish list for this year’s WWDC (“Dub dub”) conference (I should come back to last’s year wishes to see how well I fared). It’s nothing compared to this one from Jason Snell, but hey, it’s my wish list nonetheless! Let’s dive in without further due, starting with the most important to the least important. --- ## **macOS** For god’s sake, please, Apple, try again with the Notifications Center and liberate the widgets by bringing back the dashboard. That’s all I’m asking. I don’t expect anything that comes close to a new home run like Universal Control. This kind of feature happens once in a decade, in my opinion. Oh, one last thing: fix those [weird-looking dialog boxes](https://twitter.com/tonyarnold/status/1531539596794040320?s=20&t=m0AohK3ED3dv8SnzcdX5Rg&ref=numericcitizen.me)! If Apple could do something to [bring back developers to the Mac](https://twitter.com/mattcassinelli/status/1531998612598579201?s=20&t=m0AohK3ED3dv8SnzcdX5Rg&ref=numericcitizen.me), that would be great too. ## **iPadOS** I would argue that the iPad (and the iPhone) are condemned to keep the “game console” model. Apple is going to keep tight control on them. It doesn’t mean they won’t open it up a little bit more, but not by much. On the “end-user” front, maybe Apple could liberate the hardware a bit more: bring better and more complete support for external monitors, something more than the current mirror mode. How about extending the iPad screen? Add Interactive widgets too. Please don’t bring resizable windows like macOS, but add more freedom of application placement while multitasking. I don’t want windows chrome on the iPad; I want to see more content, not more user interface. Targetting the M1 iPad Pro for these renewed multitasking features would be surprising. ## **iOS** Make the keyboard autocorrect work again. Fix the Notifications Center; even with beefed-up focus modes introduced last year, Apple isn’t quite there yet. It still requires too much management, in my opinion. Interactive widgets would be handy, certainly on the home screen, but on the lock screen? I wouldn’t be surprised to see them coming to pre-iPhone 14 models, but the best experience of them is being reserved for the iPhone 14 Pro with an always-on display. ## **watchOS** What about introducing something like “today, I’m relaxing” or “Today, I’m sick,” so the watch stops nagging me to stand up? Please don’t bring a watch face store, Apple, don’t do it. We don’t need it. Bring less useful features instead that I would like. ## **tvOS** I’m not excited about the TV experience “Made in California” anymore. I’m not a big video content consumer. Better HomeKit integration could be useful. Besides that? Nothing that I can think of. I don’t care about the hardware unless Apple dares to return by making a great Wi-Fi router. --- Speaking of hardware, I don’t expect much from Apple in this respect. I don’t expect a MacBook Air redesign. Apple usually uses the WWDC conference to release more pro-like hardware, like the Mac Pro, not the MacBook Air. The HomePod was introduced during a WWDC keynote because it was a new direction for Siri. I guess we will see soon enough. I may sound bored. I am. There is one thing that I’ll be watching closely: anything that Apple will announce that could signal a more open platform and ecosystem. I suspect we could see some preemptive moves like the [tap-to-pay feature recently introduced](https://www.apple.com/newsroom/2022/02/apple-unveils-contactless-payments-via-tap-to-pay-on-iphone/?ref=numericcitizen.me). Governments pressure Apple all around the world. However, if Apple makes a move, will it be seen as a sign that they think they’re at fault? Oh, and this paragraph from Mr. Snell should probably resonate with numerous developers; after all, it’s a developer’s conference. “**A way forward for app development.** In 2018, Apple introduced Mac Catalyst as the future of Mac-iPad app development. Then in 2019, it introduced SwiftUI, the future of all Apple platform app development. But developers I talk to say that SwiftUI is still quite limited and is in desperate need of improvement. It’s great that Apple is building new ways of building apps across its platforms, but it needs to show its commitment with major improvements to what’s there.” Let’s meet again here after WWDC. ### Friday Notes #77 — Why Am I Trying New Things All The Time? URL: https://numericcitizen.me/friday-notes-77-why-am-i-trying-new-things-all-the-time/ Last updated: 2024-01-06T14:13:19.000Z This week, I started a new project and an experiment (yes, I know, another one). I’m about to start creating a series of videos related to the use of [Craft](https://www.craft.do/?ref=numericcitizen.me). This application is so essential for me as a content creator, as you can see in [my most recent blogger workflow update](https://numericcitizen.io/2021/12/18/my-blogger-workflow-as-of-2021-12?ref=numericcitizen.me), that I not only want to share my enthusiasm for Craft, but I'd like to help others see concrete use cases of how it can support creative endeavours. This project is another example of me trying new things all the time. It's about the joy of using new tools, creative thinking and making things happen. Sometimes, I feel that I’m spread all over the place. I use numerous tools, applications, and services. I maintain many websites. But the fact of the matter is that I love trying new things. I value craftsmanship. My father was an architect and a very creative person. My mother was creative with her hands, as she tried many art forms during her life. So that's my way of playing with my heritage but in a digital world. It’s not my first experiment with creating videos. I tried the Vimeo platform a while ago to publish a series of videos about doing photo processing ([these videos](https://vimeo.com/numericcitizen?ref=numericcitizen.me) are still available, by the way) and even [a few short clips about Craft](https://vimeo.com/showcase/8051224?ref=numericcitizen.me). I even published a video where I stated that [I'm not going to be a YouTuber](https://vimeo.com/493901292?ref=numericcitizen.me). I guess we should never say never; me and my big mouth! Unfortunately, this Vimeo experiment didn’t last long simply because of the apparent lack of viewers. This time, I want to focus on something that I use a lot and know well. I hope that I’ll be able to make a lasting series of videos. I’m not so good in front of the camera. My English could be better. I’ll need to state the value of each episode clearly, so people know why they should spend their time-consuming the content I publish. It won’t be easy for me to do because I’m more agile with words; video content pushes me out of my comfort zone. But, I’ll work hard, practice and set things up in a way that I’m proud enough to share. The rest is up in the air. I found this tweet to be so apropos: > If you want to do something great with your life—whatever that means to you—remember this: you get an unlimited number of tries. The only constraining factor is your lifespan. > > The worst things you can do are: > care what other people think, > not take risks, > fail slowly, > give up. > > — dustin curtis (@dcurtis) [March 6, 2019](https://twitter.com/dcurtis/status/1103136570712965121?ref%5Fsrc=twsrc%5Etfw&ref=numericcitizen.me) 💡 What did I learn this week? Unsurprisingly, this week I spend quite some time playing with YouTube Studio, trying to find the right mix of recording settings in Screenflow and define the best recording environment, at home. 💡 Still there? Good. Did you know that some of my articles aren't published by email but are only available when visiting the website? ### Numeric Citizen Introspection Newsletter #22 URL: https://numericcitizen.me/numeric-citizen-introspection-22/ Last updated: 2022-05-30T12:00:05.000Z ## HIGHLIGHTS Post **highlights** from [my Numeric Citizen Blog](https://numericcitizen.me/), [microblog](https://numericcitizen.micro.blog/?ref=numericcitizen.me), and [Numeric Citizen I/O](https://numericcitizen.io/?ref=numericcitizen.me) blog. `Who knew there was a link between the war in Ukraine and the choices I make` In [this article](https://numericcitizen.me/2022/05/18/when-war-in-ukraine-influences-my-application-choices/), I expose why I reconsidered my intention to subscribe to ***Raindrop.io***. `Some people likes hoarding Apple devices - I interviewed one` I had the honour of having the owner of the ***AAPLCollection*** answer a few of my questions. [Here’s the written interview](https://numericcitizen.me/2022/05/11/an-interview-with-the-aapl-collection-owner-curator-jimmy-grewal/). Don’t miss the ***Apple I auction*** from the collection fully explained in [this Twitter thread](https://twitter.com/aaplcollection/status/1530921829552078848?s=21&t=r3pW%5FVGNngG4WHMzyUdmQA&ref=numericcitizen.me). `After more than twenty years, the iPod brand was put to rest` The ***iPod*** brought me back into the Apple ecosystem, well before the iPhone or the Mac. Learn the full story in [this article](https://numericcitizen.me/2022/05/11/rip-ipod-20012022-some-thoughts-memories/). `Reading is a big part of my workflow as a content creator` I recently concluded that I wasn’t satisfied with **my reading workflow**: I don’t read enough, and when I do, I’m not sure that I’m using the right tool. [Read all the details here](https://numericcitizen.micro.blog/2022/05/07/my-reading-workflow.html?ref=numericcitizen.me). ## APPLE TIDBITS ![The now defunct iPod era beautifully illustrated.](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/2022/05/HistoryofiPod.png "The Visual History of iPod - 2001-2022") The now-defunct iPod era is beautifully illustrated in this diagram. Source: [https://meischer.com/images/HistoryofiPod.png](https://meischer.com/images/HistoryofiPod.png?ref=numericcitizen.me) 1️⃣ Remember when **Steve Jobs** introduced the **iPod** back in **2001**? Here’s [the clip](https://www.youtube.com/embed/kN0SVBCJqLs?ref=numericcitizen.me) to remember if you didn’t see this watershed moment in tech history. [Apple explicitly marked the end of the iPod](https://www.apple.com/newsroom/2022/05/the-music-lives-on/?ref=numericcitizen.me). It’s the end of an era that lasted more than twenty years. My personal memories of the iPod were [recently shared](https://numericcitizen.me/2022/05/11/rip-ipod-20012022-some-thoughts-memories/). 2️⃣ The ***Mac Studio*** with M1 Ultra CPU is a fast machine ([some proofs here](https://hrtapps.com/blogs/20220427/?ref=numericcitizen.me)). Apple isn’t finished yet with the transition to Apple Silicon, with the Mac Pro the last remaining machine to go. Maybe Apple will announce it at the WWDC 2022 conference? The crowd would be a good fit. Apple pundits would prefer to see the redesigned MacBook Air. I don’t think WWDC is the right spot for this machine. 3️⃣ Apple is always bragging that **50% of Mac buyers are new to the Mac**. Here’s someone’s experience from [a well-known YouTuber coming to the Mac](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gjQyIUMKmZ8&feature=youtu.be&ref=numericcitizen.me). 4️⃣ If [this story](https://www.macrumors.com/2022/05/09/apple-services-push-streaming-advertising/?ref=numericcitizen.me) is legit, **focusing on advertising** is a depressing move by **Apple**. How can they maximize their advertising business without putting in danger users' privacy by limiting data collection? 5️⃣ Following the publication of [this study](https://appleinsider.com/articles/22/05/12/apple-and-google-app-stores-include-more-than-15-million-abandoned-apps?ref=numericcitizen.me), If Apple removes all ***abandoned apps*** or super-abandoned apps from the App Store, and if, on top of that, Apple removes scams… what would be left in the App Store? Probably a few hundreds or thousands of apps, at most. Content quality is not a good way of describing the ***App Store.*** I guess Apple likes to receive the 99$/year for each developer account it keeps open. Remember the Newton? It was its anniversary. Thirty years ago. I remember a few things about it. > In 1994, I was working in an authorized Apple Dealer where we had an event open to public to demonstrate the Newton. I was in charge of the demos. Great memories. [#Apple](https://twitter.com/hashtag/Apple?src=hash&ref%5Fsrc=twsrc%5Etfw&ref=numericcitizen.me) [#newton](https://twitter.com/hashtag/newton?src=hash&ref%5Fsrc=twsrc%5Etfw&ref=numericcitizen.me) [#newton30](https://twitter.com/hashtag/newton30?src=hash&ref%5Fsrc=twsrc%5Etfw&ref=numericcitizen.me) [https://t.co/YUJtM4UqR4](https://t.co/YUJtM4UqR4?ref=numericcitizen.me) > > — An Apple Observer (@apple\_observer) [May 29, 2022](https://twitter.com/apple%5Fobserver/status/1531008882411294720?ref%5Fsrc=twsrc%5Etfw&ref=numericcitizen.me) ## MUST SEE PHOTOGRAPHY STUFF Documenting events worldwide as they happen is critical in making sure future generations have a peek at the past and learn from it. Unfortunately, we collectively lost a lot of video footage **documenting 9-11**, thanks to Adobe flash's demise (at the time, Flash was the leading standard for video processing on the web). Photography is probably a better way to document history. Take the following photos and articles, for example. ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/2022/05/Image-2022-05-29--7-53-AM.png) ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/2022/05/Image-2022-05-29--7-53-AM-1.png) In this [article](https://time.com/6167254/ukraine-photographers-document-war/?ref=numericcitizen.me) from Time magazine, you’ll find great visual memories of the war realities. From these photojournalist stories documenting the ***Ukrainian war***: *« I didn’t expect so many bodies that have been lying on the road for weeks. I had never seen so much death, pain and tragedy in my life before. »* War is a source of atrocities and a rich source of impactful photos. This is one of them. > 16.05.22 Азовсталь [pic.twitter.com/WOPPkJa7Or](https://t.co/WOPPkJa7Or?ref=numericcitizen.me) > > — Орест (@Kozatsky\_D) [May 16, 2022](https://twitter.com/Kozatsky%5FD/status/1526134824532168706?ref%5Fsrc=twsrc%5Etfw&ref=numericcitizen.me) Speaking of documenting the war, don’t miss this [animated map](https://twitter.com/criticalthreats/status/1529577954199670787?s=20&t=%5FI8fZBQZE8IA01TusNvGcA&ref=numericcitizen.me) of each side's terrain gained and lost. Very telling of the state of “shrinking war” conducted by the Russian. Sadly, the invaders are making continuous gains in the east. Unfortunately, Ukraine is far from done with its response. > The first 90 days of the war in [#Ukraine](https://twitter.com/hashtag/Ukraine?src=hash&ref%5Fsrc=twsrc%5Etfw&ref=numericcitizen.me) mapped by [@criticalthreats](https://twitter.com/criticalthreats?ref%5Fsrc=twsrc%5Etfw&ref=numericcitizen.me) and [@TheStudyofWar](https://twitter.com/TheStudyofWar?ref%5Fsrc=twsrc%5Etfw&ref=numericcitizen.me). [pic.twitter.com/YlThNROHru](https://t.co/YlThNROHru?ref=numericcitizen.me) > > — Critical Threats (@criticalthreats) [May 25, 2022](https://twitter.com/criticalthreats/status/1529577954199670787?ref%5Fsrc=twsrc%5Etfw&ref=numericcitizen.me) ## CLIMATE CHANGE & CRISIS A major rainstorm hit the Ottawa region and part of Quebec province during the weekend of May 21, 2022\. This kind of storm should occur in July, not in May. [Some very telling photos](https://www.stcatharinesstandard.ca/local-smiths-falls/news/2022/05/22/a-story-in-photos-a-visual-look-at-the-damaging-may-21-storm-in-ottawa-valley.html?ref=numericcitizen.me) show the damage caused by the storm. [Another set of images from the Globe and Mail](https://www.theglobeandmail.com/canada/ontario/gallery-in-photos-severe-thunderstorm-sweeps-across-southern-ontario-quebec/?ref=numericcitizen.me). In “[Social Media Is Polluted With Climate Denialism](https://www.nytimes.com/2021/11/12/opinion/climate-change-facebook-glasgow.html?ref=numericcitizen.me)”: « *Social media companies simply aren’t rising to the challenge of rising sea levels. Climate change is an urgent threat, but the companies are treating misinformation around it with far less urgency than other issues like political conspiracy theories, hate speech and lies about Covid vaccines.* » An image is worth a thousand words. Even powered by electric means, big cars aren’t synonyms for being environmentally friendly. See the trend? ![What’s wrong with us? ](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/2022/05/Image-2022-05-29--8-05-AM.png) What’s wrong with us? ## PRIVACY PROTECTION This newsletter edition is brought to you by **DuckDuckGo**. I am just kidding. But funny ad nonetheless about protecting your privacy while surfing the web. > Our new TV & Radio campaign, "Watching You", launches nationwide in the U.S. today🤗 > > We put a twist on The Police’s iconic song “Every Breath You Take” to highlight how companies like Google invade your privacy online & how easy it is to take back your privacy with DuckDuckGo. [pic.twitter.com/By0Q3SqqPh](https://t.co/By0Q3SqqPh?ref=numericcitizen.me) > > — DuckDuckGo (@DuckDuckGo) [May 17, 2022](https://twitter.com/DuckDuckGo/status/1526555252236988419?ref%5Fsrc=twsrc%5Etfw&ref=numericcitizen.me) [Oopsy for DuckDuckGo](https://www.bleepingcomputer.com/news/security/duckduckgo-browser-allows-microsoft-trackers-due-to-search-agreement/?ref=numericcitizen.me). Tracking is tracking. “*The privacy-focused DuckDuckGo browser purposely allows Microsoft trackers on third-party sites due to an agreement in their syndicated search content contract between the two companies.*” [Some pundits comment](https://mjtsai.com/blog/2022/05/27/duckduckgo-browser-allows-microsoft-trackers/?ref=numericcitizen.me) on this situation. Speaking of ads, don’t miss the latest ***ad by Apple on privacy***. Regarding user tracking, let’s talk about **Grammarly**, a popular online grammar checker. [Some people are asking if Grammarly is a keylogger.](https://mjtsai.com/blog/2022/05/04/is-grammarly-a-keylogger/?ref=numericcitizen.me) I’m a big user of Grammarly simply because I’m a French person, and English is my second language. Does the text I write with Grammarly go to the Grammarly cloud? Nope. Most applications (native apps) don't support Grammarly, only the web browser where the extension is installed. Authentication information like username and password isn’t going to the cloud either. Yet, people are wary of such service. Not only oceans should be cleaned, [the web too](https://cleanuptheweb.org/?ref=numericcitizen.me): “*saying no to Silicon Valley’s bullshit*.” I’m happy to report that I’m supporting Plausible, one way to say yes to developers who make their part in cleaning the web. The future is bright, ***passwordless web sign-in*** is coming to a website near you. What a relief: “*Users will sign in through the same action that they take multiple times each day to unlock their devices, such as a simple verification of their fingerprint or face, or a device PIN.*” ## NOTABLE QUOTES > “If you’re thinking without writing, you only think you’re thinking.” — **Leslie Lamport** > "Progress isn't made by early risers. It's made by lazy men trying to find easier ways to do something." — **Robert Heinlein** > "In the sciences, the authority of thousands of opinions is not worth as much as one tiny spark of reason in an individual man." — **Unknown source** > “Are we fighting a war or are we just masturbating? — **Found somewhere deep on the Internet** > "I’m reminded of all the UI and interaction designs and changes in iOS and MacOS that are just bad. There’s a real sense that Apple’s current HI team, under Alan Dye, is a “design is what it looks like” group, not a “design is how it works” group. Exhibit A: What MacOS 11 Big Sur has done to document proxy icons. Arguably it looks better to hide them. (I disagree, but I can see the counterargument.) Inarguably, they work far worse now — harder to use for people who use them, and much harder to discover for people who don’t yet know about them." — **John Gruber** ## SOME LEFTOVERS 1️⃣ **Building a website**, a blog, for example, **out of paper**, is it even possible? Yes, it is, according to this [website](https://daily.tinyprojects.dev/paper%5Fwebsite?ref=numericcitizen.me). Fascinating. 2️⃣ I don’t see much news about COVID these days. Even after 1 million death in the US alone, so far as documented [here](https://www.axios.com/one-million-us-covid-19-deaths/?ref=numericcitizen.me). It’s the new normal. But for Shanghai in China, it’s quite another story up until now. There is a dystopian world right now, thanks to the zero-COVID policy, of zero tolerance for the virus occurrence among the population. > What the?? This video taken yesterday in Shanghai, China, by the father of a close friend of mine. She verified its authenticity: People screaming out of their windows after a week of total lockdown, no leaving your apartment for any reason. [pic.twitter.com/iHGOO8D8Cz](https://t.co/iHGOO8D8Cz?ref=numericcitizen.me) > > — Patrick Madrid ✌🏼 (@patrickmadrid) [April 9, 2022](https://twitter.com/patrickmadrid/status/1512600420610363394?ref%5Fsrc=twsrc%5Etfw&ref=numericcitizen.me) > As seen on Weibo: Shanghai residents go to their balconies to sing & protest lack of supplies. A drone appears: “Please comply w covid restrictions. Control your soul’s desire for freedom. Do not open the window or sing.” [https://t.co/0ZTc8fznaV](https://t.co/0ZTc8fznaV?ref=numericcitizen.me) [pic.twitter.com/pAnEGOlBIh](https://t.co/pAnEGOlBIh?ref=numericcitizen.me) > > — Alice Su (@aliceysu) [April 6, 2022](https://twitter.com/aliceysu/status/1511558828802068481?ref%5Fsrc=twsrc%5Etfw&ref=numericcitizen.me) 3️⃣ One quick question: will **Apple** keep all the changes they introduced in iOS to support **COVID-19** (**Exposure Notifications**, **Vaccination Proofs** in Wallet, to name a few things)? 4️⃣ As you probably know, I’m **Canadian**. Here, **smartphones' data plans** aren’t exactly cheap, far from it. [See for yourself](https://www.iphoneincanada.ca/carriers/average-cost-of-1gb-of-mobile-data-0-09-in-india-12-55-in-canada-infographic/?ref=numericcitizen.me). 5️⃣ I’m a big fan of **Deliveries**, an application for **tracking packages**. This application relies on APIs from companies to do its magic. Now that companies like Amazon are closing their APIs, users like me need to go online on the Amazon website to track our shipments. [Deliveries is losing its usefulness](https://junecloud.com/journal/iphone/the-future-of-deliveries.html?ref=numericcitizen.me). Why? Because while doing so, you get to see the store, its ads and promotions. This is why. Greedy. It sucks. 6️⃣ As long as the **war in Ukraine** is still a thing; I’ll post selected content regarding this crisis. Here is a **great documentary** on why Russia is invading Ukraine. ## WHAT’S NEXT Meanwhile, I recently came across the Tenways ebike, but sadly, it isn’t in stock in North America. I’ll keep an eye on this bike. It could be my next one! [Vanmoof](https://www.vanmoof.com/en-US?ref=numericcitizen.me) recently launched their [new](https://youtu.be/i2duNMOM5mI?ref=numericcitizen.me) ebike, but again, they aren’t sold in Canada either. The best-looking one so far is their [A5 model](https://www.vanmoof.com/en-US/a5?ref=numericcitizen.me). ![WWDC 2022 media invite](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/2022/05/DraggedImage.png "WWDC 2022 media invite") WWDC 2022 media invite The next edition of the **Apple Developers Conference** will kick off on June 6th, in just a few days. Don’t miss the keynote, where we get a peek at the next major releases of all Apple software platforms, tools and services. Could they introduce realityOS? Here I’m hoping that Apple isn’t going to jump on the metaverse bandwagon. > It cannot be a coincidence that the “realityOS” trademark owned by a company that seemingly doesn’t exist and is specifically for “wearable computer hardware” is being filed around the world on June 8, 2022 [https://t.co/myoRbOvgJa](https://t.co/myoRbOvgJa?ref=numericcitizen.me) \+ [https://t.co/AH97r95EMn](https://t.co/AH97r95EMn?ref=numericcitizen.me) [pic.twitter.com/uvsiZCj2rR](https://t.co/uvsiZCj2rR?ref=numericcitizen.me) > > — Parker Ortolani (@ParkerOrtolani) [May 29, 2022](https://twitter.com/ParkerOrtolani/status/1530731346716409864?ref%5Fsrc=twsrc%5Etfw&ref=numericcitizen.me) --- This concludes the ***Numeric Citizen Introspection Newsletter #22*** for May of 2022\. See you next month for the next edition! Building this edition of the newsletter took approximately four hours of work. So if you enjoy my newsletter, support me through [PayPal](https://paypal.me/numericcitizen?locale.x=en%5FUS&ref=numericcitizen.me) or become a paid member. Sign up [here](https://numeric-citizen-introspection.ghost.io/?ref=numericcitizen.me#portal) 🙏🏻 Thanks. ### Photo Legend #31 — Feeling Uneasy About Our Own Fatality URL: https://numericcitizen.me/photo-legend-31-feeling-uneasy-about-our-own-fatality/ Last updated: 2024-08-17T12:24:43.000Z As I’m getting older, I’m more and more conscious that I’m not eternal. Nobody is. I’m reminded of this fatality each time I see my mother, who is currently 87\. I find this to be highly unsettling. Following the publication of my “[Friday Notes #76 — Flirting With The End of Life](https://numericcitizen.me/friday-notes-76-flirting-with-the-end-of-life/)”, I felt the need to cogitate further on the subject of the end of my life. Why does thinking about death trigger anxiety in me? Why think about it now? Why so often? As one of my dear friends would probably say ([he published a few pieces about death on Medium](https://medium.com/@david-27999?ref=numericcitizen.me)), death is part of life. The simple fact that we don’t know when it will happen, how it will happen, or what context it will happen is likely the main reason I feel uneasy about my own death. Not knowing is the main reason. But, there are so many things we don’t know about life, and none of them are more troublesome for me. My own death is the ultimate thing that I don’t control (sure, there are many things that I don’t control besides my death). When I visit a cemetery like the one in the photo above, I’m reminded that, somehow, all those people who died probably didn’t know either when the ultimate end of the road would be reached. After all, isn’t it the best ingredient to happiness and faith to be unaware of the final destination? This edition of the photo legend series was a bit heavy. Less heavy editions are available [here](https://numericcitizen.me/tag/photo-legend-series/). I’m alright, don’t worry. 🙂 ### Friday Notes #76 — Flirting With The End of Life URL: https://numericcitizen.me/friday-notes-76-flirting-with-the-end-of-life/ Last updated: 2022-05-27T12:00:29.000Z Sitting in front of my M1 MacBook Air, using Craft as my typewriter machine, I think about the past week. That one was hard on me. --- Last weekend, I visited my mother, living some 600 KM away from Montreal, Canada. The last time I saw her was in August 2021, for my father's funeral, who died in March of that year (See [Friday Notes #36](https://numericcitizen.me/friday-notes-36/)). What a difference nine months made on my 87 years old mother. She's living with Parkinson's disease for a few years; she shows signs of a complete lack of autonomy. I feel very sad to see her getting old and incapable this way. On the other hand, I know she is in much better shape mentally; she can't talk a lot: barely a few words at once, on her good days. It's highly frustrating for her. She's a prisoner of her body. Moreover, her kidneys are barely working. In sum, she is more and more flirting with the end of her existence. A few kilometres away from my mom’s residence, there is a church close to the seashore with an old cemetery behind, forming a unique architectural environment. I went to spend some time there, just in time to see the sunset. It was a great experience and a visual reminder about how my mother is actually on her sunset. I took many pictures, trying to capture the scene and a bit of my mood at the moment. With sadness, I was reminded that our time here on earth isn’t eternal and that we should care for ourselves and others whenever possible. Getting old isn’t always funny. After a few moments spent walking around the cemetery, the sun vanishing behind the horizon, I left the place, and went back to my hotel, thinking about the next day, when I’ll return to visit my mother and spend some time with her. Maybe for the last time. ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/2022/05/IMG_1161-1.jpeg) The sunset as seen from the cemetery Please look at [another variant](https://glass.photo/numericcitizen/7fM4WeMwmlcddUSxxJud2q?ref=numericcitizen.me) of this picture on my Glass profile. The header picture is from me too. --- 💡 What did I learn this week? During a visit to OVHCloud's biggest data center in Canada, I learned that by using water-cooling systems instead of traditional AC to cool the data center, OVHCloud uses less energy and can sell its services at much lower prices than AWS or Azure. Over the years, OVHCloud upgraded its water cooling technologies. Each part of their data center uses a different version of water cooling systems, the more recent being much more effective than previous generations. Pretty cool stuff. Too bad I couldn't take any pictures. ### Friday Notes #75 — Time to Move On, I Guess URL: https://numericcitizen.me/friday-notes-75-time-to-move-on-i-guess/ Last updated: 2022-05-20T12:00:08.000Z If you ask people, many will tell you they see their relationship with their hairdresser as special. I'm one of those. Yesterday I had a haircut with Caroline, my longtime hairdresser. I’ve been going to the same hairdressing salon for more than ten years. This is where I met Caroline. If my estimate is correct, I may have met her maybe eighty times over these ten years. While it may not sound that many for such an extended period, over time, we built this ability to escape mundane talk quickly and easily connect on a more serious level. The kind of talks friends can have, I guess. Over the years, we learned to know each other by sharing portions of our respective world, life, and experiences. We shared some personal stories, the kind of stories that made us smile or made us feel sad. We had a few things in common too. We talked about anything: travels, work, social issues, arts, tattoos, photography, and many more things. I know a bit about her and her immediate family, her parents. She knows a bit about my family too, my parents. Caroline has a funky look, always slightly different each time I see her. She’s cool and not afraid to try new things. But yesterday was a special day. Caroline told me she was moving away to start her own hairdressing salon. That’s something she dreamed of for a long time, but I didn’t know or dare to ask. She had an opportunity that she couldn’t miss. At first, my reaction was one of surprise, but also one mixed with happiness and sadness. She seems thrilled about it. Good for her. She gave me her phone number, business address, and a quick smile, indicative of a promising future. I’m happy for her. I feel lucky to have met her and learned to know her. But is it time for me to move on too? Maybe. I tend to be loyal and stick to people I know best, but occasionally, it’s also cool to meet other people, find new stories, and learn new realities. I’ll move on, too. I'll remember her as someone special. I’m sure I’ll pay her a visit in the future. I’ll send her a link to this story to say hi and thank you. 👋👨 > “You are the sum of the people you meet and interact with in the world. Whether it’s your family, peers, or co-workers, the opportunities you have and the things that you learn all come through doors that other people open for you.” — [Tanner Colby](https://www.goodreads.com/author/quotes/195560.Tanner%5FColby?ref=numericcitizen.me) ### When War in Ukraine Influences My Application Choices URL: https://numericcitizen.me/when-war-in-ukraine-influences-my-application-choices/ Last updated: 2024-02-22T01:14:54.000Z Does the war in Ukraine impact the principles guiding my selection of applications I use in [my toolset to support my workflow](https://numericcitizen.io/2021/12/18/my-blogger-workflow-as-of-2021-12?ref=numericcitizen.me)? Yes, absolutely. Here is a blatant example. 📌 The author of Raindrop.io, Rustem Mussabekov, confirmed, via a comment in the comments section below, that he is no longer living in Russia, and the business behind Raindrop.io is now out of Russia, too. I wanted to make it clear with this update. ## Saving bookmarks challenges As a content creator, I often stumble on different things all the time. The need to save a bookmark for later use is constant. I recently concluded that the way I’m saving bookmarks for later use wasn’t satisfactory. It’s mainly because I’m not satisfied with the way Craft supports saving links (watch [this video](https://youtu.be/I6CFHFOH7mc?ref=numericcitizen.me) about my decision to move my bookmarks out of Craft). I cannot add any metadata to the bookmark[1](#fn1). Sure, link previews are nice in Craft, but I need some contextual data besides the actual bookmarks. As I’m writing in an upcoming article tentatively titled “Fixing my Read Later and Bookmarking Problems”, neither Craft nor Reminders should be used for this purpose. Until now, I used the excellent Apple Reminders to save links as a temporary storage area. I needed to address this problem. ## Raindrop.io and Russia In my quest to find a solution, I went back to take another look at a popular bookmarking application: [**Raindrop.io**](https://raindrop.io/?ref=numericcitizen.me). Raindrop.io is probably the best bookmark manager out there. A subscription is available for less than 30 US$ yearly. I wrote and published an article about Raindrop.io in 2020: “[Things to look before buying a new application.](https://numericcitizen.me/2020/03/01/things-to-look-for-before-buying-a-new-application/)” I realized that the application and the web services received numerous improvements since I published my article. Still, after a while, I remembered the founder and developer being from Russia or at least located in Russia. I remember this because, back in 2020, I wrote an email to the developer asking him about the lack of iPad multitasking support[2](#fn2). His name is **Rustem Mussabekov**. I was intrigued. But, wait a minute… ![Raindrop.io library](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/numericcitizen.me/wp-content/uploads/2022/05/raindrop.io-all-bookmarks402022-05-09-06.27.31.png) Raindrop.io library Who is Rustem Mussabekov, the founder and developer of Raindrop.io? Searching the web leads to Mr. Mussabekov on [GitHub](https://github.com/exentrich?ref=numericcitizen.me), [Twitter](https://twitter.com/exentrich?ref=numericcitizen.me) and [YouTube](https://www.youtube.com/c/RustemMussabekov?ref=numericcitizen.me). According to his [LinkedIn page](https://www.linkedin.com/in/rustem-mussabekov-33172612/?ref=numericcitizen.me), he is from Kazakhstan but lives in St. Petersburg. On his YouTube page, M. Mussabekov created a playlist of 49 videos, the latest being “[Why Russia is Invading Ukraine](https://youtu.be/If61baWF4GE?ref=numericcitizen.me).” At first, I was skeptical, wondering if it was a propagandist video. But then watched the half-hour documentary that tries to give possible reasons and the historical context for why Russia is invading Ukraine. It never tries to justify the invasion, thank god. It was an excellent documentary. And yet… As I support Ukraine in its fight against Russia's regime and support international sanctions against Putin and his criminal lieutenants, I have difficulty convincing myself to pay for a yearly subscription to Raindrop.io. According to a quick Twitter poll, I’m not alone, even though the sampling is too small to be conclusive. Paying for Raindrop.io goes against my principles and desire to support Ukraine in its fight. ## Matter as a bookmark manager? ![Matter Queue of articles to read](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/numericcitizen.me/wp-content/uploads/2022/05/matter-2022-05-09-06.25.22.png) Matter Queue of articles to read But, besides the war, some questions require answers: *Do I really need Raindrop.io or a dedicated bookmarks manager to support my reading workflow?* Are there alternatives, like [Abyss](https://apps.apple.com/ca/app/abyss-save-for-later/id1507396839?ref=numericcitizen.me) or [Goodlinks](https://goodlinks.app/?ref=numericcitizen.me)? Can an application that I already use meet my needs? Why use Raindrop.io if I already use Matter and Readwise? All of these apps and services share some commonalities. After thinking about this, the answer is to focus on using Matter for bookmarking potential reading references. Matter allows for tagging bookmarks, offers one of the best reading experiences, runs nearly everywhere, and supports text highlighting that is saved to Notion and Readwise for later references. Other than that, I’ll keep using the free version of Raindrop.io for things like bookmarking YouTube videos to watch. And for that purpose, Raindrop.io is hard to beat. ![Matter queue as seen on the web](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/numericcitizen.me/wp-content/uploads/2022/05/safari-matter-recently-viewed-2022-05-09-07.35.22.png) Matter queue as seen on the web ## Not a Raindrop.io review, but… I want to avoid reviewing Raindrop.io, but here are some thoughts about the application features. Raindrop.io is probably the best in its class. For saving bookmarks, the Safari extension provides the same experience as the main application, right within Safari, which is nice. Raindrop.io provides a reading experience and recently added support for text highlighting. Raindrop.io runs everywhere that I care about, including the web. But, not everything is perfect; Raindrop.io doesn’t support the macOS share menu. For example, it means that, from News Explorer, I need to copy the link first and switch to Raindrop.io to save the link. Once there, I can add metadata as required. It’s not the best workflow. In summary, as good as Raindrop.io might be, it would go against my principles to pay for the subscription. I have shown my support for Ukraine on many occasions, and refraining from paying for Raindrop.io is another one. Moreover, I can continue to rely on applications like Matter and tweak my reading workflow instead of adding another application to my toolset, saving money along the way. ![Sharing text highlight from Matter](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/numericcitizen.me/wp-content/uploads/2022/05/img_096bbd10f90a-1.jpg) Sharing a text highlight from Matter 1. Could an update to Craft prevent me from going back to Raindrop.io? I highly doubt it; development priorities at Craft seem diverted to other more critical areas, directed to the notes-taking and writing experience. [↩](#ffn1) 2. Multitasking support on the iPad was later added. [↩](#ffn2) ### What if Blot.im Is Dead? URL: https://numericcitizen.me/what-if-blotim-is-dead/ Last updated: 2023-03-23T16:47:59.000Z *\[Update #2: 2023-01-12: I’m happy to report that Blot.im IS NOT DEAD, but the developer behind was taking some time off to deal with personal matters or simply because he needed some time off Blot.im, which is understandable. I’m happy to see this service continue to thrive.\]* \[Update #1 – 2022-05-17: I received a response from the developer. He’s alive and well. He took some (probably much-needed) time off. Work on Blot.im should resume soon, presumably.\] I recently visited [Blot.im](https://blot.im/?ref=numericcitizen.me) to get an update about the service improvements over the last few months. Much to my surprise, while reading questions posted on the website forum, I discovered that people are wondering about the whereabouts of the developer behind the service, David Merfield. According to [this question](https://blot.im/questions/422?ref=numericcitizen.me), people are waiting for answers from David. Looking more closely, I could see many questions touching on various topics are left unanswered. Another person [asks if Blot has been abandoned](https://blot.im/questions/593?ref=numericcitizen.me). Personally, I emailed him to ask if everything was fine and suggest posting an update on the website blog. At the time of publication, I’m still without any response. The last update to the news section on Blot.im website goes back to April 1, 2022\. There is a real danger of depending on a one-person shop web service. Another such example, to my knowledge, is Buttondown, which is run by a single guy (you can read my review here). How do content creators prepare for a possible abandonment of a service they depend on? ## Questions, questions, questions This brings me to this worrisome yet straightforward question: what if Blot.im is no longer maintained? While [Blot.im status page shows](https://status.blot.im/?ref=numericcitizen.me) a high level of service availability in recent months, I should always be prepared to introduce changes to [my blogger workflow](https://numericcitizen.io/2021/12/18/my-blogger-workflow-as-of-2021-12?ref=numericcitizen.me). So, how difficult would it be to migrate my content somewhere else? If I decided to move elsewhere, where would I go? The [Numeric Citizen I/O](https://numericcitizen.io/?ref=numericcitizen.me) website is hosted on Blot.im. It currently contains 37 articles, only one page and 36 images. That’s not a lot of content; migrating these articles somewhere else shouldn’t be a big undertaking. As I explained in [this article](https://numericcitizen.io/2021/03/1/the-initial-blot-setup?ref=numericcitizen.me), I’m using Blot.im with a GIT repo stored on a local folder sitting in iCloud Drive. All articles are stored locally as Markdown files, easily editable in Ulysses or imported into Craft. So again, migration shouldn’t be a problem. Now, where should I go? What should I do? ## Blot.im alternatives The way I see it, considering my experience, my choices for hosting content are *WordPress*, *Micro.blog* and *Ghost*. First, let’s clear WordPress out: the publishing experience is too heavy, and the service isn’t cheap. Micro.blog is excellent, but it lacks visual theme choices. Then, there is Ghost. I like it a lot for hosting my newsletters, but it isn’t cheap either when hosted on Ghost.org. For example, I could try to get it running somewhere else [on DigitalOcean](https://marketplace.digitalocean.com/apps/ghost?ref=numericcitizen.me). According to this comparison table, I may skip hosting it manually; I don’t have time to manage a virtual machine in the cloud. ![Comparing Ghost editions - SaaS or Self-Hosted](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/numericcitizen.me/wp-content/uploads/2022/05/ghost20fully-managed20paas202620self-hosted402022-05-144016.21.26.png) Comparing Ghost editions – SaaS or Self-Hosted Is Ghost the only remaining viable option? What if I consider Craft instead? In case you didn’t know, [Craft is my go-to writing tool](https://numericcitizen.me/2021/03/12/craft-vs-notion-from-a-bloggers-perspective/) and is very powerful at building nice-looking websites, as you can see and experience yourself with [My Numeric Citizen Digital Garden](https://www.craft.do/s/prWu9ohKSgta1T?ref=numericcitizen.me). Each document in Craft can be shared on the web with the click of a button. The only missing thing is the possibility to hide the website behind a custom domain name; something Craft doesn’t yet support (is this tweet a hint about an upcoming addition related to website support? We’ll find out this week.) Services like Quill or JelyCraft can do that (between the two, I would probably go with the latter), but I would rather not pay for another service. Moving to a Craft-made website would also require the inclusion of Google search engine and indexation support; otherwise, it could eventually become a problem regarding website discoverability. But let’s say Craft adds custom domains in the future. Some work needs to be done when importing my markdown files. The steps involve tweaking footnotes if there are any, formatting the article header with the proper metadata, reinserting images and finally updating URLs pointing to other articles within the website. It’s manageable. ## Getting ready to face fatality with Craft Blot.im isn’t dead (yet). I’m willing to be patient here and wait and see. I’ll continue to use the service, but I’ll start preemptively to recreate the website with Craft in a different Craft space. When Craft introduces support for custom domains, then I’ll be able to switch in a snap. It wouldn’t be the end of the world after all because Craft offers more flexibility for building an interactive website, and the process of updating the website is frictionless. The things that my website would lose are, search within the website, Plausible analytics integration, posts tagging and support for RSS feed. But commenting on the website would be a boost because Craft websites support adding comments on any block on a page. You can experience Numeric Citizen I/O built on Craft [right here](https://www.craft.do/s/gVLvfSTBqusJUb?ref=numericcitizen.me). Please keep coming back as I’m migrating content from Blot.im. ## Two lessons to remember There are two lessons that any content creator should learn from my experience. The first lesson is to have your original content readily available at all times in a portable format like Markdown text files for a possible migration. The second lesson is to not depend on a single-person operation service or application anywhere in your workflow. Service sustainability was mentioned in my article [Things to Look for Before Buying a New Application](https://numericcitizen.me/2020/03/01/things-to-look-for-before-buying-a-new-application/). ### Friday Notes #74 — When I Retire, I Want… URL: https://numericcitizen.me/friday-notes-74-when-i-retire-i-want/ Last updated: 2022-05-13T12:00:13.000Z A well-known and longtime blogger, **Jason Kottke**, [recently announced](https://kottke.org/22/05/announcement-im-going-to-miss-you-but-i-am-taking-a-sabbatical?ref=numericcitizen.me) he is taking a break from his blog and going on a sabbatical year. He has been blogging for 24 years! That's a long stretch. However, it seems like a break will be salutary for him. I wish him well. Personally, as far as I can remember, I’ve been blogging more or less continuously since 2009\. It’s 13 years only. Only?! I hope to continue writing for this blog, for all my websites, for that matter. Imagine that, writing for another decade and being able to look back at my writings more than twenty years in the past. Of course, my interests will probably evolve in the future, and I suppose taking a look at my past work could be a strange experience. Who knows what the future of my writings holds. I hope that my writing habits will continue well into my retirement life. I hope my creativity level will keep me busy enough not to overthink the implacable fact that I’m getting older and older (don’t miss “[Am I Getting Old?](https://numericcitizen.me/friday-notes-53/)”.) I would rather not notice that I’m getting old. Photography will probably be part of my creative landscape too. As well as reading. Maybe learn music once and for all? Who knows. Having many creative projects alive will likely help me stay young and… alive. 💡 What did I learn this week? ***Greenwashing*** is corporate attempts to underplay companies’ actual impact on the environment. ### An Interview with the AAPL Collection Owner & Curator — Jimmy Grewal URL: https://numericcitizen.me/an-interview-with-the-aapl-collection-owner-curator-jimmy-grewal/ Last updated: 2023-03-23T16:47:59.000Z ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/numericcitizen.me/wp-content/uploads/2022/05/the-aapl-collection.jpg) During my research, while working on the series “[Remembering The Story Behind Every Apple Computers I Ever Owned](https://numericcitizen.me/2022/03/16/remembering-the-story-behind-every-apple-computers-i-ever-owned/)“, I stumbled many times on a unique website, the **AAPL Collection** (available here [https://aaplcollection.com](https://aaplcollection.com/?ref=numericcitizen.me) but also available on [Instagram](https://www.instagram.com/aaplcollection/?ref=numericcitizen.me) and [Twitter](https://twitter.com/aaplcollection?ref=numericcitizen.me)). If you don’t know about AAPL Collection, it is a private collection of vintage Apple products, based in Dubai, mostly consisting of Macintosh computers but of many other artifacts. For a bit of context, don’t miss [the story of the collection’s debuts](https://aaplcollection.com/?page%5Fid=13&ref=numericcitizen.me). It’s really an impressive collection composed of rare and unique items. **Jimmy Grewal** ([Twitter profile](https://twitter.com/jimmyg?s=20&t=PYqNwfmJMOn0BadzifxpZQ&ref=numericcitizen.me)), the owner and curator of the collection, accepted to answer my questions for my curiosity and your pleasure. I hope you’ll enjoy this written interview as much as I did reading Mr. Grewal’s answers. ### How many devices and artifacts are composing the AAPL Collection? Do you maintain some sort of inventory description of each piece? *I currently have 272 Apple computers, monitors, printers, and storage devices. Along with that there are more than 100 Apple accessories (keyboards, mice, etc) and a similar number of documents and marketing materials. I maintain a simple database of items. I hope to have that database accessible on the web later this year for anyone to browse.* ### Are there artifacts of Apple’s history that you are still looking for to get that is missing in your collection? What is it? *I’m looking for an original Audio Cassette Interface for the Apple-1, a working Apple Graphics Tablet for the Apple II, a number of Apple printer and monitor models, and spare parts to restore and maintain the computers I already have.* ### I guess you are probably subscribing to some sort of insurance, have you ever tried to estimate the collection’s value? *The value is subjective, but the collection is insured for over $1M. That will reduce somewhat after the upcoming auction of one of my two Apple-1 computers.* ### Are all computers in working condition? If not, are trying to restore them so they work again? *Most of the desktop computers have been restored to working condition, but I have yet to start on the laptops and printers. This is a continuous process as even computers that are working can fail at any time and require additional restoration work.* ### What current Apple products do you use every day? *I use an M1 16-inch MacBook Pro, iPhone 13 Pro Max, 2022 Studio Display, 2020 iPad Pro, Apple Watch Series 7, and a 2013 Mac Pro.* ### What’s the best device Apple ever made? *For me it’s a toss up between the 2021 M1 MacBook Pro and the 2003 Apple iSight camera.* ### Do you know if Steve Jobs was aware of the existence of the collection? *He was not because it was not organized and put on display until 2019, even though I started collecting in 1995.* ### Do you know if any high-ranking guys in Apple leadership are aware of the collection’s existence? Have you reached them or did they reach you? *Some who* know me from when I worked at Microsoft are aware, and others may be aware but have never communicated with me about it. I’m not the only collector and Apple has never supported or encouraged people like me. Steve Jobs was not a nostalgic person, but the current *leadership has referenced the company’s rich history more frequently so perhaps things will change.* ### Do you have a never shared story about your collection that you are willing to share with our readers? *When I worked at Microsoft on Internet Explorer for the Mac, Apple would occasionally lend me pre-release hardware as part of their AppleSeed program. I still have two of those computers…they never asked for them back and I accidentally packed them up with all my other computers when I moved back to Dubai from California. It’s been nearly 20 years since I left Microsoft, but if they want them back they know how to reach me.*😉 ### We all know that we are not eternal, so how do you plan for the collection to stay perennial beyond you as the original owner and curator? *The AAPL Collection belongs to a holding company for all our family assets. My wife helps me with certain aspects of managing the collection and knows who to contact for help in case something happens to me. We are looking for a permanent public venue to house the collection, preferably here in the UAE. If we don’t find one in the next few years, then we will explore other options.* --- There you are. Now you know a bit more about this well-known and unique Apple products collection and how it came to be. It’s my first experience with a written interview, and I’m glad Mr. Grewal took the time necessary to sit down and provide extensive answers to my numerous questions. ### RIP iPod (2001–2022) — Some Thoughts & Memories URL: https://numericcitizen.me/rip-ipod-20012022-some-thoughts-memories/ Last updated: 2023-03-23T16:47:59.000Z ![My first iPod](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/numericcitizen.me/wp-content/uploads/2022/05/myfirstipod.jpg) My first iPod It all [started in 2001](https://youtu.be/kN0SVBCJqLs?ref=numericcitizen.me). Now it’s official, and it was a matter of time: Apple discontinued the iPod touch, the last member of the venerable iPod family. Many stories are associated with the iPod, both for Apple and personally. Similar to what I’m writing in my ongoing series “Remembering The Story Behind Every Apple Computers I Ever Owned,” I also have a few stories of owning different iPod models over the years before the iPhone came… the iPhone. My return to the Apple ecosystem started in 2004 with my first iPod, [the iPod with a dock connector](https://apple-history.com/ipod%5F3g?ref=numericcitizen.me), after nearly ten years without any Apple products in my life. At the time, I was using a Windows PC and iTunes for Windows to manage my music library. Then, in 2005, I bought a Mac and moved everything on it. The [20-inches iMac G5](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/IMac%5FG5?ref=numericcitizen.me) running Mac OS 10.4 Tiger and iTunes 7.1\. For me, and for countless people, the iPod was the trigger for buying a Mac. Remember, you had to use a separate computer to manage the device’s content at the time. ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/numericcitizen.me/wp-content/uploads/2022/05/mysecondipod.jpg) The next iPod I bought was the fifth-generation iPod with a 30 MB hard drive. Then, a few months after a surprising release by Apple, in September 2007, I bought an iPod touch in November. At the time, the iPhone wasn’t available in Canada. The iPod touch was the closest thing I could get to the iPhone. I always considered the iPod touch the most accessible iPhone experience, but without the phone. As [noted by John Gruber](https://daringfireball.net/2022/05/touching%5Fgoodbye%5Ffor%5Fipod?ref=numericcitizen.me), the iPod touch often looked like what could be the future of the iPhone, with a slimmer and maybe a more stylish design than the iPhone. The iPod touch nature allowed its designers to be more adventurous. ![My still working iPod touch](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/numericcitizen.me/wp-content/uploads/2022/05/myipodtouch.jpg) My still working iPod touch. The iPod touch has a special place in my experience with the Apple ecosystem. Thanks to the iPod touch, I became an indie iPhone, oops iPod touch applications developer from 2009 to 2013\. I was intrigued by the device and its inner working, so I started exploring Xcode and Objective-C. As a reminder, my background lies in computer science. At some point, I had three applications for sale on the App Store and ran a blog about sharing my experience (have a look from the web.archive.com: [www.buildingiphoneapps.com](https://web.archive.org/web/20120114184913/http://www.buildingiphoneapps.com/).) I stopped using the iPod touch when I bought my first iPhone, the iPhone 3GS, back in 2009[1](#fn1). The iPhone essentially killed the iPod touch, slowly but surely. I not only owned a few iPod models, but I also bought a few iPod as gifts too: the original iPod mini, many iPod nano and a blue fifth-generation iPod touch. I made many of my family members delighted with these. ![An iPod nano](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/numericcitizen.me/wp-content/uploads/2022/05/anipodnano.jpg) An iPod nano From a design perspective, the iPod product line represents a long stretch of hugely different designs by Apple. Some of them were pretty successful, others not. To me, the worst design was undoubtedly the squarish third-generation iPod nano. It looked terrible, lame, and weird, but holding it in hand wasn’t great either. The best iPod design: the fifth-generation iPod nano. Second best iPod design: the iPod Classic. In the third position: the last iPod touch. The most intriguing design: the 7th generation iPod nano, which was like a mixture of an iPod touch and a smaller iPod nano. The only iPod to include an FM Radio to my knowledge. I never owned an iPod shuffle but always thought they filled an essential niche of audiophiles. Now I wonder if I should buy an iPod touch while still available. At 249 CAN$, it’s not cheap, and there aren’t that many use cases for it: a dedicated music player? A small picture frame? I cannot find a serious reason other than satisfying my nostalgia. I won’t buy one, of course. Yet, I suspect the iPod touch remaining inventories will sell pretty quickly. [As for @BasicAppleGuy](https://basicappleguy.com/basicappleblog/say-goodbye-to-ipod?ref=numericcitizen.me), I have many fond memories of the iPod. [Bye bye iPod.](https://twitter.com/BasicAppleGuy/status/1524078849092333568?s=20&t=YoyqnS7IKSMBcw2o7mhvCA&ref=numericcitizen.me) 1. My iPod touch is still in working condition. [↩](#ffn1) ### Friday Notes #73 — Special Thanks to David Bowie for “Space Oddity” URL: https://numericcitizen.me/friday-notes-73-special-thanks-to-david-bowie-for-space-oddity/ Last updated: 2022-05-06T12:00:06.000Z Two days ago, after being on a waiting list for seven months, I had surgery to remove an [inguinal hernia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Inguinal%5Fhernia?ref=numericcitizen.me). The surgeon used the [laparoscopy](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Laparoscopy?ref=numericcitizen.me) method for the intervention, which requires smaller incisions and makes the recovery process much faster. It was the first surgery with [general anesthesia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anesthesia?ref=numericcitizen.me) experience. I was nervous about losing total control of my body and anxious about never coming back. I had this thought all week long before the intervention. During the surgery preparations, there are numerous people in the operations room: two nurses, an anesthetist technician, the anesthetist himself, and the surgeon. A lot is going on in a short time. At some point, someone turned on the music. I was surprised. Someone asked me what I’d like to hear while falling asleep; I was caught off-guard. After a few seconds of hesitation, I asked for [Space Oddity](https://music.apple.com/ca/album/space-oddity/697650603?i=697651126&ref=numericcitizen.me) by David Bowie. The song started playing. Then came the mask covering my mouth; looking up, I began to quit this world while hearing the following part of the song: “*Now it's time to leave the capsule if you dare* *This is Major Tom to Ground Control* *I'm stepping through the door* *And I'm floating in a most peculiar way.”* It was a cool experience, a genuinely memorable moment. I woke up an hour later, remembering that song playing, which put a faint smile on my face. Thanks to David Bowie for “Space Oddity.” 💡 What did I learn this week? Why are so many Russian Generals dying in Ukraine? Botched advances, and insecure communication equipment, generals had to go to the front to get a feel of the combats. As a result, they became more exposed and easier to locate. More detailed explanation [here](https://www.economist.com/the-economist-explains/2022/03/31/why-are-so-many-russian-generals-dying-in-ukraine?ref=numericcitizen.me). ### Remembering My Story of Owning a Macintosh Centris 610 — 1993 URL: https://numericcitizen.me/remembering-my-story-of-owning-a-macintosh-centris-610-1993/ Last updated: 2024-08-11T12:31:55.000Z The [Macintosh Centris 610](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Macintosh%5FQuadra%5F610?ref=numericcitizen.me) came at around the same time when I completed my university years and started working at an Apple dealer as a salesperson. I bought the Mac with the Macintosh 16” Colour Display with a resolution of 832×624\. It was my first Mac with a colour screen. This combination made the whole thing look like a Sun Microsystems workstation. From a design perspective, the Centris 610 had a weird look. The front panel had three sections: the leftmost sporting the Apple logo and the model label, the middle one hosting the CD-ROM drive and the rightmost the floppy drive. The proportion and alignment of the panels were uneven. You could lift open the case of the Mac with two releasing clips on the back, reminiscent of the Apple II. The power button located on the front had a convex design, short travel and felt bizarre when pressed. Even the startup sound felt bizarre. Even more troubling: the power button was so close to the floppy drive that people often thought it was for ejecting the floppy from the drive! What a design mistake. Was this thing designed outside of Apple? It wasn’t Apple at its best. Don’t miss a full tour of the Macintosh Centris 610 [on YouTube](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LSCotlRjTYs&ref=numericcitizen.me). I remember playing a specific game on this machine, it was Ambrosia Maelstrom. Believe it or not, you can still [download this game](https://macsourceports.com/game/maelstrom?ref=numericcitizen.me) and play it on your Mac today. I remember spending quite some time on [Usenet newsgroups](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Usenet%5Fnewsgroup?ref=numericcitizen.me) using [NewsWatcher](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/NewsWatcher?ref=numericcitizen.me)[1](#fn1). Those were popular back in the day. On one occasion, I stumbled upon an Apple engineer posting an article explaining some technical aspects of the motherboard design and the graphics subsystem capabilities. It wasn’t a common thing to read this kind of comment from an Apple employee. It gave us a rare peek at deep Macintosh internals. The Macintosh Centris 610 had a very short stay in my life; it was a transition machine for me. I don’t remember much about it. In 1993, I was promoted to another job at the Apple dealer and was asked to take the role of pre-sales and post-sales technical support. I was enthusiastic because this granted me access to a lot of Apple hardware, software, and internal documents for Apple dealers. Then, out of nowhere, I fell in love with the PowerBook Duo 210 machine. I decided to get one, which marked the end of my Centris 610 for me. ## Artifact ![A Sun Microsystems workstation](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/numericcitizen.me/wp-content/uploads/2022/05/sunmicrosystemworkstation.jpg) A Sun Microsystems workstation This article is part of the following series: [Remembering The Story Behind Every Apple Computers I Ever Owned – Numeric Citizen Blog](https://numericcitizen.me/2022/03/16/remembering-the-story-behind-every-apple-computers-i-ever-owned/). 1. The closest thing to the Usenet newsgroups today is Reddit. [↩](#ffn1) ### Remembering My Story of Owning a Macintosh LC — 1991-1992 URL: https://numericcitizen.me/remembering-my-story-of-owning-a-macintosh-lc-1991-1992/ Last updated: 2024-08-11T12:23:06.000Z The [Macintosh LC](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Macintosh%5FLC?ref=numericcitizen.me) came into my life after becoming a graduate computer science student before starting my master’s degree in the same field. This Macintosh was part of one of the biggest launches from Apple with the introduction of the Macintosh IIsi and the Macintosh Classic[1](#fn1). It was an attempt by Apple to increase its market share by bringing lower-cost versions of the Macintosh Ilci. With these Macs came a new keyboard and mouse design. ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/numericcitizen.me/wp-content/uploads/2022/04/draggedimage.jpg) The Macintosh LC was a significant upgrade for me: it came with a bigger and grey-scale monitor, where its size matched perfectly the computer case, which was somewhat acting as the monitor stand. I liked this combination. The monitor had a whopping 16 shades of grey, which could be upgraded to 256 by the addition of graphic memory (from 256K to 512K) in the Macintosh LC, which I did. I remember adding more memory to it to bring it to its max at 10 MB. How much did I pay for that? Can’t remember. What was the size of its internal hard drive? Probably 40 MB. I couldn’t afford a colour monitor, and I felt that grey-scale was already a big jump, keeping the original Mac spirit with a black & white display. The larger resolution display (640 x 480) provided a significant upgrade for the type of work I was doing, which mainly consisted of writing my master thesis. Besides doing my master’s degree, I worked as an assembly and C programming language teacher for undergraduate students. I had to prepare for these classes and was working remotely from my student dorm room using a “fast” 14400 [USRobotics modem](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/USRobotics?ref=numericcitizen.me) with an emulation terminal application called [Zterm](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ZTerm?ref=numericcitizen.me). It was the future. For my thesis redaction, managing my bibliography was done using [EndNote](https://endnote.com/product-details?ref=numericcitizen.me), an application surprisingly still available today. Strangely enough, I cannot remember which word-processing application I was using at the time. Was it Microsoft Word or MacWrite? I can’t remember. I remember losing some critical files in MacWrite in the past, and I couldn’t afford to lose any data. So it was probably Microsoft Word. Sadly, even after giving many thoughts, I can’t remember how I got rid of this machine and upgraded to the next at the end of my master’s degree. Nonetheless, all in all, I have great memories of the Macintosh LC and the role it played in my university years. This article is part of the following series: [Remembering The Story Behind Every Apple Computers I Ever Owned – Numeric Citizen Blog](https://numericcitizen.me/2022/03/16/remembering-the-story-behind-every-apple-computers-i-ever-owned/). ## Links - The Macintosh LC on [YouTube](https://youtu.be/dCqJ6iPHus0?ref=numericcitizen.me) - Macintosh LC Monitor Restoration on [YouTube](https://youtu.be/6xGWNEc4w9g?ref=numericcitizen.me) 1. The Macintosh LC was the first of [a series of Macintosh LC models](https://www.wikiwand.com/en/Macintosh%5FLC%5Ffamily?ref=numericcitizen.me) that came after. I don’t remember liking the “LC” moniker. [↩](#ffn1) ### Numeric Citizen Introspection Newsletter #21 URL: https://numericcitizen.me/numeric-citizen-introspection-21/ Last updated: 2022-04-30T12:23:05.000Z **🇺🇦 🇨🇦 🇺🇦 🇨🇦 🇺🇦 A special message to Ukrainians. 🇺🇦 🇨🇦 🇺🇦 🇨🇦 🇺🇦** *Last month, I gave 200 CAN$ of my money to* ***Red Cross*** *. I will give as much to someone in Rumania who helps her local community cope with the refugees coming from Ukraine.* ## HIGHLIGHTS Post ***highlights*** for the month of April are coming from [my Numeric Citizen Blog](https://numericcitizen.me/), my [microblog](https://numericcitizen.micro.blog/?ref=numericcitizen.me). `Taking a break of many things` [I took some vacation in April](https://numericcitizen.micro.blog/2022/04/12/taking-a-break.html?ref=numericcitizen.me), where I took a break from many things. It was a tremendous **slow week**. `Where Should The iPad Go From Here?` Regarding the iPad, [There are not that many low-hanging fruits anymore](https://numericcitizen.me/2022/04/23/where-should-the-ipad-go-from-here/). Better external display support is probably one. Other people are imagining what **iPadOS 16** could be, and [I found a few interesting ideas](https://numericcitizen.micro.blog/2022/04/26/interesting-ideas-for.html?ref=numericcitizen.me). `Questioning the iPad as a tool for everyone` I wrote a long link post about the ***iPad***: [Where does the iPad go from here](https://numericcitizen.me/2022/04/23/where-should-the-ipad-go-from-here/)? The question then became: [Is the iPad really for everyone](https://birchtree.me/blog/the-ipad-is-for-everyone/?ref=numericcitizen.me)? `Remembering My Story of Owning a Macintosh SE — 1987-1990` The ***Macintosh SE*** played an important role during my pre-university years. [Find out how](https://numericcitizen.me/2022/04/04/remembering-my-story-of-owning-a-macintosh-se-1987-1990/%0A). `Wondering About Returning to Podcasting` With a closed and dedicated office room at home, would that be enough to enable [a return to podcasting](https://numericcitizen.micro.blog/2022/04/23/wondering-about-returning.html?ref=numericcitizen.me)? I still have my podcast listed on iTunes or the Podcasts application. Look for “**Numeric Citizen Podcast**”. I bought an **Apple Studio Display** last month ([read about my experience with it](https://numericcitizen.me/2022/03/26/my-experience-with-the-apple-studio-display/)), the reviews are in, and the webcam sucks. A firmware update was expected to fix the issue, [but it appears it won’t be the case after all](https://9to5mac.com/2022/04/26/apples-studio-displays-poor-webcam-quality-is-not-a-software-bug-after-all/?ref=numericcitizen.me). Too bad. Ninety percent of the time, the webcam is just fine, in perfect condition with plenty of light. A while ago, I wrote this about the **iPad Magic Keyboard**: “[The iPad Magic Keyboard: The Magic Pivot of the iPad](https://medium.com/macoclock/the-ipad-magic-keyboard-the-magic-pivot-of-the-ipad-1f0b5105b4dc?ref=numericcitizen.me)” on Medium. **One more thing**: Apple made some money in the last quarter finishing on March 30th. [Great charts from MacStories.net](https://www.macstories.net/news/apple-q2-2022-results-97-28-billion-of-revenue/?ref=numericcitizen.me). ## APPLE TIDBITS ![Apple's headquarters - Source: Heena Ko, a former Apple employee](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/2022/04/Apple-Headqurters.png) Apple's headquarters - Source: Heena Ko, a former Apple employee 1️⃣ Why is an Apple ***Thunderbolt 4 cable*** so expansive? Here’s the answer in [this YouTube video](https://appleinsider.com/articles/22/04/23/teardown-of-apples-new-long-thunderbolt-4-pro-cable-highlights-why-its-so-expensive?ref=numericcitizen.me). 2️⃣ It’s troubling that searching for some text within a single device like the Mac can produce unpredictable results, but searching the web seems to get a better outcome. Is **Apple Spotlight** broken? Since when? Will Apple fix it in macOS 13? [Frustrating](https://twitter.com/kocienda/status/1515015316408922112?s=21&t=ir5xX-aihrufdExIDT72mQ&ref=numericcitizen.me). 3️⃣ I would pay for a tour within ***Apple’s headquarters***. I would pay even more to bring back my deceased father, a professional architect and see it himself. Great [YouTube video](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m6fex9DzxWc&feature=youtu.be&ref=numericcitizen.me) about this architectural marvel. 4️⃣ [This article](https://mackuba.eu/2014/10/06/a-guide-to-nsbutton-styles/?ref=numericcitizen.me) shows Apple’s constant regression in the **user interface graphic design** of macOS. **Big Sur** is probably the lowest quality on the scale of all macOS iterations over the years. I wonder when the next “big visual update” will come. I’m not holding my breath. Speaking of bad user interface design, here’s another excellent [article](https://tidbits.com/2019/08/30/less-is-more-apples-inconsistent-ellipses-icons-inspire-user-confusion/?ref=numericcitizen.me), this time about the use of ellipses (…) all over the place. 5️⃣ Imagine **[an Apple App Store for Apple Watch faces](https://twitter.com/parkerortolani/status/1276545415614169090?s=12&ref=numericcitizen.me)** — so cool proof of concept. I wish Apple would create one like this. 6️⃣ [An upcoming update to iOS](https://www.macrumors.com/2022/03/24/apple-hardware-subscription-service/?ref=numericcitizen.me) presents a Visa logo on the Apple Card, which could indicate a larger rollout in the future. Maybe in Canada? Like the iPhone Upgrade Program, I don’t see that happening outside of the US. ## MUST SEE PHOTOGRAPHY STUFF Someone asked a good question on Reddit: [Has ***phone photography*** killed anyone else’s camera usage?](https://www.reddit.com/r/photography/comments/r2cbx1/has%5Fphone%5Fphotography%5Fkilled%5Fanyone%5Felses%5Fcamera/?ref=numericcitizen.me) Yes. While walking on the street with my camera, here’s something I’d like to do: ***may I take a picture of you?*** [Here’s an approach to do so.](https://wesley.substack.com/p/process-035-how-to-ask-a-stranger%0A) I’m not good at photographing humans, though. According to this controversial [post on Reddit](https://www.reddit.com/r/photography/comments/saz0we/the%5Fmirrorless%5Frevolution%5Fis%5Fhere%5Fthe%5Fduopoly%5Fand/?ref=numericcitizen.me), the only revolutions that came with DLSR are ***RAW images*** and ***digital storage***. I didn’t search for part 2 of the series. The first mirror-less and shutter-less camera? This thing is a beast. Not perfect and expansive: [the Nikon Z9](https://www.kenrockwell.com/nikon/z/z9.htm%0A?ref=numericcitizen.me). I find it surprising to see Nikon launching such a high-end camera as there is a contraction of demand for non-smartphone cameras. I’m a big fan of ***Unsplash***, even though they were bought by Getty Images. I recently found out about a similar service named ***[Pexels](https://www.pexels.com/?ref=numericcitizen.me)***. Very similar to Unsplash both in its content and design. Pexels is a lot less known, though. If you don’t like where Unsplash has been going in recent years, consider looking at Pexels. Fascinating photos of human-made **trash** are now available **on Mars**. 😞 > We spy with our little eyes…rover landing gear! > During the [#MarsHelicopter](https://twitter.com/hashtag/MarsHelicopter?src=hash&ref%5Fsrc=twsrc%5Etfw&ref=numericcitizen.me)’s 26th flight, it took photos of the entry, descent, & landing gear [@NASAPersevere](https://twitter.com/NASAPersevere?ref%5Fsrc=twsrc%5Etfw&ref=numericcitizen.me) needed to safely land on Mars. You can see the protective backshell & massive dusty parachute. [https://t.co/1r5uoc5FyM](https://t.co/1r5uoc5FyM?ref=numericcitizen.me) [pic.twitter.com/ePlEASIrr0](https://t.co/ePlEASIrr0?ref=numericcitizen.me) > > — NASA JPL (@NASAJPL) [April 27, 2022](https://twitter.com/NASAJPL/status/1519401118152888321?ref%5Fsrc=twsrc%5Etfw&ref=numericcitizen.me) Don't forget to look at [my Glass page](https://glass.photo/numericcitizen?ref=numericcitizen.me) for my latest photos. I’ve been more active on Glass than on [my Smugmug account](https://numericcitizen.smugmug.com/?ref=numericcitizen.me). ## CLIMATE CHANGE & CRISIS ![Image courtesy of Apple](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/2022/04/Apple-renewable-energy-China-Sichuan.jpeg) Image courtesy of Apple [Impressive advances](https://www.apple.com/newsroom/2022/04/apple-helps-suppliers-rapidly-accelerate-renewable-energy-use-around-the-world/?ref=numericcitizen.me) were highlighted by Apple and its suppliers in fighting to reduce its ***carbon footprint***. More details here on the [Environment](https://www.apple.com/environment/?ref=numericcitizen.me) mini-website. Reminder: my passion for Apple has roots in its stance on climate change fighting. Read all about my passion for Apple in this [article](https://numericcitizen.me/2022/02/05/the-roots-of-my-passion-for-apple/). See what is [happening](https://twitter.com/mashable/status/1490153271171772420?s=21&ref=numericcitizen.me) when ***permafrost*** is slowly melting in Siberia. Kaboom! Speaking of Siberia: ***forests there are burning*** at twice the pace this year compared to last year. Why? One of the reasons is that the army is usually called to help extinguish those fires. This year, the Russian army is fighting in Ukraine. You cannot have it all. What a bunch of motherfuckers. Think globally, act locally. The type of principle behind these new housing projects put growing our food under one roof. > A new gem in vertical gardening [pic.twitter.com/W81Yfp9109](https://t.co/W81Yfp9109?ref=numericcitizen.me) > > — Mashable (@mashable) [March 26, 2022](https://twitter.com/mashable/status/1507776394616528909?ref%5Fsrc=twsrc%5Etfw&ref=numericcitizen.me) ## PRIVACY PROTECTION Should we **trust government agencies** with cybersecurity? No. Not at all. [FBI is no exception](https://daringfireball.net/linked/2021/11/15/krebs-fbi-email-hoax?ref=numericcitizen.me). I worked for a local government for nearly twenty years, and I know what’s behind some curtains. A fascinating and worrisome [story](https://techcrunch.com/2022/02/22/stalkerware-network-spilling-data/?guccounter=1&ref=numericcitizen.me) about a **spyware**, or “**stalkerware**” application built to spy on a smartphone user. The application is built using frameworks and back-end infrastructures full of security holes. As you might expect, this spyware is mostly available for Android devices because, you know, sideloading applications is easy. There are no or fewer gatekeepers to bypass in that case. ***For surveillance, Apple is a gold mine.*** Apple is probably giving more information to law enforcement than they tell publicly. Facebook is probably giving much more than Apple and Google much more than Facebook. In any case, I don’t want to pay [Apple to be an instrument for government agencies or surveillance firms](https://www.forbes.com/sites/thomasbrewster/2022/02/23/meet-the-secretive-surveillance-wizards-helping-the-fbi-and-ice-wiretap-facebook-and-google-users/?sh=11c963933f0f&ref=numericcitizen.me). ## NOTABLE QUOTES > “When two men always agree, one of them is unnecessary” — **One of my colleague at the office** > “Dependence on Russia for energy is now understood to be self-destructive but was convenient and economical at the time. Dependence on China for manufacturing will be understood as self-destructive but is convenient and economical today.” — **Horace Dediu** > “A photo is a time fragment that won’t come back” — **Martine Franck** > “User-friendly on the outside, developer-hostile on the inside.” — **Philip Elmer‑DeWitt** ## SOME LEFTOVERS 1️⃣ What are the most popular applications on the Russian App Store these days? **VPN clients**. Somehow, I find this comforting that some people in Russia are intelligent enough to try to see what’s behind the iron curtain imposed by the Russian government. Will it make a difference? The jury is still out. ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/2022/04/IMG_0751.jpeg) 2️⃣ [Barrack Obama thinks Putin has changed](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V4bDuFJuriw&feature=youtu.be&ref=numericcitizen.me). Putin is getting old. Dementia can take many forms. 3️⃣ [Illustrating](https://twitter.com/LeviWesterveld/status/1506253203704356867?ref=numericcitizen.me) the war in Ukraine with evolving maps and iconography. Fascinating. As the war evolves, the need to communicate and explain the situation has to evolve accordingly, too. 4️⃣ The [truth may be paywalled](https://birchtree.me/blog/the-truth-is-paywalled/?ref=numericcitizen.me), but you won’t find it on the **Truth social network** funded by Trump and its followers (don’t expect me to put the link to their shit, though). The simple fact that this application is hosted on App Store makes me angry with Apple. 5️⃣ [How to solve the Rubik’s cube for beginners](https://kevq.uk/how-to-solve-3x3-rubiks-cube?ref=numericcitizen.me)? I used to do it in 1 minute 13 seconds when I was young. 6️⃣ According to this [article](http://om.co/2022/02/27/whos-reading-anyway/?ref=numericcitizen.me), ***focusing on higher density media*** and learning to canalize our attention to the best value for our time investment seems a wise decision. But, [people no longer read, apparently](https://write.as/numericcitizen/people-no-longer-read-apparently?pk%5Fcampaign=rss-feed&ref=numericcitizen.me). 7️⃣ In a [recent edition](https://numericcitizen.me/friday-notes-69-a-new-home-office/) of the **Friday Notes series**, I wrote about setting up my new home office. It’s been an ongoing tweaking process since the beginning. I’m slowly getting where I want it to be. Here’s the current status below. I’m missing curtains and an armchair for reading. The sound is not bad either. ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/2022/04/IMG_0926.jpeg) ## WHAT’S NEXT ***The supply chain disruption***: while Apple is shipping a boatload of iPhone, [everyone seems to be waiting for everything](https://www.theatlantic.com/ideas/archive/2021/10/america-is-choking-under-an-everything-shortage/620322/?ref=numericcitizen.me). **The Russian army** is committing **war crimes** every day in Ukraine. This [website](https://war.ukraine.ua/russia-war-crimes/?ref=numericcitizen.me) will show you many types of war crimes and the related articles or rules of the Hague Convention or the Geneva Convention being broken. Put the sound on while visiting this website for maximum effect. Chilling feelings guaranteed. Finally, don’t miss the photos section. Very educative. **Vanmoof** launched **new bikes**, the S5 and A5\. Not cheap. Better design. [Still not available in Canada](https://support.vanmoof.com/en/support/solutions/articles/44002326772-where-will-the-vanmoof-s5-a5-be-available-?ref=numericcitizen.me). [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7\_lt1YcxWg8&feature=youtu.be](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7%5Flt1YcxWg8&feature=youtu.be&ref=numericcitizen.me) Now that we know for sure that the **Apple Studio display webcam** is fundamentally **flawed**, no software fix will ever change that; the long-awaited Opal C1 camera could be a solution? At 300 US$, it’s an expansive solution and certainly [not a revolution](https://www.inputmag.com/design/opal-c1-review-revolution-webcams-need-disrupt-logitech?ref=numericcitizen.me). I’ll pass. For now. A review is below. That one is funny. Where is my bag? Here it is. A fascinating [story](https://twitter.com/aviosAdventurer/status/1517419980953989120?ref=numericcitizen.me) featuring PowerPoint, **AirTags** and a very astute but frustrated air traveller searching for his lost bag. **One last thing**: [***Elon Musk buys Twitter for 44 Billion US$***](https://9to5mac.com/2022/04/26/reactions-to-elon-musk-buying-twitter/?ref=numericcitizen.me). Yep. Then what? An edit button? More than 280 characters tweets? Or did [Musk just bought a pulpit](https://om.co/2022/04/25/why-elon-is-buying-twitter/?ref=numericcitizen.me)? [Employees aren't happy](https://9to5mac.com/2022/04/26/reactions-to-elon-musk-buying-twitter/?ref=numericcitizen.me). Will this change my relationship with Twitter? Not in the near future. Let’s see what’s going to happen first. --- This concludes the Numeric Citizen Introspection Newsletter #21 for April of 2022\. See you next month for the next edition! Building this edition of the newsletter took approximately three hours of work. If you enjoy my newsletter, show me your support through [PayPal](https://paypal.me/numericcitizen?locale.x=en%5FUS&ref=numericcitizen.me) or become a paid member here. Thanks a lot for your support. Sign up [here](https://numeric-citizen-introspection.ghost.io/?ref=numericcitizen.me#portal) 🙏🏻 > If you don’t want to support my work, it’s ok too, but only if you support Ukraine in their fight against Putin and its rather weak and criminal army. 💪🏻 ### Friday Notes #72 — Is Life Just Another Subscription? URL: https://numericcitizen.me/friday-notes-72-is-life-just-another-subscription/ Last updated: 2022-04-29T12:00:03.000Z I’ve been contemplating buying an electric bike for more than a year. If you read my monthly newsletter, you’ll probably remember that I’m a big fan of the Vanmoof brand from a design perspective. The problem is that the brand is affected by quality control issues and is not available in Canada. The other issue is that Vanmoof is an expensive brand. Think of Vanmoof as the Apple for electric bikes. I recently subscribed to [Bixi](https://bixi.com/?ref=numericcitizen.me), a self-serve biking service in Montreal, costing 88 CAN$. The service offers two types of bikes: traditional and electric. I’ve been riding their ebike since last year to commute, and recently for my first season ride. While riding, I came across a woman on an ebike made by Moustache. It was superbly designed. I asked her a few questions, and we talked about pricing. Boy, these bikes are expansive. The bike she was riding exceeded 4500 CAN$. Ouch. It’s tempting, but the price makes me pause. [This one by KBO](https://kbobike.com/products/step-thru-electric-commmuting-bike?ref=numericcitizen.me) is much cheaper, though... On my way home, after completing my ride, which cost me a bit less than 3 CAN$ for half an hour, I started to wonder: how many rides like this do I need to do to pay the equivalent of getting a Moustache ebike? Well, with a hypothetic one hundred rides per season, I would need more than twenty-five years. The lesson here is simple: using the self-served biking service is a much less alternative to buying a brand-new ebike. Sure, the rented bike is not exactly what I’d like. I live in a busy city with many traffic lights and crowded bike trails. The only way to take advantage of an expansive ebike would be if I were living outside the city with wide-open spaces and long bike trails. It's not the case now, and I have no intention of moving out of the town. I quickly realized that I would prefer to stay a subscriber of the self-serve biking service. This subscription is yet another service that I subscribe to in addition to my music subscription, my Netflix subscription, my cloud subscription, etc. This brings me to this thought: sometimes, I wonder if life is simply another subscription. Probably. ### Where Should The iPad Go From Here? URL: https://numericcitizen.me/where-should-the-ipad-go-from-here/ Last updated: 2023-03-23T16:47:59.000Z ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/numericcitizen.me/wp-content/uploads/2022/04/d3f12c7e-4e1a-480e-9305-c4f6f38be1c4_1_105_c.jpg) Another year, another WWDC conference is on the horizon, and another round of “the iPad should become a MacBook” requests ([like this one for iPadOS 13](https://numericcitizen.me/2019/05/31/my-wishes-for-ios-13/)). A recent edition of Mark Gurman’s newsletter caught my attention. Mark argues that the iPad’s next step in its evolution should enable different usage modes, to broaden its appeal. For example, iPadOS should transform itself into something closer to a traditional computer using a keyboard and mouse. Using an Apple Pencil would again force iPadOS to adapt and tweaks its user interface elements. These ideas seem exciting and promising on paper, but they face considerable challenges in their implementation. You’ll always find edge cases which break the fundamental design principles. User modes are a can of worms in that respect. What if a light user wants to use a keyboard to read and write his emails? Why would the iPad need to set itself as a power user mode? Many people like the apparent simplicity of the iPad when writing emails, even with an external keyboard. > ***I always thought that, in any computing devices, operating modes are simply the result of fundamental design flaws.*** ## The price to pay for narrower appeal What Gurman is suggesting is to make the iPad appeal to everybody. That’s where I disagree. It doesn’t have to. Sure, power users would love to use an iPad as a traditional portable. Still, the iPad form factor dictates the rest of the story: the iPad cannot meet everybody’s needs with the same ease as a traditional portable because of its form factor AND the design decisions Apple made about its interaction models; iPadOS isn’t macOS. The M1 processor in some iPad models helps close the gap (more system memory usage, better features integration, etc.) for what’s possible for the iPad to support memory-hungry applications. But Apple is making a deliberate choice here. They like to sell you many devices. So it’s an important factor to consider. In other words, it’s a business decision. I would argue that adding usage modes on the iPad would dilute its simplicity, something Apple has been able to prevent with the addition of support for other input devices and a better multitasking interaction model. The latter was probably the trickiest because, from what I’m seeing around me, multitasking adds visual cues that even power users find complicated to interact with. In summary, adding modes to a computing device like the iPad is a dangerous territory to enter. Finally, widgets support was the most recent addition to the iPad, pushing it away from its original simplicity. They are nice, but they add complexity to the user experience because they need management and configuration. ## One more low-hanging fruit There is one thing that I’d really like to see improved on iPadOS: external screen support. After completing the full spectrum of input devices in the last two years, now it’s time for a much better external monitors support. I want it to be like on the Mac: mirror or extend the main display. I want a real mirror mode, just like on the Mac. But the fun would be when using an external monitor to extend the iPad display. In this mode, I’d like to be able to open applications in their window on the external display. The application could be used in landscape or portrait orientation with a button in their title bar. I could use the mouse to move windows around. That is something that could be added without breaking iPad simplicity. I’m not convinced that I want the capability of using small windows on the main screen, as shown in [this iPadOS 16 concept](https://twitter.com/parkerortolani/status/1513603601163333636?s=21&t=KT6WamyYTF0kLANZWkZVew&ref=numericcitizen.me). They don’t really make sense and add complexity for developers to support those additional application layouts. That being said, they’re other interesting ideas in this concept. Better external monitor support would be a mandatory step for Apple to introduce their iPad versions of desktop applications like Final Cut Pro or Logic. Without one, we’re out of luck. However, I expect Apple to introduce these improvements at the WWDC this year because it’s too obvious that’s the only missing part of the equation of more powerful applications on the iPad. ## From cars to planes? It would be cool to have our cars transform into flying planes, but we’re far from this reality, thank god. I wrote it many times; I don’t want a MacBook crammed into my iPad Pro or the other way around, for that matter. I love the iPad for what it is: a simple to use and a deceptively easy-to-use slab of glass. When I want more, I use my MacBook Air running macOS. All in all, I guess my sentiment on the iPad future goes in the same direction somehow as recently [expressed](https://birchtree.me/blog/ipad-needs-to-go-better-when-bigger/?ref=numericcitizen.me) by Matt Birchler: ***iPad Needs to Go Better When Bigger***. ### It's Still Friday Until Midnight URL: https://numericcitizen.me/its-friday-until-midnight/ Last updated: 2025-08-17T10:30:53.000Z Today is Friday. It's Friday Notes day but without the Friday notes. I'm writing this post directly on Ghost's clean and easy text editor. No time for drafting in **Craft** or **Ulysses**. I'll skip my usual [writing workflow](https://numericcitizen.io/2021/12/18/my-blogger-workflow-as-of-2021-12?ref=numericcitizen.me). I had such a busy week after returning from vacation. I had no time to stop and think about what could be a good fit for today's edition. It's 10 minutes before 10 PM. I'm starting to be exhausted. I won't send this edition by email to my numerous subscribers. I don't want to distract people with my useless writing. If I'm still writing this late in the week, it's because I want to exercise myself at writing and stimulate my creativity. Not all writings need to be Shakespeare. It's now past 10 PM. I'm currently listening to this on [my SoundCloud profile](https://soundcloud.com/numericcitizen?ref=numericcitizen.me). See you next Friday. Oh, did you know: 💡 “Algospeak” is becoming increasingly common across the Internet as people seek to bypass content moderation filters on social media platforms such as TikTok, YouTube, Instagram and Twitch. 💡 What did I learn this week: **algospeak**. It's the trend of creating new words to bypass algorithms on social networks that negatively impact someone publishing prohibited content. More on the subject [here](https://www.washingtonpost.com/technology/2022/04/08/algospeak-tiktok-le-dollar-bean/?ref=numericcitizen.me). ### Friday Notes #71 — Taking a Break of (Mostly) Everything URL: https://numericcitizen.me/friday-notes-71-taking-a-break-of-mostly-everything/ Last updated: 2022-04-15T15:10:52.000Z Today, Friday is my sixth vacation day. I’m excited to report that I took a break from everything. Well, mostly everything (more on this later). Obviously, I unplugged myself from work by skipping work-related notifications or emails. I didn’t write much either, except this edition of the Friday notes that I’m not even sure will be complete by Friday morning (I started writing it on Thursday morning). I didn’t put many thoughts on upcoming writing projects. Somehow, I find this to be quite liberating. I didn’t read much either, so I’m badly accumulating some readings dept for the next edition of [my monthly introspection newsletter](https://numericcitizen.me/tag/newsletter/). I did some vacation-type photography but didn’t process any of my photos yet. I’ll work on them while on the flight heading home. Furthermore, I took a break from [my time tracking](https://numericcitizen.me/2021/09/19/why-and-how-im-tracking-time-with-toggl/) too, as I’m skipping a lot of creative or consuming activities. Overall, I’m pleased with my vacation. There is one thing that I didn’t really stop doing, though: reading the news about the war in Ukraine. It was a conscious intent on my part. I try to stay informed about events in Ukraine or anything closely related to them because I find these events important, probably more than the average people. I’m not sure why, by the way. Depending on what’s happening, I get mixed feelings about my decision. I despise any Russian advances but rejoice in all Ukrainian victories, small or [big](https://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-61103927?ref=numericcitizen.me). I find it necessary to know what’s happening and get a better understanding of the news shaping our complicated and fragile world. I thought the same when 9-11 hit, or with the war that followed in Iraq. I do write my thoughts about the war in Ukraine on [my Write.as profile](https://write.as/numericcitizen/?ref=numericcitizen.me). Expect a return to normal programming this coming week. Take care. 💡This week I’ll skip the “what did I learn” section too. My brain being on a partial shutdown. 😅 🙏🏻 Thought of the week: I must pay attention to my writings because the time you’re spending reading me here is priceless. Am I meeting your expectations? ### Friday Notes #70 — My Personal Way of Supporting Others URL: https://numericcitizen.me/friday-notes-70-my-personal-way-of-supporting-others/ Last updated: 2022-04-08T12:00:12.000Z I’m not the most generous person on earth when it comes to charity. Recent events in Europe are prompting me to reconsider how I’m helping others and what’s the best way to spend or invest my money to achieve that goal. I’m very selective. But first, let's put charity aside and consider the software I’m using to create content and publish on the web (if you are curious to know what I'm using, read [my latest blogger workflow update](https://numericcitizen.io/2021/12/18/my-blogger-workflow-as-of-2021-12?ref=numericcitizen.me)). I don’t always need everything that I’m paying for. Some software is making a big difference, but others do not. Even though some applications that I paid for aren’t really needed, I do pay for some of them because I think they are well crafted and are a great way to show my support to the developer. CleanShot Cloud is a great example. It's cloud-based storage for hosting screenshots, a great addition to CleanShot. I don’t truly need it, but since I’m a big fan of [CleanShot](https://cleanshot.com/?ref=numericcitizen.me), their cloud service for storing screenshots is a nice addition. This service isn’t free. It's a subscription. I think CleanShot is a one-man shop. I want this guy to thrive and have a chance to succeed. That’s why I'm willing to show support. The same applies to [Acorn](https://flyingmeat.com/acorn/?ref=numericcitizen.me), an image processing app for macOS. Lightroom and Pixelmator are good software that I already use. Why use a third one? I probably liked one thing or two about Acorn, I found the software well done, so I paid for it. The same goes for [Commento.io](https://commento.io/?ref=numericcitizen.me), a service that adds commenting options on two of my blogs. Nobody is really taking advantage of this feature, but if someone wants to post feedback, they can do so by posting a comment. Now, back to helping others. The war in Ukraine is calling for help from as many people as possible. I decided to give to the Red Cross. I asked my employer to do something about it too, and we created a task force on how we could help as a company. Furthermore, I’m preparing to give some money to one of my colleague’s relatives living in Poland, near the border with Ukraine, in Rumania. This person is helping her community cope with the refugees coming from Ukraine. Finally, I’ll write and send a letter to my local federal government representative asking the federal government to continue and even increase help to Ukraine while increasing pressure on the Russian government. These are small gestures that, I hope, will help make a difference. That’s one of the few ways I’m helping others. Tomorrow, I’m leaving for a week of vacation in Mexico! I’ve been waiting for that one for a long time! Take care! ### Remembering My Story of Owning a Macintosh SE — 1987-1990 URL: https://numericcitizen.me/remembering-my-story-of-owning-a-macintosh-se-1987-1990/ Last updated: 2024-08-11T12:28:32.000Z Apple’s influence on me made me choose the information technology field for my career (don’t miss “The Roots of My Passion for Apple” for more on that subject). I studied computer science from 1987 to 1993\. I got my bachelor’s degree in 1990 and my master’s degree in 1993\. The Macintosh SE was a big part of my first three university years as an undergraduate. I think I bought the Macintosh SE in the summer preceding my debut as a university student. ![A closer look to the Macintosh SE bottom with an Apple Desktop Bus keyboard](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/numericcitizen.me/wp-content/uploads/2022/04/macintoshse-with-adb-based-keyboard.jpg) A closer look at the Macintosh SE bottom with an Apple Desktop Bus keyboard The Macintosh SE came with two 800K floppy drives. An updated model supporting 1.4 MB floppies had the “FDHD” label printed underneath the Macintosh SE label, and many people, including me, didn’t like it. Nonetheless, having two floppy drives was a godsend. At the time, switching floppies while working on the Mac was painful and distracting. PC users made fun of Mac users just because of those numerous floppy swaps. A higher-end model with an internal hard drive took the upper slot, but it was too expensive for me to buy. Eventually, I got an external hard drive made by a third-party manufacturer. The problem is that I can’t remember anything about it: how much did I pay (maybe around 700 CAN$), which model it was and how much capacity it had. I remember buying it from one of my computer science teachers. Besides an expansion slot that I never took advantage of, the SE came with a new design keyboard using the then famous Apple Desktop Bus. The mouse was connected to the keyboard and the latter to the Macintosh. From a design perspective, the new platinum colour and a less clean design were the most visible changes from the original Mac. I wasn’t too fond of the use of vertical stripes at the bottom of the case instead of a cleaner surface. Horizontal stripes were also present on the front panel, making it look overly designed. I don’t think It was Apple’s best design overall. The Macintosh SE/30 came after the SE had an improved and cleaner front design. Contrary to its predecessor, The SE had no ventilation grilles on the top of the machine, which prompted Apple to put a fan to keep it cool. It was another departure from the original Macintosh, which was completely silent. ![The Macintosh SE motherboard sporting an expansion slot on the right](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/numericcitizen.me/wp-content/uploads/2022/04/apple_macintosh_se_main_pcb.jpg) The Macintosh SE motherboard sporting an expansion slot on the right The Macintosh SE came with a noisy fan to cool it down. It wasn’t only a departure from the original Macintosh. It was annoying[1](#fn1). It was the first Macintosh to come with such a fan, something that despised Steve Jobs (he was no longer working at Apple in 1987, btw). Here is a quick anecdote about the Macintosh SE and its internal fan. Computer clubs were trendy at the end of the eighties, especially Macintosh User Groups (MUG). I was a member of the then famous Montreal Macintosh User Group2\. During one of the monthly meetings at McGill University’s main auditorium, a special guest was Jean-Louis Gassée from Apple. It was a big happening for the club. I’m not sure why he was invited. Maybe he was invited to promote the Macintosh SE, developed under his tenure as advanced product development director. What I do remember, though, is the Q&A session at the end of his presentation. Just before he was about to leave the place, people gathered around him, like an impromptu press conference. The issue of the noisy fan included in the Macintosh SE came up. I remember him admitting that they made a mistake and would tweak it to make it more silent, which they did before the SE was killed in October 1990\. Jean-Louis Gassée left Apple the same year; he didn’t work on the SE successor, the SE/30\. You can view my short conversation about this short story with Mr. Gassee on Twitter in 2019. I did all my bachelor’s degree assignments on the Macintosh SE and printed them on an HP inkjet printer, which was pricey. One of the most significant projects I did was a floppy disk cataloguer using Pascal language ([Think Pascal compiler](http://www.think-pascal.org/?ref=numericcitizen.me), [see it in action on YouTube](https://youtu.be/n2VJVqXtpko?ref=numericcitizen.me)), a code generator named “Prototyper” that would create the basic application’s source files structure, complete with the UI handling, and the renowned [ResEdit](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ResEdit?ref=numericcitizen.me)[3](#fn3). It was an enormous undertaking for an undergraduate. It’s also one of my first profound programming experiences. To connect to the science department’s PDF-11 computer, I had a “fast” 2400 bauds modem with a terminal emulator application using the TTY protocol. I can’t remember which application it was. By looking at this list of software available at the time, I think it was named “Kermit” 4\. I remember using utilities like StuffIt for file compression and archiving, AutoDoubler to double the space on the hard drive by compressing its content at a very low level, Anarchie, an FTP client, used to upload files to the university’s servers, mostly SunOS machines. That’s the story behind my three years with a Macintosh SE. I don’t remember how I got rid of it, though. Don’t miss my other stories, owning a [Macintosh Plus](https://numericcitizen.me/2022/03/27/remembering-my-story-of-owning-a-macintosh-plus-1986/), an original [Macintosh](https://numericcitizen.me/2022/03/19/remembering-my-story-of-owning-the-original-macintosh-128k-1985/) and [the explanations behind this documentation project.](https://numericcitizen.me/2022/03/16/remembering-the-story-behind-every-apple-computers-i-ever-owned/) ## Artifacts & references ### Images ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/numericcitizen.me/wp-content/uploads/2022/04/apple20user20groups402022-04-034009.10.40.png) ![Apple's ResEdit icon](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/numericcitizen.me/wp-content/uploads/2022/04/f38d8a80-1936-11eb-9646-be058c01b7c4.jpg) Apple’s ResEdit icon ### Links - Apple Macintosh SE (1987) Full Tour, Start Up and Demonstration [on YouTube](https://youtu.be/X1S2j3TF4bI?ref=numericcitizen.me). - Think Pascal 4.0 in action [on YouTube](https://youtu.be/n2VJVqXtpko?ref=numericcitizen.me). - User groups are important ressources [according to Apple](https://www.apple.com/usergroups/?ref=numericcitizen.me). 1. We’re spoiled these days with the M1 chip that goes in modern Macs. [↩](#ffn1) 2. It doesn’t exist anymore, like most of MUG. [↩](#ffn2) 3. Did you know that you can still get a copy of ResEdit from Apple’s website? [↩](#ffn3) 4. I also remember using another terminal emulation application named Z-Term. [↩](#ffn4) ### Friday Notes #69 — A New Home Office URL: https://numericcitizen.me/friday-notes-69-a-new-home-office/ Last updated: 2022-04-01T12:00:11.000Z My home office was in a small space adjacent to the central kitchen for two years. Before the pandemic began, I wasn’t spending much time there, mainly during the weekend. Then when COVID-19 hit, it became my small place to work from home, for the better and the worst. The kitchen is such a central part of every house; there’s always someone coming in for whatever reason. Over time, it became a significant source of distraction that I could barely tolerate. Recently, I started to think about alternatives and a way to improve my working experience. I have two sons who are young adults. My older son rarely stays home; he prefers his mother’s place. While discussing with my wife the challenges of having my office close to the kitchen, the idea of transforming his bedroom into my office came up. It has been close to twenty years since I had my office in a dedicated room. I had to give it up after my second child’s birth. Fast forward to today; after a quick talk with my son, it was time to make a decision and make a move. Here I am, in my new home office. What a welcomed change. 😀 ![My home office setup - a room with a view](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/2022/04/MyNewHomeOffice.png "My home office setup - a room with a view") My home office set up - a room with a view. From an audio standpoint, my new office offers significant improvements. It’s a much more silent room, away from the fridge or dishwasher, hence the less noisy background. The smaller room creates a better-sounding space while on videoconference calls. Having the possibility of not using my headset without impacting the people around me is also a welcomed change. The second significant improvement is the general luminosity. The room has two windows; the big one is on the east-north-east side, perfect for the morning light, and the second is on the northwest side. Obviously, windows offer a more entertaining view than looking at the wall in front of me. These windows, coupled with the desk orientation, don’t compromise my viewing experience of my [recently purchased Apple Studio display](https://numericcitizen.me/2022/03/26/my-experience-with-the-apple-studio-display/). I never had such a great look on Zoom calls! 🤓 Now that my technical setup is essentially complete, it’s time to turn to the room’s decorations. I want this space to be cozy and have a mid-century modern look. I want a comfortable reading chair and probably get one piece of furniture to store books and other small items. Furthermore, I expect a few Apple-related artifacts. I must think about what I’ll put on the wall behind me, so it becomes an excellent background for when I’m on videoconference calls. I want opaque curtains but not too dark, with a nice, flexible fabric texture. I don’t know If I prefer them to be vertical or horizontal within the window frame. I won’t rush the decoration process; I’ll be selective about each item to sit in the right place. This weekend, I’ll start to put frames on the walls. My head is full of ideas. Life must be full of projects. ![Clean, minimalist style of the mid-century modern era](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/2022/04/Things-You-Didn-t-Know-About-Mid-century.jpg "Clean, minimalist style of the mid-century modern era") The clean, minimalist style of the mid-century modern era Thanks for reading, see you next week. ### Numeric Citizen Introspection Newsletter #20 URL: https://numericcitizen.me/numeric-citizen-introspection-20/ Last updated: 2022-03-30T12:00:08.000Z **🇺🇦 🇨🇦 🇺🇦 🇨🇦 🇺🇦 A special message to Ukrainians. 🇺🇦 🇨🇦 🇺🇦 🇨🇦 🇺🇦** *Keep the faith and resist. As a Canadian citizen, I’m going to help you. I’m looking into this with my employer. I’ll have a special announcement to make next month.* ## HIGHLIGHTS Post ***highlights*** for the month coming from [my Numeric Citizen Blog](https://numericcitizen.me/), my [microblog](https://numericcitizen.micro.blog/?ref=numericcitizen.me), [my Medium page](https://numericcitizen.medium.com/?ref=numericcitizen.me) or from [my Numeric Citizen I/O](https://numericcitizen.io/?ref=numericcitizen.me) blog. The war in Ukraine took a portion of my attention and energy. My publishing activity was lower than usual. Yet, I do have a few highlights to share. `Peeking into Apple’s vision` I published [my thoughts and observations about Apple’s latest virtual event of 2022](https://numericcitizen.me/2022/03/12/a-peek-at-apples-studio-vision/). `I didn’t know that I wanted a new display for my Mac mini.` At first, [I had low interest in Apple’s first virtual event of 2022](https://numericcitizen.micro.blog/2022/03/02/peek-performance-low.html?ref=numericcitizen.me). Many people got [the long-awaited non-pro display](https://daringfireball.net/2022/03/the%5Fapple%5Fstudio%5Fdisplay?ref=numericcitizen.me). Unexpectedly, I bought one. I wrote my observations about it, and I wish I had put a reference to [Om Malik's comments about the display](https://om.co/2022/03/17/its-always-the-camera-stupid/?ref=numericcitizen.me) while doing so. `I started a series of articles about the story behind every Apple computers I ever owned` This project was a big undertaking for me. [It’s like documenting an important part of my life](https://numericcitizen.me/2022/03/16/remembering-the-story-behind-every-apple-computers-i-ever-owned/). It’s only the beginning as there as many more articles to follow, including a behind-the-scenes look and a few surprises. So far, my story of owning an original [Macintosh 128K](https://numericcitizen.me/2022/03/19/remembering-my-story-of-owning-the-original-macintosh-128k-1985/) and the [Macintosh Plus](https://numericcitizen.me/2022/03/27/remembering-my-story-of-owning-a-macintosh-plus-1986/). ## APPLE TIDBITS 1️⃣ It took more time than I wish, but **Apple** [finally acknowledged](https://numericcitizen.micro.blog/2022/03/01/apple-is-finally.html?ref=numericcitizen.me) the need to **support Ukraine** in its ordeal. Apple showed some courage. 2️⃣ ***Apple*** held their first ***virtual event*** of the year. [This Reddit post](https://www.reddit.com/r/iphone/comments/tdc1pe/peek%5Fperformance%5Fsketchnote%5Fsummary%5Fof%5Fnew%5Fiphone/?ref=numericcitizen.me) presents a ***visual summary*** of the things that were introduced. I love those handmade diagrams. ![Peek performance Apple event visual summary](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/2022/03/8c7w7kuit6n81.png.png "Peek performance Apple event visual summary") Peek performance Apple event visual summary 3️⃣ Last year, with **iOS 15**, Apple introduced a new **focus mode feature** which was in fact an extension of the previously available “Do not disturb” feature. In “[Better Focus with iPadOS 15 & iOS 15](https://numericcitizen.me/2021/10/17/better-focus-with-ipados-15-and-ios-15/)”, as you’ll see, I put the new feature to the test. there’s a lot to configure to make it work. While doing so, you may end up losing some important notifications or calls along the way, as reported in this [Recode story](https://www.vox.com/recode/22940621/apple-iphone-focus-tool-notifications?ref=numericcitizen.me) and by [Matt Birchler](https://birchtree.me/blog/focus-but-in-reverse/?ref=numericcitizen.me). 4️⃣ [Fun short movie](https://youtu.be/GC5Gmkn92Bg?ref=numericcitizen.me) made by **Apple** about creating a startup and escaping the big corporation by doing so. Are Apple **employees** going back to the office soon? This video has nothing to do with **work-from-home policy** but is interesting nonetheless. Apparently, Apple is conservative when it comes to some human resources management decisions. 5️⃣ The badly managed **App Store** saga continues. If curation was so good and effective, why do [so many](https://daringfireball.net/2022/01/apple%5Fapp%5Fstore%5Fworld%5Fripoffs?ref=numericcitizen.me) **rip-offs** of the popular **Wordle** game exist? ## MUST SEE PHOTOGRAPHY STUFF A [YouTube video](https://youtu.be/wmSO-tTVJeA?ref=numericcitizen.me) from the **Art of Photography** channel asks people to help **Skylum**. They are the ones behind the popular photography processing application “**Luminar**”. It’s a company with people essentially based in Ukraine, and they need help to cope with this criminal war. One thing they ask for is drone donation which helps combatants locate the enemy or assess the surroundings to help them determine if it’s safe enough to go out. Everything can make a difference for them. Here is another war-related item. Some American revolution veterans [were photographed](https://www.vintag.es/2017/10/rare-photographs-of-revolutionary.html?ref=numericcitizen.me) because they were old enough when photography as an art was merely a thing. Reminder: the American Revolution took place from 1775 to 1783 ([Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/American%5FRevolutionary%5FWar?ref=numericcitizen.me)). The first good enough photos were produced around 1840\. This means that veterans were pretty old (most of them at 100 or older). If they fought war while in their forties, they were centenaries when posing for the camera. Fast forward to today. The **iPhone is the camera** that you keep with you to document your world. When the iPhone first launched, it was more about having a great experience at taking or making calls. Over the years, the narrative evolved and photography took over. [This tweet](https://twitter.com/lee94josh/status/1501563774138036230?s=20&t=dOm3UgUrPrBihdYfW2fl-g&ref=numericcitizen.me) shows how much time was spent during each iPhone launch keynotes on photo-related features of the new iPhone. Very telling. Earlier, I wrote about the role of drones in fighting the war in Ukraine. This video from one of my favourite photographers talks about how bad a drone photography session can turn. **Drone photography** is something I’d like to experiment one day. Is the new MacBook Pro fast enough for Lightroom? According to this [article from Cnet](https://www.cnet.com/tech/computing/lightroom-on-apples-m1-max-mac-holy-mackerel-this-is-fast/?ref=numericcitizen.me), It appears to be the case. At least 2.5x faster than on a previous generation of 2019 i7 Intel-Based MacBook Pro. Adobe software isn’t known to be the best piece of software to take advantage of Mac's powerful internals, yet it seems to perform really well on the latest Mac hardware. As you probably know, I’m a big fan of **Glass**, a photo-sharing social network (see [my profile](https://glass.photo/numericcitizen?ref=numericcitizen.me)). **They recently introduced their iPad version** of their application and will soon introduce their web experience. Glass on the iPhone was good, but on the iPad, [it proves to be a liberating experience](https://thenewsprint.co/2022/03/06/glass-for-ipad/?ref=numericcitizen.me). The iPad is such a great device to consume photo content. Can’t wait for them to launch the web version which will be even more liberating. I’ve been testing it in private beta for a few weeks. An edition of this newsletter without space-related imagery wouldn’t be the same. Here is Europa and IO passing by Jupiter. Wow. > Take thirty seconds and watch Europa and Io serenely sail by, massive Jupiter their background. > > Imagine seeing this with your own eyes. > > Envy those who, in the future, will. > > Animated composite of Cassini images by [@kevinmgill](https://twitter.com/kevinmgill?ref%5Fsrc=twsrc%5Etfw&ref=numericcitizen.me); credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech/SSI/CICLOPS/Kevin M. Gill [pic.twitter.com/LJ0dZY7qCb](https://t.co/LJ0dZY7qCb?ref=numericcitizen.me) > > — Paul Byrne (@ThePlanetaryGuy) [March 20, 2022](https://twitter.com/ThePlanetaryGuy/status/1505651632998166528?ref%5Fsrc=twsrc%5Etfw&ref=numericcitizen.me) ## CLIMATE CHANGE & CRISIS War has unexpected side effects like putting at risk just recently adopted laws and objectives in order to help fight climate change. Since the beginning of the war in Ukraine, Europe is trying to lessen its dependency on Russia’s oil and gas. It won’t be easy. [Turning to alternative and dirtier sources of energy](https://www.bbc.com/news/science-environment-60815547?ref=numericcitizen.me) could break the engagement to fight climate change with clean energy. If there is something that you should watch today is [this animation from NASA](https://twitter.com/kirstinferguson/status/1502801738193313798?s=21&ref=numericcitizen.me). It shows in a very telling way how much average earth temperatures evolved over the years. The trend since 1980 is undeniably worrisome. By looking at the NASA animation, it isn’t surprising to see that Earth's temperature records are broken year after year for six years in a row. [Side effects are numerous](https://www.pbs.org/newshour/science/for-6th-straight-year-earth-sets-record-for-hottest-in-history?ref=numericcitizen.me). The trend is clear to me. Is it for you too? Earth is becoming so hot that [both poles are showing much higher than normal temperatures](https://twitter.com/ClimateBen/status/1505174972121165833?ref=numericcitizen.me), like the east part of the south pole experiencing 70 degrees over what is considered normal. ## PRIVACY PROTECTION Another side effect of the war in Ukraine: is cyber-attacks from Russia against Europe interests. United States interests aren’t safe either. It’s nothing new, but recent sanctions against Russia are giving the criminals in Russia good reasons to [fight back](https://om.co/2022/03/22/the-password-defense/?ref=numericcitizen.me). It’s probably cheaper than real-life war too. Be cautious with the software that you install too. A developer who wanted to protest against the war in Ukraine [created a malicious version of an npm package](https://www.bleepingcomputer.com/news/security/big-sabotage-famous-npm-package-deletes-files-to-protest-ukraine-war/?ref=numericcitizen.me) that you install on Linux. The problem is that files got deleted and a “peace” message was left on the user’s machine while installing this package. The bigger problem is that this package “node-ipc” is popular and is part of a long supply chain for many other software. This security risk reminds me of the SolarWinds attack. The popular monitoring software got infected by malicious code injection related to the update process. It will take years to recover from that and assess the damage (i.e. compromised environments). Have you ever used an application to obfuscate a portion of a text or an image? As a content creator, I do this all the time, using the excellent Cleanshot utility for the Mac ([my review](https://numericcitizen.me/2022/02/04/cleanshot-x-my-love-letter-to-the-best-macos-utility/)). Up until now, I was wondering if the obfuscation feature was secure enough. [Probably not](https://bishopfox.com/blog/unredacter-tool-never-pixelation?ref=numericcitizen.me), [tools exist](https://github.com/BishopFox/unredacter?ref=numericcitizen.me) to reverse the process and find the original content. A recent update, version 4.2, brings an updated algorithm, to create more secure content obfuscation as shown below. I did not test it against the tools to verify the claim. ![Cleanshot redaction examples](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/2022/03/CleanShot-Ubfuscation-Example-402022-03-27-.png "Cleanshot redaction examples") Cleanshot redaction examples ## NOTABLE QUOTES > In the End, we will remember not the words of our enemies, but the silence of our friends — **President of Ukraine** > "The wars will end and the leaders will shake hands, and that old woman will remain waiting for her martyred son, and that girl will wait for her beloved husband, and the children will wait for their heroic father, I do not know who sold the homeland but I know who paid the price" – **Mahmoud Darwish** > Poverty is 100% a choice. It's just that the choice was made by the people in power and not the people in poverty. — **Unknown source** > As they say: creativity is allowing yourself to make mistakes. Art is knowing which ones to keep. — **Unknown source** > Apple has made iPad better in new ways without making it worse in any existing way. — **John Gruber** ## SOME LEFTOVERS 1️⃣ A lucid look at [twenty years of **9/11** commemoration](https://anildash.com/2020/09/11/nineteen-is-when-they-forgot/?ref=numericcitizen.me). Thanks to the war in Ukraine, we don’t forget past atrocities like this one. 2️⃣ [Images can tell powerful stories](https://kyivindependent.com/national/10-days-of-suffering-russias-war-against-ukraine-in-photos/?ref=numericcitizen.me). There are so many more images that I wish wouldn’t come to exist as much as they do now. While **Russia** is planting **destruction** in many Ukrainian cities, let’s do the opposite, and built new ones… with **Townscraper**, a game that I love ([my simple review](https://numericcitizen.me/2020/07/07/a-simple-review-of-townscraper/)). Want to give it a try for free? Try the [browser-based demo](http://oskarstalberg.com/Townscaper/?ref=numericcitizen.me). Or see this [showcase of towns built by players](https://store.steampowered.com/news/app/1291340/view/4310505879933889758?ref=numericcitizen.me). 3️⃣ Why do I maintain so many blogs? For who am I writing? Does it bring long-lasting effects on people’s lives? Probably not, but I’m doing it for the love of creating something. I would argue that creativity helps live a longer and more **satisfying life**. That’s the subject of this [article](https://www.fabrizio.so/notes/build-what-you-love-love-what-you-build?ref=numericcitizen.me). 4️⃣ When your main product, at the center of your existence, is dying, something is wrong. [Google’s search results quality isn’t what it used to be](https://dkb.io/post/google-search-is-dying?ref=numericcitizen.me). The business of ads is poisoning their search results. The vast majority of my online searches are done with DuckDuckGo. It’s my default search engine on all my Apple devices. ![Organization chart structures](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/2022/03/org-chart-structure-types.jpeg.png) Organization chart structures ![The difference in working two minutes or eight hours on a project](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/2022/03/Fast-or-slow.jpeg) The difference in working two minutes or eight hours on a project ## WHAT’S NEXT Sometimes, to force a change of mindset, you have to send a forceful message. The following one by Zelensky’s entourage is a powerful one. Will you change your mindset and support Ukraine in one way or another? I will. > This by [@ZelenskyyUa](https://twitter.com/ZelenskyyUa?ref%5Fsrc=twsrc%5Etfw&ref=numericcitizen.me) is remarkable [pic.twitter.com/hlkCl1F7B2](https://t.co/hlkCl1F7B2?ref=numericcitizen.me) > > — Lee Слава Україні! 🇺🇦 (@MXOFO) [March 20, 2022](https://twitter.com/MXOFO/status/1505659394851233793?ref%5Fsrc=twsrc%5Etfw&ref=numericcitizen.me) In this [article](https://shawnblanc.net/2022/03/alternative-ways-to-spend-5-minutes-of-awkward-downtime/?ref=numericcitizen.me), you’ll find interesting ideas for spending five minutes instead of being idle with nothing to do. Why do nothing? Why do we need to constantly do something? Pausing is also something to do. This [Telegram video](https://t.me/ukrainenowenglish/3216?ref=numericcitizen.me) is a good demonstration of what could come next if we let Putin have it all. It’s simply frightening. Speaking of the devil, here’s a funny one. ![No comment](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/2022/03/Putin-and-swift.png "No comment") It's a joke for geeks --- ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/2022/03/photo_2022-03-28-08.00.58.jpeg) Somewhere in Ukraine – probably in Mariupol – Circa March of 2022 This concludes the Numeric Citizen Introspection Newsletter #20 for March of 2022\. See you next month for the next edition! Building this edition of the newsletter took approximately five hours of work. If you enjoy my newsletter, show me your support through [PayPal](https://paypal.me/numericcitizen?locale.x=en%5FUS&ref=numericcitizen.me) or by becoming a paid member here. Thanks a lot for your support. Sign up [here](https://numeric-citizen-introspection.ghost.io/?ref=numericcitizen.me#portal) 🙏🏻 > If you don’t want to support my work, it’s ok too, but only if you support Ukraine in their fight against Putin and its rather weak army. 💪🏻 ### Remembering My Story of Owning a Macintosh Plus — 1986 URL: https://numericcitizen.me/remembering-my-story-of-owning-a-macintosh-plus-1986/ Last updated: 2023-03-23T16:47:59.000Z After owning the original Macintosh for less than a year, Apple launched the Macintosh Plus in 1986\. When the Macintosh Plus was announced, [it later came in a different colour](https://vintagemacmuseum.com/when-the-mac-plus-changed-from-beige-to-platinum/?ref=numericcitizen.me), grey instead of beige, but the model name was always written on it, on the front, on the right of the multicoloured Apple logo. The change of colour happened in 1987\. I remember that people didn’t like that because it didn’t reflect Steve Jobs’ mantra. Having an upgraded 128K Mac equivalent to the Macintosh Plus but with a beige colour and lacking the “Macintosh Plus” label was quite cool in some respects. It was unique. ![The Macintosh 128K upgraded to a Macintosh Plus - same look but updated internals](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/numericcitizen.me/wp-content/uploads/2022/03/macintosh_128k_transparency.png) The Macintosh 128K upgraded to a Macintosh Plus – same look but updated internals Owners of the original Macintosh could upgrade their machines and get the same features. With Apple’s [Macintosh Plus upgrade kits](http://www.applefool.com/applefool/Macintosh%5FPlus%5F%28512k%5FUpgrade%29.html?ref=numericcitizen.me), I took the opportunity to upgrade mine. I bought the kit from the local authorized Apple dealer, for which I would eventually work as a salesperson. I remember my father paying for the upgrade, but only once I did get all the required money first. It was his way of teaching me the value of money. I thank him for that. The price tag was around 500 CAN$. It was a lot of money for a student like me. The upgrade kit was, in fact, a motherboard replacement of the Macintosh with a more powerful one containing a “whopping” 1 MB of RAM, it came with an enhanced 128K ROM and a SCSI interface. The updated ROM had an enhanced QuickDraw and added support for the higher capacity 800K floppy disk drive (which I later bought). As a result, the Mac was noticeably faster, but not by a wide margin. ![The 800K external floppy drive](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/numericcitizen.me/wp-content/uploads/2022/03/mac-800k-ext-floppy-1.jpg.jpg) The 800K external floppy drive The new 800K floppy disk drive sounded differently when it was operating compared to the 400K version. It was a more technical sound, while the 400K was more organic. The little boxy design felt a small departure compared to the Macintosh itself. Later on, besides the external 800K floppy, I got the Macintosh 20 MB hard disk which was based on a serial interface. It was a lot of capacity for the time, but man, this was a slow device. It looked closer to the original Macintosh than the 800K external floppy drive from a design perspective. I wonder if two different teams designed them. The Apple logo fit in a square shape, while the Apple logo on the 800K external floppy drive lacked the same square shape. I preferred the latter. Curiously, I don’t remember exactly how I got rid of my Mac. So, there you have it, the second Apple computer of the series “[Remembering The Story Behind Every Apple Computers I Ever Owned](https://numericcitizen.me/2022/03/16/remembering-the-story-behind-every-apple-computers-i-ever-owned/).” Stay tuned for the next one: the Macintosh SE. ## Artifacts & references I wrote this little story of [me with my upgraded Mac in 1986](https://numericcitizen.me/friday-notes-47/) on my Numeric Citizen Introspection Friday notes series. ### Images ![The original 400K external floppy drive](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/numericcitizen.me/wp-content/uploads/2022/03/400k-ext-floppy-1.jpg.jpg) The original 400K external floppy drive ![The slow 20MB external serial-based hard drive](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/numericcitizen.me/wp-content/uploads/2022/03/20mg-external-harddrive.jpg) The slow 20MB external serial-based hard drive ### Links - [https://numericcitizen-introspection.blog/friday-notes-47/](https://numericcitizen.me/friday-notes-47/) ### My Experience With the Apple Studio Display URL: https://numericcitizen.me/my-experience-with-the-apple-studio-display/ Last updated: 2023-03-23T16:47:59.000Z ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/numericcitizen.me/wp-content/uploads/2022/03/studiodisplaytop-2.jpg) Buying the Apple Studio display mainly was an impulsive buy. As I wrote in [my comments about Apple’s “Peek Performance,”](https://numericcitizen.me/2022/03/12/a-peek-at-apples-studio-vision/) the display was tempting as an upgrade to my home office setup. After pausing my buying decision for a while, I decided to visit my local Apple Store. After ten minutes of playing around with the display, I made my decision and bought one. It is a meaningful upgrade for [someone who owns the LG 4K UltraFine display](https://numericcitizen.me/2019/06/02/my-review-of-the-237-lg-ultrafine-4k-display/) with an M1 Mac mini. Here are my observations after a week of use. - Screen size fits perfectly on my desk and the display build quality is typical to Apple’s standards. - The display too easily moves while adjusting the display angle. Rubber pads underneath lack some grip. - Reflections in the display are less prominent than on the LG 4K UltraFine, but it’s still annoying when I pay attention. - The display height is fine as I can level up or down my working table. I didn’t consider this too more expensive adjustable version. - The display takes about five seconds to power up and be ready when plugged to the wall. A three-dots animation appears on the screen during the boot process. I don’t know why this isn’t an Apple logo, like on the iPad. Maybe they change this in an upcoming software update. - Hooking up the display to the Mac mini prompted for an upgrade to the internal software running inside the display. Pretty much like an upgrade to the iPad software. Weird. ![Apple Studio Display firmware upgrade in progress](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/numericcitizen.me/wp-content/uploads/2022/03/applestudiofirmwareupgradeinprogress.jpg) Apple Studio Display firmware upgrade in progress - Even though I have an HomePod mini on my desk, I rarely use it to stream audio from my Mac mini because of the latency and unstable connection. Using the Apple Studio Display with the M1 Mac mini brings the audio experience to another level. Mac mini speaker is abysmal to put it mildly. The integrated Studio display produces great audio quality, enough for playing all kind of music. The bass is great, the highs are a bit on the metallic side, but hey, [I’m not an audiophile](https://numericcitizen.me/2021/01/03/im-not-an-audiophile-but-here-are-my-thoughts-on-apples-airpods-max/), who am I to judge. The Studio Display is a winner here. - With my LG display, I had a Logitech Brio 4K webcam. With my colleague, I made some microphone tests comparing the Logitech, the builtin Studio display microphone and my AirPods Max. The display builtin microphone are superior to the Logitech’s, but the AirPods Max sounds even better at cutting ambient noises in the house. In summary, microphones performance goes as follows: AirPods Max > Studio Display > Logitech Brio. - I’m not going to do a scientific comparison between the integrated camera and my Logitech Brio. Both produced questionable quality images. The darker the room, the worst it becomes. Apple’s camera produces a flat image, but a fix is hopefully coming sooner than later. The Logitech always produce a more contrasted image. - Center Stage is certainly cool, but alas Microsoft’s Teams doesn’t support it. I use Teams 80% of the time, Zoom 10% and FaceTime the other 10%. Teams doesn’t support Apple Silicon, nearly 18 months after their introduction. [I recently vented about this frustrating situation](https://numericcitizen.micro.blog/2022/03/23/venting-my-frustration.html?ref=numericcitizen.me). - There are two fans within the display, but they don’t make any noise. At first, I wasn’t certain but bringing my fingers close to the top, I do feel air coming out of the display. - I don’t really miss HDR or 120 Hz refresh rate. [Matt Birchler is right](https://birchtree.me/blog/the-apple-studio-display-and-realistic-expectations/?ref=numericcitizen.me), those two features would probably boost the display price even higher. Two-third of my display use is for work, other I’m using my MacBook Air which obviously doesn’t support these display attributes. - I tried sharing my screen on a FaceTime call with a colleague. The experience wasn’t successful, my screen froze on the other end of the FaceTime call. I had to cancel my FaceTime call to recover from this. It never worked. Ouch. Not good. - Usually, “Hey Siri” is not supported with the Mac mini. The Apple Studio display [uses quite sophisticated circuity](https://twitter.com/dylan522p/status/1505708249135296515?s=20&t=vQIwfDu5ZVGRTFwwu3LZcQ&ref=numericcitizen.me), powerful enough to add “Hey Siri” support, among other things. My HomePod mini takes over, though. - Surprisingly, the Apple Studio display doesn’t support Face ID. Not only there is room internally for the required sensors, the processing power inside the display is available too. May I remind my dear readers that this display is running iOS 15.4? The same operating system inside your dear iPhone which already support Face ID. ![Apple Studio Display internals - MacRumors](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/numericcitizen.me/wp-content/uploads/2022/03/studiodisplayinternals.png) Apple Studio Display internals – MacRumors According to MacRumors’ [recent take](https://www.macrumors.com/2022/03/23/apple-studio-display-vs-lg-ultrafine-5k/?ref=numericcitizen.me) on the Apple Studio display compared to LG 5K UltraFine: > (…) the Studio Display feels like the better buy, even taking into account the $300+ price premium over the LG UltraFine. With a better design and build quality, a superior display panel, and LG’s history of issues like image retention and reports of compatibility issues, the Studio Display has fewer compromises and should last users for many years. The webcam remains a key issue that needs to be addressed, but that’s something Apple should be able to fix through firmware updates. There aren’t a lot of 5K displays on the market, [the other being the LG 5K UltraFine display](https://www.macrumors.com/2022/03/23/apple-studio-display-vs-lg-ultrafine-5k/?ref=numericcitizen.me). All in all, even coming from the LG 4K UltraFine, the Studio display turns out to be a worthy upgrade. It might not be the best new Apple product of 2022, but it does represent an answer to something that many of us has been asking for a long time. Apple delivered a divisive product, but nothing that can’t be fixed. I don’t see Apple coming with a pro version of this display any time soon. Those wanting higher refresh rates, HDR, will have to consider the pricey 6K display, a unique proposition on the market. > My recommendation would go as follows: If you are searching for your first 5K external display, or coming from an LG 4K UltraFine and would like to upgrade, coupled with a MacBook or a M1 Mac mini, the Apple Studio display is an excellent but a bit expansive option. At that price, cross your fingers for Apple to fix or improve the integrated camera with a software update. One last note: too bad, I won’t be able to plug my LG display as a second monitor to my M1 Mac mini. ### Friday Notes #68 — I’m an Open Blogger URL: https://numericcitizen.me/friday-notes-68-i-am-an-open-blogger/ Last updated: 2025-11-29T13:56:31.000Z In the blogging space, “open” can mean different things depending on who you ask. There are open-source tools and services. Opening up yourself while blogging is another example. Giving a behind-the-scenes look at your workflows is another. Furthermore, to be an open blogger also means a desire to write about writing, to blog about blogging. Open blogging, a new movement (that's my creation), also means creating, maintaining and sharing a [digital garden](https://www.craft.do/s/prWu9ohKSgta1T?ref=numericcitizen.me). It contains many things like a list of upcoming blog posts, works in progress articles, never published articles and other digital artifacts that you can find just by following links within the digital garden. You can even peek at my website’s analytics, too, thanks to Plausible. It's all there. Just be curious. Being an open blogger also means using open-source tools and services as much as possible. Many examples of such services are [Ghost](https://ghost.org/?ref=numericcitizen.me), [GitHub](https://www.github.com/?ref=numericcitizen.me), [Plausible](https://plausible.io/?ref=numericcitizen.me), [Micro.blog](https://micro.blog/?ref=numericcitizen.me) and [WordPress](https://www.wordpress.org/?ref=numericcitizen.me). I believe that fundamental tools and platforms aren't well served eventually if they are owned by big corporations. Supporting open-source initiatives like Plausible, Commento and Ghost is an act of support towards web openness. I subscribe to all those services because it’s like defending a principle (and because the services are of great value, too!). On a more personal note, I easily and openly expose my anxieties about the challenges of being a blogger, writer and content creator. Isn’t [the website](https://numericcitizen.me/) hosting this series about introspection, after all? If you're someone who reads all my content, on all the platforms I use, you can build a pretty good picture of who I am, what's my values, my interests, my challenges. Each website fills a specific niche but taken together form a web of content reflecting my interests in life. I like writing about my experiences. Did you know that between 2009 and 2013 I was developing iPhone applications? And while doing so, I attempted to maintain a blog about it. I wrote and published articles about my experience, my learnings of the iPhone intricacies. Today, I like to write about blogging, about which applications and services I’m using for that purpose. I like doing this so much that I created a website about it: [Numeric Citizen I/O](https://numericcitizen.io/?ref=numericcitizen.me). I maintain a meta-blog that exposes the behind-the-scenes of my workflow. Different context, same objectives. It's my small contribution to this complicated world. 💡 What Did I Learn This Week? Which country in the world does the most crypto mining? The US is now the place doing it the most. In 2019, it was China with 75% of the crypto mining activities. After China banned this in 2019, it's now the US since then. Canada is in the top 10, and I'm not happy about it. ### Remembering My Story of Owning the Original Macintosh 128K — 1985 URL: https://numericcitizen.me/remembering-my-story-of-owning-the-original-macintosh-128k-1985/ Last updated: 2024-08-11T12:26:19.000Z ![The Macintosh flyer](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/numericcitizen.me/wp-content/uploads/2022/03/apple-introduces-macintosh-flyer.jpg) The Macintosh flyer Buying the original Macintosh at 18 years old wasn’t exactly a common thing among my friends. My parents couldn’t help me with the purchase. Apple has never been known for rebates. I didn’t know at the time about student pricing. I think it wasn’t a thing anyway. So, I had to be patient and earn my money. I bought the original Macintosh through special sales from Xerox for 3175 CAN$. At that time, Xerox attempted to take advantage of the Macintosh’s relative popularity, but it didn’t take off. They had accumulated inventories of unsold Macintoshes. My father’s office (he was an architect) depended on Xerox copiers. He sometimes got calls from Xerox representatives to see if he needed upgrading his copier. Eventually, on a given call, the subject of the Macintosh computer sale came up. This is how we learned about the special promotion. The timing was right: I had enough money to take the plunge. Paying more than three thousand dollars for an under-powered but revolutionary computer while still going to college was scary. I was so excited to be part of the few in the family of proud Mac owners. I also bought the original Apple carrying bag. Owning a Mac wasn’t enough; I remember collecting promotional material too. I had a few posters and the glossy Macintosh flyer, but I can’t remember how I got them (see the artifacts and references below). I had the flyer before owning the Mac. I remember literally spending hours reading and looking for all the details I could learn about the Macintosh. This was so new, different, and “out of this world” back then. I was instantly hooked up to this machine. At the time, this flyer sported a fascinating and singular computer experience with novel applications like MacPaint, MacWrite or the Finder. I was hooked on the visuals, the concept, the idea of a user-friendly computer. ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/numericcitizen.me/wp-content/uploads/2022/03/macpaintwp.png) I had a few Mac applications, including [MacPaint](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/MacPaint?ref=numericcitizen.me), [MacWrite](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/MacWrite?ref=numericcitizen.me) and later [MacDraw](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/MacDraw?ref=numericcitizen.me) of plastic floppies. Unfortunately, I can’t remember what type of work I did on this Macintosh. Eventually, I started collecting [shareware](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shareware?ref=numericcitizen.me) and started using more serious applications like Microsoft’s [Multiplan](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Multiplan?ref=numericcitizen.me) (the Macintosh version is still available for download [here](https://www.macintoshrepository.org/1247-microsoft-multiplan?ref=numericcitizen.me)). My father really liked to use Multiplan for his work, from time to time. Comparing Multiplan on the Mac to the PC DOS version was very telling of the Macintosh’s appeal. Fast forward to today. My brother-in-law still has a working Macintosh 128K with MacPaint and MacWrite floppies. His kids used to draw on MacPaint when they were young. He still has their drawings somewhere on some floppy disks. The Macintosh serial number puts it in the first thousand Macintoshes ever produced. It’s a collectible item for sure. ## Artifacts & references The most notable artifacts I have amassed throughout my research and writing project are here. This concludes the first article in the series “[Remembering The Story Behind Every Apple Computers I Ever Owned – Numeric Citizen Blog](https://numericcitizen.me/2022/03/16/remembering-the-story-behind-every-apple-computers-i-ever-owned/).” ### Images ![The Macintosh poster](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/numericcitizen.me/wp-content/uploads/2022/03/inside-mac-poster.png) The Macintosh poster ![Picasso Macintosh logo](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/numericcitizen.me/wp-content/uploads/2022/03/mac_picasso_logo-2x.png) Picasso Macintosh logo ### Links - [Apple 1984 Super Bowl Commercial Introducing Macintosh Computer (HD)](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2zfqw8nhUwA&ref=numericcitizen.me) - [Macintosh 128K – Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Macintosh%5F128K?ref=numericcitizen.me) - [Top 100 Hits of 1985/Top 100 Songs of 1985 | Music Outfitters](https://www.musicoutfitters.com/topsongs/1985.htm?ref=numericcitizen.me) ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/numericcitizen.me/wp-content/uploads/2022/04/img_0729.jpg) A bank account statement showing the redraw transaction to pay for the Mac. \[Update #1 – 2022-04-02\]: After spending part of my weekend cleaning up my old papers, I found an old bank account statement where we can see the withdrawal transaction to pay for the Macintosh 128K. 3460.75 CAN$ was the price I paid for this machine. It was a lot of money at the time. ### Friday Notes #67 — Why Do I Like Early Mornings? URL: https://numericcitizen.me/friday-notes-67-why-do-i-like-early-mornings/ Last updated: 2022-03-18T12:00:08.000Z Silence, only gently interrupted by the sound of my computer keyboard keys. A few birds outside sing. Morning is my preferred time of the day. Every day. But why is that? I recently spent some time attempting to find answers. Early in the morning, the house is calm, and the streets are quiet. We can *feel* that everyone is sleeping. If it’s a summer day, the light outside is at its best. Closer to me, my head is free of noise, of complicated thoughts. My spirit is free and feels pristine if such a thing is possible. I like this feeling of being alone with myself, as it provides space for thinking and being creative. Mornings are new beginnings. I sense that there is no constraint. Everything seems possible, available, reachable. Everything has yet to be accomplished in the best way possible. Because of this, my motivation level is high. What’s better than the morning to empower my creativity? Most of my writing happens in the early morning. Being distraction-free greatly helps. And the smell of freshly made coffee is reassuring and always welcomed. I’m never rushing to have breakfast. It usually takes an hour or two before having breakfast. Eating is the beginning of the end of these pristine moments. 💡 **What did I learn this week?** The [Milgram experiment](https://encyclopedia.thefreedictionary.com/Milgram+experiment?ref=numericcitizen.me) on obedience to authority figures was a series of social psychology experiments conducted by Yale University psychologist Stanley Milgram, which measured the willingness of study participants to obey an authority figure who instructed them to perform acts that conflicted with their personal conscience. In my own words: how far can someone follow orders from an authority figure if these orders go against someone’s conscience? Fun fact: this is edition #67 of the **Friday Notes**, and I was born in 1967\. Time flies. ### Remembering The Story Behind Every Apple Computers I Ever Owned URL: https://numericcitizen.me/remembering-the-story-behind-every-apple-computers-i-ever-owned/ Last updated: 2025-06-02T11:11:41.000Z ![The original Macintosh 128K](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/numericcitizen.me/wp-content/uploads/2022/03/craft-remembering-the-story-behind-every-apple-computers-i-ever-owned-2022-03-13-20.16.58.png) The original Macintosh 128K My first experience with Apple computers goes back to the early eighties, as far as in 1982 to be exact when I was in high school. It was not only the early days of personal computers; it was the start of my long computer science and technology journey. Thanks to Apple, most of my teenage time was spent on computer-related hobbies, which later dictated my career choice: [Information Technology Solutions Architect](https://www.cio.com/article/191394/what-is-a-solutions-architect-a-vital-role-for-it-business-alignment.html?ref=numericcitizen.me). This article series will expose my long journey with every Apple computer I’ve owned and extensively used since 1982\. From my high school years to my time as a student during my college and university, up to now, Apple computers have always had an important place in my life. As an introduction to the series, l want to give you a behind-the-scenes look at this long-term documentation project. ## A Multi-Months Research Project This project started in the fall of 2021 while I was poking around the must-have and well-known Mac utility: **MacTracker**. This project is the occasion to plunge in my memories of my experiences with Apple computers. I had to spend quite some time trying to remember which computer I owned and for how long, in what order I bought them, and in what context I used it. It was a daunting but rewarding effort. This endeavour is probably one of the most fun and rewarding experience I have ever had while writing for this blog. Creating a timeline from 1982 to today helped me set the context in which I owned these computers. In addition, a lot of work was required to search for pictures or information tidbits related to each Apple computer to help me complement my recollections and remember the story behind them. Searching the web helped me gather numerous small details that I had mostly forgotten. One example is the content of the Macintosh Plus upgrade kit. I didn’t remember until now that the Macintosh Plus didn’t use the same beige colour as the original Macintosh. Instead, it was more greyish to give it a more serious and business-like appearance. A beige Macintosh Plus was, in fact, a previous generation Macintosh upgraded using the upgrade kit that included a brand new motherboard. ![MacTracker in action](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/numericcitizen.me/wp-content/uploads/2022/03/all-my-apple-computers.png) MacTracker computers list saved as bookmarks I relied on numerous applications and websites for this project to come to fruition. The starting point was, of course, the excellent MacTracker. I started by bookmarking each computer I owned or worked with, as shown in the previous screenshot. I did countless online searches too and used many Apple-related websites like [https://www.apple-history.com](https://www.apple-history.com/?ref=numericcitizen.me), [512 Pixels](https://512pixels.net/?ref=numericcitizen.me) and the [AAPL Collection](https://aaplcollection.com/?ref=numericcitizen.me) (by [https://jimmy.grew.al](https://jimmy.grew.al/?ref=numericcitizen.me)) as well as the [web.archive.com](https://web.archive.com/?ref=numericcitizen.me). These sites contain a treasure of information about Apple’s history. Reddit helped me too by glancing and searching in [/r/VintageApple](https://www.reddit.com/r/VintageApple/?ref=numericcitizen.me). The series will contain a total of twelve articles. In each of them, I’ll explain the context of the computer acquisition and its usage, what software I was relying on, etc. I will emphasize landmark features and the things that I didn’t really like. Artifacts like personal photos and worthy references that I have found on my reconstitution will complement each story. Without further due, in the next few days, I’ll kick-start the series with the first Apple computer that I owned, a Macintosh 128K, after [being tempted by the Apple //c](https://numericcitizen.me/2019/12/08/memories-of-when-it-all-started-for-me/). It was the start of an extraordinary journey. So buckle up and enjoy the ride. ![The multicolored Apple logo](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/numericcitizen.me/wp-content/uploads/2022/03/apple-logo-rob-janoff-01.png) The multicoloured Apple logo > Here is a side note: it is hard to find digital artifacts from the eighties or the nineties. It’s troubling. It’s not that far in time and yet, it can be challenging. Our collective digital memories aren’t deep. At some point, this created an issue for me. I originally wanted to include a link to an Apple ad with each Apple computer, but I couldn’t find an archive. This [article](https://www.theverge.com/2019/7/14/20693856/apple-ad-archive-video-photos-imac-ipod-ipad-steve-jobs-history?ref=numericcitizen.me) from The Verge points to dead links. I found this [article](https://www.imore.com/most-memorable-apple-ads-all-time?ref=numericcitizen.me) from iMore that includes a link to the most memorable Apple ads. Again, many links are dead due to copyrights claim from Apple. I had to abandoned me idea. ### Why I’m Doing Urban Exploration URL: https://numericcitizen.me/why-im-doing-urban-exploration/ Last updated: 2022-03-13T12:55:55.000Z Urban exploration is about exploring cities, sites, and buildings for the best or the worst. I always had a constant desire to explore abandoned places. They can be churches, schools, old businesses, hospitals, etc. Going out for an urban exploration session is always a different experience. ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/2022/03/apc_0373-2.jpg) I started doing urban exploration with friends as an excuse to do photography. It was certainly different from doing vacation photography. Conditions are way more challenging to work with. Light is rarely on our side, and many places can be dangerous to visit. Yet, I keep doing it for one reason: It is a way for me to look into the past. From one session to the other, we never know what we will find out: from dead animals frozen in ice to witnessing what could have been the last days of work in a car body shop. We often stumble on leftovers of people who spent good times with friends. My favourite thing is discovering open logbooks left by people before everything was computerized. I frequently wonder what people will find one hundred years from now in abandoned places… only non-working computers? ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/2022/03/BrokenComputers.jpg) I didn’t do any urban exploration sessions in the last two years, thanks to COVID-19\. My partner seems to have stopped doing those. If we don’t travel abroad, like in Europe, there is a limit to things that are open for discovery. I live in a relatively young country and region. Most abandoned places date back less than fifty or sixty years old. The potential is relatively low. Maybe I’m done with this and ready to try something else, after all? All photos are mine. ### A Peek at Apple’s Studio Vision URL: https://numericcitizen.me/a-peek-at-apples-studio-vision/ Last updated: 2023-03-23T16:48:00.000Z This week Apple kicked start a new round of products upgrade cycle with the “**Peek Performance**” event. We’ve got a peek at the new M1 Ultra, the Mac Studio and the Apple Studio display, among other things. Let me share my observations about this event. ## A slow start ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/numericcitizen.me/wp-content/uploads/2022/03/timcookpeekperformanceintro.png) The **Apple TV+** segment always feels like an infomercial and I’m starting to find these segments a bit dozy (I don’t care about the baseball). Then, the new green iPhone. M’ok. Fine. In recent years, Apple is adding new colours outside of the initial launch timeframe. It’s probably helping them move the sales needle a bit. With the lights on the iPhone, Apple started a new segment, with the Apple Silicon. ## The Apple Silicon Apple used **Apple Silicon** to talk about the **A15** and the new **iPhone SE**. With 5G. Yep, 5G. Cheap device, I guess. Same design. There’s seems to be a lot of pent-up demand for such a phone with a good camera, great screen, better battery life, touch ID and good great wireless speed. One thing about this year’s iPhone SE: the new wallpapers are simply gorgeous! It’s now on my iPhone. 😍 Next up, the **iPad Air** is the next device to get the **M1** treatment. Faster. More toned colours. And **5G**. Yep, 5G. More system memory. Everything else stays the same. Good device for the price. What’s left for the iPad Pro then? Better screen, bigger screen sizes. Again, may I remind you the problem with the iPad isn’t its speed. It’s the software, many would argue. With iPadOS 15 it’s less of a problem, but there is still quite a few things to be improved. Waiting for iPadOS 16 for this. Is it me who kept hearing “iPod” instead of “iPad” from the presenter? It sounded a bit funny. ![The Mac Studio brain](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/numericcitizen.me/wp-content/uploads/2022/03/them1ultrachip.png) The Mac Studio brain Still, on the trail of the **Apple Silicon**, Apple introduced the **M1 Ultra**. Now things get really impressive. The M1 Ultra is unique, way up there, a monster of technology, in such a small package. the idea of a single chip hosting two M1 Max, acting as a single CPU to the software is brilliant. Devs don’t have to do anything and the compact package offers the best performance possible. Boy, this chip is FAST. During the segment, I kept thinking: when they started designing the M1 line, they probably had this idea of offering many variants with different packaging to cover all the Mac products’ needs. It was forward-looking thinking for sure. We now have the complete picture of their initial vision, minus the Mac Pro. ![The Mac Studio visual facts sheet](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/numericcitizen.me/wp-content/uploads/2022/03/themacstudiovisualspecssheet.png) The Mac Studio visual facts sheet For hosting the M1 Ultra, Apple felt the need to create a new form factor for it, give it a new name, something Apple rarely do. The **Mac Studio** was born. I’m not a big fan of this name, but [Basic Apple Guy](https://basicappleguy.com/basicappleblog/peek-performance?ref=numericcitizen.me) is: Let me start by saying that I love the name of this product. With products like ‘Pro’ in the name, I often enter into a philosophical debate: Am I a Pro? What is a ‘Pro’? Who & what is or isn’t worthy of a ‘Pro’ device? But Studio makes sense to me; it’s a space where serious work gets done. The naming might seem insignificant, but it switches the relationship from the user’s identity to the product (i.e. are they a ‘Pro’ or not) to the environment for that computer to go in. For me, Mac Studio is more evocative of a bigger ensemble than a single device. Maybe this is what Apple is aiming for. Anyway, from a design perspective, I’m not fully in love with the Mac Studio look. Maybe it will grow on me overtime, like a lot of Apple products. Yet, I think Apple could have created a more singular design, away from the Mac mini. It simply feels a bit weird as an elongated Mac mini. It’s not their first time they do this, [compare previous generation of AirPort wireless routers for example](https://twitter.com/stevemoser/status/1502314406776090628?s=21&ref=numericcitizen.me). > Apple continues the recent trend of giving its users what they want instead of telling them what they want. ![The Mac Studio - a new form factor](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/numericcitizen.me/wp-content/uploads/2022/03/themacstudio.png) The Mac Studio – a new form factor The Mac Studio **form factor** is the one that creates the least compromises, compared to an iMac Pro. From now on, Apple’s vision seems to center around the discreet form factor for the pros or the enthusiasts. If you’re a pro, you’ll want o buy a Mac AND a display, or go for a MacBook Pro if you are on the move. All-in-one Mac is for “regular” users. From a connectivity perspective, USB-C ports and SD card slots on the front is a welcomed design decision. On the back, two USB-A ports for older devices that even pros do use with the latest machines. What about the power cord? Well, I’m surprised they didn’t bring the MagSafe connector from the 24-inches iMac. Power conversion happens within the Mac, not in an external brick like on the iMac. I’m ok with this and it makes sense. Now, the only Mac still to receive the Apple Silicon transition is the Mac Pro. What will get the future Mac Pro? An M1 Ultra^2? [It’s going to be frightening](https://twitter.com/stroughtonsmith/status/1501285163933868039?s=20&t=WbzF356%5FOgxGcFHtdZSI-Q&ref=numericcitizen.me) with the Mac Pro CPU double the performance of the current M1 Ultra. Mind blowing. ![The Apple Studio Display](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/numericcitizen.me/wp-content/uploads/2022/03/theapplestudiodisplay.png) The Apple Studio Display Next, the **Studio Display**. [I love the name](https://twitter.com/apple%5Fobserver/status/1501330511733665795?s=20&t=lR9L807nlDgrxXYA%5FA5Q1w&ref=numericcitizen.me). I love the design. It’s THE display that Apple should have done a long time ago. There’s an A13 chip in this thing. It’s another piece of tech that Apple don’t have to buy from a third-party. The A13 will handle the monitor’s features like 12 MP camera with CenterStage, the sound, the display itself. [It’s a computer with even untapped potential](https://om.co/2022/03/09/apple-studio-display-amazing/?ref=numericcitizen.me). Up until today, I didn’t expect to change my LG 4K UltraFine display. When I checked for the price of the Studio Display, I started to change my mind. But why is that, my LG display is a good one, right? Here is why. - Apple’s displays are the best on the market. The display image quality will certainly be better than the LG display. Can’t wait for [DisplayMate](https://www.displaymate.com/index.html?ref=numericcitizen.me) to validate this. - 5K > 4K. Retina. - 27” is bigger and bigger is better. The size of the display as a whole will be a tad bigger than my current LG UltraFine. The stand design is a lot better. It’s massive. The 30 degrees inclination should me more than enough. - I like the aluminium stand, next to the Mac mini it will create a better fit. - I’ll be working from home 90% of the time for the rest of my career, a better webcam with Center Stage are great features. Will it produce better image quality than my current Logitech Brio 4K? A visit to the Apple Store should help me find an answer. I prefer an integrated webcam than one outside of the monitor. It’s cleaner. - Better speakers, better microphones are welcomed too. Using the HomePod mini with the Mac mini is good but far from perfect. Latency often breaks the listening experience. - The nano-texture glass is something that I’m looking forward because of my current setup. My work space has a big patio door behind me. I do see a lot of reflections in my screen. The only thing that makes me pause about nano-texture glass: its fragility. It will make it harder to clean. This [tweet](https://twitter.com/Stammy/status/1501275682210463750?ref=numericcitizen.me) seems to confirm my doubts. I guess I’ll have to wait and see for myself in an Apple Store. - The lack of ProMotion or HDR isn’t a dealbreaker. A more expansive display would be. - At 1599$, I think the price is right for what we get. There is nothing like it on the market. The overall package and design of the Apple Studio display could bring tangible improvements to my work-from-home computing setup. I’m sold. Apple will sell a boat-load of these. At time of publication, shipping date estimates to get an Apple Studio display with nano-texture glass are slipping to the end of May. Another reason to skip the nano-display, I guess. One last thing about the Studio Display: what happens when the display needs a software upgrade, because apparently, it is running a custom OS, based on iOS probably? > Apple often creates devices that people didn’t know they wanted until they see it. With Apple Studio, I didn’t now that I wanted a new external display. ![The Apple Studio display visual facts sheet](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/numericcitizen.me/wp-content/uploads/2022/03/theapplestudiovisualspecssheet.png) The Apple Studio display visual facts sheet ## The last online-only Apple event? Overall, that was a good show, but only if we skip the first 10 minutes. As always, production quality is top notch. As COVID-19 is more and more a thing of the past, I guess this will be the last virtual event. I expect Apple to create an hybrid version for the WWDC conference: lot’s of pre-recorded segments with live demos and talks. We’ll see. ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/numericcitizen.me/wp-content/uploads/2022/03/walkinginsidethemacstudio.png) The iPad Air and Mac Studio with Apple Display Studio mini-movie segments were quite cool, my favourite being the one with a woman walking around and within a giant Mac Studio. ## Final thoughts > This event was a little odd in that it was almost entirely dedicated to products that are kinda niche by Apple’s standards. The iPhone SE and iPad Air will surely sell relatively well, and their updates were respectable, if a bit safe. The Mac Studio and Studio Display are definitely targeted at a higher-end crowd, but I think they’ll make a lot of people really happy.*Matt Birchler, for the Sweet Setup* A clever observation from Steve Troughton-Smith, a well-known developer: > Kinda fun that Microsoft’s ‘studio’ PC is a beautiful giant drafting table with pen & touch for designers, but Apple’s ‘studio’ PC is a dull little metal box packed with specs for developers, video editors, & workstation-level workloads. We’re definitely in an alternate timeline > > — Steve Troughton-Smith (@stroughtonsmith) [March 9, 2022](https://twitter.com/stroughtonsmith/status/1501596432859607040?ref%5Fsrc=twsrc%5Etfw&ref=numericcitizen.me) ### Friday Notes #66 — Deeply Feeling the Ukraine War URL: https://numericcitizen.me/friday-notes-66-deeply-feeling-the-ukraine-war/ Last updated: 2022-03-11T13:00:09.000Z 🇺🇦 Since the beginning of this [hard to believe criminal invasion](https://write.as/numericcitizen/ukraine-i-cant-believe-it?ref=numericcitizen.me) of Ukraine by Putin, on February 24th, [my media consumption entirely changed](https://write.as/numericcitizen/media-consumption-frenzy?ref=numericcitizen.me), and went in overdrive mode. [Each morning](https://write.as/numericcitizen/morning-routines-in-war-time?ref=numericcitizen.me), I'm sorry, many times a day, [using many news sources](https://write.as/numericcitizen/ukraine-some-of-my-news-sources?ref=numericcitizen.me), I’m putting myself in a constant consternation vibe. It reminds me of 9-11\. My feelings go from sadness to frustrations simply because [democracy makes us look like being afraid and slow](https://write.as/numericcitizen/the-apparent-weakness-of-democracy?ref=numericcitizen.me) compared to the invaders. [I sincerely wish NATO would do more](https://write.as/numericcitizen/natos-response-is-too-weak?ref=numericcitizen.me), after all, this invasion is taking place right in their backyard. We may be on the [path to WW III](https://write.as/numericcitizen/path-to-the-wwiii?ref=numericcitizen.me), not ready to admit it yet, we pretend to take action while [a moron in the name of Putin](https://write.as/numericcitizen/the-real-nature-of-putin-as-an-army-leader?ref=numericcitizen.me) is driving its badly directed army of young and innocents to invade a country and kill children and their mother. It’s hard to not be angry at Russians, only to direct our angriness toward their government. Yet, I feel that [Russians have a moral obligation](https://write.as/numericcitizen/duties-of-russians-living-abroad?ref=numericcitizen.me) to help fight this unneeded war from within their country or from abroad. It won't be easy because as much as we can deeply feel the Ukrainian war from afar, Russians can’t fight against something they think it’s our fault, thanks to Putin's propaganda. I know, I'm a bit heavy this week. ❤️‍🩹 It’s hard to stay away from the media feeds. [Staying creative](https://write.as/numericcitizen/diverting-my-attention-to-survive?ref=numericcitizen.me) helps me divert my attention, so I can keep the Friday Notes series alive and well. It is the same creativity that helped me during the last two years of COVID-19\. It’s a positive way of coping with this world in a constant state of emergency. Thanks for reading this.🙏🏻 💡 **What did I learn this week? Retrocomputing** is the use of older computer hardware and software in modern times. Retrocomputing is usually classed as a hobby and recreation rather than a practical application of technology; enthusiasts often collect rare and valuable hardware and software for sentimental reasons. ### A Few Notes on my Experience with Photomyne URL: https://numericcitizen.me/a-few-notes-on-my-experience-with-photomyne/ Last updated: 2024-09-10T21:16:56.000Z The initial motivation for using Photomyne was to scan old photos of my wife when she was a baby. My initial experience was very positive, so much that I decided to scan many of my old travel photo albums. The idea of scanning traditional photo albums full of forgotten pictures is exciting: scanned photos are more easily accessible, can be easily shared with family and friends and takes close to no space at all. And let’s face it, the world is digital now, I wouldn’t mind scrapping my old albums after scanning the best shots. I know, it makes sound surprising, but hey, this is where we are these days. By allowing multiple photos to be scanned, the scanning experience with Photomyne is fast, simple, and effective. Post-scanning corrections like reframing a picture or adding colours to a black and white picture can easily be made. The workflow is optimized and enables a great user experience until the Photomyne’s profound motivations start to pop up. ![Refraiming a photo in Photomyne](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/numericcitizen.me/wp-content/uploads/2022/03/framing-scanned-photo-in-photomyne.png) Reframing a photo in Photomyne Scanned photos are stored on albums within Photomyne on the local device, but for paying members they are uploaded to Photomyne’s cloud. From the cloud service, photos and albums can be shared with others. I’m not sure about the value of sharing old photos on the Internet besides posting them on Facebook, the usual suspect in that respect. Personally, I wouldn’t count on Photomyne service as a long-term storage solution. I would rather export the photos to my iCloud photo library instead, to keep them in one place. ![Setting photo metadata in Photomyne](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/numericcitizen.me/wp-content/uploads/2022/03/setting-photo-metadata-in-photomyne.png) Setting photo metadata in Photomyne Metadata can be added to each photo like the date, the location, a description. One minute audio attachment can be added for each photo, which is really useful for documentation purposes, for example. Metadata like the date is exported with the photo as the date taken, which will put the photo at the right place chronologically. For photos with a description, Photomyne can export a version with the text in the photo frame which is nice but the Photomyne logo is also present, something that I would prefer to be removed. Kudos for having an iPad version of the application. It’s very well done. As the iPad continues to improve for photography, it makes a lot of sense to offer an iPad version to scan photos. Yet, photos taken with the iPhone will look better, though. ## A few things that needs improvements Very annoying are the “ask for application reviews” popups that occur rather frequently while using the application. Photomyne is desperate to get your review. Also annoying are the banners at the top promoting features, extras, actions like sharing albums or inviting people to see your photos. These banners won’t disappear while being a subscriber. Very annoying. Obviously, these nagging prompts are there to get more people to know Photomyne. Utterly annoying to the point of making me stop subscribing to their service, which I did by the way. Face detection is not as impressive as Apple’s. There are no lighting, contrast controls once pictures are scanned. Photos inside glossy sheets, which were typical back in the days, will show strong lighting reflections with no easy means to remove them within the application. All in all, Photomyne does the job very well to scan old photos but be prepared for constant harassment for reviews and subscription upgrades. ### Photo Legend #30 — Left Behind URL: https://numericcitizen.me/photo-legend-30-left-behind/ Last updated: 2024-08-14T11:56:33.000Z Take the previous photo, taken during an urban exploration session a few years ago. As a photographer, what merit do I have in this? Asking someone about how they feel about this photo would probably get an answer like: “wow, this is a great picture.” But, in fact, this is not the case. What makes this picture great to a large extent is the quality of the subject, here, the graffiti. So, again, where is the merit of the photograph in there? Nowhere. Am I too hard on myself? Probably a tad, yes. ![Left Behind - Circa 2019](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/2022/03/GrafAndCans-2.jpg) Left Behind - Circa 2019 Take another example, with the spray cans on the floor. This picture was taken during the same urban exploration session. How do you feel about this one? Well, to me, this is where the photographer’s merit starts to shine. I’m not saying this because I took the picture. I’m saying this because there is a conscious act of composition. The spray cans at the bottom right add to the scene. It tells a story like: they came, they expressed their creativity and then they left, maybe in a hurry, wishing to escape the guardians. This is what they left behind. ### Friday Notes #65 — Throwing Out Someone’s History URL: https://numericcitizen.me/friday-notes-65-throwing-out-someones-history/ Last updated: 2022-03-04T13:00:01.000Z My wife’s aunt, an 80 years old woman with Alzheimer, recently moved from her apartment to a specialized home for people with cognitive loss. I can’t tell which Alzheimer's degree she is at. She can still recognize most of us, but she has no clue about time and space. It is a debilitating condition. The disease is slowly and relentlessly crawling over her. Her apartment is, in general, in mediocre condition. We told her the owner had to renovate her apartment to convince her to move somewhere else. She didn’t want to. So now, we must clean up her apartment before returning the keys. It’s a daunting task, still in progress, which started last weekend and will continue this weekend. This woman had another mental disease called “[syllogomany](https://wikipedia.org/wiki/Syllogomania?ref=numericcitizen.me)”: > “Compulsive hoarding, also known as **hoarding disorder,** is a clinically recognized mental health condition (ICD-11, 2018). The disorder is characterized by accumulation of possessions due to excessive acquisition of or difficulty discarding possessions, regardless of their actual value.” She used to “collect” recyclable objects and all sorts of papers. Her apartment is full of those, yet everything is well dissimulated. We’re still in the middle of this cleanup. So far, the equivalent of five big recycling bins have been packed, and the equivalent of twenty big orange trash bags were filled. While cleaning up her apartment, opening closets, boxes and desk drawers, I took some time to read some papers to see what they were all about: past years' taxes reports, correspondence, paid invoices, dating back as far as 25 fives years ago. I realized that I was looking at someone’s past life artifacts. When I think about this, we were actually throwing someone’s history into the garbage. My wife’s aunt will never know that we are behind her to clean up her mess. She will never know that we are, in many ways, throwing out most of her history. It’s hard to cope with because, at the same time, she keeps losing her memory. She is losing her essence, what makes her, her. 💡 **What did I learn this week**: **syllogomany** **disorder** is compulsive hoarding of useless objects. We may all have, to some degree, this condition. ### My Experience With Carrot Weather URL: https://numericcitizen.me/my-experience-with-carrot-weather/ Last updated: 2023-03-23T16:48:00.000Z How many weather applications can the earth sustain? As a weather enthusiast, I’m always looking for new weather-related applications. [I already use quite a few](https://numericcitizen.me/2021/02/03/great-weather-apps-for-weather-enthusiasts/), but Carrot Weather, up until now, wasn’t part of my arsenal. However, following the release of version 5.5, I decided to give it a serious try. In summary, it lives up to the hype, but there is certainly room for improvements. Here are my usage observations. ![Weather apps in the App Store are plentiful](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/numericcitizen.me/wp-content/uploads/2022/03/weathercategory-appstore.png) Weather apps in the App Store are plentiful. ## Observations - If you’re not a subscriber of Carrot Weather, the application offers minimal functionality. Reminders of more advanced features under the subscription is highly visible in every parts of the application. It’s a bit over-the-top. To be able to write this article, I subscribed to the ultra package. - Carrot Weather’s [website](https://www.meetcarrot.com/weather/?ref=numericcitizen.me) offers limited informations about the features that comes with the subscription. - Without the subscription, there is no way to test a fully featured application. There is no seven-days trial period. Carrot Weather’s website is not very informative or detailed in regards to the application features. It’s hard to judge the application when compared to others in this crowed category. ![Radar imagery comparison - MyRadar - WeatherMaps - Carrot Weather](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/numericcitizen.me/wp-content/uploads/2022/03/radar-imagery-compared.png) Radar imagery comparison – MyRadar – WeatherMaps – Carrot Weather - The radar view animation is building faster than with MyRadar, but resolution is lower. - Local radar resolution is lacking compared to MyRadar’s version. - The animation export as GIF feature is handy and useful. - Customization is Carrot Weather’s forte, but I do feel that some missing basic things like various weather maps beyond radar, cloud cover, temperature, humidity. those are obvious and of general public interest. But, I’d like having access to more pro weather maps used by professionals. - Being able to compare previsions from different sources with previsions quality would be a unique feature (when all sources converge to the same prevision, mark the prevision as good, etc.). - I wish I could see satellite maps without the radar layer. - While combining the radar layer with satellite map, only the radar layer is updated which is produce uncanny animated sequences. MyRadar suffers from the same flaw, by the way. - I like the Apple Watch application quite a lot: responsive, informative and comes with many complications. The radar view on the watch is better than MyRadar’s watch version. The iPhone app includes a few watch faces that can be easily installed on the Apple Watch as a mean to quick start the use of Carrot Weather on the watch. Clever. - I wish I could set the icons style to a more serious / pro looking version. - Carrot Weather is available on the Mac, but it’s a paid application where features are not on par with the iOS version, which is a shame. Would it be possible to have a Catalyst-version of the application? Or to make the iPad version work on M1 Macs? It’s a matter of willingness to commit development resources. - Rich notifications are actually rich as in “informative” and well-designed. - Precipitation predictions are often weird, way too precise, like 2.34 cm of snow. It’s almost impossible to predict with such precision a snow fall. Something like “less than 5 cm of snow” or “< 5 cm” would be more realistic. Maybe it’s part of Carrot Weather general “attitude” or it is dependant of the weather informations source? - All weather apps are built depending on a few commercially or freely available weather data. Developers have to be creative to set their application apart. Carrot Weather is no different in that respect but its design, snarky attitude and features makes it one of a kind. ![The type of weather map that I wish Carrot Weather could provide in a pro tier subs](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/numericcitizen.me/wp-content/uploads/2022/03/sophisticatedweathermapexample.png) The type of weather map that I wish Carrot Weather could provide in a pro tier subs Carrot Weather is now on the list of my must-use weather application as documented here “[Great Weather Apps for Weather Enthusiasts](https://numericcitizen.me/2021/02/03/great-weather-apps-for-weather-enthusiasts/).” All in all, I’m happy with Carrot Weather. Here is my scorecard: - Design: 8.5 / 10. - Feature: 9 / 10. - Weather Pro features: 6 / 10. - Value for money: 7 / 10. - Overall: 8 / 10. ### Numeric Citizen Introspection Newsletter #19 URL: https://numericcitizen.me/numeric-citizen-introspection-19/ Last updated: 2023-10-06T21:39:50.000Z **🇺🇦 🇨🇦 🇺🇦 🇨🇦 🇺🇦 A special message to Ukrainians 🇺🇦 🇨🇦 🇺🇦 🇨🇦 🇺🇦** 🇺🇦 **As* [**I wrote*](https://write.as/numericcitizen/ukraine-i-cant-believe-it?ref=numericcitizen.me) *recently, I’m deeply disturbed by events happening in* ***Ukraine** *right now. I’m deeply sorry that we, the west, are failing to support this country in meaningful and more material ways. There is an important Ukrainian community here in Montreal, Canada. As soon as there will be an organized demonstration of support, I’ll join the movement in solidarity with the people of Ukraine. Meanwhile, my message is to keep the fate, resist, be proud of yourselves!* ## HIGHLIGHTS Post ***highlights*** for the month coming from [my Numeric Citizen Blog](https://numericcitizen.me/), my [microblog](https://numericcitizen.micro.blog/?ref=numericcitizen.me), [my Medium page](https://numericcitizen.medium.com/?ref=numericcitizen.me) or from [my Numeric Citizen I/O](https://numericcitizen.io/?ref=numericcitizen.me) blog. `I’m OK with sideloading on the iPhone — I changed my mind` On January 9th, I published an article exposing my change of heart regarding ***sideloading*** of applications on the ***iPhone***. It’s ok, it should be allowed by Apple. Why? Well, you have to read [my article](https://numericcitizen.me/2022/02/09/on-sideloading-on-iphone-its-ok-im-changing-my-mind/) to know. The latter, which happens to be the most read of all time, was triggered by a series of tweets by [Kosta Eleftheriou](https://twitter.com/keleftheriou?ref=numericcitizen.me), a well-known critic of Apple's App Store. He retweeted my article and posted it on Hacker-news. Someone else [posted it on Reddit](https://www.reddit.com/r/apple/comments/soopxt/on%5Fsideloading%5Fon%5Fiphone%5Fits%5Fok%5Fim%5Fchanging%5Fmy/?ref=numericcitizen.me). Finally, [Tim Sweeney quoted a quote taken out of my article](https://twitter.com/TimSweeneyEpic/status/1491499185694298117?ref=numericcitizen.me). In short, it was quite a ride that day. I think I made my point clear and people liked my change of mind. [Jason Snell on Six Colors](https://www.macworld.com/article/614865/app-store-sideloading-mac.html?ref=numericcitizen.me) offers his balanced view on the subject of sideloading on the iPhone. In summary, it might not be the best for security, but adding the alternative for users is good, not only for them but for Apple too. Eventually, Apple could decide to be more selective has rejected and low-value apps would end up in alternative download sites. I vote for that too. `People No Longer Read Apparently` I started [writing](https://write.as/numericcitizen/people-no-longer-read-apparently?ref=numericcitizen.me) on ***Write.as*** recently, one of my posts was about the observation about the worrisome trend that the younger generation doesn't read as much as the previous ones. I’m curious to know the average age of people reading my newsletter. `The root of my passion for Apple` I’ve been ***passionate about Apple*** for a few decades now. It seems like forever to me. I recently wrote about this in “***The Roots of My Passion for Apple***”. There are many reasons for this, so many that I had to classify them in three major areas as shown in the following diagram. Read [my article](https://numericcitizen.me/2022/02/05/the-roots-of-my-passion-for-apple/) to learn about them. ![To learn about what this diagram is all about, head to my website](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/2022/02/root-of-passions-for-apple.png) To learn about what this diagram is all about, head to my website `The coronavirus and the App Store` On March 24, 2020, I wrote [this](https://numericcitizen.micro.blog/2020/03/24/effect-of-coronavirus.html?ref=numericcitizen.me) about the effect the coronavirus had on the ***App Store downloads***. The charts were very telling: compare all apps categories to the travel category. Fascinating. ## APPLE TIDBITS 1️⃣ It's the time of the year when Six Colors publishes its [report card for Apple](https://sixcolors.com/post/2022/02/apple-in-2021-the-six-colors-report-card/?ref=numericcitizen.me) for the previous year. Of all the scores presented, the one that caught my attention is ***Apple developer relations***. It’s worsening since 2017 as the scores are declining. Following Six Colors report, many others proceeded with their views which in turn triggered [my own report card](https://twitter.com/apple%5Fobserver/status/1494651788309385218?s=20&t=DoPk75qIKEgGm9px4FJS0Q&ref=numericcitizen.me) on Twitter, albeit in a different format, as shown in the following diagram. ![My 2021 visual report card for Apple](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/2022/02/Visual-Report-Card-for-Apple-in-2021.png) My 2021 visual report card for Apple 2️⃣ Another way to close the ***2021*** year is to look at the ***best innovations*** [from Popular Sciences](https://www.popsci.com/technology/best-of-whats-new-2021/?ref=numericcitizen.me). Apple’s M1 chip made it to the top of the widgets category with the MacBook! Congrats to Apple! 3️⃣ Speaking of looking back, what about past and ***dubious designs*** from Apple? Some weird things for sure in this MacRumors [article](https://www.macrumors.com/2022/01/23/apple-questionable-design-decisions/?ref=numericcitizen.me). The ***Magic Mouse*** made it to the top with its charging port sitting underneath. 4️⃣ [Rick Fillion on Twitter](https://twitter.com/rickfillion/status/1493293510530797569?s=20&t=D9VFnxUYqmiFx3SpaqDOuw&ref=numericcitizen.me) shares his amusement and joy about Apple is being served a ***rejection*** after a Dutch ***review process*** concludes that their proposal to meet the Dutch government requirements isn’t enough. What’s funny here is that Apple does exactly the same with many developers when they submit their applications to the App Store. How do you like that, Apple, to be rejected? As they continue to pay the 5 million euros each week, they don’t seem to bother much. 5️⃣ ***Browser extensions*** are a way to add features to a browser’s base experience and functionality. How many times ***Safari*** isn’t one of the supported browsers when looking to install an extension? Quite a lot. I think the issue stems from the fact that in order to support Safari extensions, developers have to create a standalone application and submit it to Apple. Many developers don’t bother, so they don’t support Safari. ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/2022/02/Browsers.png) Speaking of development, the developers behind the Microblogging platform, Micro.blog (Manton & Vincent), are [moving their code base](https://www.manton.org/2022/02/09/moving-away-from.html?ref=numericcitizen.me) to [React Native](https://wikipedia.org/wiki/React%5FNative?ref=numericcitizen.me) for most of their client applications, a cross-platform development technology. As [I wrote on Twitter](https://twitter.com/apple%5Fobserver/status/1492099975605587993?s=21&ref=numericcitizen.me), this trend is saddening. ***Microsoft*** seems to go the opposite way, at least for their non-Xbox online store (Microsoft Store on Windows), according to [a blog post](https://blogs.microsoft.com/on-the-issues/2022/02/09/open-app-store-principles-activision-blizzard/?ref=numericcitizen.me) on the company’s website. Way to go, Microsoft. Show the way to Apple and lead by example. ## MUST SEE PHOTOGRAPHY STUFF While the world stopped waiting for ***Instagram*** to support the iPad (fourteen years and counting), ***Glass*** made its application available for the iPad! It was fast, it took less than a year. Now, what’s cool is if you’re also a user of ***Lightroom*** on the iPad, processing your image and sharing them on Glass can be done easily [as reported by Joao Dordio on Twitter](https://twitter.com/dordio/status/1494648460510957629?ref=numericcitizen.me). From Lightroom, using the Export option will bring the share sheet, where you can then select Glass as the destination. It works like a charm. Oh, and the next step for Glass is to bring the experience to the web. Beta is opening very soon apparently. ![Glass on the web - available soon](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/2022/02/Safari-Sign-in@2022-02-27@09.12.47.png) Glass on the web - available soon - anxiously waiting the invite How much improvement between an ***iPhone X*** and the ***iPhone 13 Pro*** for photography, video, and sound? Well, [this YouTube video](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=COO0B7b29S0&feature=youtu.be&ref=numericcitizen.me) will show you exactly that. Very convincing. But, the best is still to come for the iPhone. I expect the introduction of a 48 MP sensor will make a big difference and trigger a round of upgrades among photo enthusiasts. I could be one of them. Speaking of the iPhone 13 Pro, the developer behind the popular ***Halide*** camera app [had a lot to say](https://lux.camera/iphone-13-pro-camera-app-intelligent-photography/?ref=numericcitizen.me) about the state of photography with this iPhone. A great angle (pun intended here 😜) of this article is how computational photography is influencing the simple act of taking photos. Well worth the read. Again, the same guy (or dev team) made a ***macro photography*** mode for non-iPhone 13 models. [It’s quite impressive](https://lux.camera/iphone-macro-camera-a-big-day-for-small-things/?ref=numericcitizen.me). But not as good as the iPhone 13 Pro version of it. These two previous articles refer to the use of ***ProRAW*** that comes with the iPhone 12 and up. As much as I would like to understand ProRAW, [I’m still mystified](https://numericcitizen.micro.blog/2022/02/20/still-mystified-by.html?ref=numericcitizen.me) by it. Now let’s go into space. 🛰️ The [first images](https://512pixels.net/2022/02/james-webb-telescope-sees-its-first-star-light/?ref=numericcitizen.me) coming out of the ***Webb observatory*** might be unimpressive, but their purpose is to help calibrate the telescope mirrors. There are many more images to come as the alignment process takes some time. I’m pretty convinced that the Webb telescope is full of promises, and we ain’t see nothing yet. I wouldn’t be surprised that ***Hubble’s*** discoveries in comparison will look like faint stars. Let’s get back to earth now. 🌎 This [Instagram](https://www.instagram.com/blackburnpictures/?ref=numericcitizen.me) photographer specializes in old motels and gas station signs. I really like the visual signature. The photograph offers a look at a not too distant and glorious past. ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/2022/02/Safari-Charles-Blackburn--@blackburnpictures----Instagram-photos-and-videos@2022-02-27@13.15.35.png) [https://www.instagram.com/blackburnpictures/](https://www.instagram.com/blackburnpictures/?utm%5Fmedium=copy%5Flink&ref=numericcitizen.me) Finally, do you know about [***the Burning Man festival***](https://burningman.org/?ref=numericcitizen.me)? I'll probably never participate in this event, but [this photographer](https://www.scottlondon.com/photography/?ref=numericcitizen.me) brings a glimpse of what it can be. I love these photos so much! Burning Man! ## CLIMATE CHANGE & CRISIS There might be many commercial reasons for ***Apple*** to make an electric car. But [what would be really cool](https://numericcitizen.micro.blog/2021/10/12/ebikes-vanmoofv-what.html?ref=numericcitizen.me), much better for the environment, is if they made ***e-bikes***. According to [TheNextWeb article](https://thenextweb.com/news/apple-car-boo-apple-ebike-woo?ref=numericcitizen.me), cars aren’t the future of climate change fighting. We need much cleaner means of transportation because they cost less to use and much less to produce. A no-brainer for me. 🚲 I’m still searching for the perfect e-bike. ***Vanmoof*** is probably the best-looking version of it, but judging from the discussion threads [on Reddit](https://www.reddit.com/r/vanmoofbicycle/?ref=numericcitizen.me), Vanmoof bikes are prone to failures and support is miserable. I’ll pass (anyway, they aren’t available in Canada yet). Alternatives are nowhere to be found. Maybe the Mercedes-Benz’s [version](https://robbreport.com/motors/motorcycles/mercedes-benz-ns-eq-formula-e-team-ebike-1234585850/?ref=numericcitizen.me)? Not available is Canada either. Sigh. ![N+ teams up with Mecedes Benz](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/2022/02/mecedes-benz-ebike.png) N+ teams up with Mecedes Benz I recently learned about the ***SolarPunk*** art movement, which is visually imagining the world after solving climate problems. [Some examples](https://atomhawk.com/solarpunk?ref=numericcitizen.me) are masterpieces. ## PRIVACY PROTECTION A [recent study](https://blog.lockdownprivacy.com/2021/09/22/study-effectiveness-of-apples-app-tracking-transparency.html?ref=numericcitizen.me) that failed to gain traction argues that Apple’s ***App Tracking Transparency*** technology (ATT) is not effective. Apple made a lot of noise with ATT, but there is no easy way for Apple to track the real use of network activities between the device and some backend servers on the internet. It’s not really surprising. John Gruber on Twitter and [on his blog](https://daringfireball.net/linked/2022/02/16/google-android-privacy-sandbox?ref=numericcitizen.me) is mum about this but is quick to [judge Google’s response](https://daringfireball.net/linked/2022/02/16/amadeo-android-privacy-sandbox?ref=numericcitizen.me) to Apple’s ATT technology. [Why](https://twitter.com/apple%5Fobserver/status/1494695946290147333?s=21&ref=numericcitizen.me)? I wrote [that article](https://numericcitizen.me/2019/01/24/huawei-vs-facebook/) three years ago. Is there something in common between ***Huawei*** and ***Facebook***? You bet. But, the Canadian way of handling this crisis with Huawei is quite different. I’m not proud of the government. On the subject of ***tracking*** ***newsletters*** readership: > Why on earth do you need to track your newsletter? Yes I see you, attempting to see when I open and on what device for absolutely no reason other than your ego. Stop joining in with the attention economy to satisfy your own need for validation. I’ve subscribed, I read it, it’s great. Isn’t that enough? Matt Birchler has a sensible take on the subject. I’m somewhere in the middle. I like to know when someone subscribes to my newsletter (😃), when they quit (😢), how many are regular readers, that’s about it. Are you a subscriber? ## NOTABLE QUOTES > Information is easy to produce, but intelligence remains in short supply. — ***Unknown source*** > This earliest form of social media is, for me, the deepest and most interesting: a decentralized sphere of diverse voices, all publishing on the same playing field. It’s what the internet is all about. — ***Matt Mullenweg*** > One day somebody will explain to me why it is that, at a time when science has never been wiser, or the truth more stark, or human knowledge more available, populists and liars are in such pressing demand. — [***John Le Carre***](https://www.theguardian.com/books/2020/feb/01/john-le-carre-breaking-heart-brexit?ref=numericcitizen.me) > In many ways, a modern car looks a lot like a Nokia from 2010\. A Nokia in 2005 was perfect, but by 2010 they'd added so many 'computery' things, without a solid UI or architecture, that the whole experience collapsed under its own weight. — ***Benedict Evans*** > Searching google today is like using a dumpster to index a landfill. — ***John Paczkowski on Twitter*** ## SOME LEFTOVERS 1️⃣ Here is something fascinating. ***Backblaze*** offers a backup-as-a-service to customers like you and me. Backups are stored on servers and hard disks, a lot of them. How many hard drives are failing each year in their data center? What is the failure rate among different hard drives manufacturers? Look at the following table for some answers. In short, ***the average failure rate is 1% in 2021***, a 14 TB drive model from Seagate seems to have bad times with a failure rate of more than 4%. Look at this table the next time you are looking to buy your next hard drive. You’ll thank me later. ![Backblaze hard drive failure rates for 2021](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/2022/02/Blackblaze-AFR.png) Backblaze hard drive failure rates for 2021 2️⃣ We are so accustomed to ***“renting” everything***, from cars to movies to software. When [someone says](https://write.as/jackbaty/2022-01-19-charge-me-less?ref=numericcitizen.me) he would be willing to pay more for software if we could own it, just like in the old days, he gets my attention. It’s a surprising position, in today’s world. Remember paying more than one thousand dollars for PageMaker or Photoshop? I do. 3️⃣ ***Tip of the month***: If you are using macOS Monterey, please try this from the command line: **networkQuality.** It’s a network performance testing utility, just like the well-known Speedtest application and website. ![networkQuality results](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/2022/02/networkQuality-results.png) networkQuality results 4️⃣ In [this YouTube video](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cfsNO14hikA&feature=youtu.be&ref=numericcitizen.me), a ***Windows user*** discovers the new ***MacBook Pro*** and ***macOS***. It’s funny to watch and it reveals how rough some edges are in the macOS universe. 5️⃣ Here is a cool animation clip. It will make you smile. How much effort went into this? Quote a lot, I guess. > Curious about how I make animations? Watch this. [pic.twitter.com/K57YBC2Ue3](https://t.co/K57YBC2Ue3?ref=numericcitizen.me) > > — DeeKay (@deekaymotion) [December 9, 2021](https://twitter.com/deekaymotion/status/1468943525840449539?ref%5Fsrc=twsrc%5Etfw&ref=numericcitizen.me) ## WHAT’S NEXT ***Intel*** has a new boss (since last year) and I wouldn’t count Intel out. But I think it will get worse before it gets better. [Pat Gelsinger’s plan](https://www.fastcompany.com/90722058/intel-pat-gelsinger?ref=numericcitizen.me) is ambitious, let’s hope he will be able to execute it. To conclude this edition, first, here is a [tweet](https://twitter.com/alialimedina42/status/1491987228486037507?s=21&ref=numericcitizen.me) about the pandemic. > I feel there’s some secret organization that has suddenly decided the pandemic is over. It’s incredible how things can flip, the energy can change, in what seems like overnight. NYC is packed again. Restaurants are busy. Offices are moving. I feel the same. Most of the sanitary measures are being dropped one by one each week, like if it was over, but it isn’t. We’re not even in an endemic state. I’m vaccinated, [I got COVID-19 in January,](https://numericcitizen.me/friday-notes-58-getting-covid-19/) [I feel the COVID-19 fatigue](https://numericcitizen.me/feeling-the-covid-19-fatigue/) like everyone else, but we're not done yet. Finally, what happens **when we die**? According to this [article](https://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech/article-10541939/First-recording-dying-brain-suggests-recall-key-life-events.html?ref=numericcitizen.me), our brain may experience what is usually called a “life recall”. If true, that is cool. I hope this moment lasts as long as we perceive our dreams to last while we sleep. You can read the full study [here](https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fnagi.2022.813531/full?ref=numericcitizen.me).💀 --- This concludes the Numeric Citizen Introspection Newsletter edition #19 for February of 2022\. See you next month for the next edition! Building this edition of the newsletter took approximately seven hours of work, spread during the month of February. If you enjoy my newsletter, show me your support through [PayPal](https://paypal.me/numericcitizen?locale.x=en%5FUS&ref=numericcitizen.me) or by becoming a paid member here. Thanks a lot for your support. Sign up [here](https://numeric-citizen-introspection.ghost.io/?ref=numericcitizen.me#portal) 🙏🏻 ### Friday Notes #64 — Am I Making a Difference? URL: https://numericcitizen.me/friday-notes-64-am-i-making-a-difference/ Last updated: 2022-02-25T13:00:03.000Z During a workday, I try to go out for a walk as often as possible, between meetings, before or after lunch. As the day goes by, walking outside becomes some sort of introspection session. Here’s a list of questions that come to my mind. How is going my day? Am I proud of my work today? What did I miss? What’s next? Am I prepared for the next task? Did I forget something to tell to my customer? What can I improve in my work? Am I the right person at the right place, at the right time for this job? Did I meet my customer’s expectations? How could I facilitate my work with my co-workers? Am I adding value in a meeting? Are my priorities set for the appropriate things? Did I help my colleagues to achieve their goals? Did I start the proper discussion with the right questions? Am I making a difference? You see, I might look like being tormented, but in fact, it’s my way of stepping back, taking a big breath and get ready for when I come back home to sit in front of my computer and resume working. Not all of these questions are popping up each time, but you get the idea. 💡 What did I learn this week? **Computational photography**, something at the center of the photography experience of modern smartphones, which can stand in the way of the photographer's creativity. There is so much happening when hitting the shutter button, all the processing being done to compensate for the hardware limitations. Sometimes, creativity is achieved by making intentional errors, this is where computational photography can hit back. ### Friday Notes #63 — I Write.as Myself URL: https://numericcitizen.me/friday-notes-63-i-writeas-myself/ Last updated: 2022-12-03T14:01:34.000Z There is something new for you, dear readers: small blips of musing. If you happen to pay a visit to [my website](https://numericcitizen.me/) where this newsletter is hosted, you will find a few posts that aren’t included in the newsletter. These posts are the by-product of my musing that I want to share with you as “[bonus content](https://write.as/numericcitizen/bonus-content?ref=numericcitizen.me)”. If you're curious, I recently started writing and sharing some of my musings on the [**write.as**](https://write.as/?ref=numericcitizen.me) platform. As you'll probably notice, these posts are more introspective in nature, just like this newsletter and website. I think they fit perfectly in there. Together with the “what did I learn this week”, I hope they provide more insights about me as a writer and my small universe. Of course, it all comes at no additional cost. 😀 💡 What did I learn this week: I learned about the limited data portability across different publishing platforms. I didn't know until now that moving content from WordPress to Ghost was such a complex matter. So complex that I ended up deleting content from the Internet. Gone. Poof. Text is portable in nature, but each platform has its own way of handling text and images together. That's where the problems start. You can read about my experience on my metablog: https://world.numericcitizen.io/meta. ### Maybe I'm Thinking Way Too Much URL: https://numericcitizen.me/maybe-im-thinking-way-too-much/ Last updated: 2022-06-28T01:20:13.000Z 🤔 When thinking about **my newsletter subscribers**, I often think about them as being people attending a class or a presentation: each newsletter being some sort of a presentation. According to my recent analytics, 45% of my subscribers read the newsletter. If I continue with the class or presentation analogy, this means more than half of the people who show up don’t even bother listening to what’s I’m saying. 🤨😔 Some writers prefer newsletters instead of having a blog, thinking they have a more personal relationship with their readers by sending them an email. Allow me to think differently. 🤔 ### Feeling the COVID-19 Fatigue URL: https://numericcitizen.me/feeling-the-covid-19-fatigue/ Last updated: 2022-02-12T01:22:44.000Z 😒 We’re approaching two years of this COVID-19 pandemic. We’re entering a phase where people no longer feel the need to care about COVID-19\. **I feel that way. I don’t care anymore. I don’t feel guilty about it.** When I look at the news, more and more signs of people being fed up are popping up. Our collective energy is now directed at saying out loud how we’re tired of all this instead of making concessions about our liberties to fight some invisible virus. I certainly hope that no other major variant will come to life, requiring another six months of confinement, sanitary rules, and de-confinement. But, unfortunately, I am afraid people are going to resist this time. 😔 ### Friday Notes #62 — Back at the Coffee Shop URL: https://numericcitizen.me/friday-notes-62-back-at-the-coffee-shop/ Last updated: 2022-02-11T13:00:05.000Z Sanitary rules are becoming a thing of the past, yet again, and coffee shops are now reopening. At long last. I love going to the coffee shops, but it’s not for what you might think. It’s not really about having a great latte or cappuccino. It’s the combination of drinking a great coffee, feeling the crowd and the atmosphere AND doing creative work. It’s a perfect combination for a great coffee shop session. But why is that? According to this [Wikipedia article](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Coffeehouse%5Feffect?ref=numericcitizen.me) on the “Coffeehouse effect”: > “…it has been proven that when exposed to new stimuli, possibly including the sounds and scents in cafes,\[3\] the brain tends to create new mechanisms to accomplish tasks.” Coffee shops offer an ambience quite different from home. People coming in or leaving the place, students working with their friends and their laptops with their AirPods, the music playing, the noise from the kitchen are all sorts of stimuli adding up to the caffeine. It’s a stimulating combination that makes working easier, even though it is constantly interrupted with each coffee sip. > Over the years, the reasons for spending hours in a coffee shop evolved, but it has always been for doing some form of creative work. Tomorrow, I’ll be going back to my local coffee shop, ordering a cappuccino and maybe something to eat, looking around for the best sitting place, and getting ready to work and be creative. Of all the things I publish on my websites, many of them were created at the coffee shop. Life is made of small pleasures. ☕️😊👨🏻‍💻 ☝🏻 What did I learn this week? [Generative art](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Generative%5Fart?ref=numericcitizen.me). While reading on what are NTFs, I learned that generative art is often associated with NTFs. Also known as algorithmic arts, or computer art. It involves some form of autonomous system capable of making decisions to generate so form of art without human intervention. The following image is an illustration of generative art. ![Generative art example - bbccclll - Manolo Gamboa Naon, June 20, 2018](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/2022/02/15abb866986781.png) Generative art example - bbccclll - Manolo Gamboa Naon, June 20, 2018 ### On Sideloading on iPhone — It’s OK, I’m Changing My Mind URL: https://numericcitizen.me/on-sideloading-on-iphone-its-ok-im-changing-my-mind/ Last updated: 2025-05-06T15:54:28.000Z First, just for the fun of it, let’s go back 14 years ago. In 2008, [Steve introduced the App Store.](https://youtu.be/xo9cKe%5FFch8?ref=numericcitizen.me) Takeaways from this short video: each developer could reach every single iPhone user (repeated many times during the presentation), the “business deal” for developers which details the revenue split is 70-30, sideloading of apps is allowed, but through iTunes on Mac or PC (the App Store was available through iTunes back in the days, remember?). The rest is history, and today sideloading of apps from other places than the App Store, as you know, is forbidden. It’s interesting to look back in the history of Apple because this is a place where you can find real gems when put in today’s context. Again, Steve Jobs, while at NeXT, [speaking of people caring more about money than products](https://youtu.be/0-2v8GVsL1Q?ref=numericcitizen.me). Is this Apple today? Until today, I thought forbidding applications sideloading on the iPhone was good for users. But… Ladies and gentlemen, I’m changing my mind on the sideloading of apps on the iPhone. I’m all in, and it is all Apple’s fault. I’m the one who wrote, “[A Message to Apple Developers: We Don’t Need Another Android Platform](https://numericcitizen.me/2021/06/05/a-message-to-apple-developers-we-dont-need-another-android-platform/)“. And yet, I’m changing my mind. In a perfect world, I wouldn’t want sideloading, but we’re not in a perfect world. Apple isn’t perfect. The App Store isn’t perfect. Developers aren’t perfect. The App Store review team isn’t perfect. Everything isn’t perfect. If the App Store was scam-free, entirely free of copycats, I would trust Apple’s review team in its abilities. It’s not the case. Apple can’t honestly defend the App Store as being a secure place. It is not. The App Store today is full of crap. Sideloading has nothing to do with this fact. In a world where sideloading is possible, I expect a proliferation of “curated” App Stores. Those stores won’t be perfect, either. They will probably be full of highly questionable applications. Horror stories involving scams will be inevitable. The world isn’t perfect. But it is not the issue at play here. > “I always believed Apple would draw a line at outright lying — but they continue to lie about what selling software was like before the App Store. They lie about what the review process does and about how developers are treated equally. As a developer, I find this profoundly disillusioning.” — Brent Simmons said in [Apple in 2021 report cards from Six Colors](https://sixcolors.com/post/2022/02/apple-in-2021-the-six-colors-report-card/?ref=numericcitizen.me). I don’t always agree with [DHH on Twitter](https://twitter.com/dhh?s=20&ref=numericcitizen.me) or on his [HEY feed](https://world.hey.com/dhh?ref=numericcitizen.me), but it is really hard to argue against the inconvenient truth the Mac represents for Apple. I would say that it’s the main reason why sideloading has to exist on the iPhone: because it exists on the Mac. The gigantic size of the iPhone market, certainly makes it a prime target for all bad actors in the world. Thanks to all the security measures and security foundations of the iPhone, and some common sense from the users, we should be good to go with sideloading of apps. ![Buying software for the Mac outside the Mac App Store](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/numericcitizen.me/wp-content/uploads/2022/02/therogueamoeba-store-2022-02-08-07.26.07.png) Buying software for the Mac outside the Mac App Store ![Security & Privacy preference panel on the Mac](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/numericcitizen.me/wp-content/uploads/2022/02/system-preferences-security-privacy-2022-02-06-10.07.34.png) Security & Privacy preference panel on the Mac Using the Mac as an example to defend its stance on sideloading is a compelling argument but also a very dangerous one. As Marco Arment (a well-known developer) [puts it](https://marco.org/2021/09/13/future-of-the-app-store?ref=numericcitizen.me), the iPhone landscape is quite different from the Mac. The iPhone is infinitely more popular than the Mac, it’s a more tempting target for bad actors who would love to get their hands on it. Sideloading effectively opens up the door a bit. It’s up to the user who wants to stay away from sideloading on the iPhone and stick with the App Store. And it’s ok. I guess. ![On Apple's Mac website.](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/numericcitizen.me/wp-content/uploads/2022/02/download-from-the-internet.jpg) On Apple’s Mac website. Here is another reason for being more open to the idea of sideloading of apps. Recent security issues related to [Safari leaking browsing information](https://arstechnica.com/information-technology/2022/01/safari-and-ios-bug-reveals-your-browsing-activity-and-id-in-real-time/?ref=numericcitizen.me) are a prime example of a platform limitation: not downloading an alternative browser while waiting for Apple to fix the problem is a big issue. It would have been a plus for the users to be able to do so. There’s always a bad side to everything, even for prohibiting sideloading. Today, all I want from Apple is to stop using stupid and invalid arguments. Their attitude is attracting needless and more powerful legislative actions, which could make things worse than if Apple made the proper choice before being forced to in the wrong ways. > “Apple made significant changes for developers in 2021, but it continues to seem to make them only under pressure and with the threat of lawsuits or regulatory action. It would be delightful to see Apple stop treating their financial success as proof that everything they do is obviously correct and get ahead of what developers need and consumers want. The company wouldn’t take a big financial hit; it might be neutral or even positive. It’s all self-inflicted PR wounds on this front.” — Glenn Fleishman said in [Apple 2021 report cards from Six Colors](https://sixcolors.com/post/2022/02/apple-in-2021-the-six-colors-report-card/?ref=numericcitizen.me). --- Recently, I started following [Kosta Eleftheriou](https://twitter.com/keleftheriou?s=21&ref=numericcitizen.me) on Twitter, a well-known and vocal critic of the App Store and of Apple in general. I asked him a few questions, which he gladly accepted to answer. **If you were calling the shots at Apple today, what would be the first three decisions that you would take and why?** *First, I’d start by being honest with users. The App Store isn’t as [trustworthy or as safe](https://www.theverge.com/2021/4/21/22385859/apple-app-store-scams-fraud-review-enforcement-top-grossing-kosta-eleftheriou?ref=numericcitizen.me) as Apple touts it to be, which misleads people into a false sense of security. And conversely, sideloading on iOS wouldn’t [“destroy the security of the iPhone”](https://www.macrumors.com/2021/06/16/tim-cook-vivatech-conference-interview/?ref=numericcitizen.me) any more than it “destroys” the security of Macs today – just see Apple’s statements here: [“Download apps safely from the Mac App Store. And the internet. Now apps from both the App Store and the internet can be installed worry-free.”](https://www.apple.com/macos/security/?ref=numericcitizen.me) Market-speak exaggerations have now put Apple in a difficult position, so their messaging needs to better reflect reality moving forward.* *Then, I’d start by being equally honest with regulators and respect their rulings. Following the rule of law is fundamental to having a functioning society, and the idea that a company can repeatedly be skirting the law just because its profits make the penalties meaningless, that’s not setting us up for a great future.* *Third, I’d instill the idea that “just because we can, doesn’t mean we should” when it comes to how competition with 3rd-parties is viewed within the company. Apple has grown so much that this is a blind spot for many people working there today, and the people responsible for this are the ones in leadership positions. The good intentions have to come from within, and not get to the point where regulation becomes necessary.* **Over the years, Apple has made the Mac more secure and locked down, do you think that Apple’s master plan is to eventually block sideloading of apps on the Mac? Why is it not possible on the Mac, but it is on the iPhone?** *Apple definitely wishes to control the experience as much as they can on all of their devices, so blocking sideloading on the Mac is naturally part of that. But this would be much less palatable with users than it is for iOS because fundamentally people don’t want any existing freedoms taken away from them. With iOS, most people have learned that the App Store alone is where you can get apps from, and so they can’t really see all the things they’re missing out on – because Apple hasn’t allowed those things to see the light of day.* **When looking at Apple’s response to legislation around the world (South Korea, The Netherlands), do you think Apple is simply testing the water and checking how far they can go before the bigger antitrust laws become into effect in the US or in Europe?** *Yes, I think Apple’s strategy is to test how far they can go, but also for how long – because each month that passes where they get to maintain their monopoly power on app distribution, they’re making north of a billion dollars from it. But I do think Apple’s strategy is going to backfire, because regulators all around the world seem savvy enough to see through Apple’s pretextual claims about security, as to why they need to be the only ones in control. But we know that this is all about money and that sideloading can be safely implemented if Apple really wanted it.* **Are you still hoping for Apple to back down on IAP and sideloading? If not, why do you think Apple is willing to further tarnish its relations with its developer community?** *Apple is holding developers, hostage, by controlling the most lucrative ecosystem on the planet, so when there are trade-offs between improving developer relations and maximizing profits, they choose profits. I do not think they will back down on their own, which is why regulators need to step in – urgently.* **Do you think Apple will use the next WWDC conference in June to announce major changes to the Developer Program, the App Store platform?** *There are always changes, but I don’t know about major ones, it’s really hard to predict. I think Apple themselves might not even be set on what it is that they are going to do yet. But I’m always hopeful that Apple might finally see some of the problems it’s creating and not just keep reminding us how much they’ve “paid to developers”.* --- > “You don’t need to be a developer to see the friction. And the App Store situation seems only headed to government intervention. While I am very against sideloading due to the security issues, Apple’s refusal to support even linking to outside payment options (for subscriptions) will most likely result in a government sledgehammer to open things up in ways that hurt both customers (security) and Apple.” — Rich Mogull said in [Apple in 2021 report cards](https://sixcolors.com/post/2022/02/apple-in-2021-the-six-colors-report-card/?ref=numericcitizen.me) from Six Colors. So, what’s going to happen in the next few months and years? [The mess will continue](https://daringfireball.net/2022/02/going%5Fdutch?ref=numericcitizen.me). Apple will keep fighting against all odds. Developers will get even more frustrated[1](#fn1). Government all around the world will be pissed off by Apple’s attitude and bad faith. They will push for even more scrutiny and eventually regulation. All around the world, new laws will be voted on. It will probably be a public relations nightmare for Apple[2](#fn2). The percentage cut Apple is taking will most likely change a few percentage points downward. It will be too late; the damage will be done. Even if Apple allowed sideloading, I don’t trust Apple to come up with an elegant solution, though. They will put every warning they can to discourage users from sideloading applications. It could make the user experience miserable, worse than on macOS. Why? Money is at stake here. A lot of money, actually. Because Apple seems to be run by lawyers and greedy people, we can expect everything. I don’t want any of this, except for a fair percentage cut of the revenue split, IAP with third-party payment processing services and a clean user experience when sideloading applications on the iPhone. That is all. What’s your take on the subject of sideloading apps on the iPhone? Leave a comment in the comments section below this post. I’m genuinely curious. **Update #1 – 2022-02-10** – This blog post has attracted a lot of people (see [my Plausible Analytics](https://twitter.com/apple%5Fobserver/status/1491740334069407748?s=20&t=ZPq6ifAWXg1Aq0k9f10OHQ&ref=numericcitizen.me)) and started many discussions about the topic of sideloading ([on Reddit](https://www.reddit.com/r/apple/comments/soopxt/on%5Fsideloading%5Fon%5Fiphone%5Fits%5Fok%5Fim%5Fchanging%5Fmy/?sort=top&ref=numericcitizen.me), On [Hacker News](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=30276657&ref=numericcitizen.me)). I’m happy and grateful for that. **Update #2 – 2022-02-10** – In recent years, Microsoft showed leadership in many ways. They tried new things and pushed some boundaries (both in software and hardware). This week, they made [important announcements](https://blogs.microsoft.com/on-the-issues/2022/02/09/open-app-store-principles-activision-blizzard/?ref=numericcitizen.me) about their digital stores, and I think Apple should follow them. I don’t think Microsoft digital stores play the same role in their revenues mix compared to Apple’s, yet they show the right way to go to open up their stores, IMHO. **Update #3 – 2022-02-18** – [Jason Snell on Six Colors](https://www.macworld.com/article/614865/app-store-sideloading-mac.html?ref=numericcitizen.me) offers his balanced view on the subject of sideloading on the iPhone. In summary, it might not be the best for security, but adding the alternative for users is good not only for them but for Apple too. It could decide to be more selective has rejected and low-value apps would end up in alternative download sites. 1. is this even possible? The [Apple in 2021 report cards from Six Colors](https://sixcolors.com/post/2022/02/apple-in-2021-the-six-colors-report-card/?ref=numericcitizen.me) paints a bleak picture of the state of developers relations with Apple. [↩](#ffn1) 2. Apple is in a continuous public relations nightmare. [↩](#ffn2) ### The Roots of My Passion for Apple URL: https://numericcitizen.me/the-roots-of-my-passion-for-apple/ Last updated: 2026-03-29T23:28:31.000Z Everyone I know and those who talk about me will say I’m an Apple fanboy. I mean, a real one. It is no joke. I’m not shy to admit it. I've written about this many times, like in my comment on Tim Cook’s interview with Kara Swisher. Yet I can be very critical, too, as in “Tim Cook’s Apple — Sadly Not About Products Anymore.” Oh, and when going through the list in “The Perfect Apple Enthusiast – Find Out Where You Stand,” I scored well over 90%. Why do I like Apple so much, in bad times, in good times, and for so long? Why am I relentlessly defending the company’s choices, popular or unpopular? Why am I such a zealot, an evangelist of this American icon? Why is Apple taking so much space and time in my life? What does this passion for Apple tell me about myself? There has to be a reason for all this, right? I tried to find the roots of my passion for Apple. And I think I have succeeded. Let’s dig in. ## A Simple Equation When thinking about the roots of my passion for Apple, I can point to many triggers. Writing them down and trying to classify them helped me create a mental model composed of three main axes: humans, arts, and the environment. Let’s visit each of those themes. ## Humans ![Apple promoting diversity](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/numericcitizen.me/wp-content/uploads/2022/02/people-diversity.png) Apple promoting diversity At the center of everything Apple does, humans take a significant place: privacy protection, diversity promotion, enhancing people’s lives, user experience, and so much more. Accessibility features in their operating systems are a testament to their leadership in putting the human, whatever their abilities, at the forefront. I would argue that humans are the starting point of everything else at Apple. We all know or should know that Apple is a significant partner with (RED), as seen in this YouTube video highlighting fifteen years of collaboration. This collaboration began under Steve Jobs’ leadership and has only grown since his death. It’s a meaningful testament to Apple’s core values. They don’t have to do that. ## Arts ![Apple promotion for arts](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/numericcitizen.me/wp-content/uploads/2022/02/arts.png) Apple promotion for arts I consider myself a creative person. For as long as I can remember, Apple has been associated with all art forms, from music to photography to design, etc. Creative people were mainly attracted to Apple because of its power to create, and Apple’s products were always enabled. No wonder why I feel at home in Apple’s ecosystem. Here’s a short story. When I attended high school (1985-1987), I worked part-time at an Apple dealer as a salesperson. The store was located in the city's largest shopping mall. It attracted a lot of walk-in traffic at the time when personal computers were all the rage and still a novel thing (a Radio Shack located in the same mall was selling TRS-80s, an audio-video store was selling Commodore 64s and VIC-20). After a few minutes of chatting with them, I could tell whether the person was a good fit for the Mac. Most people looking to buy a Mac had a creative side or worked in a creative field. These people always loved to talk about their passions. They had so many stories to tell. At the time, desktop publishing was popular. As a desktop publishing system, the Macintosh was unique and without competition. As a salesperson at this Apple dealer, I’ve sold the Mac story to creators, writers, artists, art teachers, etc. It was fun chatting with them and selling them the Mac story. This anecdotal story tells the intimate relationship between Apple and the artists, the creators. ## Environment ![Apple care for environement highlights](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/numericcitizen.me/wp-content/uploads/2022/02/apple-care-for-environment.png) Apple cares for the environment Apple’s push to [protect the environment](https://www.apple.com/environment/?ref=numericcitizen.me) started under Steve Jobs’s leadership. At the end of each product announcement segment, Steve would review a table of the product's environmentally friendly attributes, such as mercury-free and PVC-free. Under Tim Cook, environmental protection, sustainability, and resource renewal were added to Apple’s mission. Over the last decade, Apple transformed itself into a powerful corporation that made carbon footprint reduction its ultimate goal. Each year, [they show their progress and what’s next for them to tackle](https://www.apple.com/environment/?ref=numericcitizen.me). Some would argue this is all about marketing. Maybe. But what’s wrong with that if it also helps fight the climate crisis? > Apple takes position. They are not afraid to try new things, small or big. Think about the USB port introduction in 1997\. USB ports replaced everything else. Think about the AirPods introduction in 2016\. They are everywhere. The world is more wireless than ever. Think about the iPhone introduction in 2007\. Well, you know what happened since then, do you? What about the Mac in 1984: a game-changer. Apple is opinionated ## Putting it all together To better help me present the reasons behind my passion for Apple, I put together a diagram showing the three axes on which I can ground my passion. Apple’s core values resonate with my own values and interests in life. Try to find a company of this size (or smaller actually, it doesn’t matter) that cares about the environment (even if it helps their bottom line), who tries to put user privacy at the center of so many design decisions and cares about providing great user experiences from the moment we enter one of their stores to the moment you turn on a new device and start using it. Some would argue it’s all made up; it’s marketing 101\. Apple doesn’t really care about those things. To them, I would say bullshit. With Tim Cook as CEO, Apple’s interests in the environment and privacy protection intensified, becoming integral to its products. I would go as far as to argue that these values are becoming product features. In some ways, when you’re in Apple’s ecosystem, you vote with your dollars for the company’s decisions to promote these interests. It’s a bit like sending money to [Greenpeace](https://www.greenpeace.org/global/?ref=numericcitizen.me). ![The Roots of My Passion for Apple](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/numericcitizen.me/wp-content/uploads/2022/02/root-of-passion-for-apple.png) The Roots of My Passion for Apple > Apple products help make my life easier. They enhance it. They are empowering me and my creativity. They act as powerful enablers. Apple creates experiences ## Passion is caring My father was an architect. I grew up watching him create, draw and imagine buildings of all sorts that enhance people’s lives and support their journey. How is this related to Apple’s vision? It’s about enriching people’s lives, too. How much do you think I care about the design and experience when I go to an Apple Store? I care a lot. All the details make a difference, some small, others big. That’s why I value Apple’s efforts and attention to detail in its products. They care. It’s never perfect, but I appreciate their commitment to trying hard. They fix many of their mistakes, big and small, albeit not fast enough. When someone talks or acts passionately, they grab my attention. It was true with some of my past heroes like Michael Jackson, Prince, and Steve Jobs. It’s true in my professional life, too. When a company shows passion for design, I notice and get hooked. So, there you have it. The roots of my passion for Apple are broad and deep. They grew for decades as Apple evolved and flourished. I’m passionate about Apple because it shows passion in what it does. Apple’s passion for what they do echoes their desire to care. Credits: Images from Apple.com. Header image by Hussam Abd on Unsplash. ### Friday Notes #61 — Knowing Our Parents URL: https://numericcitizen.me/friday-notes-61-knowing-our-parents/ Last updated: 2022-02-04T13:00:08.000Z How much do we know about our parents? What do we know about their life when they were our age or even younger? How did they act in social events, with us as kids, with their colleagues? So many questions, so few answers. Even if I asked my older sister many times, she doesn’t remember much that I would like to know. In the article “[Time ensures children never know their parents young.](https://merecivilian.com/time-ensures-children-never-know-their-parents-young/?ref=numericcitizen.me)” the author, as a father, is looking for similar answers. > As I father myself, I was trying to recall a clear memory of how my parents were when they were young, and I was a baby. Sadly, I do not have such vivid memory. — Mere Civilian As I’m getting older, my curiosity for my parents when they were younger grew over time. Sure, I could have asked them more questions, so they could have recounted their stories. It would have been great. But I didn’t because I was busy growing up. When we were young kids, we didn’t get to appreciate our young parents from a distance with mature eyes. If we could, it seems to me that we would have learned so many things, not only about them as parents but also about how to be a parent. As we don’t have access to their past, it’s hard to learn lessons. I remember seeing my parents with my kids but it wasn’t the same. How can we, as parents, ensure that our kids have better access to us once they get older, and we’re no longer walking on earth? Taking pictures and videos of ourselves in mundane situations is certainly helping a lot. We have all the tools to do so. As you might know, the best camera is the one that you’ve got with you, the smartphone. There is no excuse. Documenting our lives seems to be the only way, the modern way. I wish I knew my parents better. [This digitized clip](https://cloud.numericcitizen.me/TksxBn?ref=numericcitizen.me) is from a family Super8 film in the mid-fifties. I see my parents together during a marriage celebration. My father has black glasses looking at the camera, my mother is beside him. I wasn’t even born. Fascinating. I looked at this clip and many others from the same film so many times. ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/2022/02/Nine-Years-Before-My-Birth-402022-02-02-.gif) ### Cleanshot X — My Love Letter to the Best macOS Utility URL: https://numericcitizen.me/cleanshot-x-my-love-letter-to-the-best-macos-utility/ Last updated: 2023-03-23T16:48:01.000Z Warning: this isn’t a typical review. In this article, I simply want to share my love for an essential utility in my workflow: [Cleanshot](https://cleanshot.com/?ref=numericcitizen.me). It’s a screen capture utility for the Mac. My love for this application is deeply rooted in the product features, thoughtful design and general quality, usefulness and a [continuous stream of updates](https://cleanshot.com/changelog?ref=numericcitizen.me) to make it even better. I couldn’t live without it, and it is part of my content creator toolset (“[Tips & Tricks & Utilities for Boosting Your Productivity with Apple’s macOS Big Sur](https://numericcitizen.me/2021/04/11/tips-tricks-utilities-for-boosting-your-productivity-with-apple-macos-big-sur/)“). Version 4.1 was released this week and came with a slew of new features, tweaks, and improvements. Each release is a reminder of what a vibrant and continuously improving application is. Each time I use the application is also a reminder of my love for the delightful experience it provides. Cleanshot offers a wide array of features for capturing the Mac screen and is full of well-thought-out design decisions. It appears that I’m not the only one who loves Cleanshot, there are many more ([Exhibit A](https://twitter.com/mattbirchler/status/1433396516878790656?s=20&t=-kAP4%5FWjhzAZOHLhEtEnew&ref=numericcitizen.me), [Exhibit B](https://twitter.com/CoryMckane/status/1468721464765472770?s=20&t=-kAP4%5FWjhzAZOHLhEtEnew&ref=numericcitizen.me), [Exhibit C](https://twitter.com/jasonfried/status/1358922652560199683?s=20&t=-kAP4%5FWjhzAZOHLhEtEnew&ref=numericcitizen.me)). ![File naming parameters](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/numericcitizen.me/wp-content/uploads/2022/02/cleanshot-file-naming-options.png) File naming parameters I bought Cleanshot two years ago, but recently, I decided to become a paid subscriber of Cleanshot Cloud for storing most of my screen captures (I became a pro user as soon as it came out in April 2021). The Cleanshot Cloud supports custom domain among other things which I configured (*cloud.numericcitizen.me*) and allows for the Cleanshot branding removal, which I did. Now I can share screenshots with MY branding and domain name, just like this. How cool is that? Overall, the web experience is great, but I would say not as mature as the Mac application, to be honest. For example, as the number of tags grows, it becomes a challenge interacting with the metadata editor. To help me organize my screen grabs, each of them is tagged according to their content, where they are shared or published. Just while I was putting the final touches on this article, the web service got an update and added an easier way to select multiple images and delete them in batch. More features and tweaks are also promised along the way, like sorting. > Cleanshot provides just the right things at the right time to support my work and makes me more efficient while keeping usage friction to a minimum. Cleanshot Cloud unexpectedly triggered a change in the way I use screenshots accompanying many of my articles. I no longer feel the need to store the actual screenshots within Craft documents but a reference instead, pointing to the file on the Cleanshot Cloud (consuming less space in Craft along the way). The selected images are downloaded just in time and inserted in Ulysses, before publishing the article. ![Cleanshot screenshots in Craft](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/numericcitizen.me/wp-content/uploads/2022/02/using-screenshots-with-craft.png) Cleanshot screenshots in Craft Cleanshot offers a lot of customization possibilities to make the application fit as many workflows as possible. The annotation tools are powerful beyond my wildest dreams. After grabbing screen content, I don’t always save the file locally or in the cloud, I may choose to copy it into the clipboard and paste it right away in other applications. I’m not only writing articles as a blogger, I do write many technical documents in my daytime job. The screen gabbing modes that I use the most are the “capture area” and the “capture active window”. From time to time, I use Cleanshot to grab a small portion of the screen to focus on an application in action, then I export this clip in GIF format. [This is an example](https://cloud.numericcitizen.me/V94Td5?ref=numericcitizen.me) of a screen area being grabbed. Oh, and grabbing a long web page is super handy and easy just by scrolling its content using the scrolling capture mode. I used it to create [this example](https://cloud.numericcitizen.me/lXfY2l?ref=numericcitizen.me). Sure, the application is not perfect, nor is the optional cloud service that comes with it. Sure, it is not multi-platforms; it’s not a problem for me, being an Apple-centric user. With the recent release of macOS 12.3 beta 1, which includes a new set of APIs for screen recording, I wonder how is this going to enable further improvement to Cleanshot. As you can see, I’m entirely sold on Cleanshot and if you are grabbing numerous screenshots of your Mac screen, I think you should give it a clean shot! (pun intended!). 😁 *Disclaimer: I wasn’t paid by Cleanshot to write this article. But, wish I did.* ### Apple’s Universal Control — Observations & Many Use Cases URL: https://numericcitizen.me/apples-universal-control-observations-many-use-cases/ Last updated: 2023-03-23T16:48:01.000Z At long last, after announcing Universal Control at the 2021 WWDC developers conference, Apple finally made the feature available through the release of the first beta of iPadOS 15.4 and macOS 12.3\. I’ve been testing the feature since then with a 2018 11-inches iPad Pro and a M1 MacBook Air, and boy, I’m blown away. Here are a few comments, observations and use cases. ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/numericcitizen.me/wp-content/uploads/2022/01/draggedimage.png) Apple makes it clear that Universal Control is in beta ## Observations on my experience with Apple’s Universal Control - Initial connection is much faster than I thought it would be. It takes a few seconds for the two devices to get in touch and establish a connection and know about each other presence. - The Mac doesn’t know all the time the relative position of the iPad. Changing the iPad’s position isn’t reflected on the displays’ arrangement. It could be a beta-related issue. - Using the mouse, going from one screen to another is seamless, I really forget about it. Universal Control doesn’t stand in the way. It’s really cool. Only Apple can create this kind of experience. They’ve been less frequent lately, though. - Drag & drop from the MacBook Air of objects like text and pictures works as expected, provided the application is open on the iPad. - It’s not possible to drop something on the iPad home screen, yet it is intuitively tempting. You can’t drop an image file on any of the icon on the iPad for that matter. I’m guessing this is something that could come in the future. The Mac supports this since forever. - Drag & drop from applications like Twitter isn’t possible either. I have been wondering [on Twitter](https://twitter.com/appleobserver/status/1487441886008774656?s=20&t=yaRdwE74VLEHJReAmkKBqw&ref=numericcitizen.me) if developers need to add some form of support in their applications to augment Universal Control experience. I got no response to that. - Using the MacBook trackpad for scrolling content with the two-fingers gesture on the iPad isn’t always smooth. It seems dependant of the application involved. Works fine in Settings, very unpleasant on Twitter. Sometimes it works just fine. It’s beta software, remember. - To get the most out of Universal Control, applications needs to be available on both macOS and iPadOS and support basic features like Handoff. Some examples that I’m using are: Craft, News Explorer, Ulysses. There are many more. - Switching which device to use a specific application is easy with Handoff. - Handoff complements beautifully Universal Control. Consider News Explorer available for the iPad and the Mac. Suppose I start News Explorer on the Mac. With Handoff, the News Explorer icon appears on the iPad’s dock, on the right. If I decide to continue using News Explorer on the iPad instead, I simply click on its icon on the iPad’s dock to start News Explorer, which will position itself at the same place where I left off on the Mac. Doing the opposite is also possible. - Universal Clipboard is still useful, but Universal Control feels like a superset of it. - It’s easy to forget about where the input focus is. Starting to type on the keyboard can produce unexpected results (typing on the wrong application, etc.). - The simplicity of the feature makes me use my iPad more often with my MacBook Air. Before Universal Control, I would use either the MacBook Air or the iPad Pro, and my iPad usage dropped significantly since getting a MacBook Air. - You can use the iPad in both orientations, landscape or portrait. The latter is really useful for reading PDF documents. ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/numericcitizen.me/wp-content/uploads/2022/01/draggedimage-1.png) The iPad can be used in portrait mode - Universal Control is a design and engineering feat. - I didn’t try to use the iPad as my main device, preferring the MacBook Air’s bigger keyboard and trackpad to control everything. - Thanks to Universal Control, I’m questioning the usefulness of my Magic Keyboard for my iPad. I’ll certainly use it less frequently. - With Universal Control, the iPad and the Mac, it’s easy to forget that the iPad remains its thing, not an extension of the Mac, like with the Sidecar feature. - The iPad screen never falls asleep, obviously. Battery life doesn’t seem to be affected compared to using the iPad as a standalone device. - I tested copying a big video file (more than 4 GB) from iPadOS Files.app to a NAS volume mounted on the Mac Finder. The drag & drop operation was a big janky, but the file copy operation successfully concluded in a timely manner. In fact, I was surprised by how quick the operation was. I didn’t observe any delay by the fact that I was using Universal Control. At some point, I wondered if the iPad was copying the file directly to the NAS. Obviously, that wasn’t the case. > If Universal Control ships with this level of quality to end users, it is an absolute jewel in Apple’s cross-device functionality crown.Nick Heer from Pixel Envy ## Universal Control vs Sidecar - Sidecar is still needed to display an application on a second screen, where there is no iPad equivalent. - Sidecar is really a second monitor to the Mac. Under this use case, the iPad is simply displaying pixels pushed from the Mac. - With Sidecar, you can’t use any application on your iPad until it is disconnected from the Mac or return to the home screen. - You cannot interact with the content on the iPad with touch while using Sidecar. With Universal Control, you can. By doing so, you are actually interacting with an application running on the iPad itself. The Mac has absolutely no knowledge of this while this is happening. **\[Update #1\]** MacRumors has published a handy [comparison between Universal Control and Sidecar](https://www.macrumors.com/guide/universal-control-vs-sidecar/?ref=numericcitizen.me). You probably should have a look if you want a better idea of the differences between the two. > When Apple added support for a trackpad and mouse (introduced in iPadOS 13.4), were they already working on Universal Control? I wonder because otherwise, without mouse support on the iPad, Universal Control wouldn’t be possible.JF Martin --- ## My initial reactions to Universal Control My initial reaction was to think that [I was happy with Sidecar](https://numericcitizen.micro.blog/2022/01/27/universal-control-finally.html?ref=numericcitizen.me) and couldn’t really see practical use cases for Universal Control. I was so wrong. Recent betas are being very stable, [I decided to install beta 1](https://twitter.com/apple%5Fobserver/status/1487147983795675140?s=20&t=BYMf4NsaHID4Tk%5F0A63vpQ&ref=numericcitizen.me) just to try Universal Control. I have no regret. After playing with Universal Control, [my first use case became obvious](https://twitter.com/apple%5Fobserver/status/1487229371794395136?s=20&t=aU1293R%5Fh6UrK3nQRz5Fiw&ref=numericcitizen.me). Then many more came to my mind. --- ### Use cases After my initial doubts about Universal Control usefulness, I found many handy use cases for it. Here they are, in no particular order. - **Displaying different portions of the same document**. Running two instances of the same application, one on the iPad, the other one on the MacBook Air (Craft, for example). Each device showing a different content portion. - **Inter-applications data movements.** Running Craft on the MacBook while Ulysses is open on the iPad enables dragging of objects from Craft to Ulysses. It’s handy when building a new edition of my newsletter. The MacBook Air has a small screen after. - **Confining utilities apps on the iPad.** I can use the iPad to run utility apps like Timery or Apple’s Reminder, or iMessage and free up some resources on my 8 GB MacBook Air. Moving around both of these devices being so easy, it feels like the same computer. And I think that’s the whole idea of Universal Control. - **Easier data management**. Having Apple’s Photos simultaneously on the iPad and the MacBook Air makes album management easier. Files management is also easier to do from the Mac. Copying files between the two devices is also faster than waiting for the synchronization to and from the cloud to happen, especially for big files. - **Application Transfer from one device to the other**. As explained earlier, with Handoff, switching which device to run a particular app is super handy and easy, provided the app is available both for the Mac and the iPad. Apple has a sleeper hit with Universal Control for those invested in their ecosystem. It’s been a long time since we got such a solid feature in beta form. More like this, please. Will Apple sell more iPad because of Universal Control? Maybe. Those who already own an iPad in addition to the Mac might find new use cases. Universal Control is the type of feature I didn’t know I wanted until I could try it for myself. Bravo to Apple. ### Numeric Citizen Introspection Newsletter #18 URL: https://numericcitizen.me/numeric-citizen-introspection-18/ Last updated: 2023-10-06T21:39:37.000Z ## **HIGHLIGHTS** Post ***highlights*** for the month coming from [my Numeric Citizen Blog](https://numericcitizen.me/), my [microblog](https://numericcitizen.micro.blog/?ref=numericcitizen.me), [my Medium page](https://numericcitizen.medium.com/?ref=numericcitizen.me) or from [my Numeric Citizen I/O](https://numericcitizen.io/?ref=numericcitizen.me) blog. `Bye Bye 500px` This month [I said goodbye](https://numericcitizen.micro.blog/2022/01/12/bye-bye-px.html?ref=numericcitizen.me) to my ***500px*** subscription, preferring to continue with my presence on [SmugMug](https://numericcitizen.smugmug.com/?ref=numericcitizen.me) and [Glass](https://glass.photo/numericcitizen?ref=numericcitizen.me). In the same vain, I didn’t renew [my Vimeo](https://vimeo.com/numericcitizen?ref=numericcitizen.me) subscription either. I’m not a video-type of guy. `Exploring the world of DJing` Besides being a writer, doing some photography, I’m learning to mix music, electronic music, also called ***DJing***. Is it possible to find ***well-designed DJ software***? [It's harder to find than I thought](https://numericcitizen.micro.blog/2022/01/19/exploring-the-world.html?ref=numericcitizen.me). `I’m missing the old Apple Dashboard in macOS` ***Widgets*** on macOS Big Sur and later are confined to the ***Notifications Center***, a weird place on the Mac. There is so much more room to place widgets. [I want the dashboard back](https://numericcitizen.micro.blog/2022/01/22/dear-apple-bring.html?ref=numericcitizen.me). [He wants this too](http://morrick.me/archives/9477?ref=numericcitizen.me). We’re many who wants Apple to fix the Notifications Center in macOS, this includes removing the widgets from there. `Apple's Universal Control is finally real` I think [Universal Control is a heck of a clever technology](https://numericcitizen.micro.blog/2022/01/27/universal-control-finally.html?ref=numericcitizen.me). Kudos to Apple’s engineers. I wrote this in 2020-08-04 on Micro.blog: [Five gone, one to go.](https://numericcitizen.micro.blog/2020/08/04/five-gone-one.html?ref=numericcitizen.me). Still relevant.👀 ## APPLE TIDBITS 1️⃣ What are the ***colours of choice these days at Apple***, and how does it compare to a few years ago? Well, that’s exactly what the well-known and very talented ***BasicAppleGuy*** tried to answer in his [article](https://basicappleguy.com/basicappleblog/colour-chaos?ref=numericcitizen.me). Expect a colourful ending. Now, what’s interesting to me is how Apple is preparing for these transitions? How do they envision the future of their devices in the next five years and how will they engage in these transitions? 2️⃣ My nephew who happens to like Apple products, sometimes gets his hands on very ***old Apple hardware*** that is no longer working. He made this living room table with an old ***Xserve***. By removing the Xserve top panel and replacing it with a glass top, you get to see the internals while having a beer. That is a cool-looking piece of furniture, isn’t it? Would you buy it if it was for sale? I would. ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/2022/01/IMG_8577.png) 3️⃣ Speaking of having an inside look at something, an interesting [article published by Wallpaper](https://www.wallpaper.com/design/apple-park-behind-the-scenes-design-team-interview?ref=numericcitizen.me) offers an inside look at ***Apple’s industrial design team***, and their work environment. Jony Ive, Apple’s former designer in chief is nowhere to be found, obviously. Please, consider taking a moment to look at each photograph in detail. You could be surprised by what you will discover. 4️⃣ Still on the subject of looking inside things, here is an [article](https://blog.timac.org/2021/1219-state-of-swift-and-swiftui-ios15/?ref=numericcitizen.me) about peeking ***inside iOS*** to determine what language is used for each library on your iPhone. Those are binaries sitting in iPhone’s filesystem. What about apps? Is Mail written in ***Objective-C***? What about widgets, are they built using ***SwiftUI***? How is the selection of language evolving over time? Sure enough, the number of libraries continues to grow with each release of iOS, currently at 4738 binaries. Count me surprised. 5️⃣ If you’re an ***Apple Music*** subscriber and have been a user of ***iTunes*** back in the days, you probably know that Apple Music isn’t as good as iTunes was to manage a music library. iTunes wasn’t perfect either, but according to this [long article](https://medium.com/@heyyoudvd/apple-music-is-in-rough-shape-heres-how-to-fix-it-55f25d25fd20?ref=numericcitizen.me), it was much better than Apple Music. If you only stream music from Apple, according to the article, Apple Music isn’t very good in that respect either. Apple has to fix this mess. The author of the article has [posted his story on Reddit](https://www.reddit.com/r/AppleMusic/comments/rfqa6f/i%5Fjust%5Fgot%5Fa%5Fcall%5Ffrom%5Ftim%5Fcooks%5Foffice/?ref=numericcitizen.me) because, guess what, after sending an email of complaint to Tim Cook, he got a phone call from Tim Cook’s assistant. I guess we can say that Apple is listening. 6️⃣ Now, let’s consider the user interface, the front-facing part of any application sitting on your computer, or iPhone. ***User interface design*** is certainly something fashionable, but from time to time, designers seem to have lost their way. Here is a reminder for them, in the following tweet. > Notes for UI designers who have lost their way. [pic.twitter.com/gjgkAUrnmz](https://t.co/gjgkAUrnmz?ref=numericcitizen.me) > > — CM Harrington (@octothorpe) [November 6, 2021](https://twitter.com/octothorpe/status/1456805254436204549?ref%5Fsrc=twsrc%5Etfw&ref=numericcitizen.me) ## MUST SEE PHOTOGRAPHY STUFF The nascent photo-sharing service ***Glass*** is moving ahead and going to the web. According to a recent [blog post](https://glass.photo/highlights/our-next-platform?ref=numericcitizen.me), in the next few months, users will be able to use the web as their primary way to interact with the service. Bookmark ***https://glass.photo/signin***. The web is sometimes more satisfying for interacting with a service, more than using a mobile app confined to a small screen. I’ve signed up to be a beta tester. I can’t wait to try it. The controversial [iPhone Photography Awards](https://www.ippawards.com/2022-entry-form/?ref=numericcitizen.me) contest is back this year. Should photographers care? If this is your type of thing, time to submit your best shots, I guess. Personally, I’ll pass. There are a few cases where the iPhone can’t snap pictures, no matter how hard you try. Consider this high-res photographic montage of a submarine volcanic eruption of the Hunga Tonga-Hunga Haʻapai volcano. Impressive. > Satellite views of the Hunga Tonga-Hunga Haʻapai volcano eruption in 4K on Youtube: [https://t.co/QHQTIpDsUx](https://t.co/QHQTIpDsUx?ref=numericcitizen.me) > > — Wonder of Science (@wonderofscience) [January 16, 2022](https://twitter.com/wonderofscience/status/1482521421834502147?ref%5Fsrc=twsrc%5Etfw&ref=numericcitizen.me) Now, let’s get down to earth with this spectacular landing of a Falcon 9 booster. How is this even possible? > 10th landing of this Falcon 9 first stage booster [pic.twitter.com/6HmNAdU7NY](https://t.co/6HmNAdU7NY?ref=numericcitizen.me) > > — SpaceX (@SpaceX) [January 13, 2022](https://twitter.com/SpaceX/status/1481722124855169028?ref%5Fsrc=twsrc%5Etfw&ref=numericcitizen.me) Finally, consider this question: “*before digital cameras, how did photographers know they got a good shot without being able to view it instantly like how we do now?*” From [u/annaleecage](https://www.reddit.com/user/annaleecage/?ref=numericcitizen.me) on Reddit. That’s an interesting question. I should know because I started in photography with a Minolta SRT-200 and a 50 mm lens. Besides trusting your skills, you had to wait for the development of the films or do it yourself. Photo processing with traditional films always was the source of many surprises, good and bad. B&W films were more forgiving, slides film wasn’t. One more thing, Apple [opened another Shot on iPhone contest](https://www.apple.com/newsroom/2022/01/share-your-best-iphone-macro-photos-for-apples-shot-on-iphone-challenge/?ref=numericcitizen.me), this time only macrophotography style is accepted. I decided to submit my best work. The following photo was taken last fall during a photowalk where I took only macrophotography. What do you think? ![Photos submitted to #ShotoniPhone Apple's Challenge](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/2022/01/8177F4B9-CC14-4091-84A8-E83045692860.jpeg) Photos submitted to #ShotoniPhone Apple's Challenge ## CLIMATE CHANGE & CRISIS ![Photo by Kanchanara on Unsplash](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/2022/01/kanchanara-7E3QGntO66M-unsplash-copy@1500px.jpg) Photo by Kanchanara on Unsplash This month’s climate change & crisis revolves around ***cryptocurrencies*** (you know, ***bitcoins***…?). First, what is cryptocurrency again? Cue that video for an “clear” explanation: Now you understand what cryptocurrency is, right? Next, let’s examine the cost of the cryptocurrency. I mean, the environmental cost. One aspect is the constant pressure on the need for highly performant computing devices like GPU (Graphic Processor Units) to do the required calculation for maintaining the ***blockchain*** on which a cryptocurrency depends. Somehow, someone thought they weren’t enough of GPUs, [so he created another cryptocurrency called Chia](https://www.newscientist.com/article/2278696-bitcoin-rival-chia-destroyed-hard-disc-supply-chains-says-its-boss/?ref=numericcitizen.me) based on the use of hard disk, a “greener” alternative to GPUs. But, guess what? The newly created bitcoin created another worldwide supply chain disruption, this time for hard disks. All is good, right? Nope. Let’s look at the cost behind the scene: power consumption. All cryptocurrencies are based on blockchains that require a massive amount of computational power (and energy) to even virtually exist. It is a disaster for the environment, and for the climate in general. Not convinced? Let’s have a look on this website ([Bitcoin Energy Consumption Index](https://digiconomist.net/bitcoin-energy-consumption/?ref=numericcitizen.me)) showing the real cost of transactions occurring when bitcoins change hands or are used to pay for something. From this website, you’ll learn that *a single bitcoin transaction can consume as much energy as the power consumption of an average household in 75 days*. Think about that for a moment. People are starting, hopefully, to realize that we may be in for a disaster. One of the founders at Mozilla is realizing just that and this is why they will stop accepting cryptocurrencies as a payment method to receive donations. More like this, please. ## PRIVACY PROTECTION ![Photo by FLY:D on Unsplash](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/2022/01/fly-d-FGH69mi53Mw-unsplash-2.jpg) Photo by FLY:D on Unsplash [Two-factors authentication](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Multi-factor%5Fauthentication?ref=numericcitizen.me) codes aren’t as secure as we think. You know when you enter your username and password to use an online service and a code is sent to your phone via SMS? Those are easy to steal. This article explains why ([The Booming Underground Market for Bots That Steal Your 2FA Codes](https://www.vice.com/en/article/y3vz5k/booming-underground-market-bots-2fa-otp-paypal-amazon-bank-apple-venmo?ref=numericcitizen.me)). We should be using better means to secure our digital life. Physical security keys could change all that, but at the cost of making your online life complicated. This lengthy article ([Getting started with security keys](https://paulstamatiou.com/getting-started-with-security-keys/?ref=numericcitizen.me)) explains the ins and outs of using better authentication mechanisms. ## NOTABLE QUOTES > “It’s supposed to be hard. If it wasn’t hard, everyone would do it. The hard is what makes it great.” — [***Manton Reece on Micro.blog***](https://www.manton.org/2020/05/05/its-supposed-to.html?ref=numericcitizen.me) > “There are decades when nothing happens, and then there are weeks when decades happen.” — ***Vladimir llyich Lenin*** > “Problems grow the size they need for you to acknowledge them.” — [***Luka Dell’Anna***](https://www.luca-dellanna.com/about/?ref=numericcitizen.me) > "If I fail, I'll try to make sure it's in a new and novel way" — ***The Phoenix Project, page 22.*** ## SOME LEFTOVERS 1️⃣ Buildings form the skyline of many cities around the world. As we move forward to an uncertain future from an environmental perspective, we need to imagine new constructions in a different and more environmentally friendly way. Take the ***American University of Dubai*** architecture projects. One of them caught my attention: ***Sustainable Design Award***: Plantae Tower by Basant Abdelrahman. It’s an impressive and well-thought-out concept explained in detail on the author’s [Behance page](https://www.behance.net/gallery/118079745/Plantae-Tower?ref=numericcitizen.me). 2️⃣ What would look San Francisco if it would get denser? How do you cope with more population, more buildings and streets? How do you create neighbourhoods that offer great living experiences? You have to imagine and draw pictures of these beforehand. [This article](https://noahpinion.substack.com/p/drawing-pictures-of-cities) explains the idea behind drawing pictures of cities and their future. While reading the article, I learned about the ***solarpunk*** movement and started to search for drawing examples. I love that so much. ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/2022/01/tumblr_aeb70ee101a984f77631dd2c0cf64bdd_b8ce9fe.jpg) 3️⃣ Are ***ringtones*** still a thing among smartphones users? When I was a ***Blackberry*** user, I remember trying to decide which ringtone to use when the phone rings or when a new message comes in. There were a lot of different tones to choose from. Today with the iPhone, we still can change the ringtone for when the phone rings or when a new message comes in. I recently came across this catalogue of ringtones: [Cleartones](http://cleartones.net/?ref=numericcitizen.me). I immediately fell in love with the website design and the many ringtones available. I bought them all and played with them. The only problem: it is too hard to decide which one to choose from. Now, my iPhone sounds more like a Blackberry. 4️⃣ Speaking of the Blackberry, January 4th was a historic day for remaining Blackberry users, according to their [FAQ](https://www.blackberry.com/us/en/support/devices/end-of-life?ref=numericcitizen.me): most of the communication functions of the device came to an end and could stop working. That’s certainly the end of an era. How many of them were still using such devices? I’m curious. ## WHAT’S NEXT This section should be about the near future, but I’m feeling nostalgic because I’ve been working on a very special article about ***every Apple computer I ever owned and used***. The Blackberry story previously presented is certainly also marking the passing of time. Let’s go back in history and have a look of Apple’s website page over time, more specifically, [the tabs configuration at the top](https://jamesdempsey.net/2021/08/31/apple-home-page-tabs-history-august-2021-edition.html?ref=numericcitizen.me). What trend do you observe? Personally, I find the design trend surprising. The tab order is a bit weird to me: as we read from left to right, the iPhone should be next to the Store tab, right? Now, coming from a design company like Apple, the flat design of recent years is saddening. The year 2010 or 2011 offers the best-looking versions of the tabs bar. Still feeling nostalgic, that’s why I loved [this blog](https://systemfolder.wordpress.com/2015/01/17/about-box/?ref=numericcitizen.me) post from Riccardo Mori showcasing a very old ***About Box of well-known softwares***. It made me recall so many memories of the time when I was using the Mac in the early days. My preferred one is missing though: ***the Finder 1.0*** About Box with a landscape and the sun in the sky which I reproduce here. It wasn’t a bitmap but a series of [QuickDraw calls](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/QuickDraw?ref=numericcitizen.me) that generated the landscape. ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/2022/01/mac11about.gif) The Finder About Box back in 1984 Finally, speaking of history, don’t count IBM out yet even though we don’t hear about them as much as we used to in the seventies, eighties and nineties. Together with Samsung, they came out with an innovative semiconductor breakthrough that will enable much denser microprocessors. IBM is still doing a lot of research & development. See the official press release [here](https://newsroom.ibm.com/2021-12-14-IBM-and-Samsung-Unveil-Semiconductor-Breakthrough-That-Defies-Conventional-Design?ref=numericcitizen.me). I want to conclude this edition of this month’s newsletter with the words of Om Malik, from a recent [blog post](https://om.co/2022/01/12/can-we-ever-become-post-social/?ref=numericcitizen.me) of his about social media: > “There is no other way of putting it — we are addicted to the idea of an audience. When we go online, we are programmed to react to engagement triggers — likes, shares, retweets, hearts, and thumb-ups. Social and this addiction of audience have made us addicted to something even harder to give up once tasted: a constant feeling of self-importance.“ --- This concludes the Numeric Citizen Introspection Newsletter edition #18 for January of 2022. Support my work through [PayPal](https://paypal.me/numericcitizen?locale.x=en%5FUS&ref=numericcitizen.me) or by becoming a paid member here (it’s only 3$ a month or 25$ a year) 🙏🏻. You can always sign up [here](https://numeric-citizen-introspection.ghost.io/?ref=numericcitizen.me#portal) for free. Thanks a lot for your support. ### Friday Notes #60 — I Read, I Learn, I Write, I Share URL: https://numericcitizen.me/friday-notes-60/ Last updated: 2022-01-28T13:00:00.000Z Introspection is my thing, so much that I created this website and newsletter. This week, while working on the next edition of [my monthly newsletter](https://numericcitizen.me/tag/newsletter/), I reflected on why I’m doing all this. It didn’t take long before I could find an explanation. *Crafting a new edition of my newsletter forces me to read more often and regularly*. Since my newsletter touches subjects like climate change and privacy protection, a lot of reading is needed each month to select content for inclusion in the newsletter. So, I learn new things that I want to remember, I write down notes that eventually make their way to an edition of the newsletter. So, let’s go back in time. From 2009 to 2013, I was an indie iOS developer with three applications on the App Store. As you might guess, it required a lot of hard work, countless readings into Apple’s API documentation, human interface guidelines and specialized websites on the subject. When I read technical documentation, I always tend to write summaries or quick notes to help me perfect my understanding. I rarely write for others; I write because it helps me better integrate my readings and learning experiences. Writing acts as a process of knowledge internalization. The same goes for my introspection sessions. Writing makes my introspection exercise more beneficial and probably long-lasting. On sharing. When I started developing for the iPhone, I wanted the world to know about my journey of designing, coding, publishing to the App Store and promoting my applications. So, I created a website on Google’s Blogger platform to publish articles about my discoveries my journey as an indie iPhone developer. Fast-forward to today, and here am I, sharing my thoughts, the conclusions of numerous introspection sessions. Different times, different contexts, same pattern. Now you know why I’m doing all this. --- Starting this week, I'm adding a new feature to this newsletter series: “What did I learn this week?”. With all my readings during the week, I often learn new things along the way. I want to pick one thing I learned and share it with you. So, let’s do it. ☝🏻 **What did I learn this week?** ***Solarpunk*** ([Wikipedia link](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Solarpunk?ref=numericcitizen.me)). According to Wikipedia: “**Solarpunk** is a genre and [art movement](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Art%5Fmovement?ref=numericcitizen.me) that envisions how the future might look if humanity succeeded in solving major contemporary challenges with an emphasis on sustainability, [climate change](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Climate%5Fchange?ref=numericcitizen.me) and pollution.”. The following image is a prime example of the solarpunk artistic view of this world. In the next edition of the monthly newsletter, you'll know why I came across the solarpunk word. ![Source: [https://www.pixiv.net/en/artworks/48449367]](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/2022/01/IMG_8605.jpeg) Source: <[https://www.pixiv.net/en/artworks/48449367]> ### Friday Notes #59 — Working for Apple — For a While I Thought It Was Possible URL: https://numericcitizen.me/friday-notes-59/ Last updated: 2022-01-21T13:00:00.000Z I’m happy with my current job. I love my work, colleagues, boss, and customers for whom I work. And yet, from time to time, I’m looking elsewhere, by curiosity. Recently, I stumbled upon the Apple [Careers website](https://www.apple.com/careers/ca/?ref=numericcitizen.me) and did a few searches by pure curiosity. Then, this job opportunity in my city hit me: an Enterprise Technical Consultant. A job similar to my current one, but in an entirely different technological context: the Apple ecosystem. I read the job description—many times. Then, I started to think, to dream. What if? I decided to apply and spent a few hours updating my resume writing a presentation and motivation letter. More than two weeks later, I got a reply. > “Hi, Thank you for spending time with us to learn about our Enterprise Technical Consultant job opportunity (…). We really appreciate your interest in working at Apple. However, we’ve chosen to move ahead with other candidates. (…) Regards, Apple Recruiting” My dream quickly evaporated. I have so many questions. What went wrong? What did I do wrong? Did they read my presentation and motivation letters? Was my candidature screened out by some automated process, just like App Store submissions are scanned for rejection? Did a recruiter really give a look at my blog? My resume was in French because the opening was written in both English and French. Was it problematic? Maybe they thought I was a bit over myself with my passion for everything Apple? Was it because, by reading my long list of experience, they thought I was too old for the job and would ask for too much money? Is this another sign of [me getting old](https://numericcitizen.me/friday-notes-53/)? My primary goal was to reach the interview stage and get a chance to talk to the recruiter and make my point about my deep motivation for working at Apple. I reached someone in my LinkedIn contacts that I knew was working at Apple via messaging. But, unfortunately, I never got a response. Sometimes, indifference is worse than anything else—time to move on and get back to work. --- Thanks for visiting, being a subscriber and spending a portion of your precious time reading my work. 🙏🏻 ಠᴗಠ JF Martin aka **Numeric Citizen** ### Friday Notes #58 — Getting COVID-19 URL: https://numericcitizen.me/friday-notes-58-getting-covid-19/ Last updated: 2022-01-14T13:00:04.000Z Bad news: I got COVID-19\. Good news: thankfully, I'm ok because I’m also fully vaccinated, I’m a svelte and in excellent health. The day after [this wonderful hike with my friend](https://numericcitizen.me/friday-notes-57/), he got a call from one of his family members to inform him that someone tested positive for COVID-19\. Sure enough, my friend told me that he paid a visit to his family a few days before we met for the New Year's Eve week. We were three couples who planned a long time ago, well before the fifth wave, to spend that week together. We all tried to minimize our contact with others, that's what I thought, yet the virus came into our bubble. I started to have symptoms too. You can imagine all the discussions we had following the bad news. My sick friend wanted to leave and return home earlier than originally planned. I tried to dissuade him from doing so on the basis that we were going to get it too, anyway, which we did. He and his wife left. We were now down to four friends for the remaining days. They got sick too, with very mild symptoms. We continued our vacation together, nonetheless. We tried to cope with the symptoms and kept going for a daily walk, use the spa outside as much as possible and have great meals, drink great wine. Nonetheless, this virus left a sour note on our vacation. There must be so many stories like this, all around the world. That’s mine. What is yours? Head to the website and use the comment section at the bottom of this post. ### Newsletters — Finding Guidance in 35 Lessons From an Experienced Writer URL: https://numericcitizen.me/newsletters-finding-guidance-in-35-lessons-from-an-experienced-writer/ Last updated: 2023-03-23T16:48:01.000Z ![Photo by Tyler Franta on Unsplash](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/numericcitizen.me/wp-content/uploads/2022/01/tyler-franta-iusj25iyu1c-unsplash.jpg) Photo by Tyler Franta on Unsplash I’ve been writing newsletters for a little more than a year now. Even though I’ve been blogging for more than ten years, I consider myself a newbie in the newsletters space. I’m not sure that I can consider myself successful at it. Depending on how you look at it, maybe yes. I mean, I’ve been writing constantly since the beginning of this adventure. I found my voice. My workflow is clear and effective. I started with HEY World, then moved to Substack before finally moving on to Ghost. I’m still under the hundred subscribers mark. It’s not a lot. I try to imagine that I write to all my friends. We usually don’t have hundreds of real friends, right? Now, I recently came across this interesting post from CJ Chilvers: [35 Lessons from 35 Years of Newsletter Publishing](https://www.cjchilvers.com/blog/35-lessons-from-35-years-of-newsletter-publishing?ref=numericcitizen.me). I love this kind of post. I had a serious look at each lesson and compare it with what I’m doing. I took the original post and commented on each lesson. Here it is. --- My first newsletter was about ninjas in 1987\. I was 12. Since then, I’ve been obsessed. I’ve created small newsletters for my own projects, and big newsletters for corporations. What ties them all together? Probably hundreds of things, but I’m lazy, so let’s start with 35. I won’t lie — most of these lessons here were learned by failure. That’s OK. My mistakes could be your head start. 1. Email lasts. You will have a medium that best speaks to your style (maybe audio or video is what keeps you excited), but email is as universal as we’ve gotten online as a species, so far. It’s still the king. ***That’s a good one. I’m not good at YouTube and barely better at podcasting (I tried).*** 2. There is no competition for your personal voice. ***Yeah, I’m unique! Happy to learn that.*** 3. Build relationships. That’s what it’s all about. Anyone trying anything else is lying to themselves or their readers. All you need is one relationship to change or save your project, career, or life. Why not establish more? This is also what separates the wealthy from the successful. ***How? By allowing comments on each post? By sending email asking for feedback? Or is it with the tone of my writing, trying to sound more like I’m talking to my readers?*** 4. Be human. People recognize spam. People recognize a sales pitch. People also recognize honest, direct communication. This is where newsletters excel. Be real. Be vulnerable. ***This, I’m good, as I’m using the “Introspection” name in my newsletter because it’s all about reflexion on personal experiences. It’s really something personal. It’s like thinking out loud, but in written form.*** 5. The best metric is replies. ***I’ve enabled comments on each post. So far, nobody ever commented. Maybe I should add a call for action at the end of each newsletter? Added to my to do.*** 6. Perfection sucks and it’s boring. ***I must be quite entertaining, then. 😂*** 7. No one cares. You have to give them reasons to care. Earn five seconds of their attention. Then, earn the next five. Repeat. ***I have the feeling that the more personal I’m the more attention I’m getting. People love stories about personal experience.*** 8. New idea? Just start. You can’t establish relationships if you’re not out there. Whatever it takes, get your idea out there now. Course correct, if and when needed. Every failure is possible entertainment for your audience. So, just ship. ***– M’ok.*** 9. Curation matters. There’s way too many creators and not enough editors. This scarcity creates value. ***That’s the whole point of my monthly newsletter, where I select and comment content in different areas of interest. The personal touch goes into commenting the curated content.*** 10. There’s bravery in brevity. Small is considerate, difficult, and valuable. Most books should be a blog post. Most blog posts should be a tweet. Most tweets shouldn’t be. ***Trying to shorten it, I guess?*** 11. Be consistent. People are creatures of habit. That’s why consistency works. Become a part of their routine. ***Oh, yes, I am. Like a clock. Friday Notes post each Friday, one monthly post near the end of each month. Moreover, I may post in the Photo Legend series, once in a while.*** 12. Your newsletter is the byproduct of your process. Focus on improving your process and everything else works itself out. This is where you learn how to stay consistent and avoid burn out. ***I do care quite a lot about [my blogger workflow](https://numericcitizen.io/2021/12/18/my-blogger-workflow-as-of-2021-12?ref=numericcitizen.me), actually.*** 13. Deliver value, not word counts. Solve someone else’s problem — the bigger the better. It’s nice if it solves your problem too. ***This is more in line with my main blog, [https://numericcitizen.me](https://numericcitizen.me/).*** 14. Don’t be an asshole. Make it easy to unsubscribe. Don’t get bogged down in tracking clicks. Respond. People are not “opens.” People are not “clicks.” ***With Ghost, unsubscribing is dumb easy. Maybe too easy, even. There has to be a balance, I guess. 🙃*** 15. Only one person is opening this email. You are not a broadcaster. No one is crowded around a single screen reading your email. You are writing to one, individual reader. ***See point #3\. I should talk to my readers.*** 16. Give a shit. It’s shocking how many don’t. ***Judging by [the time I spend on this hobby](https://numericcitizen.me/2021/11/04/which-device-i-use-and-for-what/), I do give a shit. I care a lot. I’m doing my best. Every single subscriber counts.*** 17. Discovery is recovery. You’ve covered topics a thousand times without realizing they intersect in new and interesting ways. Re-read your stuff, and you’ll find something new every time. ***M’ok. The continuous flow of tech news is quite enough and makes it hard for me to keep up. Once published, I move on.*** 18. No size fits all. No matter what you do, you won’t please your entire audience. That’s good. Build trust by being honest and you’re bound to get hate. Remember: the opposite of love isn’t hate, it’s indifference. ***Gotcha.*** 19. Keep track of what delights you about other newsletters — not what engages you (that’s too easy — A.I. can do that). Engagement is good for a few sentences. Delight builds anticipation for the next issue. You’re probably not producing enough delight. You probably should be. ***II’m trying, I’ll try harder.*** 20. Subject lines don’t matter anywhere near as much as your From line. Trust is the only thing that improves your From line. ***M’ok. [‹noreply@numericcitizen-introspection.blog›](https://app.hey.com/contacts/59194039?ref=numericcitizen.me) that is.*** 21. Add your newsletter link to all the things. Make it the center of your online universe, because it’s where relationships are built. If you build a newsletter of value, it’s your duty to expose it to as many readers as possible. ***I started to make it more often, but I’m shy. I shouldn’t be. I have [my Linktr.ee page](https://linktr.ee/numericcitizen?ref=numericcitizen.me). ☺️*** 22. Put your best link forward. Value must be made apparent quickly. What gets linked to first, gets clicked on the most — make it valuable enough for the reader to want to return to your newsletter. ***I should consider reworking some sections of my monthly newsletter then. Putting my post highlights at the end and starting with my curated sections instead. What do you think? Have a look at [this newsletter example](https://numericcitizen.me/numeric-citizen-introspection-17/).*** 23. Cut ruthlessly. In projects and processes: delete first, organize and automate later. Properly-placed automations should occur to you over time and should never come at the cost to the relationship you have with your readers or the quality of the content. ***I’m not sure to get this one besides making sure to keep it simple, just the essential content, nothing more.*** 24. Your brain doesn’t know the difference between announcing something and shipping it. Announcements are easy, tempting content in newsletters. If you post an announcement, add something to make you accountable to your audience to actually ship (like pre-sales). ***Doesn’t apply to me. I guess.*** 25. Meet your subscribers. When you meet readers in person, you get a better understanding of how what you do fits in their world. It shapes the way you publish, as well as what you publish. ***Well, thanks to COVID-19, it’s not going to happen soon.*** 26. Monetization is a byproduct. If you build an audience to serve that audience, monetization will present itself. You don’t need to chase it. You don’t even need to accept it if you don’t want the added responsibility. ***I’m not planning of monetizing any of my content. It’s free, now and forever. But you can always [support my work](https://paypal.me/numericcitizen?locale.x=en%5FUS&ref=numericcitizen.me). 🙏🏻🥺.*** 27. Pick a day, any day. Publish in a manner and at a time that best fits your habits or strategy, not when stats on the general public tells you to. Your audience is not like anyone else’s. You have more control over your publishing schedule than anyone will admit. ***Check. Each Friday. At the end of each month.*** 28. Ask for testimonials. New readers want to know why they should care about your newsletter. Give them real reasons from real readers. ***On my bucket list: having someone write a review of my newsletter. Is this even something possible?*** 29. Give more away for free. Nothing is more valuable than the relationships you’re building. Projects come and go, succeed and fail. The audience should remain. What attracts and keeps them is what you’re giving away. You’re probably not giving enough away. ***Everything is free. Easy. Next.*** 30. Inspiration is scheduled. It’s also called work. The common denominator of our tasks, projects, and entire lives is time. Your schedule is there to keep you consistent and sane. It’s the foundation of your process. ***I’m working on my hobby every single day. In the morning. In the evening. Every single day.*** 31. Schedule play too. All work and no play makes for a boring newsletter. “Leisure is the basis of culture.” How cultured and interesting can you be if you’re not scheduling time for leisure? Creators don’t want to admit they’re in the entertainment business, but they are. What makes you entertaining? What is entertaining to your audience? How can you make this all a little more fun for everyone? ***I’m not good at this.*** 32. Create daily. You don’t have to publish daily, but creation is the habit that makes everything else possible. ***I do. See point #30.*** 33. When stuck, apply another constraint. ***I’m rarely stuck. I’m working on many different things.*** 34. Celebrate and share the wins of others — always. Be the cheerleader for your topic. ***Will do. I follow many newsletters already.*** 35. Unlearn. Everything changes. It’s the only constant. Be ready to unlearn in an instant when presented with new information. ***My constant curiosity should help me in this respect. It’s probably helping me to craft my lengthy monthly newsletter with new content each month.*** --- That was a long ride. I have the general feeling that I’m on the right track. I’ll keep an eye on these lessons and look for more. If you didn’t know about my newsletter, it’s time to have a look [here](https://numericcitizen.me/). Don’t be shy to glance at my content and subscribe, it’s free. It’s super easy to unsubscribe, too. Thanks for stopping by. Your time is precious, I know. ### Friday Notes #57 — Feeling Alive and Well URL: https://numericcitizen.me/friday-notes-57/ Last updated: 2022-01-07T13:59:59.000Z ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/2022/01/IMG_0321.jpeg) There was a frozen lake at the top of the mountain. Life is made of tiny stories and experiences. I recently went for a hike in the forest with a dear friend of mine. It was a long one, a bit over three hours of walking in a snowy and small mountain (less than 500 m in height). I wasn’t confident that I would be up for the ride, but it went pretty well. The weather was perfect, with no winds and close to zero Celsius, even if we didn’t get to see as much sun as we hoped for. The surroundings were beautiful, but chatting with my friend along the way about life was the cherry on the cake. Near the end, we together concluded that even though this hike had been challenging at times, this is the same experience that makes us feel alive and well. It was a joyful moment. I’m so grateful for this experience. That day is already part of my great memories and experiences, just before [getting caught by a virus](https://numericcitizen.micro.blog/2022/01/03/covid-got-me.html?ref=numericcitizen.me) that I’ve been fighting against for close to two years. ### Friday Notes #56 — Happy New Year! URL: https://numericcitizen.me/friday-notes-56/ Last updated: 2021-12-31T14:00:59.000Z First, I wanted to say thank you for subscribing to this website, be it by email, RSS feed or simply by visiting from time to time. What is this all about without you seeing and reading the results of my hard work? I like getting feedback, don’t be shy to comment at the end of a post. Second, I wish you a great 2022! Maybe the pandemic will ease a bit for real this time. Perhaps we will return to a near-normal life. I do not wish to get back to a 2019 type of life but simply have a better life in general. I wish the constant urgency state will ease, that we’ll be able to prepare and plan for vacations, spend time with your friends and family without constantly worrying about health risks. If you do photography, may your vacation projects come to life, so you can spend time picturing your world. What would be new year’s wishes without having some thoughts about our planet? I hope collective awareness keeps rising to fuel concrete actions at all levels, everywhere, from as many people as possible. We have to move faster at fixing our behaviours because otherwise, our children’s world won’t be the one we want them to live in. Peace. See you in 2022. ### Numeric Citizen Introspection Newsletter #17 URL: https://numericcitizen.me/numeric-citizen-introspection-17/ Last updated: 2021-12-29T17:00:01.000Z ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/2021/12/NCI-Sections-Banners-001.jpg) Let's start with post ***highlights*** for the month coming from [my Numeric Citizen Blog](https://numericcitizen.me/), my [microblog](https://numericcitizen.micro.blog/?ref=numericcitizen.me), [my Medium page](https://numericcitizen.medium.com/?ref=numericcitizen.me) or from [my Numeric Citizen I/O](https://numericcitizen.io/?ref=numericcitizen.me) blog. `Things to watch in 2022` It’s the time of the year where we set new goals, where we want to focus on new moving targets. Here are [the things that I’ll be closely watching ***next year***](https://numericcitizen.me/2021/12/15/things-to-watch-in-2022/). `COVID is surging again at record levels` What it was like to travel to Mexico last November? Not always pretty under the sun my friends. [Read my experience](https://numericcitizen.me/2021/12/01/personal-observations-while-traveling-during-covid-times/). `Another behind the scene look` If you’re curious to know about the tools that I use to make this blog possible, look no further than [my recently published ](https://numericcitizen.io/2021/12/18/my-blogger-workflow-as-of-2021-12?ref=numericcitizen.me)**[blogger workflow update](https://numericcitizen.io/2021/12/18/my-blogger-workflow-as-of-2021-12?ref=numericcitizen.me)**. Get yourself a coffee, it’s a long ride. `I'm no longer depending on Subtack` In this [article](https://numericcitizen.io/2021/12/2/moving-from-substack-to-ghost-%E2%80%94-my-experience?ref=numericcitizen.me), learn why this newsletter is now hosted on ***Ghost***, not ***Substack***. As I said, a popular platform doesn’t make your content popular. `Let's be patient with Glass` In this [short blog post](https://numericcitizen.micro.blog/2021/12/20/glass-maybe-we.html?ref=numericcitizen.me), I talk about the necessity to be patient with Glass, a newcomer in the business of online photo sharing. ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/2021/12/NCI-Sections-Banners-002.jpg) 1️⃣ We are entering 2022 with no clear idea of what will happen to Apple and its **App Store** **monopoly**. Marco Arment wrote [an interesting piece last September](https://marco.org/2021/09/13/future-of-the-app-store?ref=numericcitizen.me) about what could happen to the App Store. **Sideloading** of apps, third-party IAP processing engines was discussed. For me, this will be [something to watch next year](https://numericcitizen.me/2021/12/15/things-to-watch-in-2022/). For now, it seems Apple is winning most battles. Will it win the war? 2️⃣ Apple is certainly slow at playing its turn when it comes to making changes to its **App Store rules**. An [article](https://www.cnbc.com/2021/09/05/history-of-apple-giving-ground-on-app-store-rules.html?ref=numericcitizen.me) from CNBC shows how App Store rules evolved over the years. Apparently, the App Store is run by technocrats. Don’t hold your breath too much for next year. ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/2021/12/2E51D3A2-D509-48AA-9900-3364A3AB3CDD.png) 3️⃣ In 2021, Apple did make some changes to the rules. Yet, people like **M.G Siegler** mocks the [press release](https://www.apple.com/newsroom/2021/08/apple-us-developers-agree-to-app-store-updates/?ref=numericcitizen.me) where Apple announces the changes. I wonder if any of Apple's PR team is reading [Mr. Siegler's article](https://500ish.com/thank-you-apple-may-we-have-another-115b91ad1773?ref=numericcitizen.me). My guess is yes. 4️⃣ Speaking of IAP (**In-app purchase**), see what happens with [Twitter’s Super Follow](https://500ish.com/thank-you-apple-may-we-have-another-115b91ad1773?ref=numericcitizen.me). Each super follow subscription has its own IAP entry in the App Store. Ouch. This won’t scale past 10K people who offer super follow to their followers. 5️⃣ Oh, and speaking of sideloading of applications on an iPhone, don’t count on it next year or the year after. [According to Apple’s Craig Federighi](https://daringfireball.net/2021/11/federighi%5Fsideloading%5Fkeynote%5Fat%5Fweb%5Fsummit?ref=numericcitizen.me), sideloading capabilities would ruin the **iPhone's security proposition** and customers’ trust in the iPhone. Except for Riccardo Mori, sideloading would be a sign of our maturing relationship with software. To [his blog post](https://morrick.me/archives/9456?ref=numericcitizen.me), I would answer this: we don’t need another Android platform. For those iPhone users who do want something like it (like the very few), just buy an Android phone. ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/2021/12/6EF88E33-6D4F-4659-BC50-47473123086B.png) > Apple’s going to have to start being a bit more proactive in coming up with a solution that regulators can look at and say ‘yes, that works for us’, because fighting this like they have been is not going to go well. If App Store is decimated instead, it will be entirely on Apple [https://t.co/UenoR8Of3T](https://t.co/UenoR8Of3T?ref=numericcitizen.me) > > — Steve Troughton-Smith (@stroughtonsmith) [July 2, 2021](https://twitter.com/stroughtonsmith/status/1411010696079417347?ref%5Fsrc=twsrc%5Etfw&ref=numericcitizen.me) ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/2021/12/NCI-Sections-Banners-003.jpg) Street photographers, if you’re a **Twitter** user who posts photos with people in them, think again before doing so in the future. [Twitter’s new privacy rule prohibits posting photos on its platform without people’s explicit consent](https://www.dpreview.com/news/2860674996/twitter-bans-posting-photos-of-people-without-their-explicit-consent-to-do-so?ref=numericcitizen.me). Twitter won’t budge until the person is made aware and complains about it to Twitter. Here’s one picture I took in Cuba in 2019 which couldn’t be shared on Twitter. WTF? ![Can't post this on Twitter](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/2021/12/IMG_4061.jpeg) Can't post this on Twitter Speaking of people, my preferred photo from the Unsplash recently published finalists list in their *[Unsplash Awards for 2021](https://awards.unsplash.com/2021/?ref=numericcitizen.me#/intro)* [is this one](https://awards.unsplash.com/2021/?ref=numericcitizen.me#/people). Now, let’s go in space for a minute. Here's how the Earth & Moon look at each other over the course of a month. > Here's how the Earth & Moon look from each other over the course of a month [pic.twitter.com/TR3CMyMhF0](https://t.co/TR3CMyMhF0?ref=numericcitizen.me) > > — Dr. James O'Donoghue (@physicsJ) [December 10, 2021](https://twitter.com/physicsJ/status/1469370666759901186?ref%5Fsrc=twsrc%5Etfw&ref=numericcitizen.me) Let’s stay in space and look at the best image of the sun ever taken. > Astrophotographer snaps 'clearest ever photo of the SUN' ☀️🔥 > > \+ Swirls and feather-type patterns can be seen alongside dark sunspots > > Read more: [https://t.co/Onqr93FRAA](https://t.co/Onqr93FRAA?ref=numericcitizen.me) [pic.twitter.com/arkGC1AjDv](https://t.co/arkGC1AjDv?ref=numericcitizen.me) > > — Daily Mail Online (@MailOnline) [December 6, 2021](https://twitter.com/MailOnline/status/1467819986613854215?ref%5Fsrc=twsrc%5Etfw&ref=numericcitizen.me) Another spectacular image, the Space Station passing by the moon, from a distance. Incredible image. > The [@Space\_Station](https://twitter.com/Space%5FStation?ref%5Fsrc=twsrc%5Etfw&ref=numericcitizen.me) transiting the lunar terminator. This is the second image that got me shortlisted for the astrophotographer of the year award, and remains my favorite transit pic I’ve captured. [#Astrophotography](https://twitter.com/hashtag/Astrophotography?src=hash&ref%5Fsrc=twsrc%5Etfw&ref=numericcitizen.me) [#space](https://twitter.com/hashtag/space?src=hash&ref%5Fsrc=twsrc%5Etfw&ref=numericcitizen.me) [#opteam](https://twitter.com/hashtag/opteam?src=hash&ref%5Fsrc=twsrc%5Etfw&ref=numericcitizen.me) [pic.twitter.com/FANrP8QZjF](https://t.co/FANrP8QZjF?ref=numericcitizen.me) > > — Andrew McCarthy (@AJamesMcCarthy) [August 15, 2021](https://twitter.com/AJamesMcCarthy/status/1426952934927917057?ref%5Fsrc=twsrc%5Etfw&ref=numericcitizen.me) Hubble is still humming along after all those years. Here’s a [picture](https://www.nasa.gov/image-feature/goddard/2021/hubble-spots-squabbling-galactic-siblings?ref=numericcitizen.me) that was taken of squabbling galactic siblings. That’s incredible. Let’s appreciate Hubble prowess while waiting for the [James Webb observatory](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/James%5FWebb%5FSpace%5FTelescope?ref=numericcitizen.me) to start its journey in space. Expect the unexpected. Finally, let’s get back to earth with these calming photos. > Can’t run forever [pic.twitter.com/oN8Qwl2bDP](https://t.co/oN8Qwl2bDP?ref=numericcitizen.me) > > — breezeh (@briscoepark) [November 7, 2021](https://twitter.com/briscoepark/status/1457461283817668614?ref%5Fsrc=twsrc%5Etfw&ref=numericcitizen.me) ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/2021/12/NCI-Sections-Banners-004.jpg) As humans, we depend on climate stability for survival. [What happened in BC, Canada last summer](https://www.straight.com/news/climate-stability-becomes-a-relic-of-past-in-bc-due-to-loss-of-hydrologic-stationarity?ref=numericcitizen.me) is a sign of the lack of hydrologic stability from a climate perspective, and this is happening all around the world: > “The basis upon which civilization has been built—relatively predictable weather cycles and rainfall patterns—can no longer be counted on, according to Sandford, who’s also a fellow of the Centre for Hydrology at the University of Saskatchewan.” > “That truth is that we have located our agriculture and built our communities and all associated infrastructure in places and to standards appropriate to what we thought was a relatively stable climate; climate conditions upon which we can no longer rely,” he wrote. “What should be deeply alarming to all is that climate we have taken for granted for so long is, right before our very eyes, being replaced by a climate that, unless we act now, we may not survive.” When it comes to climate, we cannot take anything for granted anymore. Must-read article. Finally, this winter is milder than usual here in Montreal, Canada and in the US in general. Why? Part of the explanation [here](https://www.axios.com/early-winter-heat-us-canada-records-372c8bec-0c9d-490a-9ac3-b4a6c9748173.html?ref=numericcitizen.me). ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/2021/12/A2445F82-66D1-4117-9906-0326ABF655E7.png) ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/2021/12/NCI-Sections-Banners-005.jpg) [**Log4j**](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Log4j?ref=numericcitizen.me). Remember this name. It’s a software library that recently became the target of cyberattacks, thank you a zero-day vulnerability (see [Log4Shell](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Log4Shell?ref=numericcitizen.me) for more details). Since this library is widely used by the open-source community, it’s a major issue that will take months if not years to fix, because [hundreds of millions of devices are vulnerable](https://www.cyberscoop.com/log4j-cisa-easterly-most-serious/?ref=numericcitizen.me): > The issue is an unauthenticated remote execution vulnerability that could allow an intruder to take over an affected device. > It’s going to take “sustained effort” for organizations to become secure, with diligence needed even after applying patches from Apache > A project with a footprint like Log4j is not possible to avoid as a transient dependency even if you don’t directly import it. Log4j is a canonical logging utility for a huge ecosystem. Its current radius is beyond doing due diligence. [https://t.co/FqSr68x7JL](https://t.co/FqSr68x7JL?ref=numericcitizen.me) > > — Jaana Dogan ヤナ ドガン (@rakyll) [December 13, 2021](https://twitter.com/rakyll/status/1470429815148740609?ref%5Fsrc=twsrc%5Etfw&ref=numericcitizen.me) ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/2021/12/IMG_8582.jpg) On a more positive and encouraging note, ***Facebook*** [recently announced](https://about.fb.com/news/2021/11/update-on-use-of-face-recognition/?ref=numericcitizen.me) the retirement of their facial recognition system: > We are shutting down the Face Recognition system on Facebook. People who’ve opted in will no longer be automatically recognized in photos and videos and we will delete more than a billion people’s individual facial recognition templates. At long last, one right move from Facebook. Who knew. It wasn’t enough because ***Facebook*** seems to be [the worst company in America to work for](https://appleinsider.com/articles/21/12/19/the-least-surprising-news-of-2021-facebook-voted-the-worst-company-in-america?ref=numericcitizen.me). ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/2021/12/NCI-Sections-Banners-006.jpg) > (…) driving is about being intelligent and agile enough to deal with the imperfection of the world around you and assuming the human ability to do irrational things. — ***Om Malik*** > “The technology won’t improve” is a very basic fallacy in tech. But so is “consumers will learn how it works”. Technology advances by hiding and abstracting complexity, not by expecting normal people to learn. — ***Benedict Evans*** > “Apple is not dominant in the Indian market … Without dominance, there can be no abuse,” — Compliance Officer, ***Kyle Andeer*** of Apple. ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/2021/12/NCI-Sections-Banners-007.jpg) 1️⃣ Another platform introduces support for sending **newsletters**. This time, it’s [Micro.blog](https://www.manton.org/2021/12/06/introducing-email-newsletter.html?ref=numericcitizen.me). Will it fly? I think so, within the community. I upgrade my subscription plan to take advantage of this. Some people prefer to get their content from RSS feeds, others via email. I like both. 2️⃣ How do you explain to someone, what are ***NTFs***? Well, it’s not a trivial thing to do. Here’s the [start of the explanation](https://twitter.com/LinaLinamary/status/1443986441978228736?s=20&ref=numericcitizen.me). I think [I’m getting too old](https://numericcitizen.me/friday-notes-53/) for these things. 3️⃣ NFTs are based on the same digital mechanisms as **cryptos**. I don’t get crypto any better than NFTs. I don’t own any and I don’t plan to own any anytime soon. I love this quote from Andrew Cannon. > a crypto asset has no inherent value beyond the hope that somebody thinks it will be worth more, and so will be willing to pay more, so they can on-sell to the next chump who thinks it will also go up. 4️⃣ **Cryptos** are in part possible because of the vast amount of **computer processing power** we have at our fingertips. Here are some really cool facts about computers. Consider the distance of data as a measure of latency. Consider one CPU cycle in a computer with a 3 GHz CPU is 1 second, then fetching memory cell content would represent 3.5 to 5.5 minutes. Much more in the [article](https://formulusblack.com/blog/compute-performance-distance-of-data-as-a-measure-of-latency/?ref=numericcitizen.me). 5️⃣ Speaking of memory and getting old, consider another type of memory: human memory. Here’s an interesting [article from Mike Rundle](https://medium.com/@flyosity/my-missing-memory-6e9b21439bea?ref=numericcitizen.me). He talks about his episodic memory is non-existent. Certainly not a cool condition to be in but fascinating, nonetheless. Is this age-related? This guy is probably much younger than me. Oh, I almost forgot, don’t miss the following Wallpaper article: “[Inside Apple Park: first look at the design team shaping the future of tech](https://www.wallpaper.com/design/apple-park-behind-the-scenes-design-team-interview?ref=numericcitizen.me)”. After reading it, take all the time it takes to study each photo. It’s a rare look inside the Apple Design Studio. John Gruber made some interesting [observations](https://daringfireball.net/linked/2021/12/14/wallpaper-apple-design-team?ref=numericcitizen.me). ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/2021/12/NCI-Sections-Banners-008.jpg) ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/2021/12/In-the-cloud.jpeg) Apple is postponing **return to the office**, yet again. We know Apple likes to control the whole widgets when it comes to building new gizmos. When it comes to the future of work, [they just can’t](https://daringfireball.net/linked/2021/11/19/apple-return-to-office-february?ref=numericcitizen.me). Is the next ***macOS*** version to be called “***Mammoth***”? According to a recent [trademark renewal](https://trademarks.justia.com/861/37/mammoth-86137469.html?ref=numericcitizen.me) by Apple, this could be the case. I just don’t like the name. Monterey is nice, though. **Apple’s supply chain management** is nothing less than exceptional. It has always been. It seems Apple is sailing through the worldwide disruption without too many difficulties. iPhone 13 Pro like mine has a delivery target are within a few days. Not bad. Fascinating **[*CT scan views of all AirPods*](https://scanofthemonth.com/airpods-g3/?ref=numericcitizen.me)**. Best experience while using an iPhone to look at those. Finally, want to get a peek at each version of iOS since **iPhoneOS 1.0**? Watch the following YouTube video. Each version is on a working iPhone device. iOS 7 remains one of the most profound changes and the one that I think I despise the most. --- This concludes the Numeric Citizen Introspection Newsletter #17 for December of 2021\. I wish you a happy new year! May 2022 be better than 2021! Support my work through [PayPal](https://paypal.me/numericcitizen?locale.x=en%5FUS&ref=numericcitizen.me) or by becoming a paid member here. Thanks a lot for your support. Sign up [here](https://numeric-citizen-introspection.ghost.io/?ref=numericcitizen.me#portal) 🙏🏻 ### Friday Notes #55 — Looking Back at 2021 URL: https://numericcitizen.me/friday-notes-55/ Last updated: 2021-12-24T13:00:03.000Z It’s time to look back at what was 2021 for me. This is not a classic year in review with stats, most popular article or blog post. It has to be a more personal look because you know that’s the whole point of this website site. The year went by so fast. We’re ending the year mostly the same way we started it: with confinements around the corner and COVID-19 surge. Since more than 88% of the surrounding population is fully vaccinated, why is that? Booster shots help, but It’s counterintuitive to me. All these efforts seem worthless. Sure, there are scientific explanations. It’s exhausting. I didn’t travel as much as I thought I would during year two of the pandemic. A trip to Mexico was cancelled last April and postponed to November. We finally could make it, just before the resurgence of the virus, last November. [It was a great vacation](https://numericcitizen.me/2021/12/01/personal-observations-while-traveling-during-covid-times/). I feel that most of my internal counters have been reset. Thank god. Otherwise, I’m not sure how I would make it through. My memories are still fresh in my memory. ![A small beach in Tulum, Mexico](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/2021/12/IMG_9866.jpg) A small beach in Tulum, Mexico I wanted to reduce my Twitter usage, which I did. I’m glad. I tried to engage more actively with other writers. I’m not convinced that I did it as much as I wanted. I made some clean-up in my numeric life by dumping another piece of Google’s hold on me, bye bye Google Analytics. [I started another website](https://numericcitizen.io/?ref=numericcitizen.me). I’m probably spreading myself too thin, but I like what I’m doing outside my daytime job. It’s a hobby. It's fun. I couldn’t meet some of my personal goals. I started doing some “DJing” with a new piece of equipment, a Pioneer DDJ-400\. It’s fun, but I should practice more often. But, again, am I putting too much pressure on myself? I want to attend one-on-one training in 2022. It seems that I can’t keep listening to podcasts or complete TV series. I don’t have time for those. Why is it so hard? I wanted to keep a journal of my highlights to help me write this end-of-the-year blog post. I mostly succeeded, hence this blog post. See? Not all is lost with me! ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/2021/12/39CF0A5E-C5E0-44F7-8E7D-9CA648236A2B.png) I started meditating in April, and it lasted a few weeks. I liked it. Why am I not able to keep good habits like these? My physical exercise dropped significantly in the last months. Is it because of the fall weather? It will be hard to return to my previous activity level before it drops off. Another good habit that I couldn't keep. It takes so much discipline. I’m a perfectly imperfect human being, I guess. On a much more positive side (why did I start with the negative side, first?), 2021 was a great year from a creativity standpoint. I’m proud of all my accomplishments, from my writing to photography. Maybe I didn’t do as much photography as in pre-COVID years, [but I did some](https://numericcitizen.smugmug.com/?ref=numericcitizen.me), and I have a few visual projects for the future. Now that we are at the very end of 2021, I’m proudly looking forward to 2022\. Of course, I wish it to be as creative as 2021 was. But, even if I accomplish less, let’s say because COVID-19 is gone, and we return to a more busy and normal life, I’ll be proud. See you next week for the last Friday Notes of 2021. ### The Perfect Apple Enthusiast — Find Out Where You Stand URL: https://numericcitizen.me/the-perfect-apple-enthusiast-find-out-where-you-stand/ Last updated: 2023-03-23T16:48:01.000Z Do you have what it takes to be considered a real Apple enthusiast? Let’s play a fun game and let’s find out by checking off all affirmations that applies to you from the following list. ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/numericcitizen.me/wp-content/uploads/2021/12/apple-related-tshirts-2.jpg) 1. You wear clothes with references to Apple’s glorious history (my T-Shirts with iPad nano, from Basic Apple Guy). 2. You have a small figurine of Steve Jobs somewhere in your house or at the office. 3. You listen to every Apple Events. Better yet, you save the original file for archiving purposes. 4. You tag and download music being played at each keynote. You may have created a playlist to group them all together, who knows! 5. You support other Apple enthusiasts among your family, your friends, or your colleagues. 6. You’re a fan of [BasicAppleGuy](https://twitter.com/basicappleguy?s=21&ref=numericcitizen.me) on Twitter. 7. Speaking of Twitter, you follow @Apple, @Tim*Cook, and many others working at Apple. Hint: I maintain [a Twitter list](https://twitter.com/i/lists/1346940582141288453?ref=numericcitizen.me) of people apparently working at Apple.* 8. You own more than an iPhone, preferably a Mac. Of course, you have an Apple TV and maybe an Apple Watch. Almost forgot about the Airpods! 9. You’re an Apple One subscriber. It’s ok too if you subscribe to only once Apple service. 10. You don’t care if Android is better than iOS or if macOS is better than Windows. What you care about is the fit between you, your needs and any of your Apple devices. 11. You value balance between design and functions. 12. You own the Steve Jobs biography and actually read it. You thought it was inspiring. 13. You saw the Steve Jobs movie and thought it was terrible. 14. You own the book “*Designed by Apple In California*”. 15. You value privacy protection builtin into products and services. 16. You like arts, architecture, photography, and companies that promote these art forms. 17. You own old Apple-related artefacts. 18. You visit as many Apple Stores as you can. 19. When you went to California, you visited, either Apple’s headquarters or Steve Jobs’ house. 20. You install the first beta of iOS or iPadOS. 21. You keep the box of your Apple products. 22. You like to give Apple Gift cards as gifts. 23. A small defect in your Apple product becomes a justification for an upgrade. 24. You hate it when your Apple device has a crack, a scratch. 25. If you own an Apple Watch, you own many bands too! 26. Your office computer is a Windows machine, but you wish it was a Mac because you know you would be even more productive. 27. You don’t put decals on your devices. 28. You like to use your iPhone without a case, from time to time. 29. You own Apple stock. It doesn’t matter how many shares. 30. You visit apple.com many times a week to see what’s new, or just appreciate the beauty of the website. 31. You can be critical towards the company, its products and services, [like this](https://numericcitizen.me/2020/08/10/on-tim-cook-apple-its-less-and-less-about-the-products/). 32. You don’t necessarily buy new gear every year because you are respectful of the environment. In the same vain, you replace the battery of your iPhone instead of replacing the device. 33. You skipped the iPhone 6, iPhone Xs because they were, in some ways, transitional and uninspired products. 34. You bought the first generation iPad because you thought it was a breakthrough device. You did the same with the Apple Watch. And the original iPod. 35. You want to experience the full Apple ecosystem, its tight integration between the hardware, software, and services. That’s why you bought an iPhone, a Mac, an iPad, an Apple TV and invested in some HomeKit accessories. 36. You waited in line to buy one Apple device after it came out, on the first day (be it an iPhone, an iPad, whatever). 37. You cannot find any way to defend Apple’s butterfly keyboards. 38. You love the TouchBar, but wish Apple kept improving it over time. 39. You have an Apple sticker put somewhere, on your car or on one of your things. 40. You update all your devices as soon as Apple releases new versions of their operating systems. 41. You help your family members and friends to make buying decisions about Apple products. 42. Oh, it’s Christmastime, you love giving Apple gear for Christmas (AirPods, Apple Watch, cleaning cloth, etc.) 43. You’re able to demo any Apple unique features of their products. 44. You like to spend some time in an Apple Store even if you don’t plan to buy anything, just because you like the vibe of this place. 45. After each new products launch, you go to an Apple Store to have a closer look at them. ![“The Colours of Apple Enthusiasts” by BasicAppleGuy](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/numericcitizen.me/wp-content/uploads/2021/12/coloursofappleenthusiats.png) “The Colours of Apple Enthusiasts” by BasicAppleGuy ### Calculating your score To calculate your score, it’s easy. If you’ve checked more than ***40 items*** off the list, you are THE best Apple enthusiast that Apple could dream of. If you’ve checked between ***33 and 40*** items off the list, you rock, but things could be improved. Use this list to see how you could improve your status. If you’ve checked between ***22 and 33*** items off the list, well, it’s still probably more than the vast majority of the population. Keep embracing things from this list, at your rhythm. I’ll wait. If you’ve checked less than ***22 items*** off the list, you’re probably part of the normal population who doesn’t really care about Apple but sees their products as being useful devices, nothing more. It’s ok. Or maybe you’re a switcher? If you’ve checked less than ***12 items*** off the list, you’re an Android user! So, there you have it, by now you should know where you stand on the spectre of being an Apple enthusiast. ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/numericcitizen.me/wp-content/uploads/2021/12/stevefigurine.jpg) ### Friday Notes #54 — Something That (Most Of) My Friends Doesn't Know URL: https://numericcitizen.me/friday-notes-54/ Last updated: 2021-12-17T12:29:59.000Z Last week, I wrote about many ways to get more subscribers to my newsletter in “[Getting Your First 100 Subscribers — Easier Said Than Done](https://numericcitizen.me/2021/12/11/getting-your-first-100-subscribers-easier-said-than-done/).” This subject needs more attention, more exploration. One of the tips was talking about my newsletter to my family members and friends. I want to explore why I am shy about talking openly about my work as a content creator. Strangely enough, I’m openly talking about my photography work. It’s nothing serious, but I like what I’m doing. I used to post countless pictures of my vacations or trips on Facebook, so my friends and family could follow my “adventures.” I no longer do that, preferring to use [Smugmug](https://numericcitizen.smugmug.com/?ref=numericcitizen.me) or [Glass](https://glass.photo/numericcitizen?ref=numericcitizen.me) instead. Why am I talking about photography but not about my blog posts? One possible and partial explanation is that my Facebook “friends circle” doesn’t necessarily want to read a lot of stuff but seems to prefer to be “entertained” with cats and dogs videos. I don’t have to pollute people’s timelines with things they don’t find interesting. They probably don’t like to read serious stuff about Apple, photography, climate change or privacy protection. It is a bit sad in a sense. Instead of talking, I could start cross-posting a few things on my Facebook account on an “as-needed” basis. Of all the content I put online, the *Friday Notes* and *Photo Legend Series* could get people interested because they often contain personal views, personal experiences. The thing is: I don’t use Facebook anymore. Posting a link to my blog’s articles could generate comments, but I want to avoid spending time on Facebook to read and respond to them. What I could do is to knock at the door, via messaging, of a few selected friends that I know would probably be interested in my work. They could then use the RSS feeds and comment directly on my blog instead of doing it through Facebook. It is something that needs more thinking and reflection for the next year. Maybe I could try to be more open about this in 2022\. This article is a good start. ☝🏻 Side note: I like this picture of a single tree beside a small road. People passing by are the ones visiting my blogs. This naked tree in some ways looks fragile, vulnerable. I do feel somehow like that when exposing my work to my friends and family. And then there is this ladder where people can climb, and get closer to the branches and the tree's innermost parts. I feel that's something similar to reading my blog posts. I would feel naked, in a way. ### Things to Watch in 2022 URL: https://numericcitizen.me/things-to-watch-in-2022/ Last updated: 2023-03-23T16:48:01.000Z This blog post is about what I’m going to pay attention to in 2022\. As you might expect, these are the things that I care about because I’m currently using or plan to use the applications or services presented here. So let’s start with Apple. ## Apple ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/numericcitizen.me/wp-content/uploads/2021/12/applelogo.jpg) - The finalization of the transition to **Apple Silicon** will be THE thing to follow next year. Next up, the **iMac Pro**, then the **Mac Pro**? Rumours point to a cleaner naming scheme of the entire Mac products line: no more MacBook Air, just the MacBook? Are we going to see the M2 before Apple completes its transition with the Mac Pro? Too many questions. - A possible new **Apple Watch** model, with a boxier design (I don’t think this will happen) could become a reality. Will a new sensor make an appearance in the fall (body temperature, blood sugar)? The new sensor, not the redesign, could be the trigger for me to upgrade. - Will the notch disappear from the\*\* iPhone 14\*\* while making an appearance on the rumoured redesign **MacBook Air**, oops, **MacBook**? (See [my rumours website](https://www.craft.do/s/prWu9ohKSgta1T?ref=numericcitizen.me), made entirely with **Craft**, for all the details). - What’s next for iPhone photography? That’s one of the thing that keeps evolving quite fast each year, thanks to computational photography. Yet, with a rumoured 48 MP sensor on the Pro series, this could be a game changer and a big jump forward. - What’s next in the legal battle surrounding the **App Store** and Apple’s commercial practices in that space? My only hope is that Apple doesn’t make another Android platform with the iPhone (Please, consider bookmarking and read my article “[A Message to Apple Developers: We Don’t Need Another Android Platform](https://numericcitizen.me/2021/06/05/a-message-to-apple-developers-we-dont-need-another-android-platform/)”). - What about a **Pro Display XDR** for less than $2,000? I think Apple is leaving a lot of money on the table. Could **LG** be not far behind with specially created and designed monitors, exclusive to Apple? - What’s next for **iOS** and **iPadOS**? Is Apple silently preparing the ground for things like sideloading in a preemptive move? iOS and iPadOS to a certain degree are mature operating systems, how could this not be the case after fifteen major iterations as [documented in this YouTube video](https://youtu.be/yqeYvFbGeRE?ref=numericcitizen.me)? Finally, is the iPad still exciting? Matt Birchler has [a great take on this](https://t.co/7PPdgRlXEu?ref=numericcitizen.me). I still think there is room to grow these platforms. - **Swift Playground 4.0** late release is something to monitor too. What comes next? Is Apple trying to rebuild Xcode but for iPad with Swift Playground? What kind of applications will Swift Playground enable to build? The App Store is already full of list managers. - Rumours about Apple’s upcoming **AR/VR headset** are intensifying. Could we see an official announcement by June for a release later in 2022, something similar to what Apple did for the Apple Watch? But, really, should I care about this? I mean, do I like the idea of being fully isolated from the physical world by wearing a headset completely covering my eyes? I would much prefer Apple to create an ebike. - What’s next for the **AirPods** Pro or Max? I’m a happy user of the AirPods Max. The latter could benefit from a USB-C port, instead of Lightning. - **Tim Cook**: I wouldn’t be surprised to see him retire. It would be the right time for him to do so, while being at the top of his game. I know, this sounds surprising. - **Talent retention** will always be a challenge for Apple. In 2022 and beyond. [Latest departure… ](https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2021-12-13/apple-management-training-chief-joel-podolny-leaves-for-startup?ref=numericcitizen.me)the dean of Apple University. ## Apps ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/numericcitizen.me/wp-content/uploads/2021/12/theiphonewithapps.jpg) - **Craft** evolution and maturation with the introduction of extension support. It will be a new chapter for Craft. I expect the core experience to keep improving while an explosion of new extensions to be released. An extension for importing Readwise highlights into Craft is already available, albeit in beta. Works great, with some rough edges. - **Matter’s** updates and evolution. Currently at version 1.5.1, the cadence of releases is pretty aggressive. What’s next, APIs support? A real macOS version of their application? I would love this so much! - **Readwise** upcoming Reader App is something to watch closely as a big fan of Matter, could Readwise dethrone it? Still in private beta (or in development, who knows), this one could compete against Matter, Pocket and Instapaper. Will I switch from Matter to Readwise? - **Glass’s** next features. This new kid on the block of photo sharing service made some noise in 2021\. What’s next for this young service? The addition of “likes”? At the time of publishing this, Glass launched the “Appreciation” feature. It’s a really clever take, and I like it. What about an iPad version, something Instagram never cared to provide? One of the guy behind Glass [is looking forward to 2022](https://twitter.com/twatson/status/1470823617692844032?s=21&ref=numericcitizen.me). - **Ghost’s** continued evolution. As a newcomer to the platform, I’m eager to see how often they iterate to provide new features to users. They finished the year 2021 with a bunch of nice additions to the editor. - **News Explorer**, my go to RSS reader, hasn’t been significantly updated in 2021\. I’m hoping for some changes next year. One such example: the application’s icon which I hate. - I’m curious to see the next releases of **Adobe Lightroom** on the iPad. Each release brings more features, more flexibility, more power. I like what I’m seeing. - **Surprises** are always welcomed! Craft was such of a surprise in 2020 and I’d love to be delighted again with applications that can fit into my workflow and make a difference. ## Services ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/numericcitizen.me/wp-content/uploads/2021/12/tvs.jpg) - **Ghost**, the new home for publishing my newsletter is adding many new features in their editor, mostly new or updated object types. I’m looking forward to see what’s coming next. The challenge is to add new features while keeping the simplicity of the platform. Easier said than done. - **Micro.blog**, another service that I depend on for blogging, recently added newsletter support. That’s great. There is still room for improvement as I wrote earlier this year in “[What’s Next for Micro.blog — A Wish List](https://numericcitizen.me/2021/04/02/whats-next-for-microblog-a-wish-list/)”. - **Plausible analytics** continues to slowly evolve. I’d like to see more third-party applications that consume their public APIs. - I’m super happy with **Smugmug,** but I’d like them to add RSS feed support to let people consume photos via their preferred RSS readers! Maybe it’s coming in 2022? - I’m using more and more **Typefully** for posting on Twitter but also for my engagement with Twitter. Updates are frequent and add a lot of value to the service. - **Mailbrew**, I’m in love with this service since its launch. I depend on it for reading and for my content creation workflow. What’s next? APIs? - I think **Apple** has done everything it could in the services space, for a while, at least. Improving what’s already there would cool enough for me. - I’d like to see some reporting improvements to **Toggl** around tags and projects. Will they deliver? - How **Automattic** purchase of **Tumblr** will play out? So far, from the outside, Tumblr didn’t really change since their acquisition. [The change log](https://changes.tumblr.com/?ref=numericcitizen.me) is regularly updated with fixes and upcoming new features mention. Wait and see here. - How **Automattic** purchase of **DayOne** will influence the development of the popular journaling application? This one was a big surprise of 2021\. Now, let’s see how DayOne will evolve and how is WordPress.com going to take advantage of DayOne. Publishing from DayOne to WordPress seems an obvious possibility. ## Society ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/numericcitizen.me/wp-content/uploads/2021/12/acity.jpg) - **Omicron variant** is certainly going to make the news for a while in 2022\. Will it make matter worst or not? Is it going to put any trip plans in flux, just like in 2021? For now, I doubt it. I think we’ll will have to start realizing that we need to learn to live with this virus. - How bad will **weather-related events** be? Poor California, they need a break. Watch out B.C. Canada, it’s your turn, sadly. It seems each years there is something worst than the previous year. Even though I feel safe in my region, I do care about the world in general, from a climate crisis perspective. - **Inflation** is rampant in 2021 and will continue to be in 2022, but for how long and how high? - Watching for signs of **Trump’s bozos return** in mid-term elections in the US, and hoping this will be a bad dream. - **Apple** (like many others, I guess) are delaying plans to return to the office, thanks to Omicron, Delta, etc. Are we still going to live in a permanent **state of emergency**? It’s exhausting. We’re not done with 2021 yet, but everything is now behind us unless there is a big surprise. Yet, I’m anxiously awaiting 2022 to start! Everything seems possible! ### A Quick Site Update URL: https://numericcitizen.me/a-quick-site-update-2021-12-13/ Last updated: 2021-12-14T13:04:09.000Z Dear readers, I wanted to give you an update about this website's features. I value feedback, interaction with my readers! Starting now, you'll be able to post comments or provide feedback by using the comments section at the end of each post. In addition, you can post anonymously or use an email address, it's up to you. As for the commenting service, I'm using (and paying for) **Commento** because of their business model, which doesn't depend on selling your data. On top of that, the user experience for posting a comment is way better than anything else. Here how it looks like. ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/2021/12/Screen-Shot-2021-12-13-at-10.11.40-PM.png) This is an example, it's not the real thing. Look down for the real comments section! Try it now. Just below this post, look for the comments section. Thanks! ☝🏻 If you don't see the comments section, you're probably using a content blocker in your browser. ### Getting Your First 100 Subscribers — Easier Said Than Done URL: https://numericcitizen.me/getting-your-first-100-subscribers-easier-said-than-done/ Last updated: 2026-08-28T10:45:28.000Z ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/numericcitizen.me/wp-content/uploads/2021/12/yvette-de-wit-nyrvisodq2m-unsplash-copy-1500px.jpg) I stumbled upon this article from Substack recently: “[Getting Your First 100 Signups.](https://on.substack.com/p/getting-your-first-100-signups)” The title picked up my curiosity because, if I am right, I have three different newsletters. They are built differently. The most “successful” one has still under 100 subscribers, after more than a year of existence. Am I doing something wrong? Is my content even relevant? The Substack article is divided in three sections: *tell everyone*, *be consistent*, *tap into other’s people audience*. For each of these sections, the article suggests things that I could do to get more people to subscribe. Let’s find out. ## Tell everyone Of course, I should let everyone I know that I write a monthly newsletter for free! ### Tell your friends, coworkers, and acquaintances Here are the most challenging things for me to do in this area. - I’m shy to talk about my online endeavours. I have this feeling that nobody is really interested. Except maybe in this occasion: [“Friday Notes #40 — The Unexpected Birthday Gift.”](https://numericcitizen.me/friday-notes-40/) I want people to subscribe because they really like the content, not because they are doing me a favour. - On my LinkedIn profile, it’s tricky. If I make a *faux pas*, there can be consequences. I’m not certain that I want my employer to know that I’m spending so much time outside my job on things that aren’t… job-related. I know, it’s not their business. Yet… - Some of my old work colleagues are following me on Facebook. Do I want them to know this side of my personality? I don’t really know why am I so hesitant with that, and I should be more out spoken about it. - One reason that I’m shy is the language I use to publish. As you probably know, my first language is French, but I write in English. I’m afraid that friends will ask or challenge my choice of writing in English. ### Link to your publication everywhere you can And now, the easiest part of self-promotion. - My Twitter bio refers to [my Linktr.ee page](https://linktr.ee/numericcitizen?ref=numericcitizen.me). There, people can find all my websites. The next thing I could do is to add a signature to my personal email. I don’t write many emails, though. I don’t think it would do a big difference. - One post on one platform will contain references to my previously published posts on other platforms. Someone who is stumbling on one blog can learn the existence of the other. Easy. - [When I was active on Substack](https://numericcitizen.me/2020/11/22/my-experience-with-substack/), I used to participate in Substack authors shootouts. I didn’t get the attention I thought it would, nobody ever signed up following those virtual events. Is Substack reserved for an elite of writers who doesn’t pay attention? I don’t know. ### Post on Twitter (or Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, etc) Finally, the obvious ones are about cross-posting to other platforms. - From WordPress or Micro.blog, [as exposed in my blogger workflow](https://numericcitizen.io/2021/03/20/my-blogger-workflow-as-of-2021-03?ref=numericcitizen.me), I do cross-post to my main Twitter account, on my Facebook page, on Tumblr, and finally on Reddit. It helps to get some traffic for sure but rarely new signups. ## Be consistent Beat the drum, slow or fast, keep beating the drum. I think I’m good at this one considering the following tips. ### Pick a regular writing schedule and stick to it - It’s the thing I’m doing best: be consistent. I do post each Fridays and then at the end of each month. Moreover, I may post in my photo legend series from time to time as a bonus. One cannot be more consistent than this! ### Let your personality shine through. - This, I do, a lot. I mean, it’s all personal thoughts and observations or the result of my personal experience. The place where I expose the most personal side of me. ### Keep all your content free - Everything is free since the beginning and I cannot see the day when it will change. There is little engagement for my readers. Opting out is easy too. What could go wrong? ## Tap into other people’s audiences Another tricky one: asking for permissions to become famous. ### Ask your friends with big audiences to share your newsletter - I know a few guys on Twitter who are probably much more popular than me. I respect what they do, but the thing is that I’m shy to ask them. I want to avoid being perceived as desperate. ### If you don’t know anyone with a big following, try cold emailing or DMing someone you admire - I could send a DM to John Gruber… would he care? I highly doubt it! Same for other authors that I know. I do exchange with some of them over Twitter DMs. ### Tell people when you write about them - I did that a few times, especially for products or applications (Craft is one such example) where I can reach people behind them on Twitter. Usually, I get feedback, and they are pleased with what I’m doing. I did that too with @MattBirchler or @BasicAppleGuy, sometimes I get feedback, other times, nope. ## Go to events, meetups, conferences, dinner parties attended by your target audience - Nope, not going to happen. My personal interests don’t align with my professional life. ### Try to get a few big hits. - I got picked up by a few well-known writers. An example of this is [Michael Tsai’s blog](https://mjtsai.com/blog/?ref=numericcitizen.me). Search for JFMartin on his website. I did submit many articles on Medium’s popular publications like [Mac’O Clock](https://medium.com/macoclock?ref=numericcitizen.me) and [The Startup](https://medium.com/swlh?ref=numericcitizen.me). They generate some measurable traffic but rarely new signups. Typically, I get new followers either on Twitter or on Medium. Subscribing to a newsletter seems to be too engaging, I guess (having to triage the already crowded Inbox). There are other articles like Substack’s about growing your audience, like this one from [Ghost.org](https://ghost.org/resources/content-strategy-creator-funnel/?ref=numericcitizen.me). The first part of the article is about *discoverability*. That, I think I’m fine. Next up, is building *trust*. At this stage, things get a bit fuzzy. It’s about showing my audience that I can offer them useful content that they care about. My newsletter revolves mainly around *Apple*, *photography*, *privacy protection* and *climate change*. Still in Ghost’s article, the next steps focus on charging for content, this is where I get off the train. My content is free and will stay free. Simple. And yet, albeit all these efforts, my newsletter is still under 100 subscribers. So, what can I conclude from all this? I mean, I consider myself well-prepared and organized and meet most of the advices that I can find to grow my subscribers base. *The conclusion is a bit scary to me: is it because my content isn’t worth people’s time? Very few really cares? I have to think about it.🧐* Speaking of subscribers, please, consider becoming one to one of my newsletters (all free) 🙏🏻 [Numeric Citizen Introspection](https://numeric-citizen-introspection.ghost.io/?ref=numericcitizen.me)(monthly) [Numeric Citizen Reading & Writing Summary Newsletter](https://app.mailbrew.com/apple%5Fobserver/numeric-citizen-reading-writing-summary-newsletter-x9MmQUXjnEMG?aff=apple%5Fobserver&ref=numericcitizen.me)(weekly) [Numeric Citizen Microblog Posts Digest](https://numericcitizen.micro.blog/subscribe/?ref=numericcitizen.me)(weekly) ### Friday Notes #53 — Am I Getting Old? URL: https://numericcitizen.me/friday-notes-53/ Last updated: 2021-12-10T12:29:59.000Z ![Old friends chatting in the park - Austria 1998](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/2021/12/Conversation.jpeg) Old friends chatting in the park - Austria 1998 What are the first signs that make you feel that you’re getting old? How do you know that it’s happening? Here are a few signs that I’m already getting on my personal radar. Important fact: *I’m 54 years old*. 👴🏻 - Technologies like **web3**, **NFTs**, **Bitcoins**, **VR Headsets** are the rage now and yet, I don’t know much about them, and I’m not convinced that I want to invest the time to better understand what they are really about. I do love tech in general, but for some reasons, I’m not curious about those. Why is that? Is it because they are so “out-of-this-world” ideas? Am I becoming this grumpy old man who doesn’t like changes? - For many reasons, there are sports that I no longer want to practice, like skying. I look at my pair of skies in the garage and wonder when I’ll get rid of them. - Buying things that can last a very long time like cars is another example. How many cars do I still have the chance to buy in the future? In the same vain, what will be my last new iPhone, iPad, or Mac? Occasionally I’m thinking that I won’t be able to buy new gear because I can no longer make good use of them, so I won’t be able to experience new features and updated design. I saw my parents gradually stop using their computer, their iPad. Someday, it will be my turn. - Many [climate change predictions](https://www.washingtonpost.com/weather/2021/12/03/snow-water-resources-california/?pwapi%5Ftoken=eyJ0eXAiOiJKV1QiLCJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiJ9.eyJzdWJpZCI6IjIyMTQyNjE3IiwicmVhc29uIjoiZ2lmdCIsIm5iZiI6MTYzODU3NDI2NSwiaXNzIjoic3Vic2NyaXB0aW9ucyIsImV4cCI6MTYzOTc4Mzg2NSwiaWF0IjoxNjM4NTc0MjY1LCJqdGkiOiI0Y2VlZTE1OS02OGVlLTQ5MGEtOWQ5Yy1iODc4YzMwMmU1MWQiLCJ1cmwiOiJodHRwczovL3d3dy53YXNoaW5ndG9ucG9zdC5jb20vd2VhdGhlci8yMDIxLzEyLzAzL3Nub3ctd2F0ZXItcmVzb3VyY2VzLWNhbGlmb3JuaWEvIn0.NFr2y-FzIBzbNfUinkdKpav28T%5Fy8f0GmLF2oqNem0A&ref=numericcitizen.me) point to devastating effects happening in the next 30-60 years. I mean, I'll be 84 years old in 30 years from now! It seems so far yet so close! - I know that I will never go back to school. Each time my boys come back from the college and they talk about it, I feel nostalgic. Things are so different now with the Internet, computers, etc. I’d love to go back to school to experience what it is learning these days with hyper-connectivity (between friends, with teachers, between devices, in class, etc.). - Intentionally skipping any observations related to the slow transformation of my body. 😶 Some of these examples are about consumerism, and I shouldn’t pay too much attention to them. But other points to the clock of life ticking, uninterrupted. But I’m not that old, and there is a good reason for that. *As long as I stay contemplative of simple things, thankful to be in great health, curious to learning new things, but on top of it all, be creative in both, my persona life and my professional life, I’ll stay young in spirit. I guess*. ![An old couple walking in a park - Austria 1998](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/2021/12/Promenade-dans-le-parc.jpeg) An old couple walking in a park - Austria 1998 ### Craft 2.0 Introduces Extensions URL: https://numericcitizen.me/craft-20-introduces-extensions/ Last updated: 2023-03-23T16:48:02.000Z ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/numericcitizen.me/wp-content/uploads/2021/12/apple_app-store-awards-2021_craft_12022021.jpg) Craft 2.0 came out this week, four weeks after the previous update, which is unusual. Some users were awaiting things like tags or database support. In fact, on the surface, not much has changed in this 2.0 release. What’s really new, is the introduction of extensions. Currently, in developer preview, expect full support in the first half of 2022\. Craft extensions are released under the Craft X name, and they will be made available on GitHub. Clever. ## Extensions — a New Journey for Craft Make no mistake, extensions are the next chapter for Craft. Extensions will provide infinite extensibility to Craft. For example, it will be possible to install an extension that will add publishing to Ghost, Medium or WordPress, directly from within Craft. This could be a game-changer for many Craft users like me. [My current workflow](http://numericcitizen.me/2021/01/30/my-updated-blogger-workflow-as-of-2021-01/) is to go from Craft to Ulysses in order to push a blog post to Ghost. Eventually, I could probably skip Ulysses for some type of blog post. I can’t wait to see what’s in store for Craft enthusiasts. Meanwhile, there are a few extensions in developer preview that can be installed on the Mac or the web. For some reason, it’s not yet available on the iPad or the iPhone. I had a chance to test a few of them, and they work as advertised. Matt Birchler has a [good YouTube video](https://youtu.be/6zjNdX3k-S8?ref=numericcitizen.me) showing you how to install extensions. Currently, at version 0.0.3, the SDK behind Craft extensions is in its infancy, and much work needs to be done. I’m not an expert in APIs, I hope that they are as good as Craft is from a design perspective. A [discourse](https://forum.developer.craft.do/?ref=numericcitizen.me) space has been set up, extensions source code is on [Github](https://github.com/craftdocs?ref=numericcitizen.me) and more end-user matters can be discussed on a dedicated Slack community channel. As seen in Slack **#craft-extensions** channel: > Good extensions/plugin capability are game-changers for apps. Done right, it draws a crowd and talent, allows the community to more quickly address feature development the core team can’t handle given other work. And with that, the utility/usefulness of an app expands, drawing more folks, etc. It’s all compound interest. [On their website](https://www.craft.do/s/lEjdSXBpq9jSgg?ref=numericcitizen.me), the makers of Craft are promising **tags**, **templates**, and better media handling within pages. I’m certainly looking for tags support and templates. Both of these additions will help me organize and speed up the creation of new blog posts. Finally, support for custom domains will add another level of functionality for those who want to build websites directly from Craft. It seems the makers of Craft are doing exactly that for their needs, like release notes. Personally, [I do have a digital garden live on the web](https://www.craft.do/s/prWu9ohKSgta1T?ref=numericcitizen.me), entirely made and maintained with Craft. It’s pretty cool in my opinion. I’d like to have a personalized domain name for it. How about something like “numericcitizen-digital-garden.net”? You can read more about it in [”Introducing my Digital Garden”](https://numericcitizen.me/2021/04/06/introducing-my-digital-garden/). Furthermore, I don’t know if it is a coincidence, but Craft has been nominated as [the best Mac app for 2021](https://www.apple.com/newsroom/2021/12/app-store-awards-honor-the-best-apps-and-games-of-2021/?ref=numericcitizen.me) according to Apple. It is well-deserved. It has been a big year for the team behind Craft. Many people would like to compare Craft to Notion, but Craft is not and will not become another Notion. For me, as a blogger and writer, [Craft is a winner](https://numericcitizen.me/2021/03/12/craft-vs-notion-from-a-bloggers-perspective/). Notion is too complicated, too heavy for my needs. > Craft on Mac feels like the best non-native (AppKit) application that I’ve ever experienced. Great Catalyst applications seem possible, after all, don’t trust Apple’s examples to judge. ![The name of my MacBook Air](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/numericcitizen.me/wp-content/uploads/2021/12/craftingmachinename.png) The name of my MacBook Air ## What I’d Like to See Improved in Craft - A good web clipper native to Safari. - An option to import the URL destination (like in Notion), not just pretty bookmarks. - Import of Readwise. - Importing Notion data. - Importing RSS feed data. - Better support for content embedding (YouTube, Vimeo, Twitter, etc.). - RSS feed support for published website from within Craft. - Notifications when someone adds a comment to a published website. - Per-page spell-checking language. - More advanced spell-checking, “a-la” Grammarly. - On the Mac, being able to insert a photo from Apple’s Photos library. - Better support for Ulysses by adding article excerpt and header image. Next year will be an interesting one to watch for Craft. I can’t wait to see that unfold! ### Friday Notes #52 - One Year Anniversary URL: https://numericcitizen.me/friday-notes-52/ Last updated: 2021-12-03T12:30:01.000Z The *Friday Notes Series* is now one year old. Started as a series of shortform posts on Medium, under the publication name *Numeric Citizen Tidbits*, the series seems to pass the test of time. I’m proud of [all the time and efforts I have invested](https://numericcitizen.me/2021/11/04/which-device-i-use-and-for-what/) in writing each post. It wasn’t always easy to keep the beat rolling, though. It’s a constant challenge to find the time to think about, write and publish new content. Also, after starting my monthly newsletter, having to think about a subject, an angle, a story every week added some pressure on my other writing projects. Some people are trying to keep writing AND publishing something every day. To them, I say bravo because I can imagine the challenge. Josh Ginter, writing on Newsprint: Josh Ginter, [writing on Newsprint](https://thenewsprint.co/2021/11/29/thoughts-on-writing-each-and-every-day/?ref=numericcitizen.me): > *“Writing something every day is one of those goals every writer has but may not have the fortitude to achieve. I’m no different — I’m likely going to give up on this goal in the very near future.”* … > *“But over time, I came to prioritize short blog posts because they were easy to publish. The shorter the post with the shorter the complete thought, the better.”* … > *“I have found I’m writing about half-baked ideas for the sake of writing”* ... > *“And more than anything, I am finding my quality to be receding.”* *Josh’s post deeply echoes my sentiments as a writer and content creator.* I can’t count how often I felt my about-to-be-published content wasn’t ready or complete. Yet, I hit the publish button anyway. Why is that? Simply because of the pressure of keeping the lights on, the beat is rolling, the blog lively. When this happens, it’s a warning that something is wrong. The motives for writing need to be reframed. But, then, I read the very same day, from Matt Birchler [on Birchtree](https://birchtree.me/blog/find-that-thing-you-love-to-keep-you-going/?ref=numericcitizen.me) (emphasis is mine): > *“Birchtree is 11 years old and for the first 5 years or so it got basically no traffic. Today it gets lots more traffic, but it still makes very little money (like $20-30) but I still do it because I love it. YouTube is way more relevant and way more lucrative, and it’s reasonably gotten more attention from me over the past year, but this blog isn’t going anywhere because I love it; I’ve found the things that will keep me going because I love them so much.”* This is it; my writing motive is simply because I love it. The rest should be secondary, like publishing for publishing. I should always keep in mind: is this thing ready or not? If it’s not, then, wait, if it’s ready, then hit publish! I am hoping for another year of the Friday Notes Series. [Free Sign Up!](https://numericcitizen.me/#/portal/signup/free) ### Personal Observations While Traveling During COVID Times URL: https://numericcitizen.me/personal-observations-while-traveling-during-covid-times/ Last updated: 2023-03-23T16:48:02.000Z ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/numericcitizen.me/wp-content/uploads/2021/12/img_9949.jpg) I’m coming back from a nine-day vacation in Tulum & Cancun, Mexico. It’s my first international trip in COVID-19 times in nearly two years. The previous one was in Cuba, on New Year’s Eve in 2020, just before COVID-19 got the “pandemic” tag. During my stay in Mexico, I made many observations that I want to share today about the pandemic and more general tech-related topics. ## On social distancing, respect of sanitary rules and human behaviours in general - Navigating within airports has never been more complicated. Airports look busy, but all the recently added checks are adding more steps before boarding a plane. When traveling fully returns to pre-COVID levels, if those validation steps stay in place, which I think they will, it will be a nightmare. Maybe my experience is anecdotal. - While in flight, having to wear a face mask all the time is not as bad as I was expecting. In fact, I think I prefer having a mask, as I frequently get a cold from traveling by plane. - People are dropping their guard, the vaccine could be the root cause of this, as it provide a sense of protection. In recent news, during my vacation, close to 40% of people who got infected were fully vaccinated for more than seven days. It’s troubling. - In Cancun, Mexico, social distancing is sporadically observed at the resort. Observed behaviours are much better at the Cancun airport, though, as it is a highly regulated place. - Most customers aren’t following the rules of face mask wearing, even if clearly indicated in the resort. - Resorts staff aren’t consistently observing sanitary rules. When they do, some do it the wrong way. It’s especially evident for face mask wearing. The nose is not fully covered as it should. Between staff members or with customers, they often remove the mask while talking. I would give them a note of 1 out of 10. - People keeps coughing in their hands instead of their arms. Didn’t they learn anything during COVID-19? - Hands sanitization is also being less practiced that it used to be. - Traveling by plane still produces so much garbage, which most of it not being recyclable. COVID-19 isn’t done yet. But, as a new variant is being discovered and [tracked](https://www.reuters.com/business/healthcare-pharmaceuticals/how-fast-does-it-spread-scientists-ask-whether-omicron-can-outrun-delta-2021-11-29/?ref=numericcitizen.me), this turn of events should serve as a reminder that we must work against it by observing hardly learned lessons from the past two years. ![Flighty in action tracking my flight home](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/numericcitizen.me/wp-content/uploads/2021/12/flighty.png) Flighty in action tracking my flight home ### Observing the tech world in action Now, let’s look at technology-related observations while on vacation. - In today’s world, having a smartphone is mandatory to be able to fill and provide all the required regulatory documents now online. It could become an issue for elderly people. Free Wi-Fi is usually provided at the airports, but it can be hard to make it work, or it can be slow, slowing the on-boarding process along the way. Having a “roam like home” option from your smartphone provider could help quite a bit here to make the experience more seamless. It comes at a cost, though—Fourteen dollars a day. - Electronic boarding passes aren’t consistently available, which again slows down the on-boarding process. Why is it so inconsistent from one airport or one company to the other? - Canada’s government has put together a new application for travellers to fill the usual immigration forms electronically. The application is quite easy to use and efficient. At the Nexus gate, we present the generated QR code. - I saw somebody on the plane during take off using his iPhone for filming the plane taking off. He constantly misunderstood the tap-to-record and tap-to-pause button as he wasn’t recording when he thought he was and the opposite around. I suspect some deception when he will try to watch his travel souvenirs. Poor guy. 😂 - Another strange behaviour: I saw many women, just like my wife, glancing at their Apple Watch and scrolling content with their finger directly on the screen instead of using the digital crown. Using the finger to scroll is less than productive because it obscures most of the screen content. 🤷🏻‍♂️ - Flighty, [a must-have iPhone application for tracking flights](https://numericcitizen.me/2019/07/27/my-review-of-flighty-and-comments-on-flight-trackers-in-general/), as always has been very helpful. It’s my first usage since the beginning of 2020\. The app received quite a few updates since then. The only thing missing is an Apple Watch companion app. - According to my Apple Watch, ambient noises during flight can reach 80 db. Using the AirPods Max’s noise-cancelling feature during flight is a priceless experience. I would say that 80% of the noises are cut off. - Using the MacBook Air on my lap is ok, but I’m afraid of the man in front of me. What if he lowers his chair and hit the screen. - The battery life of the M1 MacBook Air is really something to brag about. - Experience with on-board Infotainment system is improving each year as they benefit from a more iPad-like design: responsive user interface, well-known iconography, overlapping windows, tap to dismiss, super easy movie navigation, bigger and higher resolution display, many micro-animations for a more organic interaction. I love it. It took a long time, but here we are finally. - Working offline, in flight, is a mixed bag experience, as I explain in “[When Tech Gadgets Can’t Connect — Observations and Thoughts From the Offline World](https://numericcitizen.me/2021/11/29/when-tech-gadgets-cant-connect-observations-and-thoughts-from-the-offline-world/).” - The Apple Watch should give us a break while being in flight. I got many “please stand up” notifications while I couldn’t budge. 🙄 Going on a trip for vacation or business purposes is always the most demanding time for tech gadgets users like me. If you add a worldwide pandemic, you get a very challenging environment. ### Numeric Citizen Introspection Newsletter #16 URL: https://numericcitizen.me/2021-11/ Last updated: 2023-10-06T21:39:24.000Z ![Montage by Basic Apple Guy. I find this to be welcoming.](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/2021/11/FinderMacIconsEvolution.jpeg) Montage by Basic Apple Guy. I find this to be welcoming. ![](https://numeric-citizen-introspection.ghost.io/content/images/2021/11/NCI-Sections-Banners-001-1.jpg) Post ***highlights*** from [my Numeric Citizen Blog](https://numericcitizen.me/), my [microblog](https://numericcitizen.micro.blog/?ref=numericcitizen.me), [my Medium page](https://numericcitizen.medium.com/?ref=numericcitizen.me) or from [my Numeric Citizen I/O](https://numericcitizen.io/?ref=numericcitizen.me) blog for the month of November. `Which device I use and for what?` As you probably know, ***I’m a big Apple user***. As such, I own an iPhone, a MacBook Air, a Mac mini and an iPad Pro. As a content creator, all these devices are used at one point or another. I was so curious to know how much time I spend on each device that [I started tracking my time](https://numericcitizen.me/2021/09/19/why-and-how-im-tracking-time-with-toggl/). [Results are surprising](https://numericcitizen.me/2021/11/04/which-device-i-use-and-for-what/). `Remembering the early days of the Macintosh` It’s always fun to remember the old days. This is what happened when I found [this little floppy disks box](https://numericcitizen.micro.blog/2021/11/06/remembering-macintosh-floppies.html?ref=numericcitizen.me), dating back to 1985\. Floppy disks for the ***Macintosh 512Ke***. `Enough for the exposure notifications` I’m living in Canada. More than 85% of the population is vaccinated. I recently turned off the ***exposure notifications*** feature on my iPhone. I explain why in [this blog post](https://numericcitizen.micro.blog/2021/11/07/exposure-notifications-still.html?ref=numericcitizen.me). `Sometimes: JPEG > ProRAW` If you are new to the iPhone 12 or iPhone 13, you probably know that you can take pictures in ProRAW format instead of the default format, which is JPEG. ***ProRAW format*** can take up to ten times more storage space on your device and in iCloud. Is it worth it? Not always, find out when exactly in [this article](https://numericcitizen.micro.blog/2021/11/07/from-proraw-to.html?ref=numericcitizen.me). `The Love Story Continues With the iPhone` This year, I upgraded to the ***iPhone 13 Pro*** after skipping last year’s iPhone 12\. Coming from the iPhone 11 Pro, [it is a significant upgrade](https://numericcitizen.me/2021/11/13/upgrading-from-the-iphone-11-pro-to-iphone-13-pro-the-love-story-continues/). It’s the best and most portable camera I ever owned. The best camera is the one that you have in your pocket, all the time. `YouTube Dislike the Dislike Button` YouTube is removing the ***dislike button*** feature. It is a controversial decision. While trying to help some YouTubers, others find the decision highly questionable. [My take](https://numericcitizen.me/2021/11/13/like-the-dislike-put-the-decision-in-creators-hands/): let the content creator decide. ![](https://numeric-citizen-introspection.ghost.io/content/images/2021/11/NCI-Sections-Banners-002-1.jpg) 1️⃣ Since the ***iPhone*** got the ***MagSafe*** technology, Apple put it in good use to display the iPhone on display tables. [Photos of the iPhone standing in the air](https://9to5mac.com/2021/08/02/apple-retail-store-magsafe-iphone-dock/?ref=numericcitizen.me) give a great look at the setup. The stand design puts the device closer to the potential customer's hands and reduces clutter. If Apple made those stands for a single iPhone, they could sell a boatload of them. Don’t miss [this visual summary](https://9to5mac.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/6/2021/08/iPhoneDisplayEvolution.jpg?quality=82&strip=all&ref=numericcitizen.me) of the iPhone display stand evolution. 2️⃣ Apple runs surveys from time to time to ask its users what they think about their product. They did just that with the ***discontinued 12” MacBook***. Is Apple thinking about bringing it back? I certainly hope so, if such a MacBook would look like this one: > I'm in love. [https://t.co/YmQK8K7HJO](https://t.co/YmQK8K7HJO?ref=numericcitizen.me) > > — 🅰🅿🅿🅻🅴\_🄾🄱🅂🄴🅁🅅🄴🅁 (@apple\_observer) [November 13, 2021](https://twitter.com/apple%5Fobserver/status/1459329745993224192?ref%5Fsrc=twsrc%5Etfw&ref=numericcitizen.me) 3️⃣ Apple wins patents all the time. Consider [this recent example](https://9to5mac.com/2021/08/24/apple-wins-patent-for-dual-display-macbook-with-virtual-keyboard-and-wireless-charging-capabilities/?ref=numericcitizen.me), as reported by 9To5Mac. It’s a ***MacBook*** using a screen to replace the traditional keyboard. Could this become the next iteration of the ***TouchBar***? Instead of being a stripe at the top of the keyboard, it’s the full thing. I’m not certain if it would be a success. People like physical keys. Recent changes to the MacBook line, that essentially undo five years of bad keyboard designs, should help dissipate any doubts. 4️⃣***Here’s to the crazy ones***. ***BasicAppleGuy*** is certainly one of them. This guy never ceases to impress with his work related to Apple tech. He recently published a piece about the use of the famous lines that Steve Jobs read during the ***Think Different*** ad campaign. Every Apple user can find these lines in plain sight. Don’t miss [this article](https://basicappleguy.com/basicappleblog/heres-to-the-crazy-ones?ref=numericcitizen.me) to find out where. It’s really the result of some great numerical archeologic work. 5️⃣ Not sure if you should ***upgrade*** to the ***iPhone 13***? Check this [clever upgrader guide](https://sixcolors.com/post/2021/09/the-iphone-13-an-upgraders-guide/?ref=numericcitizen.me), which will point you out which features you’ll get compared to the iPhone you currently own. The older your device, the better, obviously. ![](https://numeric-citizen-introspection.ghost.io/content/images/2021/11/NCI-Sections-Banners-003-1.jpg) As photographers, what should we make of the once-popular [**iPhone photography contest**](https://www.ippawards.com/?ref=numericcitizen.me)? Well, not too much according to Shawn King of [The Loop](https://www.loopinsight.com/2020/07/22/be-wary-of-the-iphone-photography-awards/?ref=numericcitizen.me). Dubious jury composition, pay-to-play business model, scarce information on social media accounts, and finally: > The 2020 iPhone Photograph Awards “Photographer of the Year” Dimpy Bhalotia’s “Flying Boys” photo also won 2nd place in the “Movement/Street Photography” category of the International Photography Awards. *But the rules of the IPPAwards say photos can’t have been posted elsewhere. Ooops*. In summary, if you want to submit your best work as a photographer to a photo contest, maybe there are better alternatives. Try **500px’s Quests**, you have to be a paying member of 500px, but submitting your photos is free. [Unsplash](https://unsplash.com/awards?ref=numericcitizen.me) is a completely free service, and submitting photos is also free. Please do yourself a favour, and don’t start playing GuruShots. I wrote about this in [GuruShots Tips and Tricks Guide — The 2021 Edition — Part I](https://numericcitizen.me/2021/02/07/gurushots-tips-and-tricks-guide-the-2021-edition-part-i/) and [GuruShots Tips and Tricks Guide — The 2021 Edition — Part 2](https://numericcitizen.me/2021/02/10/gurushots-tips-and-tricks-guide-the-2021-edition-part-2/). If you like historical photos, take a few moments to appreciate this montage. Old family photos were overlaid on modern views of the same place where the original photos were taken. It’s a great idea in my opinion and the results are quite something. > I've taken some old family photos of my Grandparents, Great-Grandparents and Great-Great-Grandparents at various sites in Clapham and Hammersmith between 1905 the end of WWII and overlaid them onto modern views of of the locations. [pic.twitter.com/5PAbzvPENm](https://t.co/5PAbzvPENm?ref=numericcitizen.me) > > — BabelColour (@StuartHumphryes) [April 16, 2021](https://twitter.com/StuartHumphryes/status/1382980781488934912?ref%5Fsrc=twsrc%5Etfw&ref=numericcitizen.me) Here is a nice and very touching YouTube video (“***Float***”) entirely shot with the iPhone 13 Pro. A professional videographer would probably see numerous visual imperfections, but for most people, it won’t matter. The story will matter. Considering this was done with a smartphone, it’s quite incredible. I’ll close this section with a visual peek at something that I’m working on. It will take a full year to complete. [Enjoy the start of it](https://numericcitizen.me/photo-legend-29/). ![Something that I'm working on](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/2021/11/My-Post.png) Something that I'm working on ![](https://numeric-citizen-introspection.ghost.io/content/images/2021/11/NCI-Sections-Banners-004-1.jpg) Here is something we’re going to see more and more. > Expect more of this. [pic.twitter.com/xD8CBr2IDc](https://t.co/xD8CBr2IDc?ref=numericcitizen.me) > > — Horace Dediu (@asymco) [November 12, 2021](https://twitter.com/asymco/status/1459071206154551316?ref%5Fsrc=twsrc%5Etfw&ref=numericcitizen.me) ![](https://numeric-citizen-introspection.ghost.io/content/images/2021/11/NCI-Sections-Banners-005-1.jpg) 9to5Mac has published a useful guide on [how to use two-factors features in macOS Monterey](https://9to5mac.com/2021/11/16/use-safari-password-manager-and-2fa-autofill/?ref=numericcitizen.me). On ***macOS***, ***Safari*** is the only way to manage your passwords. I’ll refrain from using Apple’s solution for ***two-factors setup*** until Apple builds a real password manager application for all its platforms. Until then, I’ll have to stay on [1Password](https://1password.com/?ref=numericcitizen.me) and [Authy](https://authy.com/?ref=numericcitizen.me). Things are getting ugly in the ***ransomware*** “business” as [attackers are setting a hefty price tags](https://therecord.media/revil-gang-asks-70-million-to-decrypt-systems-locked-in-kaseya-attack/?ref=numericcitizen.me) to end an attack. The fascinating [story](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/REvil?ref=numericcitizen.me) of the ***REvil group*** is documented on Wikipedia. REvil group was operating on the Ransomeware-as-a-service (RaaS) business model. ![](https://numeric-citizen-introspection.ghost.io/content/images/2021/11/NCI-Sections-Banners-006-1.jpg) > A common mistake I see in UI work is fades/transitions taking too long. UI should work in "game time", not "cinematic time". A transition should happen as fast as an impatient user can button mash–a small-integer number of frames. — ***John Carmack*** > Lies are free on the internet while the truth is behind a paywall. — ***Nathan J. Robinson*** > Meta is just a way to metastasize our social cancer aka Facebook. — ***Om Malick*** ![](https://numeric-citizen-introspection.ghost.io/content/images/2021/11/NCI-Sections-Banners-007-1.jpg) 1️⃣ Dear ***Zuck***, I don’t want this future. The future you are envisioning isn’t mine and won’t ever be mine. > The future no one wants brought to you by the guy no one likes — [@Meta](https://twitter.com/Meta?ref%5Fsrc=twsrc%5Etfw&ref=numericcitizen.me) [pic.twitter.com/rUXvMlwDa6](https://t.co/rUXvMlwDa6?ref=numericcitizen.me) > > — jason@calacanis.com (@Jason) [November 16, 2021](https://twitter.com/Jason/status/1460729270435680257?ref%5Fsrc=twsrc%5Etfw&ref=numericcitizen.me) 2️⃣ I really wish I knew [these lessons and tips](https://world.hey.com/michaelhe/basic-college-first-year-lessons-f9552c29?ref=numericcitizen.me) when I was attending college and university. Even though many are related to being in a pandemic, others apply at any time while at school. My favourite one: ***learn something you care about***. 3️⃣ ***I admire Microsoft***’s efforts in trying to be on their own with the Surface. Head to this summary of Microsoft’s announcements [here](https://www.macrumors.com/2021/09/22/microsoft-surface-laptop-studio-and-duo-2/?ref=numericcitizen.me). 4️⃣ ***Maintaining a blog or a newsletter is such a fragile endeavour***. I can see myself in the same boat in the future, far, far away. I guess everything comes to an end eventually. Is this [the last post](https://inessential.com/2021/10/04/in%5Fcase%5Fi%5Fdont%5Fwrite%5Fhere%5Fagain?ref=numericcitizen.me) on ***Brent Simmons***’ blog? 5️⃣ Speaking of writing, It is interesting to think about how ***writing habits*** evolve as we get older. [Writing is mostly a reflection of our personal interests](https://om.co/2021/08/07/where-did-the-words-go/?ref=numericcitizen.me). ![](https://numeric-citizen-introspection.ghost.io/content/images/2021/11/NCI-Sections-Banners-008-1.jpg) It seems ***we’re not done with COVID yet***. Consider this map of COVID infections in the US between August and November. WTF? > Almost opposites [pic.twitter.com/I3owU5PKse](https://t.co/I3owU5PKse?ref=numericcitizen.me) > > — Eric Topol (@EricTopol) [November 7, 2021](https://twitter.com/EricTopol/status/1457438899580456968?ref%5Fsrc=twsrc%5Etfw&ref=numericcitizen.me) [***Omicron***](https://www.bbc.com/news/health-59418127?ref=numericcitizen.me), a new virus variant, is out. Many countries are re-enabling measures to try to control the contamination, as they don’t know how deadly the new variant is. Symptoms of infected people are extremely mild, apparently [according to Dr. Angelique Coetzee](https://www.bbc.com/news/av/uk-59450988?ref=numericcitizen.me). On a more positive note, I decided to back this Kickstarter Project: [a book about application icons](https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/flarup/the-ios-app-icon-book?ref=numericcitizen.me) by Michael Flarup “***The iOS App Icon Book***”, a famous icon designer from Denmark who worked at Apple. --- This concludes the Numeric Citizen Introspection Newsletter #16 for November 2021\. This is the first issue to come out of my new home, as previously [announced on my Substack page](https://numericcitizen.substack.com/p/moving-out-of-substack/comments). Support my work through [PayPal](https://paypal.me/numericcitizen?locale.x=en%5FUS&ref=numericcitizen.me) or by becoming a paid member here. Thanks a lot for your support. Sign up [here](https://numeric-citizen-introspection.ghost.io/?ref=numericcitizen.me#portal) 🙏🏻 ### When Tech Gadgets Can’t Connect — Observations and Thoughts From the Offline World URL: https://numericcitizen.me/when-tech-gadgets-cant-connect-observations-and-thoughts-from-the-offline-world/ Last updated: 2023-03-23T16:48:02.000Z ![Using an iPhone while in Airplane mode](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/numericcitizen.me/wp-content/uploads/2021/11/three-apps-in-offline-mode.jpg) Using an iPhone while in Airplane mode I recently went to [Mexico for a vacation](https://numericcitizen.micro.blog/2021/11/20/my-current-status.html?ref=numericcitizen.me), which is a 5-hour flight from home. In this blog post, I want to share some observations while using an iPhone, an iPad, or a MacBook in an offline world, for the flight duration. - Getting ready for the flight required thinking ahead of what I will do. Will I watch a movie, or will I prefer to listen to music? What if I want to do some photo editing in Lightroom? In any case, syncing content locally to all my devices is mandatory to prevent any frustration in flight. - Lightroom CC provides an easy way to mark an album for local storage. Apple TV application provides a way to download before going offline. The same goes for Apple Music. But for apps like Matter, things get trickier. - The first thing that failed me was ATV+ which could not play a downloaded episode of “For All Mankind” that I previously started to watch on another device at home. I couldn’t make it work, regardless of what I tried. Big fail. - The read later application, Matter, couldn’t save my readings. There were no visual cues that I was working offline. Speaking of user feedbacks, in general, offline statuses are inconsistent from one application to another. Most of the applications will display something like “Can’t fetch data” instead of “You’re offline, can’t fetch any data for now.” Even within Apple’s News widget offers an inconsistent feedback from “Couldn’t Load Stories” to “Apple News is Offline”. - Apple’s Photos is terrible. With iCloud Photos Library syncing, I cannot count on this to be able to edit photos on my MacBook Air while on the plane, even if the option to keep originals local. - Timery couldn’t start any time tracking counters because it relies on Toggl, a web service. It was a good occasion to stop tracking my time for the duration of my vacation, [which I resumed once back home](https://twitter.com/apple%5Fobserver/status/1464950351262633984?s=20&ref=numericcitizen.me). - I’m not a big gamer, but I wanted to play Cut The Rope, the Arcades+ version. Upon startup, I was granted with an iCloud Error message saying that my game progress might not be saved. - [The excellent Flighty application](https://numericcitizen.me/2019/07/27/my-review-of-flighty-and-comments-on-flight-trackers-in-general/) mostly works, but flight tracking of my own flight looks to be an estimation rather than an actual tracking. ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/numericcitizen.me/wp-content/uploads/2021/11/img_9949.jpg) Overall, the offline world can be a source of frustration, depending on the use cases and applications. Apple Music provides an easy way to look for downloaded music. Lightroom provides an easy way to keep a photo album locally for edit. Other than that, the experience varies quite a lot. ### Photo Legend #29 — Shapes, Shades and Colours of Fall URL: https://numericcitizen.me/photo-legend-29/ Last updated: 2024-08-14T11:54:21.000Z ![Shapes, Shades and Colours of Fall](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/2021/11/2x2x4-All-leafs.jpg) Shapes, Shades and Colours of Fall Here is a special project to be published under the [Photo Legend series](https://numericcitizen.me/tag/photo-legend-series/). Over the next 12 months, using my iPhone 13 Pro macro photography mode, I'll take a very close look at each season. Starting this fall, this is stage one of a four stages project. When thinking about the fall season, what comes up to your mind? The colder weather? Birds emigrating from your region? The shortening of daylight hours? The changing colours of a forest? For me, that’s the most interesting part, from a photography standpoint, the slow transformation of the living vegetal life. This mandatory passage offers so many photography opportunities. With the macro photography mode available on the iPhone 13 Pro, capturing the many shades, shapes and colours of fall offer a unique view on this season. This is something that wasn’t possible for me with my current camera gear ### How it was done Besides the use of my iPhone 13 Pro, ***Lightroom CC*** and ***Adobe Spark*** was used to process and create the photo montage (don’t miss [My Review of Adobe Spark Post)](https://numericcitizen.me/2019/06/09/my-review-of-adobe-spark-post/). All photos come from my neighbourhood. The first version of the montage was using four 2 x 3 panels individually created with Adobe Spark. Each panel with a mix of styles by alternatively using leaf closeups with a variety of other views of dying vegetal. I wasn't satisfied with the results. I think it is because it lacked some form of uniformity, which I thought could be more pleasing to the eyes. I finally came up with this version using thin white spacing instead of black. Which one do you prefer? Winter is coming soon. Snow is already showing up. Don’t miss the previous posts in the Photo Legend Series. [Photo Legend Series - Numeric Citizen IntrospectionA collection of posts from the hugely popular and legendary photo legend series.![](https://numericcitizen.me/favicon.png)Numeric Citizen IntrospectionJF Martin![](https://images.unsplash.com/photo-1554136545-2f288e8cf4bb?crop=entropy&cs=tinysrgb&fit=max&fm=jpg&ixid=MnwxMTc3M3wwfDF8c2VhcmNofDI1fHxwaG90b2dyYXBoeXxlbnwwfHx8fDE2MzY5MjMxNjI&ixlib=rb-1.2.1&q=80&w=2000)](https://numericcitizen.me/tag/photo-legend-series/) ### Friday Notes #51 — Slowing Everything Down URL: https://numericcitizen.me/friday-notes-51/ Last updated: 2021-11-28T21:05:37.000Z I write this on my iPad while being on vacation. I’m right in the middle of this much-needed and well-deserved vacation week. My time so far has been spent going to the beach, relaxing, meeting new friends, and enjoying what I’ve got and life in general. [I didn’t track any of my time this week](https://twitter.com/apple%5Fobserver/status/1462780941345169413?s=21&ref=numericcitizen.me). I feel relieved. It wasn’t supposed to be a burden. I feel like if everything is slowing down. Nothing too demanding was on my to-do list. I didn’t read much, something we usually do while on vacation, right? I didn’t write much either, except for this short post—I wouldn’t want to break my publishing streak. I continued working on the next issue of [my newsletter](https://numericcitizen.me/tag/newsletter/). Furthermore, I did spend some time on Twitter and read some of my RSS feeds, just to feel connected a bit. It appears to me that we are in a slow news period. I feel it would be better not to look too far in front of me, just in case I would start thinking about my return to work or about Christmas and everything that goes with it. I certainly don’t want to accelerate time. I prefer to think about the photos that I’ll process when I return home. Some of them will probably end up in [my Photo Legend Series](https://numericcitizen.me/tag/photo-legend-series/). Meanwhile, let me hit ***publish*** and start thinking about the next post in the Friday Notes series that will mark a year of existence. ### Friday Notes #50 — Already at Fifty URL: https://numericcitizen.me/friday-notes-50/ Last updated: 2023-10-06T21:39:07.000Z This is post number fifty in the Friday Notes Series. Time has come to reflect on the purpose of this series. [When I started this series](https://medium.com/numeric-citizen-tidbits/lets-the-friday-notes-series-begin-af400c8a0959?ref=numericcitizen.me), initially started on [my Medium page](https://numericcitizen.medium.com/?ref=numericcitizen.me), then moved to HEY, then Substack and now here, I didn’t really know where it would go. Here is what I wrote back then: > Each Friday, I’ll share some reflections and thoughts on things that caught my attention during the week. It was supposed to be mainly about Apple, photography, etc. It didn’t pan out as first announced. With time, it became more apparent to me. The Friday notes series is the occasion to reflect and write on more personal subjects. I try to be cautious about what I share online when it comes to my personal life. Sure, I share photos of my experiences. Still, it is always done from a distance, like sharing some thoughts about [sources of inspiration in my life](https://numericcitizen.me/friday-notes-48/). I rarely share details involving my professional life or any of my family members, for example. Sure, there are exceptions. Life can sometimes be challenging. Back in March of this year, I lost my dear father. [I wrote about it](https://numericcitizen.me/friday-notes-17-the-passing-of-time-c7931137/). I had great pictures of him, one in particular that I shared because it evoked something that I find universal. Here it is again. ![My sister's hand holding my father's hand](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/2021/11/IMG_7934.jpeg) My sister's hand holding my father's hand Still related to my father, I wrote about the week before the [farewell weekend](https://numericcitizen.me/friday-notes-36/) and then the [weekend](https://numericcitizen.me/friday-notes-37/) where we, as a family, paid the last tribute to him. It was highly emotional, and we were anxiously awaiting it. Finally, on the day of my birthday, on September 4th, I wrote about a very [personal and unexpected gift](https://numericcitizen.me/friday-notes-40/). I like opening up more about my personal life. A recent post shows me [in 1986](https://numericcitizen.me/friday-notes-47/) in front of a Macintosh computer. Finally, in [this post](https://numericcitizen.me/friday-notes-18-what-will-be-my-legacy-28e045e6/), I reflect on what could be my legacy. There, you have it; this series became more personal, and I like it this way. Looking forward, I want this series to continue to flourish. I want each writing session leading to a post to become the occasion to pause, take the time, and reflect on more personal subjects. I have the feeling that people might like it when we open up a bit. Am I right? Don’t miss the previous post in this series. [Friday Notes #49 — Another Source of InspirationGoing on a trip soon, after a two years pause. #inspiration #photography #writing![](https://numericcitizen.me/favicon.png)Numeric Citizen IntrospectionJF Martin![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/2021/11/https---bucketeer-e05bbc84-baa3-437e-9518-adb32be77984.s3.amazonaws.com-public-images-ffdc6eb9-36aa-4649-8d89-180e930d78a5_2880x2880.jpeg)](https://numericcitizen.me/friday-notes-49/) `This post was written on a MacBook Air, at first while being at home, then while on the plane heading to Mexico.` Thanks for visiting, being a subscriber and spending a portion of your precious time reading my work. 🙏🏻 ಠᴗಠ JF Martin aka ***Numeric Citizen*** ### A New Home for the Numeric Citizen Introspection Newsletter URL: https://numericcitizen.me/a-new-home-for-the-numeric-citizen-introspection-newsletter/ Last updated: 2023-10-06T21:38:51.000Z ***Big news*** — I’m excited to announce that my newsletters have a new home here, on Ghost! Read [the official announcement](https://numericcitizen.substack.com/p/moving-out-of-substack) of moving out of Substack. The migration was much smoother than I was expecting. Most of my content has been migrated here. I may tweak a few things here and there, but my migration is 95% complete. Starting today, Ghost will be my go-to solution for creating the next issues of my [*Numeric Citizen Introspection*](https://numericcitizen.me/tag/newsletter/) newsletter, but also for all future posts of the [*Friday Notes Series*](https://numericcitizen.me/tag/friday-notes-series/) and the [*Photo Legend Series*](https://numericcitizen.me/tag/photo-legend-series/). Also, expect a more detailed explanation post on the [Numeric Citizen I/O blog](https://numericcitizen.io/?ref=numericcitizen.me) about my decision to leave Substack behind. It was a nice ride, on top of not having a way to publish content from an application like Ulysses, it didn’t bring the exposure and visibility I was expecting. In a previous [experiment with Ghost](https://numericcitizen.me/2020/05/09/my-ghost-experiment/), I was not too fond of it because my envisioned use case (photography sharing) wasn’t in line with Ghost’s forte. However, for creating newsletters, it’s another story. While doing some tests this weekend, it was clear that Ghost was up to the task and then some! It didn’t take too long to make a decision. I hope you enjoy the ride with me here! `This post was created on my M1 Mac mini using Ulysses (something I couldn’t do when publishing new content on Substack)` ### Like the Dislike — Put the Decision in Creator’s Hands URL: https://numericcitizen.me/like-the-dislike-put-the-decision-in-creators-hands/ Last updated: 2023-03-23T16:48:02.000Z ![Photo by Karsten Winegeart on Unsplash](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/numericcitizen.me/wp-content/uploads/2021/11/karsten-winegeart-60gsdomrfgc-unsplash-2.jpg) Photo by Karsten Winegeart on Unsplash So, [YouTube will remove the dislike button](https://blog.youtube/news-and-events/update-to-youtube/?ref=numericcitizen.me) soon from its platform. In one of his [recent video](https://youtu.be/CaaJyRvvaq8?ref=numericcitizen.me), the popular YouTuber, Marques Brownlee, expresses his dissatisfaction about Google’s decision. His view echos mine. I’m not a big consumer of YouTube content, but when I do spend time there, I want to spend it on good quality content. The like / dislike ratio is an important indicator for me, and I suspect it is for many people. > We heard during the experiment that some of you have used the public dislike count to help decide whether or not to watch a video. We know that you might not agree with this decision, but we believe that this is the right thing to do for the platform. I think the content creators should play a bigger role in all this: let them decide. The same way a blogger can turn off the comment section at the end of each blog post, people’s reactions on each video could be turned off by the author’s decision. In fact, I would argue that the ultimate decision to allow likes and dislikes should be held by the content creators. Simple as that. Make it an opt-in or opt-out default, but put the decision in creator’s hands. I would go as far as saying that the counters could stay private to the author if he or she decides so. > To me, one of the best rewarding indicator is the one that shows how far users are watching videos. They may agree or disagree, but as soon as they watch most of it, anything else is irrelevant. I wonder if this decision by YouTube better serves their interests. I mean, without any ratio indicator, users have no choice but to start to play the video to decide if it is worth the time. This simple change makes people spend more time on the platform. Or is it the other way around and users will instead look at the comments to get a better idea of the video quality? I doubt it, as reading takes too much time to decide. People are busy, their attention span is short, a quick glance at the like dislike ratio is the way to go. Once the decision to let people react to a video is made, then the platform could finally make it available only if the user watch “most of” the video. That no rocket science. There are probably other tricks that could be played to better control what’s going on in user’s reactions. But at this stage, it seems closer to be only implementation details. As for the creator’s mental health issue, again, I would argue that if they tend to rely too much on the likes to feel rewarded, they could turn off the option. That’s something that could help [others](https://gregmorris.co.uk/blog/do-i-like-likes/?ref=numericcitizen.me) in dealing with this. Glass, a photo sharing service, didn’t provide a like button from day one and doesn’t plan to add one. Is it good? Well, it depends. One thing is clear, from the comments I’m seeing posted by others, I have to ask myself: what is the difference between getting dozens of “I love it” or hitting the “like” button? Not much. ### Upgrading From the iPhone 11 Pro to iPhone 13 Pro — the Love Story Continues URL: https://numericcitizen.me/upgrading-from-the-iphone-11-pro-to-iphone-13-pro-the-love-story-continues/ Last updated: 2026-05-23T14:58:20.000Z ![A Streak of Delight from the iPhone 7 to the iPhone 13 Pro](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/numericcitizen.me/wp-content/uploads/2021/11/iphone7-iphone11pro-iphone13pro.png) A Streak of Delight from the iPhone 7 to the iPhone 13 Pro After two years with the iPhone 11 Pro, which I loved, it was time for me to upgrade my most portable camera. Yep, you got it right, I’m referring to the iPhone as my camera. Skipping the iPhone 12 Pro last year certainly helped me find the cameras upgrade rewarding. ## Why upgrade from the iPhone 11 Pro? Let’s recap why I decided to upgrade this year. First and foremost, the upgraded cameras are the number one reason. Compared to the iPhone 11 Pro, they represent significant iterations, especially the ultra-wide and the telephoto, which is now 3x instead of 2x. In addition, they allow for more light to come in, which is the most important thing about any camera. Coupled with updated computational photography processing, the iPhone 13 Pro generally allows for better photos and addresses quite a few more edge cases in darker scenarios, for example. The next reason is the upgraded design of the device in general. For me, one of the best designs Apple ever came up with for the iPhone was the black iPhone 5\. The iPhone 13 is very reminiscent of this design. I prefer flat edges for the in-hands feeling while taking photos. The boxier form enables better internal space occupation for critical components like the battery. I consider the screen to be part of the fundamental design of the iPhone. Having ProMotion finally for the iPhone enhances the iPhone experience without compromising the battery life, thanks to its variable refresh rate of 10 Hz to 120 Hz. The increase in maximum brightness and surface durability are notable enhancements, improving the iPhone usage in general. > Upgrading to the iPhone 13 Pro provides the same sense of enlightenment as when I upgraded from the iPhone 7 to the iPhone 11 Pro. ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/numericcitizen.me/wp-content/uploads/2021/11/the-iphone11pro-the-iphone13pro.jpg) Next up is faster networking, in general, was the other reason, but as working from home will be the norm, I’m not going to take advantage of it as much as I could. My non-scientific testing in Montreal proves to be a big deception. The marketing around 5G is way too much intense compared to the actual difference it can provide in real-life scenarios[1](#fn1). MagSafe is the icing on the cake. I bought the Apple’s [Wireless charger](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/MagSafe%5F%28smartphones%29?ref=numericcitizen.me) and I love it. When I put my iPhone on it, it provides the same satisfaction as when I put my Apple Watch for recharge. However, I’m unsure what else I could get in the MagSafe space to improve my iPhone 13 experience. I came close to going with the Max this time around. But after looking at both devices side by side in the Apple Store, I came out with a deceptive mood. I thought the Max didn’t provide a meaningful difference in the amount of information it can display compared to the non-Max version. Finally, battery life is another reason to upgrade. Battery health on my iPhone 11 Pro was at 89%. Buying a new phone does make a difference, but better power management too. Overall, I’m ok with what I’m getting out of my device during the day, and I don’t have to worry about battery life. ## Usual Upgrade procedure ![While Apple is processing my iPhone 13 Pro order](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/numericcitizen.me/wp-content/uploads/2021/11/gettingready-iphone13pro.jpg) While Apple is processing my iPhone 13 Pro order There are a few different ways to switch from an older iPhone to a shiny new one. Initially, I was planning to upgrade by following the following steps. 1. Make sure my Apple Watch is running the latest version of watchOS. 2. Make sure my iPhone is running the latest release of iOS 15. 3. Apply all the pending application updates. 4. Unpair all my Apple Watch, one after the other. 5. Disable Okta Verify from the Okta portal at work. 6. Disable Synology Access from my Synology NAS configuration. 7. Make sure Authy is working and synchronizing on my iPad and Mac mini. 8. Restore using iCloud backups. At step four, the unpairing of the Apple Watch didn’t produce the expected backup. I was left with an un-configured Apple Watch, and I was left [frustrated by this experience](https://numericcitizen.me/2021/09/24/frustrations-while-backing-up-my-apple-watch/). Then, I came across [this article](https://daringfireball.net/linked/2021/09/24/how-to-set-up-a-new-iphone-or-ipad?ref=numericcitizen.me) from John Gruber’s website. > Device-to-device is better because it moves over all your login credentials. When you restore from an iCloud backup, you wind up logged out of a lot of apps on the new device. When you restore device-to-device, almost everything moves over. I know there are [exceptions](https://twitter.com/renefouquet/status/1441259286177325063?ref=numericcitizen.me), but I don’t think I bounced into a single app that didn’t keep me fully logged in this week. If you tried device-to-device a few years ago and found it lacking, try it again now — Apple has improved this process every year since it debuted. Worst case scenario, you can always start over and use iCloud backup. The revised device switching procedure becomes something like this: 1. Set up the iPhone with the minimal steps. 2. Make sure my iPhone is running the latest release of iOS 15\. One update was available. Apply. 3. Reset the iPhone to factory settings. 4. On the older iPhone, apply all the pending application updates. — Probably not needed as all apps are re-downloaded from the App Store. 5. Turn on new iPhone while being close to the old one. 6. Use the old iPhone to answer the prompt for setting up the new iPhone. 7. Select to use direct device to device data and settings transfer. 8. Let the transfer complete (about 90 minutes). The reason for the first step is related to a last-minute update Apple made available, which was destined at fixing a bug with widgets settings being reset after a restore operation. I wanted to avoid being exposed to this bug, so I made sure to upgrade the iPhone to the latest build of iOS 15\. It was the first time that I had used the device-to-device restore process. I’m excited to report that this will be the way to go for the next upgrades. After the transfer, I had to add back some of my cards in the wallet and set “Hey Siri” again since I prefer the French Canadian language, but the initial device Language was set to English. Face ID needed to be reset too. Some two-factors authentication apps needed to be reconfigured. One is Okta, the other is Synology Secure Access which I use to log in to my Synology DS720+ device. These steps were quick and easy. Oh, Is the cached data for photos still present? YES. What about my downloaded music? Mostly gone. Why? I guess it is good for music as the re-downloaded music will use the lossless and Dolby audio format, which takes more space. ## Reviews of reviews It’s been a while since the iPhone 13 came out. Most of the published reviews address the following subjects: - Improved screen. ProMotion with variable refresh rate of up to 120 Hz was worth the wait. - Cameras upgrades, both physical and software features, are important, even coming from the iPhone 12 Pro. I’m coming from the iPhone 11 Pro. - Much longer battery life, which seems to be a home run as this iPhone has more power hungry features like the ProMotion display. - For those who think this year’s iPhone are only incremental upgrades? It is. But, [it’s been going on since 2007](https://t.co/Z2DGpEzsNK?ref=numericcitizen.me). ## Closing remarks ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/numericcitizen.me/wp-content/uploads/2021/11/the-iphone13pro-cameras.jpg) The upgrade experience has evolved over the years. Now, when you order a new iPhone through the Apple Store application, you get a notification at some point on your older device to get ready for the upgrade. I find this integration of services on the Apple side to make a difference for the experience on the end-user side. The device-to-device transfer is also getting better and faster, provided your Wi-Fi network can keep up. I don’t expect to use iCloud backups in the future. I’ve been using the iPhone 13 Pro for a while now, and I’m thrilled to report that I’m happy with this iPhone iteration. As the iPhone is maturing, it’s good to skip a generation to better appreciate the improvements and design tweaks. In addition, the iPhone 13 Pro turns out to be a worthwhile update when upgrading from the iPhone 11 Pro. --- `This blog post was written on my 2018 11” iPad Pro | 2020 M1 MacBook Air | M1 Mac mini using Craft | Ulysses`. 1. To be able to use the 5G network, I had to change my wireless plan. It doesn’t cost more but the packaging of services is different. [↩](#ffn1) ### Friday Notes #49 — Another Source of Inspiration URL: https://numericcitizen.me/friday-notes-49/ Last updated: 2021-11-15T11:53:28.000Z It seems that creativity is relentless for me. It’s particularly intense while on vacation. In a few days, I will be on vacation in Mexico. This is my first trip abroad in almost two years. Can you imagine that? I sometimes have the impression that COVID has taken us two years of our collective lives. It’s crazy how time passes quickly, [even during a pandemic](https://500ish.com/the-essence-of-time-d982a4278009?ref=numericcitizen.me). That said, for me, holidays are always a source of inspiration of all kinds. And so, It is with enthusiasm that I’m counting the days that separate me from my next departure, on November 18. Holidays allow me to enter a contemplative mode, which arouses my inspiration and consequently stimulates my creativity. Naturally, photography is the first to benefit from this effervescence but also writing at different times of the day. This is how I disconnect from the rest, work and all the worries that occupy my life. I always come back from travel with lots of ideas for articles to publish, photos to process. Sometimes I tell myself that as long as I am creative, I will be alive. And it feels good to be alive. --- Note: this post was first written in French, then I used Apple’s translation to translate it into English. I wanted to see if writing in French first would make it easier for me. It merely does so. One last thing, [I’ll leave my camera gear behind for this trip](https://numericcitizen.me/friday-notes-45/). ### Friday Notes #48 — Finding Inspiration And Delight URL: https://numericcitizen.me/friday-notes-48/ Last updated: 2021-11-15T11:54:30.000Z The internet is a fantastic world for finding inspirational work in so many art forms. For example, I recently read [this article from BasicAppleGuy](https://basicappleguy.com/basicappleblog/iphone-13-pro-amsterdam?ref=numericcitizen.me), who recently spent a week visiting Amsterdam with his iPhone 13 Pro. His article includes his best shots of Amsterdam, with quick notes accompanying each photo. > “Going to Amsterdam has been something I've wanted to do for years. And after learning a bit of difficult medical news of a family member earlier this year, the importance of making the items on our bucket lists a reality was put into new perspective. Europe, particularly visiting The Netherlands, was on that list.” — BasicAppleGuy My preferred photos are **the bike** (for the tone, subject and composition), **the palace** (for the angle, the symmetry, the architecture), **the leaves** (for the angle, the bokeh effect). But, the best of all are the two shots taken with [Spectre](https://apps.apple.com/us/app/spectre-camera/id1450074595?ref=numericcitizen.me) from the same developers of the excellent Halide camera application. One photo was taken in a museum, the other on the street, while a tram was passing by the photographer. Wow. These photos are up there in terms of subject selection, composition, treatment. BasicAppleGuy is not only a fan of everything Apple, but he is really good at photography and graphic design, as a writer and Apple-related stories as you can judge from his website—a must in your list of blogs to follow. I’m wondering if [my photography work](https://numericcitizen.smugmug.com/?ref=numericcitizen.me) has been the source of inspiration for others. I certainly hope so. Let me know in the comments section below or just by hitting the heart icon. Thanks in advance for your feedback. ### Which Device I Use and for What? URL: https://numericcitizen.me/which-device-i-use-and-for-what/ Last updated: 2024-08-08T10:10:56.000Z ![My tracked time summary for the month of October, 2021](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/numericcitizen.me/wp-content/uploads/2021/11/thismonth.png) My tracked time summary for October 2021 I love statistics and numbers as well as doing some introspection on my habits, [my workflows](https://world.numericcitizen.io/content-creator-workflow-update-as-of-2023-11?ref=numericcitizen.me), [the tools I use and potential optimizations of them](https://numericcitizen.io/?ref=numericcitizen.me). So here are a few interesting numbers coming out of [my time tracking](https://numericcitizen.me/2021/09/19/why-and-how-im-tracking-time-with-toggl/) for the month of October 2021\. The following charts are summaries of my tracked time by device type. ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/numericcitizen.me/wp-content/uploads/2021/11/whichdeviceforwhat.png) I wouldn’t read too much into these numbers, yet quite a few interesting observations can be drawn from these numbers. - The MacBook Air is my preferred device for anything (before, it was a split between my M1 Mac mini and my iPad Pro). So, I was right in buying a MacBook Air: read “[Coming Out of a Rabbit Hole and Buying Two MacBook Air](https://numericcitizen.me/2021/09/01/coming-out-of-a-rabbit-hole-and-buying-two-macbook-air/)”. - The Mac mini and MacBook Air are multi-purposes devices. Consequently, usage is spread out over many tasks and activities where publishing is taking a big portion of the time I spend on these devices. - My iPhone is often used for Twitter consumption. Surprisingly, I’m also reading quite a lot on the iPhone. Thanks to [Matter](https://getmatter.app/?ref=numericcitizen.me). - My usage of the iPhone is low compared to other devices as I’m commuting for my work only once a week. Time spent in public transportation is a prime moment for using the iPhone. But, it’s a thing of the past, it’s the new normal for me. - The iPad is mostly used for reading and YouTube videos consumption. That’s not really surprising, right? - I’m probably spending too much time on Twitter and could reduce this if I was more disciplined with [my Mailbrew usage](https://app.mailbrew.com/apple%5Fobserver?ref=numericcitizen.me). - About 90% of my time is spent as follow: publishing 35%, reading 30%, and 24% on social networks. The rest of my tracked time is spread among different less important activities. - The following diagram shows how skewed my tracked time is towards the MacBook Air. ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/numericcitizen.me/wp-content/uploads/2021/11/four-devices-usage.png) Those numbers were obtained with Toggl and Timery. Please, consider reading [how I am tracking my time](https://numericcitizen.me/2021/09/19/why-and-how-im-tracking-time-with-toggl/). Charts were created with release 1.3 of Timery. ### Photo Legend #28 - Details URL: https://numericcitizen.me/photo-legend-28/ Last updated: 2021-11-15T11:55:14.000Z I always found stained glass windows fascinating. They are primarily found in churches and cathedrals, which I also find fascinating and for which I pay high respect and attention. Paying attention can be rewarding as they always contain surprising details. You can look at [one example](https://unsplash.com/photos/kZjBucSSj2s?ref=numericcitizen.me) of a photographed stained glass window published on my Unsplash profile. ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/public/images/65c96c6a-0b85-47ca-a2b0-a1dcc7b19e66_960x1280.jpeg) During a recent visit to a small church in the neighbourhood where we stayed in [Niagara-falls-on-the-lake](https://numericcitizen.me/friday-notes-45/), I stumbled upon a simple stained glass window in the church entrance. I stopped and paid attention to the depicted scene of three persons, two men and a woman. My religious culture is close to nothing, so I’m not sure what this scene was referring to or if there is a special meaning to it. Yet, I love those scenes as they often convey story parts or a mood. I was fascinated by the expression on their faces showing sadness or admiration; I’m not sure. Using my iPhone 13 Pro, I tried to get closer and snapped a few pictures using the telephoto lens and then I tried doing some macro photography shots to capture specific details. ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/public/images/547ce2aa-be0a-48fe-b62a-b96be524774b_2754x1636.png) Click on the image to enlarge and read photo’s meta data It was with some apprehension that I glanced at my photos when I came back home. However, it didn’t take too long to select the best shots, then process them using Pixelmator Pro and create the following montage using Apple’s Keynote to illustrate the source of the details I wanted to make stand out. I’m pretty happy with the results. ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/public/images/58a97b2d-9b9a-44e0-a1ea-908ec337a45b_1280x991.jpeg) The final results ### Photo Legend #28 - Details URL: https://numericcitizen.me/photo-legend-28-2/ Last updated: 2026-08-31T11:21:14.000Z ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/image/fetch/f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https-3a-2f-2fbucketeer-e05bbc84-baa3-437e-9518-adb32be77984.s3.amazonaws.com-2fpublic-2fimages-2f7a504825-df6b-4548-a03e-1bcfada260a5_4032x2268.jpg) I always found stained glass windows fascinating. They are primarily found in churches and cathedrals, which I also find fascinating and for which I pay high respect and attention. Paying attention can be rewarding as they always contain surprising details. You can look at [one example](https://unsplash.com/photos/kZjBucSSj2s?ref=numericcitizen.me) of a photographed stained glass window published on my Unsplash profile. ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/image/fetch/f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https-3a-2f-2fbucketeer-e05bbc84-baa3-437e-9518-adb32be77984.s3.amazonaws.com-2fpublic-2fimages-2f65c96c6a-0b85-47ca-a2b0-a1dcc7b19e66_960x1280.jpg) During a recent visit to a small church in the neighbourhood where we stayed in [Niagara-falls-on-the-lake](https://numericcitizen.me/friday-notes-45/), I stumbled upon a simple stained glass window in the church entrance. I stopped and paid attention to the depicted scene of three persons, two men and a woman. My religious culture is close to nothing, so I’m not sure what this scene was referring to or if there is a special meaning to it. Yet, I love those scenes as they often convey story parts or a mood. I was fascinated by the expression on their faces showing sadness or admiration; I’m not sure. Using my iPhone 13 Pro, I tried to get closer and snapped a few pictures using the telephoto lens and then I tried doing some macro photography shots to capture specific details. ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/image/fetch/f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https-3a-2f-2fbucketeer-e05bbc84-baa3-437e-9518-adb32be77984.s3.amazonaws.com-2fpublic-2fimages-2f547ce2aa-be0a-48fe-b62a-b96be524774b_2754x1636.jpg) Click on the image to enlarge and read photo’s meta data It was with some apprehension that I glanced at my photos when I came back home. However, it didn’t take too long to select the best shots, then process them using Pixelmator Pro and create the following montage using Apple’s Keynote to illustrate the source of the details I wanted to make stand out. I’m pretty happy with the results. ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/image/fetch/f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https-3a-2f-2fbucketeer-e05bbc84-baa3-437e-9518-adb32be77984.s3.amazonaws.com-2fpublic-2fimages-2f58a97b2d-9b9a-44e0-a1ea-908ec337a45b_1280x991.jpg) Be sure to read the previous post in this photo legend series: A Room With a View. [Photo Legend #27 — A Room With a ViewIt was a wonderful early September day where summer is beginning to show signs of decline while signs of fall are pointing to the horizon. The weather was mild during the day but chilly during the night. The smell of the forest was so good, making me feel connected to it, being part of it and demanding a contemplative look. Capturing the scene is always…![](https://bucketeer-e05bbc84-baa3-437e-9518-adb32be77984.s3.amazonaws.com/public/images/2bbb147e-d67d-42b7-b484-e0b468236ae5_175x175.png)Numeric Citizen Introspection](https://numericcitizen.me/photo-legend-27/) [Leave a comment](#ghost-comments-root) ### Numeric Citizen Introspection Newsletter #15 URL: https://numericcitizen.me/2021-10/ Last updated: 2025-08-15T20:59:16.000Z ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/public/images/7c0e334d-624a-4722-b5c0-696da7e20d69_1392x132.jpeg) Posts ***highlights*** from [my Numeric Citizen Blog](https://numericcitizen.me/), [microblog](https://numericcitizen.micro.blog/?ref=numericcitizen.me), [my Medium page](https://numericcitizen.medium.com/?ref=numericcitizen.me) or finally from [my Numeric Citizen I/O](https://numericcitizen.io/?ref=numericcitizen.me) blog. ###### New MacBook Pros, finally A Few #***Unleashed*** [Observations](https://numericcitizen.micro.blog/2021/10/19/a-few-unleashed.html?ref=numericcitizen.me) About That #***AppleEvent***. Apple introduced another game-changer in the name of the new and long-awaited MacBook Pro with Apple Silicon. Reviews are unanimous. I had a [few observations](https://twitter.com/apple%5Fobserver/status/1454070739364024325?s=20&ref=numericcitizen.me) myself, after visiting the Apple Store. ###### Better Focus with iPadOS 15 and iOS 15 Learn [how to customize iPadOS 15 or iOS 15](https://numericcitizen.me/2021/10/17/better-focus-with-ipados-15-and-ios-15/) to ***better focus*** while working and create a more personalized experience using your iPad or iPhone. ###### Installing Adobe Lightroom CC from the Mac App Store Installing an application from the ***Mac App Store*** is different than installing from a website like, say, Adobe. I [wrote about my experience](https://numericcitizen.me/2021/10/30/installing-lightroom-cc-from-the-mac-app-store-or-from-adobe-whats-the-difference/) of installing Adobe ***Lightroom CC*** on my MacBook Air. ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/public/images/034d250c-e736-4487-98b0-6ca98f4cb7e6_1392x132.jpeg) 1️⃣ ***Apple and the supply chain***. [Apple is taking advantage of unfavourable supplies conditions around the world](https://9to5mac.com/2021/10/11/mac-shipments-grow-14-in-q3-ahead-of-new-macbook-pro-release/?ref=numericcitizen.me). What do you do if your Dell XPS laptops could take months to get to your door while an Apple MacBook is available in just a few weeks? Many buyers are probably just switching. Yet, they missed 6 billion in revenue last quarter. 2️⃣ The just-announced ***MacBook Pro with Apple Silicon*** has so many similarities with the PowerBook G4 Titanium from 2001, as shown in the following tweet. Both are great design examples. 3️⃣ The ***Apple Watch*** is a computer on your wrist, with a watch as the default application. The bigger the screen, the better. The Apple Series 7 is a great improvement from this perspective, as illustrated by the following tweet, comparing the device with the Series 6. > [](https://twitter.com/tomwarren/status/1448585347324157956?ref=numericcitizen.me) 4️⃣ What happened twenty years ago? ***The iPod***. [Apple released the original iPod](https://www.macrumors.com/2021/10/23/ipod-turns-20-anniversary/?ref=numericcitizen.me). It was the start of [something really big](https://www.cnet.com/features/inventing-the-ipod-how-really-big-risks-paid-off-for-apple/?ref=numericcitizen.me). I didn’t buy one because at the time I was using a Windows PC at home. Eventually, Apple made the iPod work with Windows with the release of iTunes. Then, I bought the third-generation iPod. For me, it was the start of my return to the Apple walled garden. The next thing that I bought was a 2005 white iMac. ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/public/images/29c06875-4c47-4762-9c89-c4d11ee1d32a_1600x900.jpeg) That was in 2001, the start of a new revolution. 5️⃣ Another ***blowout quarter for Apple***! Despite the ongoing supply issues plaguing the whole planet, Apple came out with impressive results. As always, refer to the SixColors website to get [all the details and charts](https://sixcolors.com/post/2021/10/apple-announces-record-fourth-quarter/?ref=numericcitizen.me). Conference call transcript with journalists is available at [MacRumors](https://www.macrumors.com/2021/10/28/apple-4q-2021-earnings/?ref=numericcitizen.me). [Subscribe now](https://numericcitizen.me/subscribe/) ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/public/images/09fd6250-3bc0-4420-8cef-24e9ea6079d9_1392x132.jpeg) ***Dune***, the movie, is out, on HBO. Judging by the reactions, people like the movie a lot. I can’t wait to see this movie made by [Denis Villeneuve](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Denis%5FVilleneuve?ref=numericcitizen.me), a film director from Quebec, Canada. I’m so proud of his previous work. Dune cements his position as one of the best film directors. The following tweet shows a night sky photo taken with the iPhone. Not bad, for a phone. Yet, it seems Google’s Pixel is still better at this. > [](https://twitter.com/johnkrausphotos/status/1445213913377824768?ref=numericcitizen.me) Don’t miss this video shot on the iPhone 13 Pro Max — Yosemite Finally, my [Glass profile](https://glass.photo/numericcitizen?ref=numericcitizen.me) is now live. [Leave a comment](https://numericcitizen.me/2021-10/comments) ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/public/images/b8ee2282-298c-4e4b-881a-8112749f638e_1392x132.jpeg) The [**COP36 conference**](https://ukcop26.org/?ref=numericcitizen.me) opens today. Countries are lining up to announce new initiatives and goals to fight the climate crisis. Companies like [Apple is getting ready and announce new programmes and targeted projects](https://nr.apple.com/dH5O1u4H4i?ref=numericcitizen.me): > “The company added 10 new projects for its first-of-a-kind Power for Impact initiative to bring clean energy solutions to communities around the world. These projects are designed to provide renewable power to under-resourced communities while supporting economic growth and social impact.” — Apple The question is: are those enough to make a difference and reverse such a profound trend? How can we stay positive in our capabilities to make a difference? According to [an article published by The Guardian](https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2021/oct/15/climate-crisis-cop26-bill-mckibben?ref=numericcitizen.me), there are two reasons to be positive: renewable energy prices are going down dramatically and people are more and more demanding changes. > “Those two strengths go up against the equally powerful bulwarks of the status quo: vested interest and inertia.” ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/public/images/27ec2cfd-15df-4f58-9b6d-fa2dd1de56ab_1392x132.jpeg) ***Apple’s plan to scan iCloud for child abuse images*** is old news, but the matter is still open for debate. ***Edward Snowden*** [is against it](https://edwardsnowden.substack.com/p/all-seeing-i). The problem, in summary, is that scanning your iPhone for images that meet child abuse criteria is seen as a privacy invasion because it happens on your iPhone, not in the cloud. This scanning of images is seen as being an open door for governments to ask for other types of content search. Apple declared they wouldn’t bend to government demands if they ever happen. Yet, in China, Russia and other parts of the world, [***Apple IS bending***](https://9to5mac.com/2021/09/17/apple-giving-into-russia-csam/?ref=numericcitizen.me) ***to government requests***. Apple is slowly losing credibility because of these moves. Even though, for me, scanning in the cloud or on the device doesn’t make a difference from a privacy invasion perspective. I’m more and more thinking they shouldn’t go ahead with CSAM. Yet, [Apple is seen as not trying hard enough to protect its customers](https://www.wired.com/story/nso-group-hacks-ios-android-observability/?ref=numericcitizen.me), from a ***cybersecurity*** perspective. Apple is a victim of his own image as being the guardian of high standards regarding privacy protection. Security is hard. One more thing, ***Facebook*** is now ***Meta***. I won’t include any external link to this news. Just remember this: Meta is Facebook. Facebook is still Facebook. A leadership and culture change is required but won’t happen anytime soon, I’m afraid. ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/public/images/c517ce3c-d252-4f67-b25a-c102166f44e9_1392x132.jpeg) > “Being private is different from being secure; privacy is a right, security is a choice.” — [**Kev Quirk**](https://kevq.uk/privacy-vs-i-have-nothing-to-hide/?ref=numericcitizen.me) > “Addiction is a progressive narrowing of the things that bring you joy” – **Andrew Huberman** > “The low key brilliant thing Apple is doing with [#AirTags](https://twitter.com/hashtag/AirTags?src=hash&ref=numericcitizen.me) is getting their logo on all the most important objects you use on a regular basis” — **Tyler Stalman** ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/public/images/ac47adf1-d3e4-4f89-8186-b36bedbbefe2_1392x132.jpeg) 1️⃣ Fascinating diagram that perfectly shows Apple under Tim Cook: Proliferation of price points. Small, normal, bigger, much bigger, in black, in white, in colours, etc. You get the idea, right? > [](https://twitter.com/asymco/status/1440298499753459721?ref=numericcitizen.me) 2️⃣ Why is it so hard to build ***digital products*** like a ***digital publication***? From navigating and searching content to unsubscribing, experiencing [digital publications can be a source of frustration](https://mondaynote.com/sorry-publishers-but-your-digital-products-suck-23ecd9084ba7?ref=numericcitizen.me). Speaking of digital publication, Paul Thurrott is wondering about how smart is Microsoft news in the following tweet. Digital news is hard. Ask Apple. > [](https://twitter.com/thurrott/status/1437903249496023041?ref=numericcitizen.me) 3️⃣ The saga over the crumbling ***1Password*** application continues: now with the [removable of the share sheet support](https://initialcharge.net/2021/10/1password-share-sheet/?ref=numericcitizen.me). They are really working had to push me to another password management solution. The problem is that I do have many passwords and moving to another platform is time-consuming. AgileBits knows this. 😒 4️⃣ [Google is leaving Material design behind](https://www.macrumors.com/2021/10/11/google-apps-for-ios-to-switch-to-uikit/?ref=numericcitizen.me) for all of its iOS applications. In other words, expect ***Google*** to release application updates in the coming months where they will adopt the UIKit visual language, making their applications look more native on the iPhone and iPad. Thank god. Google wants us to believe that UIKit is mature enough now, so they no longer need to recreate user interface elements themselves. [Give me a break](https://numericcitizen.micro.blog/2021/10/12/google-are-you.html?ref=numericcitizen.me). 🧐 5️⃣ ***Software development*** is a complex matter. The digital world moves fast and people aren’t willing to wait to get a new feature. Optimizing an application for different platforms is not regarded as bringing much value. That’s why ***cross-platforms frameworks*** exist: to ease software development, at the cost of denaturing each platform. [It’s an eternal debate, for sure](https://mjtsai.com/blog/2021/09/06/the-persistent-gravity-of-cross-platform/?ref=numericcitizen.me). 😒 ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/public/images/fec13da5-a372-43ad-8e5d-862d1d5c4366_1392x132.jpeg) [Selecting the best note-taking application](https://thenewsprint.co/2021/10/21/im-still-looking-for-a-note-taking-app/?ref=numericcitizen.me) seems a difficult goal to achieve. It’s a moving target. It reminds me of my own challenge with ***Craft***, ***Notion***, ***Apple’s Notes*** and my ***read-later services*** that I can’t decide which one to use. I’m super happy with Craft, and yet, I’m in search of a use case for ***Notion*** that keeps evolving and adding features. Are you a [weather freak like me](https://numericcitizen.me/2021/02/03/great-weather-apps-for-weather-enthusiasts/)? Well, you might take a look at this novel ***weather application***: [Weather on the way](https://www.weatherontheway.app/?ref=numericcitizen.me). This application will show you expected weather conditions along the path of your next road trip. It’s pretty cool. I wish I had it installed when [I visited Niagara-falls-on-the-lake](https://numericcitizen.me/friday-notes-45/). ***Vanmoof***, do you know the brand? It’s a maker of a popular bike. It looks cool and very classy. They recently announced a new ebike that should be available a year from now. [Announcing an unfinished product a year in advance doesn’t sound good to me.](https://numericcitizen.micro.blog/2021/10/12/ebikes-vanmoofv-what.html?ref=numericcitizen.me) Can you imagine if Apple was announcing an unfinished iPhone, which would ship in a year from now? [***Humane***](https://hu.ma.ne/?ref=numericcitizen.me), do you know the company and who’s behind it? Humane, a company that is still working to ship an actual product, looks very intriguing to me. Many people working there are from Apple. What about [***LoveFrom***](https://www.lovefrom.com/?ref=numericcitizen.me)? Well, again, very hard to tell what they are working on. Jony Ive is one of the founders. Remember Jony? Speaking of Jony, I wonder if he saw the following YouTube video. 😂 Still not vaccinated? I have a few words for you: [get vaccinated or just fuck off](https://www.mcsweeneys.net/articles/oh-my-fucking-god-get-the-fucking-vaccine-already-you-fucking-fucks?ref=numericcitizen.me). 👀 --- This concludes the ***Numeric Citizen Introspection Newsletter #15*** for ***October*** of ***2021***. I would love to get your feedback and read your comments. Thanks for being a subscriber. [Support this newsletter and my work with PayPal](https://paypal.me/numericcitizen?locale.x=en%5FUS&ref=numericcitizen.me). Thanks.🙏🏻 ### Installing Lightroom CC From the Mac App Store or From Adobe — What’s the Difference? URL: https://numericcitizen.me/installing-lightroom-cc-from-the-mac-app-store-or-from-adobe-whats-the-difference/ Last updated: 2023-03-23T16:48:02.000Z ![Adobe software installed from Adove.com - All applications are located within its folder](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/numericcitizen.me/wp-content/uploads/2021/10/cleanshot-10-26-at-12.31.55-2x.png) Adobe software installed from Adove.com – All applications are located within its folder What is the most efficient and cleanest way to install Adobe Lightroom CC on a Mac these days? Use the [Mac App Store](https://apps.apple.com/ca/app/adobe-lightroom/id1451544217?mt=12&ref=numericcitizen.me). Here’s why. After coming back from a short out-of-town weekend trip, I recently wanted to process my photos with Adobe Lightroom CC on my MacBook Air, but it wasn’t installed yet, as I reserved this task for my Mac mini instead. This week, Adobe released a new version of Lightroom CC, which prompted me to ask myself: should I install it from the Mac App Store or Adobe.com? Is there any difference? I own two Macs: an M1 Mac mini and an M1 MacBook Air. On the former, Lightroom CC was installed from Adobe. As you can see from the following screenshot, Adobe creates an uninstaller script for me to use if I want to remove Lightroom from my machine. It’s the typical Adobe way. ![Lightroom CC installed from Adobe.com comes with an installer](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/numericcitizen.me/wp-content/uploads/2021/10/cleanshot-10-26-at-12.35.24-2x.png) Lightroom CC installed from Adobe.com comes with an installer. The problem with this installation method is that the Adobe Creative Cloud application gets installed while installing Lightroom CC. This utility provides a single point of entry to subscribed applications from your Adobe subscription plan, as well as files on Adobe’s cloud. A storage provider is also installed so that files can be accessed from within the Finder. Several background processes are running to support its features. Since my MacBook Air only got 8 GB of RAM, minimizing the number of background processes consuming precious memory is a mandatory objective. The following screenshot shows many Adobe-related processes running on my Mac mini. ![Lightroom and Adobe processes running on the Mac mini](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/numericcitizen.me/wp-content/uploads/2021/10/cleanshot-10-26-at-12.44.03-2x.png) Lightroom and Adobe processes running on the Mac mini When downloading Adobe Lightroom CC from the Mac App Store, the installation and update processes are handled by the store and the operating system itself. Since there is no apparent feature difference between the Mac App Store version and the one from Adobe.com, I decided to install the Mac App Store version. The installation is fast, and no uninstall scripts are required. That’s the typical sandboxed environment that the Mac App Store requires. I much prefer installing applications that way. ![Lightroom CC from the MAS - A Single File in Applications folder](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/numericcitizen.me/wp-content/uploads/2021/10/lightroomcc-icon.png) Lightroom CC from the MAS – A Single File in the Applications folder For your information, using Lightroom CC on an 8 GB M1 MacBook Air is a breeze, thanks to the mighty M1 chip, the unified memory architecture, integrated GPU and the fast SSD. In summary, when installing Adobe Lightroom CC from the Mac App Store, the Adobe Creative Cloud utility isn’t installed, saving precious resources. In addition, application updating is handled by the operating system and is seamless. Adobe Lightroom CC is part of [my photography workflow](https://numericcitizen.me/2019/03/24/my-current-photo-workflow/). ### Friday Notes #47 — From My Personal Archives URL: https://numericcitizen.me/friday-notes-47/ Last updated: 2025-08-17T10:31:39.000Z Remember 1986? Where were you? What were you doing? Thanks to a picture sent to me recently from my stepbrother, I do remember. I was in college studying computer science. Studying and learning computer-related things played an essential role in my life at the time. The picture above is me with my [Mac 512Ke](https://apple.fandom.com/wiki/Macintosh%5FPlus?ref=numericcitizen.me) and an imagewriter printer that can be seen on the left side; a dot matrix printer made by Apple. It was also the year of the [Macintosh Plus introduction](https://apple.fandom.com/wiki/Macintosh%5FPlus?ref=numericcitizen.me). I remember bringing my computer to classes to use MacDraw to create diagrams and take notes during each course. My friends looked at me like if I was coming from another planet. I was geeky, but I was experiencing the future. Someone had to do it, right? You may wonder why this picture is so pixelated. It was taken with a device called [MacVision](http://32by32.com/macvision/?ref=numericcitizen.me) made by Koala Technologies. This device was connected to Mac’s serial port. It was a slow RS-422 interface with a DB-9 connector. Taking a picture took quite some time, about 20 seconds. The image was simultaneously shown on the screen as the camera scanned the scene. It was pretty cool for that time. The horizontal lines on the image come from the printed version coming from the imagewriter. My stepbrother sent me via iMessage a photographed version of the printout. Do you realize how much progress computer-based photography has made in 35 years? This is mind-blowing. It makes me remember a quote from Bill Gates that I read yesterday somewhere: “We always overestimate the change that will occur in the next two years and underestimate the change that will occur in the next ten.” He is so right. ### Friday Notes #46 — Reading More Often URL: https://numericcitizen.me/friday-notes-46/ Last updated: 2021-11-15T00:47:35.000Z In this world of easy content consumption, reading is not the easiest way to consume, for me at least. Reading requires attention, is a slow process, and information retention is not guaranteed. Yet, reading is an essential way to acquire knowledge and learn new things, enlarge our horizon. So how do I make sure that I keep reading or, even better, that I read more often? Recently, I started (or restarted) using [Matter](https://getmatter.com/?ref=numericcitizen.me), a read-later service. Think of it as a Pocket competitor, another service I use sporadically (you can look at [my profile page](https://getpocket.com/@numericcitizen?ref=numericcitizen.me)). There is something to Matter that entices me to read more often. There is a social side to Matter that I find interesting. I love seeing what others are reading, what passage they are highlighting, what thoughts their readings are stimulating. I feel that I’m part of a network of readers. Some are very active readers, others much less. But there is one more thing that I like even more about Matter. The way Matter is presenting itself is a bit different than Pocket. As my use of Matter increased, I found out that Matter is a great tool to write [link posts](https://www.reddit.com/r/Reddit101/comments/2js9rm/what%5Fis%5Fthe%5Fdifference%5Fbetween%5Fa%5Flink%5Fpost%5Fand%5Fa/?ref=numericcitizen.me). I used to post them here and there on my blogs, but putting them together requires some work. Matter helps me do it effortlessly. While reading an article, I highlight what I find interesting, what could be takeaways. Then, after I'm done with an article, I like to post a comment about it, a summarizing thought. So it looks like this. ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/public/images/4d13a709-6d1d-47af-97eb-2e9ead398a01_1076x632.png) The more I read, the more I write, the more I participate in this network of readers, and the more I find content to write about in link posts. I know that many people don’t like or even use read later services. If they don’t read an article on the spot, that’s because it’s not essential. There is no reason to save it in a read-later queue. My goal is not to read everything I keep in Matter (or Pocket, for that matter). It’s a way to get back to content, as I see fit, and find something to read. I don’t know where my Matter adventure will take me. But, for now, I enjoy my experience because it makes me read more and write a bit more. ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/public/images/c842c512-781c-456d-92f7-a6b62547cd28_1802x1642.png) My Matter profile page ### Better Focus With iPadOS 15 and iOS 15 URL: https://numericcitizen.me/better-focus-with-ipados-15-and-ios-15/ Last updated: 2023-03-23T16:48:02.000Z ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/numericcitizen.me/wp-content/uploads/2021/10/notifications-in-ios15.jpg) This article is about my use of the focus mode, which is part of the recently released iOS 15, iPadOS 15, and the upcoming macOS Monterey. This year, I was more excited about iOS 15 and iPadOS 15 than any recent dot zero releases. It wasn’t about a refreshed design or a tent pole feature, thanks to focus modes. Instead, it was about personalizing my experience to bring it more in line with my personality. I did that last year with my Twitter experience (see “The Ultimate Twitter Tips and Tricks for Mastering Your Twitter Experience). Now, it is the iPad and iPhone’s turn. While setting up focus modes on my devices, everything from home screen design, notifications settings and summaries, widgets placement has been revisited, configured and put to good use and contributes to a better and more focused experience. So let’s see how I did it. ## Home Screen Page Design Principles for My iPad Pro ![My weather home screen page](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/numericcitizen.me/wp-content/uploads/2021/10/my-weather-page.jpg) My weather home screen page I started creating my focus setup by removing as many rarely used applications as possible from all Home Screen pages. Let’s see more closely the design and configuration principles behind this focus mode setup, starting with the Home Screen pages design. My iPad Home Screen pages were designed by following a few well-defined rules. Frequently used and common applications that must be easily accessible across focus modes go in the dock. The dock is limited on the iPhone but quite spacey on the iPad. The first home screen page is the default one and is never hidden, so it is common to all focus modes. It is generic in nature. Applications can be replaced with their 1×1 widget equivalent whenever they are available, which doesn’t take more space on the iPad. It is much nicer to use an application widget instead of the application’s icon, provided the widget is well-designed. If an application is represented on the home screen by one of its widgets, there is no need to place the application icon too, thus reducing required space. > “The more I read about Apple’s Focus in iOS 15, the more I thought this simple feature would be transformative to my experience. I was right.” Maximize the use of the App library to keep home pages task-oriented, which makes them more focused by design1\. The App Library is generic in its nature and acts as the second launch pad for applications after the dock. Minimize the use of folders. Use folders only to put “others apps”, those that are less frequently used but still needed. There is one occurrence of this type of folder on my iPad, which is located in the dock. Applications common to all focus modes sitting in the Dock are Safari, HEY, iMessage, FaceTime, Calendar, News Explorer, Craft, Reminders, Notes, Files, Photos, Timery, Toggl. Finally, a folder contains 1Password, Authy, App Store and Settings for quick access. Today’s view is still available on iPadOS 15 and iOS 15\. With the possibility of placing widgets anywhere, the Today’s view role has evolved. Utility widgets like a shortcut launchpad, batteries, world clocks go there. Those provide status or quick access to frequently used items. I’ve set up a Shortcut widget to access Timery’s timers easily. Timery was part of my time tracking experience, as documented in “[Why and How I’m Tracking Time with Toggl](https://numericcitizen.me/2021/09/19/why-and-how-im-tracking-time-with-toggl/)“. My focus mode setup depends on the following home screen page themes: Default[2](#fn2), Weather[3](#fn3), Finance, Music, Photography, Blogging, Reading, General News, Apple Focused Stuff, Work. Some of those themes aren’t linked or triggered by a focus mode. Using Shortcuts automation to move between focus modes is handy and reduces friction. Each focus mode, when activated, reconfigure my device’s Home Screen pages. It’s quick and seamless. I love it. This concludes the design principles. One could argue that focus mode requires a lot of configuration. I tend to agree with this statement. I guess that’s the price to pay for having flexibility. Once set up, though, it’s easy to forget it. ## On Widgets Placement ![Using a 1x1 widget compared to an application icon](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/numericcitizen.me/wp-content/uploads/2021/10/1x1-widget-vs-app-icon.jpg) Using a 1×1 widget compared to an application icon On the iPad, widgets are confined to the top portion of the home screen as much as possible and must be selected based on their intrinsic value to the theme of the home page. Smaller size widgets are preferred over the bigger ones to strike a balance between widgets spacing and the number of icons on the page. Widgets that are 1×1 in size are preferred over the application’s icon as they increase information density to the home screen. Great examples of 1×1 widgets are *WaterMinder*, *Streak*, and Apple’s *Weather* application. I don’t use the big widget introduced with iPadOS 15\. From what I’m seeing, they are poorly designed, don’t show enough data and provide low value. Widgets that are 1×1, 2×4 and 4×4 in size are my preferred sizes. ## Setting Up Focus Modes and Notifications Notifications play a big part in unfocused work. It is too easy to get distracted these days: notifications are temptations to divert our attention. Apple recognizes this, and with iOS 15 and iPadOS 15, they are bringing new features to the users to tackle the problem. Focus mode was created to help alleviate the burden of receiving too many notifications. In my case, special care went into configuring each of them. > A few weeks ago, I accidentally turned on Do Not Disturb, not for an hour, not until the evening, not until I left my current location, but in perpetuity. I haven’t turned it off, nor have I wanted to, and honestly, it’s one of the best decisions I’ve made in a long time. — Basic Apple Guy To configure all parameters related to focus modes, the following diagram puts all related things together. A specific focus mode is a grouping of different settings controlling what notifications are allowed, which Home Screen pages should be enabled. Moreover, a focus mode can be triggered manually, by automation or by a schedule. It’s clear to me that Apple has been working on this for quite some time. ![Focus mode - Putting it all together](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/numericcitizen.me/wp-content/uploads/2021/10/focus-mode-secrets-diagram.png) Focus mode – Putting it all together Before installing iOS 15 earlier this summer[4](#fn4), I decided to revisit my notifications set up on all my devices, starting with the iPad[5](#fn5). One principle to my notifications reset is to recognize the fact that very few notifications merit immediate attention with a sound. So the first thing I did was to disable Lock Screen notifications for all my applications except messaging ones. By doing this, notifications are less accessible; a swipe down from the top of the screen is required to see past notifications. It is an intentional gesture. This way, I’m the one who decides when I want to be interrupted. ![My scheduled notifications summary](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/numericcitizen.me/wp-content/uploads/2021/10/scheduled-notifications-summary.jpg) My scheduled notifications summary Basic notifications setup that is common to all focus modes is done the following way. Very few applications should request my immediate attention. My time is too precious for that. Most of my notifications are delivered as banners only (no sound, no application red badge, no Lock Screen presence). Very few Siri suggestions are enabled. No notifications are allowed between 10 PM and 8 AM. That’s the minimum required, in my opinion. > Notifications have become a nuisance in many people’s life. [Some are struggle to get back some control in their numeric life because of them.](https://micro.chrishannah.me/2021/02/24/reducing-interruptions.html?ref=numericcitizen.me) I set notifications to be delivered using the *Scheduled* level for those applications that can send notifications, so they are grouped in the next scheduled notifications summary. They are used for news-type notifications and are sent four times a day: morning, noon, afternoon, and in the evening. ![Notifications levels in iPadOS 15 and iOS 15](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/numericcitizen.me/wp-content/uploads/2021/10/notifications-levels.png) Notifications levels in iPadOS 15 and iOS 15 The *Immediate* level is reserved for applications like messaging or time sensitive ones. Some third-party applications support the *Time Sensitive* notification type. Yet, not many applications that I use benefit from this in my setup. Finally, *Critical Alerts* notifications are enabled in the Home application. Red badges are reserved where they really make a difference in using the application like messaging applications, collaboration applications like Microsoft Teams. Other than that, they aren’t enabled. When a time sensitive option is available, I turn off the lock screen display of a notification. In other words, time sensitive notifications will always be on the lock screen, but for up to an hour after being received. There is one thing that I would like Apple to reconsider: shortcuts notifications location. The shortcut runtime is chatty and overloads the notifications center. It’s terrible. Suppose Apple wants to keep it this way. In that case, they could consider creating a separate view in the notifications center just for shortcuts execution or, better yet, in the Shortcuts application itself. ## Focus modes on macOS Monterey ![Configuring Focus modes on macOS Monterey](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/numericcitizen.me/wp-content/uploads/2021/10/macos-monterey-focus-mode-configuration.png) Configuring Focus modes on macOS Monterey Focus modes on macOS Monterey[6](#fn6) lack the Home Screen configuration, as there is no such thing on the Mac. Configuration happens in System Preferences under the Notifications & Focus section. Since many applications aren’t available on the Mac, configuring which applications can send notifications can look buggy. For example, there is no Phone feature on the Mac, so the Phone entry lacks the Phone application icon. Zoom not being present on my MacBook Air, an entry is present, but the application’s name is wrong. I guess those issues might be fixed when the final release ships[7](#fn7). ## A Few Important Takeaways In summary, here are my tips for designing the best customized and focused enabling environment. - Turn off notifications for each application, then promote only the required ones to the scheduled delivery status as needed. - Reserve the time sensitive notifications to the most critical ones. - Create theme-based Home Screen pages, and link them to a specific focus mode, whenever it makes sense. - Use 1×1 widgets in place of application’s icons. Widgets are cooler and doesn’t take more space. - Remember to create a default home page and maximize the use of the Dock and the App Library. - Maximize the use of scheduled notifications summary, it’s a brilliant addition that helps bring more focus. Creating a perfect focus mode set up to enable a personalized, task-oriented experience involves home screen pages design, judiciously selected widgets, and scheduled notifications summary configuration. Setting it all up is time-consuming and requires many iterations. However, once completed, it can enable a more focused and personalized experience. Focus modes are better experienced on iOS and iPadOS than on Mac, as they can reconfigure the Home Screen. It’s pretty cool. The level of personalization is not something we usually get from Apple. Now, let me turn off my Blogging focus mode. Thanks for reading. 1. I’m not a big user of the App Library on the iPhone. Now that it is available on the iPad, coupled with widgets and focus modes, it has become instrumental to my home page design principles. [↩](#ffn1) 2. The default Home Screen page is the leftmost one, the one that is common to all focus modes. [↩](#ffn2) 3. I’m a big fan of weather-related applications, as noted in this [article](https://numericcitizen.me/2021/02/03/great-weather-apps-for-weather-enthusiasts/). [↩](#ffn3) 4. My journey with iOS 15 started with beta 2 earlier this summer. It was a solid release which helped me better understand what was coming. [↩](#ffn4) 5. Notifications configurations don’t sync across devices but focus modes do. [↩](#ffn5) 6. Still in beta at the time of publishing this article (beta 10). [↩](#ffn6) 7. I wouldn’t bet on it. Apple is known in recent years for letting small bugs being unfixed for a long time. [↩](#ffn7) ### Friday Notes #45 — Leaving My Camera Gear Behind URL: https://numericcitizen.me/friday-notes-45/ Last updated: 2021-11-15T00:48:20.000Z *The following article part, let’s call it Part I, which I started writing on October 6, was meant to be published a week ago, on October 8, before the long holiday weekend. But, somehow, I forgot about it and published [this article instead](https://numericcitizen.me/friday-notes-44/). I must be getting old. 🥸* I’ll visit the [Niagara-on-the-lake](https://www.visitniagaracanada.com/region/niagara-on-the-lake/?ref=numericcitizen.me) region in Ontario, Canada, for the upcoming long holiday weekend with some friends. It will be the first leisure “trip” outside Montreal since the pandemic began. It’s also the first trip with my iPhone 13 Pro. I’m leaving my traditional camera gear behind—A Nikon D750 and a few different lenses: a 70-210mm and a 21mm. Am I making a mistake? The weather should be ok, not as sunny as I would like and some rain is expected. The weather forecasts can be wrong; my fingers are crossed. We don’t have a plan, but visiting vineyards and going to downtown Niagara-on-the-lake city are on the to-do list. To get a better idea of the place, I searched on Unsplash for pictures of this region. Surprisingly, by using the “Niagara on the lake” keywords, [the search returned quite a lot of great shots](https://unsplash.com/s/photos/niagara-on-the-lake?ref=numericcitizen.me) of the area. By going iPhone-only for this trip, I’m choosing to travel light. I don’t want to wear my heavy backpack all the time. Is it because I’m getting older? Maybe. But there is something more to it. My experience so far with the iPhone 13 Pro is very positive. The quality of pictures, the possibility of shooting in ProRAW in complex lighting conditions and excellent battery life make me confident that I won’t miss my Nikon too much. --- *Now, here is part II, which was meant to be published for today, after the long holiday weekend. 😬* Here is a confession: the usage trend of my traditional camera gear is decreasing at an alarming pace because I settle on my iPhone at times where I should use a conventional camera (now a 13 Pro, then an 11 Pro). Why? After all, I know and understand what makes the difference between a Nikon D750 and an iPhone 13 Pro. Yet, I settle on the latter. It was the case last weekend for a short trip in the Niagara-falls-on-the-lake region, near Toronto. I took more than two hundred photos, mostly in ProRAW format, using the Camera application. I could have used the excellent Halide camera app, but no, I went the whole Apple-only way. Why is that? Am I becoming lazy? Is it too complicated to bring a big camera and two lenses with me all the time? How many photos did I miss by bringing a simple iPhone? What is this experience teaching me for my next trip to Mexico this coming November? Am I willing to repeat the same experience and leave behind my heavy camera bag? Does this mean that any idea of going mirrorless camera is a dead end? It doesn’t always matter the type of camera I bring with me; the best camera is the one you always have close at the end. What about keeping my Adobe photography plan subscription? Should I keep it or get rid of it? My use of Adobe Lightroom is also decreasing, after all. So many questions, so few answers. ### Friday Notes #44 — When Newsletters Die URL: https://numericcitizen.me/friday-notes-44/ Last updated: 2021-11-15T00:49:02.000Z [Losing followers is sad](https://numericcitizen.me/friday-notes-43/), but seeing newsletters die is really sad. That was my sentiment when I read [this post](https://tablethabit.com/p/tablet-habit-is-dead?ref=numericcitizen.me) from Jeff Perry, the author of the Tablet Habit newsletter. It felt like a blatant reminder of how fragile the newsletter endeavour can be. I can see an infinite number of reasons why someone would create a newsletter. There is also an endless number of reasons why someone would put an end to the newsletter adventure. As you probably know, there’s this thing called “work & personal life balance”. Fitting time-consuming hobbies in our busy lives can be a challenge for many indie writers like us. Maintaining a bi-weekly newsletter is no simple task. It requires solid personal discipline. I know what I’m talking about as I’m writing this weekly newsletter on top of another monthly one. I feel lucky to be able to reserve so much time for this hobby of writing and publishing. However, as a writer who [spends a lot of time blogging, writing and content creation](https://numericcitizen.me/2021/09/19/why-and-how-im-tracking-time-with-toggl/) in general, I know how hard it can be to strike a balance. I don’t know [Jeff Perry](https://twitter.com/iamjeffperry?ref=numericcitizen.me), besides exchanging a few tweets publicly with him. I wish him the best, all the needed time to do, nothing, as he wishes. ### Friday Notes #43 — Losing Subscribers URL: https://numericcitizen.me/friday-notes-43/ Last updated: 2021-11-15T00:49:55.000Z This week, on Wednesday, to be precise, I published issue #14 of my monthly newsletter. In the following hours, I lost many subscribers. Then, after accepting a few emotions to take over me, I wrote this thought on Twitter: > [](https://twitter.com/apple%5Fobserver/status/1443328612837511170?ref=numericcitizen.me) I subscribe to many newsletters. For anyone of them, a new issue is in fact the occasion to rethink my subscription status. Either upon receiving the newsletter issue in my inbox and reading the newsletter title or at the end, after spending a few minutes glancing at the newsletter content. Obviously, losing subscribers doesn’t trigger the best feelings in the writer’s mind. It’s even worst if each subscriber is seen as the reward for creating great content. That’s the way I see it, anyway. I read many times that we should write for ourselves, not for others. I understand the motivation behind such a thought. Yet, my feeling is that It doesn’t apply to all sorts of content and all types of writers. I do love getting new subscribers; it’s a good indicator of being good enough at what I’m doing, good enough for someone to spend some time of his life reading my work. I guess the best attitude is to keep focusing, keep doing it to the best of my abilities. Thanks for reading. ### Numeric Citizen Introspection Newsletter #14 URL: https://numericcitizen.me/2021-09/ Last updated: 2024-02-21T20:56:23.000Z ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/public/images/52d8bda8-d3b0-464c-a5ed-6ab2e7caa691_1392x132.jpeg) Posts highlights from [my Numeric Citizen Blog](https://numericcitizen.me/), [microblog](https://numericcitizen.micro.blog/?ref=numericcitizen.me), [my Medium page](https://numericcitizen.medium.com/?ref=numericcitizen.me) or finally from [my Numeric Citizen I/O](https://numericcitizen.io/?ref=numericcitizen.me) blog. ###### September came, the iPhone 13 came with it. I got my new ***iPhone 13 Pro*** on September 24th. As soon as I could, I went out for [my first Photowalk with it](https://numericcitizen.me/2021/09/26/my-first-photowalk-with-the-iphone-13-pro/). As expected, coming from an ***iPhone 11 Pro***, it wasn’t just [an iterative upgrade](https://numericcitizen.micro.blog/2021/09/16/the-iterative-apple.html?ref=numericcitizen.me). I came back impressed but, ***5G***[**1**](#footnote-1) wasn’t a thing yet. I later figured out that I had to contact my provider to upgrade my smartphone plan. ###### I am going back to the office, NOT so fast! September marks the partial ***return to the office***, once a week, each Thursday. [I’m mostly positive about this](https://numericcitizen.me/friday-notes-39/), as soon as it’s only for one day a week. ###### Sideloading of apps is still a thing. First, consider this post by ***Marco Arment,*** a well-known developer, [on the future of the App Store](https://marco.org/2021/09/13/future-of-the-app-store?ref=numericcitizen.me), to which [I responded](https://numericcitizen.micro.blog/2021/09/14/the-future-of.html?ref=numericcitizen.me). Not everyone is on the same page, though. It’s the case with ***Mike Rockell***, to which I [responded too](https://numericcitizen.micro.blog/2021/09/14/the-future-of.html?ref=numericcitizen.me) (and [here too](https://medium.com/macoclock/on-sideloading-of-apps-on-the-iphone-again-699b7b3f4132?ref=numericcitizen.me), on my Medium page). In a word, ***I don’t want this to happen***. ###### Another iterative update, iPadOS 15, is welcomed. I wrote a [detailed article](https://numericcitizen.me/2021/09/21/how-is-ipados-15-helping-me-as-a-blogger-and-content-creator/) on how ***iPadOS 15*** is helping me as a blogger. The problem is that I’m using less iPadOS 15, more ***macOS Monterey*** now that I’m using a MacBook Air for content creation, like building this newsletter issue. ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/public/images/8201f4c5-6839-4798-867d-1f1256a85eab_1392x132.jpeg) 1️⃣ While the ***iPhone 13 Pro*** is not killing real cameras anytime soon, and it is getting better and better each year. However, with ***computational photography***, it seems there is much more room to grow. [As noted by John Gruber](https://daringfireball.net/linked/2021/09/22/dediu-most-important-iphone-ever?ref=numericcitizen.me), computational photography might be the only way for Apple to get over the iPhone's limited internal space for more glass. 2️⃣ Is buying an ***AppleCare+ protection*** a good idea? Well, it might be. Blogger “Basic Apple Guy” [did the maths](https://basicappleguy.com/basicappleblog/the-applecare-hustle?ref=numericcitizen.me) and yes, it does make sense. The thing is that we never know in advance if we will need to take advantage of it. For me, the question comes down to buying some peace of mind. It’s close to being priceless. Mathematically, I don’t think it is a judicious investment, as I never claim any repairs. 3️⃣ Does Apple screw up sometimes? [You bet](https://www.ped30.com/2021/08/22/apple-gurman-screwup-pantheon/?ref=numericcitizen.me). The latest could be the **Safari 15 address bar redesign**. When my wife upgraded her iPad to iPadOS 15, she noticed and talked about *what happened to Safari*? 4️⃣ Thirteen could be a lucky number for Apple. [***The iPhone 13 is popular in China***](https://www.ped30.com/2021/09/22/apple-iphone-13-china-melt/?ref=numericcitizen.me). We will have a better indication of the iPhone 13 popularity when Apple announce their financial results at the end of October. 5️⃣ Can’t count how many people would like Apple to replace the iPhone **Lightning* *port** with ***USB-C***. European regulators are asking. I would prefer Apple to think ahead of the curve and go portless if something has to change[2](#footnote-2). It won’t be an easy move to swallow for people with car accessories, for example. How would one connect the iPhone to CarPlay?[3](#footnote-3) Is it about control and money? it depends who you ask. Again, Gruber has [a good piece](https://daringfireball.net/2021/09/why%5Fstill%5Flightning?ref=numericcitizen.me) on the subject. > [](https://twitter.com/apple%5Fobserver/status/1441371654282629135?ref=numericcitizen.me) ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/public/images/6b401e71-a120-41b9-95a2-dbeac65d80a8_1392x132.jpeg) First, consider having a look at [this brilliant photo montage](https://digitalsynopsis.com/design/reflections-of-the-past-tom-hussey/?ref=numericcitizen.me). ***Elderly people are looking at a reflection of themselves*** when they were young. Brilliant and touching. The iPhone 13’s camera subsystem is a great upgrade for people coming from the iPhone 11 or earlier. My early experience so far is very positive. I’m testing using both the stock Camera app and Halide. I’m still trying to figure out the benefits of ***ProRAW***, though. A notorious photographer, Austin Mann, [went for a safari in Tanzania with the iPhone 13 Pro](https://austinmann.com/trek/iphone-13-pro-camera-review-tanzania?ref=numericcitizen.me). There are some incredible pictures over there. > [](https://twitter.com/stevesi/status/1441852106621665283?ref=numericcitizen.me) The previous tweet starts a great thread discussing the ***iPhone 13 macro photography capabilities*** and what it means for amateur photographers. Photography techniques have never been more accessible. But, what about traditional cameras? Well, sales have dropped 87% since 2010, and prices went to the roof. Why? I don’t have the answer to this question, but I know that the return on the investments doesn’t look like it to be on par with the amount of money you can spend on recent camera gear. There is an interesting discussion in “[We Live in the Era of Post-Peak Camera Demand… So What’s Next?](https://petapixel.com/2021/07/19/we-live-in-the-era-of-post-peak-camera-demand-so-whats-next/?ref=numericcitizen.me)” on the PetaPixel website. I encourage you to watch the 30 minutes video too. > [](https://twitter.com/chelseamealo/status/1429535250233937929?ref=numericcitizen.me) By looking at the tweeted photos in the previous tweets, maybe drones are making a dent in photography. > [](https://twitter.com/redditSpacePorn/status/1428696867123220481?ref=numericcitizen.me) [Leave a comment](https://numericcitizen.me/2021-09/comments) ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/public/images/517651a5-c966-4d59-bc3f-f33ab6da8f66_1392x132.jpeg) “***Nearly 1 in 3 Americans experienced a weather disaster this summer***” — [The Washington Post](https://www.washingtonpost.com/climate-environment/2021/09/04/climate-disaster-hurricane-ida/?ref=numericcitizen.me). It’s hard to comprehend what is happening when thinking about climate change impacts. But, when people are repeatedly exposed to burning forests, cities and flooding, maybe they can start to get it. And, also from [the Washington Post](https://www.washingtonpost.com/climate-environment/2021/09/14/climate-change-threat/?ref=numericcitizen.me) “***People around the world increasingly see climate change as a personal threat, new poll finds***”, because they see close enough the threat, they are starting to realize that change is needed. And change must come from all of us. ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/public/images/1b28e847-cd5f-4fc2-a3bc-835933695b46_1392x132.jpeg) Apparently, ***Apple is getting some money from Google*** to let them be the default search engine for the web on the iPhone. I mean, [a lot of money](https://www.reddit.com/r/apple/comments/pbe97d/analysts%5Fgoogle%5Fto%5Fpay%5Fapple%5F15%5Fbillion%5Fto%5Fremain/?utm%5Fsource=share&utm%5Fmedium=ios%5Fapp&utm%5Fname=iossmf). Am I at ease with this? Not really. It is like if Apple put a price on our privacy non-protection, at 15 billion dollars. A year. Could Apple create its own search engine, more privacy friendly? Is Apple willing to drop revenues from Google in the name of privacy protection? That would be much more courageous than removing the headphone jack. Still, on the subject of privacy protection, we should remind ourselves that safety often comes down to our behaviours. ***For example, don’t give your Apple ID password*** to anyone[4](#footnote-4), even if you get requests to do so, verbally or by email or any other means. Surprisingly, [it seems easy to fall into the trap](https://www.latimes.com/california/story/2021-08-23/icloud-photo-theft-nude-women?ref=numericcitizen.me). ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/public/images/5928966a-40b5-439e-ad7a-40907855c3dc_1392x132.jpeg) > "You always hear Americans say, 'I know my rights,' but you never hear an American say, 'I know my responsibilities and obligations.'" — ***Morris Fiorina*** [on Reddit](https://www.reddit.com/r/quotes/comments/pgv1fu/you%5Falways%5Fhear%5Famericans%5Fsay%5Fi%5Fknow%5Fmy%5Frights/?ref=numericcitizen.me) > HODINKEE founder ***Ben Clymer*** once remarked that to really understand the Apple Watch, you have to commit to it, and I think that's more true now than ever. > Arguing that you don’t care about the right to privacy because you have nothing to hide is no different than saying you don’t care about free speech because you have nothing to say. — ***Edward Snowden*** > [](https://twitter.com/mgsiegler/status/1436356204310118402?ref=numericcitizen.me) > Apple’s iOS update is the annual consolation prize for people not buying the newest iPhone model. Instead of spending hundreds of dollars, you can add a little zest to your perfectly fine older generation iPhone (or iPad) for free — ***Heather Kelly***, The Washington Post > Part of the complexity here is that US, UK and EU regulators will produce different rules on different timelines. What happens if EU regulators require side-loading but US regulators do not? — ***Benedict Evans*** ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/public/images/7a64ca63-77fe-4dea-a665-28c88e8b8759_1392x132.jpeg) 1️⃣ Do you remember the day of ***9/11***? Where were you when you first heard the news about the attacks? What were you doing? I remember precisely that moment. I was at work. At first, it was about a possible plane accident with the World Trade Center. We tried to look at news sites, but the internet was barely usable. We rushed to the TV in the cafeteria. I still think of these events quite often. In retrospect, it is fascinating to remember the internet was back in the day. Flash technology was the leading technology used to stream video content at the time. Now that Flash is no longer working gone is a lot of video content of these events. Troubling. 2️⃣ ***What should be a computer company in 2021***? Depending on whom you ask, you could get entirely different answers, [like this one](https://tyler.io/computer-company/?ref=numericcitizen.me). Remember when Apple dropped the “computer” from their name? I remember listening to the special Apple event being Steve Jobs announcing the change. Think of this as the “***Nike***” moment for Apple. 3️⃣ Speaking of ***Steve Jobs***, a long, long time ago, he used to wear a ***Seiko watch*** during the early Macintosh years. Unfortunately, the original watch is no longer available to buy by [there was a re-edition in 2017](https://www.hodinkee.com/articles/seiko-steve-jobs-watch-limited-edition?ref=numericcitizen.me). I tried to search the web to see if there was a way to buy the watch. It’s only available on eBay for a lot more money than I’m willing to spend. I’d like Apple to introduce a watch face inspired by the Seiko watch. ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/public/images/8ed6fb5e-278a-485c-9a3b-ba24e408a215_1640x1093.jpeg) I’d love to own one of these. 4️⃣ The ***Townscaper*** ***game*** trailer is officially out. I’ve been in love with this game for a while now, and I’m happy to report that it is working on the M1 MacBook Air. Now, if only it could come over to the iPad. 🕹 ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/public/images/3822f512-5785-47ef-b5bf-8ba8d66db256_1392x132.jpeg) In the ***read-later service*** and applications space, something is happening: [Readwise.io to launch a new reader later application and service](https://readwise.io/read?ref=numericcitizen.me). As a subscriber to ***Readwise.io*** and ***Pocket***, I’m very curious to see this new Reader app in action. I’m waiting to get my invite to the private beta. 📖 I’ve been experimenting with Twitter’s ***Revue newsletters service*** recently. I must say that I really like the experience over there. I have built three newsletters with it. The latest issue represents what I plan to use the service for: documenting special events happening in the world of Apple. I’m not planning to quit Substack anytime soon, don’t worry. Head to [my Revue profile](https://www.getrevue.co/profile/apple%5Fobserver?ref=numericcitizen.me), see for yourself, and maybe subscribe to the ***Through Apple Observer’s Eyes*** newsletter! --- This concludes the ***Numeric Citizen Introspection Newsletter #14*** for ***September*** of ***2021***. I would love to get your feedback and read your comments. Thanks for being a subscriber. Thanks for reading! 🙏🏻 [1](#footnote-anchor-1) 5G network is probably the most hyped feature in the recent history of tech. [2](#footnote-anchor-2) That would be a great middle finger to regulators without a clue about tech in general. [3](#footnote-anchor-3) Wireless CarPlay was not widely available the last time I checked. [4](#footnote-anchor-4) Don’t share any of your passwords, for that matter! ### My First Photowalk With the iPhone 13 Pro URL: https://numericcitizen.me/my-first-photowalk-with-the-iphone-13-pro/ Last updated: 2023-03-23T16:48:03.000Z ![A selection of my best shots](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/numericcitizen.me/wp-content/uploads/2021/09/iphone13pro-photos-sample.png) A selection of my best shots Yesterday I went for a long Photowalk to test the iPhone 13 Pro. It was a perfect September day: mild, a bit windy, lots of sunshine, and dry. During this photo walk, I tested many aspects of this new iPhone edition: handling, cameras, wireless network, performance, and battery life. Here are my observations. - The iPhone’s flat edges make a big difference while holding the iPhone as a camera. I feel more confident that the iPhone won’t slip off my hands. I’m using the Apple leather case. - The macro photography mode opens up new possibilities that I’m only starting to explore. It can be challenging because of winds or lightning conditions. It’s hard to prevent my shadow from entering the picture frame. - LTE speeds vs 5G. I’m still waiting to catch any 5G signals in my area. Couldn’t test it yet. I was able to get 209 Mpbs in download and 34.7 Mpbs in upload with LTE. It seems comparable to the iPhone 11 Pro, as documented [here](https://numericcitizen.me/2019/09/28/from-iphone-7-to-iphone-11-pro-the-return-of-delights/). Yet, I can’t wait to try the 5G network. After all, 5G is sold as a game-changer, right? I doubt it. - The first full day of use left me with about 30 minutes of battery life, which would bring the total to 5 hours and 30 minutes. Is that good? I was expecting more, something about 8 hours. - All my pictures were taken using Apple’s Camera app as I’m waiting for the next [Halide camera app](https://halide.cam/?ref=numericcitizen.me) update to support [the latest cameras features](https://lux.camera/iphone-13-pro-camera-preview-the-hardware-changes/?ref=numericcitizen.me). - The 3x zoom makes a big difference and brings new use cases. I wish there were a 2x still available, though. The difference between 1x and 3x is quite a bit. - The screen is certainly bright, but I still find it hard under the sun to browse recently taken pictures, for example. - About Apple’s ProRAW format: It’s my first contact with this new capability of the iPhone 13 series (which was introduced with the iPhone 12 last year). Sadly, I didn’t bother checking the camera settings, so all pictures were in a standard format. In a future Photowalk session, I’ll use the ProRAW format exclusively. I promise. My previous Photowalk was done using my iPhone 11 Pro. Overall, I think the iPhone 13 Pro upgrade was a good decision. However, it is more than an incremental upgrade. I believe this is the key: skipping a generation. Watch this space for my article about why I upgraded from the iPhone 11 Pro to the iPhone 13\. You’ve got a glimpse at the reasons just now. The photomontage above is a selection of the best shots. One of the shots was processed, the one on the right, in black and white. The top left image is one of a fountain in a park if you are still wondering. ### On Sideloading of Apps on the iPhone — Again URL: https://numericcitizen.me/on-sideloading-of-apps-on-the-iphone-again/ Last updated: 2023-03-23T16:48:03.000Z ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/numericcitizen.me/wp-content/uploads/2021/09/mac-app-store-general-feature.jpg) I wrote many times how bad I don’t want Apple to weaken the iPhone experience and security by adding the sideloading capability (read “[A Message to Apple Developers: We Don’t Need Another Android Platform – Numeric Citizen Blog](https://numericcitizen.me/2021/06/05/a-message-to-apple-developers-we-dont-need-another-android-platform/)”). I recently came across a blog post from Mike Rockwell on my Micro.blog feed, which I want to response to by annotating his post. Mike wrote a link post in response to Marco Arment’s [point of view](https://marco.org/2021/09/13/future-of-the-app-store?ref=numericcitizen.me) regarding the danger of introducing sideloading of apps on the iPhone. > I don’t understand the argument that, if Apple allowed sideloading and third-party app stores, then companies like Facebook would pull all their apps from Apple’s App Store and release them exclusively on their own app store. **Well, you are probably right, but why open the door to those motherfuckers? We should know by now that we cannot trust them. Because Facebook is having trouble keeping his ads business intact from the “do not track” feature enforced by Apple, they could try to piss them off by skipping the App Store, something they cannot do right now.** > Facebook can already do this on Android and they haven’t. You can still get Facebook, Messenger, Instagram, and WhatsApp in the Google Play Store and I don’t see any indications that this will change. **The App Store and the Apple ecosystem is a different beast. This could prompt Facebook to act differently. See my point above.** > But maybe they do pull their apps and encourage the installation of their own app store, would that really be so bad? Yes, it would be so bad! The vast majority of iPhone users don’t care to get their apps from one source. It’s part of the experience. It’s the iPhone identity. They take it for granted. We cannot infer anything from what’s happening on Android and apply this to what could happen on the iPhone ecosystem. If anything, it could be worst, as this is well documented that iPhone users are spending more than any other users on Android. They are valuable targets for those who are dreaming of garbage stores and other scams. Benedict Evans already wrote about how bad having multiple App Stores enables all sort of negative effects to the platform. > Would it really be so bad if Facebook made it more difficult to install their apps? **No. That would be a cool thing if anything. The harder it is to get Facebook, the better.** > Sure, Facebook could allow for more surveillance capabilities, but there’s a lot Apple could do at the system level to prevent that. **Probably, but you know what, I would prefer to see Apple spend their resources on more constructive and creative ways than playing this endless mouse and cat game.** > But the benefits of allowing third-party app stores and sideloading would be tremendous. **That’s something that is unproven. And for what kind of users this would be beneficial? If those users don’t like the iPhone as it is, why don’t they just switch to more “open” platforms like Android? Who’s forcing them to buy into the iPhone ecosystem? I’m a bit tired seeing complains like if they were forced to buy an iPhone.** > Wouldn’t it be great if developers could distribute their apps directly to their users if they wanted to? **But, why? Who’s at the forefront here, the user or the developer? They already have the best way to distribute their apps. I’m paying Apple to inspect apps and prevent them as much as possible to introduce any sort of malicious code in my device. They are not perfect, but it is way better than sideloading. I don’t want the future where an anti-virus to be mandatory on my device. There is Windows for that and that’s enough.** > Wouldn’t it be great if they could sell apps with upgrade pricing on iOS without having to wait for Apple to build in a mechanism for that? **Just look at the PC world, and we can clearly see a trend toward subscription models. We no longer own anything. Companies have a lot of pressure to build business models on recurring revenues, and subscriptions are more powerful in that respect than paying for upgrades. That being said, I think Apple should add this capability to the App Store as another means to sell software. I still think it would make a dent in the App Store universe, though.** > Wouldn’t it be great if we had a store like F-Droid available to find free and open source software? **Again, we’re talking about a minority of users here. Open source software is already part of millions of apps currently available on the App Store. I was an indie developer from 2009 to 2013, and I made use of many open source libraries. So, what? Why put the open source movement against the App Store model? Ask a PC user: when was the last time he or she installed a great and useful open source application on his or her linux PC? Was it worth it? Who’s using Linux on the desktop, by the way?** **Now, if only Apple could relax a bit and change a few critical things about its App Store to kill some energy-hungry arguments like this one.** ### Friday Notes #42 — The Endless Summer URL: https://numericcitizen.me/friday-notes-42/ Last updated: 2021-11-15T00:51:40.000Z This summer started early, much earlier than usual. While the weather was abnormally hot with long stretches of sunny skies without rain, people seemed to enjoy it as much as they could those hot days in early June. It was the end of the third wave of COVID-19, and people needed a reason to be happy. As I’m writing this, we are officially in the fall. Today’s weather should be humid, with temperatures around the eighties which is way over the average for this time of the year. I cannot help myself, but I think this is one of the many ways climate change expresses itself. Sure, we cannot build conclusions on weather events spanning a few days, but at the season scale, and repeatedly, year after year, something is going on. And it is well documented. As I watched earth burning all over the place, in Europe, in the US and closer to me in Canada, I had this feeling of an endless and scorching summer. Sure I enjoyed it as we can enjoy summer, but with humility and respect. It’s hard to imagine that we will endure our first snowstorm of the winter in a few months. Or maybe not. I do have great memories of this long-lasting summer, nonetheless. In the picture above is the chalet where we stayed for a few weeks. What a great place it was. In conclusion, I’ll leave you with this beautiful sunset. ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/public/images/8b3a9259-a610-407d-b990-125bb9c25be6_1280x960.jpeg) ### Frustrations While Backing Up My Apple Watch URL: https://numericcitizen.me/frustrations-while-backing-up-my-apple-watch/ Last updated: 2023-03-23T16:48:03.000Z ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/numericcitizen.me/wp-content/uploads/2021/09/img_8737.jpg) I’m getting the new iPhone 13 Pro today. I’m pretty excited. As an owner of an Apple Watch Series 4 and 6, these need to be unpaired before [switching to my new iPhone](https://support.apple.com/en-ca/HT201269?ref=numericcitizen.me) using the iCloud backup. The process is [clearly explained](https://support.apple.com/en-ca/HT204568?ref=numericcitizen.me) on Apple’s support site. Unpairing the Apple Watch creates a backup of its content on the iPhone. Next, the idea is to do a last backup of the iPhone with iCloud before switching to the newer iPhone. Easy, right? Wrong. This morning I started the process of unpairing one of my Apple Watches. The process took less than two minutes to complete. To confirm if the watch was backed up, I went to Settings, General, iPhone Storage, then scrolled down to find the Apple Watch app storage consumption. In the documents section, there was one backup dating back to September 2020 (see above screenshot). Unfortunately, today’s unpairing process didn’t create the expected backup. WTF?? After googling for a while, it’s clear that I’m not the only one in this situation. For some people, it’s an issue of not being on the latest version of watchOS, which is not the case here. My watches are running the newest release, watchOS 8.0, and my iPhone is running iOS 15.0\. So, what’s the problem, then? I have no idea. As I’m writing this, I’m wearing the second Apple Watch, a series 6\. I’ll need to unpair that one too and have my fingers crossed for the backup to be created. If it doesn’t work, I’ll have to set up both of my watches as new ones and set them up to my liking, which takes quite some time. What a frustrating experience. By the way, [this process never worked for me](https://numericcitizen.me/2019/08/07/apple-watch-restore-process-is-broken/). ### How is iPadOS 15 Helping Me as a Blogger and Content Creator? URL: https://numericcitizen.me/how-is-ipados-15-helping-me-as-a-blogger-and-content-creator/ Last updated: 2023-03-23T16:48:03.000Z ![Quick Notes in action on the iPad](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/numericcitizen.me/wp-content/uploads/2021/09/quicknotes-on-ipad.png) Quick Notes in action on the iPad This isn’t a review of iPadOS 15\. MacStories is much better than me at writing this (their [complete review](https://www.macstories.net/stories/ios-and-ipados-15-the-macstories-review/?ref=numericcitizen.me) is astonishing). It is more like a short essay on how iPadOS 15 is helping me be more productive and efficient at blogging and creating content on my iPad Pro. There is a general sentiment that this year’s updates are barely incremental. I would argue the contrary. These updates are tying things up quite a bit, and in itself, are enough for me to upgrade. So let’s have a closer look. 1. The start of the iPad experience is the home screen. As you probably already know, iPadOS 15 brings feature parity with the iPhone experience: free widgets placement. After installing iPadOS 15 on my iPad Pro, the first thing that I did was to delete all my **home screen** pages and start over be creating theme-based pages. Next, these pages were associated with their corresponding focus mode. Gone were bookmarks on all home pages because they aren’t shown in the App Library. While redesigning home screen page content, something unexpected emerged: I no longer use folders, except for one which is sitting on the Dock, on the rightmost slot. Why? Because home screen pages are so easy to design, are more flexible than ever, easy to reorder or hide — they act like big folders in themselves. A side effect of the proliferation of home screen pages creates the need for some sort of home screen page switching mechanism, something along the line of the App Switch but for home screen pages. The only way to switch between pages is by swiping left and right. 2. Home screen design flexibility is such a welcomed change this year. Coupled with **Focus modes**, iPadOS 15 feels like a breath of fresh air from a productivity protection and boosting perspective. If I want maximum focus while writing, I’ll select the “writing” focus which will enable the right home screen page, disable notifications except for a few contacts. 3. Apple’s introduction of **Quick Note** is a wonderful complement to Craft. They have a big advantage compared to Craft’s Share sheet: contextual information, which mean that browsing a web page will bring back any Quick Note associated with it. I’m still trying to figure out how I’ll take advantage of Quick Note together with Craft in [my workflow ](https://numericcitizen.me/2021/01/30/my-updated-blogger-workflow-as-of-2021-01/)in general. Quick Notes appear as standard notes on iOS 14. 4. **Tags** in **Reminders** allow for easier organization of links to be processed soon. Some links will become link posts, others will head to my read later list. The subject of the link is also tagged (apple, photography, privacy protection, climate change). 5. **Tags** in **Notes** also add a new dimension for organizing quick notes, as they tend to form a growing collection. Tags make Apple’s Reminder and Notes even more useful in my workflow. 6. **iPadOS multitasking** tweaks do provide a better experience for entering into a multitasking state or for managing which apps are needed side by side. Being able to manipulate apps in the app switcher is a welcomed change in the “finally” category. 7. The only **home screen folder** that I’m using sits on the Dock, and is named “Quick Access” and contains apps for things like the App Store, Settings and authenticating apps as well as 1Password. 8. **Notifications Summary**, when configured and tweaked properly, is another welcomed update. News related notifications, non-essentials notifications are all grouped together and presented like a newspaper. Four summaries are created for me at 8:00AM, 12:00PM, 5:00PM and 10:00PM. It does make a difference on my focus while I’m working. 9. Not that this is new in iPadOS 15, but setting a few app limits in Apple screen time is also helping to focus more. For example, I set up a 30-minute limit for Tweetbot & Twitter per day. Reddit does have a 30-minute per day limit. I rarely hit those limits. These are safety limits. > Did you know that widgets and icons positions are separately set on the portrait and landscape orientation? Yep. That’s not a big issue, in fact, I would say this enables optimal placement of each object for each orientation. Does iPadOS 15 provide the right tweaks and updates to make my life easier as a blogger or content creator? It’s a resounding yes. Home screen design flexibility, notifications management, and focus modes are central to these user experience improvements. ## Looking ahead There is one thing that I didn’t talk about is Shortcuts. They are at the center of my iPad workflow, and this fall, they will come to macOS Monterey. Having a single automation engine across devices is simply beyond any of my dreams. I do have many shortcuts that will be useful and transpose directly on the Mac, and I cannot wait for that moment to arrive. An example of useful shortcuts for macOS Monterey is one for switching focus modes after starting a specific application, setting up a group of applications to start together at the beginning of a writing session. New shortcuts will probably emerge as being helpful when I begin to experiment with them when Monterey finally ships later this fall. ### My Annotated Version of iOS 15 Release Notes URL: https://numericcitizen.me/my-annotated-version-of-ios-15-release-notes/ Last updated: 2023-03-23T16:48:03.000Z With each release of iOS, Apple includes release notes. This time, I wanted to make something different and comment on each of the new features exposed in those release notes. Let’s start this, right now. Buckle up! ## FaceTime *Starting with FaceTime is surprising to me.* **Spatial audio** makes people’s voices sound like they’re coming from the direction in which they’re positioned on the screen on Group FaceTime calls (iPhone XS, iPhone XS Max, iPhone XR and later). *— *Curious to experience this with my family. Not going to happen at work as we are all on Zoom or Microsoft Teams. Sadly.** **Voice Isolation** blocks background noises so your voice is crystal clear (iPhone XS, iPhone XS Max, iPhone XR and later). *— *The same is going to be possible on macOS Monterey when it ships*.* **Wide Spectrum** brings all background noises into your call (iPhone XS, iPhone XS Max, iPhone XR and later). *— *Not sure that I want this!** **Portrait mode blurs** your background and puts the focus on you (iPhone XS, iPhone XS Max, iPhone XR and later). *— *Apple is adding their version of “background blur” that has been available for quite some time on competitive services.** **Grid view** displays up to six people at a time in Group FaceTime calls in the same-size tiles and highlights the current speaker. *—* ***Again, Apple is playing catch up here***. **FaceTime links** allow you to invite your friends into a FaceTime call, even friends on Android or Windows devices can join from their browser. — **That one could prove to be useful in specific scenarios. That’s the way non-Apple users can join a FaceTime call from a Chrome-based browser*.* ## Messages and Memoji What comes after FaceTime, iMessage: two of the tent pole feature of iOS. **Shared with You** shows content sent to you by friends in Messages conversations in a new section in Photos, Safari, Apple News, Apple Music, Apple Podcasts, or the Apple TV app. — **Super useful to find stuff later on*.* **Pinned content** elevates the shared content you choose and makes it more prominent in Shared with You, Messages search, and the Details view of the conversation. — **Didn’t try this one. Let me see. Nope, can’t figure out this one. How am I supposed to “pin” something?* 🧐* **Multiple photos sent in Messages** are displayed as a glanceable collage or a swipeable stack. — **One of the best addition to Messages in years.** 💥 Over **40 Memoji** outfit choices and up to three different colors to customize your Memoji stickers’s clothing and headwear. — **Well, m’ok. Should I care?** ## Focus **Focus** lets you automatically filter notifications based on what you’re currently doing, such as fitness, sleep, gaming, reading, driving, work, or personal time. — **One of the best addition to Apple’s operating system in a long time. I’m already setup on my iPhone and iPadOS. Next up is macOS Monterey.**🧘🏻‍♂️ **Focus** uses *on-device* intelligence during setup to suggest apps and people you want to allow notifications from in a Focus. — **Quite useful in general*.* **Home Screen pages** can be customized to match your apps and widgets to a specific Focus. — **That is the whole idea of using Focus in my opinion. Your device becomes what you want it to be to stay in line with your focus.** **Contextual suggestions** intelligently suggest a Focus based on your context, using signals like location or time of day. — **That’s how my iPhone turns the Work focus when I’m close to my downtown office. Clever.** **Status** appears to your contacts **in Messages conversations**, indicating your notifications are silenced with Focus. — **Others need to upgrade to the latest release of iOS or iPadOS for this to work. I’ll try it out when my girlfriend upgrades her iPhone later this week.** ## Notifications A **new look** displays contact photos for people and larger icons for apps. — ***I like the updated Notifications design on iOS but on macOS Monterey, it’s a disaster in usability with too-small dismiss area.*** **Notification summary** delivers a helpful collection of your notifications daily, based on a schedule you set. — **Another great addition to iOS and iPadOS; one of my favourite addition. I do have four summaries defined: early in the morning, at noon, in the evening and at night. Quite useful. Yet, Shortcuts notifications are still treated differently and pollute the timeline.** **Notifications** can be **muted** from any app or messaging thread for the next hour or for the day. — ***Didn’t try that one. I’m not sure how to set this one up, actually.* 🧐** ## Maps **Detailed city** maps display elevation, trees, buildings, landmarks, crosswalks and turn lanes, and 3D views to navigate complex interchanges, and more in San Francisco Bay Area, Los Angeles, New York, and London, with more cities coming in the future (iPhone XS, iPhone XS Max, iPhone XR and later). — **It will take forever to come to Canada’s cities like Montreal or Toronto.* ⏳* **New driving features** include a new map that highlights details like traffic and incidents, and a route planner that lets you view your upcoming journey by choosing a future departure or arrival time. — *Google Maps has been doing this for years. I’m happy to see Apple implement this. It’s a “finally” here.* **Immersive walking** directions show step-by-step directions in **augmented reality** (iPhone XS, iPhone XS Max, iPhone XR and later). — **This one is from Tim Cook I guess because he’s talking about AR all the time and we are yet to see significant day-to-day features to taker advantage of it. This could be quite useful. Still, not going to happen anytime soon in Montreal*.* **Updated transit experience** provides one-tap access to departures near you, makes it easy to see and interact with your route using one hand, and notifies you when approaching your stop. — **Since I’m working from home nearly all the time, I didn’t experience this yet. Next time I go to the office, I promise.* ☝🏻* **Interactive 3D globe** shows enhanced details for mountain ranges, deserts, forests, oceans, and more (iPhone XS, iPhone XS Max, iPhone XR and later). — *I* ***like this one, coupled with more details maps in Los Angeles, Maps looks like a Sim City game.* 🕹** **Redesigned place cards** make it easy to learn about and interact with places, and a new home for Guides editorially curates the best recommendations for places you’ll love. — ***Much better design indeed. We’re far from the 2012 version of Maps, right?* 🗺** ## Safari **Bottom tab bar** is easier to reach and helps you move between tabs by swiping left or right. — ***Well, yeah, that one wasn’t easy, isn’t Apple? I’m not sure people will like it. Users will be able to revert to the previous design, in any case. I suspect this will be the case for my girlfriend. I’ll let you know!*👈🏻** ![Safari's updated design - controversial](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/numericcitizen.me/wp-content/uploads/2021/09/safari-redesign.jpg) Safari’s updated design – controversial **Tab Groups** help you save and organize your tabs and easily access them across devices. — ***I’m not too fond of this. Closing tabs break the arrangement within the group.*** **Tab overview grid** view displays your open tabs. — **I like this view a lot but rarely invoke it.** **Start page** can be customized with a background image and new sections like Privacy Report, Siri Suggestions, and Shared With You. — ***Yep, my start page is now customized. Still impressive how often Safari will block trackers*** *.* 👀 **Web extensions on iOS** help you personalize your browsing and can be downloaded through the App Store. — ***Ok, finally but here is the thing: who will actually care about supporting that one? I’m looking at Grammarly, Pocket and Revue here. Can’t wait but I’m not holding my breath*** *.* 🙏🏻 **Voice search** lets you search the web using your voice ## Wallet **Home keys** let you tap to unlock a supported home or apartment door lock (iPhone XS, iPhone XS Max, iPhone XR and later). — **Not going to use that one.** **Hotel keys** allow you to tap to unlock your room at participating hotels. — **Not going to use that one. Who’s traveling these days?** **Office keys** allow you to tap to unlock your office doors for participating corporate offices. — **Not going to use that one. Working from home, duh!** **Car keys** with Ultra Wideband help you unlock, lock, and start your supported car without having to take your iPhone out of your bag or pocket (iPhone 11 and iPhone 12 models). — **Not going to use that one.** **Remote keyless** entry functions on your car keys allow you to lock, unlock, honk your horn, preheat your car, or open your trunk on your supported vehicle. — **Not going to use that one.** ## Live Text **Live Text** makes text interactive in your photos so you can copy and paste, look up, and translate in Photos, Screenshot, Quick Look, Safari, and live previews with Camera (iPhone XS, iPhone XS Max, iPhone XR and later). — ***One of the greatest addition from Apple in recent memory. It’s impressive and works well*.** ![Live Text in action](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/numericcitizen.me/wp-content/uploads/2021/09/livetext-in-action.jpg) Live Text in action **Data detectors** for **Live Text** recognize phone numbers, emails, dates, street addresses, and more in photos so you can take action on them. — **Yeah, did I say impressive?** **Live Text** is available from the keyboard letting you insert text directly from the camera viewfinder into any text field. — **Of course, that’s a great place to put a shortcut!** ## Spotlight **Rich results** brings together all the information you’re looking for on contacts, actors, musicians, movies, and TV shows. — **Yeah, works great. Tried it with “Steve Jobs”*.* ![Searching for Stve Jobs](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/numericcitizen.me/wp-content/uploads/2021/09/search-for-steve-jobs.jpg) Searching for Steve Jobs **Photos** can be searched from your photo library by locations, people, scenes, text in the photos or other things in the photos, like a dog or a car. — **Use this all the time for finding photo-related to a specific location. Works great. But, was it already in iOS 14?** **Web image search** allows you to search for images of people, animals, monuments, and more. — **Useful.** ## Photos **New look for Memories** with a new interactive interface, animated cards with smart, adaptive titles, new animation and transition styles, and multiple image collages. — **This could be a sleeper hit of iOS 15\. My iCloud Photo Library contains more than 42000 pictures and each day there is something new coming out of it. I do feel the new memories feed is too busy. I would love to write an article about this but how can I do this without revealing too personal photos? Not easy.** **Apple Music** can be added to your Memories for Apple Music subscribers, and personalized song suggestions combine expert recommendations with your music tastes and what’s in your photos and videos. — ***Most of the music in Memories can’t be shared. It’s too bad. Freely available music is not always as good.*** **Memory mixes** let you set the mood by selecting from different songs and a Memory look to match. — **Being to set the memory look is cool.** **New memory types** include additional international holidays, child-focused memories, trends over time, and improved pet memories. — **“Flowers in Montréal” was recently shown to me. Pretty impressive montage. There seems to be an endless series of themes.** **Info pane** now displays rich information about the photo like which camera and lens, shutter speed, file size, and more. — **F** ***INALLY.*** **Enough said. Metapho is no longer needed. Sherlocked.** **Visual Look Up** recognizes art, landmarks around the world, plants and flowers, books, and dog and cat breeds in your photos so you can learn more about them. — **Tried it with a few plants but I wasn’t successful. Nothing really happened. What am I doing wrong here?** ## Health **Sharing** lets you choose health data, alerts, and trends to share with people important to you or those who are caring for you, including your healthcare provider. — **As soon as my girlfriend upgrades her iPhone, I’ll be more than happy to try it out.** **Trends** lets you see how a given health metric is progressing over time and can notify you when a new trend has been detected. — **My notifications are activated. I’m still waiting to get any notifications about my trends modifications.** **Walking Steadiness** is a new metric that can assess your risk of falling and notify you if your walking steadiness is low (iPhone 8 and later). — ***I’m 54 and I feel pretty solid on my feet but I’m no longer the young boy I once was.*** **Verifiable health records** enable you to download and store verifiable versions of COVID-19 vaccines and lab results. — **Never had a COVID-19 test done, but I’m fully vaccinated. I don’t have any app that does take advantage of this. Maybe it is becoming a bit late for this to be useful. I don’t know.** **Lab results** can now be **pinned** for quick access and include highlights that show how your labs have changed over time. — **Not supported in any way by any clinic.** ## Weather **A new design** shows the most important weather information for that location and includes new maps modules. — ***A new design still only available on the iPhone. Why? 🤷🏻‍♂️ Animations can be quite fun to watch; rainy day never been so much fun to watch. Can’t wait for our first snowstorm to see how well it perform!*☃️** **Weather maps** can be viewed in full-screen and show precipitation, temperature and air quality in supported countries. — ***I don’t like the resolution used to display the precipitations map. I prefer MyRadar for this.*** **Next-hour precipitation** notifications alert you when rain or snow is about to start or stop in Ireland, U.K., and US. — **Works in Canada too and is pretty accurate.** **New animated backgrounds** more accurately represent the sun position, clouds, and precipitation (iPhone XS, iPhone XS Max, iPhone XR and later). — **Animations are gorgeous and add a new dimension for weather enthusiasts.** ## Siri **On-device processing** means audio of your requests does not leave your device by default, and means Siri is able to process many requests while offline (iPhone XS, iPhone XS Max, iPhone XR and later). — **Didn’t test it but surely a welcomed addition for my next trip by plane.** **Share items** with Siri lets you send on screen items like photos, web pages and Maps locations to any of your contacts. — **Hey Siri, share this with my spouse.** **Onscreen context** can be used by Siri to refer to contacts on screen to send them a message or place a call. — 👈🏻🧐 **On-device personalization** allows Siri speech recognition and understanding to improve privately (iPhone XS, iPhone XS Max, iPhone XR and later). — **Will see over time how is this impacting my Siri usage.** ## Privacy 😎👀 ***Here, most important features are not only the ones that are included but also the ones that were dropped off the list… hint: CSAM detection.*** **Mail Privacy Protection** protects your privacy by preventing email senders from learning about your Mail activity, your IP address or whether you’ve opened their email. — **As a user of HEY, which already provides that feature, I’m happy to see Apple waking up too to pixel tracking preventio*n.* **Safari Intelligent Tracking Prevention** now also prevents known trackers from profiling you using your IP address. — **I thought it was already the case with iOS 14\. Oh, well.** ## iCloud+ iCloud+ is a cloud subscription service that gives you premium features and **additional iCloud storage**. — **I’m already using the 2 TB storage tier. Still, Apple only provides a merger 5 GB of storage for free. This is ridiculous.** **iCloud Private Relay** (beta) sends your requests through two separate internet relays and encrypts the internet traffic leaving your device so you can browse Safari in a more secure and private way. — **I’ve enabled this feature on top of Nextdns.io. More protection is better in today’s world.** **Hide My Email** lets you create unique, random email addresses that forward to your personal inbox so you can send and receive email without having to share your real email address. — **That one is great. I had a chance to use it a few times from a few web registration processes. The email alias creation is fast.** **HomeKit Secure Video** supports connecting more security cameras without using your iCloud storage quota. — **Well, ok, good.** **Custom email domain** personalizes your iCloud Mail address and allows you to invite family members to use the same domain. — **I thought of creating a new email domain for the Numeric Citizen blog but I’m already doing it with WordPress.com. You can reach me at contact@numericcitizen.me*.* ## Accessibility **Image exploration** with VoiceOver allows you to get even more details about people and objects, and learn about text and table data in photos. — **I wonder if Android goes as far as iOS in the accessibility space. Does it? Apple invests quite a lot of resources in making its device more accessible to people with* disabilities.* **VoiceOver image descriptions** in **Markup** let you add your own image descriptions that can be read by VoiceOver. **Per-app settings** allow you to customize display and text size settings only for the apps you want. — **Each app design can be so different that a per-app settings can help provide the best personalization options.** **Background sounds** play balanced, bright, or dark noise, ocean, rain, and stream sounds continuously in the background to mask unwanted environmental or external noise. — **I used to use Dark Noise but I stopped for unknown reasons. I’m not going to make use of this feature even if basically integrated into the operating sys*tem.* **Sound actions** for **Switch Control** enable you to control your iPhone with simple mouth sounds. — **Mouth sounds?? What? Like clap of the fingers?** **Audiograms** can be imported in Settings so you can customize Headphone Accommodations based on your hearing test results. — **Cool and clever stuff. Maybe one day I’ll need this type of feature. I hope not.** **New Voice Control languages** include Mandarin Chinese (China mainland), Cantonese (Hong Kong), French (France), and German (Germany). — **My native spoken and written language is French.** **Memoji options** including a cochlear implant, oxygen tubes, or a soft helmet. — **Really?** > *Fun fact: it’s the first that I read the release notes in their entirety.* ## This release also includes other features and improvements **Tags in Notes and Reminders** help you quickly categorize your items to make them easy to find, and you can use custom Smart Folders and Smart Lists to automatically collect your notes and reminders based on rules you can define. — **I’m already depending on tags in Reminders to organize many different things. Since I’m a big fan of Craft, my use of Notes is close to zero. I’m still searching for a way to integrate quick notes into my workflow, but I’m not there yet.** **Mentions in Notes** enable you to notify others of important updates in shared notes, and an all-new Activity view displays all the recent changes in a note in a single list. — **On my bucket list, collaboratively working with another blogger. Apple’s Notes could be a great way to collaborate. Who knows, I’m maybe already working on so*mething…* **Spatial audio with dynamic head tracking** in Apple Music brings an even more immersive experience to Dolby Atmos music with AirPods Pro and AirPods Max. — *[I’m not an audiophile but I love my AirPods Max](https://numericcitizen.me/2021/01/03/im-not-an-audiophile-but-here-are-my-thoughts-on-apples-airpods-max/). *Just saying.** **System-wide translation** lets you select text throughout the system and translate it with a tap, even in photos. — ***I use this regularly since I’m a French-speaking guy.*** **New widgets** include Find My, Contacts, App Store, Sleep, Game Center, and Mail. — **Find My and the App Store widget are in all glory in a few of my Home Screen pages. The Sleep widget is… dozy.** **Cross-app drag and drop** function lets you pick up images, documents, and files from one app to another. — **Something that was already available on the iPad is now available on the iPh*one.* **Keyboard magnification** loupe magnifies the text when moving the cursor. — **FINALLYYYYY. The lost of the loupe back in.. can’t remember when was a big mistake in usability. I’m glad this is back. The previous design was better though. 🍾** ![The loupe is back. Finally. ](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/numericcitizen.me/wp-content/uploads/2021/09/theloupe.jpg) The loupe is back. Finally. **Apple ID Account Recovery Contacts** lets you to choose one or more people you trust to help you reset your password and regain access to your account. — **Strangely this feature was removed in one of the beta. It will return in an upcoming update, probably as soon as 15.1\. I think this is an important feature in a world where digital assets are growing and there has to be a way to help survivors get access to this.** **Temporary iCloud storage** grants you as much iCloud storage as you need to create a temporary backup of your data, free of charge, for up to three weeks when you buy a new device. — **This will certainly help a lot of iPhone upgraders to easily switch to their newer devices, especially for those using the free tier, which gives a whopping 5 GB of storage. At the time of this writing, I was still waiting for my iPhone 13 Pro to arrive, but I won’t need this feature; I’m using the 2 TB storage tier.** **Find My separation alerts** notify you if you leave a supported device or item behind and Find My will give you directions to your item. — **I own five AirTags. This is a must-have feature. I’ll stop to forget my keys. Already took advantage of this more than one time.** **Game highlights** of up to the last 15 seconds of gameplay can be saved using game controllers like the Xbox Series X|S Wireless Controller or Sony PS5 DualSense™ Wireless Controller. — ***I’m not a gamer. At all. I don’t care about this one.*** **App Store in-app events** help you discover timely events within apps and games such as a game competition, a new movie premiere, or a live-streamed experience. — **I’m curious about this one.** **MUCH MORE here**: This release includes even more features and improvements. For more information, please visit this website: [https://www.apple.com/ios/ios-15/features/](https://www.apple.com/ios/ios-15/features/?ref=numericcitizen.me) For information on the security content of Apple software updates, please visit this website: [https://support.apple.com/kb/HT201222](https://support.apple.com/kb/HT201222?ref=numericcitizen.me) ## Special mention to iPadOS 15 We can finally place widgets freely anywhere on the Home Screen page. Multitasking improvements to the way we enter into split-screen mode and easily see where the focus is for text entry. It is now possible to reorder Home Screen pages on iPhone or on iPad. YES! ### Why and How I’m Tracking Time with Toggl URL: https://numericcitizen.me/why-and-how-im-tracking-time-with-toggl/ Last updated: 2023-03-23T16:48:03.000Z ![Time entries in Timery](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/numericcitizen.me/wp-content/uploads/2021/09/timery-summary-view.png) Time entries in Timery This summer, I started tracking the time I’m spending on blogging and content creation activities. I wanted the process to be as seamless as possible. After a few months, I’m thrilled to report that it was easy to integrate into my workflow using the right applications and shortcuts. Along the way, I made many discoveries on how I’m spending my time. Let’s dive in. ## The problem — where do I spend my time as a blogger and content creator? Let’s start with a few questions: how much time do I spend each week on blogging activities? How much time do I spend reading? How much time do I spend on Twitter? How much time do I spend managing my blogs? How long does it take me to write an article? Am I reading a lot? Am I spending too much time on Twitter or even Micro.blog? How long does it take me to prepare my monthly newsletter on Substack? Those are all interesting questions for someone like me who is always trying to improve his content creation workflows. ## Why not use Screen Time? ![Screen time summary view](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/numericcitizen.me/wp-content/uploads/2021/09/screentime-summary-view.jpg) Screen time summary view I’ve been using [Timing](https://timingapp.com/?ref=numericcitizen.me) for my time tracking needs at work. Unfortunately, there is no such application for iOS, and I doubt it is even possible because of iOS’s restrictions. Apple’s Screen time is a good start for looking at how much time I’m spending on my devices, but the time tracking resolution and details don’t go deep enough. Apple’s Screen time is too basic and cannot be considered a real-time tracking feature. It is baked into the operating system and is only accessible within the Settings application, which is a bit cumbersome to use. I can partially replicate Timing’s functionalities using Apple’s Shortcuts, automation and Toggl, a time tracking service. ## Tracking my time with Toggl web service ![Toggl's tracked time entries](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/numericcitizen.me/wp-content/uploads/2021/09/toggl-time-entries-view.png) Toggl’s tracked time entries When I first decided to explore time tracking, Toggl came on top of my searches. Toggl is a well-known time tracking service. I started using the free tier, which was enough for testing the water. It is cross-platform, works from the web, and comes with its own iOS and macOS clients. With Toggl, a tracked time entry can be assigned a description, a project name, and optionally one or more tags. A project must be associated with a client. Toggl is mainly used for invoicing working hours. For my use case, I did a few tweaks to this model. The tweaked structure is illustrated in the following diagram. ![Understanding a tracked time entry structure](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/numericcitizen.me/wp-content/uploads/2021/09/tracked-time-entry-structure.png) Understanding a tracked time entry structure I use projects and clients to categorize my time tracking in major categories like reading, writing, publishing, and platforms. Since writing is something that I do a lot, clients become platforms for which I’m writing on WordPress, Micro.blog, Substack, Medium, Twitter, etc. I wanted to characterize activities where I’m an information consumer, in content creation mode or when I’m managing my assets or the services I rely on, tweaking my workflow. I’m using tags for this purpose. In the previous example, writing a blog post is about being creative, so I assign the “create” tag. Furthermore, I’m setting a tag to describe which device I’m using. This model of activity description helps me keep track of what platform I am spending time-consuming from or creating content for. ![A Toggl time entry](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/numericcitizen.me/wp-content/uploads/2021/09/toggl-time-entry.png) A Toggl time entry I also use projects like BlogAdmin and Miscellaneous to track different activities like blog management, services renewal, etc. I do have a project called SocialNetworks as I want to have a better idea of how much time, as a blogger, I spend on Twitter, Reddit, or Microblog. Another feature is when I’m using the macOS Toggl client is the ability to track micro activities[1](#fn1). Tracking activities gather data about which application I’m running, which website I’m visiting, and how much time I spend in any of those. Tracking activities come on top of the tasks that I chose to track manually. Toggl keeps 14 days worth of activities. They help add more context to a time tracking entry. ## Using Timery and Focused Work — two Toggl clients ![Using Craft side-by-side with Focused Work on the iPad](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/numericcitizen.me/wp-content/uploads/2021/09/craft-and-focusedwork-side-by-side.png) Using Craft side-by-side with Focused Work on the iPad [Timery](https://timeryapp.com/?ref=numericcitizen.me) is my go-to third-party application for the Toggl client. Available on iOS, iPadOS and macOS, time tracking with Timery becomes a breeze. Another Time tracking app is called Focus Work, which happens to be a Toggl client too. Timery is for tracking time without much planning, while Focused Work is directed toward forcing me to plan how much time I want to spend doing some type of work. Focused Work is quite different from a design perspective and the idea behind it. As its name implies, it is about reserving a time slot for doing some focused work, which can comprise many steps. Each step can be logged in Toggl and can start a Shortcut, something Timery can’t. Timery and Focused Work help me to concentrate better and be more selective on how I spend my time as a blogger and content creator. Most of the time, I use Timery simply because I want to avoid feeling cheap by not committing to a specific amount of time in advance. Timery is for starting time tracking for a session for which I’m not sure how long it will last or if I prefer not to commit in advance to the time slot. In addition, Timery allows for creating saved timers, which helps to track time for repetitive tasks. On the iPad, multitasking allows me to keep a Toggl client side by side with the application. So, for example, if I want to track a particular task that I’m doing, I won’t use one of the saved timers in Timery but simply fill in the task details and start from there instead. > I often find myself looking at my Timery saved timers as some sort of to-do list. Focused Work is an excellent choice to force me into a specific reading or writing session. However, when it comes to social networks, I’m not too fond of the idea of forcing myself to spend a predetermined amount of time. So instead, I prefer Timery to track those activities. Focused Work has something that I would like to see in Timery: the ability to start a shortcut when starting a timer. For now, I do the opposite: a shortcut is the starting point to start a timer, then I start the application that I want to work with. I’d like to stay in Timery to start and stop timers while using shortcuts behind the scene. ## My time tracking setup ![Using Craft side-by-side with Timery on my Mac](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/numericcitizen.me/wp-content/uploads/2021/09/craft-with-timery-side-by-side.png) Using Craft side-by-side with Timery on my Mac Most of my time tracking is done through Timery by using saved timers, which are templates for tracking time with the same description, client, and tags. In addition, I use the Shortcuts widget on my iPad home screen to display shortcuts from a folder named “Timery”. Thus, all my most used timers are close at hand and easy to trigger. Some discipline is required for my time tracking to be practical and reflective of my time spent on my devices. For example, manually starting a timer with Timery requires a manual operation at the end of the task. Using automation, some timers get turned off automatically, though. That’s the case with News Explorer, where I tend to stay within the application without interruption. When I close the application, it’s because I’m really done with it. Reality is more complicated than that. Automation and shortcuts are needed to make time tracking easier. There are two ways to use Apple’s Shortcuts to help reduce the burden of time tracking: using shortcuts or automation. For example, let’s say I want to track the time I’m spending reading RSS feeds with an app like News Explorer. The first approach, which I call the “automation way”, is to use an automation that will trigger a Timery timer called “Catch up my RSS feeds” upon starting News Explorer. After I’m done, another automation will trigger a stop on the Timery timer when News Explorer is closed. As you can see, two automations are needed: one to start the tracking, another to stop it. The problem with this approach is, what if I want to momentarily close News Explorer for some reason without stopping the currently running timer? A variation of the automation approach would be to manually stop the timer, then the second automation wouldn’t be needed. The second approach is to use a shortcut that will trigger the start of the Timery timer then open the News Explorer application. Stopping the timer would be triggered manually. I tend to prefer the latter approach. So, each time tracking shortcuts are following the same structure: check the current timer, if there isn’t one running, start one, then open the desired application. I created a more advanced shortcut to track my writings time by asking me which app I want to write in, then, depending on the choice, a timer is started if none is currently running, then the selected application is launched. This fall, when macOS Monterey ships and applications get updated, I’ll be able to use my Shortcuts on the Mac too. Meanwhile, I have to manually trigger the time tracking when I’m using my Mac. ## Tracking another dimension — which type of device I’m using There is something else, besides my time, that I wanted to track: which device I’m using. I’m a multi-devices type of user; the idea came later in my time tracking journey to track which device I’m currently working on. Device tracking is simple to achieve by using Toggl’s tags. I’ve defined the following tags: iPhone, iPad, MacBook Air, Mac mini, iMac. When I’m done with a specific task, I stop my running timer and add the device tag. I could probably automate this with a more sophisticated Shortcut, maybe in the future, when macOS Monterey ships. ## My experience of tracking my time, all the time ![Saved timers in Timery acting like a to-do list](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/numericcitizen.me/wp-content/uploads/2021/09/saved-timers-in-timery.png) Saved timers in Timery acting like a to-do list Toggl allows me to have a better idea of how I spend my time as a blogger. I knew that I spend quite some time on this hobby. Toggl helps me get a detailed view in that respect. At the beginning of my journey to time tracking, it took a lot of discipline to remember to start and stop the timer. There is no magic bullet here. By using shortcuts, this burden is somewhat reduced, though. Do I forget running timers? You bet. Thankfully, Timery provides an easy way to edit an entry. The initial objective was to track at least 90% of my blogging-related activities. In addition, I wanted to avoid stressing about starting the timer before doing some work. After a week or two of testing and tweaking, my setup was good enough for my needs of easy time tracking without requiring too much attention or adding friction to my work, thanks to automation and shortcuts. > Having a detailed list of my time tracking at the end of the day is satisfying and very telling of how I spend my time. After a while, I started to change the way I engage in activities early in the morning. Instead of randomly working on something, I usually open Timery to the “Saved timers” page and look at the list as a to-do list. I start at the top and hit one of the saved timers, start working, then hit another timer, etc. Reading activities are at the top, while content creation activities are further down the list. This has become a routine each morning, and I love it. I feel more disciplined. ![Reporting in Toggl](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/numericcitizen.me/wp-content/uploads/2021/09/a-typical-day-of-time-tracking.png) Reporting in Toggl Timery and Focused Work are Toggl clients with no reporting features. Toggl’s website is the only way to get some insights and statistics, and reporting. At first, I thought reports were detailed enough for me in the free tier, but I eventually switched to a paid tier to get more control and details[3](#fn3). Reports can be downloaded in CSV format for later processing in Excel or Apple’s Numbers, too. Finally, I can’t track my time when I’m offline. That can be a problem when doing some work on a plane, for example. Unfortunately, there is no “batch upload” feature in any of Toggl clients. ## So, how and where do I spend my time as a blogger? So, how am I spending my time, you might ask? Since the beginning of my time tracking journey, here are the most important takeaways. 1. I spend between 20 and 25 hours a week on blogging and content creation. That’s a lot. It’s my hobby. It’s clear that[working from home helped a lot](https://numericcitizen.substack.com/p/re-why-work-one-job-when-you-can) to create free time dedicated to this; I’m no longer commuting. 2. I spend about 1-3 hours per day on my hobby, consistently. Surprisingly, I’m not spending more time during the weekends; time spent is evenly distributed during the week. 3. I spend about 6 to 10 hours a month to create and publish content on Substack ([Friday Notes](https://numericcitizen.substack.com/s/friday-notes-series), [Introspection newsletter](https://numericcitizen.substack.com/)). 4. I generally spend twice as much time-consuming content (reading) than creating content (writing). 5. I spend much more time reading than I originally thought. Most of my reading is done via RSS feeds using News Explorer, [my favourite RSS reader app](https://numericcitizen.me/2020/02/24/rss-readers-war-from-reeder-to-news-explorer/). 6. I’m not a big video consumer, yet I’m a premium user of YouTube[4](#fn4). 7. Time tracking is not as time-consuming as I expected, provided that my automation shortcuts are working fine, which took a bit of tweaking. The upcoming support for Shortcuts with macOS Monterey will help close the circle, with every device types supporting Shortcuts. 8. I’m generally more focused and less prone to fall in rabbit holes when there is a timer running. [Except on this occasion](https://numericcitizen.me/2021/09/01/coming-out-of-a-rabbit-hole-and-buying-two-macbook-air/), which resulted in me buying two MacBook Air. 9. I under utilize Readwise and Pocket, even though [I love Pocket](https://numericcitizen.io/2021/04/5/instapaper-vs-pocket-%E2%80%94-which-read-later-service-is-better-for-me?ref=numericcitizen.me). I’m not sure if the upcoming [Reader app](https://readwise.io/read?ref=numericcitizen.me) from Readwise will change that. [It could](https://numericcitizen.micro.blog/2021/09/12/readwiseio-reader-app.html?ref=numericcitizen.me). 10. I spend too much time on social networks, not enough at writing. The side effect of this is that I’m not publishing as much as I could, as it takes me too long to finish my posts. In particular, I spend too much time on Twitter. Now that I’m done with my following accounts list cleanup (I’m currently following “only” ten people), [a time-consuming task](https://numericcitizen.me/2021/01/24/the-ultimate-twitter-tips-and-tricks-for-mastering-your-twitter-experience/) — my usage of Twitter dropped quite a bit, though. 11. Now that I’m a happy owner of an M1 MacBook Air (Read my story “[Coming Out of a Rabbit Hole and Buying Two MacBook Air](https://numericcitizen.me/2021/09/01/coming-out-of-a-rabbit-hole-and-buying-two-macbook-air/)”), most of my content creation happens on it. My iPad Pro usage dropped a lot. ## Looking forward In the future, I’d like to see Toggl introduce an easy way to generate reports based on tags, something that is not possible now. Exporting the data in Excel is the only way to achieve that. I’m eagerly awaiting to use the project dashboard feature to track the time I spend writing lengthy posts like this one. So much work goes into this, and I’d like to see how I spend my time among the different tasks. Tracking my time triggered a positive side effect: getting better at focusing. Speaking of focusing, a future blog post will explain in detail how I’m using the iPadOS 15 focus feature to have a better time quality while using my Apple devices. Meanwhile, I hope you enjoyed reading about my experience tracking my time as a blogger and content creator. If you are a Toggl user, please share your experience at tracking your time using the service. 1. Activities tracking in Toggl looks a lot like time tracking in Timing, another time tracking application for the Mac. [↩](#ffn1) 2. At the time of publishing, Focused Work refuses to work on macOS Monterey Beta 6\. I do expect an update to come soon, though. [↩](#ffn2) 3. Toggl is not a cheap service. You can save money by using a yearly payment instead of going monthly. [↩](#ffn3) 4. Just to get rid of ads. [↩](#ffn4) ### Re: Facebook’s Survival Dilemma URL: https://numericcitizen.me/re-facebooks-survival-dilemma/ Last updated: 2023-04-27T12:23:06.000Z One day, my psychologist told me: for each bad behaviours against someone, you have to have ten good behaviours to erase it and hope for better sentiments toward you. Now, looking at the Facebook business model and attitude in general regarding the engagement of its users, I hope people eventually will realize how toxic Facebook is and leave it to become an empty shell. [Facebook’s Survival Dilemma Big Technology is a weekly newsletter dedicated to covering the tech world with honest, nuanced reporting. Join the 10,000+ subscribers who tune into Big Technology for tech news without the spin. Here’s an easy way to subscribe:![](https://bucketeer-e05bbc84-baa3-437e-9518-adb32be77984.s3.amazonaws.com/public/images/0aa684da-9913-4b0c-80fd-c0c24912931b_1280x1280.png)Big Technology](https://bigtechnology.substack.com/p/facebooks-survival-dilemma) ### Friday Notes #41 — Gifting Experiences URL: https://numericcitizen.me/friday-notes-41/ Last updated: 2021-11-15T00:52:22.000Z Last Saturday was my son’s 18th birthday. Just like for his older brother a few years ago, we went to a chic restaurant in downtown Montreal. His girlfriend came along too. Right at the beginning, I told them that they could have anything they wanted without restriction. I knew they had a reasonable degree of self restrain. Yet, I had the feeling they would allow themselves many treats. We had a wonderful dinner on all counts. That was my gift for his birthday—nothing else. Over the years, as a parent, I learned that experiences are better remembered than physical gifts. I think. My sons’ feedbacks seem to confirm this. It’s something that comes over time as they get older, they better understand the motivation behind all this. Yet, it doesn’t prevent me from feeling a bit guilty in the previous days leading to the dinner, though. But, that’s my perception, not theirs. It’s a family thing, a cultural habit. That night, I think we created great memories for all of us that night. It’s priceless and should last for quite some time. ### Friday Notes #40 — The Unexpected Birthday Gift URL: https://numericcitizen.me/friday-notes-40/ Last updated: 2021-11-15T00:53:02.000Z Last Saturday was my birthday. It was a beautiful early September day. On that day, I got an unexpected gift. Here is what happened. Early in the morning, I [shared a tweet](https://twitter.com/apple%5Fobserver/status/1434134598406000641?s=20&ref=numericcitizen.me) containing a link to [my Introspection newsletter](https://numericcitizen.substack.com/) to remind its existence. In the following hour, Substack sent me a notification about someone who became a new subscriber[1](#footnote-1). After looking at the subscriber's email address, it took me a few seconds to recognize the person's name. I was ecstatic and couldn’t believe it. After a bit of googling, I knew for sure who the guy was: it was my best computer science teacher during my years at college[2](#footnote-2). I used to stay in touch with him, but it has been a long time since I heard from him. I almost immediately started to write an email to thank him for becoming a subscriber, but also in the hope of starting a conversion, something we used to do a lot in my spare time when I was attending college. We had so many subjects to discuss, most of them not related to the computer science field. We had many things in common, like being curious and contemplative of our surrounding world and being passionate about Apple. For some reason, he always brought inspiration to me. It was true then, it is still the case. I often think about him and how our roads crossed and how it helped forged what I became. I had high respect for his way of teaching, and he prepared us for the real world. In addition, his numerous interests outside the computer science field made him a fascinating person. We had no problem engaging in discussions, often about Apple, the Mac and software. He is an expert at birds observation, and he created one of the biggest birds observations database in the world. He currently contributes to other types of observations, namely butterflies species near my hometown. A few hours after sending my email, he wrote me back. In his response, he touched on a few subjects: his wife's health, his long-lasting habit of writing in a personal journal and much more. He was generous in his response. I hope this is the start of an email conversation. At the time of publishing this post, I was still expecting a reply to my last email. I’m anxious to get his response, but I’m willing to wait. He’s worth it. The conversion is worth even more. This email exchange reminds me of how cool it is to write to someone and having to wait to get a response by mail. He is 72\. I am 54\. Time flies but ties and friendship endure apparently. [1](#footnote-anchor-1) I got three new subscribers that day alone. [2](#footnote-anchor-2) From 1987 to 1990. ### Photo Legend #27 — A Room With a View URL: https://numericcitizen.me/photo-legend-27/ Last updated: 2021-11-15T00:53:44.000Z It was a wonderful early September day where summer is beginning to show signs of decline while signs of fall are pointing to the horizon. The weather was mild during the day but chilly during the night. The smell of the forest was so good, making me feel connected to it, being part of it and demanding a contemplative look. Capturing the scene is always part of any of my contemplative moments. This picture was taken from the balcony of my rented cabin where we stayed for the labour weekend, in the middle of the morning. The forest ground was filled with this green carpet; it was surreal, like a movie set in place for the occasion. What a wonderful place. [Leave a comment](https://numericcitizen.me/photo-legend-27/comments) ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/public/images/10c701a3-0451-4b43-96a0-9c94949679e8_1280x720.jpeg) The unprocessed image was taken with the iPhone 11 Pro wide-angle lense ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/public/images/831cf2d0-f0e3-4fd9-a194-4125caed5cd7_960x1280.jpeg) The room with a view ### Previously published in the Photo Legend Series ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/public/images/2bbb147e-d67d-42b7-b484-e0b468236ae5_175x175.png) Numeric Citizen IntrospectionPhoto Legend #26 - Children ArtI always liked children's drawings. They give us, adults, a view of how kids see the world. It’s fascinating how they draw human bodies. As they get older, instinctively they learn to refine their art, leaving behind some form of visual fantasies, which I think is a bit sad. I like children's visual naiveté…Read more6 months ago · Numeric Citizen ### Photo Legend #27 — A Room With a View URL: https://numericcitizen.me/photo-legend-27-2/ Last updated: 2023-04-27T12:23:07.000Z ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/image/fetch/f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https-3a-2f-2fbucketeer-e05bbc84-baa3-437e-9518-adb32be77984.s3.amazonaws.com-2fpublic-2fimages-2f0296fce6-d32b-441c-abe5-11e24c8d628d_960x1280.jpg) It was a wonderful early September day where summer is beginning to show signs of decline while signs of fall are pointing to the horizon. The weather was mild during the day but chilly during the night. The smell of the forest was so good, making me feel connected to it, being part of it and demanding a contemplative look. Capturing the scene is always part of any of my contemplative moments. This picture was taken from the balcony of my rented cabin where we stayed for the labour weekend, in the middle of the morning. The forest ground was filled with this green carpet; it was surreal, like a movie set in place for the occasion. What a wonderful place. [Leave a comment](#ghost-comments-root) ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/image/fetch/f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https-3a-2f-2fbucketeer-e05bbc84-baa3-437e-9518-adb32be77984.s3.amazonaws.com-2fpublic-2fimages-2f10c701a3-0451-4b43-96a0-9c94949679e8_1280x720.jpg) The unprocessed image was taken with the iPhone 11 Pro wide-angle lense ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/image/fetch/f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https-3a-2f-2fbucketeer-e05bbc84-baa3-437e-9518-adb32be77984.s3.amazonaws.com-2fpublic-2fimages-2f831cf2d0-f0e3-4fd9-a194-4125caed5cd7_960x1280.jpg) The room with a view ### Previously published in the Photo Legend Series [Photo Legend #26 - Children ArtI always liked children's drawings. They give us, adults, a view of how kids see the world. It’s fascinating how they draw human bodies. As they get older, instinctively they learn to refine their art, leaving behind some form of visual fantasies, which I think is a bit sad. I like children's visual naiveté.![](https://bucketeer-e05bbc84-baa3-437e-9518-adb32be77984.s3.amazonaws.com/public/images/2bbb147e-d67d-42b7-b484-e0b468236ae5_175x175.png)Numeric Citizen Introspection](https://numericcitizen.me/photo-legend-26/) ### Migrating Adobe Lightroom Classic to a New Computer — My Experience URL: https://numericcitizen.me/migrating-adobe-lightroom-classic-to-a-new-computer-my-experience/ Last updated: 2023-03-23T16:48:03.000Z ![Installation of Lightroom Clarris Progress bar.](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/numericcitizen.me/wp-content/uploads/2021/09/install-lrc-hr.jpg) Last fall, I bought an M1 Mac mini and since then, I had to put my older 2017 Intel iMac up for sale while its market value is still good[1](#fn1). There was one thing that was holding me back: Lightroom Classic had to be migrated to my Apple Silicon Mac mini. Lightroom Classic was the last application to be updated to support the M1 chip. The timing was perfect this summer as I didn’t have a bunch of photos to process and some spare time[2](#fn2). Moving Lightroom Classic to another computer is well documented on the web, but I wanted to write about my experience and maybe provide another perspective, a new experience point. All in all, the migration was easier than I thought. My Lightroom Classic setup is relatively simple, but I had to take care of a few things outside the application itself. I’m referring to the way I store and manage my photos on the Mac and how I use Synology Drive to sync folders to my Synology NAS. My most recent images are stored on the internal drive (the fastest but the most expansive space to use). Less recent files are eventually put on a cheaper drive but are also backed up to my Synology NAS using Synology Drive. ## Copy your Lightroom Classic data before When migrating Lightroom Classic, there are quite a few things to copy from one machine to another: the catalog, catalog backups[3](#fn3), photos, presets, photo previews[4](#fn4), any plugins and applications settings (preferences). The challenge is to determine the directory where all those things reside on a macOS machine (items placement is well documented and differs from a Windows machine). Once done, the copy operations can begin. The idea is to copy all the required pieces before installing Lightroom itself. Lightroom will search for a catalog, without which the application doesn’t start. Upon completion of the data migration, installation of the application can take place followed by the application launch. ![Locating missing original files in the catalog](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/numericcitizen.me/wp-content/uploads/2021/09/locateamissingfiledialog.png) Locating missing original files in the catalog ## Starting Lightroom Classic on the new computer — my M1 Mac mini Here are the steps involved when starting Lightroom Classic for the first time on the new Mac after migrating all the data and needed files from the older machine. 1. Configure which default catalogue file to use as requested on first start. The idea here is to select the file copied from the other Mac. 2. Located picture files on the local drive to re-establish links. When browsing pictures, thumbnails marked with an exclamation mark indicate that searching for the original is required to re-establish the link between the catalog and the originals. 3. Set new location of catalogue backups. This is done while editing the application preferences. 4. Change external editor to Pixelmator Pro. This time, I wanted to use the excellent Pixelmator Pro, since I’m dropping Luminar[5](#fn5). 5. Plug external drives to re-link files to the migrated catalog. If there are pictures stores on an external drives, links needs to be re-established by locating picture files. 6. Syncing with Lightroom CC is automatically working[6](#fn6), no reconfiguration required. Since the application’s preferences were copied, the syncing settings were already there and enabled. As the sync destination was already configured to be one of my external drives, no photos downloads took place, saving quite some time and network bandwidth. 7. Confirm that SmugMug publishing service is working – update plugin as requested. Everything worked fine on the first try after that. 8. At this stage, I consider my Lightroom Classic installation on my Apple Silicon mac to be fully operational and complete. The whole migration process was much smoother than I was expecting. Upon completion, the next thing for me was to try Lightroom to get a sense of the speed difference. Browsing the catalog, switching between modules, editing a few photos were simple tasks that were enough to get a sense of any speed improvements. While there is a noticeable difference, it isn’t night and day. Is this surprising? Nope, considering that we’re talking about Adobe Software here, right? The final part of this article is a detailed summary of the things that need to be done in order to have a smooth migration process. I hope this article will help you migrate your installation of Lightroom Classic to a new computer. ![Lightroom Classic must locate its main catalog in order to start successfully](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/numericcitizen.me/wp-content/uploads/2021/09/locatecatalog.png) Lightroom Classic must locate its main catalog in order to start successfully ## Things to do for a smooth migration - The following things need to be copied to the destination machine: catalog(s), catalog backups, photos on internal drives, presets, previews, plugins (SmugMug). - Install Lightroom Classic from the cloud, do not start it. - Locate the directories containing photos on the Internal drives and copy them at the same location on the destination Mac. - Locate other Lightroom CC important files and directories and copy them at the same location on the destination Mac. - Lightroom Classic ***main catalog*** is located in Photos in my home directory, in the «Lightroom» folder. - Lightroom CC ***sync data*** is located in « Lightroom » directory in Pictures within my home directory. This file won’t be required because it is already created on the Mac mini. - Lightroom CC plugins are located in /Users//Library/Application Support/Adobe/Lightroom/Modules. - Presets are located in this folder: /Users//Library/Application Support/Adobe/Lightroom/. - Lightroom Classic application Preferences file: /Users//Library/Preferences/com.adobe.LightroomClassicCC7.plist. Some preferences settings refer to things that won’t work upon starting Lightroom Classic for the first time. Settings related to Lightroom Sync for example. Another one is for External editing setting which was set to use Luminar 4. - About the file “Mobile downloads.lrdata” in /Pictures folder, you can find an explanation of this file use [here](https://www.lightroomqueen.com/community/threads/moving-lightroom-what-to-do-with-mobile-downloads-lrdata.42256/post-1280206?ref=numericcitizen.me). - The file has to be copied to the destination machine too. - “The file “mobile downloads.lrdata” was originally the destination folder for all images downloaded from the cloud going all the way back to LRCC 6\. At some point Adobe changed the fixed destination to one that could be defined in preferences. The fixed destination was set as the default. - Locating missing files within the “mobile downloads.lrdata” was impossible unless I proceed by extracting the files myself. “Mobile downloads.lrdata” is in fact a “Package file” that can be opened with a right-click. Once done, I simply copied the files outside in a new folder. Then, I was able to located them from within Lightroom. The “mobile downloads.lrdata” was then no longer needed. - Install Synology Drive and configure it the same way as on the older Mac. - Download and Install the latest version of Synology Drive compatible with Big Sur, M1 Macs and DSM 7.0\. - Reconfigure backup jobs with same settings as before. - Manually start a backup of the same source folder sitting on my external drive to the NAS destination. Monitor the process. Confirm everything is ok (especially looking ag any possible file duplication). - Go on Adobe.com and sign-in with my Adobe ID, then visit the Account settings, Plans and payment then Activated devices and deactivate the older machine account. 1. The money I would get from it would help my finance my recent purchase, [an M1 MacBook Air](https://numericcitizen.me/2021/09/01/coming-out-of-a-rabbit-hole-and-buying-two-macbook-air/). [↩](#ffn1) 2. Thanks to COVID-19, I didn’t make any significant trip this summer. [↩](#ffn2) 3. This one is optional, only if you care to recover a very old catalog file. [↩](#ffn3) 4. Photo previews can be automatically generated if you don’t migrate them but it is slowing down Lightroom not to migrate them. [↩](#ffn4) 5. Luminar used to be a good photo processing software but it is lagging behind Lightroom and Pixel Pro is much better. [↩](#ffn5) 6. Provided that Lightroom CC is already installed. [↩](#ffn6) ### Friday Notes #39 — Going Back to The Office URL: https://numericcitizen.me/friday-notes-39/ Last updated: 2021-11-15T00:54:32.000Z Random notes. I’m **back in the office**, but only one day a week. It’s for team building, they say. I’m ok with that. [I would reconsider my job and start looking elsewhere](https://numericcitizen.substack.com/p/friday-notes-26?r=9aeg3&utm%5Fcampaign=post&utm%5Fmedium=web&utm%5Fsource=copy) if I had to be full-time. The office day is on **Thursday**. It’s for my team only: other teams, other days. Going back to the office one day per week is a good way to **break the monotony** of working from home. Before entering the office, my mindset is that I’m **not going to be productive** for the day. My expectations are low. So far, it’s been the second week, and I’m spot on. I don’t have a designated space — I usually settle on a random closed office. [I hate open space offices](https://numericcitizen.me/2019/01/18/open-plan-offices-are-now-the-dumbest-management-fad-of-all-time/). It usually takes 10 to 15 minutes before I can do anything meaningful. First, lighting coming down from the ceiling is sometimes faulty and produces some flashes, which **drives me crazy**. Second, finding a desk where the power outlet is at the right place is a challenge. Third, my surroundings play a big part in my ability to concentrate (other colleagues’ noises, computer room noises are things to avoid). I do use [my lovely AirPods Max](https://numericcitizen.me/2021/01/03/im-not-an-audiophile-but-here-are-my-thoughts-on-apples-airpods-max/) all the time to concentrate better and listen to some music. I’m doing as many Zoom meetings while at the office as while working from home. It’s weird. Meetings that are split between a meeting room and remote participants over Microsoft Teams still providing me access to non-verbal communication is entertaining, to say the least. My Internet connection is better at home. Go figure. I’m **not as productive** as when working from home. For some directors, this is counter-intuitive; for others, it makes perfect sense. Getting to see some of my best colleagues is entertaining. None are personal friends, though. I'm missing the **whiteboarding sessions** experience, and no video-conferencing app can come close to these. It's weird, and it seems like we will never get to the point of having everybody back simultaneously. The notion of **working together** is permanently changed because of COVID-19\. Is it harder on older employees or younger ones? **It's complicated**. Easy answers are no longer part of this world. Everything is more complicated than before. The notion of teams is now mostly virtual. Returning home by walk is the best part of the day. I love walking downtown. The picture above was taken on the way home. I love this part of the city because of its wide-open space and the surrounding architecture. Going back to the office does have some advantages. I guess. What is your return to office experience? I’m curious to read your comments! ### Coming Out of a Rabbit Hole and Buying Two MacBook Air URL: https://numericcitizen.me/coming-out-of-a-rabbit-hole-and-buying-two-macbook-air/ Last updated: 2023-03-23T16:48:03.000Z ![The MacBook Air provides a delightful writing experience](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/numericcitizen.me/wp-content/uploads/2021/09/macbookair-running.jpg) The MacBook Air provides a delightful writing experience The new school year was about to begin. My 21 years old son was using a 2019 Chromebook for school and wasn’t happy with it. Clearly, It’s not the best device to do video conferencing and using Google Docs is limiting. Those deficiencies were particularly obvious during the first few months of the 2020 confinement. Against all odds, he kept using his Chromebook for as long as he could, but he recently asked me if I could do something about it. When I [started thinking](https://numericcitizen.micro.blog/2021/07/18/when-a-macbook.html?ref=numericcitizen.me) about what could be the best upgrade path for him, I remembered that my wife’s daughter was no longer using her 2013 11” MacBook Air — I thought it was a great opportunity to consider this MacBook Air for my son’s next computer. Without knowing it, I was entering a rabbit hole. Presumably, the MacBook Air was fully capable of replacing my son’s Chromebook, as the specs are much higher: more RAM coupled with a fast SSD. So, I bought it for 300 CAN$. After getting my hands on it, I started to play with it then something unexpected happened[1](#fn1). ## I’m a desktop-type of guy, but… My story with Apple’s MacBook, in general, is pretty slim[2](#fn2). When I’m not working from home, I bring my work-provided 2017 15” MacBook Pro with the dreaded butterfly keyboard at the office. Besides the Retina display and the touch bar, there is nothing special about this Mac. I never owned a MacBook Air before, even though It’s the most successful Mac portable ever. I never quite understood why people would choose such a small device compared to bigger siblings. Yet, after using this “old” 2013 11” MacBook Air for a few weeks, now I understand why: It’s a mighty device. I [love everything about it](https://numericcitizen.micro.blog/2021/08/03/i-love-this.html?ref=numericcitizen.me): its size and weight, it’s operating silently[3](#fn3), the full-size keyboard, battery life is excellent, MagSafe is still a clever idea and the glowing Apple logo on the back of the screen, while being a nice design touch, is a reminder of a MacBook glorious and special era. The only thing that I dislike: the screen resolution. ![Text on the non-Retina display of this old MacBook Air looks fuzzy](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/numericcitizen.me/wp-content/uploads/2021/09/fuzzytextexample.png) Text on the non-Retina display of this old MacBook Air looks fuzzy Speaking of the screen, because of its size, most of the time, I was using apps in full-screen mode. This is the closest this MacBook can be to the iPad experience. It’s funny that, on many occasions, I even instinctively tried to touch the screen to position the text cursor, or scroll a web page in Safari, something I’ve never done with my MacBook Pro. The size of the device may have something to do with this strange behaviour. There is something special about using the MacBook Air. I could say the same about my 11” iPad Pro. Both share hard-to-tell attributes combination that makes using these devices a joyful experience. I understand those easy and tempting comparisons between a MacBook Air and the iPad Pro. Both of these devices are highly portable, but the MacBook Air has a clear advantage on two fronts. On the hardware side, the keyboard is a real one, not a diminutive version in any way. It is such a pleasure to type on. The iPad Magic Keyboard, while I love it, doesn’t feel as good and is quite smaller. On the software side, macOS is, well, a fully extraverted, well assumed, modern, mature and flexible operating system. I love the iPad for what it is, but this MacBook Air running macOS is hard to beat[4](#fn4). For such an old Intel-based machine, battery life is great. Compared to the M1 Mac for comparison, this 2013 machine offers good battery life which should be enough considering the type of work this machine will be used for. ![Two devices, two experiences](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/numericcitizen.me/wp-content/uploads/2021/09/macbookair-ipadpro.jpg) Two devices, two experiences ## Not everything is perfect Sure, this MacBook Air won’t support many of the recent technologies introduced by Apple, yet it can run Big Sur without too much pain, thanks to its 8 GB of RAM. I think this is more than enough[5](#fn5). If I were to keep the machine for myself, it would be for writing and crafting (using the excellent Craft application) only — nothing related to photography stuff or demanding workloads, just for handling my writing sessions. I wouldn’t consider the 13” version, which, I think, is too big; 11” is a perfect size. If Apple had to re-launch a 12” MacBook or a smaller M1 MacBook Air, I would be tempted to take the plunge, and this guy would be so happy. I wish these surveys are a sign of Apple reconsidering the 12” MacBook in their future products plans. ## Reconsidering my purchases plan My experiment with the MacBook Air prompted me to reconsider my upcoming Apple purchases plan (see [my Digital Garden](https://www.craft.do/s/4bcy1C0FVKbMEO?ref=numericcitizen.me)). Just a few weeks ago, I was leaning toward the 12.9” 2021 iPad Pro to become a second screen to my M1 Mac mini and my photo processing tablet. A recent [visit to the Apple Store](https://numericcitizen.me/2021/08/09/thoughts-from-last-weekend-visit-to-the-apple-store/) helped me get more insights about the iPad Pro and the MacBook Air. The iPad Pro is simply a wonderful and near-magical screen, while the MacBook Air is the most portable macOS machine available on the market right now. Following this Apple Store visit, I changed my mind. Let’s face it, a fully equipped iPad Pro with its Magic Keyboard (the 512 GB storage version) costs 2205 CAN$ while an M1 MacBook Air (the 512 GB SSD version) costs 1577 CAN$. It’s a big 628 CAN$ difference. Sure the iPad Pro screen is superior (600 Nits, ProMotion support, mini LED technology, high contrast) while the FaceTime Camera adds the Center Stage feature, but [do I really need those features?](https://numericcitizen.substack.com/p/friday-notes-35) ![A peek at an upcoming article in Craft](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/numericcitizen.me/wp-content/uploads/2021/09/2013-macbook-air-front-view.jpg) A peek at an upcoming article in Craft --- ## Why this change of mind? - As demonstrated earlier, the iPad Pro can be a really expansive machine depending on the chosen configuration. - iPadOS has something to do with it, I can’t quite put my finger on it — even considering iPadOS 15\. For young people who never really touched a traditional computer, the iPad might be a good choice for them. But as someone who started in computers a long time ago, well before the iPhone or the iPad, I enjoy the power and the flexibility of macOS. - iPadOS apps being available on macOS made me even more comfortable with my decision. - My on-the-go needs lean more toward the power of a MacBook Air. In other words, I want to bring the macOS experience with me for content creation. Somehow, it is the opposite view of Basic Apple Guy [he recently published](https://basicappleguy.com/basicappleblog/ipad-air-travel-computer-du-jour?ref=numericcitizen.me) — he prefers using the iPad Air instead while on the go. I respect his take on this, though. - An Apple Watch upgrade this fall is likely with Series 7 which makes me pause on how much money I could put on an iPad Pro. - A possible iPhone upgrade later this fall is certainly not going to be cheap. I’m saving a bit of money for that one too. > Fun fact: I didn’t mind paying close to 800 CAN$ for a pair of AirPods Max, but I was wary of buying a 1500 CAN$ MacBook Air. 😳🤷🏻‍♂️ ## A simple reinstallation process I had to reformat the machine’s SSD to start fresh. Here is the process I followed. 1. Reboot the Mac while holding CMD-R (to trigger the Recovery Mode). 2. Format the SSD with Disk Utilities using the default values. 3. Launch the Installation utility for macOS Sierra, a ten-minute process. 4. Configure an account for the setup process. 5. Install macOS Big Sur by downloading the installer first. 6. Upon final reboot, configure iCloud for Notes, Reminders, and iCloud Drive syncing. 7. Install Craft from the Mac App Store, followed by Ulysses. 8. Ready to enjoy the ride. --- ## Closing remarks My son is getting a mighty 2013 MacBook Air. This is a meaningful upgrade from a Chromebook, and I think it will be a boon for my son’s performance when doing his homework or maybe even while taking notes during his classes. He will probably continue to use Google Docs but will start to get acquainted with iWork for a much better native macOS experience. As a bonus, since my son is an iPhone user, Apple’s services like iMessage and iCloud Photos library will sync across his devices. And what about me? I couldn’t help myself and I bought an M1 MacBook Air[6](#fn6). [Buying a new computer is so much fun](https://initialcharge.net/2021/08/mac-mini-server-upgrade/?ref=numericcitizen.me). It’s a matter of having a more powerful operating system on the go in a highly portable device. The MacBook Air provides just that, the iPad Pro, not quite there yet. I’m from a generation who started with an Apple //+ so traditional computers are a big part of my numeric life, yet, the iPad is such an exquisite form factor. I can’t wait to use macOS Monterey Universal control with my 11” iPad Pro. Likewise, I know, I should probably wait for next year’s MacBook Air redesign. [It looks cool](https://9to5mac.com/2021/08/10/new-macbook-air-colors-new-design-kuo-report/?ref=numericcitizen.me)[7](#fn7). I’m happy with my decision. It was unexpected and so far it is worth it. As for my iPad Pro, it will continue serving me in many use cases: as a second screen to my M1 Mac mini, as well as for my MacBook Air. I’ll keep using it for note-taking during my many meetings, listen to Netflix while running on my treadmill, do some photo-processing, and reading in the bed. > Does this mean that macOS is superior to iPadOS when it comes to serious content creation, from a blogger’s perspective? I would say yes. `This blog post was brainstormed with Craft on a 2013 11” MacBook Air but got published using Ulysses on my new 2020 MacBook Air.` 1. This blog post is not a review of an eight years old MacBook Air. That would be silly, right? Think of this blog post as a gathering of notes while using such a venerable MacBook design. [↩](#ffn1) 2. For the last fifteen years, I’ve been using iMacs. [↩](#ffn2) 3. Most of the time the M1 MacBook Air stays silent. [↩](#ffn3) 4. I don’t expect Apple to come up with a touch screen MacBook nor do I want that. I hope the iPad stays the iPad, while the Mac continues to iteratively evolve to stay relevant. [↩](#ffn4) 5. Most previously owned MacBook Air for sale these days only have 4 GB of RAM. [↩](#ffn5) 6. In order to help me finance my new MacBook Air, my maxed out 2017 21.5” iMac is now up for sale. [↩](#ffn6) 7. I have a few ideas about what I could do with this new MacBook Air if the new design is so tempting. [↩](#ffn7) ### Numeric Citizen Introspection Newsletter #13 URL: https://numericcitizen.me/2021-08/ Last updated: 2021-11-15T00:55:16.000Z For this issue of the Introspection newsletter, I made a few changes. First, you’ll see that section headers are different, more graphical and visual. Second, the highlights section structure is simpler and has a better presentation. Highlights are put together by using some of my posts previously published in a more fluid layout. The distinction between sources from which they come from is no longer being shown either. A Tag line preceeds each highlight. Finally, the last two sections were swapped as it makes more sense to finish with the “What’s next” section. These are small tweaks should improve your reading experience. Let me know what you think.🙂 ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/public/images/97c393ae-803d-4e53-a0af-7650dd3ba579_1392x132.jpeg) ###### There is life after Instagram after all **Glass** is finally out, and I’ve been trying it as soon as I received my invite. Based on my experience with Glass, [I like it](https://numericcitizen.me/2021/08/18/thoughts-and-observations-from-my-experience-with-glass/), but space in my digital life is scarce for another service addition. 🤩 ###### I want Mac OS Tiger widgets back I’m still not found on the way **widgets** are handled on **macOS**. Under macOS **Monterey**, things are exactly the same. [I think](https://numericcitizen.me/2021/08/11/what-widgets-on-macos-big-sur-should-have-been/) Apple is focusing on making the widgets bar the same across devices instead of maximizing each platform uniqueness. By looking at macOS history, Mac OS Tiger was much better in that respect. Why is Apple can’t build on past visual design success? 🤨 ###### Electron-based apps have bad press I’ve been a user of **1Password** for maybe three or four years. I like it but there is some troubling future it seems. **AgileBits**, the company behind it, announced a change of direction with the upcoming major version of 1Password by going to an **Electron**\-based app for the Mac edition. It is hard to understand such a move by a company whose main product has always been Mac native. [I don’t get it](https://numericcitizen.me/2021/08/12/1password-8-mac-early-access-triggers-an-early-exit/). 🧐 ###### Excited for a keyboard I bought the new **Apple Magic Keyboard with Touch ID** to make some room on my desk. I love the convenience of the Touch ID, but [I must admit](https://numericcitizen.micro.blog/2021/08/10/excited-for-a.html?ref=numericcitizen.me) that convenience has a price. I love the typing experience with it, though. Bad keyboards are a thing of the past for Apple. 🧑🏻‍💻 ###### Safari 15 won’t be a disaster after all Apple finally nailed the design of the iPhone version of **Safari** with beta 6 of **iOS 15**. It seems Apple had trouble figuring it out. It’s funny that Apple kept both versions of the design and added a toggle in Settings so users can opt-in or opt-out of the new design. [I’m all in](https://numericcitizen.micro.blog/2021/08/17/when-designers-cant.html?ref=numericcitizen.me). 👍🏻 ###### I didn’t know that I wanted a MacBook Air I’ve been experiencing the **MacBook Air**, old (2013) and new (2020), in recent weeks. It’s a first for me, and [I fell in love](https://numericcitizen.micro.blog/2021/08/26/late-to-the.html?ref=numericcitizen.me). I’ll have much more to say about this saga in the near future. Stay tuned. ☝🏻 ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/public/images/c34684e1-f1d0-4565-8e2d-5cb3930bd425_1392x132.jpeg) 1️⃣ A new [antitrust bill](https://www.blumenthal.senate.gov/imo/media/doc/8.11.21%20-%20Open%20App%20Markets%20Act%20-%20Bill%20Text.pdf?ref=numericcitizen.me) (PDF) in the US could transform the **iPhone experience** more than any new release of iOS. Third-party App Store and payment processing engine, removal of default apps, etc., are threatening the iPhone as we know it. 😒😔 2️⃣ This month marks the tenth anniversary of **Steve Jobs's resignation** from Apple. Ten years, already. I don’t remember that specific day where Steve resigned from Apple. But I do remember when I heard the news about his death. The official press release from Apple is still available [here](https://www.apple.com/newsroom/2011/08/24Steve-Jobs-Resigns-as-CEO-of-Apple/?ref=numericcitizen.me). 😔 3️⃣ [The Mac means business](https://www.apple.com/business/mac/?ref=numericcitizen.me), according to Apple. Processing power, battery life, security, experience are the main themes. I love this mini-website design: clear, concise, lightly animated. Back in the days when I was working for an Apple dealer, **selling the Mac to the business** was a constant struggle. The Mac entered by the back door, always.🧑🏻‍💻 4️⃣ There are interesting discussions surrounding the **1Password 8 Early betas using Electron**. AgileBits is using SwiftUI for its iOS version but not for the Mac version. Why? Some will say that Apple’s unifying platform isn’t mature enough. Well, why are they able to build the Shortcuts editor on macOS Monterey with it, then? That’s not the most basic app to start from and probably compares quite favourably with 1Password’s inherent complexity. The other thing is AgileBits recent fundings. They were probably asked to move the business in directions that aren’t Apple-friendly [by people who don’t really give a damn about native and non-native apps](https://sixcolors.com/post/2021/08/not-important-enough-1password-abandons-its-native-mac-app/?ref=numericcitizen.me). ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/public/images/e5475d20-5ac0-4576-a924-db14f99f96e6_1392x132.jpeg) **Instagram** is slowly and clearly **leaving traditional photography** behind. Too bad. A recent video published on the Instagram website is officially announcing another round of changes that are focused on [making Instagram a video-sharing platform](https://techphotoguy.com/instagram-video-shift/?ref=numericcitizen.me). If you were looking for a sign of change to look elsewhere, now is the time to do so. Alternatives are scarce, sadly. 😞 **Glass** is the closest thing to Instagram’s original incarnation. My main blog (here: [https://numericcitizen.me](https://numericcitizen.me/)) is hosted on **WordPress.com**, which I’m super happy with. It requires very little management, but for hosting photos, I think it is not well suited because publishing content requires too much effort. Over the years, I tried different photo-sharing services, but now I’m using **SmugMug[1](#footnote-1)**. It’s fast, customizable and easy to publish new content. If I want to write a story with my photo though, I prefer to use Substack for this[2](#footnote-2). That being said, read [this article](https://techphotoguy.com/wordpress-web-hosting-for-photographers/?ref=numericcitizen.me) if **WordPress** is something you are looking into **for hosting and publishing your photos**. 👈🏻 If **urbex photography** is something you practice or find fascinating, **500px** has a [great article](https://iso.500px.com/visiting-the-most-astonishing-abandoned-places-in-the-world-in-photos/?ref=numericcitizen.me) on the subject: > Photographers have been drawn to abandoned places for generations; even legendary pioneers like Paul Strand and Walker Evans visited the occasional ghost town and found an eerie beauty in derelict buildings. Today, photographing abandoned buildings has never been more popular, as more artists have realized the significance of preserving our cultural heritage through images. Great tips (be safe, use wide-angle lenses, use bracketing), great photos and references. Speaking of urban exploration, consider this scene. > [](https://twitter.com/TIDPhotography/status/1427262704742449159?ref=numericcitizen.me) Can you imagine if we spent the time to gather all the abandoned stuff around the world to recycle materials instead of digging the ground even deeper? > [](https://twitter.com/TIDPhotography/status/1417813915807924224?ref=numericcitizen.me) I miss doing some urbex. It’s been quite a while since my last session with my friend. This particular scene is interesting for many reasons. One being the letters spread all over on the floor. What are those letters about? Who sent them? When? [Leave a comment](https://numericcitizen.me/2021-08/comments) ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/public/images/5948aefd-0952-4ba7-b87b-b4aa589ea1e3_1392x132.jpeg) First, this [tweet](https://twitter.com/Quicktake/status/1428022931859279874?s=20&ref=numericcitizen.me) shows a **powerful image** and the story behind it about the climate crisis. I’m unable to embed the tweet in here but I encourage you to pay a visit to see the quick documentary. Speaking of climate crisis, aren’t all the words been said or written about it to help people realize we are in a deep crisis? An exerpt from [a story](https://therealsarahmiller.substack.com/p/all-the-right-words-on-climate-have) (“**All The Right Words On Climate Have Already Been Said**”) about writing or not another poignant take on an already wildly used theme. > « Let’s give the article she was starting to maybe think about asking me to write that I was wondering if I could write the absolute biggest benefit of the doubt and imagine that people read it and said, “Wow this is exactly how I feel, thanks for putting it into words.” What then? What would happen then? Would people be “more aware” about climate change? It’s 109 degrees in Portland right now. It’s been over 130 degrees in Baghdad several times. What kind of awareness quotient are we looking for? What more about climate change does anyone need to know? What else is there to say? » I like [this story](https://om.co/2021/08/03/out-of-water/?ref=numericcitizen.me) about **the effect of climate change** on our daily lives on the scale of a single person’s life. Climate change is real. Finally, this article from the New York Times helps illustrate [the anomaly of temperature records](https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2021/06/29/upshot/portland-seattle-vancouver-weather.html?ref=numericcitizen.me) recently observed in Portland and Vancouver. The trend of the last decade is clear and frigtening because we don’t know the slope of the temperature increase curve: are we at the beginning of it, in the middle or at the end? ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/public/images/9af0d580-285e-42f3-95f3-b7d17717cbf3_1392x132.jpeg) The **big story** this month is about Apple’s initiative to “scan” images in a user’s iCloud Photos library, on the device, for **child sexual abuse material** ([CSAM](https://www.ecpat.org/wp-content/uploads/legacy/SECO%20Manifestations%5FCSAM.pdf?ref=numericcitizen.me) \- PDF). Privacy protection groups are furious and ask Apple to change its mind. It’s a complex, polarizing matter. It has become a PR nightmare for Apple, they tried to [explain in details](https://www.apple.com/child-safety/pdf/Expanded%5FProtections%5Ffor%5FChildren%5FFrequently%5FAsked%5FQuestions.pdf?ref=numericcitizen.me) what it is all about in a [FAQ page](https://www.apple.com/child-safety/pdf/Expanded%5FProtections%5Ffor%5FChildren%5FFrequently%5FAsked%5FQuestions.pdf?ref=numericcitizen.me). I'm no expert in this, but I have to wonder about something: **where does it stop for Apple**? Where do they get their mandate from to legitimize their initiatives? It cannot be only because the technology is now available, isnt’t? Why is the government absent from these initiatives? Contrary to many experts, I don't see how a government could ask Apple to scan for other things and Apple to accept. That's not how this thing works. People are always wary of governments, exceptially in the US. That being said, I'm curious to see if Apple will delay these initiatives. Michael Tsai has a [great summary](https://mjtsai.com/blog/2021/08/05/scanning-icloud-photos-for-child-sexual-abuse/?ref=numericcitizen.me) post on the controversy from which I like this thought: > You shouldn’t upload anything to the cloud that you want to keep private. — **Michael Tsai** ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/public/images/fda3eaa9-7c17-4f55-8400-a0a344198d55_1392x132.jpeg) > We have a generation that is visually native. Their communication default is something akin to FaceTime. — **Om Malik** > Attention is our most important tool in the task of improving the quality of experience. — **Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi** > The amount of time I invest in different things is an indicator of what my life is made of. — **Kenta Nagamine** > If you think about a surveillance world, a world where you know that somebody is always watching everything you’re doing. And in the case of a phone or a computer, it’s also what you’re thinking. Because you’re typing in searches and so on and so forth. I think in that kind of world, you begin to do less. You begin to think less. Your freedom of expression begins to narrow and the walls move in on you. I start thinking about that at its natural endpoint, and I don’t want to be a part of that society[3](#footnote-3). — **Tim Cook** [Subscribe now](https://numericcitizen.me/subscribe/) ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/public/images/4bf0c44f-efc7-41be-bad4-3e13315755a5_1392x132.jpeg) **Job description**: making sure older iPhones work fast with the most recent iOS release. Cool. I thought Apple was programming their iPhone for obsolescence. > [](https://twitter.com/PDucks32/status/1426978498900480000?ref=numericcitizen.me) I’m fully vaccinated.😇 I did my duty, did you? I’ve got the **AstraZeneca** first, then **Moderna**[4](#footnote-4). Seems to be the best combinaison according to the following tweet. > [](https://twitter.com/sailorrooscout/status/1418223525790248976?ref=numericcitizen.me) Speaking of vaccination, **this shouldn’t be a political issue**, and yet, according to [these data visualization graphs](https://acasignups.net/21/08/11/us-covid19-vaccination-levels-county-over-time?ref=numericcitizen.me), it is, in the US. Finally, still on the subject of COVID-19, do you remember the Google-Apple **notification exposure framework**? It’s a set of APIs at the operating system level for developers to build applications to allow people declare their positive status following a test for COVID-19\. Sadly, in the US, [very few people actually used the system](https://appleinsider.com/articles/21/08/26/almost-nobody-in-the-us-used-the-apple-google-covid-19-apps?ref=numericcitizen.me) to do so. People need training on using digital tools. Eventually that will become a second nature… for the next pandemic. 😔 ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/public/images/32131ce9-e42a-4d95-8ef1-9e1a815af8b9_1392x132.jpeg) Do you know what **Twitter’s** **Revue service** is? It is a new offering by Twitter to **compete against Substack** to build **newsletters**. Revue got acquired by Twitter last year. Twitter officially launched the service this month. I tested it and I love it a lot. Will it be enough for me to switch from Substack? I don’t think so. Will I find a use for Revue in the future? Probably yes. Read [this issue](https://www.getrevue.co/profile/apple%5Fobserver?ref=numericcitizen.me#archive) to know more about my experience, and where it could fit in my digital life. 🗞 Now, turning to September to see what Apple has in store for us. It’s their **annual new products galore**. Looking forward to the Apple Watch Series 7 and the iPhone 13\. According to [rampant rumours](https://www.macrumors.com/2021/08/24/apple-watch-series-7-case-sizes-increase/?ref=numericcitizen.me), the Series 7 could be 1 mm larger.⌚️📱💥 --- This concludes the **Numeric Citizen Introspection Newsletter #13** for **August** of **2021**. I would love to get your feedback and read your comments. Thanks for being a subscriber. Thanks for reading! 🙏🏻 [1](#footnote-anchor-1) Glass will never replace Smugmug for me. [2](#footnote-anchor-2) See [My Photo Legend Series](https://numericcitizen.substack.com/s/photo-legend-series) on Subnstack. [3](#footnote-anchor-3) This quote by Tim Cook illustrates, to me at least, that with Apple scanning for CSAM is doing exactly that for me and many others, feeling tracked. [4](#footnote-anchor-4) I felt really bad for 48 hours after getting both of them. ### Friday Notes #38 — The Things I Don’t Do Enough URL: https://numericcitizen.me/friday-notes-38/ Last updated: 2021-11-15T00:56:43.000Z Recently, I’ve been thinking a lot about how I’m spending my personal time. I realized that there are many things that I don’t do enough, or not at all, for whatever reasons. Here is a quick rundown: - Watching YouTube videos - Watching Netflix series - Watching Apple TV+ content - Listening to music - Reading books Why is that? I hear so often someone talking about a movie, a book, a Netflix series. Why am I unable to talk about those things? Why consuming these types of content is not part of my weekly routine? I recently cancelled my Disney+ subscription because I didn’t take advantage of it. Speaking of subscriptions, here is a question: am I alone who cannot really take advantage of many subscriptions? Here is another list of subscriptions that I don’t take enough advantage of while still paying for: - SoundCloud - DJay Pro - PocketCast (Castro before that, Apple’s Podcasts before, etc.) - Vimeo - Apple TV+ - Mindful meditation “Petit Bamboo” - YouTube (this subscription disables any ads in the middle of any videos that I’m watching). - And a few more. Why is that? How am I spending my time, then? Well, I’ve been searching for answers recently and started to put together tools that will help me find answers. I’m still working on it, but soon I’ll share the fruits of my work. ### Friday Notes #37 — A Sublime Place URL: https://numericcitizen.me/friday-notes-37/ Last updated: 2022-05-27T10:48:42.000Z [Last weekend was highly emotional](https://numericcitizen.substack.com/p/friday-notes-36), but there were many peaceful moments too. I had a chance to do some photography with my iPhone, thanks to the inspiring place we were staying; a wonderful B&B near the city where I was born. The weather was simply perfect all the time and gave me a lot of occasions to snap a few interesting shots, like the one above. The photo was taken with an iPhone 11 Pro with Halide camera app and lightly processed with Pixelmator Photo on my 11” iPad Pro. I’m kind of proud of the results. It’s been a long time since I had nothing planned for the coming weekend. This weekend should be calm, with no travel outside. Having no plan is liberating. Oh, I forgot, a couple of friends are coming for dinner Saturday night. Oh well. ### Thoughts and observations from my experience with Glass URL: https://numericcitizen.me/thoughts-and-observations-from-my-experience-with-glass/ Last updated: 2023-03-23T16:48:04.000Z ![Glass community view](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/numericcitizen.me/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/iphone-community.png) Glass community view There is a newcomer in the space of photo-sharing services, and it is called Glass ([I’m still waiting for Bokeh, though](https://numericcitizen.me/2020/06/13/bokeh-to-challenge-instagram/)). I’ve been waiting for the service launch since September of last year. Following its debut, Glass gathered a lot of comments and quick reviews, mostly positive. Here are a few thoughts and observations about Glass after a few days of use. - From the first few minutes of interaction with the application, what I’m seeing is a simple and clean user interface enabling simple micro-interactions. It is refreshing when compared to Instagram which feels to sit on the opposite side. - Glass is a simple photo sharing application, so basic that it may feel simplistic because we have Instagram or Flickr as our reference frame. Don’t be fooled. Simplicity will be rewarded. - Glass is not promoting photographers stardom. Profile pages are simple and lack the usual followers count. How can this be possible in 2021? I think this is a brave decision from Glass founders, which makes me feel that all photographers start on the same starting line. That being said, there are a few notable users of Glass: Phil Schiller, Om Malik just to name a few. - By skipping the like feature, at least for the time being, engagement happens only by writing a comment on a photo post. It’s a great way to slow things down in a world of digital fast foods where we hit the like button too easily for too many reasons. It reminds me of the [slow food movement](https://greenliving.lovetoknow.com/low-impact-living/what-is-slow-food-movement?ref=numericcitizen.me). - Thanks to users who engage with comments, there is a sense of community even without group discussions, something that is still a thing on Flickr. - Discovering new photographers is easy with the community tab. How is these suggestions list built? I couldn’t find a word about it. Is there some sort of algorithm at play here, or is it curated by humans? - From what I am seeing, many photographers are publishing photos taken with their iPhone. Just like at the beginning of Instagram. - By being a paid service, only willing users will come to the platform. I like this. You can call me an elitist. - Micro.blog supports sharing photos from Glass in a recent update (version 2.2 and up). Glass doesn’t have APIs, but sharing a photo on Glass creates a web page that Micro.blog can ingest and copy the photo to its servers for sharing purposes. - Pictures quality is high as I don’t feel any visual compression. One thing that I don’t like is when tapping on a picture, the zoomed view requires scrolling to see the whole picture. There has to be a better experience. - Somehow, Glass reminds me of Micro.blog. They both share attributes like being paid services, without ads, no timeline manipulation, no followers counts or likes. > We want you to adore Glass, not become addicted to it. We’ve created a distraction-free app focused on one thing — your photos.Glass founders ## What’s not there, yet ![Glass Photo Details view](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/numericcitizen.me/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/photo-detail-you.png) Glass Photo Details view There is room for improvement with Glass, but many missing things aren’t signs of weakness. Here is a list of missing things or things that could be improved or added. - No ads. Thanks. - No algorithms to trick the timeline. Thanks again. - No likes, nor followers or following counts. We’ll see if these things will ever be added. - No iPad app or web app yet. We’re still waiting for Instagram to build one, maybe Glass will beat them on this. I certainly hope so. - No APIs. That’s probably the last thing that will happen with Glass. - While browsing a photographer’s profile, there are no thumbnails to view yet, except when in the discovery (community?) tab where up to three pictures can be glanced at. Consider this added to my wish list. - No filters yet. I’m not convinced if this will ever come to Glass. - Editing photo description after posting is not yet possible. A must. - Can’t share a photographer’s profile URL. A must. Eventually. - No long-press support on photos to bring a pop-over with actions. A must. > It’s like a Glass of cold water in hell ## Looking ahead There is room for a service like Glass. It has to be that way. Yet, there is a limit to how I spend time in photo-sharing activities. - I decided to go all in with Smugmug a few months ago. I have to decide how Glass will fit the picture (pun intended). - It will be interesting to see Glass evolve while staying true to its core values. - I want to give Glass a chance. For one year. I subscribed. It’s another experiment of mine. This should be enough to see where the service will be going in the future and for me to find a niche in my digital landscape. Maybe. > *From what I am seeing, many photographers are publishing photos taken with their iPhone.* ## A few burning questions Glass is certainly a welcomed addition to the landscape of photo-sharing services, but Glass triggers many important questions for me. - Why use Glass if I’m already using Smugmug? - Can Glass be considered a social network? Does it even matter? - Why do we share photos online? Why should we? - How much time am I willing to divert to Glass instead of writing or even taking photos? - Is there time left in my numeric life to spend on another photo-sharing service? - For those on Flickr or Smugmug, what is the role of Glass? Should they switch to Glass? Does Glass have to compete against these services? - Is it possible for a small newcomer like Glass to break the big player’s apparent monopoly of the social networking or photo sharing services space? It’s far too early to tell, but I dearly hope so. - Does Glass have to become addictive to create a dent in the universe of photo-sharing platforms? I don’t know. I’m enjoying Glass and looking for a place in my digital life for it to stay. So I’m giving myself one year for this while looking at Glass’s evolution. It will be an interesting journey. ### Friday Notes #36 — A Real Farewell URL: https://numericcitizen.me/friday-notes-36-2/ Last updated: 2025-08-16T12:47:08.000Z This weekend, I will spend time with my family to say a proper farewell to my father, who passed away earlier this year. This gathering will provide much-needed closure, which has been delayed due to COVID and social distancing rules. Now that those restrictions are mostly behind us, we can come together to say our final goodbye to my dear father. For this occasion, I wrote a short speech, and a friend reviewed it. He said my text is spot on, and I hope others feel the same way. ### 1Password 8 Mac Early Access Triggers an Early Exit? URL: https://numericcitizen.me/1password-8-mac-early-access-triggers-an-early-exit/ Last updated: 2023-03-23T16:48:04.000Z ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/numericcitizen.me/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/1password-vector-icon.png) Another day, another controversy (to get a [good summary](https://mjtsai.com/blog/2021/08/11/1password-8-for-mac-early-access/?ref=numericcitizen.me), head to Michael Tsai’s website. Don’t miss the comments after the summary). This time, behind a visual redesign (which I don’t think is an improvement, btw), it’s about 1Password 8 being converted to an Electron-based app on the Mac. What is going on with AgileBits, anyway? AgileBits seems to be spreading all over the place in recent years (turning to the corporate market, adding Linux, etc.) which could explain in part what is happening now. I don’t understand a company with a mature codebase built on AppKit since forever, turning to a cross-platform framework like Electron. I mean, it’s not like if they didn’t have a Mac app, right? They do, it’s already supporting Apple silicon too. I guess they didn’t like SwiftUI or Catalyst. Sure things change, evolve, etc. But, this move is quite surprising to me, to say the least. There is a huge Mac fans base of 1Password, it’s not surprising to see the kind of reactions that we see all over. There are some [juicy user reactions](https://1password.community/discussion/122496/deeply-disappointed-with-the-switch-to-electron?ref=numericcitizen.me) following this move announcement on AgileBits community forums. > What makes this Linux release even more amazing is it was created from scratch and developed using new languages and techniques most of our team never used before. Is this a joke? > To minimize file size and maximize performance, we’re offering separate Apple silicon and Intel builds. Wow, what an improvement from a user experience perspective. What about a universal bundle? Oh, Electron doesn’t support that? > We have a large Apple dev team and had a parallel SwiftUI codebase being developed for about 6 months. It had some advantages but overall it underperformed on macOS and the UX was worse. It’s a fucking password manager, not a 3D design app for god’s sake. Come on. > I tried the latest beta (8.2.0-44.BETA) on a 16-core Mac Pro, which you’d think would be powerful enough to handle Electron, but nope. It lags when resizing the window. The scrollbar lags when scrolling through the list (and there’s no overscroll). Site icons and text all pop into view while you’re scrolling because Electron just can’t keep up. It’s visibly, noticeably slower. I don’t understand what the upside of doing this is. Can’t wait to get the final version. What a user-hostile move, typical of a company putting its interests at the forefront. This move by AgileBits makes me reconsider 1Password as my password management solution. I already have a foot in Apple’s passwords management which provides a cross-platform solution anyway (within Apple’s ecosystem). I’ll start to move out, one password at a time. It will take a long time. It won’t be funny. But, too bad. Meanwhile, I’ve turned off 1Password 7 automatic update feature so I won’t move to 1Password 8 as I migrate my passwords. I guess I’ll have to revisit my recommendation in “[A Guide for Preparing to Leave Your Numeric Legacy](https://numericcitizen.me/2020/05/16/a-guide-for-preparing-to-leave-your-numeric-legacy/)“. ![Turning off automatic updates](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/numericcitizen.me/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/1password7-automatic-update.png) Turning off automatic updates You see, as I go all-in with Apple’s solution for my password management needs, it will be on AgileBits’ fault, not because Apple is preventing fair competition because of its App Store dominant position. ### What Widgets on macOS Big Sur Should Have Been URL: https://numericcitizen.me/what-widgets-on-macos-big-sur-should-have-been/ Last updated: 2023-03-23T16:48:04.000Z ![MacOS Tiger Dashboard](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/numericcitizen.me/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/dashboard-big.jpg) MacOS Tiger Dashboard Remember the [Dashboard in MacOS Tiger](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dashboard%5F%28macOS%29?ref=numericcitizen.me)? It was a separate and hidden place to put small widgets on a freeform canvas. Dropping widgets on it produced a ripple effect that was cool to look at. It was easy to manage, easy to invoke and dismiss. Widgets were easy to build and distribute. Did Apple kill them for the sake of… simplicity? I don’t have a good explanation. I’m not even sure Apple’s employees know why, either. > Damn that Dashboard Widget ripple was silky.[#FeelingNostalgic](https://twitter.com/hashtag/FeelingNostalgic?src=hash&ref%5Fsrc=twsrc%5Etfw&ref=numericcitizen.me) [pic.twitter.com/CxqUW5yuQg](https://t.co/CxqUW5yuQg?ref=numericcitizen.me) > > — Basic Apple Guy (@BasicAppleGuy) [August 10, 2021](https://twitter.com/BasicAppleGuy/status/1425123249793343494?ref%5Fsrc=twsrc%5Etfw&ref=numericcitizen.me) Now, enter macOS Big Sur. Widgets are back, and Apple made a big fuss about them. This is what we get: a small, vertical, cramped band of widgets. The interface is complex, slow even of fast Macs. I don’t know why Apple is confining them in this small and constrained space, maybe for the sake of some sort of cohesive visual experience to [Apple’s other hardware platforms](https://numericcitizen.me/2020/07/01/getting-ready-for-the-new-ios-14-home-screen-experience/). This design is based on arbitrary rules that we, the users, cannot be related to anything as we have the big screen has a reference. I don’t think Apple had to create such an experience just to make it easy to select a widget and its size. I find it surprising that nobody thought of mocking up a better way of managing widgets in the modern era. ![macOS Big Sur introduces widgets](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/numericcitizen.me/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/macos-big-sur-notification-center.jpg) macOS Big Sur introduces widgets Are there any designers or engineers left at Apple who worked on MacOS Tiger? What were their thoughts on this design and experience? When Apple makes a change for the sake of making a change, it generally leads to the worst experience. Think about Safari 15 in macOS Monterey and on the iPhone. ### Thoughts From Last Weekend Visit to The Apple Store URL: https://numericcitizen.me/thoughts-from-last-weekend-visit-to-the-apple-store/ Last updated: 2023-03-23T16:48:04.000Z ![Photo by Hussam Abd on Unsplash](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/numericcitizen.me/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/hussam-abd-zp5upuuctqi-unsplash.jpg) Photo by Hussam Abd on Unsplash After more than 18 months without going to an Apple Store, it was time for me to pay a meaningful visit and get an experience refresh in person. I had three objectives in mind: compare the size of the iPhone 12 Pro to the Max, compare the size of the 12.9” iPad Pro to its smaller sibling, and experience the 2020 MacBook Air. I didn’t expect to buy any of these devices; just try a few things to help me make a better decision for my next Apple purchase. Here are a few of my thoughts coming out of this Apple Store visit. ![Two sizes iPhone, comparable information density - deception](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/numericcitizen.me/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/img_8177.jpg) Two sizes iPhone, comparable information density – deception On the iPhone 12\. The iPhone 12 Pro Max is big, but the information density isn’t what I expected compared to the non-Max version[1](#fn1). Both devices display about the same amount of information. As an example, both iPhones have six rows of applications on the home screen. Trying Maps, Photos, and Settings was enough to see how little difference there is. It’s a deception for me. The Max definitely requires both hands to operate, most of the time. The question that comes to my mind: why people choose the Max? Longer battery life? Better optical zoom? Is it because it is bigger? One last thing, the finish on the rather rough device edges makes it look cheap, and I hate it (fingerprints magnet x 1000). I much prefer the matte version on the iPhone 12\. My hope is for this to improve this fall with the next iPhone iteration. ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/numericcitizen.me/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/intro_summary_static__epib5tclp926_large.png) About the iPad. The 12.9” iPad Pro screen is gorgeous. In my hands, the device certainly feels big and a bit heavy. I love the information density. Using apps in split view mode while in landscape benefits from the bigger screen. While standing on its Magic Keyboard, the iPad’s 4:3 screen ratio reminds me of old PC monitors. It looks weird compared to the 11” iPad Pro. ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/numericcitizen.me/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/macbook-air-m1-unboxing-feature.jpg) Lastly, the MacBook Air. From a size perspective, It seems closer to the MacBook Pro, while my old 2013 11” MBA feels closer to the 11” iPad. I prefer the latter. I wish the 2020 MBA would be smaller. I tried changing the screen resolution to 1680 x 1050 to get the screen to display information density closer to that of an 11” MBA, but I’m not convinced that I like the results. The keyboard is obviously fixed: nice, functional and quite different from the one on the 2020 MBA; the keys are bigger, keys spacing is tighter. So, how is this visit influencing my next Apple purchases[2](#fn2)? Well, I can say that I came out with a better understanding of what’s coming next. As for the iPhone, I’ll probably stay with the non-Max version this year with the upcoming iPhone 12s/13 if I ever upgrade. Let’s see what Apple has in store in September before making a final call. About this big iPad Pro: It’s a wonderful big screen, which isn’t enough to convince me; I’ll stay with the 11” iPad Pro. iPadOS has something to do with my decision. Who knew. The 2020 MBA, while a great machine, is not providing the same pleasure as the 2013 11” MBA on which I’m writing this blog post. Does it mean I’m passing on the 2020 MBA? No. Battery life and screen quality are winners. Size? Time will tell. I guess I could return the Mac to Apple if I really don’t like my overall experience. All signs are pointing to the M1 MacBook Air, with 8 GB of RAM and a 512 GB SSD for my next Apple purchase, thanks to this Apple Store visit. It’s not fully future-proof with “only” 8 GB of RAM, but I think it will be just fine for quite some time. My current Apple purchases plan can be found in [my Digital Garden](https://www.craft.do/s/prWu9ohKSgta1T?ref=numericcitizen.me). 1. It was probably obvious to many tech pundits, but to me, I thought the Max was like the Plus back in the days. It doesn’t seem to be the case. [↩](#ffn1) 2. Before my visit, I had the firm intention to buy an 2020 12.9” M1 iPad Pro in the near future. [↩](#ffn2) ### Friday Notes #35 — Do I really Need This? URL: https://numericcitizen.me/friday-notes-35/ Last updated: 2025-08-17T10:37:57.000Z In recent weeks, I felt in a rabbit hole as I found myself wondering if I would get a shiny new 2021 12.9” iPad Pro or a shiny new 2020 M1 MacBook Air. Do I need any of these? No. The thing is, I’m a computer guy. I’ve been a fan since 1982 when I started with TI 99-4A and later an Apple \]\[+. My whole career is about computers, or more generally speaking: information technologies. As far as I can remember, I always wanted the best I could afford. In addition, my hobbies, being a blogger and content creator and amateur photographer, are heavily dependant on computing devices. I can afford a new iPad or a MacBook Air, yet I know I don’t really need them. The M1 Mac mini is as fast as I need. My 2018 11” iPad Pro is great at the tasks I throw at it. Yet, I’m unsatisfied. Like doctors looking to have the best tools to help them execute their procedures, I’m one of those looking at exactly the right computing device for the right task in the right context. If I get the MacBook Air, my iPad Pro usage will diminish. There is a finite amount of time that I can use computers in a day. As I’m still wondering what I’m going to do, I decided to buy the Apple Magic Keyboard With Touch ID for my Mac mini. Why? Because of the Touch ID on the keyboard. Not a big deal, but very convenient. And expensive at 179 CAN$. Do I really need this? No. 🤷🏻‍♂️ ### Numeric Citizen Introspection Newsletter #12 URL: https://numericcitizen.me/2021-07/ Last updated: 2021-11-15T00:58:44.000Z Here is issue #12 of the **Numeric Citizen Introspection Newsletter.** This is issue marks the first anniversary of this newsletter—time flies🥳. I still love putting these newsletters together each month. I hope you do like getting them. I’m proud of being able to keep this newsletter alive and free. Let’s start with a few highlights of published posts during July from **Micro.blog**. As we’re right in the middle of summer, I think it is a good idea to take some time for other things, as explained [here](https://numericcitizen.me/friday-notes-32/). Publishing on my blogs is slower during summer, but there is a reason for that, as explained [here](https://numericcitizen.me/friday-notes-33/). # **Post highlights from my [microblog](https://numericcitizen.micro.blog/?ref=numericcitizen.me)** - What if the **side-loading** of apps was a possible thing on the iPhone? I don’t want that to happen anytime soon. Yet, I’m trying to look forward, and [I’m guessing what would happen.](https://numericcitizen.micro.blog/2021/07/03/lets-pretend-there.html?ref=numericcitizen.me) - **Apple** is in a **weak** position. [I don’t know](https://numericcitizen.micro.blog/2021/07/03/apple-in-a.html?ref=numericcitizen.me) how they will get out of this. - [A few thoughts](https://numericcitizen.micro.blog/2021/07/10/a-few-thoughts.html?ref=numericcitizen.me) on **cleaning up** my **Twitter** accounts following list. - Time to drop **Skylum** apps. [Here is why](https://numericcitizen.micro.blog/2021/07/12/bye-bye-skylum.html?ref=numericcitizen.me). - **PC in the cloud** is the new hot thing from Microsoft. [I’m excited about what comes to the iPad because of this](https://numericcitizen.micro.blog/2021/07/15/on-pc-in.html?ref=numericcitizen.me). - I’m having a big time deciding which apps I should use in any sphere of my digital life. [I made a decision](https://numericcitizen.micro.blog/2021/07/17/moving-from-castro.html?ref=numericcitizen.me) regarding my go-to app for **podcasts consumption**: Pocket Cast, being acquired by Automattic. - Surprisingly, 2013 **MacBook Air** \> 2019 **Chromebook**. [My thoughts](https://numericcitizen.micro.blog/2021/07/18/when-a-macbook.html?ref=numericcitizen.me). # **Apple tidbits worth my attention** 1️⃣ What’s the difference between theme parks and public parks? Why do we love one better than the other? Why do some people prefer public parks? What’s the link with **Apple’s platforms**? I’m the kind of person who likes them all, but for different reasons. I enjoy theme parks when I visit one. They offer a great controlled and secure experience. I love to wander in public parks because of the seeming **freedom** they enable. Lastly, when accessible, private parks can contain rare gems that are unique and merit our respect, care and protection. [John Gruber on the subject](https://daringfireball.net/linked/2021/06/06/theme-parks-and-public-parks?ref=numericcitizen.me). 2️⃣ I love to read those previously **untold stories** of personalities like **Steve Jobs**. I found something very telling in [this one](https://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/en/news/backstories/1622/?ref=numericcitizen.me) is that Jobs didn’t always have a plan to visit Japan and instead delegated his personal chauffeur the task of deciding which place to visit. In a way, that’s probably the best way as he was the one to know better what were the best places. 🇯🇵 3️⃣ Recent court trials revealed many untold stories of behind-the-scenes play by big companies like Apple and Microsoft. [That one](https://twitter.com/TechEmails/status/1413534752699830275?s=20&ref=numericcitizen.me) related to the launch of the **iTunes Music Store** back in April of 2003 is also very telling about how Microsoft was trailing in that market and was caught off-guard by Apple. 🎶 4️⃣ Rumours are rampant about the **Apple Watch** getting new **health condition-related sensors**. This [rumour](https://www.macrumors.com/2021/07/14/apple-supplier-unveils-health-tracking-tech/?ref=numericcitizen.me) could be a massive breakthrough, a game-changer for diabetics if it ever comes reality. I don’t expect Apple to be ready this year, though. It’s fascinating how new tech these days depends on things we use to see in old sci-fi movies. Back then, nobody had a clue if lasers or fake sensors using light made any possible sense in the future… and yet, here we are, look at the back of your Apple Watch. The future is now. ⌚️ 5️⃣ I have so much respect for Steve. I don’t care what many pundits think of him. He’s right about winning arguments in [his remarks](https://twitter.com/maram5e/status/1397245971973685256?s=20&ref=numericcitizen.me), as recently shared on Twitter. When you are right, then you are right! It is not about who’s winning; it is about who is right and why you are there in the first place. One more thing: **Apple** is (**not**) **doomed**. The [latest financial results](https://www.macstories.net/news/apple-q3-2021-results-81-4-billion-revenue/?ref=numericcitizen.me) (for Q3FY21) are simply mind-blowing. 🤯😳🤑 (**MacStories** summary, great graphical visualization). Apple is printing money. Everything is up, Y-to-Y. Disclaimer: I own 60 shares of Apple, Inc. 😊 # **Must see photography stuff** Here are the **iPhone Photography** 2021 photographers [winners](https://www.ippawards.com/2021-winning-photographers/?ref=numericcitizen.me). Surprisingly, iPhone models used by photographers vary quite a lot and generally aren’t the latest models. Tech doesn’t make a great photo by itself. Opportunism, creativity are a few of the main ingredients. Do I get **[photography slumps](https://www.jordanmcchesney.com/blog/photography-slumps-and-how-i-deal-with-them?ref=numericcitizen.me)**? You bet. I would say that I’m currently into one since the beginning of the pandemic. Without any significant trips since I visited Cuba for new year’s eve of 2020, that year is probably the one where I took the least photos. I expect this year to be about the same as I don’t have any trips planned soon. Yet, there are some more great moments when I took [this photo walk](https://numericcitizen.me/2021/01/08/the-story-of-a-90-minutes-photowalk-to-nowhere/) which proved quite productive. **Apple Marina Bay store** is quite impressive. [These photos](https://www.mundanebabble.com/apple-marina-bay-sands?ref=numericcitizen.me) give one of the best shots at this place. I love this place, so this explains why I include so many references in my newsletters. I like the idea of creating stories around a bunch of images. I’m doing it here on Substack; it’s called the [Photo Legend Series](https://numericcitizen.substack.com/s/photo-legend-series). These types of **visual stories** are demanding to put together, though. That being said, there are a few web services that are targeted to those who want to express themselves this way. One of them is named “**[Exposure](https://exposure.co/?ref=numericcitizen.me)**.” It looks like a great place to be, but it is not free, from what I’m seeing. A great example of a visual story about [empty restaurants](https://sokitamas.exposure.co/empty-restaurants?ref=numericcitizen.me) during COVID-19 confinement in Hungary. When I started photography as an amateur photographer, I was using a Minolta SRT-200\. It was before the digital photography era. So I have accumulated quite a few negatives during that period. One thing I’d like to do is to digitize them and bring them back to life. One [plugin](https://www.negativelabpro.com/?ref=numericcitizen.me) for Lightroom CC, **Negative Lab Pro**, looks very impressive to do just that, provided that the negatives were scanned with some scanner which can be a very time-consuming process. Let’s say that this could be a project for when I’m retiring. > [](https://twitter.com/vwmeadows/status/1415335529378373637?ref=numericcitizen.me) [Subscribe now](https://numericcitizen.me/subscribe/) # **Climate change issues** Part of the current climate crisis problem is perfectly illustrated in a picture of two generations of BMWs. > [](https://twitter.com/Charlie%5FHicks%5F/status/1417409718910345249?ref=numericcitizen.me) [Great photos by Om Malik](https://om.co/2021/06/28/yellowstone-climate-change/?ref=numericcitizen.me), troubling facts about climate change effects on **Yellowstone state park**. Never been there yet. I find it troubling to see such a great place to be affected this way. [As reported](https://www.independent.co.uk/climate-change/antarctica-heat-record-temperature-climate-b1876538.html?ref=numericcitizen.me) by The Independent, **Antarctica** hits record-high 18.3C temperature, UN confirms. The southern polar region is one of the fastest-warming places on the planet. I always thought of Antarctica as a strange and very hostile place on earth. Now, it is becoming less and less hostile, I guess. What should we do with closing **golf courses**? Build houses or stores? Leave them as is? Make great parks? Are operating golf courses a luxury society can no longer sustain or afford? [The debate is open](https://www.sltrib.com/news/environment/2021/07/23/with-climate-change/?ref=numericcitizen.me). All the right words on climate have already been said: > Let’s give the article she was starting to maybe think about asking me to write that I was wondering if I could write the absolute biggest benefit of the doubt and imagine that people read it and said, “Wow this is exactly how I feel, thanks for putting it into words.” What then? What would happen then? Would people be “more aware” about climate change? It’s 109 degrees in Portland right now. It’s been over 130 degrees in Baghdad several times. What kind of awareness quotient are we looking for? What more about climate change does anyone need to know? What else is there to say? — **Sarah Miller** on [Substack](https://therealsarahmiller.substack.com/p/all-the-right-words-on-climate-have) # **Privacy stuff we should care about** Make your passwords hard to guess. Mine would take 5 years to crack, according to the following table. 😎 ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/public/images/8a7e06f6-00de-4863-9d0d-252dd93b6a80_970x510.png) # **Quotes to remember** > the iPod blazed the trail for the iPhone. Culturally, it created a taste for miniaturized devices; technically, it drove the Supply Chain Management discipline and connections that would become essential for the success of the iPhone. — **Jean-Louis Gassée** > [](https://twitter.com/tolmasky/status/1406312007683522565?ref=numericcitizen.me) > [](https://twitter.com/DanielEran/status/1410584005301444609?ref=numericcitizen.me) > [](https://twitter.com/levie/status/1415378269755494407?ref=numericcitizen.me) > [](https://twitter.com/film%5Fgirl/status/1416151815754760196?ref=numericcitizen.me) > [](https://twitter.com/mims/status/1418704809566384128?ref=numericcitizen.me) > [](https://twitter.com/gruber/status/1418342458560327685?ref=numericcitizen.me) # **What’s next? I’m glad you asked!** I’ll be getting an old 2013 **MacBook Air** for one of my sons to replace an ageing **Chromebook** that I bought about two years ago. Think about it. This eight years old MacBook Air is faster, has a timeless design, much better screen quality, more memory and will be able to run **macOS Big Sur** and all other apps like iWorks et al. I find this incredible that we can read and hear people saying Apple gear is expansive and that is under Apple’s obsolescence programming spell. I call this bullshit. I’m mostly done with my **migration** of applications **from my Intel-based 2017 iMac** to my **M1 Mac mini**. The last application to be migrated was Adobe Lightroom, not an overly complicated task if it is well planned. Now, I’m wondering if I’ll keep this Intel Mac for some special work-related projects like [this one](https://numericcitizen.me/2020/10/25/the-sddcbox-project-part-1-an-introduction/) or if I’ll put it for sale[1](#footnote-1). Looking forward to August as **Glass**, a **photo-sharing service** built by photographers for photographers, is launching: > [](https://twitter.com/tryglass/status/1419658623827984391?ref=numericcitizen.me) # **Leftovers** 1️⃣ Here is [one way](https://thesweetsetup.com/keep-offline-backup-icloud-photo-library/?ref=numericcitizen.me) to **back up** your **iCloud Photo Library** using the “Export” method. I do something different in my case: I log in to a special account where the iCloud Photo Library Setting is to keep originals local. Then, I copy the file to my NAS. It is big, it takes time, but it is worth it. 🎞 2️⃣ **Canada’s mobile data prices aren’t cheap**. See this [study](https://tefficient.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/tefficient-industry-analysis-2-2021-mobile-data-usage-and-revenue-2020-per-country-9-July.pdf?ref=numericcitizen.me) (PDF) covering the year 2020, page 16\. I’m Canadian. 😳 3️⃣ You like or love playing with **Legos**? I do. Suppose you have a bunch of pieces sitting on a table and would like to know what you can build out of them. [There is an app for that](https://apps.apple.com/us/app/brickit-rebuild-your-lego/id1477221636?ref=numericcitizen.me): **BrickIt**. Very clever. 👾 4️⃣ I love **treehouses**. When I was a kid, I dearly wanted one. It never came to be. As an adult going to Norway, I could rent [this one](https://www.dezeen.com/2021/06/27/helen-hard-woodnest-treehouses-norwegian-forest-norway-architecture/?ref=numericcitizen.me), I guess. I love its design and the view, oh my! 😍 5️⃣ I’m planning a few visual and content changes for the next issues of the newsletter. I’m trying something like this header to mark each section. It’s probably nice visually but adds up quickly on the newsletter digital weight. Your thoughts? ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/public/images/e736c745-4c34-4276-a033-a44f76e962eb_1000x92.png) This concludes the **Numeric Citizen Introspection Newsletter #12** for **July** of 2021\. I would love to get your feedback and read your comments. Thanks for being a subscriber. Thanks for reading! 🙏🏻 [1](#footnote-anchor-1) Because I will need the money to finance a new 2021 12.9” iPad Pro. ### Friday Notes #34 — Get Vaccinated or Else URL: https://numericcitizen.me/friday-notes-34/ Last updated: 2021-11-15T00:59:22.000Z \[**Warning**: fuming on\]. Vaccination in Canada is going well, but we must continue our efforts. Yet, I’m frustrated by people who refuse to get vaccinated and expect that they shouldn’t be excluded from events or places. They cannot have it both ways. I don’t really want to read about their reasons for not wanting a vaccine. I had enough of those. Besides a few rare acceptable exceptions, all of them being based on scientific grounds, choosing not to be vaccinated is an act of stupidity that goes against common sense. I fully support France’s decision to exclude unvaccinated people from certain public places like bars and stores. I wish our local government would do the same here in Canada. They probably will, but not soon enough. *We are still giving too much space for this virus to mutate* into something that we may not like or can combat with current vaccines in the future. There is a moment when those who made all the efforts to combat this virus must be given a break. Unfortunately, those who refuse to get vaccinated are pushing this moment further ahead. Unvaccinated people have to act now. Vaccinated people must keep the pressure on those who refuse to get the vaccine. They must be called out. In developed countries, vaccines are readily available; vaccination centres are everywhere. So there are no good reasons not to get vaccinated except some borderline stupid beliefs. ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/public/images/19b07304-dd4f-4a87-b919-1e4b97cb5f80_1500x1000.jpeg) Dear unvaccinated and unwilling people, this COVID-19 fourth wave is entirely on you. ### Friday Notes #33 — Be wary of the silent blogger URL: https://numericcitizen.me/friday-notes-33/ Last updated: 2021-11-17T12:32:40.000Z I’ve been quiet on my main blog in recent weeks. I’m not anxious about this because I have a pretty good excuse for this situation. It’s not because of a lack of interest or ideas, quite the opposite, actually. If my blog posts have been scarce recently, it’s because I’ve been working for quite some time on much longer than usual posts (five to be exact). They require a lot of research, documentation, experimentation, testing and write-up. This takes time. I like to work on many blog posts at once. I’m an iterative kind of writer and having many pieces in the pipeline helps me refine them to my liking, by visiting each of them many times a week, for tweaking and proofreading. Oh, and I almost forgot, I’m working on [my monthly newsletter](https://numericcitizen.substack.com/p/2021-06?r=9aeg3&utm%5Fcampaign=post&utm%5Fmedium=web&utm%5Fsource=copy) too. Lastly, it’s summertime, [taking a pause](https://numericcitizen.me/friday-notes-32/), trying to get away from screens is a good habit. [Friday Notes #32 — What happens when pausingWe have to pause to enjoy our surroundings.![](https://numericcitizen.me/favicon.png)Numeric Citizen IntrospectionJF Martin![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/2021/11/https---bucketeer-e05bbc84-baa3-437e-9518-adb32be77984.s3.amazonaws.com-public-images-e60e8b86-9187-49cd-87ae-2ff55057db9f_1200x675.png)](https://numericcitizen.me/friday-notes-32/) ### Friday Notes #32 — What happens when pausing URL: https://numericcitizen.me/friday-notes-32/ Last updated: 2021-11-15T01:01:08.000Z Listening to birds. Looking at moving and morphing clouds. Feeling the breeze on my face. Looking at squirrels playing together. Hearing kids playing. Observing crawling bugs. Being amazed by the waves forming on the lake surface by sudden wind gusts. Looking through the lake’s water, peek at the lake’s bottom. Thinking about life, about the past, about the future. This is what happens to me when I take the time to do nothing, to stop, to pause for a while. It’s a gift that we should, collectively, give ourselves more often than we do. ### Friday Notes #31 — Addicted to our screens URL: https://numericcitizen.me/friday-notes-31/ Last updated: 2021-11-15T01:01:49.000Z Consider the following image of Flemish government members during a meeting. Each meeting is streamed over to [this YouTube channel](https://www.youtube.com/c/VlaamsParlementTV/videos?ref=numericcitizen.me). The YouTube stream has been analyzed using AI to determine what people are doing during these meetings ([read more about this project here](https://driesdepoorter.be/theflemishscrollers/?ref=numericcitizen.me)). The results tell what we can already observe in general in society: they spend the majority of their time on their phones. ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/public/images/32617ae3-668c-4304-bf83-b6f90760b1d8_1500x500.jpeg) What are they doing on their phone? Are they searching for important notes? Are they taking notes? Are they exchanging remarks between each other about the ongoing meeting? This brings me to this question: what is going on these days with every one of us? Can we all be there, together, not somewhere else in cyberspace? How many times do I see this type of behaviour during meetings at work? Way too often… all the time, actually. The pandemic made the matter worse as we spent more time in videoconference meetings, but the trend started way before that. Look around you, at the store, at the restaurant, in the park, at school, in the waiting room, at work, on the bike lane, in the police car, at the security desk, at the kindergarten, on the bike, everywhere… we are constantly staring at our screens. What the fuck is going on with us, humans? I find this troubling and disturbing trend. I expect this to get even worse when Apple and other companies start to release their AR glasses. One could argue: if the meetings were useful, maybe we wouldn’t try to escape them. Maybe, but since this behaviour is pervasive in so many social interaction contexts, it is a more profound problem than a useless meeting. ### Friday Notes #30 — Fully Vaccinated, But… URL: https://numericcitizen.me/friday-notes-30/ Last updated: 2021-11-15T01:19:00.000Z Last Sunday morning, I got my second vaccine shot against COVID-19\. The 48 hours that followed were miserable, but it’s nothing compared to the many endured challenges by others since the beginning of 2020\. This brings me to the following thought: I have the feeling that nearly 18 months of my life were spoiled, lost even. Sure, I didn’t get COVID-19; I didn’t have to suffer the loss of a dear one to the disease. Yet, from my personal experience, so many things were put on hold that it makes me think that I’ve lost precious time of my life. From seeing friends, going on a trip in a foreign country, doing photography, those were put on hold, deferred or less frequently experienced. I’m anxious to get rid of this state of mind that I cannot easily name. On a much more positive note, this week, some family members are visiting me at the chalet to spend some time together. As we are all mostly vaccinated (one or two doses), we care much less about getting COVID-19; we won’t need to take special social distancing measures. To be together, just like before COVID-19, this feels like a breath of fresh air, a beginning to a really new normal social state. Time will probably heal the rest of my bad feelings. ### Numeric Citizen Introspection Newsletter #11 URL: https://numericcitizen.me/2021-06/ Last updated: 2021-11-15T01:02:50.000Z Here is issue #11 of the **Numeric Citizen Introspection Newsletter**. > Playing with iPadOS 15, a seemingly underwhelming update from Apple that will be a sleeper hit this fall. Mark those words. Now, let’s start with this month’s post highlights. # **Post highlights from my [Numeric Citizen Blog](https://numericcitizen.me/)** - Automattic, the guys behind [WordPress.com, just acquired DayOne](https://numericcitizen.me/2021/06/15/on-automattic-buying-dayone/), the popular journaling software. I’m a big fan of DayOne and have been documenting my numeric life with it for a long time now. My main blog is hosted on WordPress.com. I’m curious to see where this goes. Not all acquisitions turn bad. I hope that one is one of them. - [I’m not a fan of John Gruber’s latest interview](https://numericcitizen.me/2021/06/13/on-john-grubers-latest-interview-with-apples-vps/) with some of the big names at Apple, following the WWDC conference. - [This year’s WWDC keynote was a bit off](https://numericcitizen.me/2021/06/10/wwdc21-quick-observations-and-thoughts-right-from-my-notepad/) compared to last’s year. Nonetheless, I thought Apple made the right call in many areas of iOS 15 and iPadOS 15\. These are bigger updates than most people recognize. However, Apple doesn’t have to launch tent pole features every year to make big strides in user experience with their devices and services. - Sideloading of apps, multiple App Stores, lower commissions… not all requests by developers are created equal; some could help transform the iPhone into another Android platform. This is something that I don’t want. [I wrote an essay on the subject.](https://numericcitizen.me/2021/06/05/a-message-to-apple-developers-we-dont-need-another-android-platform/) - I tried Twitter Blue. I’m not impressed. You can move on; there is nothing to see here. Yet. [I shared my impressions and observations](https://numericcitizen.me/2021/06/05/my-observations-on-twitter-blue/). # **Post highlights from my [microblog](https://numericcitizen.micro.blog/?ref=numericcitizen.me)** It’s been a slower month for me on Micro.blog. Yet, I had a few comments worth highlighting here. - Intel’s market share was probably falling well before Apple made the switch to its silicon. By leaving Intel behind, Apple is accelerating the decline, [maybe](https://numericcitizen.micro.blog/2021/06/18/on-intels-market.html?ref=numericcitizen.me). - [I wasn’t sure about Safari redesign](https://numericcitizen.micro.blog/2021/06/19/on-safari-redesign.html?ref=numericcitizen.me). I’m not sure one solution fits all screen sizes and platforms. I’m testing it on iPadOS 15\. It’s ok but hugely disorienting at first. - [Safari 15 is the polarizing bit](https://numericcitizen.micro.blog/2021/06/24/one-design-doesnt.html?ref=numericcitizen.me) in all new releases this fall. - FaceTime Links are a nice addition to creature future FaceTime calls. Apple is catching up here. [Better late than never](https://numericcitizen.micro.blog/2021/06/25/are-facetime-links.html?ref=numericcitizen.me), I guess. - [Undesign is trending](https://numericcitizen.micro.blog/2021/06/26/on-design-trends.html?ref=numericcitizen.me). It’s sad. ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/public/images/69c5302d-2df9-41f2-9787-e76f1a6b3226_903x194.png) The “evolution” of Apple’s News application icon # **Apple tidbits worth my attention** 1️⃣ A brilliant [summary](https://9to5mac.com/2021/06/01/explore-some-of-the-most-memorable-moments-in-wwdc-history-as-we-approach-apples-32nd-conference/?ref=numericcitizen.me) of **previous WWDC keynotes**. Some very touching memories in there. 2️⃣ WWDC21 — **iOS 15 and iPadOS 15** are announced and **disappoint**. I watched the keynote and the obligatory numerous YouTube videos about the upcoming releases of iOS and iPadOS. I must admit that I’m excited about these releases. There may be no tent-pole features in them, but they do offer profound enhancements like Focus modes. We don’t need splashy new releases every year. Instead of dropping support for older devices, Apple chose to drop CPU-intensive features instead, allowing a wider distribution of the base operating system. 3️⃣ If you want to test iOS 15 or iPadOS 15, you might want to see **if your device is fully supported** and what features are supported. Get all the insight in the following [summary](https://tidbits.com/2021/06/11/the-real-system-requirements-for-apples-2021-operating-systems/?ref=numericcitizen.me) from Tidbits. 4️⃣ iOS 15 is on the horizon but **remember iOS 4**? Get a sense of this old version of iOS with OldOS. You don’t want to miss that one. Current design trends in user interfaces are not exactly what they used to be. Some will say it’s not really designed. I must say that iOS 4 was the result of great care for details, real crafting. > [](https://twitter.com/zzanehip/status/1402625414762270723?ref=numericcitizen.me) 5️⃣ Remember **the original Macintosh**? I do because I was lucky enough to get one a few months after it came out. At the time, besides the famous “1984” ad, there weren’t video clips like we do these days promoting a product as Apple does. What if we apply the idea of modern product clips to the original Macintosh? [Here ya go](https://www.behance.net/gallery/121563959/Macintosh-128k-Motion-Design?ref=numericcitizen.me). 6️⃣ I wrote many times that one of the reasons I like **Apple** is because they **care about** **architecture**. Once again, Apple surpassed itself with the opening of the [Apple Tower Theatre in Los Angeles](https://www.apple.com/newsroom/2021/06/apple-tower-theatre-opens-thursday-in-downtown-los-angeles/?ref=numericcitizen.me). What they did is quite impressive. A must-see for sure if you go to Los Angeles. The last time I’ve been there is in January of 2014\. At the time, I had an iPhone 5. 7️⃣ I wish I could have written [this blog post](https://daringfireball.net/2021/06/annotating%5Fapples%5Fanti-sideloading%5Fwhite%5Fpaper?ref=numericcitizen.me) by John Gruber about **sideloading of applications on the iPhone** and what this means for the future of software distribution on that platform. If it weren’t about the laziness of a few developers and corporations, I wouldn’t care too much about Apple allowing sideloading of applications. Another thought to conclude this portion: after playing a lot with iPadOS 15, I think that introducing widgets for the iPad is more transformational of the experience than when they arrived on the iPhone. ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/public/images/c9059777-32e3-491a-8210-7b52dc2978c1_1500x1047.png) One of my iPad Pro’s home pages featuring widgets. [Subscribe now](https://numericcitizen.me/subscribe/) # **Must see photography stuff** Sadly, we find ourselves in a position of using software because there are simply no real alternatives, not because we are enthusiastic about it. [That’s the case of Jack Baty with ](https://copingmechanism.com/2021/a-reluctant-lightroom-user/?ref=numericcitizen.me)**[Adobe Lightroom](https://copingmechanism.com/2021/a-reluctant-lightroom-user/?ref=numericcitizen.me)**. I’m more positive than him on this matter. [Winners of the All About Photo Awards 2020](https://www.dpreview.com/news/8120195205/slideshow-winners-of-the-all-about-photo-awards-2020-the-mind-s-eye-competition?ref=numericcitizen.me), The Mind’s Eye competition, the [second position](https://www.dpreview.com/news/8120195205/slideshow-winners-of-the-all-about-photo-awards-2020-the-mind-s-eye-competition?ref=numericcitizen.me) is simply troubling. The COVID pandemic will leave a visual mark in our photographic memories. How do you take a selfie on Mars? Here is how. If you like to be surprised and love to see photos of the past, you’ll be well served with “Flashbak — **Everything Old is New Again**” [website](https://flashbak.com/?ref=numericcitizen.me). So please give it a look. Be warned of some NSFW content, though. 😳 Speaking of “retro” stuff… you must pay a visit to “[Poolsuite](https://poolsuite.net/?ref=numericcitizen.me)”… if you had a chance to own a Macintosh 128K, or if you were alive in the eighties, you’ll feel at home at **Poolsuite**. There is so much to look at and listen to. It’s very cool. There is a famous spot for photos in **Montreal’s old port** (see Instagram photo below). You're not a true Montrealer unless you've taken a photo [there](https://dailyhive.com/montreal/montreal-photo-clock-tower-beach-pics?ref=numericcitizen.me). I love this place. I searched for my photos to see if I had a similar shot. I don’t, yet I do remember shooting from a similar point of view, but I couldn’t find it. Maybe it was not shot using an iPhone. [tourcanada](https://instagram.com/tourcanada?ref=numericcitizen.me) ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/public/images/__ss-rehost__IG-CDFSzmEl-S0.jpg) A post shared by [@tourcanada](https://instagram.com/tourcanada?ref=numericcitizen.me) ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/public/images/17868ffc-58fd-4051-9305-073269627e4d_1500x843.jpeg) My version [Version 4](https://nikcollection.dxo.com/?ref=numericcitizen.me) of the venerable photo editing applications suite **Nik Collection** is out. I didn’t even know it was still a thing. A super handy [feature of iOS 15](https://www.macrumors.com/2021/06/14/ios-15-photos-app-shows-where-images-saved-from/?ref=numericcitizen.me) is the ability to see from which apps an image in the Photos library came from. Finally. # **Climate change issues** It seems everything is on the rise: CO2, ocean levels, [temperatures](https://www.fox43.com/article/weather/breaking-another-carbon-record-as-global-temperature-warms-bradons-barometer/521-3e6c8b96-e470-4e55-9f39-797a43870a57?ref=numericcitizen.me). We must recognize that we live in a **[climate emergency state](https://www.commondreams.org/news/2021/06/25/we-are-climate-emergency-temps-soar-over-90-western-us-gripped-drought?ref=numericcitizen.me)**. Scorching summer in the west of the US, prompting continued dry weather and droughts. More and more scientists think that we are now past a tipping point. > [](https://twitter.com/snowden/status/1408431425033023495?ref=numericcitizen.me) The real hidden cost of **doing business with Amazon** or buying en masse from Amazon is disturbing. I myself feel sorry for buying stuff from Amazon many times a year. You would think that Amazon is better at predicting buyer’s intentions and stock just enough of the items in their numerous warehouses. Nope, it seems it’s much harder to achieve, and a failure at this means [wasting a lot of stuff](https://www.itv.com/news/2021-06-21/amazon-destroying-millions-of-items-of-unsold-stock-in-one-of-its-uk-warehouses-every-year-itv-news-investigation-finds?ref=numericcitizen.me). They could learn a few tricks from Apple’s playbook. # **Privacy stuff we should care about** **Targeted ads** mean mass surveillance. Are you ready to trade our privacy to get just the right ad at the right time at the right place? I mean, are we just consuming machines that are fed with ads to keep the economy running? Is there a better way, a better numeric world? I certainly hope so. [It’s time for the ad business to stop tracking us](https://world.hey.com/dhh/targeted-ads-are-staggeringly-unpopular-so-we-should-ban-them-01c13a9c?ref=numericcitizen.me). A private company like [Apple is capable of defending our privacy](https://apple.news/AMjgjOaToTXWsqXo9OTexEA?ref=numericcitizen.me) (Apple News link). Should this be a government responsibility? Which should we trust more? For some reason, **I trust Apple more**. Would you buy [a Facebook-branded smartwatch](https://www.macrumors.com/2021/06/09/facebook-smart-watch-two-cameras/?ref=numericcitizen.me)? If yes, I won’t judge you. I can’t wait to enter public restrooms or gyms with such a device… only Facebook. **What a bunch of scumbags**. Clever idea… [everything-as-a-service](https://www.ped30.com/2021/06/13/apple-privacy-service-paas/?ref=numericcitizen.me), including privacy protection. It shouldn’t be an optional thing for which you opt-in or that you must “buy”. It should be “by design” for every product or service. What if nobody at Google knows exactly what their **[data-hungry engine](https://www.wired.co.uk/article/google-chrome-browser-data?ref=numericcitizen.me)** is all about? I mean, what if nobody has a global picture, so nobody can say, “oh my god, it's terrible, we must stop it!”. This makes me think of the nazis in the second world war: very few had a global picture of what was really going on. It was devised this way, making it easier to “manage” and keep the machine humming. # **Quotes to remember** > For startups, getting acquired by a Big Tech company is never the goal, but it’s a safety net that encourages the risk. — **[Alex Kantrowitz](https://readwise.io/bookreview/9620992?highlight=192659674&ref=numericcitizen.me)** > Cryptocurrency is one of the worst inventions of the 21st century. I am ashamed to share an industry with this exploitative grift. It has failed to be a useful currency, invented a new class of internet abuse, further enriched the rich, wasted staggering amounts of electricity, hastened climate change, ruined hundreds of otherwise promising projects, provided a climate for hundreds of scams to flourish, created shortages and price hikes for consumer hardware, and injected perverse incentives into technology everywhere. Fuck cryptocurrency. — [Cryptocurrency Is an Abject Disasterdrewdevault.com](https://readwise.io/bookreview/8910553?highlight=174543633&ref=numericcitizen.me) > Life can only be understood backwards; but it must be lived forwards. — **[David D. Knapp, Ph.D.](https://readwise.io/bookreview/7551607?highlight=141488205&ref=numericcitizen.me)** > Yet, even as our progress accelerates, appreciating it becomes increasingly difficult. We live in a world increasingly informed by memes, stories, and fables. — **Om Malik** # **What’s next? I’m glad you asked!** I’ll be starting the month of July on vacation. July 5th, I’ll be back to work. Summer is always a slow time for content creation and always a great time for thinking and preparing for the future, my writing future. I’m working on a few long blog posts about iPadOS 15, its impacts on my blogger workflow and another one on why I’m tracking my time. I’ll get them out in the next few weeks. > *Next month will be the one-year anniversary of this newsletter. Time flies.* # **Leftovers** 1️⃣ The **data transfer project** is an open-source project that means the portability of your data across service providers. Apple is part of the group, and I think it is important. As our numeric assets increase over time, the possibility of moving our data from Apple to Google to Smugmug is a must. [https://datatransferproject.dev/](https://datatransferproject.dev/?ref=numericcitizen.me) 2️⃣ Cowboy, its name is [cowboy](https://cowboy.com/products/e-bike-cowboy-4?ref=numericcitizen.me)! It‘s an **e-bike** and I want one! It’s not yet available in Canada, unfortunately. 3️⃣ Are you an **[attention seeker](https://om.co/2021/05/10/the-real-attention-crisis/?ref=numericcitizen.me)**? Do you write to get attention? Are you on Instagram to get attention? Are you on Facebook, so we pay attention to you? Are you? 4️⃣ If you care about your privacy, your data privacy, don’t use Google’s Chrome. I don’t. Experts think it’s a good idea. [Here is why](https://www.wired.co.uk/article/google-chrome-browser-data?ref=numericcitizen.me). Oh, on top of that, Chrome is really poor at resource consumption on your portable. It is hard on battery life. 5️⃣ Many [great observations here](https://world.hey.com/michaelhe/you-and-your-research-d488330e?ref=numericcitizen.me) from Michael He about his reading of [Richard Hamming's](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Richard%5FHamming?ref=numericcitizen.me) “[You and Your Research](https://d37ugbyn3rpeym.cloudfront.net/stripe-press/TAODSAE%5Fzine%5Fpress.pdf?ref=numericcitizen.me)” (PDF file). “Change does not mean progress, but progress requires change.” Just like AMP pages, **FLoC** is a bad idea. > “If you’re using Chrome to browse the internet, [even in private mode](https://www.businessinsider.com/google-lawsuit-incognito-mode-user-data-privacy-can-continue-judge?utm%5Fsource=feedburner&utm%5Fmedium=feed&utm%5Fcampaign=Feed%3A+businessinsider%2Fwarroom+%28War+Room%29&r=US&IR=T), Google is watching everything you do online, all the time. This allows Google to build up a detailed and sophisticated picture about your personality, interests, vulnerabilities and triggers.” — Rowenna Fielding This concludes the **Numeric Citizen Introspection Newsletter #11** for June of 2021\. I would love to get your feedback and read your comments. Thanks for being a subscriber. Thanks for reading! 🙏🏻 ### Friday Notes #29 — Feeling Disconnected URL: https://numericcitizen.me/friday-notes-29/ Last updated: 2021-11-15T01:04:23.000Z For the second year in a row, we rented a chalet this summer as travel plans were still on pause, thanks to the lingering pandemic. As much as the environment is bucolic, there’s still trouble in paradise, though: flaky internet access. The Internet is such an important part of my life, without it, I feel disconnected. I should ask myself: how can this be? Upon arrival at the chalet, I wanted to get a look at the maps of the surroundings. Nope. Cellular signal is barely existent. I brought a HomePod mini with me for music entertainment. Nope, the wifi signal is too weak in most parts of the chalet. It is impossible to set it up. On the first few days of my stay, I took many pictures with Halide, a powerful camera app for my iPhone which shoots in RAW. On a particular night, I wanted to edit a few of them on my iPad. Nope, synchronization of my pictures across my devices is on pause because of the lack of bandwidth. Internet access is too slow: less than half a megabits per second. I wanted to watch game four of the NHL playoffs with the Montreal’s Canadians, nope, cannot stream content. FaceTime is barely working making it hard to envision any calls with my boys which are old enough to spend their summer away from their father. I wanted to do some Shortcuts work while outside, near the lake? Nope, many actions require to be online, and I don’t get any signals there. Now you know why I feel disconnected. The positive side of this is that it’s an opportunity for more thinking and writing. ### Friday Notes #28 — Remembering Commute Rides URL: https://numericcitizen.me/friday-notes-28/ Last updated: 2024-10-28T00:51:41.000Z Last Saturday, I went to the [Apple Store downtown Montreal](https://www.apple.com/ca/retail/saintecatherine/?ref=numericcitizen.me) to an appointment with the Genius Bar for a MacBook Pro repair. The Apple Store is a thirty-five minutes bike ride from home but is a five-minute walk from my office. The appointment was early in the morning, It was a sunny day, and the temperature was perfect for a bike ride. To get to the Apple Store, I chose to go downtown using the same bike lane to commute to the office. The feeling of riding on my way to work was special, strange even. It was the first time in more than a year and a half. So much has changed, yet it felt so familiar. Downtown Montreal is such a nice place, but there is a lot of construction happening: high-rises are popping up everywhere, road work brings a lot of small detours. The pandemic forced many small businesses to close, leaving many empty offices along the way—all of this transforming what I remember of this urban landscape on my way to the office. This bike ride was a great reminder of how much I used to love commuting by bike during summer. That’s something that working from home is taking away from me, and I miss that a lot. This third five minutes ride was a way to get ready to work on my way to the office or to leave work behind on my way home. I’m not returning full time at the office when we return to the new normal, but when I go to the office once a week, I’ll make sure I do it by bike to keep my memories alive and well. ### On Automattic Buying DayOne URL: https://numericcitizen.me/on-automattic-buying-dayone/ Last updated: 2023-03-23T16:48:04.000Z ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/numericcitizen.me/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/automattic-buys-dayone.jpg) This blog is hosted on WordPress.com, which Automattic owns. I’m super happy with my setup and the service I get from them. Automattic just announced their acquisition of DayOne, a massively popular journaling application available on iPhone, iPad and the Mac. I happen to be a big fan of DayOne (read “Documenting My Numeric Life”). As documented in my blogger workflow, I use DayOne to save a copy of my published content on this blog, on Micro.blog, Twitter and much more. IFTTT is working behind the scene to automate the process. This announcement by Automattic has caught me off guard. Words from the lead developer at DayOne are encouraging. I’m really excited about this. ![My DayOne Archives](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/numericcitizen.me/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/my-dayone-archives.png) My DayOne Archives It looks like Automattic is on a buying spree. [They bought Tumblr in 2019](https://photomatt.tumblr.com/post/186964618222/automattic-tumblr?ref=numericcitizen.me), now DayOne. [Tumblr hasn’t changed much since their acquisition](https://numericcitizen.me/2018/12/05/tumblr-will-die/). WordPress hasn’t changed much either, but with DayOne, things could be much different. I see a future where DayOne could benefit from WordPress and WordPress could benefit from DayOne. It’s a smart move for both sides. I read both announcements from DayOne and Automattic and as [reported by TechCrunch](https://techcrunch.com/2021/06/14/wordpress-com-owner-automattic-acquires-journaling-app-day-one/?ref=numericcitizen.me), some interesting features are already planned: > With its addition to Automattic, Day One will allow users to choose to publish select journal entries to WordPress.com and Tumblr, and, soon, import content from either platform back into Day One, too. The app may also make sense as a way for existing Tumblr users to sync their private entries over to a more protected and backed-up writing tool — instead of accidentally publishing them to their main blog. If things go as planned, I could probably get rid of IFTTT, which automatically imports my just published posts from my blog’s RSS feed. I guess that if DayOne can import WordPress.com content directly, the results could be better than by using IFTTT. It’s funny to remember that at one point, you could publish a journal entry from DayOne to a dedicated website. I don’t know if I’ll use DayOne to publish on WordPress, though, but who knows. Will DayOne become free for use or be integrated into one of WordPress.com subscription plans? How fast DayOne will evolve to take advantage of WordPress.com? Can’t wait to read the next chapter. ### On John Gruber’s Latest Interview with Apple’s VPs URL: https://numericcitizen.me/on-john-grubers-latest-interview-with-apples-vps/ Last updated: 2023-03-23T16:48:04.000Z I just finished watching [John Gruber’s WWDC edition of the The Talk Show interview](https://youtu.be/-SzbucgATjA?ref=numericcitizen.me) with Greg Joswiak and Craig Federighi. As always, it is interesting to listen to them, in particular to Mr. Federighi, because he is the one who goes deeper with his answers. He’s the techy guy. I do have a few thoughts on the interview, though. I find that Gruber takes way too long to formulate his questions. Sometimes, it feels like forever. The other thing is that, maybe they don’t plan things in advance, they don’t know what will be the questions Gruber will ask, there is probably no agenda either, but Gruber is very sympathetic to Apple in general. For Apple, the risks are pretty low. My feeling is that Apple is ok with John Gruber because he is generally speaking with honesty but he will never put them in a corner and be too pushy to get answers. I’d like to see what would be the mood if it was Marco Arment doing the interview. In my view, Gruber feels somewhat complacent in these interview. I find it surprising that they don’t talk much about the developers community relations with Apple. It is not like if everything was ok and there was no subject to discuss. I mean, this is the developer conference, it would have made sense to tackle the subject a little bit further and deeper. They could have spent all the time talking about this matter. I guess Apple doesn’t like to be portrayed as the bad guys. Gruber probably wants to keep is relationship with them in good condition. If he was insisting too much on this delicate matter, things could easily go awry. Let’s not forget that Apple is in the middle of some turmoil right now, they don’t want to add another layer of bad press here. Make no mistake, I did like this discussion, but I’m just feeling not fully satisfied with the depth of the discussion. There is so much to talk about, so many things are always left untouched. ### Friday Notes #27 — On Electric Mobility URL: https://numericcitizen.me/friday-notes-27/ Last updated: 2021-11-15T01:06:25.000Z Since the beginning of the pandemic, I’m seeing a significant rise in individuals using electric vehicles like \[eBikes\] or \[electric scooters\]. It’s a fascinating and cool transportation category. Some electric scooters are a nice piece of engineering and design. Many are quite fast, and the sound coming out of them is acoustically speaking very futuristic. It’s always surprising to see an individual in the bike lane moving as fast as, if not faster, than people using normal bikes. I’m, sometimes, thinking about getting such a scooter because of the coolness factor. I never tried one. My neighbour has two; they are Segway’s model. ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/public/images/679a44e6-364f-4f89-9b2c-4a804d45b5cd_1000x1000.png) I’ve been riding the same bike since 1993\. It’s an old mountain bike without any fancy suspension or anything. It is getting a bit tired. I love to ride my bike, but I do it in urban areas to commute or get better physical shape. Getting an electric scooter would be cool, but here is the thing: it won’t improve my physical health. That’s one of my main concerns. Biking is a healthy habit that I wouldn’t like to stop doing. The other thing is that, in urban areas, with lots of traffic lights, I would constantly be starting and stopping, which would make the experience pretty ordinary. For now, I might end up buying a new bike and wait when biking becomes a challenge for me as I get older. ### WWDC21 — Quick Observations and Thoughts, Right From My Notepad URL: https://numericcitizen.me/wwdc21-quick-observations-and-thoughts-right-from-my-notepad/ Last updated: 2023-03-23T16:48:04.000Z ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/numericcitizen.me/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/wwdc-2021-06-07-at-13.49.18-2x.png.jpg) The **WWDC21** week is coming to an end. We were many with high expectations. Did Apple deliver? Yes and no. No new **hardware** hence a **shorter** than usual (1 hour, 4 minutes) keynote. MacBook Pro refresh probably scrapped at the last minute because of the lack of capacity in the supply chain. My guess is that **macOS Monterey** will probably come pre-installed with these new **MacBook Pro**👨🏻‍💻 updates later this fall. /// This keynote felt **strange**, not the best WWDC keynote. I’m not sure why.🤨 /// I usually like Apple’s choices of websites or visuals to illustrate key features, not this year. It was particularly bad when showing the redesign of Safari. Most of the websites were drab and felt uninspiring. /// **iPad multitasking** seems much more usable. Apple rediscovered [UI affordance](https://www.interaction-design.org/literature/topics/affordances?ref=numericcitizen.me). But I hate the home screen icon spacing, way too much wasted space! 🤢 We can finally **reorder Home Screen pages**!!! 👏🏻 👏🏻 👏🏻 It was shown on the iPad, but my guess is that it will be possible on the iPhone too. Oh and entering in Split View by bringing one app on top of another in the App Switcher, how cool is that! [I called it!](https://twitter.com/apple%5Fobserver/status/1401331094767685635?s=21&ref=numericcitizen.me) ☝🏻😎 Still no **multiple accounts** support for the **iPad**. /// **FaceTime** looks more and more like Zoom. [Is Apple Sherlocking Zoom](https://appleinsider.com/articles/21/06/08/apple-strikes-again-which-developers-got-sherlocked-at-wwdc?ref=numericcitizen.me)? FaceTime use cases seems a bit more complicated than before. It feels like these updates come a bit late as the work from home is about to ease a bit. **Screen sharing**: YES! 🙌🏻🤯 Did I mentioned that FaceTime is finally a cross-platforms thing? Android users are now welcomed. And Windows users too. With a browser. /// Recurring theme: it was a lot about **people** 👨‍👩‍👧 & **sharing** 👨‍👨‍👦‍👦 , **health** ⚕️, **privacy** 🕵️‍♂️ and **tweaks**. Lot’s of tweaks. . The “**Shared with you**” feature is limited to first-party apps… next year, API to open up the feature to third-party apps? Probably. Typical Apple way. Not sure about **Safari redesign on iPad** and iPhone 🧐🤨. /// **Shortcuts on Mac**? SO COOL! 🥳🤩🤯 I just can’t wait to get rid of my **Automator scripts** as well as Keysmith. I see this as a much more useful addition than it was on iOS a few years ago. /// Too bad, no **Control Center redesign** on iOS as rumoured😒. Is Control Center better on **macOS Monterey**? Remains to be seen. **Universal Control**: hoping Apple finally fixed their Bluetooth connectivity issues with mouse and keyboard in general. No **smaller size widgets** this year. All iPad demo and photos were done in landscape orientation, why? 🧐 /// I will probably get the 2021 12.9” iPad Pro with 1 TB later this summer💸🤑; won’t rush installing betas on my primary devices this year.🏃🏻‍♂️ Or I could wait for public betas in July. Will see. [I love weather apps! ](https://numericcitizen.me/2021/02/03/great-weather-apps-for-weather-enthusiasts/) and I’m happy to see Apple improving their **Weather app**🌤. Looks like a really nice redesign. Still no iPad version? 🤦🏻‍♂️ Why? /// **Swift Playgrounds** is the **Xcode for iPad**. Not clear how rich and deep apps built with it can be submitted to the App Store. /// **Quick Notes** will be really handy, eating into some of my **Craft** use cases. /// Is autocorrect for multilingue users finally fixed? /// **#TAGS** in **Notes** and **Reminders**, YEAH!!! That’s a nice addition. Apple’s Notes is gaining many new features with each release; looks like a more serious collaboration tool now. Apple is no longer afraid to offer feature-rich first-party apps. /// [The loupe is back!](https://numericcitizen.micro.blog/2021/06/02/one-wwdc-wish.html?ref=numericcitizen.me) /// The **App Library** in the Dock on iPad looks to be more useful than on the iPhone. Great tweaks of **Notifications** center. I like the more dense and tweaked notification banner design. /// **Focus mode** and notifications summary are useful addition, **Do not disturb** is now part of a focus mode, which makes sense. My guess is that it will take some time to setup and tweak. So part of this is automated with on-device intelligence. /// Still about the iPad: no word about **external monitor** improvements for the iPad Pro. 😒 Can’t wait for **Grammarly** and **1Password** **web extensions** to come to the iPad; one less reason to use a desktop Mac. 😃 /// City**Maps** with richer data looks like SimCity when closing in. /// Richer **Spotlight search**, now includes photos. Many nice updates to **Photos**, most of them around **Photos Memories**. Photos meta data is available under an updated info pane! 😌 At long last. Bye bye Metapho! It is now possible to create **authentication codes** for two-factors authentication, with the **passwords** section under settings. 🤷🏻‍♂️ What a weird place to access passwords! When is Apple going to create a real passwords management app? /// **Offline Siri requests**, cool on the air plane! Still **5 GB** of iCloud storage for free. 😒 /// **Account recovery** is certainly a useful addition and save Apple a lot of support calls, but the **Digital Legacy Program** is clearly something [I was wishing for](https://numericcitizen.me/2020/05/16/a-guide-for-preparing-to-leave-your-numeric-legacy/) (read my essay “[A Guide for Preparing to Leave Your Numeric Legacy](https://numericcitizen.me/2020/05/16/a-guide-for-preparing-to-leave-your-numeric-legacy/)” 🪦💀. I took more than 500 screenshots of the keynote stream. 🤪🤗 Some nice additions to **watchOS** like new portraits watch face but **no watch face store** announced. Missed opportunity here.💰 If you want to stay on iOS 14 a bit longer, now it’s possible; Apple will even continue to provide security updates for a while. Good. /// Apple had **no software story** specifically directed to the iPad Pro hardware potentials. **Swift Playgrounds** is not this story. Maybe this fall? No tent pole features announced, but a lot of big and small improvements; iPadOS and iOS benefiting the most, but Apple continues to improve macOS in big ways. Speaking of which, no update to the way we use **widgets on the Mac**, still confined to the right side of the screen. Dumb.🤦🏻‍♂️ No word about refined to the way we manage and dismiss notifications. Frustrating. 🤬 ![Tim Cook at WWDC 2021](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/numericcitizen.me/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/draggedimage.jpg) Tim Cook at WWDC 2021 This year’s updates are nothing shattering but are much needed tweaks in a lot of very focused areas of what makes a great user experience. Will this be the **last digital-only WWDC**? I’m betting on an hybrid version **next year**. Apple is so good at pre-recorded events. Let Apple regroup behind their controversial return to the office policy and prepare for WWDC22\. ✌️ ### My Wish List for WWDC 2021 URL: https://numericcitizen.me/my-wish-list-for-wwdc-2021/ Last updated: 2023-03-23T16:48:04.000Z ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/numericcitizen.me/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/wwdc-2021-06-07-at-06.23.34-2x.png) Contrary to [past years](https://numericcitizen.me/2019/05/31/my-wishes-for-ios-13/), my wish list this year is quite short. Why is that? It could be that we live in a world of more mature platforms where low-hanging fruits are starting to be scarce. My wish list for WWDC 2201 is somewhat short. Let’s start with what matters most to me first. ## iPadOS – iOS - Redesigned iPad experience. That’s the most anticipated one. If Apple plays their cards well, it could mean that I get the 2021 iPad Pro (the 12.9” version with 1 TB of memory/ 16 GB of RAM) later this summer. - Real and serious external monitor support. When I get rid of my 2017 Intel iMac, I’ll have enough room to use my Mac mini and an iPad Pro with an external monitor on my desk. Bring it, Apple! - [Bring back the loupe](https://numericcitizen.micro.blog/2021/06/02/one-wwdc-wish.html?ref=numericcitizen.me) for text selection! Not really iPad-specific but mandatory nonetheless. - A more robust files apps. Files.app is too basic to allow more complex file management. Adding a progress bar for large file operations would help quite a lot. Bring it closer to what the Finder is, on macOS. - Better support for background tasks. I want to be able to launch an import operation in Adobe Lightroom without worrying to open another application in the foreground. Is it too much to (t)ask? - Tweaked multitasking experience with better keyboard focus. - Speaking of multitasking, allow entering in side-by-side view by “bringing together” two apps in the application switcher. - Can we get a definitive fix for auto-correction for people who write in more than one language all the time? - On the iPhone, allow home page reordering from the show – hide home pages view. - Support for remote access to help other people with their devices. ## watchOS - A watch face store! I’ve been asking for this one since like watchOS 4\. It seems everything is in place. Apple could make some money there, too!! Imagine that, Mr. Cook! - Improve watch face time readability. - What if Apple tried to create their own iconic watch face with ultimate design, unique typeface, clarity, something to remember and that would become iconic to the Apple Watch. ## macOS - Notifications center redesign (again). - Fixes for disappearing Widgets. - Bring back the Dashboard so we can put widgets there! - Tweak for windows chrome, bring back some contrast to the UI. - Bluetooth stack rewrite to fix the threaded Connection Lost – Connected nightmare with Bluetooth devices on Macs. - Make ScreenTime actually work. ## Services - Family Photos Albums / Shared iCloud Photo Library. - More than 5 GB of free storage for iCloud, maybe? I’m paying for 2 TB but for others who have to pay if they cross the free limit, it would close the door to alternative and less secure options. ## tvOS - Now Playing widget in the home screen. This would help have a better view of what is playing while playing music. So, there you have it. It’s very basic stuff. Some of the things are obvious, other features a bit less or very specific. My hope is that after this keynote, we won’t see the iPad as we know it today. We’re just a few hours before the WWDC 21 keynote, I wish you a good one to all. Oh, and \[this blog post\] by Becky Hansmeyer is a must read, here’s her last paragraph: > It’s not about giving in to every little demand being lobbed at them. It’s about collecting information, determining what the right thing to do is, and doing it the Apple Way. When Apple does that and does it right, the results are fantastic. ### A Message to Apple Developers: We Don’t Need Another Android Platform URL: https://numericcitizen.me/a-message-to-apple-developers-we-dont-need-another-android-platform/ Last updated: 2023-03-23T16:48:04.000Z ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/numericcitizen.me/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/f0370efc-4a1c-4eb2-9fbb-4c011aa1cac4.jpg) More than ever, Apple has been under a lot of pressure and scrutiny. There is a bad sentiment among the Apple developers community about Apple’s App Store business practices. Apple is on the defensive and doesn’t always offer their best side when it comes to the way they answer critics be it out of court or in court. Many well-known developers and Apple’s pundits are demanding, loud and clear, wide-ranging changes: reducing the App Store commission, opening up the iPhone to allow sideloading of applications, allowing third-party payment processing platforms, etc. These demands target the iPhone fundamentals. Apple is trying to hold them back while slowly evolving the rules to keep the fundamentals intact and developers happy. Developers get all the tech press attention making a status quo an untenable position for Apple. Where are the opposing voices to those demands? Except for [rare cases like Snapchat CEO](https://www.cnbc.com/2021/05/21/snap-ceo-evan-spiegel-were-happy-to-pay-apple-30percent.html?ref=numericcitizen.me), most of the time opposing voices come from ordinary users. They don’t get all the needed attention enabling a notable opposition. This is where this essay comes in. I want to express my fierce opposition to many of the App Store change proposals. When it comes to the iPhone identity, the platform security and the privacy protection mechanisms, I’m paying Apple to make decisions, not individual developers. I don’t believe in decentralizing models. They aren’t a synonym for a secure and enjoyable user experience. They serve the agenda of a minority, not the masses. ## Is the App Store too successful? According to recent documents made public during the Epic vs Apple trial, Apple runs the App Store with a 78% operating profit margin. That is quite a lot. This number makes many developers uneasy with Apple’s stance on their 30% commission and think it’s time for Apple to reduce this commission. My question is, what is the right number? There is no easy answer, and if there were one, it would probably change over time. Just like Apple, developers are hungry. Just like Apple, developers are running businesses. ## More about developers demands There is a lot of noise surrounding the Apple developers community and what they ask Apple to do. This leads to confusing and contradictory interpretations of what Apple must do in reality to please developers, tech experts and governments. In recent tweets from the well-known and respected developer, Marco Arment ([here](https://twitter.com/marcoarment/status/1392117917991546887?s=20&ref=numericcitizen.me), and [here](https://twitter.com/marcoarment/status/1392118781900730373?s=20&ref=numericcitizen.me)), this is not about application sideloading, nor alternative to the current App Store or change to Apple’s commission. The fundamental problem lies around in-app purchase control by Apple. If Apple ever opens up IAP, will developers stop there? I highly doubt it. Developers are needy. Many developers would love to bypass Apple’s payment processing system behind IAP so they can skip the “Apple tax” and provide better value to the end-users by allowing more flexible alternatives or lower prices. This is their argument. Speaking of more flexible alternatives, the same reasons are invoked when developers suggest allowing sideloading of applications. The idea is to provide more choices to the users. What are the costs of these choices? We are not hearing enough about them. Let’s see in more detail these demands, their potential side effects on the iPhone identity and their potential hidden costs. ## About third-party payment processing providers ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/numericcitizen.me/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/marco-arment-on-iap.png) When I read Marco Arment’s tweets regarding IAP, [I responded](https://twitter.com/apple%5Fobserver/status/1392433065914470403?s=20&ref=numericcitizen.me): > “Explain to us how payment providers can differentiate themselves? It’s a very basic and narrow feature. Why one dev would use XYZ payment processing over Apple’s? It’s not about commission %? Are you sure? That’s the only differentiating factor.” Let’s face it: a payment processing system is a feature, not a product[1](#fn1). They accomplish a narrow task of allowing users to purchase with a credit card or other payment methods for goods (digital, virtual or physical). That’s about it. The problem is, this is a very sensible interaction between a user and a provider, and it is very lucrative for the middle man who will take a commission from each transaction. The big picture here is that user security is at stake. Lots of bad things can happen during and after the transactions are taking place. You don’t want to mess around here. Trust is paramount and must be protected at all costs. As a user who values privacy protection and security, I want to minimize the number of times I need to give my personal information like my credit card, phone number or home address. Let me be clear: ***when it comes to the App Store, I won’t buy something through a third-party payment processing system unless Apple previously vetted it***. ## Next up: sideloading applications on the iPhone Let’s start with a quick explanation of what is sideloading. According to this Wikipedia [article](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sideloading?ref=numericcitizen.me): > “When referring to Android apps, “sideloading” typically means installing an application package in APK format onto an Android device. Such packages are usually downloaded from websites other than the official app store Google Play. For Android users sideloading of apps is only possible if the user has allowed “Unknown Sources” in their Security Settings” So, why ask for sideloading of apps on the iPhone? Possible reasons could be to allow for a third-party payment processing system. Something that goes against App Store’s rules. It could be to offer more choices to the end-users to get their apps from. Another reason would be to enable third-party application catalogues with a different feature set or more focused content, with or without curation. But, as an iPhone customer and as Apple puts it during the Epic vs Apple trial: > “Epic wants us to be Android, but we don’t want to be,” said Apple lawyer Karen Dunn, referring to the ability to sideload apps outside of the Google Play store on Android devices. “Our consumers don’t want that either,” she added. As much as the idea seems like giving a glass of cold water in hell, [it is well documented](https://twitter.com/benedictevans/status/1399292996823269377?s=20&ref=numericcitizen.me) that multiple App Stores is a bad idea. More on this in the next section. Do we need App Store fragmentation? In return for what? To me, the iPhone is like a game console. I know people don’t like this comparison because it goes against their arguments. Enabling other App Stores on the iPhone would be like asking Google to make Google’s Suite from Amazon or Azure so that Azure can offer Google’s suite with “better value”. Come on. ## Allowing more than one App Store As a customer, I don’t want another App Store. My gut feeling is that most iPhone users don’t care about the simple fact that there is a single place to get apps from. It’s part of the iPhone identity.[2](#fn2) The iPhone gave birth to the App Store, and the App Store gave birth to the iPhone. They come together. Having more than one App Store means having different update mechanisms or channels, which breaks the App Store simplicity model of managing application updates. ![Managing application updates, even with MacUpdater, is a chore.](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/numericcitizen.me/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/macupdate-available-apps-updates.png) Managing application updates, even with MacUpdater, is a chore. I don’t want to “manage” my iPhone like I manage my iMac. I don’t need a MacUpdater utility on my iOS devices to update apps from different stores. I don’t want to mess around with serial numbers, activation keys. I want a coherent apps shopping experience. This is what I’m buying when I get an iPhone. Otherwise, I would be using an Android device. Period. ![Each applications advertises about available updates in its own way.](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/numericcitizen.me/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/an-app-notification-about-new-version-nova.png) Each applications advertises about available updates in its own way. I would argue that asking for an alternative App Store is asking the iPhone to become another Android platform. I know, the Mac already allows for things like [SetApp](https://setapp.com/?ref=numericcitizen.me). You know what? I don’t want another macOS platform either. I’m a big fan of the Mac for what it is. The same goes for the iPhone. I’m fond of the iPhone because of the tight integration between the operating system and the App Store and Apple’s ecosystem. I want the possibility to share my purchases within my iTunes Family. I want the power of the full stack integration. This value proposition is not open to trade in any form, and I want Apple to protect. ## Apple is far from perfect, but then what? Apple is not perfect; far from it, even [Apple’s top brass knows it](https://numericcitizen.micro.blog/2021/05/04/what-the-hell.html?ref=numericcitizen.me). [They certainly can do better](https://daringfireball.net/linked/2021/05/11/apple-on-app-store-fraud?ref=numericcitizen.me) and they did in the last five years. They do listen. Yes, they have their agenda, but hey, Apple is a business, not a charity or a political party going for an election. I’m not too fond of how Apple defends itself when challenged on their App Store business practices. At the same time, I don’t believe in the idea of developers willing to give back to the customer a portion of their savings they will get by not paying Apple’s commission. I’m afraid I have to disagree with the notion of Apple holding back innovation with their strict App Store rules. The Mac serves as a great example here: it’s a more open platform, sideloading of apps is possible, many payment processing systems are available, and yet software innovation is not what it used to be. Most high-profile developers are releasing Electron-based applications instead of going the AppKit way. It’s not what I call innovation. It is regression. It is about being “good enough”. Low hanging fruits like supporting basic operating system features (widgets, rich notifications, share sheets, etc.) lack developers’ attention. Why? Lack of resources? I think it is about being lazy. That is what it is. I read a lot of bad faith in the room these days when I read about developers’ complaints. ## Is there any way to compromise? To my disdain, allowing additional App Store payment providers is one possible compromise that I would be willing to accept IF they are vetted by Apple. [It would certainly please Spotify execs](https://www.macrumors.com/2021/06/01/spotify-executive-justifies-antitrust-pressure/?ref=numericcitizen.me). Sure Apple could build an API allowing third-party secure payments systems from Stripe or PayPal. Services like Netflix could then skip Apple’s tax and offer a lower-price service. Yet, I believe developers would eventually complain again about why Apple doesn’t allow one guy or another to offer XYZ payment processing service. ## Concluding thoughts We are witnessing a slow but steady turning point in the tech industry. In the last decade, we saw the birth of powerful platforms like Apple’s App Store or Amazon. The market landscape profoundly changed, pushing boundaries of what is possible, transforming business models and testing free-market laws. The next decade will probably be where regulators force big players to give back some control while weakening the fundamental attributes that gave birth to these platforms and made them popular. I call this regulated regression. Oh, one last thing. I’d like to drop a few interesting Twitter poll results from [Steve Troughton-Smith](https://twitter.com/stroughtonsmith?s=21&ref=numericcitizen.me) a vocal Apple developer. These results are very telling. ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/numericcitizen.me/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/8089bb0b-eac6-4817-9bca-f10bae85bbd9.jpg) ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/numericcitizen.me/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/f9202015-1b03-4f61-8139-af17ed60c58f.jpg) ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/numericcitizen.me/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/cee78ff4-7e79-4c2b-a734-99c45620dac5.jpg) ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/numericcitizen.me/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/57b164e9-60b6-4333-a76b-4571fb89fcd2.jpg) ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/numericcitizen.me/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/6fffebbb-8857-4bb8-b0e3-33b2feee4ac7.jpg) What these results show is that, in reality, things are not as black and white as we might think. Developers would be willing to offer their apps on other App Stores yet continue to stay in the App Store. Developers think that Apple must redo their homework when it comes to the policies regulating the App Store. Yet, most people think Apple is entitled to a percentage of ALL digital transactions made on its platform. Finally, I would argue that not all Apple Developers are angry. Developers behind the excellent Halide camera application are such an example. They recently wrote [a very telling blog post](https://lux.camera/lux-year-4-doubling-down/?ref=numericcitizen.me) recently. For them, the App Store is not perfect but it was an enabler for their business. Yet, some other developers like Marco Arment are utterly frustrated with Apple’s attitude as he recently wrote in [a rare blog post](https://marco.org/2021/06/03/developer-relations?ref=numericcitizen.me). I can’t wait to see Apple dancing this coming WWDC, trying to woo developers. You can read my previous essay on a related subject: “[My Take on Apple’s 30% Cut and a Proposal](https://numericcitizen.me/2020/07/29/my-take-on-apple-30-cut-and-a-proposal/)“. Photo credits: William Hook on Unsplash 1. Remember when Steve Jobs said that Dropbox is a feature, not a product? [↩](#ffn1) 2. It’s always surprising to read user reviews where we can see people thinking applications are made by Apple, not a third-party developer. Funny. [↩](#ffn2) ### Friday Notes #26 — I Would Rather Quit! URL: https://numericcitizen.me/friday-notes-26/ Last updated: 2021-11-15T00:25:28.000Z Here in Montreal, things are improving significantly regarding the COVID-19 situation. The infection rate is at an all-time low. Daily new cases are steadily decreasing. Thanks to this improving situation, we are in a slow but steady process of returning to a new normal. One of the measures that will come to an end soon is the mandatory work from home requirements for all workers who can do it without impacting their work. I’ve been working from home since March 13th of 2020\. What could this improving situation mean for my work life? I’ve been enjoying working from home most of the time. Before the pandemic, I used to stay home once a week on Fridays to better concentrate on my work and finish important tasks before the weekend. I must admit that It was an occasion for me to take a break off those damn open space offices. The new normal dictates that I’ll spend at most one day a week at the office when it's all over. On that day, it will be about socializing more than anything else. The general sentiment among my co-workers is that work will never be the same. I’m not aware of the new work policies from my employer yet. They are working on it. I don’t expect them to ask their employees to return to the office full time, quite the opposite actually. They will downsize their offices eventually. That’s the new normal—it is quite a contrast with Apple's policies [recently communicated by Tim Cook to all employees](https://9to5mac.com/2021/06/02/apple-hybrid-work-plan/?ref=numericcitizen.me). This new normal is a game-changer for me. I would rather quit and find a new job if I had to return commuting every day to work in an open-space office. I still have a decade of work in front of me. I’m done with the old way. ### My Thoughts on Apple’s Redesigned Apple TV Remote URL: https://numericcitizen.me/my-thoughts-on-redesigned-apple-tv-remote/ Last updated: 2023-03-23T16:48:05.000Z ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/numericcitizen.me/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/unboxed-2021-apple-tv-remote.jpg) The redesigned Apple TV Remote Who cares about the latest Apple TV 4K, right? Apple finally did it: a new Apple TV Remote! That one was long in coming. The focus of this post is the new remote. Judging from my experience with Apple’s latest take on the TV remote, I have to admit that designing such a device must be a daunting task, because… I’m not sure if waiting all those years was enough to fix everything. My thoughts here. - I like the weight and the size. Good balance. - Edges aren’t as sharp as they look in photos, but they could have been made “softer”. - The rounded bottom makes handling the device in hand quite pleasing. - I wish the D-pad ring of the clickpad would have a bumpier design so it « better stands out » of the clickpad. - The power button is not entirely flush with the surface which also helps locate it without having to look at the remote. - The black part in the front of the remote acts as a visual indicator of what is the front of the remote. - The up and down volume buttons don’t work with my 2020 LG Smart TV as the Apple TV is connected to my home theatre unit. Same goes for the mute button. I’ll have to reconsider my setup and plug the Apple TV directly into the TV or change some settings in my TV itself. - The D-pad ring behaviour is not what I was expecting. It’s not like the iPod click wheel back in the days. Fully circular gestures produce weird user interface behaviours. Not a good experience for someone who owned a few iPods. Gruber had this to say: > Even better, the D-pad ring is also touch sensitive — you can run your thumb around it to use it as a jog dial for scrubbing forward or back in a video timeline, . [**UPDATE:** \[It doesn’t really work for scrolling vertical lists](https://daringfireball.net/linked/2021/05/30/mark-apple-tv-remote-jog-gesture?ref=numericcitizen.me).\] It works *exactly* like a classic iPod click wheel. Making the remote feel like an iPod in your hand suddenly seems so obvious. That’s a sign of a great idea — that it feels obvious once you’ve experienced it. - It’s the only Apple Product for which I read the instructions sheet that comes in the box after spending a few moments with the remote. It’s not a good sign I guess. - Using the Siri side button reminds me of the walkie-talkie experience. - I’m still undecided on how to set the center button of the clickpad: click only or touchpad too? Neither is fully satisfying. - I have the feeling that tvOS is not fully taking advantage of this new remote. Maybe in tvOS 15, Apple? Will I buy the updated Apple TV 4K? It will depend on the eARC support and the possibility for me to upgrade my home theatre unit. For now, I’ll try to enjoy the redesigned remote. I like [this take from Gruber](https://daringfireball.net/2021/05/the%5Fnew%5Fsiri%5Fremote%5Fetc?ref=numericcitizen.me). ### Thinking About the iPad’s Next Pivotal Moment URL: https://numericcitizen.me/thinking-about-ipads-next-pivotal-moment/ Last updated: 2023-03-23T16:48:05.000Z Until now, Apple didn’t really want us to believe the iPad could replace a Mac[1](#fn1). While thinking about the iPad’s next pivotal moment, I thought this is about to change in a big way, here is why. ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/numericcitizen.me/wp-content/uploads/2021/05/cleanshot-safari-2021-05-30-at-07.39.35.png) A 1 TB 12.9” iPad Pro with 16 GB of RAM costs $1799 US. A 1 TB SSD MacBook Air with 16 GB of RAM costs $1649 US. What does a $150 price difference buy you?[2](#fn2). Well, quite a lot, actually. The iPad Pro is much better than the MacBook Air’s built-in screen. The iPad Pro is a much more versatile device than a MacBook Air with support for a pencil, a touch screen, integrated cameras with a much better FaceTime camera, support for 5G[3](#fn3), etc. That’s a lot for $150 premium[4](#fn4). So, what is missing from the iPad, so that Apple can fully and without shame market this device as a real Mac alternative?[5](#fn5) To answer this question, we have to remember that both devices use the same M1 chip. Some Apple pundits think it is a marketing move, but I beg to differ. It is much more than that. Technically and theoretically, software like Final Cut could run on both devices with comparable performance. The same goes for Xcode or Logic, etc. So, what’s holding back Apple? iPadOS is. For the first time, CPU-wise, the iPad is the Mac, and the Mac is the iPad, iPadOS being the distinctive soul. When Apple announced a fork of iPadOS from iOS, many pundits said it was a marketing move. The next major iteration of iPadOS will prove them wrong. When iPadOS 15 is revealed to the world in about a week, we will finally have a better picture of why Apple won’t do a Surface-like device running macOS. Once and for all, we will know why a touch screen will never come to the Mac. Apple will push iPadOS far enough to finally enable the iPad Pro as a real Mac replacement. I expect Apple to address long-standing issues with file management, multitasking, and background task processing while adding missing APIs for better audio support, for example. Apple is giving itself the necessary bits to fully market the iPad as a real Mac replacement. Starting this fall, customers who want a new computer from Apple will have a choice of going the traditional route with a Mac or [the new route with the iPad](https://om.co/2021/05/28/the-paradigm-shift/?ref=numericcitizen.me)[6](#fn6). Apple won’t have to worry because one way or another they get about the same revenue dollars. Clever. Customers won’t have to worry because either way, they will get a powerful device capable of comparable computing experiences but in a different form factor. Clever. ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/numericcitizen.me/wp-content/uploads/2021/05/macbook-air-gallery1-20201110_geo_us.jpg) In the last few years, Apple has been slowly morphing the iPad into a real Mac alternative for the next decade in plain sight. The “tour de force” is that they did it without breaking the original iPad experience. --- Some answered questions: how will iPadOS 15 run on non-pro iPad? Will it make older iPad generations run miserably? Will certain applications only run on iPad Pro? One final thought: by writing this short essay, I may have found the reason why I’ll upgrade to the 2021 iPad Pro this fall, [three years after upgrading to the iPad Pro](https://numericcitizen.me/2018/11/01/im-getting-this-new-ipad-pro-here-is-why/). 1. Yes, I remember the “What’s a computer” ad. I think this ad was a mistake. Apple went ahead of themselves here. [↩](#ffn1) 2. To make a better comparison, I should have included the price of Magic Keyboard on the iPad. [↩](#ffn2) 3. Stop waiting for Apple to include 5G in their MacBook. It won’t happen. [↩](#ffn3) 4. Oh, and don’t forget: the 2021 iPad Pro can act as a second screen to a Mac. We cannot say the same about the Mac for the iPad. [↩](#ffn4) 5. Please note that I’m purposely not writing “real computer alternative”. [↩](#ffn5) 6. I expect younger generations will go the iPad way while the older generations will go the MacBook way. [↩](#ffn6) ### Numeric Citizen Introspection Newsletter #10 URL: https://numericcitizen.me/2021-05/ Last updated: 2024-08-12T11:12:43.000Z Here is issue #10 of the **Numeric Citizen Introspection Newsletter**. > *While waiting for Apple’s WWDC21 conference.* Let’s start with this month’s post highlights. # **Post highlights from the [Numeric Citizen Blog](https://numericcitizen.me/)** - Are Apple’s **App Store policies** limiting third-party innovation? What would it take for the developer’s community to be happier with the App Store? At what price do we accept changes? How can Apple move forward without breaking the end-user experience? [I’m in for innovation but not at all costs](https://numericcitizen.me/2021/05/22/thoughts-on-supposedly-gated-innovations/). - I wrote a [recount](https://numericcitizen.me/2021/05/21/apple-watch-experience-it-just-works-not-always/) of a horrible Apple experience involving the Apple Watch. It shouldn’t be this way, Apple. - Introduction to Smugmug: [the new home for my online photo library](https://numericcitizen.me/2021/05/29/smugmug-the-definitive-home-for-my-online-photo-library/). # **Post highlights from my [microblog](https://numericcitizen.micro.blog/?ref=numericcitizen.me)** - I was happy to see Apple striving and Facebook failing [here](https://numericcitizen.micro.blog/2021/05/09/asknottotrack-privacy-privacyprotection.html?ref=numericcitizen.me). - I can’t wait for [watchOS 8](https://numericcitizen.micro.blog/2021/05/20/this-is-so.html?ref=numericcitizen.me) later this year. - [I don’t want to see](https://numericcitizen.micro.blog/2021/05/23/lets-the-iphone.html?ref=numericcitizen.me) the iPhone become another Android. - [Where the iPadOS experience falls apart](https://numericcitizen.micro.blog/2021/05/26/where-ipados-current.html?ref=numericcitizen.me). All eyes on iPadOS 15. # **Post highlights from [Numeric Citizen I/O](https://numericcitizen.io/?ref=numericcitizen.me)** - I’m no longer using HEY World to publishing personal thoughts. Here is h[ow I migrated my content to Substack](https://numericcitizen.io/2021/05/16/migrating-my-content-from-hey-world-to-substack?ref=numericcitizen.me). # **Apple tidbits worth my attention** 1️⃣ May was a pretty big month for Apple. Reviews of recently announced **redesigned iMac**, **updated iPad Pro** and **tweaked Apple TV** with **redesigned remote** came out. The latter is a small update, but the redesigned remote is a big improvement ([John Gruber](https://daringfireball.net/2021/05/the%5Fnew%5Fsiri%5Fremote%5Fetc?ref=numericcitizen.me)). Support for **eARC on the Apple TV** is intriguing. People got their hands on the new devices. Comments are mostly positive on the iPad Pro ([Om Malik](https://om.co/2021/05/13/2021-ipad-pro-most-expensive-m1-portable/?ref=numericcitizen.me)), but **iPadOS is really holding it back** ([MacStories](https://www.macstories.net/stories/ipad-pro-2021-review/?ref=numericcitizen.me)). The M1 chip in the iPad Pro is not about enabling macOS on the iPad. ([9to5Mac](https://9to5mac.com/2021/05/16/opinion-the-m1-ipad-pro-needs-ipados-15-not-macos/?ref=numericcitizen.me)). The 12.9” iPad Pro looks to be a big win for photographers ([Austin Mann](http://austinmann.com/trek/ipad-pro-m1?ref=numericcitizen.me)). The iMac received praises, but the device’s chin is still controversial, yet it is a distinctive attribute of the machine, as illustrated here by a tweet of Tyler Stalman. > [](https://twitter.com/stalman/status/1395438140161024003?ref=numericcitizen.me) 2️⃣ [Great work](https://9to5mac.com/2021/05/18/20-years-apple-retail-stores-in-quotes/?ref=numericcitizen.me) by Michael Steeber for 9to5Mac celebrating the **20 years of the Apple Stores**. Each year is highlighted with a quote and a visual. Very nice. This makes me think that it’s been a very long time since I went into an Apple Store, because of COVID-19\. I can’t remember when, probably in the fall of 2019\. It means that I never saw the iPhone 12 line in person, nor an iPad Air or the recently released iMac. Going to an Apple Store for me is like a ritual, after each new product releases. I like to see the store outfit updates, how busy the store can be, new products arrangement. As we are slowly getting back to normal, I’m guessing this summer will end this long pause of Apple Store visits. 3️⃣ To commemorate the **week of disabilities**, [Apple released a slew of information tidbits](https://www.apple.com/newsroom/2021/05/apple-previews-powerful-software-updates-designed-for-people-with-disabilities/?ref=numericcitizen.me) about upcoming updates addressing the needs of people with disabilities (good summary on Tidbits [website](https://tidbits.com/2021/05/20/apple-announces-upcoming-accessibility-features/?ref=numericcitizen.me)). It’s quite impressive. Don’t miss the demonstration of **AssistiveTouch for the Apple Watch** on Apple’s website. I love to see Apple caring so much for these very edgy use cases. Are these innovative features coming from Apple Glass research? 4️⃣ **Jonathan Ive**, Apple’s former design lead, recently made an address at California College of the arts. [Well worth a listen](https://showstudio.com/news/sir-jony-ive-addresses-california-college-of-the-artss-class-of-2021-in-a-speech-filmed-by-nick-knight?ref=numericcitizen.me). He may have worked on the new iMac, too. 5️⃣ Apple thinks that **upgraded Apple Music** will change music forever with spatial audio, lossless music format. Maybe, maybe not; it depends if you can hear the difference. Don’t expect to use the original HomePod or AirPods Max; they don’t support the upgraded format. Yet. Bummer. We’ll have to wait for firmware updates, apparently. 6️⃣ **Apple is opening a new store in Rome**, Italy. It is [mind-blowing](https://nr.apple.com/dm3b9o9E4O?ref=numericcitizen.me). The attention to architectural details, the blending of tech with old-style design is stunning. That’s part of the reason I love Apple so much. [MacStories has a lot of pictures](https://www.macstories.net/stories/a-palazzo-reborn-inside-apples-stunning-new-store-in-via-del-corso-rome/?ref=numericcitizen.me). I’m going to Rome this fall.. maybe I could pay a visit to this store!? [Subscribe now](https://numericcitizen.me/subscribe/) # **Must see photography stuff** I’ve been moving my online photo library to **Smugmug** this month. After a long stay on **Flickr**, **Universe** and **Ello**, it was time for consolidation on a photo-sharing platform the better fit my needs. As I wrote in “[SmugMug — The Definitive Home for my Online Photo Library](https://numericcitizen.me/2021/05/29/smugmug-the-definitive-home-for-my-online-photo-library/)“, I’m quite happy with the results. I expect to close my **500px** account early next year when my subscription expires. A picture of mine that I’m really proud of published as [issue #25](https://numericcitizen.me/photo-legend-25-darkness-falls-across-the-land-91364100/) in the **Photo Legend Series** on Substack. The work of AOWS highly inspired the tone of the image. When I’m shooting with my iPhone, 80% of the time, I shoot in RAW. I could use Lightroom CC, but I prefer Halide[1](#footnote-1). This month, Halide was updated for the iPad. **Apple’s 2021 12.9” iPad Pro** comes with the same rear camera system but with a much improved front-facing camera to power the Center Stage feature. One of the guys behind Halide, Sebastiaan de With, [has some words to say](https://lux.camera/the-m1-ipad-pro-cameras/?ref=numericcitizen.me) about the updated iPad cameras, particularly, the ability to take macro photos. Pretty cool stuff. Will this come to an iPhone? Who knows. On a very different subject, **Gas stations** have been part of our modern life for quite a while. Most of them are quite mundane but there some gems that are really architecture masterpieces. This [visual summary post](https://kottke.org/21/05/the-worlds-most-beautiful-gas-stations?ref=numericcitizen.me) on Kottke’s website is worth a look. The following is a good example of what can come out of a RAW image after (a lot) of edits. > [](https://twitter.com/DanielStagner/status/1393635671210790916?ref=numericcitizen.me) Another thing worth a look, a **composite image of the moon** made by combining 50 000 individual high-resolution shots. Spectacular. Many more stellar objects are posted on the author’s Instagram account. [prathameshjaju](https://instagram.com/prathameshjaju?ref=numericcitizen.me) ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/public/images/__ss-rehost__IG-COiTQQSJZy8.jpg) A post shared by [@prathameshjaju](https://instagram.com/prathameshjaju?ref=numericcitizen.me) Do you know about **[Unfold](https://unfold.com/?ref=numericcitizen.me)** by Squarespace? I can’t remember how I found out about this photo-sharing web service. It looks nice but is very niche in its nature. The idea is to help creators build visual stories with their pictures. I think it could be used for [my Photo Legend Series](https://numericcitizen.substack.com/s/photo-legend-series). Don’t expect me to move my photos to Unfold, though. I’m just curious about the service. An issue of this newsletter wouldn’t be complete without a mention of **Unsplash**. They recently [introduced](https://unsplash.com/blog/uses/?ref=numericcitizen.me) a clever and convenient feature called “Uses”. The feature allows a photographer to find where, on the internet, his or her pictures were used. Unsplash is crawling a small portion of the web, and Google would do a much deeper scan, yet the feature is welcomed. I tried it on a few of my pictures and found out how strange pictures can be put in unrelated contexts. # **Climate change issues** Not quite about climate crisis or climate change, but this video is jaw-dropping. I love those rain downpours. It’s really a must-see. Turn up the resolution to 4K if you can. I’m still searching for a way to put this clip as a screensaver on my M1 Mac mini. # **Privacy stuff we should care about** STOP everything; this ad from Apple is very telling. The ads Facebook didn’t want you to see. The [story](https://signal.org/blog/the-instagram-ads-you-will-never-see/?ref=numericcitizen.me) behind them (lacking a few important “behind the scene” details, [according to Gruber](https://daringfireball.net/linked/2021/05/04/signal-instagram-ads?ref=numericcitizen.me)). Spectacular stunt for sure, which makes Facebook look really bad. Facebook is the numeric equivalent of cigarettes. > [](https://twitter.com/Kantrowitz/status/1389719939402113024?ref=numericcitizen.me) As [reported by 9to5Mac](https://9to5mac.com/2021/05/21/apple-is-a-pawn-in-chinas-malfeasance-say-four-members-of-congress/?ref=numericcitizen.me), some American politicians are deeply concerned with Apple’s relationship with China. Should we be concerned with every business because most of them depend on China for cheap labour? And we benefit from this all the time when we pay low prices for our goods. > [](https://twitter.com/RepKenBuck/status/1395491508535582723?ref=numericcitizen.me) # **Quotes to remember** > Being curious fuels our appetite to learn, and wanting to learn is far more important than being right. — **Jony Ive** > Last year, our window to the world shrunk to the size of a smartphone screen. — **Lance Ulanoff** > [](https://twitter.com/benedictevans/status/1392813078576779266?ref=numericcitizen.me) > [](https://twitter.com/ishabazz/status/1396812068620181507?ref=numericcitizen.me) # **What’s next? I’m glad you asked!** I am looking forward to June because of two things: first, Apple’s **WWDC conference** and everything it could mean for Apple’s ecosystem and secondly, my two-weeks vacation. I’ll have plenty of time to read, digest and write about the announcements. # **Leftovers** 1️⃣ **Apple** sure **is opinionated** but also can be stubborn ([Ken Segall](https://kensegall.com/2021/05/04/apples-troubling-stubborn-streak/?ref=numericcitizen.me)). [My comment](https://numericcitizen.micro.blog/2021/05/08/apple-opinionated-and.html?ref=numericcitizen.me) on Ken Segall’s post. 2️⃣ That was **back in 1997**… worth the watch, at least when Steve Jobs starts chatting with the crowd. These days, the **WWDC keynote** is way more formatted and doesn’t allow for such a chat session to happen. This shows how brave Steve was to take the questions or even some heat by the developers. 3️⃣ Speaking of history, do you know about **MacTracker**? This venerable utility is now at 20\. The guys behind it put up a [web page](https://mactracker.ca/20-years/?ref=numericcitizen.me) to commemorate the anniversary. 4️⃣ How do you rate a movie, a song or a personal photo? [Jack Baty](https://copingmechanism.com/2021/3-stars-by-default/?ref=numericcitizen.me) uses a three starts rating by default. Something he really likes gets upgraded to a five stars status. Something that he really disliked gets downgraded to one-star status. I should have known about this simple rule a long time ago when I rated individual songs in iTunes. 5️⃣ Do you know how many lighthouses there are in Europe? According to [this animated map](https://geodienst.github.io/lighthousemap/?ref=numericcitizen.me) a lot. Must see. Another must-see: > [](https://twitter.com/OscarFalmer/status/1391745487238275073?ref=numericcitizen.me) This concludes the **Numeric Citizen Introspection Newsletter #10** for **May** of 2021\. I would love to get your feedback and read your comments. Thanks for being a subscriber. Thanks for reading! 🙏🏻 [1](#footnote-anchor-1) Lightroom CC stores the photos in Adobe Cloud, while Halide relies on Apple’s Photos library. I prefer the latter because it is open to third-party apps. Adobe Cloud is a closed ecosystem. ### SmugMug — The Definitive Home for my Online Photo Library URL: https://numericcitizen.me/smugmug-the-definitive-home-for-my-online-photo-library/ Last updated: 2023-03-23T16:48:05.000Z Smugmug: what a weird name. Flickr was cooler. Even 500px name is better. Smugmug, really? Yet, Smugmug is now hosting my online photo library simply because, besides their uncanny name, it offers the best features mix that an amateur photographer like me is looking for to put his work online. Since Flickr started to have growing and maturing pains, my quest to find an alternative service was met with deception. [I have been using 500px for more than a year now](https://numericcitizen.me/2020/02/02/online-photo-sharing-services-my-experience-with-500px/), but after giving a second try to Smugmug, I understand that 500px is not the right place for hosting my photo library after all. This article is about my experience setting up my Smugmug website, how I migrated my photos to it and some of my thoughts about Smugmug in my photography landscape. It’s not a full review of Smugmug; there are already plenty of them ([here](https://expertphotography.com/smugmug-review/?ref=numericcitizen.me), [here](https://photographylife.com/reviews/smugmug?ref=numericcitizen.me) and [here](https://www.techradar.com/reviews/smugmug-2018?ref=numericcitizen.me)). ## It’s Jack Baty’s fault Thanks to Jack Baty’s Rudimentary Lathe notes: > After being frustrated by a limitation of SmugMug, I re-visited the photo organizing and storage app [Piwigo](https://piwigo.org/?ref=numericcitizen.me). I [installed it on a new DigitalOcean instance](https://rudimentarylathe.wiki/?ref=numericcitizen.me#2021.05.21%20-%20Installed%20Piwigo%20on%20new%20DigitalOcean%20Droplet)(and uploaded some photos to [galleries.baty.net](https://galleries.baty.net/?ref=numericcitizen.me). It’s much better than last time I tried it, but it’s not better than SmugMug. I like the *idea* of hosting my own photos, but I don’t want the maintenance or responsibility. SmugMug is also less expensive. So unless I convince myself that self-hosting is better and worth the extra time and cost, ***I’ll stick with SmugMug.*** Mr. Baty’s comments sparked curiosity with Piwigo but also in Smugmug. I decided to give Smugmug another look[1](#fn1). My first experience a few years ago wasn’t up to my expectations at the time. Now, things are different. Let’s see why. ## A desire for consolidation ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/numericcitizen.me/wp-content/uploads/2021/05/my-adobe-portfolio-website.png) My defunct Adobe Portfolio homepage What a rabbit hole that morning was when I started to look at Smugmug. I didn’t see the time fly. It was a judicious investment, though. The idea wasn’t only to find a better online space for my photos, but it was also the result of my desire to consolidate my online presence in the photography space. On that day, when I knew that Smugmug would be the right place, my Adobe Portfolio account was closed, photos on my Flickr account were removed, and my Ello website was deleted. This account closure streak was initiated recently with my decision to stop using my Universe account for the “*Perfect Imperfections*” photo series. This series is now a [gallery](https://numericcitizen.smugmug.com/Perfect-Imperfections-Series/?ref=numericcitizen.me) on my Smugmug website. ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/numericcitizen.me/wp-content/uploads/2021/05/deleting-ello-website.jpg) As [I wrote in the past](https://numericcitizen.me/2020/02/02/online-photo-sharing-services-my-experience-with-500px/), Flickr is not going anywhere and isn’t showing signs of a return to the glorious days. Adobe Portfolio [has serious synchronization issues](https://community.adobe.com/t5/lightroom-classic/portfolio-reset-from-lightroom-not-working/m-p/9521962?ref=numericcitizen.me) which became over time a real deal-breaker for me. Moreover, tying my photo-sharing service with my Adobe Photography plan isn’t a great idea in the long run. What if I decide to move off Adobe ecosystem?[2](#fn2) ## Giving Smugmug a serious second look It isn’t my first flirt with Smugmug. Back in 2018, I wanted to compare major online photo-sharing services; Smugmug was part of them. For some reason, my experience at the time wasn’t good enough for me to stick with them. Today, it’s different. Maybe my experience with Flickr and 500px is helping me have a better perspective on what I’m looking for as an amateur photographer. Smugmug’s focus is to enable people like me to show their work in a focused, simple and effective way. Smugmug is not a social network. There is no timeline, no traditional user profiles with followers count, no bio, etc. Liking or commenting on people’s photos is not at the center of the user experience. The focus of Smugmug is photography, not personalities or fame. It’s a big difference. It’s refreshing in a noisy and social-by-obligation world. I don’t miss the social side with Smugmug[3](#fn3). Building a website is simple and starts with a theme selection. Once done, uploading photos into albums is all the things needed to get started. It’s fast. I didn’t stop there, though. Smugmug is highly customizable. I wanted to make my website more personal and reflective of my online “branding”. I like the results. I’m not entirely done yet, but 90% of the customization work is done. Smugmug offers an iPhone and iPad application for mobile users. They are not the best design examples, but they are functional. They don’t support things like widgets, drag and drop on the iPad and the sharing extension tends to disappear from time to time. A reboot of the device addresses the problem4\. Background tasks aren’t supported either as the application needs to be open to complete any photo upload process. I find this to be annoying[5](#fn5). An Apple TV application is also available and is among the best of its class, compared to 500px, Flickr or Adobe Portfolio. ## Migrating my photos I didn’t migrate my photos in reality; they were re-uploaded from my devices. The upload experience varies between platforms. In Lightroom Classic, I re-exported my previously published Adobe Portfolio albums from my iMac using Smugmug’s plugins. Installation of the plugin is tricky. It has to be downloaded from Smugmug’s website, not from Adobe. Installation is well documented [here](https://help.smugmug.com/upload-from-lightroom-HkEIllw1Erz?ref=numericcitizen.me#install-manual). Once configured, a simple drag-and-drop of the photos to the online gallery followed by hitting the publish button is all that is needed. There is also a connector for the cloud version of Lightroom CC. It works well but it is less versatile. ![Uploading photos to a Smugmug gallery from within Adobe Lightroom CC](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/numericcitizen.me/wp-content/uploads/2021/05/share-photos-to-smugmug-from-lrcc.png) Uploading photos to a Smugmug gallery from within Adobe Lightroom CC Individual files can be uploaded using Smugmug’s auto uploader utility on macOS. It’s pretty basic, but it does the job well. It’s perfect to upload a bunch of files at once, In the same gallery. ## Cross-posting to other places I’m cross-posting some of my photos to my Micro.blog feed using Micro.blog’s built-in cross-posting feature. For this to work, I created a dynamic photo gallery on Smugmug based on the use of the “Microblog” keyword. This dynamic gallery comes with an RSS feed that I configure in Micro.blog’s cross-post feature as the source. It works great. This is something I couldn’t do before. One of the great thing about Smugmug is the support for RSS feeds with each photo gallery, static of dynamic. Using a service like IFTTT, I could trigger actions based on those feeds. Pretty cool. ## Nothing is perfect Smugmug isn’t perfect but at least there is a constant improvement to the service if [Smugmug’s blog](https://news.smugmug.com/product-updates/home?ref=numericcitizen.me) is any indication. ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/numericcitizen.me/wp-content/uploads/2021/05/embedding-a-picture-options-smugmug.jpg) I can embed pictures from my website, but options are limited to the picture URL only. There are no “branding” or framing options. Sharing a photo from iOS should allow keywords and caption editing while in the share extension panel. On macOS, the upload utility doesn’t support the Share menu feature. In Lightroom CC, it’s not possible to select a destination gallery while sharing a photo with the Smugmug connector. These are small issues that don’t affect my satisfaction with Smugmug in general. These issues can easily be fixed. ## What about my other accounts? The next account that I’ll probably close is my 500px account when my subscription expires in January 2022\. I don’t really need the social aspect of 500px; it’s one of the service’s differentiators compared to Smugmug. I’ll keep my Instagram account for the social aspect. Furthermore, I’m not too fond of the fact Instagram is part of Facebook, but I’m willing to keep it while waiting for a better alternative in that space (more on that later in this blog post). I’ll keep my Unsplash account for now too. I love the service, and I’m having a “wait and see” attitude toward them after being acquired by Getty Images. I’m more of a consumer of Unsplash than a producer, though. I could remove all my photos there, but I like to contribute to this community with what, I think, are my best shots. It’s fun and gratifying. ## While waiting for newcomers I’m always looking for alternatives. ***Bokeh*** is one of them, but it has been in the making for a long time as a [Kickstarter project](https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/timothybsmith/bokeh-private-independent-and-user-funded-photo-sh?ref=numericcitizen.me). As a contributor, I do get updates from time to time, but I feel this thing won’t fly. I don’t have a good feeling for that one. ***Glass.photo*** is a much interesting one. Their [website](https://glass.photo/?ref=numericcitizen.me) is nicely done, but updates are hard to come by. The latest one was published in September 2020\. Their Twitter account is somewhat active, so it looks like people behind the service are still alive and well. I’ll see. ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/numericcitizen.me/wp-content/uploads/2021/05/icloud-photo-sharing.png) Then, there’s Apple’s iCloud Photo Library. We can already share photos online from our iCloud Photo libraries. This feature creates an ephemeral website containing the selected pictures. I think Apple is missing a great opportunity here by not offering something more elaborate in that space. Many people, myself included, would prefer to share their photos on a privacy protection conscious service instead of using Facebook or Instagram. Is Apple willing to enter that space? I’m not holding my breath. WWDC could reserve a few surprises in the photography space, but not this one. ## Concluding remarks ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/numericcitizen.me/wp-content/uploads/2021/05/my-smugmug-homepage-1.png) My current Smugmug homepage – I like it My experience with Smugmug is quite positive overall. I finally have the feeling of having found my online home for a long time to come. My Smugmug homepage displays not only recently added photos but many photo galleries and an RSS feed on this blog of photography-related posts. There’s an about page too. It’s my photography-centric visual space. From time to time, I’ll publish new posts in the Photo Legend Series (hosted on Substack) of photos that you will find on my Smugmug page. I can’t wait to write the next photo legend. Stay tuned. There you have it. I’m a happy camper now. You can hit my Smugmug page at [https://numericcitizen.photos](https://numericcitizen.photos/?ref=numericcitizen.me) or use the more traditional URL: [https://numericcitizen.smugmug.com](https://numericcitizen.smugmug.com/?ref=numericcitizen.me). Enjoy. 1. Piwigo is not for me. I don’t want to manage a hosting service myself. I want to manage my photos. That’s it. [↩](#ffn1) 2. The lack of support for the M1 Macs for Adobe Lightroom Classic, more than six months after their release makes me think about reconsidering my use of Adobe’s software and services. [↩](#ffn2) 3. There are some visitors analytics available but they are buried in the account settings portion of the website. Weird place yes but the emphasis shouldn’t be on analytics after all. [↩](#ffn3) 4. Many apps suffer from disappearing share extension. It could be due to a bug in the operating system. [↩](#ffn4) 5. Paying for a service is not always a synonym of having access to the best application. [↩](#ffn5) ### Friday Notes #25 — What’s in My Head When I Run? URL: https://numericcitizen.me/friday-notes-25/ Last updated: 2021-11-17T12:30:01.000Z Since the beginning of 2021, I’m exercising on a regular schedule. I want to get in better shape. I’ve been closing my activity rings every single day since January 2\. My goal is to do a half-marathon this fall to celebrate the end of the pandemic. In 2020, when it all started, I was scheduled for a 10KM run in Ottawa, but it was cancelled because of… you know why. It would have been my third experience of a 10KM run. This year, I’m going for the 21KM one. I try to run 2-3 times a week: one long run of at least 10KM and shorter ones. As I get closer to September, I’ll increase those distances. I like to run a lot. It’s one of the only sports I feel comfortable doing, where I feel that I’m good at it. When I’m running, many things are popping up in my head without even trying. Here a run-down of them on a typical run. I’m wondering if I brought enough water to get myself hydrated. I hope I’m not going to hurt myself so I can make it to Montreal’s half-marathon this fall. I’m thinking about a few post ideas for my blogs. I’m wondering about what my next day's work looks like. My right ankle hurts a bit. I should do intervals more often. What would it be to run for a full marathon? I need to pee, but there is no place around me where I can stop. Too bad. Why is this unknown woman coming toward me smiling? Do I know her? What will be the next time I’ll be able to run? I’m starting to feel tired, but I must stay focused and continue. Where and when could take place my next photo walk? I should complete this article that I started a long time ago. I’m all over the place when it comes to my writing projects. I should focus more. I miss my father. I really should get home because I want to pee. 😳 As you can see, my head is as busy as my legs when I’m running. I don’t know about other runners, but for me, running is not where I empty my head to focus the most. After each run, I feel exhausted, but I’m also full of new ideas and inspiration. A lot of my content ideas came during one of those runs. ### In Memories of the iPhone 5 URL: https://numericcitizen.me/in-memories-of-the-iphone-5/ Last updated: 2023-03-23T16:48:05.000Z ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/numericcitizen.me/wp-content/uploads/2021/05/img_7482.jpg) One of the best iPhone design Apple ever made is the iPhone 5[1](#fn1). I bought it in 2012 as an upgrade to my iPhone 4S. Boy, what an upgrade it was. I really enjoyed its size, colour, finish, everything about it. It was the first time Apple increased the screen size. It made a big difference at the time; it felt spacious. Developers were quick to adopt the new screen dimensions. Recently, I came across a tweet from GRID Studio showing [a disassembled iPhone 5 inside a frame](https://gridstudio.cc/collections/all/products/grid%C2%AE-5?ref=numericcitizen.me). I thought it was not only an utterly cool idea, but it could be nice to hang one on one of the walls of my home office space. I almost immediately ordered mine after spending a few minutes on their [website](https://gridstudio.cc/?ref=numericcitizen.me). I got it last week, and I’m super happy with the product. They made a superb job both on the finished product but the packaging it came with. ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/numericcitizen.me/wp-content/uploads/2021/05/img_7483.jpg) The iPhone 5 casing and the screen are in mint condition. I like the layout of the pieces, I think it is well-balanced. The iPhone 5 is a special iteration of the iconic iPhone as it was the last version of the iPhone where Steve Jobs had a chance to oversee its design, probably back in 2009 or 2010[2](#fn2). ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/numericcitizen.me/wp-content/uploads/2021/05/img_7484.jpg) My wife is a bit dubious about my purchase, but I couldn’t care less. Eventually, I’ll have my dedicated home office in the room of one of my kid and this frame will find its home there. It sure will be an Apple-inspired place. Before this project becomes a reality, I’ll hang it in front of me, in my current work-from-home space. 1. The next best design is the iPhone 12\. I’m looking forward to the rumoured iPhone 13 which could introduce a black mat finish. [↩](#ffn1) 2. It is well-documented that new designs of Apple products are created well in advance of their release. The iPhone 5 was probably already in the works when the 4S was shipping. [↩](#ffn2) ### Photo Legend #23 — The Cabin URL: https://numericcitizen.me/photo-legend-23/ Last updated: 2021-11-15T00:23:16.000Z Last summer, thanks to COVID-19, instead of travelling out of the country for our vacation, we decided to rent a summer house for two months, far from our home city. It was different, much needed and very much appreciated. In the last few years, I felt the need to get closer to nature. Is it because I’m getting older? Maybe, I don’t know. Maybe. Whatever the reason, the summer of 2020 is full of fond memories. We will do the same this upcoming summer as we rented a summer house again but for six weeks only this time. Can’t wait. ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/public/images/aa58b913-10e3-4589-bf70-7068c885e57d_1280x902.jpeg) Back to last summer. It was a very sunny summer, not too warm, not too rainy. I used to take a walk in the forest, each day, sometimes, more than once a day. Close to the summer house, along a small trail, there was this little cabin in the woods, standing there, alone, surrounded by big trees. I remember the smell, the sound of the wind hitting the forest. I took numerous pictures of this cabin. Inside, a bed, a table, a lamp, a singular smell of old wood, a cracking floor. It was a place to go alone, to think, to write, to just be. I didn’t spend the night there, even if I could, it felt a bit scary at night. See the following picture. # **Behind the scene look** The header picture was in fact a series of seven images taken in bracketing mode where the exposure goes from -2 to +2 in 0.5 increments (or something like that, I don’t remember exactly the camera settings at the time). This series of images were then processed in Luminar’s HDR software to create a single image where the dark zones aren’t too dark and the highlights aren’t blown out. Then, I applied a few transformations to make the three organic structures stand out a bit more and add a dose of saturation. I brought the resulting image in Adobe Lightroom CC to make other adjustments on the luminosity, the perspective, and so on. Finally, I used a shortcut to resize the exported image to be 1500px wide to reduce its numeric weight before inserting it in this post. ಠᴗಠ Previously published on HEY World but somehow didn’t import when I moved the Series here on Substack. ### Photo Legend #23 — The Cabin URL: https://numericcitizen.me/photo-legend-23-2/ Last updated: 2023-04-27T12:23:09.000Z ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/image/fetch/f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https-3a-2f-2fbucketeer-e05bbc84-baa3-437e-9518-adb32be77984.s3.amazonaws.com-2fpublic-2fimages-2ff0748468-bc9f-4169-81b4-ba993db0edeb_1280x855.jpg) Last summer, thanks to COVID-19, instead of travelling out of the country for our vacation, we decided to rent a summer house for two months, far from our home city. It was different, much needed and very much appreciated. In the last few years, I felt the need to get closer to nature. Is it because I’m getting older? Maybe, I don’t know. Maybe. Whatever the reason, the summer of 2020 is full of fond memories. We will do the same this upcoming summer as we rented a summer house again but for six weeks only this time. Can’t wait. ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/image/fetch/f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https-3a-2f-2fbucketeer-e05bbc84-baa3-437e-9518-adb32be77984.s3.amazonaws.com-2fpublic-2fimages-2faa58b913-10e3-4589-bf70-7068c885e57d_1280x902.jpg) Back to last summer. It was a very sunny summer, not too warm, not too rainy. I used to take a walk in the forest, each day, sometimes, more than once a day. Close to the summer house, along a small trail, there was this little cabin in the woods, standing there, alone, surrounded by big trees. I remember the smell, the sound of the wind hitting the forest. I took numerous pictures of this cabin. Inside, a bed, a table, a lamp, a singular smell of old wood, a cracking floor. It was a place to go alone, to think, to write, to just be. I didn’t spend the night there, even if I could, it felt a bit scary at night. See the following picture. # **Behind the scene look** The header picture was in fact a series of seven images taken in bracketing mode where the exposure goes from -2 to +2 in 0.5 increments (or something like that, I don’t remember exactly the camera settings at the time). This series of images were then processed in Luminar’s HDR software to create a single image where the dark zones aren’t too dark and the highlights aren’t blown out. Then, I applied a few transformations to make the three organic structures stand out a bit more and add a dose of saturation. I brought the resulting image in Adobe Lightroom CC to make other adjustments on the luminosity, the perspective, and so on. Finally, I used a shortcut to resize the exported image to be 1500px wide to reduce its numeric weight before inserting it in this post. ಠᴗಠ Previously published on HEY World but somehow didn’t import when I moved the Series here on Substack. ### Thoughts On Supposedly Gated Innovations URL: https://numericcitizen.me/thoughts-on-supposedly-gated-innovations/ Last updated: 2023-03-23T16:48:05.000Z ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/numericcitizen.me/wp-content/uploads/2021/05/nathan-dumlao-y-h5pu2ogle-unsplash-1500px.jpg) Photo by Nathan Dumlao on Unsplash For many developers, Apple is holding innovation back because of its stance with the App Store. I don’t buy that argument. Here is why. Let me tell you about a short story. I’m looking at a YouTube video on my 2018 11” iPad Pro. I notice the video resolution defaults to 1080p, but I wish for a higher version with a higher frame rate, like 1440p @ 60 FPS. I tap the quality menu hidden behind the gear button in the top-right corner of the YouTube app to find out that 1080p is the maximum provided. It’s a video from a well-known YouTuber. Then, a question comes to my mind: why is this guy choosing the lower-quality version? What does it cost to this YouTuber to upload his video, besides some more bandwidth and time for the upload to finish and the time for YouTube to process the video, what are the other costs? A Better video camera gear? So, this YouTuber, like so many others, is choosing the quickest and cheapest path to get his stuff out. Even when given a choice, even if it doesn’t cost a penny, many YouTubers will upload a low-quality version of their content[1](#fn1) because they don’t care. Now, let’s turn to the App Store. It looks like the developers’ community is asking for changes. One of them is to enable more choices for the end-users in the form of allowing side-loading of apps. This change and many others would enable developers to unleash more innovative applications and services. Now, allow me to disagree. You see, I wanted to use that YouTube story to prove that, even when it’s super easy to provide the best, many are choosing not to. How am I supposed to believe the developers’ community’s speakers that they won’t do the same, even if Apple gives them what they ask for? Many developers remove their apps from the Mac App Store because of X, Y and Z, making things harder for the end-users (buying experience, upgrade experience, serial numbers management, etc.). Developers sometimes use their app and notoriety as a negotiation lever with Apple but at the price of a weaker proposition. Oh, and speaking of the gated innovation by Apple, what kind of innovation? The kind of innovation that only geeky people are dreaming of for other geeky people? For what price? For a diminished security model, a weaker product? No, thank you. The price to pay for the vast majority of the users is a weaker security environment that is so common on other alternative computing platforms and form factors. I simply don’t want that to happen. I simply don’t want another macOS or Windows world. Apple is far from perfect in regards to their App Store and the way they defend it. We must keep pressure on them, but not at all costs. 1. A recent smartphone can record @ 4K resolution. If they don’t invest in better video gear it’s like deciding to build an application using the Electron framework. [↩](#ffn1) ### Friday Notes #24 — A Constantly Moving Numeric World URL: https://numericcitizen.me/friday-notes-24/ Last updated: 2021-11-15T00:22:49.000Z We live in a constantly moving numeric world, full of choices, contradictions or opposing forces. Navigating in this world can be challenging. My goal in this context is to stay true to my values and my objectives: having an as frictionless as possible content creation experience. Last week, I made a decision to stop using **HEY World** as a publishing platform. Instead, I decided to concentrate on Substack for my **Friday Notes** and **Photo Legend** series. This idea came up out of nowhere and I didn’t think for too long before making the move. HEY World was a fad in general and for me, it was a content creator experiment. I think Substack is a better choice and has more chance of surviving as a content publishing platform. Interactions are easier and Substack enables possibilities for comments and reader reactions. I don’t get many but when I do, I’m always grateful for those. I’m happy to make my content available to a broader audience with a better discoverability potential, for free. I hope you like it. Speaking of content, I started working on the next issue of the **Introspection newsletter**. It will be another jam-packed issue as there were a lot of events surrounding Apple this month and some other unexpected turn of events in other areas. Stay tuned. Stay safe. ಠᴗಠ **Numeric Citizen** ### Apple Watch Experience – It Just Works – Nope URL: https://numericcitizen.me/apple-watch-experience-it-just-works-not-always/ Last updated: 2023-03-23T16:48:05.000Z ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/numericcitizen.me/wp-content/uploads/2021/05/img_6560-1500px.png) A locked Apple Watch Here is a short story of a bad Apple Watch experience. This story is a prime example that, sometimes, the Apple experience promise can easily be broken, for no obvious reasons. And when things go bad, they really do. My wife has two Apple Watch: a Series 3 that she wears at night and a Series 6 for the day. On a recent morning, she woke up and instinctively switched her Apple Watch for the Series 6\. After a few minutes, she noticed the Apple Watch wouldn’t unlock and was displaying a message to *use the iPhone to unlock the Apple Watch*, she immediately did. To her surprise, the Apple Watch wouldn’t unlock. She tried to unlock her iPhone a few times, no luck. Then she decided to switch back to her Series 3\. To her big surprise, the Series 3 watch displayed the same message, *use your iPhone to unlock the Apple Watch*. Now, both of her Apple Watch were locked with no working way to unlock them. She then asked me for help. I told her to reboot her iPhone. She did. It didn’t help. I told her to reboot her Apple Watch. No luck. It is not obvious to reboot a locked Apple Watch. I didn’t know what to do except to start googling for possible solutions. While I was searching for a solution, my wife decided to book a meeting with an Apple Support specialist over the web for later that morning. I told her that I was highly doubtful about Apple’s ability to address the problem. After a while, all my Google searches pointed me to [this article](https://support.apple.com/en-ca/HT204567?ref=numericcitizen.me) on Apple’s support site. The article mentions what to do if we forget the Apple Watch passcode. The problem here is that the Apple Watch uses the iPhone to unlock itself. My wife’s iPhone is controlled via an MDM which is a requirement from her office. The policies forced by the MDM is to use the iPhone to unlock the Apple Watch. So back to the article, at first, it wasn’t the right solution. The problem is that we couldn’t use the Watch app to force anything on the Apple Watch as it was locked. *The only solution was to erase it and pair it again*. Both of her Apple Watch had to be reset. This reminds me of the old days when a PC was acting badly, the typical solution was to re-install Windows. That’s a bad user experience now too common on the Apple side of the numeric world[1](#fn1). We diligently executed the procedure as documented in the support article. At the step where the iPhone suggests restoring the Apple Watch from a recent backup, there was no backup shown for my wife’s 40 mm Apple Watch, only the ones for her 38 mm. The only thing was a backup with a “null” name and no more details. Strange. I told her to forget about the restore and just set up the device as a new one. The problem now she was facing is the pixels cloud never came up on the Apple Watch. She waited, waited and waited. No luck. She just could pair the device with the iPhone. She had to reboot her Apple Watch and tried the pairing process again. This time, it worked as expected and for no obvious reasons, this time, the missing backup for her 40 mm Apple Watch was there. She did the restore and all went well going forward. She had to repeat the process for her 38 mm Apple Watch. It was a flawless process this time. Then, I asked her how was the support call with Apple? She told me it didn’t go through. At the time of the meeting, she received an automated call saying that when an agent would become available, she would be put in touch with him or her. After fifteen minutes of waiting on the phone, without any background music, she hung up. She didn’t get a follow call or email. We don’t know what happened. Again. Another bad Apple experience. It should be that way. It’s not a good Apple Watch experience. In fact, it’s not a good Apple experience in general. I used to be proud of the Apple ecosystem being immune to these horror stories. It no longer the case, I guess. 1. The Apple ecosystem is now so rich and complex that we are exposed to the intricacies of computer systems. [↩](#ffn1) ### Music is About to Change Forever, Really? URL: https://numericcitizen.me/music-is-about-to-change-forever-really/ Last updated: 2023-03-23T16:48:05.000Z ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/numericcitizen.me/wp-content/uploads/2021/05/cleanshot-twitter-2021-05-18-at-07.01.00.png) Let’s go straight to the point here: **no Apple Music lossless for any kind of Apple wireless device** (AirPods, including the Max, HomePod of any size). Spatial Audio with Dolby Atmos is the only feature you’ll get to hear on any wireless device from Apple. How this will affect the music listening experience remains to be seen… oops… heard. I can see frustration among many people. But who cares? We need to be an audiophile, [which I’m not](https://numericcitizen.me/2021/01/03/im-not-an-audiophile-but-here-are-my-thoughts-on-apples-airpods-max/), to really hear the difference. But you know, we’re in a game of perception here. It’s a marketing game, and Apple isn’t fairing well here when they say Apple Music is changing the music world forever. They don’t look good when they introduce the AirPods Max only to learn a few months later that they are useless to take advantage of Apple Music’s latest offerings. > “Note that Hi-Res Lossless requires external equipment such as a USB digital to analog converter.”Apple For those on the Mac with great speakers who fire up Apple Music to listen to music, well good for them. Oh, and don’t get me started on the original HomePod lack of support for Apple Music lossless. Maybe the future is not wireless after all. Oh, speaking of wireless, the state of Bluetooth flaky connectivity with Apple Silicon Macs is still bad, even after macOS 11.3\. Connection Lost… Connected. Connection Lost… Connected. Connection Lost… Connected. Connection Lost… Connected. Connection Lost… Connected. Connection Lost… Connected. Connection Lost… Connected. Connection Lost… Connected. Connection Lost… Connected. Connection Lost… Connected. The music space is probably the least impressive side of Apple: incomplete, [uncoordinated](https://numericcitizen.me/2021/05/02/about-apples-strange-music-strategy/), contradictory. This is the strangest service update launch in a long time. ### Restarting my Photo Legend Series URL: https://numericcitizen.me/restarting-photo-legend-series/ Last updated: 2021-11-15T00:22:32.000Z I love photography. I consider myself a serious amateur photographer. My first contact with this art form goes back to when I was a teenager. But, what's even more interesting is a photo with a story behind it because they all have a story behind it, right? I love when photographers tell their story about the when, the where and how a photo was made. Something like [this one](https://om.co/2021/03/15/lone-surfer-the-story-of-one-photo/?ref=numericcitizen.me), from **Om Malik**. These stories can put me in the photographer’s mindset when the photo was taken. It becomes another experience. It brings inspiration. My love for stories behind the picture explains why I started a photography series on my main blog called « **The Photo Legend Series** » in early 2019 (you can see the series [here](https://numericcitizen.me/series/the-photo-legend-series/)). But the thing is, my main blog is hosted on WordPress.com, and WordPress is about... words, more than pictures. For me, anyway. The blog uses a visual theme that is not suitable for showing pictures. On top of that, publishing pictures on **WordPress** is too cumbersome. Services like **Flickr**, **500px**, **SmugMug**, **VSCO**, etc., aren't meant to show and tell. I’m not even talking about **Facebook** or **Instagram**. My quest for the ultimate photo story-sharing service is an ever-ending story. I'm anxiously waiting for alternatives like [Glass](https://glass.photo/?ref=numericcitizen.me) or [Bokeh](https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/timothybsmith/bokeh-private-independent-and-user-funded-photo-sh?ref=numericcitizen.me). Meanwhile, what can I do? Previously on HEY World for a few issues, I’m not using Substack as a platform from now on until I find a better solution. # What's your name, again? Finally, I’ve never been sure about the series naming « Photo Legend ». Is « Photo Caption » better? What about « Photo Stories »? Let’s look at terms definitions. « **Legend** »: > « the words written on or next to a picture, map, coin, etc., that explain what it is about or what the symbols on it mean » « **Caption** »: > « brief text over or under a picture in a book, magazine, or newspaper that describes the picture or explains what the people in it are doing or saying » « **Stories** »: > « a description, either true or imagined, of a connected series of events » I think the word « **Legend** » is still the best fit for my intention. It's a keeper. 👍🏻 # The legend Oh, and I almost forgot about the picture above. Taken during an abnormally warm winter afternoon. The warm weather created a nice misty atmosphere. Then, there was this guy with a dog walking in the park. I took my iPhone 11 Pro out of my pocket, using Halide. I snapped this picture in RAW and later processed it in black & white with Pixelmator Photo on my iPad Pro when I came back home. ### Restarting my Photo Legend Series URL: https://numericcitizen.me/restarting-photo-legend-series-2/ Last updated: 2023-04-27T12:23:10.000Z ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/image/fetch/f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https-3a-2f-2fbucketeer-e05bbc84-baa3-437e-9518-adb32be77984.s3.amazonaws.com-2fpublic-2fimages-2fa21403eb-b6e5-4bac-84b6-a680b6607f32_1280x851.jpg) I love photography. I consider myself a serious amateur photographer. My first contact with this art form goes back to when I was a teenager. But, what's even more interesting is a photo with a story behind it because they all have a story behind it, right? I love when photographers tell their story about the when, the where and how a photo was made. Something like [this one](https://om.co/2021/03/15/lone-surfer-the-story-of-one-photo/?ref=numericcitizen.me), from **Om Malik**. These stories can put me in the photographer’s mindset when the photo was taken. It becomes another experience. It brings inspiration. My love for stories behind the picture explains why I started a photography series on my main blog called « **The Photo Legend Series** » in early 2019 (you can see the series [here](https://numericcitizen.me/series/the-photo-legend-series/)). But the thing is, my main blog is hosted on WordPress.com, and WordPress is about... words, more than pictures. For me, anyway. The blog uses a visual theme that is not suitable for showing pictures. On top of that, publishing pictures on **WordPress** is too cumbersome. Services like **Flickr**, **500px**, **SmugMug**, **VSCO**, etc., aren't meant to show and tell. I’m not even talking about **Facebook** or **Instagram**. My quest for the ultimate photo story-sharing service is an ever-ending story. I'm anxiously waiting for alternatives like [Glass](https://glass.photo/?ref=numericcitizen.me) or [Bokeh](https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/timothybsmith/bokeh-private-independent-and-user-funded-photo-sh?ref=numericcitizen.me). Meanwhile, what can I do? Previously on HEY World for a few issues, I’m not using Substack as a platform from now on until I find a better solution. # What's your name, again? Finally, I’ve never been sure about the series naming « Photo Legend ». Is « Photo Caption » better? What about « Photo Stories »? Let’s look at terms definitions. « **Legend** »: > « the words written on or next to a picture, map, coin, etc., that explain what it is about or what the symbols on it mean » « **Caption** »: > « brief text over or under a picture in a book, magazine, or newspaper that describes the picture or explains what the people in it are doing or saying » « **Stories** »: > « a description, either true or imagined, of a connected series of events » I think the word « **Legend** » is still the best fit for my intention. It's a keeper. 👍🏻 # The legend Oh, and I almost forgot about the picture above. Taken during an abnormally warm winter afternoon. The warm weather created a nice misty atmosphere. Then, there was this guy with a dog walking in the park. I took my iPhone 11 Pro out of my pocket, using Halide. I snapped this picture in RAW and later processed it in black & white with Pixelmator Photo on my iPad Pro when I came back home. ### Why I’m Publishing Under the Numeric Citizen Nom de Plume? URL: https://numericcitizen.me/numericcitizen-nom-de-plume/ Last updated: 2025-05-08T00:47:04.000Z Someone once asked me: “why are you calling yourself ‘*numeric citizen*’ online?” I was caught off-guard because this name was chosen instinctively, without much thought. When I came back to blogging in 2018, after a few years of hiatus, I wanted to use a pseudonym that would endure time, be unique, and related to the cyberspace world. I knew my writings would be mostly about numeric things like photography processing, numeric technologies, data privacy protection. So, I went ahead and settled on “Numeric Citizen”. That being said, in retrospect, I reflected on my choice and did some search online to see how good my choice is. Here is what I found. First, consider the “[Nom de plume](https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/nom%20de%20plume?ref=numericcitizen.me)” definition and origin. This French expression refers to a pen name, a pseudonym. In certain countries, a while ago, women had to use pseudonyms because it wasn’t well regarded for women to write and publish novels for example. This was horrible. But today, as a man, why use a pseudonym? Let’s continue with some research. - “***Numeric***”: the opposite of being analogue, in the real world. - “**Citizen**”: being part of a community, an inhabitant of a particular town or city… *or cyberspace*. - “***Cyberspace***”: the notional environment in which communication over computer networks occurs. I like the notion of existing numerically, besides having a real like, in the real world. Prolific content creators like online writers, bloggers, over time, create a corpus of content that goes beyond their own self. This corpus lives in cyberspace and is consumed in cyberspace. This relationship of the creator and its content, often influenced by what can be found in cyberspace is similar to being just a citizen, in real life, hence my pseudonym. **Why not use Digital Citizen instead?** I could have used **Digital citizen** but there would have been domain name conflict (see [http://www.digitalcitizen.com/](http://www.digitalcitizen.com/?ref=numericcitizen.me) which is already taken). Searching in Google returns interesting things, though, while doing the same search with “numeric citizen” returns close to nothing. I like this uniqueness! ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/public/images/62ae40b3-f929-4ec1-a971-702e24af68ca_1280x842.jpeg) When applied to things like: “Numeric Citizen's [Digital garden](https://www.craft.do/s/prWu9ohKSgta1T?ref=numericcitizen.me)”, these words fit perfectly together. They suggest mental images that I really like. The numeric world is so fascinating and takes a big part of our lives, our societies. Today, it seems the numeric world is where everything is happening; the real world is a simple reflection of the numeric world, a consequence of it. **About this banner** This banner was found on Unsplash and is inspired by the movie “[The Matrix](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0133093/?ref=numericcitizen.me)”. This science-fiction movie story is happening mostly in cyberspace. > “When a beautiful stranger leads computer hacker Neo to a forbidding underworld, he discovers the shocking truth--the life he knows is the elaborate deception of an evil cyber-intelligence.” > > The film describes a future in which [reality](https://matrix.fandom.com/wiki/Real%5FWorld?ref=numericcitizen.me) perceived by humans is actually the [Matrix](https://matrix.fandom.com/wiki/Matrix?ref=numericcitizen.me), a simulated reality created by [sentient machines](https://matrix.fandom.com/wiki/Machines?ref=numericcitizen.me) in order to pacify and subdue the human population while their bodies' heat and electrical activity are used as an energy source. Upon learning this, computer programmer "[Neo](https://matrix.fandom.com/wiki/Neo?ref=numericcitizen.me)" is drawn into a rebellion against the machines. I made a few changes to this background and use it in many different places. It’s part of my “branding” if you will. You can find it in my 2021 version of my avatar background for example, as shown below. So, now you know why I’m publishing under the “nom de plume” ***Numeric Citizen***. Questions? Comments? ### Why I Love Taking Photos of Abandoned Places URL: https://numericcitizen.me/why-take-photos-of-abandoned-paces/ Last updated: 2024-08-12T01:24:56.000Z A few years ago, a friend of mine invited me to go with him for an urban exploration photo session. I was excited. Visiting abandoned places has always been fascinating for me. It’s like going back in time. There are so many untold stories sitting around us in cities or the countryside. Each place is different, telling its own story, or keeping its story for itself. In each visit, I must take a pause for a while, looking at the empty surroundings, listening even. My first experience of visiting an abandoned place goes back during a summer vacation in Prince Edward Island in the nineties. Near the place where we stayed, there was an abandoned house sitting in the middle of a field, on the other side of the road. It took me a few days to decide to pay a visit to the abandoned house. I was afraid to violate someone's property. I didn't want to break in. If there was no way to enter the house, I would have left the place. Thankfully, the main door was open, windows on the first level were broken too; it was easy to enter. So I went in and discovered a few exciting things. One of them being an open letter sitting on the cracked-open floor. Clearly, I wasn't the first to visit the place. I took one of the letters and read it. It was written by a girl living in Boston in 1942 who wrote to her parents to share some personal news. Reading into other people's personal life was touching, troubling even. I could imagine her parents, happy to get some news from their daughter living far away in a different country. At the time, without the internet, everything was long to get by. Receiving letters from family members was an exciting moment. Most of the time, I guess. ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/public/images/53119328-e337-4ebd-abb0-987bcccd3651_831x1280.jpeg) One of the first few pictures of my first visit to an abandoned house in 1997 I don’t remember how much time I spend inside this house. But I do remember that I couldn’t get to the second level where the bedrooms were located. The stair was heavily broken, and I couldn’t figure out a way to security go upstairs. Eventually, after taking a few pictures, I left the place with a taste of an incomplete experience. **Fast forward to 2020** Last summer, we rented a summer house for two months. I come across a few abandoned places while driving in the surroundings. One place was an ancient farmer’s house, built-in 1927 (top photo). I couldn’t get in. I poked through the windows to have a sense of the interior. The other place was different: an abandoned tent trailer in the middle of the woods, dating back to the seventies. I took a few spooky photos of the area, then I left wondering about its vacation history. ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/public/images/179561ba-5830-4147-9a2e-284a64e83800_1280x720.jpeg) I’m not sure when and where the next urban exploration session will take place. It’s harder to go out during a pandemic. I do miss those. In the meantime, I keep returning to my **Lightroom** catalogue in search of unprocessed yet interesting images from previous photo sessions or keep exploring the web for sites like [this one](https://www.obsidianurbexphotography.com/?ref=numericcitizen.me). ಠᴗಠ ### Photo Legend #26 - Children Art URL: https://numericcitizen.me/photo-legend-26/ Last updated: 2021-11-15T00:21:02.000Z I always liked children's drawings. They give us, adults, a view of how kids see the world. It’s fascinating how they draw human bodies. As they get older, instinctively they learn to refine their art, leaving behind some form of visual fantasies, which I think is a bit sad. I like children's visual naiveté. I recently took a walk where I came across these chalk drawings in a schoolyard. I took my iPhone and immortalized this piece of art. The following one is from one of my children, who made it for me a while ago, for my birthday. He knew quite early in his life that I was a fan of Steve Jobs and Apple. Children are so cute. 😊 ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/public/images/873ee7eb-b0d9-4fad-a114-ff28275e750e_960x1280.jpeg) Steve Jobs without hands ### Bye Bye Universe URL: https://numericcitizen.me/bye-bye-universe/ Last updated: 2023-03-23T16:48:05.000Z ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/numericcitizen.me/wp-content/uploads/2021/05/numericcitizen-visualspace-thumbnails.png) The website pages before the end Nearly a year ago, [I introduced my Numeric Citizen Visual Space](https://numericcitizen.me/2020/05/22/introducing-numeric-citizen-visual-space-on-universe/), a website made with [Universe](https://twitter.com/onuniverse?s=21&ref=numericcitizen.me), a website creation application running on iPhone, iPad and macOS. This space never really took off, never attracted traffic, probably because of the lack of a social network dimension to it. In retrospect, this was an experiment more than anything else. The tool took all the place. Universe is a special application where websites are built by using a visual block metaphor. There is nothing like it. I was seduced by it and forgot the end goal of building a web presence to expose my urban exploration photography work. Eventually, I stopped updating my website. I decided to cancel my expensive subscription (159.99$ CAN per year). If there was a free tier, I would probably keep it, but that’s not the case. I’m still looking for a better photo-sharing solution besides the usual suspects. Glass? Bokeh? Both of these are still under wrap, and their future is uncertain. As I’m waiting, I first decided to “park” my work in a lesser-known place called “Ello.” Ello is a lot like Tumblr. It’s free and does the job for now. But after a while, I decided that wasn’t the right place. The social aspect of it was a bit distracting. My Ello account is now closed forever. You can still have a look at [my Visual Space](https://numericcitizen-visualspace.com/?ref=numericcitizen.me) as the free tier still allows for content to be accessible. I may decide to delete this website too in the near future. ### The End of My HEY World Experiment URL: https://numericcitizen.me/the-end-of-my-hey-world-experience/ Last updated: 2025-03-08T16:30:40.000Z No time to waste here. This post will be the last one on *HEY World*. After giving it a few thoughts, today, I decided to move my Friday Notes & Photo Legend Series to Substack. Why, you might ask? It is all about ***control***, ***flexibility*** and ***discoverability***. HEY World is not a publishing platform. It will never be. It is a Basecamp founder’s personal hobby. Period. It has nothing to do with Basecamp's recent controversy. Let's face it, HEY World content is impossible to find, lacks publishing flexibility (embeds, schedule later a post, integration with Grammarly) and offers minimal control. Sure, HEY World wasn’t meant to replace WordPress. I get it. Behind extreme simplicity lies some frustrations. Oh, and I know Substack doesn’t have an iPad app, and I highly doubt that it will come in the future. The editing experience on the web is fine, really fine. The other thing about HEY World is that I can't use my "Numeric Citizen" nickname with HEY World because those posts come from my personal account, which goes against my, hum hum, *online branding*. Too bad. HEY World was full of promises, but never really delivered. After moving to Substack, I finally ended up on Ghost for some of my blogging needs. You can learn more [here](https://hub.numericcitizen.me/?ref=numericcitizen.me). ### Friday Notes #23 — I Didn’t See That Friday Was Coming URL: https://numericcitizen.me/friday-notes-23-i-didn-t-see-that-friday-was-coming-7cd6b8ea/ Last updated: 2021-11-15T00:20:29.000Z Wow, it’s Friday morning, 6:17 AM. Not only the Friday Notes writing is not complete, it isn’t started! I find myself without a subject to write about. Usually, such subject starts to emerge at the beginning of the week, Sunday or Monday. Then, each day, I diligently think and write my *Friday Notes* to eventually finish just in time, early Friday morning. So why is is different this week? Well, I didn’t see Friday coming. I simply didn't see the week passing. So, here I am. For more than thirty minutes, I’m wandering in my numeric world in search of a subject, an image, an angle, a singular thing that could spark my desire for writing. I give myself up to noon before deciding what I’ll do. It’s now 12:00\. Now I know. I recently wrote [an update about my Substack experience](https://numericcitizen.substack.com/p/quick-substack-experience-update-2021-05/). I thought I could do the same about my HEY World experience. So far, I wrote a total of 23 posts. I'm now at 15 subscribers by email but I don't know how many are consuming the RSS feed. Discoverability is not really good unless I cross-post systematically each post to Twitter and Micro.blog. I don’t get new subscribers often. I rarely get any feedback by email either. I’ve got silent subscribers. It’s ok. I’m fine with this. As I wrote at the beginning of this adventure, writing on HEY Word is like putting a bottle in the sea. I do think of consolidating my online presence from time to time, and wonder if HEY World would make the cut. Sending the weely Friday Notes newsletter from Substack would make a lot of sense. Same goes for my Photo Legend Series. It’s something to think about. So, there you have it, dear silent readers. Take care. ಠᴗಠ JF Martin aka **Numeric Citizen** ### Photo Legend #25 - “Darkness Falls Across the Land” URL: https://numericcitizen.me/photo-legend-25-darkness-falls-across-the-land-91364100/ Last updated: 2021-11-15T00:19:53.000Z *(Micheal Jackson’s Thriller playing in the background here).* This photo was taken last summer during a long stay in a country house that we rented for two months. That day, when the sun was slowly sunsetting, fog slowly started to crawl and created this wonderful scene. At that time, I took the picture without knowing what I would do with it or how I would process it. I keep revisiting my last summer pictures to see if I can find gems that are crying for some attention. The picture below is the unprocessed version. Which one do you prefer? ![IMG_5707-org.png](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/public/images/5730d143-c3ad-46ac-b60f-c030dbb6a4fc_1280x720.png "IMG_5707-org.png") ಠᴗಠ JF Martin aka **Numeric Citizen** Previously published photos in the series can be found [on my main blog](https://numericcitizen.me/tag/photolegend/). ### Seeing Death From a Distance, Through FaceTime Calls URL: https://numericcitizen.me/seeing-death-from-a-distance-through-facetime-calls/ Last updated: 2023-03-23T16:48:05.000Z ![My father's hand holding my sister's finger](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/numericcitizen.me/wp-content/uploads/2021/05/my-dying-fathers-hand.jpg) My father’s hand holding my sister’s finger Having part of my life suspended for more than a year, thanks to COVID-19, wasn’t enough it seems. Recently, I saw my father die, from a distance, through FaceTime calls. It was a reminder that technology can play unexpected roles in our lives. Here is a short personal story. After battling a severe urinary infection, my father was brought to the hospital on a Monday morning in early spring. According to the nursery staff, his heart pulsations were faint. He was partly conscious but acted confused. Following my father’s recent end-of-life wishes, he didn’t want to be treated by doctors; only comforting treatments were all he was asking for. He was admitted to the hospital on Monday morning, March first. He died six days later, on March seventh, late at night. Alone, at the time of his death. He was 92. When I learned he was sick; I knew this was his last round trip to the hospital. A question quickly came up to my mind: should I travel seven hours to see him, one more time? I wasn’t even sure he would wait for me. I was torn. I felt guilty for not going. Then, I remembered my friend’s [personal story about losing his father](https://link.medium.com/902kbRHkNeb?ref=numericcitizen.me). I wasn’t the only one with a desire to preserve positive memories of my loved ones. My father was surrounded by my sisters, my brother, and at some point by my old mother. Thanks to all of them, my father probably felt their comforting presence in his last moments. During the first few days at the hospital, they sent me pictures of him through iMessage[1](#fn1). During that trying week, with my sister’s help, I had a chance to see my father slowly die through many FaceTime calls. I took the opportunity to talk to him and tell him how much I loved him[2](#fn2). I remotely saw my father quit this world through my iPhone screen. At some point near the end, I asked them to stop sending me pictures of him; his physical appearance started to deteriorate seriously. I didn’t want to see him like this as it would spoil my recent and mostly positive memories of him, still alive. The last time I saw my father was last summer, between two COVID-19 infections waves. He was in relatively good shape at the time, albeit suffering from Parkinson’s disease and advanced ageing. I was sad to see him so old and slowly losing his capabilities. --- It’s been two months since my father died. We don’t always know what is the best decision in enduring moments. In retrospect, what I know is that I’m ok with my decision. What really helped me come to terms with my decision was the reaction of my two sisters and my brother. They were very respectful of my decision. They told me they could understand. I will always be grateful to them. They don’t know how much they made a big difference. 1. My nephew, who is a serious photographer, went to see my father and took a few pictures with his iPhone. They are so touching and beautiful. Seeing history through pictures can be so powerful. [↩](#ffn1) 2. My sister was holding her iPhone close to my father’s ear. She told me he was reacting to my words. It was relieving. [↩](#ffn2) ### Friday Notes #22 — Slow Writing URL: https://numericcitizen.me/friday-notes-22-slow-writing-b243f508/ Last updated: 2021-11-15T00:19:18.000Z It’s been a slow week for writing and posting content online. I was busy on other things, and my inspiration is not always a constant flow. It follows a line of ups and downs. I don’t panic or feel bad when it’s down. I take it as an opportunity for taking a pause to do other things and to step back. Taking some distance from my writing habits is good, just like chess players will stand up to have a better view, to see the current game state from another angle. Ideas need time to pop up and they usually do at the least expected moment, like while running outside or doing some errands. So how did I spend my time then? I returned on Twitter to get a pulse of what was going on, what's new and for testing newly released features like Twitter Spaces. That’s how I learn about Basecamp’s [shitty show](https://www.theverge.com/2021/4/27/22406673/basecamp-political-speech-policy-controversy?ref=numericcitizen.me) or about Facebook [shitty show](https://twitter.com/kantrowitz/status/1389719939402113024?s=21&ref=numericcitizen.me). Then, I was reminded that writing is probably a much positive thing to do than to be on Twitter. Now, back to normal writing programming. Take care. ಠᴗಠ JF Martin aka **Numeric Citizen** ### Friday Notes #21 — Some Parts of ME URL: https://numericcitizen.me/friday-notes-21-some-parts-of-me-c099f571/ Last updated: 2021-11-17T12:28:33.000Z Recently found on [https://alanralph.co.uk/13253-2/](https://alanralph.co.uk/13253-2/?ref=numericcitizen.me): *"Take your personal website, for example. Your writing might not appeal to others. People might find it irrelevant or even dislike your style or your message, especially if you are writing about something new and unconventional. But if it’s important to you and if it contains a bit of yourself – and it certainly will – whatever you write and publish on your site isn’t wrong. You are free to try out different formats, techniques, and styles. Write about what you think and care about. Find your unique way to express yourself."* \- Matthias Ott, [No Wrong Notes](https://matthiasott.com/notes/no-wrong-notes?ref=numericcitizen.me) It’s the “*raison d’être*” of this HEY World feed — to present some parts of ME. From written words about personal experiences to photos of my surrounding world, that's the way I set it up. ಠᴗಠ JF Martin aka Numeric Citizen ### Numeric Citizen Introspection Newsletter #9 URL: https://numericcitizen.me/2021-04/ Last updated: 2021-11-15T00:18:08.000Z Here is the **Numeric Citizen Introspection Newsletter #9** for **April of 2021**. # **Post highlights from my [microblog](https://numericcitizen.micro.blog/?ref=numericcitizen.me)** That was a slow month for me on Micro.blog as I worked on much larger articles. - I was finally able to update [my visual theme](https://numericcitizen.micro.blog/?ref=numericcitizen.me) after many problems with the Micro.blog rendering engine at the back end. Let me know if you like it! - Tim Cook [gave a candid interview](https://numericcitizen.micro.blog/2021/04/06/on-tim-cooks.html?ref=numericcitizen.me) this month where he talks about his future at Apple. Quite interesting. - Is Apple working on a new visual signature for a future release of iOS? [I’m wondering](https://numericcitizen.micro.blog/2021/04/06/about-those-two.html?ref=numericcitizen.me). - More than a year ago, Jony Ive left the Apple building. It seems [the iPhone is getting fatter and fatter](https://numericcitizen.micro.blog/2021/04/16/iphone-is-getting.html?ref=numericcitizen.me). But the iMac is getting way thinner. The iPad Pro is getting a tad thicker. # **Post highlights from my [Medium page](https://numericcitizen.medium.com/?ref=numericcitizen.me)** As a paid membership is required to read my articles here on Medium, suffice is to say that I cross-posted three big pieces that are available on my other blogs. Don’t worry; you’ll be able to read them. See the following sections. # **Post highlights from my [Numeric Citizen Blog](https://numericcitizen.me/)** - As much as I love **Micro.blog**, it won’t replace my WordPress blog any time soon. [Here is why](https://numericcitizen.me/2021/04/02/whats-next-for-microblog-a-wish-list/). - **My Digital Garden** is now official. See [the announcement here](https://numericcitizen.me/2021/04/06/introducing-my-digital-garden/). - I published a complete guide on how to **power up macOS Big Sur** by using a set of third-party utilities. [Don’t miss it](https://numericcitizen.me/2021/04/11/tips-tricks-utilities-for-boosting-your-productivity-with-apple-macos-big-sur/). - [My thoughts on Apple’s Spring Loaded event](https://numericcitizen.me/2021/04/25/my-thoughts-on-apple-spring-loaded-event/). During its “**Spring Loaded**” event, Apple showed a relentless desire to innovate and push boundaries. Here are my thoughts. Color me impressed. - [An example](https://numericcitizen.micro.blog/2021/04/08/on-apple-arcades.html?ref=numericcitizen.me) where Apple, the App Store gatekeeper, isn’t doing a good job at keeping great quality **Apple Arcade** games. - I’m a happy user of **NextDNS**. [I feel that I’m now back in 2005](https://numericcitizen.micro.blog/2021/04/28/back-to-the.html?ref=numericcitizen.me). # **Post highlights from my [Numeric Citizen I/O](https://numericcitizen.io/?ref=numericcitizen.me)** - **Google** is coming in May with an update to their **ranking algorithm** that could affect website traffic. See how I got myself ready in [this feature article](https://numericcitizen.io/2021/04/17/getting-ready-for-google-s-may-2021-algorithm-update?ref=numericcitizen.me). - **Instapaper or Pocket** — What’s the best read later service for me? See [why I chose Pocket.](https://numericcitizen.io/2021/04/5/instapaper-vs-pocket-%E2%80%94-which-read-later-service-is-better-for-me?ref=numericcitizen.me) - Do you want to know how many websites I use and why I do use so many of them? [You’ll find answers here](https://numericcitizen.io/2021/04/2/why-so-many-publishing-platforms?ref=numericcitizen.me). - One of my articles got stolen and republished without my permission. It’s the second time this happens to me. [I hate it](https://numericcitizen.me/2021/04/18/about-those-content-stealers-on-the-internet/). # **Apple tidbits worth my attention** After their spring cleanup in March, at the long, Apple had their first **Apple Event** of 2021\. My reactions are documented in my [Thoughts on Apple’s ](https://numericcitizen.me/2021/04/25/my-thoughts-on-apple-spring-loaded-event/)**[Spring Loaded](https://numericcitizen.me/2021/04/25/my-thoughts-on-apple-spring-loaded-event/)**[ event](https://numericcitizen.me/2021/04/25/my-thoughts-on-apple-spring-loaded-event/). Here are a few reactions from Apple pundits and the tech press. 1️⃣ Apple’s strategy around their **M1 chip** is unprecedented. With a single chip, they can power three different form factors, from the desktop, the laptop to the tablet. > “Apple to standardize on a single CPU core across a wide range of products and price points. This is in complete opposition to the way PCs are traditionally positioned. (…) No single x86 CPU is sold this way or positioned as a solution to such a broad range of use cases. (…) Selling the M1 in both $699 and $1,699 machines challenges the idea that a computer’s price ought to principally reflect the CPU inside of it. (…) PC users who don’t like Apple’s ecosystem or who need more CPU performance than Apple sells obviously won’t be convinced. But it’s a unique, distinct argument from anything we’ve ever seen. We’ll see if the company sustains it as it introduces new ARM-powered hardware later on this year.” — [ExtremeTech](https://www.extremetech.com/computing/322120-apples-m1-positioning-mocks-every-x86-cpu-amd-and-intel-have-ever-launched?ref=numericcitizen.me) 2️⃣ The new **Apple TV Remote** doesn’t have a U1 chip, not a gyroscope or accelerometer. The new 12.9” iPad Pro isn’t compatible with the previous generation **Magic Keyboard**. You can’t buy the new Magic **Keyboard with TouchID** to use with an M1 Mac mini, yet. Apple still sells Intel-based 21.5” and 27” iMac models. The **Apple TV 4K** not only keeps the same name but also the same high price. I don’t like the wallpaper Apple chose for the new iPad Pro. But, who cares, right? 3️⃣ **AirTags** are boring but useful. I ordered a four-pack. I should get them by mi-May. I’ll try not to lose my keys until then. 4️⃣ **Apple** released their **financial results** for [their second quarter](https://www.apple.com/newsroom/2021/04/apple-reports-second-quarter-results/?ref=numericcitizen.me). The numbers are exceptional, considering the current international crisis. 🤯 From Twitter, a few notable reactions: > [](https://twitter.com/benedictevans/status/1384573422399901697?ref=numericcitizen.me) > [](https://twitter.com/dcurtis/status/1384569030758051840?ref=numericcitizen.me) > [](https://twitter.com/stroughtonsmith/status/1384568626167140353?ref=numericcitizen.me) [Subscribe now](https://numericcitizen.me/subscribe/) # **Some of my photos that came to light** During a quick ride, I took my Nikon D750 with me to take a few pictures. The following two pictures were taken while I was in the car. Not bad. Processed with Adobe Lightroom CC on my iPad Pro. ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/public/images/9c902109-6f59-4c8e-885a-96509f399a7a_1500x973.jpeg) Montreal’s Jacques Cartier bridge ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/public/images/f26a3e34-40ee-4954-b70e-b08741a2afb7_1500x1129.jpeg) Somewhere downtown Montreal, Canada. I miss doing urbex. # **Must see photography stuff** **[Albums](https://www.albums.app/?ref=numericcitizen.me)** is a **photo-sharing service**. From what I can see on the website, this service certainly looks great. Photos are uploaded to the cloud in high quality and securely. People can comment on them, provided you are sharing the albums. From what’s I’m seeing, the service is free. So, the question becomes: how is this service can be viable in the long term? How am I supposed to trust this young company? Where do they get their revenues? Do we need another photo-sharing service? It looks like a duplicate of Apple’s iCloud Photo Library and Google Photos. I’m still waiting for [Glass](https://glass.photo/?ref=numericcitizen.me), though. No news since September of 2020\. Doesn’t looks good to me. The same goes for [Bokeh](https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/timothybsmith/bokeh-private-independent-and-user-funded-photo-sh?ref=numericcitizen.me), a never-finished photo-sharing website still under construction. I decided to cancel my subscription to **Universe**, a website building tool that I reviewed a year ago. At that time, I created [a visual space](https://numericcitizen.me/2020/05/22/introducing-numeric-citizen-visual-space-on-universe/) from my urbex photographs. The service is quite expansive, and I decided it wasn’t worth it, even if I love their building tool. More details [here](https://numericcitizen.io/2021/04/27/bye-bye-universe?ref=numericcitizen.me). Speaking of Universe, this time from an **astronomy** perspective, an issue of this newsletter wouldn’t be a great one without some space photography. These are [the most stunning astronomy pictures for 2021 so far](https://mashable.com/article/stunning-space-photos-2021/?ref=numericcitizen.me). 🤯 I’m still sad about **Getty Images** buying **Unsplash**. Many are unhappy about this turn of events, like [Om Malik](https://om.co/2021/04/01/the-wrong-kind-of-splash/?ref=numericcitizen.me). He is furious about this whole story and doesn’t have an ounce of confidence for the future of Unsplash. He closed his account. 😢 **When does photography becomes digital art?** There is no clear answer to that one. # **Climate change issues** One of the many reasons why I love Apple is [their environmental actions](https://www.apple.com/environment/?ref=numericcitizen.me). They seem to care more than any other company of their size. According to their progress report, they should be carbon neutral by 2030\. They are already carbon neutral for their corporate offices around the world by reusing renewable energy forms. According to their latest product [report cards](https://www.apple.com/environment/?ref=numericcitizen.me#reports-product), more and more recycled materials are used in product manufacturing. For curiosity, I tried to hit the [https://google.com/environment](https://google.com/environment?ref=numericcitizen.me). It returns an HTTP 404 error. 😳🤬 Not all is lost regarding Google. They made the following video about the earth's transformation over the years, thanks to Google Earth. Must see. # **Privacy stuff we should care about** It’s a big month for data privacy protection. Here is why. First, consider this: ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/public/images/f278f011-e068-424b-ac3d-47c453532db0_660x628.png) Just tap “Ask App not Track”. This month, **Apple released iOS 14.5** with a *do not track* feature that is sending shockwaves in the user tracking industry behind advertising. I salute Apple’s willingness to care about user privacy. Facebook is not happy about it. [Tim cook doesn’t understand why the pushback](https://www.macrumors.com/2021/04/03/tim-cook-responds-facebook-ios-privacy/?ref=numericcitizen.me) on privacy protection, a human right from his point of view. Please, do yourself a favour: don’t give permission to applications for tracking you. It’s easy. A full description of iOS 14.5 features can be found [here](https://www.macrumors.com/?ref=numericcitizen.me). **Parler** is [back in the App Store](https://www.macrumors.com/2021/04/19/apple-parler-return-app-store/?ref=numericcitizen.me). I’m not happy with this. But, if Apple chose to keep them out, how can they keep **Facebook** in? Speaking of Facebook, another major data leak, this time, more than 500m users are affected. That’s insane. One of my email addresses has been leaked, but not my phone number. You can this here, with [this tool](https://haveibeenpwned.com/?ref=numericcitizen.me). # **Quotes to remember** ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/public/images/73bc912d-8aed-4d20-82ee-75376e18e607_600x337.png) ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/public/images/9721c216-0221-4e9d-9210-2838b90a49aa_700x393.png) > [](https://twitter.com/Gartenberg/status/1386381914043469829?ref=numericcitizen.me) # **What’s next? I’m glad you asked!** Well, I’ll keep doing what I like to do the most during this pandemic: write and publish. The end is in sight for this ordeal, though. Maybe I’ll do more photography and less writing this summer. I’ll see how it goes. # **Leftovers** 1️⃣ **I’ve been vaccinated**. At long last. That’s a clear sign of light at the end of the long tunnel. In the first 18 hours after receiving my shot felt miserable. It’s nothing compared to getting COVID-19, I guess. The next shot is scheduled for mi-august. 2️⃣ The guys behind **Craft** added a [web editor](https://craftdocs.typeform.com/to/I2vQJGLu?ref=numericcitizen.me) for the service. Useful for those on Windows who want to use the service. I still love it more than Notion, a service that I rarely use these days. 3️⃣ Here is a [strange story](https://www.macrumors.com/2021/04/21/apple-supplier-ransomware-attack/?ref=numericcitizen.me): a group of hackers stole confidential documents about Apple’s upcoming products. They asked for a ransom to Quanta, one of the assembly companies for Apple and for Apple itself. They put a few schematics online while threatening to put more each day until they get paid. I thought that Apple would pay the ransom to make sure the hackers stop publishing their findings. They stopped. did Apple Pay? My guess is yes. Rumors say nope. We may never know for sure. 4️⃣ One of the co-founders of **Adobe** has died recently: [Charles Geschke](https://www.theverge.com/2021/4/18/22390452/charles-geschke-cofounder-adobe-inventor-pdf-obituary?ref=numericcitizen.me). Adobe reminds me of my times with Apple and Adobe products with Photoshop 3.0 and Postscript printer like the LaserWriter. Time flies. This concludes the **Numeric Citizen Introspection Newsletter #9** for **April** of 2021\. I would love to get your feedback and read your comments. Thanks for being a subscriber. Thanks for reading! 🙏🏻 ### My Thoughts on Apple’s Spring Loaded Event URL: https://numericcitizen.me/my-thoughts-on-apple-spring-loaded-event/ Last updated: 2023-03-23T16:48:06.000Z *Colorful. Mighty. Thinness. Powerful. Small wonders. The power of the ecosystem. These are the words that come to my mind in retrospect.* ![The colorful 2021 iMac](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/numericcitizen.me/wp-content/uploads/2021/04/2021-imac-colors.png) The colorful 2021 iMac Apple held the « Spring Loaded » event last week. As always, there is so much to digest and to write about. More than ever, rumors were aplenty and gave us many hints to what was coming, yet there were a few surprises[1](#fn1). Let’s start with some contextual information about my current « Apple mood ». I’m not into the market to upgrade any of my current Apple devices (currently an iPhone 11 Pro, 2018 11” iPad Pro, a 2017 21.5” iMac, a few Apple TVs, Apple Watch Series 4 & 6). Hence, my apparent lack of enthusiasm for what Apple had to show us. Rumors about an impending iPad Pro refresh failed to get me excited. Considering that iPadOS, more than anything else, is the key for the next iPad chapter, I knew in advance that I would have to wait for WWDC to find some answers to my iPad future upgrade plans. Yet, sometimes, the reality is more complicated than this. ## Fifth digital-only event in a row The “Spring Loaded” event was the first in a series for 2021, the fifth in a row, thanks to COVID-19\. Apple is good at it. Each event has a different twist, a different pace. We know why the « Spring Loaded » tagline was used: it was a relatively fast-paced event, one hour to be exact, touching a lot of different things, with three major product lines: the redesigned iMac, the beefed-up iPad Pro and the highly awaited AirTag. Some Apple pundits would argue that it was all over the place. But as M.G Siegler puts it in his piece on the event, colors were the unifying theme. I agree with this take, in retrospect as [colors help sell more](https://twitter.com/davemark/status/1385577978554425344?ref=numericcitizen.me). > Ok, look at this. 🤯 [pic.twitter.com/3gTE0JexJW](https://t.co/3gTE0JexJW?ref=numericcitizen.me) > > — Bas van der Ploeg (@basvanderploeg) [April 21, 2021](https://twitter.com/basvanderploeg/status/1384921465217327105?ref%5Fsrc=twsrc%5Etfw&ref=numericcitizen.me) Something else acted as another unifying force: *the M1 chip*. Found in the MacBook Air, MacBook Pro and Mac mini, it is now the hearth of the redesigned iMac and, surprisingly, the iPad Pro. One chip. [Think of this](https://www.extremetech.com/computing/322120-apples-m1-positioning-mocks-every-x86-cpu-amd-and-intel-have-ever-launched?ref=numericcitizen.me). All in all, it was a great one-hour TV show[2](#fn2). From one event to the other, it seems Tim Cook gets less and less air time. There was no “one more thing”; probably reserved for an end-of-the-year event? All in all, the event was packed with attention grabbers[3](#fn3) and small wonders. ## Small wonders ![AirTag with engraving](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/numericcitizen.me/wp-content/uploads/2021/04/airtags-with-engraving.png) AirTag with engraving We finally found the AirTag (pun intended here)! These nice-looking little wonders are intriguing and could prove to be quite useful for a lot of people. Design-wise, from the outside, while looking at the white side, they look like [candies](https://www.walmart.com/ip/M-M-s-Holiday-White-Peppermint-Chocolate-Candy-8-Oz/46598042?ref=numericcitizen.me) and reminds me of the old flag icons denoting iPhone availability by countries in past Apple keynotes. ![Flags denoting iPhone availability back in the days](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/numericcitizen.me/wp-content/uploads/2021/04/flags.jpg) Flags denoting iPhone availability back in the days My AirTag use cases: keys, backpack and luggage tracking. That’s about it. Oh, surprisingly, they is no color option. Maybe in the future. Speaking of the future: why is the iPhone not showing an AR view with the camera while searching for an item? All we get to see is a pointing arrow on a solid color background. Is it because it would be too distracting? Tim Cook talks all the time about the possibilities of AR, searching for a tracked item in Find My would have been a great example of practical AR use cases. Missed opportunity? Here is one surprising thing: there won’t be any way to track the new Apple TV Remote. Maybe Apple thinks losing the remote is a thing of the past? During the funny segment where the guy searches for his keys, Apple could have made some fun of themselves on the segment where the guy is looking for his keys, by showing a bunch of lost Apple TV remotes. Too bad, and we know why. Speaking of Apple TV Remote, I think Apple corrected most of the wrongs here. What they didn’t correct is the pricing of the Apple TV hardware itself. Oh, and explain to me why I should get a 64 GB version in a streaming world? Let’s face it, the Apple TV is not cheap. Apple wants us to know that’s it’s the best way to experience the Apple TV+ service. You won’t get this type of experience by using the integrated Apple TV app in an LG smart TV for example. I’m fine with this. Yet, 199$ seems a lot. Still named Apple TV 4K, it doesn’t help to make us reach our pockets. Oh, and this color-balance feature available for all recent Apple TV models with an iPhone is soooo cool! Can’t wait to try the experience and see if it makes a difference with my 2020 LG smartTV. ## This (thin) colorful iMac! ![Colorful 2021 iMac](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/numericcitizen.me/wp-content/uploads/2021/04/greengart_2021-apr-20.jpg) Colorful 2021 iMac Back are the colors! The newly redesigned machines come in six different colors and the traditional grey option. I’m not too fond of the colors choices. I’m not sure which one I would select, hence settling for the silver one4\. A deep black option with a front black bezel would have been great. Maybe for the non-released 32” version to come out as an iMac Pro? Speaking of the bezel, is white the best-looking choice? I’m not sure. we’ve been there many times. Black bezels are among us since 2012, explaining our discomfort with the return of the white ones. ![Previous Macs with white bezels ](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/numericcitizen.me/wp-content/uploads/2021/04/previous-macs-with-white-bezels.png) Previous Macs with white bezels I made a version with black bezels. I’m not sure this is better. ![iMac with black bezels - better or worst?](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/numericcitizen.me/wp-content/uploads/2021/04/imac-with-black-belzels.png) iMac with black bezels – better or worst? The iMac design is the culmination of Apple’s vision of the all-in-one computer, a computer that simply disappears while using it. It does, when you look at it from the sides. On the front, the white contour will have to be experienced for a long period of time to see if it helps make the computer disappear and leave the screen as the only expression of its magic. As with many Apple products, in-person experience creates a better impression about the product, so going to an Apple Store in person could prove to be quite useful to decide how this machine really looks and feels. Eventually will be able to freely go back to the wonderful stores. Besides colors, I like the design trend among Apple’s products in recent months, inspired by the 2018 iPad Pro design: boxy yet approachable and friendly with rounded corners. As great looking as they look, these iMac, which comes in two memory configurations, 8GB and 16GB, might look underwhelming from a memory configuration perspective. As an owner of an M1-based Mac mini with 16 GB of unified RAM, I think it won’t be an issue for many use cases targeted by this machine. My experience shows that 16 GB is aplenty for demanding workflows. I fail to see any occurrences of bad experiences with my Mac mini (besides the dreaded “Connection lost, Connected.” Bluetooth issues). One last thing on the Mac segment: Apple not talked about the Mac itself but also spent quite some time talking about many basic macOS features like handoff. It felt like if Apple wanted to emphasize one the Mac’s distinctive features compared to… Windows. Right occasion to do it. ## The iPad Pro gets more… Pro Well, the iPad Pro got even more… Pro. Was it necessary? There is always room for improvements, tweaks and innovation. Apple did deliver on the 12.9” version with the potentially glorious screen. The Thunderbolt 4 port upgrade is certainly welcomed and could pave the way for new working scenarios provided there are new enabling applications and transformative operating system feature taking advantage of it. One example of such a new feature came in the past with iPadOS 13.4 when Apple introduced support for the mouse and trackpad. What’s in store for iPadOS 15? Thanks to the M1 chip[5](#fn5), the system memory of these new pro devices now comes at 8 GB and 16 GB, which is a major step up. That could be the seed we all needed for the next iPad Pro chapter. Yet, a major missing piece to the iPad story during this event was the fact that Apple didn’t have a serious software story taking advantage of the powerful hardware. Final Cut Pro, Motion, Logic Pro could have been shown to show the world where Apple wants to bring the iPad next. Apple has yet to deliver pro applications versions of their pro apps. It’s a missed opportunity[6](#fn6). > Putting M1 in iPad without a software story to explain why it needs the extra hardware features & power offered by M1, like Thunderbolt, etc really feels like foreshadowing > > — Steve Troughton-Smith (@stroughtonsmith) [April 20, 2021](https://twitter.com/stroughtonsmith/status/1384568626167140353?ref%5Fsrc=twsrc%5Etfw&ref=numericcitizen.me) Photographers and video producers are the typical users targeted by the 12.9” iPad Pro. I’m certainly one of them, even as an amateur photographer. Faster port, more system memory and probably the best screen on the market, the 12.9” iPad Pro is certainly pitched for visual arts users. Personally, If I do upgrade, it will be to replace my iMac for photo processing. When I read “Apple’s New iPad Pro Reinvigorates the iOS vs macOS Photography Workflow”, I knew that I’m in the same boat: someone wanting to optimize his photography workflow. I’d like it to be iPad-centric eventually. One more tidbit: the Center Stage feature is cool and fascinating for making a device more and more bond with us, the humans. It’s like if the iPad was looking at us to make the necessary adjustments to compensate for our behaviours. The feature is open to other applications too, not just FaceTime, which is promising. Another thing: the exclusion of the Touch ID within the power button is a bit surprising to me[7](#fn7). I guess Apple sees FaceID as being enough for the pro tablet. Don’t count on the new Magic Keyboard with TouchID, it’s not compatible with the iPad Pro. Too bad. [Don’t miss this good comparison of iPad Pro models](https://appleinsider.com/articles/21/04/20/compared-2021-ipad-pro-vs-2020-ipad-pro-and-2018-ipad-pro?ref=numericcitizen.me), from Apple Insider. ## Purchase plans ![Finally, a new Apple TV Remote!](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/numericcitizen.me/wp-content/uploads/2021/04/apple-tv-new-remote.png) Finally, a new Apple TV Remote! So, how is the “Spring Loaded” Apple event changed my Apple purchase plans? Well, for the short term, not by much. Here is a quick rundown. 1. AirTag: a pack of four to track my wallet, my heys, one luggage and one backpack. Ordered. 20 days before I get them. 2. The new but still named Apple TV 4K is a go because of HDMI 2.1 support (perfect fit for my new LG OLED smartTV), 4K HDR 60 FPS, eARC[8](#fn8), but most importantly, because of the new remote. It’s a [notable upgrade](https://9to5mac.com/2021/04/23/new-apple-tv-4k-vs-old-apple-tv-4k/?ref=numericcitizen.me) from my current Apple TV 4K. 3. The new Magic Keyboard with Touch ID when it will become available separately for use with my M1 Mac mini. Oh, and those keyboards with rounded corners, I love them! It gets more complicated beyond these purchases. I’m super happy with my 2018 11” iPad Pro except for the screen size for certain use cases: photography and Microsoft Office work. At the same time, I wouldn’t trade the screen size of my current iPad when I’m on the couch for everything else. Anyways, the M1 brings 8GB of system memory which is double of my current iPad Pro. Speaking of memory, space is also starting to be tight. ![Free space on my 2018 iPad Pro could become an issue](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/numericcitizen.me/wp-content/uploads/2021/04/my-ipad-memory-space-left.jpg) Free space on my 2018 iPad Pro could become an issue If I make a move regarding the iPad Pro, it will be because of the bigger and better screen size, and my desire to move my photography workflow to be iPad-first. I have to consider that I’ll need the change my Magic Keyboard if I go with the 12.9” model. I’ll revisit this plan after WWDC 2021. Am I buying the new iMac? Nope. Not in the near future. As long as I need an Intel CPU to run VMware software from home, I’ll stay away from this gorgeous new iMac, sadly. ## Final thoughts ![Apple's updated Magic Keyboard with TouchID](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/numericcitizen.me/wp-content/uploads/2021/04/apple-updated-magic-keyboard-with-touchid.png) Apple’s updated Magic Keyboard with TouchID Apparently, there is no U1 chip in the new Apple TV Remote as there is no AR view in iPhone while searching for a lost item. There is no U1 chip in the AirPods Max either while there is one in the HomePod mini[9](#fn9). This feels strange, like a lack of uniformity across products. What this apparent oversight could tell us about today’s Apple: teams don’t talk to each other, they don’t know what the other team is doing and could be driven by different agendas. Was it the first time where Apple spent a few minutes talking about a new iPhone color? Apparently not, the product red version of the iPhone was introduced during such an event. Yet, I thought it was some sort of ad to remind us about the iPhone 12 existence. The new purple version certainly looks good, though. The unsung hero of the keynote, because there was no mention of it, is iOS 14.5 with its privacy-tracking prevention feature. It has much more potential to be a game-changer than anything Apple had to show us. A podcasts subscription service wasn’t a surprise. Apple will be wrapping their DRM protection on all paid podcasts. Think of this as another digital store, just like the App Store. The Apple Card — still a no show outside of the US. Too bad. Where is the updated iPad mini? The third generation Apple Pencil? False rumors? Delayed? Scrapped updates? Who knows? ![2021 iMac with 2021 iPad Pro](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/numericcitizen.me/wp-content/uploads/2021/04/2021-imac-with-2021-ipad-side-view.png) 2021 iMac with 2021 iPad Pro Now that the first Apple event of 2021 is behind us, my attention turns to WWDC in June. I’m really looking forward to seeing iPad’s next chapter. According to [just released rumors](https://numericcitizen.micro.blog/2021/04/22/about-these-ipados.html?ref=numericcitizen.me), we could finally see some welcomed changes for the iPad experience, just like what we got last year with the iPhone. Changes that will put iPadOS further apart from its brother, iOS. The iPad future has never been more exciting. 1. See [ Rumors, Leaks, Concepts](https://www.craft.do/s/4bcy1C0FVKbMEO?ref=numericcitizen.me) for rumors, past and present — made with Craft. [↩](#ffn1) 2. I wouldn’t categorize this event as an infomercial, though. [It was a good one](https://kensegall.com/2021/04/19/calm-down-tech-events-are-good-really/?ref=numericcitizen.me). [↩](#ffn2) 3. The new iMac design is certainly one of them and already controversial. I like it. [↩](#ffn3) 4. Maybe the blue iMac would be my second choice. [↩](#ffn4) 5. The M1 chip wasn’t only for the Mac after all. That’s ok. [↩](#ffn5) 6. This is exactly the thing that Steve Jobs would have shown. He was so good at this. [↩](#ffn6) 7. Please note that the Magic Keyboard with TouchID won’t be compatible with this new iPad Pro. [↩](#ffn7) 8. Support for eARC is in beta. Not clear yet how this will enhance the TV experience. [↩](#ffn8) 9. A third-generation Apple Pencil was rumored but wasn’t announced. Will it include a U1 chip so we can track it with Find My? As someone who lost one in a conference, I hope so. [↩](#ffn9) ### Friday Notes #20 — My Impostor Syndrome URL: https://numericcitizen.me/friday-notes-20-my-impostor-syndrome-caf0e1bc/ Last updated: 2021-11-15T00:16:36.000Z Quick question: do we have to read a lot to be considered a “real” writer? I always thought that writers, like novel writers, must be reading a lot of books. Is it the case? I once had this idea of writing a science-fiction novel ([as documented here](https://world.hey.com/jf.m/thinking-out-loud-on-possible-hey-world-use-cases-95db24c9?ref=numericcitizen.me)). Such a project would need much research and readings to put together the envisioned futuristic society a briefly described. I’m not sure I’m willing to spend the required reading efforts. My reading habits are more directed at reading short pieces or articles, not books. That is why I do have the imposter syndrome by calling myself a writer. That being said, with all the writing I do in a year, I think I shouldn’t worry too much about this. ಠᴗಠ JF Martin aka Numeric Citizen ### About Those Content Stealers on the Internet URL: https://numericcitizen.me/about-those-content-stealers-on-the-internet/ Last updated: 2023-03-23T16:48:06.000Z ![My published article on Medium’s Start It Up publication](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/numericcitizen.me/wp-content/uploads/2021/04/my-stolen-article-from-medium.jpg) My published article on Medium’s Start It Up publication I hate it when this happens. Content stealers are everywhere on the Internet, it seems. For the second time this year, one of my feature article was blatantly stolen just to be [re-posted on some obscure website](https://www.timesbest.blog/getting-ready-for-googles-may-2021/?ref=numericcitizen.me) called “Cobold”. Because my original article contains links to my previously published articles on my main blog, here on WordPress, I got a notification to approve a backlink. This is how it came to my attention. I declined. Obviously. ![COBOLG website who with my stolen content](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/numericcitizen.me/wp-content/uploads/2021/04/coblog-stealers.jpg) COBOLG website who with my stolen content I probably shouldn’t give these guys more exposure than they deserve, yet, it’s frustrating. First published [on Numeric Citizen I/O](https://numericcitizen.io/2021/04/17/getting-ready-for-google-s-may-2021-algorithm-update?ref=numericcitizen.me) yesterday, I submitted my article to the “Start It Up” publication on Medium, which [they kindly accepted to republish this morning](https://medium.com/swlh/getting-ready-for-googles-may-2021-algorithm-update-77193828ae16?source=rss----f5af2b715248---4). So, the guys behind Cobold, took that article out of Medium’s paywall for re-posting it on their shitty website, in a matter of minutes. ![Take down request for the first occurence of stolen article](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/numericcitizen.me/wp-content/uploads/2021/04/take-down-request-timesbest.blog_.jpg) Take down request for the first occurence of stolen article On the first occasion, I wrote a take-down notice to the provided email contact information accompanying each stolen articles. I didn’t get a response and the article wasn’t removed. Looking who is behind the domain name with Whois doesn’t help much; the registrant contact is being obfuscated. The registrar is located in Ontario, Canada. There is nothing more that I can do to find the real guys behind this. ![Whois domain information for timesbest.blog shitty site](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/numericcitizen.me/wp-content/uploads/2021/04/whois-timesbest.blog_.jpg) Whois domain information for timesbest.blog shitty site Trying to find a positive side of this story this morning is that I think I wrote a good piece, good enough for re-publication on Medium’s Start it Up publication with more than 700K readers, and good enough to be stolen. Nonetheless, I hate this quote: “Good artists copy, great artists steal”. To all content stealers on the internet: fuck you. Feature image: Luis Villasmil / Unsplash ### Photo Legend #24 — Spring time URL: https://numericcitizen.me/photo-legend-24-spring-time-8a091917/ Last updated: 2021-11-15T00:16:00.000Z I recently went for a long walk of 8 km on a small island called “Nun’s island”, just outside of Montreal. It was a superb spring day. For the occasion, my iPhone 11 Pro stayed in my pocket as I had my Nikon D750 camera with me with my 70-200 mm lens. On that sunny and warm day, there was so many birds, all with their distinctive sounds, it was intense and of a great pleasure to listen to. *It felt like spring*. Birds were really everywhere around me; it was hard to miss them. I’m not into birds photography at all; I’m not patient enough to wait for them for the right moment. Yet, while waiting for some friends to join me for that walk, I had the pleasure to try a few shots of them, sitting around me, close enough to enable a few interesting takes. The above picture is one of them. It’s probably one of my best shot of a bird. The following screenshot shows some metadata about this picture within Lightroom CC. The Bokeh effect comes from the f/2.8 aperture. Even at 200mm and ISO 180, the shutter speed was 1/4000! That was a sunny day for sure but my lens is of a great quality too. Oh, I almost forgot, the bird was a [red-winged blackbird](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Red-winged%5Fblackbird?ref=numericcitizen.me). ![IMG_8030.PNG](https://bucketeer-e05bbc84-baa3-437e-9518-adb32be77984.s3.amazonaws.com/public/images/d4510e05-0f0b-4c4f-b432-c18dfe8ade4e_1833x1280.png "IMG_8030.PNG") ಠᴗಠ JF Martin aka **Numeric Citizen** Previously published photos in the series can be found [on my main blog](https://numericcitizen.me/tag/photolegend/). ### Friday Notes #19 — Feeling Well, Feeling Proud URL: https://numericcitizen.me/friday-notes-19-feeling-well-feeling-proud-30edb312/ Last updated: 2021-11-15T00:15:20.000Z See these Apple's Activity summary screenshots? They are the source of why I’m feeling so well, so proud these days. On the second day of January, 2021, I decided to change a few things in my physical life. One of them was to exercise more. *Way more*. We’re now half-way in April, and I’m still in line with this goal. If all goes well, I’ll make it to the Montreal’s half-marathon this coming September. All my indicators are up. I’m feeling so good, so proud of myself. A week ago, I added something not shown here: [mindful meditation](https://www.verywellmind.com/mindfulness-meditation-88369?ref=numericcitizen.me) using [Petit Bambou](https://www.petitbambou.com/?ref=numericcitizen.me). Each day, after lunch, I make a pause, stop everything, a take about 10-20 min for me to meditate. It is really good for me, to my body but above all to my soul. I plan to continue for a long as possible. I'm currently at close to three hours of mindful meditation.😊 The year 2021 feels so good to me. ಠᴗಠ JF Martin aka Numeric Citizen ### Tips & Tricks & Utilities for Boosting Your Productivity with Apple’s macOS Big Sur and Monterey URL: https://numericcitizen.me/tips-tricks-utilities-for-boosting-your-productivity-with-apple-macos-big-sur/ Last updated: 2023-03-23T16:48:06.000Z ![Portion of my Applications folder](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/numericcitizen.me/wp-content/uploads/2021/04/applications.png) Portion of my Applications folder The macOS releases Big Sur and Monterey, are major overhauls of Apple’s oldest operating system platform. They represent a turning point for the Mac (see “[My Top 5 iPadOS & iOS Apps for macOS Big Sur](https://numericcitizen.me/2020/12/20/my-top-5-ipados-ios-apps-for-macos-big-sur/)”). When running on Apple Silicon-powered machines, with a few tweaks and the use of third-party utilities, you’ve got a much improved productivity-friendly desktop experience. Here is my setup. Apple’s macOS Big Sur came pre-installed on [my M1 powered Mac mini last fall](https://numericcitizen.micro.blog/2020/11/11/another-experiment-mac.html?ref=numericcitizen.me). I did not restore from a backup to set it up, instead, I chose to re-install all the applications, one by one. I wanted to start fresh on this machine. It was the right time to decide which application actually sitting on my iMac would be re-installed on my new Mac mini. Many didn’t make the cut but quite a few made a first-time appearance. > “An enjoyable thing about setting up a new computer from scratch is that I’m forced to decide which apps and settings and utilities I’m going to install. I tell myself I don’t need much, so it starts out with the basics. But it quickly becomes apparent that my “basics” aren’t really that basic.”Jack Baty on [Substack](https://thelathe.substack.com/p/the-lathe-4) Let me tell you that I’ve never been a big fan of third-party utilities. Up to the Mac mini’s arrival, my love affair with macOS was one based on a relatively plain experience. One reason for this is the apparently slowly decreasing speed of the Mac while using too many system utilities. With an M1-powered Mac, it’s no longer an issue, thanks to the M1 chip. As you’ll see later, the list of third-party utilities and extensions is quite long, and I have yet to see any slowing signs. Without further due, let’s start with some visual tweaks. ## macOS Big Sur and Monterey visual tweaks ![A clear regression in design: dialog box](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/numericcitizen.me/wp-content/uploads/2021/04/dialog-box-example.png) A clear regression in design: dialogue box My first moments with macOS Big Sur were more or less positive. I do like the idea of visual unification between the Mac and the iPad. I like the more rounded windows, the new dock. I’m still undecided if I prefer the new toolbar look, the design and the spacing of the drop-down menu. What I don’t like is the general “too white user interface” feel of macOS, Big Sur appearance. I think Apple isn’t showing us its best work here and broke basic design guidelines (Read “[UX Lessons from Big Sur](https://uxtools.co/blog/?ref=numericcitizen.me)”). Big Sur lacks contrast. After spending a few hours with it, I had to make three must-have visual tweaks. The first thing was to *reduce transparency*. Next up was to turn off *wallpaper tinting* in windows. Next, I made the *cursor bigger* to make it easier to locate on my 4K screen. ![Alt-tab windows transparency is too high by default](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/numericcitizen.me/wp-content/uploads/2021/04/transparency-high-1500px.png) Alt-tab windows transparency is too high by default ![Adjusted window transparency for better contrast](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/numericcitizen.me/wp-content/uploads/2021/04/transparency-low-1500px.png) Adjusted window transparency for better contrast Not everyone is happy with Apple’s design choices for macOS Big Sur: > ” I’m reminded of all the UI and interaction designs and changes in iOS and MacOS that are just bad. There’s a real sense that Apple’s current HI team, under Alan Dye, is a “design is what it looks like” group, not a “design is how it works” group. Exhibit A: What MacOS 11 Big Sur has done to document proxy icons. Arguably it looks better to hide them. (I disagree, but I can see the counterargument.) Inarguably, they work far worse now — harder to use for people who use them, and much harder to discover for people who don’t yet know about them.” — John GruberJohn Gruber With those tweaks, macOS Big Sur started to grow on me. But, it wasn’t enough to undo Apple’s decisions. Now, let’s dig into my long list of third-party utilities that make a real difference. ![Tweaking windows appearence](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/numericcitizen.me/wp-content/uploads/2021/04/allow-wallpaper-tinting-option-turned-off.png) Tweaking windows appearence ## Third-party utilities galore to the rescue For each utility in the following list, I’ll tag what areas and improvements are targeted. One of the first utilities that I bought is **[HazeOver](https://hazeover.com/?ref=numericcitizen.me)**. This utility automatically highlights the frontmost window by fading the ones in the background. It is super easy to configure. Thanks to HazeOver, macOS Big Sur is even more pleasing to my eyes. *(#userinterface)* **[AltTab](https://alt-tab-macos.netlify.app/?ref=numericcitizen.me)** is a recent addition to my utility arsenal, which brings the power of Windows “alt-tab” switcher to macOS. That’s the only place where Windows get something better than macOS. I prefer windows miniatures over the big icons bar in the task switcher. *(#operatingsystem)* Another utility added to my toolset is Unclutter which brings a handy place for storing notes, files, and text clips. To access these objects, I place the mouse cursor on the menu bar, and then I scroll down, which will bring up a drawer. Once displayed, I can click and drag a file and drop it in another application’s window like Ulysses. URLs to my different websites are stored in the clips space. Unclutter includes a clipboard management feature and replaces **Pastebot** from Tapbots. *(#functionality)* Another well-known utility that I bought is **[Alfred](https://www.alfredapp.com/?ref=numericcitizen.me)**. This multipurpose utility complement Apple’s Spotlight in many different ways. Alfred’s powerful search bar is like Spotlight but on steroids. I use Alfred for searching on the Mac, on the web, and bringing text snippets while editing blog posts. I’m sure not using Alfred’s full potential. *(#functionality)* ![Using Alfred to insert frequently used text snippets.](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/numericcitizen.me/wp-content/uploads/2021/04/alfred-in-action.png) Using Alfred to insert frequently used text snippets. **[DefaultFolder](https://www.stclairsoft.com/DefaultFolderX/index.html?ref=numericcitizen.me)** is another addition to the long list of power-ups utilities. This venerable utility[1](#fn1) augments the open and save dialogue boxes with all kinds of features like frequently used folders, rich metadata display, hierarchical menus to drill down in folders, recent files, recent folders, etc. As its name implies, the basic idea of this utility was to bring the open and save dialogue box to a default place to make it quicker to find or save files on the Mac. *(#operatingsystem)* To automate certain tasks, I bought **[Keysmith](https://www.keysmith.app/?ref=numericcitizen.me)**, a macro editor. It is a very basic automation tool, much less sophisticated than **Keyboard Maestro** that I find intimidating. I have a few macros defined to automate things like setting up my Safari tabs to open a series of specific websites, all at once. Pretty handy. Keysmith is not perfect and will sometimes crash while executing a macro, or one macro will stop working for hard-to-know reasons. Updates are frequent and already addressed a few crashes for me. I may reconsider my choice of Keysmith depending on my future automation needs. I find it hard to make it work in certain scenarios, which makes me reconsider my choice. The jury is still out on that one. *(#operatingsystem [#automation](https://numericcitizen.me/tag/automation/))* ![A Keysmith macro to setup different tabs in Safari](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/numericcitizen.me/wp-content/uploads/2021/04/keysmith-macro.png) A Keysmith macro to set up different tabs in Safari Another useful utility that I bought and use every day is **[PopClip](https://pilotmoon.com/popclip/?ref=numericcitizen.me)**. This utility enters into action when selecting text by showing a pop-up menu close to the selected text with all different kinds of actions. Besides the basic copy & paste, there’s a word and characters count action, copy as Markdown, create a new inbox item in Ulysses, etc. PopClip is based on extensions for additional features. There are more than 180 of them available for download. It’s another simple but handy utility that gets me more productive on the Mac. *(#userinterface #feature)* **[Bartender 4](https://www.macbartender.com/Bartender4/?ref=numericcitizen.me)** is another addition to my third-party utility list. This utility helps me manage the menu bar’s content, which tends to be filled with many icons. Each of them represents all the utility helper services to make it easy to access actions. I use it to keep the most frequently used utilities and hide those that don’t need frequent access via their menu icon. Also of interest, Bartender will let me set the spacing of the icons in the menu bar to what it was like before Big Sur, which was better IMHO. *(#userinterface #operatingsystem)* Next up, **[CheatSheet](https://www.mediaatelier.com/CheatSheet/?ref=numericcitizen.me)** is a utility that brings a summary of all the shortcuts available on the frontmost application, just like on the iPad while holding down for a while the “command” key. Very handy. *(#operatingsystem)* To help me manage and process some files automatically, I bought **[Hazel](https://www.noodlesoft.com/?ref=numericcitizen.me)**. This file processing utility uses rules for processing files in specific folders. For example, when I take a screenshot with CleanShot, the file is saved into a specific folder using a naming pattern. Hazel keeps an eye on this folder, and as soon as it sees the new file, it moves it into a folder accessible from Unclutter. Another automation is to process files downloaded from Unsplash. Hazel looks for files containing “Unsplash” in its name in the Download folder. When it sees one, it moves it into a specific folder accessible from Unclutter then creates a lower resolution version of the file[2](#fn2). All this is happening automatically and takes a few seconds each time. It’s a handy utility. *(#operatingsystem #functionality [#automation](https://numericcitizen.me/tag/automation/))* On the text manipulation side, I recently started using **[Textcraft](https://apps.apple.com/ca/app/textcraft/id1546719359?ref=numericcitizen.me)**. This text utility offers a plethora of text transformation actions like turning a phrase into a blog title with the Title case transformation[3](#fn3). Textcraft helped me create the following text snippet that I use in [my HEY World feed](https://world.hey.com/jf.m/%20?ref=numericcitizen.me). Thanks to Apple’s Catalyst development framework, Textcraft is available on macOS, iPad, and the iPhone, which is really nice[4](#fn4). *(#functionality)* ![Done with Textcraft](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/numericcitizen.me/wp-content/uploads/2021/04/cleanshot-hey-2021-04-09-at-07.39.17.png) Done with Textcraft The next two other utilities are super useful for getting stuff from the internet and processing it afterward: **[Downie](https://software.charliemonroe.net/downie/?ref=numericcitizen.me)** to download videos from YouTube and many other sources and [Permute](https://software.charliemonroe.net/per,mute/?ref=numericcitizen.me) to transcode those downloaded files in different formats. I use Downie to download training videos from YouTube for my job or electronic music videos more recently. Some videos are in .webm, a Google format, so I use Permute to transcode them in .mp4 instead. Permute allows for the conversion of video and audio files. Furthermore, useful is the ability to extract the audio-only portion of any video files. For both of these macOS native apps, the design is simple yet superb. Oh, and transcoding on my M1 machine is fast, thanks to Permute for being native. *(#functionality [#apps](https://numericcitizen.me/tag/apps/))* ![Downie downloading a file from YouTube](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/numericcitizen.me/wp-content/uploads/2021/04/downie-in-action.png) Downie downloading a file from YouTube ![Using Permute to extract the audio track from a YouTube video](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/numericcitizen.me/wp-content/uploads/2021/04/permute-in-action.png) Using Permute to extract the audio track from a YouTube video Speaking of file conversion, I recently downloaded a free utility from the Mac App Store called **[WebP Converter](https://vertexshare.com/webp-converter.html?ref=numericcitizen.me)**. As its name implies, this utility will convert Google’s webp file into a .png or .jpg or vice versa. I don’t like to use Google’s file formats. This utility will prove to be valuable. The app is still not native and its icon is kind of ugly, though, but is free. You get what you pay for, I guess. *(#functionality [#apps](https://numericcitizen.me/tag/apps/))* I recently wrote [an article](https://numericcitizen.me/2022/02/04/cleanshot-x-my-love-letter-to-the-best-macos-utility/) about how much I love and depend on Cleanshot for all my screen capture needs. The developers behind it keep improving the application with each release. It is THE most useful and well-thought utility on the Mac. *(#functionality [#apps](https://numericcitizen.me/tag/apps/))* In recent months, I tried quite a few applications. Each time, when an application wasn’t needed, **AppCleaner** was used to remove it from my machine. I didn’t pay attention in the past. Putting an app in the trash isn’t enough in most cases: many applications will leave things behind. Well, no more. *(#operatingsystem)* ![AppCleaner in action](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/numericcitizen.me/wp-content/uploads/2021/04/appcleaner-example2.png) AppCleaner in action **[Raycast](https://www.raycast.com/?ref=numericcitizen.me)** is another wonderful and hyper useful utility that found its way on my Mac. There are many similarities with Alfred but Raycast is simpler while sporting a better design. Think of Raycast as a command bar utility. The command bar is where you can start typing the first few letters of a command and Raycast will complete it with corresponding commands. Raycast extensible architecture makes it even more adaptable and powerful. There are as many as 700 extensions that can be downloaded and installed. Matt Birchler created a quick video showing Raycast in action. Don’t miss it. ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/numericcitizen.me/wp-content/uploads/2022/02/raycast-command-bar-example-1024x677.png) Raycast in action Another great addition is MenuWhere. This utility will display a popup with all the menus from the menu bar with a keyboard combination. I set up a Command+Right Click to bring up the popup. It’s nice to reduce mousing around the screen to reach certain actions within an application where no keyboard equivalent is available. Very handy. ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/numericcitizen.me/wp-content/uploads/2022/05/menuwhere-menuwhere-2022-05-03-06.50.57-2x.png) MenuWhere options panel Now, for the more techy people out there, **iStats Menu** is another mandatory utility that I use every day. It provides an inner look at the computer and presents usage statistics as well as useful information like its IP address, free space on attached volumes, etc. All this information is made available in a highly configurable menu bar format. In the same category, **Sensei** add another way of showing this information, in the form of a dashboard (in addition to a menu bar item). There is another utility that strangely looks like iStats Menu and is called **iStatistica Pro**. Since I’m unable to choose between them, I use iStats Menu on my Mac mini, iStatistica Pro on my MacBook Air. From time to time I’ll open Sensei on my Mac mini. These are great utilities. ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/numericcitizen.me/wp-content/uploads/2022/02/sensei-main-view.png) Finally, to keep all those wonderful third-party utilities up-to-date, I bought **[MacUpdate](https://www.macupdate.com/?ref=numericcitizen.me)**. It provides a centralized view of applications with pending updates. I was using the free version on my Intel iMac, but I wanted to get the paid version to get all the features for the Mac mini. MacUpdate not only scans for updates to side-loaded applications but also for updates available on the Mac App Store. Scanning is lighting fast, and updating applications is dumb simple. As macOS Big Sur on Apple Silicon is a new platform, developers are actively releasing frequent updates; MacUpdate helps keep my Mac up to date effortlessly. It’s a must. *(#operatingsystem)* ![MacUpdate in action](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/numericcitizen.me/wp-content/uploads/2021/04/macupdate-in-action.png) MacUpdate in action ## A few Safari Extensions to the rescue With Safari, macOS Big Sur introduced support for standard browser extensions. They are hard to come by as Apple requires an application to be downloaded from the Mac App Store for the installation process. This seems to put off many developers. There are two extensions from the same developer that help me be more efficient by staying true to the original web experience. One of them is **[StopTheMadness](https://underpassapp.com/StopTheMadness/?ref=numericcitizen.me)** the other is **[Link Unshortener](https://underpassapp.com/LinkUnshortener/?ref=numericcitizen.me)**. According to the developer’s website: > StopTheMadness is a web browser extension for macOS that stops websites from making your browser harder to use. And it protects your privacy on the web! Many websites disable user interface features in your browser that you normally expect to work. StopTheMadness ensures that those features continue to work for you in your browser: ⌘-click to open a link in a new tab, ⌘-key keyboard shortcuts, opening contextual menus, selecting, copying, cutting, and pasting of text, drag and drop and AutoFill/autocomplete of passwords, emails. Link Unshortener will expand a short URL (like the ones from Twitter) to reveal its final destination while removing tracking stuff. It’s simple and handy for using URLs in my articles. **[MarkdownLinker](https://apps.apple.com/ca/app/markdown-linker-for-safari/id1289119450?mt=12&ref=numericcitizen.me)** is another Safari Extension that I sometimes use to copy URL on a web page and paste it in Nova as a markdown URL when writing an article for [https://numericcitizien.io](https://numericcitizien.io/?ref=numericcitizen.me). Very handy. ## A few things still under consideration A few more utilities are still under consideration for addition to my toolbox. One of them is **[TextBuddy](https://textbuddy.app/?ref=numericcitizen.me)**, another text manipulation utility. **[Freezeframe](https://freeze.app/?ref=numericcitizen.me)** is another one that could help me organize workspaces-like screen setup. This utility is still in development (it’s been a long time since the website has been updated, I’m wondering if the development is still going on), but the website shows promising progress. **[Magnet](https://magnet.crowdcafe.com/?ref=numericcitizen.me)** is another utility that I bought that helps me organize windows on the desktop. Also under consideration is a firewall app called **[Little Snicth](https://www.obdev.at/products/littlesnitch/index.html?ref=numericcitizen.me)**. This application exposes all internet connections that your Mac is doing while using it. It’s something Apple should provide in some simplified form to the user like it’s available on the iPhone and iPad, in the Privacy Report section in Settings. While waiting for this to happen, Little Snitch might be a good option. **[CustomShortcuts](https://www.houdah.com/customShortcuts/?ref=numericcitizen.me)** enables adding keyboard shortcuts to any application. It works in pair with CheatSheet. This utility could remove the need for some features in Keysmith or Keyboard Maestro. I’m still not fully satisfied with my Big Sur visual setup; I have to consider using icons from [https://macosicons.com](https://macosicons.com/?ref=numericcitizen.me). Many awe-inspiring icon designs could be used to replace some default icons that Apple is providing. ## Big Sur’s big quirks ![A weird bug in the duck, still unfixed in version 11.2](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/numericcitizen.me/wp-content/uploads/2021/04/bug-dock.png) A weird bug in the dock, still unfixed in version 11.2 and macOS Monterey 12.2 This article is not meant to be a review of macOS Big Sur. That being said, some observations are in order. After months of using macOS Big Sur, there are still numerous quirks hindering the user experience. The most frustrating thing is the Bluetooth instabilities. Bluetooth devices on the Mac are Apple’s Achille heel. In the first few weeks of using the Mac mini, the mouse became unusable after a few hours following a reboot. Version 11.2 of Big Sur improved things a bit, but apparently, Apple chose to do some Bluetooth stack reset when things start to go bad. Hence, the numerous “Connection lost” followed by “Connected” messages, many times a day, until I decide to reboot the machine. Under macOS Monterey, the issue is mostly gone but sometimes the mouse cursor shows some lag when I connect my AirPods Max or switch to my AirPods Pro? [5](#fn5). Next, the installation of application updates from the Mac App Store is buggy. Half of the time, Big Sur is unable to install the update. I have to repeatedly hit the update button the restart the process which eventually works. Still happening under macOS Monterey but less frequently. ![Application update fails to install too often](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/numericcitizen.me/wp-content/uploads/2021/04/app-failed-to-update.png) Application update fails to install too often The other area in need of improvement is the Notifications Center. Apple must redo its homework here. For some reason, my use of it is dramatically less than on macOS Catalina. Invoking the Notifications Center is tricky and managing or dismissing them is even trickier (On this subject, Read “[240 Invisible Pixels](https://tyler.io/240-invisible-pixels/?ref=numericcitizen.me)”). The release of macOS Monterey brought some visual tweaks to be more in line with iOS 15, still not perfect. Updates of macOS are still big in size and take a long time to install, even on Apple Silicon Macs. ![Size of macOS updates are still big](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/numericcitizen.me/wp-content/uploads/2021/04/downloading_macos_big_sur_11.1.png) The size of macOS updates are still big ![Time to install macOS updates never been improved over the years](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/numericcitizen.me/wp-content/uploads/2021/04/installing_macos_big_sur_11.1.png) Time to install macOS updates never been improved over the years Finally, macOS Big Sur has a tendency to forget about widgets placements and configuration after a while. For some reason, third-party widgets disappear and have to be reconfigured constantly. I think it is related to the application update which removes the widgets. I did not verify this, though. ## Final words I have yet to decide when I’ll upgrade my Intel-based iMac to macOS Big Sur. Version 11.3 is around the corner. I think [it will be safe to upgrade to macOS Big Sur](https://tidbits.com/2021/03/10/is-it-safe-to-upgrade-to-macos-11-big-sur/?ref=numericcitizen.me) then, provided a few work-related apps are updated prior to that. To me, one thing is clear, macOS Big was created for the Apple Silicon Macs in mind. The arrival of iPadOS apps on the Mac is cool. I do use many of them on the Mac regularly. Things like resizing windows is fluid, which has never been the case previously. Apple’s design decisions for macOS Big Sur are certainly controversial but at least, when they decide to redo a design, contrary to Microsoft with Windows where they do it on the surface only (no pun intended), they do it at all levels. There is no way out or no escape. By tweaking a few things and using the right set of third-party utilities, the Mac platform is versatile, powerful, productivity-friendly and still a joy to experience. ![That's the end of this blog post.](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/numericcitizen.me/wp-content/uploads/2021/04/copy-file-error.png) That’s the end of this blog post. 1. DefaultFolder is one of the oldest utility still available on the Mac; I remember using DefaultFolder when I was on MacOS 7\. [↩](#ffn1) 2. Unsplash files are quite heavy. By reducing their size, it is easier to add them in blog post. [↩](#ffn2) 3. PopClip does that too via an extension. [↩](#ffn3) 4. I should write a blog post about how Catalyst is really beneficial to the Mac experience. [↩](#ffn4) 5. Bluetooth issues on my 2017 iMac are a thing too since forever. Apple’s bluetooth drivers and bluetooth chipset are flaky, at best. [↩](#ffn5) ### Friday Notes #18 — What Will be my Legacy? URL: https://numericcitizen.me/friday-notes-18-what-will-be-my-legacy-28e045e6/ Last updated: 2021-11-15T00:14:43.000Z I often think about the concept of *legacy*. What will I leave behind when I’m gone besides my two kids. What will they remember of me? On what artifacts will they rely on to remember me? They will undoubtedly be able to look into my numeric photos archive for one thing, provided they can still access it. But then, what else? Not much will survive me, I’m afraid. It is tempting to think about my father’s legacy in comparison. He recently left this world at the age of 92\. As a long-time architect, he left a lot behind him. I can go to the National Archives and ask to see his drawings and diagrams of many buildings he helped imagine, create and eventually build. Those are still there, acting as reminders of my father’s work. That’s his legacy. I’m proud of him. As much as my father’s legacy lives in the physical world and will be “alive” for years to come, mine lives in the numeric world, and most of it, in the form of binary strings of zeros and ones, is already gone. What’s left is mostly inaccessible to the mere mortal. At a society scale, as we spend so much time on Facebook or other platforms, there is no guarantee our content will endure time. It is troublesome to some extend. The picture above was taken by my brother-in-law in the seventies. Ironically, the chapel, designed by my father, was demolished in 2019 because of a lack of maintenance. Its design was based on the tents that used to fill scouts campgrounds in the forties. It was sad to see this place disappear because it was the meeting point of a summer camp for kids for four decades. So many people have memories of this place. See, even my father's legacy can be at risk, after all. ಠᴗಠ JF Martin aka **Numeric Citizen** ### Introducing my Digital Garden URL: https://numericcitizen.me/introducing-my-digital-garden/ Last updated: 2023-03-23T16:48:06.000Z Today, I want to show you something new, different yet familiar, if you’ve been my reader. It’s [my digital garden](https://www.craft.do/s/prWu9ohKSgta1T?ref=numericcitizen.me). So let’s see what it is, why and where the idea came from. [![My Digital Garden](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/numericcitizen.me/wp-content/uploads/2021/04/digital-garden-main-page.jpg)](https://www.craft.do/s/prWu9ohKSgta1T?ref=numericcitizen.me) My Digital Garden – tap image to visit my digital garden ## What is a digital garden, actually? A digital garden is a place on the web where you’ll find all kinds of digital bits of information more or less related to each other. Like a natural garden, a digital garden is something that grows and changes over time. It’s never completely done. And just like a natural garden, a digital garden needs some nurturing, or it will slowly die. > “A growing number of people are creating individualized, creative sites that eschew the one-size-fits-all look and feel of social media.” ## Why create and maintain a digital garden? My motivation to create a digital garden comes from the desire to be an open blogger. By that, I mean not only to put out a meta-index of my previously published pieces but also to expose a behind the scene look of what’s coming and other miscellaneous tidbits surrounding my life as a blogger. It’s about being transparent with my readers so they see the fruit of my relentless work and get a better view of where my published pieces came from. It’s different from [https://numericcitizen.io](https://numericcitizen.io/?ref=numericcitizen.me) where I expose the things that make my blogger workflow, but it is close to its purpose: being transparent, open. This makes me think of this: [working with the garage door up](https://notes.andymatuschak.org/z21cgR9K3UcQ5a7yPsj2RUim3oM2TzdBByZu?ref=numericcitizen.me). ![Visiting the digital garden from the iPad](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/numericcitizen.me/wp-content/uploads/2021/04/my-digital-garden-example.png) Visiting the digital garden from the iPad This behind the scene look comes in the form of a list of upcoming publications, organized by their expected publication destinations, a “read later” list, a list of things I want to keep an eye on, a blog roll, some personal thoughts of mine and quotes I find interesting. I don’t know any blogger who’s has done something that comes close to this. My digital garden is updated frequently, many times a week, sometimes, many times a day. It’s super easy to do; there is no need to publish; all the changes are instantaneously reflected on the web. It’s a low friction experience. > “With blogging, you’re talking to a large audience,” he says. “With digital gardening, you’re talking to yourself. You focus on what you want to cultivate over time.” ## How was it created? The idea for a digital garden came up when I started to use Craft (Read “[Craft vs Notion From a Blogger’s Perspective](https://numericcitizen.me/2021/03/12/craft-vs-notion-from-a-bloggers-perspective/)” and wanted to test the page sharing feature (See “[Friday Notes #11 — Digital Gardens are cool](https://medium.com/numeric-citizen-tidbits/friday-notes-11-digital-gardens-are-cool-7ca0b4c8fdd9?ref=numericcitizen.me)”). It enables turning a page into a website. It is as simple as turning a switch on. Once done, a private URL is generated that can then be shared. This is a low friction process. I see Craft as my digital garden enabler. According to people chatting on Craft’s Slack channels, it could be Craft’s sleeper hit as many other users are doing the same. The result is a near-perfect one-to-one relationship between what I see on my iPad within Craft and the web version. Navigation is super simple: when visiting a sub-page, the content is displayed with a pop-over on the right (this behaviour can be modified). The site’s hierarchy is always visible on the top left portion of the page. The website design is pleasant, fast, and responsive. ![Enabling the secret page link](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/numericcitizen.me/wp-content/uploads/2021/04/craft-share-as-webpage.png) Enabling the secret page link ![Secret link options](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/numericcitizen.me/wp-content/uploads/2021/04/sharing-options.png) Secret link options > If you want to get a better idea of Craft’s possibilities, there is no better place than to visit my digital garden. As a bonus: visitors can drop a comment without requiring registration of any kind. A future release of Craft will generate a notification when someone leaves a comment on a page. A website created with Craft supports dark mode out of the box; by pressing the top-right moon icon, the reader can flip between modes. Unfortunately, not many sites enable this. If you want to get a better idea of Craft’s possibilities, there is no better place than to visit my digital garden. Unfortunately, a few things are missing from Craft to make the digital garden even more enjoyable. First, we cannot set the permalink of a published page to a custom domain yet. Second, there is no easy way to distinguish which Craft page is available on the web from those that aren’t. Until this is fixed, published pages are sitting in their own folder. So, there you have it. Don’t be afraid to visit [my digital garden](https://www.craft.do/s/prWu9ohKSgta1T?ref=numericcitizen.me). Take your time. Pay attention to the details. Leave a note. Enjoy. \[Update #1 – 2021-12-06\] Today, I completed a major rework of my digital garden. While doing so, I made sure to add content related to my monthly newsletter. Each information tidbits that may end up being selected for inclusion in a future issue of my newsletter are now available in their own sections. *F*e*atured photo credits: Estée Janssens on Unsplash* ### What’s Next for Micro.blog — A Wish List URL: https://numericcitizen.me/whats-next-for-microblog-a-wish-list/ Last updated: 2023-03-26T01:33:04.000Z I’m a big fan of Micro.blog. [After a false start](https://numericcitizen.me/2019/12/17/the-end-of-my-micro-blog-experiment/) in 2019, I came back in 2020 and couldn’t be happier since then. I went back to read my 2019 blog post to see the reasons why I didn’t embrace Micro.blog at the time. In fact, my wish list started in 2019, but now, I feel the need to revisit the current situation. Did Micro.blog improve in the past year? Yes, [version 2.0 is proof of this](https://news.micro.blog/2020/09/29/press-release-microblog.html?ref=numericcitizen.me). Is there still room for improvement? I do think so. In recent days, I thought a lot about what are my pain points with the service. I made a list of things that should be done or improved, grouped into three categories: the *service’s foundation*, the *web side* of the service and the *mobile application experience*. Items are in no particular order. ## The service’s foundation 1. A rework of subscription plans: I’d like to use the highlight feature but not the podcasts support that comes with it. *\[2023-03-25: I'm subscribing to the Premium plan to support the service.\]* 2. Additional plugins support. After the initial launch of plugins, new ones are hard to come. I’d like integration with services like Pocket or Readwise. Would this be possible with the current plugin architecture? *\[2023-03-25: I'm no longer using Pocket. Readwise integration would still be cool, though.\]* 3. Remove ghost accounts from the service or mark them as such. It would make it easier to spot them in the Discover view and skip following those. *\[2023-03-25: I still think it would be useful.\]* 4. Add a “Tech” category in the Discover view. *\[2023-03-25: I'm still wishing for that one.\]* 5. A cross-posting to Medium that is actually working would be nice too. Right now, [it’s not working for me](https://help.micro.blog/t/cross-posting-to-twitter-medium-mastodon-and-more/85/2?ref=numericcitizen.me), and others are reporting similar situations. Is there a fix in sight? *\[2023-03-25: I no longer care for that one as I'm no longer using Medium for posting articles.\]* 6. Make the followers count available to each user and add an option to make it public or keep it private. This decision should be put in the users' hands, not from the service owners or operators. *\[2023-03-25: I maintain that one.\]* 7. Provide more flexibility in archive options to Github (markdown files support) instead of just a big HTML file. Add a way to notify the user if the archiving is not working. *\[2023-03-25: The last time I checked, I still think it would be useful and more flexible.\]* 8. Ability to customize the permalink of each post at the time of publication. *\[2023-03-25: I still think that one would be useful.* 9. Improvements to theme handling when switching from one theme to another ([a fix for my account](https://help.micro.blog/t/please-reset-my-visual-theme/325?ref=numericcitizen.me) to enable the switch to Hello theme without breaking my website would be appreciated). *\[2023-03-25: These issues are no longer occurring or it was only an issue with mine.\]* 10. Improved support for automation services like IFTTT. *\[2023-03-25: Using the RSS feed is just enough to make things work in IFTTT.\]* 11. Better exposition to category-related RSS feeds. Currently, we need to dig into the category setting page to access them. Adding “copy” beside the feed URL would be nice too. *\[2023-03-25: Yes, that one would be useful too.\]* --- ## The web side of Micro.blog 1. Better display of conversation (replies) to a blog post. Currently, after a few replies, it can become quite confusing to see who’s answering to which reply. *\[2023-03-25: A plugin now fix this issue where people can follow a conversation and reply from there.\]* 2. More visual themes, as current ones lack inspiration. *\[2023-03-25: Probably my biggest gripes with Micro.blog.\]* 3. Faster posts update. That one is a long-lasting inconsistent issue. *\[2023-03-25: Yes, still happens from time to time.\]* 4. Better support for favicon editing and uploading. *\[2023-03-25: Yes, that one too would make things easier.\]* 5. A higher resolution RSS feed favicon would be welcomed too. *\[2023-03-25: Maintained.\]* 6. More theme customization options (I’m not a CSS expert, I don’t understand anything about this weird language). *\[2023-03-25: Still true in 2023\. And will probably be true until I die.\]* 7. From the web editor, categories should be shown by default while creating a new post. *\[2023-03-25: That one is so frustrating.\]* 8. Support for Grammarly spell check in the post editor on the web. *\[2023-03-25: This one has been fix once Manton updated the new post design.\]* 9. Dark mode support in all visual themes. *\[2023-03-25: I'm not sure if this is still an issue.\]* 10. Reply all option. *\[2023-03-25: available on mobile apps like Gluon and Micro.blog.app 3.0, lacking on the web.\]* 11. Allow pictures in replies. *\[2023-03-25: would be nice indeed, from the web interface.\]* 12. Ability to edit replies. *\[2023-03-25: yep, still lacking.\]* 13. Easier indie web mention support and guidance. *\[2023-03-25: I'm not sure why I wrote that one. Maybe because I didn't understand the guide for implementing such thing with my old WordPress website.\]* 14. Support for photo captions in all themes. *\[2023-03-25: as an amateur photographer, I wish for this one for sure. I don't know why this is missing because MB operators are indeed people who love photography.\]* --- ## The mobile experience with the official iOS app 1. Ability to edit replies from the iOS app. 2. Ability to set the category while editing a post. 3. Share sheet tweaks on the iPad to make it work better with Apple Magic Keyboard; the bottom part is partially hidden. 4. Rich notifications support. 5. More features parity with the website (categories management, better photo inserting workflow). --- **Don’t get me wrong, Micro.blog is unique and based on found principles.** That being said, Micro.blog is a service run by a few individuals. They do have limited resources. Yet, I think many of these improvements are no big deal to implement and could be part of a more aggressive improvements rollout schedule. These improvements would increase the stickiness of the service among its user base, reduce some friction and provide a richer experience while using the service. I’m confident about the future of this open platform. I think I have to be patient, though. ### Friday Notes #17 — The Passing of Time URL: https://numericcitizen.me/friday-notes-17-the-passing-of-time-c7931137/ Last updated: 2021-11-15T00:14:12.000Z In recent weeks, there have been a few events in my life that marked the passing of time. First and foremost, I lost my father on March 7th after a week stay at the hospital. He was 92\. I’ll certainly write about this experience in the near future. 🌌 Next, March 13 marked one year anniversary of working-from-home, thanks to COVID-19\. It seems like yesterday. I have no plan to return to the office, even after the pandemic is behind us. 👨🏻‍💻 Then, March 29th marked the fifteen years anniversary of my relationship with my wife. Time sure flies with her. 🥰 These events should be seen as reminders that time is precious and that I should take all opportunities to learn new things, meet people, try new things, be creative, be curious, be open to the world, be contemplative and thankful for my surroundings. I should repeat this to myself every single day, just in case I forget. ☝🏻 Friday notes #17, in a way, also marks the passing of time. That’s it for this week. Thanks for reading. Peace. Enjoy life. **Photo credit**: it’s one of mine, taken in Vancouver, CA. ಠᴗಠ JF Martin aka **Numeric Citizen** ### Numeric Citizen Introspection Newsletter #8 URL: https://numericcitizen.me/2021-03/ Last updated: 2021-11-15T00:12:03.000Z Here is the **Numeric Citizen Introspection Newsletter #8** for **March of 2021**. On March 7th, my father died😔. He was 92\. I’ll miss him😢. Life must go on. Now, let’s start with this month’s post highlights. # **Post highlights from my [microblog](https://numericcitizen.micro.blog/?ref=numericcitizen.me)** - [I’m sad](https://numericcitizen.micro.blog/2021/03/01/bye-bye-weather.html?ref=numericcitizen.me) to see **Weatherline** app go. Who’s the buyer? Apple? - [I’m on ](https://numericcitizen.micro.blog/2021/03/04/hey-world-its.html?ref=numericcitizen.me)**[HEY World](https://numericcitizen.micro.blog/2021/03/04/hey-world-its.html?ref=numericcitizen.me)** and started using the service to publish more personal things. It’s like putting [a message in a bottle](https://world.hey.com/jf.m/hey-world-message-in-a-bottle-6ca434ae?ref=numericcitizen.me). - Intel made some funny ads. They hit a few nerves. [Justin is back](https://numericcitizen.micro.blog/2021/03/17/dear-justin-youre.html?ref=numericcitizen.me). - **Apple** just made a dangerous [move](https://numericcitizen.micro.blog/2021/03/21/is-bloatware-coming.html?ref=numericcitizen.me) to please **Russia**. Who’s next? - I wrote a short [love letter](https://numericcitizen.micro.blog/2021/03/26/my-microblog-instant.html?ref=numericcitizen.me) to Micro.blog. # **Post highlights from my [Medium page](https://numericcitizen.medium.com/?ref=numericcitizen.me)** - I posted a few [tips and tricks](https://numericcitizen.medium.com/tips-and-tricks-on-optimizing-articles-exposure-on-medium-58079a798e42?ref=numericcitizen.me) to increase your exposure on Medium. - I’m no longer using Medium to host my **Friday Notes Series**. [Here is why](https://medium.com/numeric-citizen-tidbits/friday-notes-15-friday-notes-are-dead-long-live-friday-notes-c275fa6d9227?ref=numericcitizen.me). # **Post highlights from my [Numeric Citizen Blog](https://numericcitizen.me/)** - What is it like using an **Apple Watch** during one day? Find out [here](https://numericcitizen.me/2021/03/07/a-day-in-the-numeric-life-of-my-apple-watch/); I noted my every single interaction with it! What I have found is surprising! - **Craft** is the latest kid in town in the note-taking app space. But is Craft only for this use case? How does it compare to **Notion**? Can a Notion user move to Craft? You’ll find many answers and more [here](https://numericcitizen.me/2021/03/12/craft-vs-notion-from-a-bloggers-perspective/). - I like **Substack** but **Buttondown** looked nicer. [I asked if you would follow me](https://numericcitizen.substack.com/p/would-you-follow-me/comments) if I moved this newsletter somewhere else. You overwhelmingly said yes. The good news, I won’t move anywhere. Find out why [here](https://numericcitizen.me/2021/03/28/substack-vs-buttondown-whos-better-my-observations/). # **Post highlights from my [Numeric Citizen I/O](https://numericcitizen.io/?ref=numericcitizen.me)** This is [my latest website](https://numericcitizen.io/2021/02/24/the-first-post-of-a-long-series?ref=numericcitizen.me), a place for meta-blogging or writing about the tools and workflow as a blogger and content creator. Think of it as a look behind the scene. - I love **Micro.blog,** but it’s not perfect. [Find out why](https://numericcitizen.io/2021/02/27/where-micro-blog-fails-for-me?ref=numericcitizen.me). - Why [I’m using Commento](https://numericcitizen.io/2021/03/4/this-blog-uses-commento-here-is-why?ref=numericcitizen.me) as the discussion service on **Blot**. - Bloggers and writers should [put the publishing date ](https://numericcitizen.io/2021/03/7/the-date-of-publication-is-a-must?ref=numericcitizen.me)in their posts. I do. See why. - Editing new content [from the iPad](https://numericcitizen.io/2021/03/6/using-the-ipad-for-editing-blot-posts-with-a-git-client?ref=numericcitizen.me) for this blog poses some challenges. - [I bought Nova](https://numericcitizen.io/2021/03/18/showing-support-for-real-mac-software?ref=numericcitizen.me) in support of real Mac software developers. - Did you know about [Numeric Narcissism](https://numericcitizen.io/2021/03/21/guilty-of-numeric-narcissism-%E2%80%94-why-i-subscribe-to-my-own-rss-feeds?ref=numericcitizen.me)? # **Apple tidbits worth my attention** It was a slow month for Apple’s news. In fact, it is what didn’t happen or got lost that made the news. The rumoured Apple event did not occur, so we didn’t get a chance to update the ageing Apple TV 4K (while waiting for this, did you know you can [get a different remote](https://function101.com/products/button-remote-for-apple-tv?ref=numericcitizen.me) for it?). Gone is the **iMac Pro**. And the original **[HomePod](https://birchtree.me/blog/goodbye-homepod/?ref=numericcitizen.me)**. And some high-end **MacBook Pro** configurations. [Something is going on for the ](https://numericcitizen.micro.blog/2021/03/20/something-is-going.html?ref=numericcitizen.me)**[iMac](https://numericcitizen.micro.blog/2021/03/20/something-is-going.html?ref=numericcitizen.me)**. 1️⃣ **Mac OS X turns 20**. I returned to the Mac in 2005 with an iMac 24” running [Mac OS Tiger](https://www.macworld.com/article/1044922/julyeic.html?ref=numericcitizen.me). **Spotlight**, the **Dashboard** and **Automator** among other features, were the stars of this release. The dashboard has been killed in macOS Catalina. Sad. For [many](https://twitter.com/film%5Fgirl/status/1375168647069503488?s=21&ref=numericcitizen.me), Mac OS X made a turning point in their life. Don’t miss: [From Aqua to Catalina](https://www.macworld.com/article/340395/from-aqua-to-catalina-the-evolution-of-the-mac-os-x-operating-system.html?ref=numericcitizen.me), from MacWorld. 2️⃣ I like this tweet from Steve Moser > [](https://twitter.com/stevemoser/status/1372617781141704708?ref=numericcitizen.me) 3️⃣ The well-known author, **Adam Engst,** [writes](https://tidbits.com/2021/03/10/is-it-safe-to-upgrade-to-macos-11-big-sur/?ref=numericcitizen.me) that it is now safe to upgrade to macOS Big Sur. Have you? I’m using it on my M1-Mac mini but not yet on my 2017 iMac. Some of my software is lacking the required updates before I make the jump. 4️⃣ Since the release of the first crop of M1 Macs, **the resale value of Intel-based Macs has collapsed**. **Om Malik** [commented](https://om.co/2021/03/01/the-m1-effect-on-mac-resale-prices/?ref=numericcitizen.me) on this trend. 5️⃣ **Intel** made some ads trying to steal some thunder from Apple’s M1 Macs. They look desperate. Yet, there is some truth to their message. Anyhow, these ads made quite a stir among Apple pundits, [one of them being John Gruber](https://daringfireball.net/2021/03/going%5Flonger?ref=numericcitizen.me). Then, the week after, [Intel was looking to do more business with Apple](https://www.macrumors.com/2021/03/23/intel-manufacture-apple-silicon-chips/?ref=numericcitizen.me) to manufacture future ARM-based processors. How funny. Finally, on March 30th, Apple finally announced the next **WWDC conference** date: June 7-11\. This will be a digital-only event. Then, I wrote, “[And so it begins](https://numericcitizen.micro.blog/2021/03/30/and-so-it.html?ref=numericcitizen.me)”. [Subscribe now](https://numericcitizen.me/subscribe/) # **Some of my photos that came to light** I had the pleasure of spending a weekend with my wife outside of the city. I took a few pictures. ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/public/images/c5a430ce-2ab3-4132-a003-73b95e6d54e0_1280x974.png) This picture was intentionally kept dark I restarted **my Photo Legend Series** this time, and it can be found on [HEY World](https://world.hey.com/jf.m?ref=numericcitizen.me). Expect more and more photo stories in the coming months. **Unsplash** started [Photo Club](https://unsplash.com/blog/introducing-photo-club/?ref=numericcitizen.me): > “Unsplash Photo Clubs are community-led, Unsplash supported groups for contributors to connect with other contributors to get inspired by monthly photo prompts.” **BREAKING NEWS:** [Getty Images acquires Unsplash](https://unsplash.com/blog/unsplash-getty/?ref=numericcitizen.me)[1](#footnote-1). I’m not sure if it’s good news or bad news. I tend to think of the latter. [I’m sad](https://numericcitizen.me/2021/03/31/getty-images-to-acquire-unsplash/). 😔 I will closely follow the partnership's evolution, hoping Unsplash stays true to its mission and intact in its delivery. The March edition: [50 mm](https://unsplash.com/blog/photo-clubs-in-march/?ref=numericcitizen.me). I submitted a few pictures of mine to different themes. It’s impressive to see Unsplash grow in many (too many?) directions. Don’t miss the search trend [dashboard](https://unsplash.com/trends?ref=numericcitizen.me). **Nikon** is making a free photo processing software called **[NX Nikon Studio](https://www.nikonusa.com/en/Nikon-Products/Imaging-Software/nx-studio.page?ref=numericcitizen.me)**. I’m not sure what’s the point for Nikon to do that. I didn’t test the software. Nikon requires to fill a registration form to download it. It’s on my to-do list. [DPReview has a review of it](https://www.dpreview.com/reviews/nikon-nx-studio-review?ref=numericcitizen.me). Mostly positive. Software is a bit slower than Adobe. Not good. It is not optimized yet for M1 Macs. Deal-breaker. 👎🏻 # **Must see photography stuff** I love **Leica** even if I don’t own one of their cameras. I’d like to see this one for real, the [Q2 Monochrom](https://www.dpreview.com/products/leica/compacts/leica%5Fq2%5Fmonochrom?ref=numericcitizen.me). [It’s not cheap](https://www.vistek.ca/store/442216/leica-q2-monochrom?ref=numericcitizen.me). [Om Malik](https://om.co/2021/03/15/lone-surfer-the-story-of-one-photo/?ref=numericcitizen.me) is a Leica user, it seems. And I like his work. Speaking of Leica, they recently released a new firmware for their **M10 cameras** that allows for **perspective correction**, right on the camera. Results are quite impressive, as shown in this [review](https://www.bhphotovideo.com/explora/photography/hands-on-review/hands-on-with-leicas-new-perspective-control-function-for-m10-cameras?ref=numericcitizen.me). I didn’t know that the well-known Apple designer Jony Ive and Marc Newson **made a [Leica prototype](https://www.leitz-auction.com/auction/en/auktion34/auction38/article/243.html?ref=numericcitizen.me)**. I’m not sure if this is their best work. 🧐 The **Instagram photographer generation** is not the most respectful people according to Paul Reiffer in “*[Photographers, Instagrammers: Stop Being So D\*mn Selfish and Disrespectful](https://petapixel.com/2019/07/22/photographers-instagrammers-stop-being-so-dmn-selfish-and-disrespectful/?ref=numericcitizen.me)*”: > “the growing trend I’ve witnessed over the years has taken some photographers and Instagram users to a new level when it comes to lacking common courtesy and respect.” The problem is the lack of property respect in the name of fake fame. # **Climate change issues** Not exactly related to climate change but somehow to the things we do on earth that have a real negative impact: **Elon Musk** **Starlink** satellites are great for Internet access but bad for astronomers. “[The costly collateral damage from Elon Musk's Starlink satellite fleet](https://phys.org/news/2020-05-costly-collateral-elonmusk-starlink-satellite.html?ref=numericcitizen.me)” is a must-read in that respect. These satellites could make it difficult in the future to create the following type of picture. ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/public/images/e652f8b2-8d44-47a1-9b36-2994476676fc_1280x1707.png) Incredible image of a lunar eclipse If you want to do **astronomic observation**, you’ll need something like the upcoming [eQuinox](https://unistellaroptics.com/equinox/?ref=numericcitizen.me) telescope. It’s brand new, pre-orders only for now—shipping in June. Man, I wish I would be living in a darker area. I would buy one of these. Speaking of astrophotography, March saw the continuous arrival of images from **Perseverance** on Mars. Jawdropping images [available here](https://mars.nasa.gov/resources/25695/perseverance-view-of-the-delta-in-jezero-crater/?ref=numericcitizen.me). A [PowerPC processor powers this rover](https://9to5mac.com/2021/03/02/perseverance-nasa-rover-mars-imac-g3-processor/?ref=numericcitizen.me)[2](#footnote-2). Who knew. # **Privacy stuff we should care about** Have you ever heard of “**spy pixels**”? [They are everywhere](https://www.bbc.com/news/technology-56071437?ref=numericcitizen.me), in emails you receive. They are used to build a vision of your email consumption habits. It isn’t good. HEY World, a well-known email service[3](#footnote-3), tracks and disable them. [Apple could do more to help disable them](https://daringfireball.net/2021/02/apple%5Fmail%5Fand%5Fhidden%5Ftracking%5Fimages?ref=numericcitizen.me) on their platforms. John Gruber: > they should flag all emails containing known trackers with a shame badge. It’s a disgraceful practice that has grown to be accepted industry-wide as standard procedure, because the vast majority of users have no idea it’s even going on. Maybe in the next major releases of their platforms? WWDC is coming (see at the end of this issue). **Competing in the Internet Search business is hard, even when [Google’s own search results are deteriorating](https://daringfireball.net/linked/2021/03/04/fowler-google-search?ref=numericcitizen.me) fast, in the name of ads.** That being said, alternatives to Google exist, like **DuckDuckGo**[4](#footnote-4). Many pundits are asking Apple to build its own search engine in the name of privacy protection. The trouble is, having Google as the default search engine brings a lot of money to Apple. Chances for Apple to make a switch increase, in my opinion, when there are more and more alternatives. [Brave Search](https://www.theregister.com/2021/03/03/brave%5Fbuys%5Fa%5Fsearch%5Fengine/?ref=numericcitizen.me) is coming. It will be interesting for Apple to see them in the future of search and privacy protection. It’s the last holdout to break. [Are 10 billion dollars the price to pay](https://daringfireball.net/linked/2021/03/04/brave-search?ref=numericcitizen.me)? 🧐 Speaking of Apple privacy, see **[their privacy labels](https://www.apple.com/privacy/labels/?ref=numericcitizen.me)** on their own apps and services. # **Quotes to remember** > Remember Substack reader? — **Fabrizio Rinaldi** > I’ve noticed that when using digital tools for thinking I end up mostly thinking about how I’m organizing what I’m thinking about, but with analog tools I think about what I’m thinking about. — **Jack on Micro.blog** > Connection Lost… Connected. The M1 Bluetooth Mouse Story. — **Marco Arment**. > Google looks like a kingdom’s king that we have to feed and please, isn’t? — **JF Martin** > Capitalism is cancer and billionaires are the tumours. — **Aral Blakan** > Culture is shaped by SEO experts and algorithms. Neither of which have our best interests in mind. — **Mike Rockwell** # **What’s next? I’m glad you asked!** In recent days, before publishing this newsletter, **I started to get interested in electronic music mixing**. 🎧🎶 I started to research the subject and see what it would take for me to try this art form. Stay tuned as there is so much to learn! Before WWDC, I look forward to **Apple’s announcements to come in April**. So far, 2021 was a pretty quiet Apple month. # **Leftovers** Here is something really cool to watch. Another thing very cool, for those who remember Apple’s Mac Paint art. This brings back a lot of memories. > [](https://twitter.com/pinot/status/1375567530593562624?ref=numericcitizen.me) This concludes the **Numeric Citizen Introspection Newsletter #8** for **March** of 2021\. I would love to get your feedback and read your comments. Thanks for being a subscriber. Thanks for reading! 🙏🏻 [1](#footnote-anchor-1) The news came out just before the publication of this issue. [2](#footnote-anchor-2) The same processor that powered an iMac G3 back in the days. [3](#footnote-anchor-3) I’m a paying member of this wonderful email service. [4](#footnote-anchor-4) I’m a proud user of DuckDuckGo, 99% of the time. ### Getty Images to Acquire Unsplash URL: https://numericcitizen.me/getty-images-to-acquire-unsplash/ Last updated: 2023-03-23T16:48:06.000Z ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/numericcitizen.me/wp-content/uploads/2021/03/gettyunsplash-copy-1500px.png) Getty Images to acquire Unsplash In an unexpected turn of events, **Getty Images** is set to acquire **Unsplash**, [my beloved free online photos sharing site](https://numericcitizen.me/2018/12/07/do-you-know-unsplash/). I’m in a state of shock because [I love this service so much](https://numericcitizen.me/2019/04/10/my-growing-love-affair-with-unsplash/). Unsplash will continue to operate as a separate entity. > In partnership with Getty Images, we’ll be accelerating our plans on each of these. We’ve identified ways we can grow faster together, collaborate more with brands, and create many more opportunities for creative talent.[Mikael Cho](https://twitter.com/mikaelcho?ref=numericcitizen.me) Both companies operate on different business models. I don’t know much about Getty besides what they are known for. I do remember [iStock photo service](https://www.istockphoto.com/?ref=numericcitizen.me) where I was a contributor before Getty bought them out a few years ago. I’m always doubtful about merging companies or being acquired. It rarely ends up in a positive way. There are things happening to the acquired company which make it different and untrue to its initial mission. There are so many examples of this: Nest with Google, Motorola with Google, LinkedIn with Microsoft, just to name a few. I can see Unsplash wanting to grow bigger and go in new directions. It’s already happening, and I’m not sure that I like where it is going. The worst move was when they decided to open up their service to brands. Now, they look more like an ad agency. Unsplash slowly loses its simplicity. Take for example the homepage. I wish I could look back a few years ago to compare. It is much more crowded than before. I like simplicity, purity. It is a tricky exercise to grow while staying true to its mission. Not many companies can achieve that. I’ll be closely monitoring how Unsplash evolves from now on. I’m not highly confident. You can read [their FAQ post](https://help.unsplash.com/en/articles/5097983-unsplash-getty-images-faq?ref=numericcitizen.me) where you’ll find reassuring answers. What are your thoughts? scroll down this blog post and use the comments section. ### Substack vs Buttondown — Who’s Better? — My Observations URL: https://numericcitizen.me/substack-vs-buttondown-whos-better-my-observations/ Last updated: 2023-04-28T00:05:57.000Z **Substack** is getting a lot of attention, in good and bad ways. They are attracting journalists and great writers, but they also take controversial positions. Is Buttondown a good alternative? [As a Substack user](https://numericcitizen.me/2020/11/22/my-experience-with-substack/), with a few things that I don’t like about it, it’s time for me to look at alternatives, just in case something goes really bad. In recent weeks, I’ve been testing **Buttondown**, another newsletter hosting service. Buttondown competes against Substack, **Mailchimp**, **Tinyletter**, just to name a few[1](#fn1). As a Substack user, I wanted to give a shot at this alternative because, from a distance, it looked better, more professional. Here are my observations gathered during my experimentation with the service. ## Buttondown looks better but… ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/numericcitizen.me/wp-content/uploads/2021/03/draggedimage.png) The initial newsletter setup screen From the outside, Buttondown looks very professional, better than Substack in fact. But, consider the fact that, [according to the website](https://buttondown.email/features/run-by-a-human?ref=numericcitizen.me), Buttondown is a one-guy type service. Sure it gives a more human side to the service, but that makes me pause. I’m not convinced that I want to risk investing myself in a one-person show thing. Big corporations are not a guarantee of service continuity yet; I have to think twice. Buttondown provides a much more powerful and beautiful [analytics dashboard](https://buttondown.email/features/analytics?ref=numericcitizen.me) than Substack. It’s quite impressive. Maybe a bit too much. You can opt-out of user tracking, something not possible on Substack. Also of interest, Buttondown can be connected to Plausible analytics, which I love! But, I’m not looking into a Substack alternative because of a lack of analytics. The design of Buttondown’s editor is, on the surface, really nice compared to Substack’s, but only when doing simple things. Adding a photo to the newsletter is less intuitive than on Substack. Inserting photos is probably the editing part with the most friction. After dragging and dropping a file, HTML tags are required to create the caption. Substack is way easier in that respect. Insertion of photo caption is not possible either. A complete rewrite of the editor is on the list of things to do, according to Buttondown’s website (which is, in fact, a Notion-based web page[2](#fn2)). Let’s hope this gets fixed[3](#fn3). From a reader’s perspective, Buttondown’s main page is an excerpt of each newsletter (see [my home page](https://buttondown.email/numericcitizen?ref=numericcitizen.me)). Here is an example for [Quill](https://buttondown.email/quill?ref=numericcitizen.me). The “home page” on Substack is way better because it’s really a website when you can browse previous newsletter issues and discussions. Substack is clearly winning here. Contrary to Substack, it is easier to build a new newsletter issue by reusing a previously sent one. Buttondown is winning here. It is enough to win me over? Nope. ![Buttondown newsletter editor with preview mode](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/numericcitizen.me/wp-content/uploads/2021/03/buttondown-editor.png) Buttondown newsletter editor with preview mode While editing a newsletter, there is a side-by-side view that can be enabled with Markdown preview, which is nice4\. It’s somewhat mandatory when composing in Markdown. On Substack, WYSIWYG, a preview pane is therefore not needed. There is less friction on Substack5—another win here for me. The Buttondown editor doesn’t support Grammarly with Safari. Here is one deal-breaker for me. I didn’t check the payment processing portion of the service as my newsletter plan is free. I didn’t build a complete newsletter example either. I don’t think it would have made me change my perception of the service. Like Substack, sending a test version of the newsletter is easy and allows for the newsletter’s pre-visualization. I spotted problems with images being broken in HEY’s client. The URL to the image is fine, but HEY couldn’t display the picture. I suspect an issue with the image’s resolution and size being too big. Finally, there is a [comparison table](https://buttondown.email/comparisons/substack?ref=numericcitizen.me) available on Buttondown’s website comparing it to Substack. Besides some false claims[6](#fn6), you’ll get a good idea where Buttondown shines. In summary, a one-person service offering a better-designed website on the surface but many lacking features while editing a newsletter makes Buttondown a no-go for me. I cannot consider a switch from Substack. When evaluating Buttondown, you better not fall in the trap of judging it by the look because not everything looks as good as it actually is. 1. Even [Facebook is considering to enter this space](https://www.cjr.org/the%5Fmedia%5Ftoday/facebook-goes-after-substack.php?ref=numericcitizen.me) and compete. [↩](#ffn1) 2. The guy behind Buttondown is very open and transparent by publishing the roadmap openly. Service’s running costs is even [published](http://costs.buttondown.email/?ref=numericcitizen.me). [↩](#ffn2) 3. I do include a lot of pictures in my newsletter. [↩](#ffn3) 4. Buttondown editor fully support Markdown, that’s not the case with Substack. [↩](#ffn4) 5. Writing a newsletter in Buttondown feels geeky as it is a real markdown editor as opposed to the WYSIWYG editor of Substack. [↩](#ffn5) 6. One example is the supposedly autosave feature of Buttondown which is not available on Substack. That’s not true. It is. The table states there is no analytics on Substack which is not true either. [↩](#ffn6) ### Friday Notes #16 — if You Can Chew & Walk, You Can Work & Walk URL: https://numericcitizen.me/friday-notes-16-if-you-can-chew-walk-you-can-work-walk/ Last updated: 2023-04-27T10:44:04.000Z Working from home for a year helped me learn new habits that are beneficial for me at work and for my sanity. Let's see how and why. > "It was Jobs that day, out on one of his many walks around the Palo Alto area, where Apple are based. Steve Jobs was famous in the area for his long walks, which he used for exercise, contemplation, problem solving, and even meetings." For many months now, all week long, two to five times a day, I go for a walk in my neighbourhood. The first walk happens before starting to work but after breakfast. The second walk usually happens in the middle of the morning, between two Zoom meetings or when I think a break would be beneficial. The next one usually happens after lunch, and another one in the middle of the afternoon. Finally, I go for another walk after dinner in the evening. That's a lot of walking, about 10k-13k steps total, daily. It’s something I couldn’t do when working at the office downtown before the pandemic. Since last year, I learned that taking a break a few times a day makes me more productive. Yes, it sounds obvious, but wait... When I go for a walk, I usually keep thinking about what I need to accomplish for the rest of my workday. I will often find inspiration enabling me to start a new project or task or find a solution to a lingering problem. I come back home with the required mental energy to tackle the next things to accomplish. \[*It’s a motivating and productivity-boosting habit*\]. I suspect it helped go through the COVID-19 crisis. Some might think that you can’t go out for a walk and still be working. Wrong. Going outside while leaving most of my distractions behind is liberating. Walking alone, with my thoughts and nothing else, helps me concentrate on what’s next, how to achieve what I have to do or reflect on what I’ve accomplished and what could have been different. Self-introspection is essential for any improvements. So, rest assured: if you can chew & walk, you can work & walk. It works for me. Why not you? Go out and take a walk, leave everything behind for a moment, for a walk. ಠᴗಠ JF Martin, aka **Numeric Citizen** ### Craft vs Notion From a Blogger’s Perspective URL: https://numericcitizen.me/craft-vs-notion-from-a-bloggers-perspective/ Last updated: 2024-03-17T14:56:56.000Z Craft is a relatively recent addition to the world of note-taking applications. I’ve been using Craft in the last few years, and my verdict is clear: it is the best new application to come to the Apple ecosystem in a long time[1](#fn1). As a blogger and writer, just like Notion when it came into my numeric life more than a year ago, Craft is at the center of my blogger workflow. > “Craft, a note-taking app for iPhone, iPad, and Mac, is the kind of new experience that not only singlehandedly redefines a category, but it’s so exquisitely well-thought-out, so elegantly designed, it pushed me to reconsider the very basics of my note-taking workflow.” — MacStories Speaking of Notion, I’ve been using Notion for more than a year now. Notion ([my review here](https://numericcitizen.me/2020/04/19/my-review-of-notion-from-a-bloggers-perspective/)) was central to my blogger workflow ([more workflow details here](https://numericcitizen.me/2020/11/28/my-updated-blogger-workflow-as-of-2020-11/)). That was true until I read “[MacStories Selects 2020: Recognizing the Best Apps of the Year](https://www.macstories.net/stories/macstories-selects-2020-recognizing-the-best-apps-of-the-year/?ref=numericcitizen.me)”. The best new app designation went to [Craft](https://apps.apple.com/us/app/craft-docs/id1487937127?ref=numericcitizen.me) ([MacStories’ Craft review here](https://www.macstories.net/reviews/craft-review-a-powerful-native-notes-and-collaboration-app/?ref=numericcitizen.me)). After all my readings, I gave it a try. At the very first contact with Craft, I knew it would be a keeper. I didn’t know how Craft would fit my current blogger workflow. The only problem was to find a good use for it. And boy it became obvious after a few hours using it. Craft is a revelation for me and is what software carefully crafted (pun intended) should be. This article isn’t intended to be a thorough review of Craft or a detailed comparison with Notion[2](#fn2). It is a collection of thoughts and observations gathered while using Craft in recent months. If you’re contemplating using Craft, I think this article is a must-read. ## Craft basics The starting point of using Craft is a blank page. Then, using the *Slash menu*, you can insert blocks onto the page. A block can be text, an image, a snippet of code, a bookmark, etc. You can change the block’s formatting attributes. The slash menu works wonderfully on the iPad using the Magic Keyboard. On the Mac, using [Keysmith](https://keysmith.app/?ref=numericcitizen.me), I automated the creation of an article template[3](#fn3). ![Craft user interface micro-interaction example](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/numericcitizen.me/wp-content/uploads/2021/03/grouping-items-to-form-a-new-page.gif) Craft user interface micro-interaction example – wait for it to load- click to enlarge Tapping the circled arrow on the right of a text block will convert it to a page. From there, you keep using Craft the same way, either by typing or using the slash menu. Craft supports nested pages. Writers can insert links between pages by typing the “@“ symbol. ![Craft user interface micro-interaction example](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/numericcitizen.me/wp-content/uploads/2021/03/drop-textbox.gif) Craft user interface micro-interaction example – wait for it to load – click to enlarge Craft is for writers and it shows. Most of the interaction can be done without touching the touchpad or the screen. Keyboard support on the iPad is impressive. Craft is a joy to use with the keyboard. Craft also supports split-screen mode which works well and drag and drop between two apps. All in all, on the iPad, Craft offers a better experience than Notion. ![Craft user interface micro-interaction example](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/numericcitizen.me/wp-content/uploads/2021/03/sidebar-documents-count.gif) Craft user interface micro-interaction example – wait for it to load – click to enlarge Operating system features like share sheets, widgets, and shortcuts are supported, as they should be by any serious application. On the Mac, Craft is the best Catalyst app I’ve ever used: it sits on the list of [My Top Five iPadOS & iOS Apps for macOS Big Sur](https://numericcitizen.me/2020/12/20/my-top-5-ipados-ios-apps-for-macos-big-sur/). It’s that good. ## Beyond traditional note-taking apps Craft is much more than a note-taking application. Sure, it is great at notes taking, but once you begin to take advantage of its many features, it becomes something different, more profound. Page linking and backlinks support, numerous formatting options, importing and exporting features all contribute to this evolving perception. The ability to go from a page to a static website, directly within Craft, with just a few clicks gives me many ideas that go beyond note-taking. More on this later. Craft is a 1.x application with a lot of potential for feature growth, but the foundations are solid, both from a design perspective and from the data portability point of view. By reading discussions on Slack, my impressions are that the makers of Craft will make it more powerful without trying to duplicate Notion’s complexities. It’s the right thing to do. ## Craft vs Notion There is something about Craft that I prefer over Notion[4](#fn4). At first, It was hard to put my finger on it. After spending quite some time with Craft to write many blog posts, I think it comes down to two things: the clean design and the high quality of micro-interactions in the user interface (go to my Vimeo page to see examples). Working with blocks is much smoother in Craft than it is in Notion. It makes a big difference in how smooth the experience is. Craft seems to disappear, leaving more space for the creative process. Craft has a lighter feel to it which makes it a more approachable version of Notion. ![Notion's export options are limited](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/numericcitizen.me/wp-content/uploads/2021/03/notion-export-options.png) Notion’s export options are limited There are many similarities with Notion: the “slash” shortcut, hyperlinks, link previews, backlinks, but there are no complex objects like tables (yet), something that is central to many Notion features6\. I know for a fact that tables are coming. I do use tables in Notion but in a simple way. I’m willing to wait for Craft to support them. As a said earlier, from the Mac perspective, Craft really looks like a native Mac app. It is a much better Mac citizen than Notion. Spell checking is available in many languages, which is not the case with Notion[7](#fn7). That’s an important feature for writers. I would say I’m doing more work in Craft while preparing blog posts than I used to do in Notion, just because of this simple feature. But overall, my usage of Craft as a knowledge base is pretty much the same as it is with Notion. ### Quick comparison summary So, how does Craft compare to Notion? Here is a quick rundown of things that I care about and which application is faring better. - Data types supported for import: Notion - Different Object types supported: Notion - Native OS Support: Craft - Share sheet general design and features: Notion - iPad keyboard support: Craft - iPad multitasking support: Craft - Mouse support on the iPad: Craft - Export options: Craft - Formatting options: Craft - Spell check: Craft - Searching: Notion - Collaboration: Tie - Browser extension: Notion[8](#fn8) - Widgets support: Notion [9](#fn9) - Offline work: Craft[10](#fn10) - General speed: Craft[11](#fn11) Clearly, Craft is winning on me. Does that make it better than Notion? For me, yes. There are many things Notion supports that are not yet available in Craft, but none of this is a dealbreaker. My gut feeling is that eventually, Craft will come close in feature parity but not at the cost of making Craft become a clone of Notion. ## From Craft to the World Craft is a note-taking application. It’s currently not yet possible to publish to platforms like Micro.blog or WordPress, which would extend its reach. I think the possibility is coming down the line. But there is another way to put things out there with Craft: by creating a small website from within Craft itself [12](#fn12). It’s quite easy: using the page sharing option, Craft will generate a private link that you can share publicly. Layout options in Craft are flexible enough to create great-looking websites. Page sharing alone sparks ideas to explore soon, like [The Numeric Citizen Digital Garden](https://www.craft.do/s/prWu9ohKSgta1T?ref=numericcitizen.me) that I started putting together recently. Other users also take advantage of the page sharing feature in this[ example](https://www.craft.do/s/9udMD9hw3fys7S?ref=numericcitizen.me) and this [other example](https://www.craft.do/s/szWpZjqMb4PFFd?ref=numericcitizen.me) of a personal resume (the links might not stay available forever, though). I find this to be pretty cool. ![Example of a website created with Craft](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/numericcitizen.me/wp-content/uploads/2021/03/a-website-created-with-craft.png) Example of a website created with Craft In the same vein, it is not hard to imagine Craft offering a web editor[13](#fn13). Being able to open a browser and edit your Craft content would be a real deal, getting Craft even closer to Notion[14](#fn14). ## What’s missing from Craft? Craft is great but not perfect. For example, I’d like to be able to change the page display on a per-folder basis. For example, in a certain folder, pages could be displayed as a list of documents, while in another folder, it could be displayed like cards. I’d like to see a “Publish to” feature. Publishing directly from Craft to Micro.blog for example would be really cool. My request has already been filed for that one. There is no provision to see if a page is shared as a webpage. There should be a dynamic category on the left sidebar where I can see at a glance all shared pages. For now, I’m using the ability to start a document. Not really convenient. Craft updates are quick to come by as it is a 1.x product compared to Notion, a more mature platform. It will be interesting to see how Craft will evolve in 2021\. The start was stellar, for a 1.x product, nonetheless. ## Craft’s data portability Let face it, Craft is new and a small team is behind it. After all, Craft is a brand-new player in the field; it was released in November 2020\. I always wonder about the viability of a new platform or service. A cautious approach is mandatory when deciding to invest content into a new service like Craft. It is good to know that Craft has many export options; I don’t feel my data is locked-in. The richness of export options sends a clear message for current and potential users of Craft. ![Craft's export options](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/numericcitizen.me/wp-content/uploads/2021/03/export-options.png) Craft’s export options Now, for those like me who poured content in Notion: How do you quit a platform like Notion without losing your content? Importing data from Notion is a bit challenging. Maybe this will change when Notion’s APIs are officially out. Notion’s export feature is limited to Markdown and PDF. I’m looking forward to their upcoming public APIs to find an answer. ## Closing remarks Craft is now at the center of my blogger workflow, side-by-side with Notion, for now. Eventually, I’ll need to move my content from Notion when APIs are ready. Even with APIs, the migration process effectiveness is still unknown at this time. Is it possible for Craft to replace Ulysses eventually? Who knows. If there is a way to publish from within the application to WordPress, Micro.blog and Medium, probably. Imagine if I could do all the writing and researching in one app and publish from the very same app would simplify my workflow, something I always strive to optimize. Craft frequently receives updates. I expect the makers behind Craft to fill any void pretty quickly. So far, there is no dealbreaker, that’s why Craft is part of my numeric life. Now, the big question: if you are a Notion user, like I was, should you switch to Craft? My short answer: it depends. The longer one is: if your use of Notion doesn’t depend on tables, chances are that you could switch to Craft pretty easily. Beware that exporting your data to Craft could prove to be a challenge. Update 2022-6-29: Don’t miss [my YouTube Video](https://youtu.be/nWUiRGtVPxs?ref=numericcitizen.me) on ***Why Craft doesn’t need to become Notion***. --- 1. Craft is only getting started. [↩](#ffn1) 2. Craft falls in the same category of apps like Notion, Roam, Obsidian and DEVONthink, just to name a few. [↩](#ffn2) 3. Support for templates are coming to a future version of Craft, though. [↩](#ffn3) 4. Craft reminds me of [Noto](https://apps.apple.com/ca/app/noto-elegant-note/id1459055246?ref=numericcitizen.me), an elegant note taking application. [↩](#ffn4) 5. Notion is not a native Mac application, it is based on Electron. It is a big webview; it is closer to being a website than being an application. [↩](#ffn5) 6. In Notion, tables are databases that enable all kind of data visualization like views, filtering, sorting, links between tables, calendaring, etc. Many users depends on these when using Notion. I don’t expect Notion to support that many options in the near future. [↩](#ffn6) 7. Selecting the spell checking language is a global setting, not a per-page one. This can be problematic for multi-language writers like me. [↩](#ffn7) 8. Available only for Chrome & Firefox. [↩](#ffn8) 9. I prefer the design and content of the Notion’s widget. [↩](#ffn9) 10. Notion is pretty much useless without an internet connection. Be warned, mobile users! [↩](#ffn10) 11. Speed is something people complain often about Notion. I think, in recent months, Notion saw their customers base outgrow their capacity. This could be one of the reason behind these growing pains. [↩](#ffn11) 12. I know something like this is possible with Notion but a third-party service is required. One such service is [Notelet](https://notelet.so/?ref=numericcitizen.me). [↩](#ffn12) 13. The good news is: editing Craft content from a browser is in the pipeline. [↩](#ffn13) 14. Notion first started from the web then eventually came to the desktop and mobile devices. Craft is doing the opposite which gives an important advantage as this approach allows for better native applications. [↩](#ffn14) ### A Day in the (Numeric) Life of my Apple Watch URL: https://numericcitizen.me/a-day-in-the-numeric-life-of-my-apple-watch/ Last updated: 2024-08-14T01:37:31.000Z ![Photo by Daniel Canibano - Unsplash](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/numericcitizen.me/wp-content/uploads/2021/03/daniel-canibano-je3aspueld4-unsplash-copy-1500px.jpg) Photo by Daniel Canibano – Unsplash I’ve been using an Apple Watch since 2015: first, the original series, then Series 4 and [now Series 6](https://numericcitizen.me/2020/10/03/upgrading-from-an-apple-watch-series-4-to-series-6/). Over the years, my use of the Apple Watch has evolved to be closer to smartphone usage: something that goes beyond notifications. This evolution closely reflected the evolution of native application availability. Recently, I made an experiment to note every single interaction with my Apple Watch. Notifications are in **bold**. Third-party Apps usage is in *italic*. Apple Watch used with other Apple devices is in ***bold+italic***. - 07:30: Put on my daytime Apple Watch on wrist (Series 6), put off my nighttime Apple Watch on charge (Series 4), battery was level at 75%. - 08:15: Put a 3-minutes timer for my croissant in the oven. - 08:18: Three minutes timer is complete. - 08:31: *Sleepwatch* sleep report **notification**, glanced at it. All is good. I had a great night of sleep. - 08:32: **Unlock** my iMac to start my work day. Then, get a notification from *Okta Verify*, a single-sign-on service to access Office 365 and authorize the access from the Apple Watch. - 08:45: Select a different watch face for my day work. - 09:05: Look at my standing hours… I must get up NOW! - 09:10: Record a 300ml water intake with *Water Minder*. - 10:07: Record eating a fruit in *Streaks* and another 200ml of water intake. Getting myself ready for a treadmill training in about an hour. - 11:00: Start a 80-minutes exercise on treadmill. - 12:20: Record 500ml of water intake with *Water Minder*. - 12:22: Check current temperature in Weather. - 12:45: Check grocery list in Reminders. - 13:15: Check off some items from the grocery list. - 13:35: Check activity rings status. I’m good. - 14:10: Get a **notification** from *SleepWatch* about last night being a higher quality night (thanks to my 60-minutes exercise session yesterday!). - 14:35: Activity completion **notification** from one of my friend. - 15:25: Record another 300 ml of water intake with *Water Minder*. - 15:30: Check Apple Watch battery life: 61%. - 15:30: **Unlock* my iMac*. - 15:46: Confirm tomorrow’s date. - 16:00: Breath suggestion **notification**, denied. I should disable those. - 16:01: *Stepsapp* summary **notification**, accepted. - 16:55: Activity completion **notification** from one of my friend. Check my own activity levels. - 17:00: Used *Authy* to complete a two-factors authentication to login on Reddit on my Mac mini. - 17:10: Got a few **notifications** from my wife which is away from home asking me to prepare a few things for dinner while she’s on its way home. - 17:11: Swap the watch face for a different and less busy one. - 18:30: ***Authorize*** accessibility changes on macOS for Bartender 4 beta installation (2 times). - 18:36: Breath suggestion **notification**, denied. I should disable those. - 18:37: Set a 5-minutes timer for something in the oven. - 19:05: Got an activity weekly status **notification** and awards. - 19:07: ***Unlock*** my Mac mini session. - 19:15: Set a 6-minutes timer for a tisane. - 19:30: Add another 400ml of water intake with *Water Minder.* - 20:30: Curious about the Apple Watch battery life: 37%. - 20:38: ***Authenticate*** on macOS to enable accessibility settings for Keyboard Maestro configuration. - 21:45: Look at tomorrow’s work schedule in Apple’s Calendar. - 22:00: Bring watch closer to my head and “hey Siri, turn off the office light” as I’m preparing to go to bed. Yeah, I know, it was early. - 22:30: Swap my daytime watch with the nighttime watch. Battery level was 25%. That was a typical day. Some observations are in order. First, the tight integration with the rest of the Apple ecosystem added many use cases over time. Second, the breadth of available apps has grown quite a bit in the last two or three years, helping grow use cases. Third, notifications still play a central part in the Apple Watch experience. I do have other use cases that didn’t happen that day. Checking stocks price, the weather, walkie-talkie and quickly responding to iMessage are some examples of things I do quite often. All in all, this little device is really useful and goes way beyond being a lovely piece of technology on my wrist. ### Processing RAW Images with Lightroom CC on iPad Pro URL: https://numericcitizen.me/processing-raw-images-with-lightroom-cc-on-ipad-pro/ Last updated: 2023-03-23T16:48:07.000Z Has the time come for the iPad Pro to be the sole RAW image processing device for amateurs and professional photographers? Do we still require the full-featured Lightroom Classic on a traditional computer? [What is it like to process 300 RAW images on the iPad Pro these days](https://numericcitizen.me/2019/12/11/adobe-lightroom-cc-importing-raw-images/)? Following the return from vacation in Cuba before the pandemic hit, I took the opportunity to experience RAW images processing images using Lightroom CC on my 2018 11” iPad Pro. ## Lightroom CC Support for RAW images Late December 2019, Adobe released version 3.1 of Lightroom CC with support for RAW image import. According to the [release notes](https://helpx.adobe.com/lightroom-cc/using/whats-new.html?ref=numericcitizen.me#direct%5Fimport)[1](#fn1): > You can now connect your mobile to a camera or SD card reader and directly import photos and videos to Lightroom, without a hassle. In other words, thanks to iPadOS 13.3[2](#fn2) which is the minimum version required, with the 2018 iPad Pro, a USB-C hub or adaptor, you can now directly import your RAW images just like we do on a traditional computer. How cool is that? See for yourself in the following screenshot. How fast the process is compared to a traditional computer? How is the iPad Pro faring as a device to process RAW images? Is the iPad version of Lightroom CC enough to process RAW images? Is there anything important missing in doing so? Read on. ## The import experience ![OK to disconnect media](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/numericcitizen.me/wp-content/uploads/2021/02/img_6372.png) OK to disconnect media ![Importing RAW images in the iPad](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/numericcitizen.me/wp-content/uploads/2021/02/img_6371.png) Import RAW images progress Importing photos is fast, probably as fast as importing images on my 2017 iMac, thanks to the iPad Pro USB-C port. Once imported, syncing photos to Adobe’s cloud can be very slow even on a fast internet connection but my experience is not consistent. It seems to require leaving Lightroom CC open all the time to accelerate the process. Most of the time, syncing works even if the application is not in the foreground. If the process is stuck for too long, killing the application and restarting it resolves the issue. It is a bit annoying but syncing images across devices is hard, ask Apple. ![Syncing images to Adobe's cloud](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/numericcitizen.me/wp-content/uploads/2021/02/img_6369.png) Syncing images to Adobe’s cloud Because I did import my RAW images in multiple batches, previously imported photos were shown with an “Lr” icon on the top left corner of each thumbnail. Each of them was also darker to make it easier to see which files remain to import. It’s a nice visual touch that proves to be really helpful. ![Already imported RAW images are dimmed](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/numericcitizen.me/wp-content/uploads/2021/02/img_6374.png) Already imported RAW images are dimmed Once you’re done importing selected photos, you are presented with a message telling you that the storage can be securely disconnected. ## Photo processing and management Processing photos on the 2018 11” iPad Pro on the way home, in flight, is a very pleasant experience. The processing power of this device is the enabler here. But, there is a gotcha, the battery is draining pretty fast. That being said, I’m wondering how better the experience would be on the larger iPad. In my opinion, the design and user interface of Lightroom CC is one of the best in its class. It makes using the app a delight. I do love Pixelmator Pro a lot, though (See “Pixelmator Photo Getting Serious”). Using the Apple Pencil to manipulate the sliders and moving around within Lightroom is best compared to using my fingers. It can be a matter of personal preference, though. ## Understanding Lightroom CC Catalog syncing and storage management Catalog management is an important part of using any Lightroom version. If you use Lightroom Classic and Lightroom CC on the same machine3 and if you have enabled syncing between both apps, please read on. Imported photos in Lightroom CC are backed up to Adobe cloud. Image previews and metadata end up on the iMac within a folder on the boot drive. It is important to know that Lightroom CC is the one in charge of maintaining the catalog, not Lightroom Classic. In practice, it means that you have less control of file locations. Contrary to Lightroom Classic, pictures are stored within a single library named “Lightroom Library.lrlibrary“ on the boot device (in fact, on the Mac, it is a package file)[4](#fn4). The more you import pictures in Lightroom CC, the more your boot device will fill up. This can be a serious problem depending on how much free space you’ve got. A search on how to move “Lightroom Library.lrlibrary” off from the boot device to an external SSD for example, brings up only a few articles where the best can be found in this article: “[Four Under-the-Radar Lightroom CC Features Worth Knowing About](https://creativepro.com/four-lightroom-cc-features-worth-knowing-about/?ref=numericcitizen.me)“, (look for subject number four). If you want to change the original file’s location, you can do so but you cannot change the library itself containing previews data and other metadata according to this forum post: [https://community.adobe.com/t5/lightroom/can-i-move-lightroom-library-lrlibrary-to-a-different-folder/td-p/9658333](https://community.adobe.com/t5/lightroom/can-i-move-lightroom-library-lrlibrary-to-a-different-folder/td-p/9658333?ref=numericcitizen.me). #### What is missing As good as Lightroom CC can be, there are a few important features still missing that I’d like to see in future releases. On Lightroom Classic, you can apply development settings to each imported photo but you can’t in Lightroom CC. Also, while browsing the library, you cannot change the size of the thumbnails (but you can on the classic version). At the export time, if you are not connected to the internet, you won’t be able to export any non locally stored pictures. This can be a major downer when you are ready to show your work to others but lack an internet connection. In general, using the iPad Pro for Lightroom CC is a great experience. Knowing what are the differences with Lightroom Classic and the missing features can help you decide which workflow best suits your needs. I expect Adobe to continue releasing new versions of Lightroom CC that will add the missing features. **If you are an iPad Pro owner and a user of Lightroom CC, why not share your experience in the comments section!** 1. Since then, Adobe released many new updates but the support of RAW images did not evolve. [↩](#ffn1) 2. The most current release of iOS at the time of publishing is 14.4\. [↩](#ffn2) 3. Why would you do that you might ask? Well, if you use Lightroom CC on a mobile device, you have but no choice to use the desktop version too. Lightroom CC is the cloud-based version of Lightroom. Syncing happens to Adobe cloud. But, if you want to use the more powerful and feature-rich version, Lightroom Classic, you can. Then, if you want to access photos backed up in Adobe cloud, then you’ll have to enable syncing between the two applications. [↩](#ffn3) 4. If you choose to enable the download of a local copy for faster processing or if you think you will have trouble getting an internet connection while on the go. [↩](#ffn4) ### Porting Office Work, A Really Bad Idea URL: https://numericcitizen.me/porting-office-work-a-bad-idea/ Last updated: 2023-03-23T16:48:07.000Z ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/numericcitizen.me/wp-content/uploads/2021/02/mikey-harris-kw0z6ryvc0s-unsplash-copy-1500px.jpg) [I hate open space offices](https://numericcitizen.me/2019/01/18/open-plan-offices-are-now-the-dumbest-management-fad-of-all-time/). I don’t particularly like meetings. I do like seeing people at the office from time to time, not every single day. I work better when I’m isolated. Disruption is a productivity killer. Does the work from home works for me? You bet. I don’t have young children. The house is mostly quiet. My home office is great for work. I’m hyper-productive. I like the idea of my employer trusting me. Recently, my manager asked our group about our feelings about returning to the office after the pandemic. To his dismay, all of us said that we would prefer to stay working from home. He won’t have a choice or people will quit and go work for somebody else. In times of talent scarcity, employees have more control over the rules at work. Employers know it but won’t say it. [Employers must abide or else](https://www.macsparky.com/blog/2021/2/apple-as-remote-company?ref=numericcitizen.me). In a few weeks, it will be the one-year anniversary of when things flipped over for so many workers. I intend to continue to work from home until I retire. I hope companies will adapt and use this pandemic to change their way of thinking about the workplace. Done are open spaces. Done are downtown offices. On that subject, I really love Jason Fried’s reference to the concept of “software porting” from one platform to the other as a comparison about reinventing the office work in his post “[Remote work is not local work at a distance](https://world.hey.com/jason/remote-work-is-not-local-work-at-a-distance-94602802?ref=numericcitizen.me)”. > The enlightened companies coming out of this pandemic will be the ones that figured out the right way to work remotely. They’ll have stopped trying to make remote look like local. They’ll have discovered that remote work means more autonomy, more trust, more uninterrupted stretches of time, smaller teams, more independent, concurrent work (and less dependent, sequenced work). Transposing the old way of working to the work from home environment is not going to do it. Companies and workers will have to think harder to come up with new ways of working. We’re not done yet, and for the sake of being more environment friendly, it will take a long-lasting new way of working together. The pandemic is nothing compared to the environmental crisis that we are in, but refuse to acknowledge with long-lasting behaviour changes. ### Numeric Citizen Introspection Newsletter #7 URL: https://numericcitizen.me/2021-02/ Last updated: 2024-09-11T20:52:00.000Z Here is the **Numeric Citizen Introspection Newsletter #7** for **February of 2021**. Deep in the winter season, I’m still curating the internet, nothing less, to build a newsletter full of interesting tidbits for you. Now, let’s start with this month’s post highlights. # **Post highlights from my [microblog](https://numericcitizen.micro.blog/?ref=numericcitizen.me)** - The efficiency of Apple’s Rosetta 2 on M1-powered Macs could partly [explain](https://numericcitizen.micro.blog/2021/02/06/its-rosetta-s.html?ref=numericcitizen.me) why there are quite a few un-optimized apps. - Intel has been silent and took its time before responding to Apple’s M1 announcement last fall. Now Intel has [spoken](https://numericcitizen.micro.blog/2021/02/08/the-look-of.html?ref=numericcitizen.me). I’m far for certain they are helping themselves here. - Are we digital nomads? People come and go, move from one place to another, all the time. That’s certainly true in the physical world, but what about the numeric world? See, people like a service better than another, so they move their stuff over there. An example of this is moving from Mailchimp to Substack. Read the [article](https://numericcitizen.micro.blog/2021/02/21/are-we-digital.html?ref=numericcitizen.me) and the conversation that followed to learn more about this phenomenon. # **Post highlights from my [Medium page](https://numericcitizen.medium.com/?ref=numericcitizen.me)** - The Friday Notes series continues. In [issue #10](https://link.medium.com/Ap3oCDP53db?ref=numericcitizen.me), I wrote about the feeling of the pressure to keep writing. - To any current or potential GuruShots game players, I talk about how time and money-consuming this game can be for those looking for some fame. [Must read](https://link.medium.com/AdSSzf253db?ref=numericcitizen.me). # **Post highlights from my [Numeric Citizen Blog](https://numericcitizen.me/)** - One of my most popular blog posts, written in 2018, needed a major refresh. This GuruShots game tricks and tips guide has been revamped, and take another look at the popular photography game: GuruShots. I had so much to write about; I had to create [part I](https://numericcitizen.me/2021/02/07/gurushots-tips-and-tricks-guide-the-2021-edition-part-i/) and [Part II](https://numericcitizen.me/2021/02/10/gurushots-tips-and-tricks-guide-the-2021-edition-part-2/). - Another important blog post, « [The Journey is the Reward](https://numericcitizen.me/2021/02/06/the-journey-is-the-reward/),» is about focusing on the journey, not the results of writing for an audience. Even we very few readers, the acts of thinking and writing are the most important. # **Apple tidbits worth my attention** Another slow month for Apple-related news. There were no new products, no new and notable software releases, but I managed to track a few interesting things. First, on February 24th, **Steve Jobs would have been 66**. Even if I love what Apple has become over the years since he died, I miss him dearly. What a great picture of him. > [](https://twitter.com/tim%5Fcook/status/1364578504809926658?ref=numericcitizen.me) 1️⃣ Part of the Apple experience lies in the product launches, not only owning and using a physical device. I’ve been following Apple’s keynotes since Apple started to make them open to the public with event streaming. Wayne Goodrich was the producer of **Apple’s keynote** for 20 years, during the Steve Jobs era. It is always fascinating to get a « [behind the scene](https://www.cake.co/conversations/jNZlq6j/the-man-who-produced-steve-jobs-keynotes-for-20-years?ref=numericcitizen.me) » look at Apple's critical moments. 2️⃣ Do you remember **Mac OS X 10.6** — **Snow Leopard**? I do. Many people remember this release of Mac OS (not macOS) as being one of the most stable ones in the history of Mac OS (and macOS) releases. I don’t know personally; I can’t remember how good it was. Things were certainly simpler at that time, with a lot fewer services to maintain. Riccardo Mori is looking back at this release in great detail. Worth a look and read. 3️⃣ **[Chromebooks](https://mgs.blog/chromebooks-take-a-bite-out-of-pcs-8d1dfd9cc4ed?ref=numericcitizen.me)**[ are eating into the Windows world](https://mgs.blog/chromebooks-take-a-bite-out-of-pcs-8d1dfd9cc4ed?ref=numericcitizen.me), not the Mac world. For now. Is Apple scared to be next? Probably not. Microsoft? Probably. 4️⃣ [Apple helped a company](https://9to5mac.com/2021/02/22/apple-covid-19-test-kits/?ref=numericcitizen.me) to perfect its manufacturing process of **COVID-19** **test** **kits**. 5️⃣ If you have an **M1**\-based Mac, you may experience **Bluetooth connectivity issues**. I do. Apple supposedly fixed those with macOS 11.2\. The situation improved but as Marco Arment puts it, there as still many lingering connectivity issues. Be sure to read responses to his tweet. He is not alone. > [](https://twitter.com/marcoarment/status/1364700906965581824?ref=numericcitizen.me) [Subscribe now](https://numericcitizen.me/subscribe/) # **Some of my photos that came to light** As we keep moving through winter, our photos tend to reflect this. Here are two pictures I took in my neighbourhood while taking a quick and refreshing walk. ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/public/images/0de0b7cd-dc12-41fe-a744-4fc0294e1077_1125x1500.png) The previous picture was taken during a short outside walk near my house. You see a picture printed on a sheet of glass showing workers in an old train manufacturing hangar. ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/public/images/f59a0062-5433-488f-8725-6d221804a01e_1500x1058.png) The previous photo is a shot that got inspired by this photographer named Adrian. I really love his signature. [https://aows.co/archive/recent](https://aows.co/archive/recent?ref=numericcitizen.me) # **Must see photography stuff** It seems every user of **Adobe’s Lightroom CC** and **Lightroom Classic** will, at one time or another, ask himself or herself if they should drop the service to go elsewhere. One example of this self-questioning is Jack Baty’s [recent blog post](https://archive.baty.net/2020/giving-up-lightroom-classic-and-cc/?ref=numericcitizen.me). 🖥 The [following article](https://om.co/2021/02/07/iphone-vs-camera-no-contest/?ref=numericcitizen.me) contains a graph comparing the **decline of traditional cameras and the rise of smartphone cameras**. It is simply astonishing how important the iPhone came to be in digital photography. Maybe I should say, in popular digital photography—no wonder why companies like Nikon are struggling big time. 📷 Some photographers talk a lot about their gear. Others don’t. I always thought that to make great photography; the gear has little to do with it. This [article](https://aows.co/blog/dont-fight-your-gear?ref=numericcitizen.me) is interesting in that respect. Do you agree? 📸 If you’re **working from home** like me, you may find that your **webcam** is not precisely producing the best video image than what you get from an iPhone. In this [extensible article](https://reincubate.com/support/how-to/why-are-webcams-bad/?ref=numericcitizen.me), learn why webcams suck. Did you know that you can use your iPhone as a webcam replacement? Learn how you can do this in the [following article](https://reincubate.com/camo/?ref=numericcitizen.me). I love great object design. Cameras are often great design examples. **Leica** is well known for creating a well-crafted piece of art that happens to take great pictures. I recently stumble on [an article](https://copingmechanism.com/2021/keeping-the-sl/?ref=numericcitizen.me) that gave me the idea of getting a Leica camera. After looking at the price, I changed my mind. Want to see our planet in all its glory on your computer? These videos are mind-blowing. Too bad our planet is so sick. Speaking of space, must-see photography of **Perseverance** descent on the surface of Mars [taken by HiRISE](https://www.uahirise.org/releases/perseverance/?ref=numericcitizen.me). Mind-blowing that something like this can be seen so far away. Do you remember the photography-oriented social network named “**Ello**”? I’ve been trying the service recently to republish some of my work. [Have a look](https://ello.co/numericcitizen?ref=numericcitizen.me). # **Climate change issues** > [](https://twitter.com/mashable/status/1358077238676127744?ref=numericcitizen.me) > [](https://twitter.com/tfadell/status/1358061617288798208?ref=numericcitizen.me) # **Privacy stuff we should care about** **Apple’s iOS 14.5 is around the corner**. One of this release's main features is about allowing users to decide if they want to be tracked or not. Facebook doesn’t like Apple’s move. [Google will adapt](https://www.macrumors.com/2021/01/27/google-to-stop-collecting-idfas-in-ios-apps/?ref=numericcitizen.me). Facebook too.👮🏻‍♀️ Speaking of **Apple**, it recently updated its “**[Platform Security Guide](https://support.apple.com/en-ca/guide/security/welcome/web?ref=numericcitizen.me)**”. This guide is an overview of security measures Apple puts in place in all its products and services. I did have a look at it for a few minutes, and boy, this stuff is complicated. Security is complicated. 📄 # **Quotes to remember** > iOS 14.5 developer beta is out and it confirms that Apple is as frustrated as all of us about unlocking the iPhone with a mask on. — **Jooanna Stern** > The truly creative person is not satisfied with the solutions to problems unless they are elegant. He or she demands work that is simultaneously both true and beautiful. — **Ken Kocienda** > The biggest disruptions start with the simplest solution to the most important part of the problem instead of the complete solution to the whole problem. — **Aaron Levie** # **What’s next? I’m glad you asked!** I recently learned about the existence of what is called “**Digital Gardens**” (read this article to learn where they come from and what it is all about: “**[A Brief History & Ethos of the Digital Garden](https://maggieappleton.com/garden-history?ref=numericcitizen.me)**”). > “Digital gardens are online places to keep pieces of information in a semi-structured fashion. They fit between well-structured timeline-based blogs and unstructured numeric artifacts. Like natural gardens, their digital counterparts are unique from one person to the other and keep growing over time with new knowledge tidbits linked together to form some kind of web.” **[My blog is a digital garden, not a blog](https://joelhooks.com/digital-garden?ref=numericcitizen.me):** > “The phrase "**digital garden**" is a metaphor for thinking about writing and creating that focuses less on the resulting "showpiece" and more on the process, care, and craft it takes to get there.” I like the idea so much that I wrote about it recently on Medium, in [Friday Note #11](https://medium.com/numeric-citizen-tidbits/friday-notes-11-digital-gardens-are-cool-7ca0b4c8fdd9?ref=numericcitizen.me). I’ve been thinking of doing something like a digital garden using the excellent note-taking app called “**Craft**”. As an example of its capabilities to create beautiful websites, look at [this one](https://www.craft.do/s/4bcy1C0FVKbMEO?ref=numericcitizen.me) that I have made about Apple’s rumours. Stay tuned. Speaking of **Craft**, I’m still in the process of doing my research so that I can write a review of it. In the meantime, if you want to learn what is Craft all about, see [this YouTube video](https://youtu.be/EHheJCVYahw?ref=numericcitizen.me); it is one of the best out there to show Craft in action. *Craft is the most significant new application to come to my numeric life in the last few years*. It is that good. Finally, I wanted to share some exciting news for me: I started a website about my experience as a blogger: **[Numeric Citizen I/O](https://numericcitizen.io/?ref=numericcitizen.me)**. If you are curious to have a look behind the scene of a serious blogger, it’s the right place to go! # **Leftovers** First, let’s start this section with a number: [500 000](https://graphics.reuters.com/HEALTH-CORONAVIRUS/USA-CASUALTIES-CHRONOLOGY/xklpyomnrpg/index.html?ref=numericcitizen.me). 😔 Silence. 😶 Back to normal programming. 📺 I’m a big iPad fan since 2010\. It is great for so many of my numeric needs. In iOS 13, Apple made it simpler for developers to use the Apple Pencil in their apps. Writing on the iPad is something I rarely do, though. I recently came across **[reMarkable](https://www.baty.net/2021/a-remarkable-tablet/?ref=numericcitizen.me)**, a very intriguing tablet made for handwriting. Their presentation is very Apple’ly. Newsletters and Hey… what do they have in common? **https://world.hey.com**. You can read [my thoughts](https://numericcitizen.micro.blog/2021/02/23/hey-world-hey.html?ref=numericcitizen.me) on this intriguing service currently being tested by HEY founders. > [](https://twitter.com/jasonfried/status/1363956784600281088?ref=numericcitizen.me) If you are like me and have to prepare many presentations, please, do your audience a favour and look at these simple tips. > [](https://twitter.com/kocienda/status/1356981829853609985?ref=numericcitizen.me) Do you know about the “**Timex Sinclair**” computer? I nearly bought one in 1981, before starting programming on an **Apple \]\[+**. Compare this device with the latest **RaspberryPi 400** now. What a world of differences and similarities. > [](https://twitter.com/mbanzi/status/1346417141482975232?ref=numericcitizen.me) Oh, and finally, something REALLY mindblowing: This concludes the **Numeric Citizen Introspection Newsletter #7** for **February** of 2021\. I would love to get your feedback and read your comments. Thanks for being a subscriber. Thanks for reading! Thanks for sharing. 🙏🏻 ### How Many Websites can a Blogger Have? URL: https://numericcitizen.me/how-many-websites-can-a-blogger-have/ Last updated: 2023-03-23T16:48:07.000Z ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/numericcitizen.me/wp-content/uploads/2021/02/patrick-tomasso-oaqk7qqnh_c-unsplash-copy-1500px.jpg) How many websites a blogger can have? Good question. I do have (too?) [many](https://linktr.ee/numericcitizen?ref=numericcitizen.me), each filling their own niche. On that subject, something caught my attention yesterday in the public announcement of **HEY’s experiment**: “[Hello, World!](https://world.hey.com/jason/hey-world-b02a6f2e?ref=numericcitizen.me)”. Jason Fried explaining why he never had a blog: > “It was primarily because setting up a personal blog was just too much of a hassle. It felt formal, it required yet another tool, yet another place to write, yet another platform to pay for just one feature. I had to pick a template, I had to think up a name, I had to make the relationship official.” Sure, setting up a blog can be a hassle. For me, it is some kind of challenge and an exercise in creativity. ***This brings me to something I want to share with you.*** I’ve been working on something new in the last few days. I’m very excited about it. I started a “***metablog***”. Yes, another place to publish content. What is it? Well, it is a blog about blogging. Let’s see what Wikipedia has to say about the word “***meta***”: > Any subject can be said to have a metatheory, a theoretical consideration of its properties, such as its foundations, methods, form and utility, on a higher level of abstraction. In linguistics, a grammar is considered as being expressed in a metalanguage, language operating on a higher level to describe properties of the plain language (and not itself). Why do I feel the need to create yet another numeric space? Well, I believe in focused channels in general. I wanted a dedicated space for writing about being a blogger, using tools and services to put things together and out to the world. In other words, it is more about the “how” than anything else. I believe people like to get a look behind the curtain. I certainly do. So, I created this space where I’ll post my updates to my blogger workflow, in more detail. So, there you have it: **[Numeric Citizen I/O](https://numericcitizen.io/?ref=numericcitizen.me)**. You’ll be able to comment on each individual post (I’m using Commento, a privacy-friendly commenting service.). I dearly encourage you to engage in discussion, ask questions or leave your comments. Thanks for visiting! ### Diagrams 2.0 is out URL: https://numericcitizen.me/diagrams-20-is-out/ Last updated: 2023-03-23T16:48:07.000Z ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/numericcitizen.me/wp-content/uploads/2021/02/diagrams-easy-to-use.png) Diagrams recently got updated to version 2\. Since [my original review](https://numericcitizen.me/2020/02/05/diagrams-for-mac-a-promising-beginning/) of this little diagramming tool, a year ago, this update brings a few additions. Version 2 keeps its original look and feel which I’m liking quite a lot. Apple Silicon is fully supported as well as macOS Big Sur. > “In the new palette customization interface, users can craft reusable element and relationship types and use them in their diagrams. Each type will have a configurable title, as well as a set of visual attributes. The developers responded to the most requested features by including new styling options to complement palette customization. This includes broadening the pool of available element colors and the introduction of support for text formatting.” The most important addition is the introduction of palettes where you can build your own customized objects and use them for all your diagrams needs. There is one important omission: the lack of user-defined colours as the application only provides nice predefined colours. I find this to be very limiting. Also missing is the ability to add text or images on the canvas. Diagrams is a great diagramming application destined to create very specific diagrams style. For what it does, it does it really well. I’m happy to see the developer keep adding to the application. I’m still using Diagrams, from time to time. ### GuruShots Tips and Tricks Guide — The 2021 Edition — Part 2 URL: https://numericcitizen.me/gurushots-tips-and-tricks-guide-the-2021-edition-part-2/ Last updated: 2023-03-23T16:48:07.000Z In the first part of the 2021 edition of the GuruShots Tips and tricks guide ([read here](https://numericcitizen.me/2021/02/07/gurushots-tips-and-tricks-guide-the-2021-edition-part-i/)), I talked about the newly introduced or updated GuruShots features. GuruShots is still based on challenges. Moreover, I explained what GuruShots is really about: a game. GuruShots is a time-consuming game, but how much time-consuming? To answer this question, I did some maths for you. In the second part of this guide, I’ll explain how much of your time you should expect to invest in aspiring to succeed at this game[1](#fn1). ## Example 1 — Four-photos challenges First, let’s look at all the numbers in the following table below. On the leftmost column, you’ll find the basic nine levels a challenge participant can be: from the bottom, at the Newbie level, up to the first level of Guru. These levels’ voting power increases as you climb the ladder (second column from the left). This voting power plays a major role in how much time you will spend in a voting session2 to keep your exposure bonus at the higher level possible. If you don’t do voting sessions, your exposure bonus will start to decrease over time pretty quickly. How long before going from the max level to zero? It depends. Challenges requiring only one photo to participate seem to set the timer at 12 hours, while four-photos challenges will set the timer at 24 hours. For the first example below, I put the duration to 24 hours. Refer to the blue numbering in the table to help you understand the following explanations. Now, how long does a challenge last? It depends. It can be from 45 hours to 15 days. In the first example, the challenge duration is set to 90 hours (refer to cell #1). ![Example 1 - Time required in a four-photo challenge](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/numericcitizen.me/wp-content/uploads/2021/02/example-1-90-hours-challenge.png) Example 1 – Time required in a four-photo challenge Now, looking at the table, let’s say you are a newbie; your voting power is 1\. According to my testing, you will need to vote for a total of about 139 photos during voting (refer to #7). Since the challenge last 90 hours, 3.8 voting sessions would be needed to hit the maximum exposure bonus (refer to #4)4\. My experience with GuruShots shows that you don’t need to keep the exposure bonus level at the top level all the time. Why? Because shortly after you hit the maximum exposure bonus level, votes for your photos will stop coming by rapidly. You rarely get votes for photos, even if you keep the exposure bonus level at the maximum. The following graph visually shows this game’s behaviour. ![Votes distribution you should expect](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/numericcitizen.me/wp-content/uploads/2021/02/voting-distribution.png) Votes distribution you should expect Returning to the table again, for newbies, 3.8 voting sessions represent giving about 522 votes (refer to #8). In other words, you looked at a ton of photos during these long voting sessions, and you picked 522 pictures that you somehow deemed interesting. I’m not done with the maths yet. How long does it take to give 522 votes? Again, according to my experience, you’ll need 15 seconds between each vote (refer to #6). This means you’ll need 131 minutes of your time to distribute your votes in one particular challenge. It is more than two hours sitting in front of your phone or your computer, scrolling through tons of photos. ## Example 2 — One-photo challenges ![Example 2 - Time required in a one-photo challenge](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/numericcitizen.me/wp-content/uploads/2021/02/example-2-40-hours-challenge.png) Example 2 – Time required in a one-photo challenge Now, referring to the second table, what if you don’t enter four-photos challenges but prefer the one-photo challenge instead? Let’s do the math again. The Exposure bonus expires after a window of 12 hours instead of 24 hours. Challenge duration is typically 40 hours instead of 90 hours. The table shows that you’ll need 3.3 voting sessions. In that scenario, you’ll need to give 464 votes, with a 15 seconds average will require close to 2 hours of your time. You get the idea. As I said earlier, 15 seconds is an average based on my experience. Sometimes, you may need a few minutes of scrolling before stumbling upon an excellent photo before you are inclined to give your vote. This 15 seconds estimate is very conservative. It is probably more than double if not more. Remember, the faster you go, the less you spend in voting sessions meaning your judgment loses its value. Are you getting it? On top of those estimates, you’ll have to consider the time you spend selecting new challenges, time spent looking at your ranking, time to look for the voting effects after a voting session, time for planning your next challenge, etc. I would argue that you will spend at least 30% – 50% more of your time on top of the estimated numbers. That’s a lot. Now, ask yourself this simple question: is GuruShots promoting photography as an art? No. GuruShots is working on the same toxic principles at the center of any social platforms like Facebook or TikTok: maximize the user engagement[5](#fn5). In these two-parts articles, I hope that I put some light on a very time-consuming and expansive game. You’ll need great photos, timely challenge participation, a lot of swapping, voting and pushing to succeed to a certain degree. Above all, you’ll need a lot of your time. Now, it’s up to you to decide how you want to spend your time. 1. Success definition varies from one player to the other. [↩](#ffn1) 2. A voting session is a period of time where on the computer or your smartphone to vote for photos from other participants in a photo challenge. [↩](#ffn2) 3. These durations were inferred from my recent play in the game. [↩](#ffn3) 4. In other words, you will hit the maximum exposure bonus level close to four times for the duration of the challenge. [↩](#ffn4) 5. In case you didn’t know, I stopped using Facebook a long time ago. [↩](#ffn5) ### GuruShots Tips and Tricks Guide — The 2021 Edition — Part I URL: https://numericcitizen.me/gurushots-tips-and-tricks-guide-the-2021-edition-part-i/ Last updated: 2023-03-23T16:48:07.000Z This guide is based on my gaming experience[1](#fn1) after returning to the well-known photography game, GuruShots, [after a very long pause away from it](https://numericcitizen.me/2019/03/06/taking-a-pause-of-gurushots/)[2,](#fn2)[3,](#fn3)[4](#fn4). Here is what I found out[5,](#fn5)[6](#fn6). This article is for everyone interested in GuruShots, who played the game or would like to start playing. ![My Gurushots score board](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/numericcitizen.me/wp-content/uploads/2021/02/my-gurushots-stats-2021-02-07.png) My Gurushots score board Let me be clear: if you’ve been playing GuruShots and like the game, fine, I’m not judging how you decide to spend your free time. My goal here is to help other players benefit from my experience in a way that let them better understand the implications that come with playing and being successful at GuruShots. ## GuruShots: what it’s all about? First, let’s put a frame around GuruShots[7](#fn7). If you think this game is all about photography, think again. It’s not. It has never been the case and never will. This game is about having fun. Period. GuruShots’ goal is to suck away the maximum of your life and probably of your money in return for meaningless and empty fame. This game is so twisted in its conception; it is mind-blowing. The game design is based on the same principles behind social media: to get you engaged as much as possible. Let’s see why I’m being so severe here. > If you think this game is all about photography, think again. It’s not. Algorithms play a big role in GuruShots, a much bigger role than the quality of your pictures or your talent. Trust me. Some players of GuruShots want to beat the game[8](#fn8). Just try searching on Google by entering the word “GuruShots” and wait for keywords suggestions. You’ll see what I’m talking about. The Guru moniker has lost its lustre over time; there are too many of them who can run their challenge. It was the only way for the game to grow on a larger scale. Many of the original gurus[9](#fn9) are still there and run challenges from time to time. Running a challenge requires attention from the guru behind them, so they needed to scale and extend the game by naming other gurus[10](#fn10). ![What people are looking for about GuruShots using Google Search](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/numericcitizen.me/wp-content/uploads/2021/02/searching-google-for-gurushots.png) What people are looking for about GuruShots using Google Search Challenges are redundant because too many people can create one. You’ll find the same pictures again and again in many similar challenges. There is still no limit to how many times you can submit a picture in a challenge, unless the picture won a challenge, which is a rare case, right? Speaking of running challenges: I still have seven challenges waiting in the review queue after more than a year (read my article about how challenges are created [here](https://numericcitizen.me/2019/05/23/running-gurushots-challenge/)). They can’t even keep up with challenge suggestions[11](#fn11). To move the needle, I would have to create a support request, then maybe I’ll get some attention, and maybe they’ll approve some of them. If you try to minimize the time you spend for your voting sessions, you are taking less time to look and judge photos, which goes against subtlety and great nuanced photos. Only the “obvious ones” go to the top which means, more often than not, caricatural images. By this I mean: overly processed, too much sharpness applied, high contrast, highly saturated images. > GuruShots is like speed dating GuruShots is like speed dating; it has nothing to do with photography as an art form but to consume images. You don’t have to think “be creative, original, master the technique” when deciding which of your photos you upload on your profile. It is all about being opportunistic for the currently running or future challenges. ## What’s new? I didn’t play a lot in 2020\. The summary of new features cover more than a year of game evolution and tweaked game play. ### Teams ![Team's progression bar](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/numericcitizen.me/wp-content/uploads/2021/02/team-summary-progress-bar.png) Team’s progression bar Teams are the most important addition to the game in a long time; it creates a new play dynamic. It is by far the most complicated aspect of the game. You really need to spend some time (again!) to learn about the different rules governing teams and rewards. I’ve played in two different teams for a while to experience the feature. Here is how it works. You can create your team or join an existing one. There is a maximum of 20 members in a team. You can leave a team at any time (or being kicked out by team leaders). There is one or more team leader who decides which challenge the team enters as a whole. When joining a team, you cannot participate in a match while one is currently being played. You have to wait for the next match. When playing within a team, you don’t need a key to enter a challenge near the end. Teams can challenge each other. While two teams are engaged, there has to be an equal number of up to 20 players. A team can have standby members waiting to participate as two teams in a match must have an equal number of players. ![Looking at a team match history](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/numericcitizen.me/wp-content/uploads/2021/02/gurushots-team-match-history.png) Looking at a team match history There is a team’s leaderboard. Teams advance by winning challenges. As your team wins, members receive rewards like fills and swaps. You have to claim them, though. Each team wins will help advance the team on a leaderboard within a league and globally as explained here on the website: > “Team Leagues are similar to sports leagues. They are a type of Leaderboard that ranks Teams using Team Score in a predetermined period of time, a Season. Teams are divided up into leagues based on the score they achieve each Season. Teams can earn rewards at the end of each season.” > > “Seasons are a predetermined length of times in days. The time left in the Season is displayed in each leaderboard. The standard Seasons will last for 7 days, but this length may change from time to time. At the top of the Leagues page you will see a counter counting down the time left in the season.” ![When my team wins by a single vote!](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/numericcitizen.me/wp-content/uploads/2021/02/winning-by-one-point.png) When my team wins by a single vote! Team leaders want active players otherwise they will kick them out of the team. This is how my experience with teams ended, I didn’t play often enough[12](#fn12). That being said, not all is bad about teams. You get to meet new people and can chat with them. It’s a great way to discover a new talented photographer. ### Events Another addition to the game: events. These are activities where the goal is to get as many votes as possible (by participating in as many challenges as possible, obviously). There is a leaderboard showing your position. These events can last more than 60 hours. It’s one of the most time-consuming parts of the game, it is crazier than playing in a team. If you want to move up in the leaderboard, you have to participate in many challenges at any given time. It’s another trick to maximize players’ engagement. Not for me. ### Challenges ![Swap suggestions while in a challenge](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/numericcitizen.me/wp-content/uploads/2021/02/gurushots-swap-now.png) Swap suggestions while in a challenge Now, challenges for a specific member level are now possible where only “Newbies” are allowed in, or “for Masters only”. That’s a positive change. Entering the challenge will require to unlock keys even before 24 hours. This is necessary to prevent a last-minute participant to climb the top of the ranking at the last minute. I’m not convinced if this makes a big difference as you can earn keys pretty easily. Long-lasting challenges (a week or more) are much less frequent than they used to be. People didn’t like them as they required way too much time for too many voting sessions and keep your exposure level high. You see, people get bored pretty easily, the turnover must be high to keep the interest high. This goes against the challenges of quality and uniqueness. More challenges mean more repetitive themes. Yet, you can still see a challenge lasting for 15 days from time to time (500px started something called “Quests” and they last for a month). Going from Elite to an All-Star level in a challenge requires many more votes than before, making it harder to reach the top level. It’s a good enhancement to the gameplay. Two-photos challenges are new. GuruShots wants engagement at all costs. Some people might have difficulties finding enough photos to enter a four-photos challenge. Now it’s possible with only two. ![You need exposure bonus for your photos to be visible to other voters](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/numericcitizen.me/wp-content/uploads/2021/02/gurushots-maximum-exposure-bonus.png) You need exposure bonus for your photos to be visible to other voters Level requirements can change from one challenge to the other. In one case, the “All-star” level is set to 2000 points while in another it is set to 2300\. I don’t know how these requirements are set, it’s not at the challenge creation time, maybe at review time by the moderators. ### Algorithm changes Exposure Bonus depletion seems faster than it used to be. It’s a trick, so you feel the need to spend more time in voting sessions[13](#fn13). From full to empty level it will take about 12-24 hours, and it varies across challenges (four-photos challenges take longer than only one-photo challenges). The more one-photo challenges you join, the more time it will take to keep your exposure level up. Another addition to the game is that now you’ll get a notification when the challenge organizer is actively picking up photos and GuruShots will encourage you to swap one of your pictures to get attention. Again, maximize user engagement. Here is a bit of advice regarding Guru’s pick. There are not only important for you to progress in the game, but they are also an indication of the Guru’s taste. Before entering a currently running challenge, have a look at what are the Guru’s pick to see if it fits your style. Still on the subject of notifications: expect a lot of promotional popups while using the game’s website or the smartphone application. It is very annoying. ## What’s unchanged? The iPad still lacks a native app, which is sad and tells a lot about the lack of attention to the art form. Playing on the bigger screen would allow for better image visualization. Some challenges that are using too generic themes can be visual junkyards and voting sessions in these challenges are a pain to do. This is where “Fills” come into play, if you have any in your possession, using them will help you alleviate your burden. The dynamics at the very end of a challenge play a big role in the final results, time zones are critical in deciding which challenge to join[14](#fn14). Skip challenges where you won’t be able to actively vote in the last few hours. It’s a major problem in the game platform as it shouldn’t make a difference if votes were evenly distributed during the challenge running time. ![A successful swap](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/numericcitizen.me/wp-content/uploads/2021/02/gurushots-successful-swap.png) A successful swap Swapping is encouraged by GuruShots for underperforming photos as they require a voting session to expose your newly swapped photo. Again, it’s all about maximizing players’ engagements. On the subject of swapping, swap when your bonus exposure is high to maximize the effect. Interesting math: for any given challenge you’re in, dividing the current number of points by the number of voters (use the notifications drop-down menu on the website to see how many voters you’ve got), you get the average voting power of the voters[15](#fn15). For example, 500 / 64 voters give 7.815\. From this simple calculation, we can infer that voters are experienced players. ![In notifications, seeing how many people are voting for a specific photo](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/numericcitizen.me/wp-content/uploads/2021/02/voters-for-my-photos.png) In notifications, seeing how many people are voting for a specific photo ## Bonus tips Landscape photos perform better than portrait ones. The reason seems to be related to the visual space they occupy on the photo wall during your voting session. In a four-photos challenge, starting with four photos is not always the best strategy. Start with one then add the other, one by one during the challenge. Personally, I do put all four photos in one shot. This way, the under-performing photo is a swap candidate. When uploading your photos, make sure to keep EXIF metadata. Don’t remove anything except the location. Gurus who pick photos like to see the metadata. It is much harder to compete in generic themes as you compete against everyone. The theme focused challenges attract a more defined crowd. ## Now what? I’m not done with this guide yet. Part II coming up this week where I’ll explain, mathematically, how much time you can expect to spend on GuruShots if you want to thrive. I did some math, so you don’t have to. The numbers are very telling. Meanwhile, don’t miss the original guide published in 2018 which is still good for beginners. An update was published later in 2019, that you should read too. If you want to see the game in action, head to my Vimeo page. You can find a useful FAQ on Reddit about Guru’s picks. Reddit /Gurushots is a great place to discuss strategy by the way. **[Don’t miss part 2](https://numericcitizen.me/2021/02/10/gurushots-tips-and-tricks-guide-the-2021-edition-part-2/) where I give two examples to explain how much time you should expect to play in order to be successful.** 1. I’m currently at GURU level with less than 500K points. That was pretty fast and I think it is because I was lucky. [↩](#ffn1) 2. For this guide, I played many challenges and tried all the new features to see how GuruShots has evolved. [↩](#ffn2) 3. The previous guide was published at the end of 2018 followed by an update two months later. [↩](#ffn3) 4. The COVID-19 pandemic brought me back to the game for a while. I suspect this is the case for many players. [↩](#ffn4) 5. Each player may have a different experience of the game, hence different point of views. That bing said, there are obvious conclusions that we can infer from this game on which many players would agree on. [↩](#ffn5) 6. Spoiler alert: it’s ugly. [↩](#ffn6) 7. No pun intended. [↩](#ffn7) 8. You can find a third-party app called “[Gurushutter](https://androidappsapk.co/detail-gurushots-aid/?ref=numericcitizen.me)” to help you beat the system too. I didn’t try it because it is not available for the iPhone. [↩](#ffn8) 9. They are named “Guru Pro” on their profile. [↩](#ffn9) 10. They added Guru I, Guru II, etc. in the last year or so and I don’t like it. I would have preferred different names instead. [↩](#ffn10) 11. Funny enough, I entered a challenge entitled “Rusty & worn”. I do have a challenge waiting in review called “Rusty places” which never passed the review process. [↩](#ffn11) 12. Good riddance. Teams are time suckers. [↩](#ffn12) 13. The depletion of exposure bonus is faster than it used to be to maximize users engagement with the platform. [↩](#ffn13) 14. I observed that the final issue of a challenge always flip in the last few minutes. You may be ranking high at 10 minutes before the end and go downhill in the last few minutes. [↩](#ffn14) 15. This example is for a one photo only challenge. For a two photos challenge, dividing the result by two is required. And so on for four photos challenges. [↩](#ffn15) ### The Journey is the Reward URL: https://numericcitizen.me/the-journey-is-the-reward/ Last updated: 2023-03-23T16:48:07.000Z ![Photo by MChe Lee on Unsplash](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/numericcitizen.me/wp-content/uploads/2021/02/mche-lee-pc91jm1dlwa-unsplash-copy-1500px.jpg) Photo by MChe Lee on Unsplash Here is a short story. When I was studying computer science at the university, there was a course with this borderline weirdo teacher teaching algorithmic. He really was a brain. That wasn’t an easy course, and it had a bad reputation among students. At the beginning of the semester, we were around thirty people who were attending. As we progressed into the semester, students would stop attending, finding the guy too weird and bad at teaching. I kept going until the end of the semester. One day, only eight people were attending the class. Poor teacher, people didn’t like him; he really wasn’t good at teaching. In the middle of one of his class, in front of the very few of us, he took a pause, looking at us, one by one, and said: “even if I’m alone, I’ll come over here and keep teaching what I have to teach”. Then he turned back to the blackboard and continued scribbling. I wasn’t sure at that time what to think of his words. We thought it was funny. I still think of this story today, and I find some inspiration in it. When I’m writing and posting my work online, I often see myself as this teacher. Sure it is fun to have a big audience, get some attention, and maybe receive a comment here and there. After all, what is this all about if nobody pays attention? Well, it is still valuable, for me, the writer. You see, one of the takeouts from this short story above is simple: ***the journey is the reward***. It doesn’t really matter if nobody comes and reads my stuff [here](https://numericcitizen.medium.com/?ref=numericcitizen.me) or [there](https://numericcitizen.micro.blog/?ref=numericcitizen.me). What matters is the process and the thinking that took place behind my writing. It’s all the small moments where I had to pause, think, read, learn and write. It’s about feeling creative. Alive. The rest is just another tiny drop in the numeric ocean. A few will taste it, and most won’t. That’s the life of a blogger and a writer in a sea of abundance. So, I’ll keep doing it, no matter what. ### Great Weather Apps for Weather Enthusiasts URL: https://numericcitizen.me/great-weather-apps-for-weather-enthusiasts/ Last updated: 2023-03-23T16:48:08.000Z These days, there are a lot of weather apps available for our smartphones and computers. But it wasn’t always like that. When I was a teenager, one of my passion was meteorology. I wanted to be a meteorologist. I was a real weather enthusiast. I had a mini weather station in my backyard. Each day, three times a day, I came outside to read the instruments and write down my readings on a weather observations sheet that I made myself. I remember asking my parents to create copies of the blank sheet on their Xerox machine at work to have enough for the whole year! I was really into it. My favourite weather events were thunderstorms in the summer and winter storms during the winter. The newspaper had a weather section where I would cut the weather systems map to create a series of maps showing the weather system’s movements over the week. I could then explain how systems would collide and create weather events like a big snowstorm. That was a long time ago. Times have changed so much with the internet. ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/numericcitizen.me/wp-content/uploads/2021/02/living-earth-my-radar.png) Left: Living Earth. Right: My Radar. Click to enlarge. I’m still a weather enthusiast. Today, I no longer have a weather station at home but I do use quite a few weather-focused apps on my iPhone to track weather events like snowstorms. It is really fun. I usually start to track major weather systems up to a week before they cross my region. The included screenshots in this post show the latest snowstorm we’ve got here in Montreal which left 17 cm of snow behind it. Not a major storm but still. ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/numericcitizen.me/wp-content/uploads/2021/02/radar-widgets-ventusky-weathermap.png) Left: Radar Widget. Middle: Ventusky. Right: WeatherMap. Here is a list of these apps that I use the most. **[Living Earth](https://apps.apple.com/ca/app/living-earth-clock-weather/id379869627?ref=numericcitizen.me)**: move around the globe to see cloud cover, hurricanes. Really well designed and a joy to use. Updated as required to support new devices or new operating system releases. Still, no widgets support, though. Works on M1-based Macs. Free. **[MyRadar](https://myradar.com/?ref=numericcitizen.me)**: the must-have application for radar data. Very flexible, lots of options and layers are available to customize your weather maps. Not available on M1-based Macs. Too bad. Free with in-app purchase. **[Radar Widget](https://apps.apple.com/us/app/weather-radar-widget/id1532959739?ref=numericcitizen.me)**: simple tape to display a radar on a widget on my iPhone screen. Works on M1-based Macs. Free with in-app purchase. **[Ventusky](https://www.ventusky.com/?ref=numericcitizen.me)**: one of the best weather apps with a lot of data available: precipitations, winds, pressure, temperatures. You can scroll in the future to see weather forecasts. Really well done. Don’t miss their website, it is really cool! Not available on M1-based Macs. Free. **[WeatherMap](https://apps.apple.com/ca/app/weathermap/id471629622?ref=numericcitizen.me)**+: another great weather maps application. Works on M1-based Macs. Available for Apple TV. Free with in-app purchase. [**Carrot Weather**](https://www.meetcarrot.com/weather/?ref=numericcitizen.me): a very popular weather application with a lot of customizable options, with a gorgeous design. Pricey but still useful. Subscription is mandatory, otherwise, pretty useless. My review of this application is available [here](https://numericcitizen.me/2022/03/04/my-experience-with-carrot-weather/). If you are a weather enthusiast or if you know of a really good weather-centric app, drop me a comment about it in the comments section below this blog post. ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/numericcitizen.me/wp-content/uploads/2021/02/ventusky-website.png) Ventusky website. Click to enlarge ### OMG — I’ve Been Unsplashed! URL: https://numericcitizen.me/ive-been-unsplashed/ Last updated: 2023-03-23T16:48:08.000Z ![Congratulations from Unsplash ](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/numericcitizen.me/wp-content/uploads/2021/01/unsplash-congratulations.png) Congratulations from Unsplash If you’ve been following me for some time, you know how much I’m fond of **Unsplash**. I’ve been a contributing member since the early days of Unsplash. Over the years, Unsplash expanded its platform in many directions (not all of which I’m happy with, by the way). I had the chance to be featured a few times, and when this happens, I call this “*being unsplashed*”, stats are booming. Today, I wanted to show you a glimpse of what it looks like to be “unsplashed”! Far from me the idea of bragging about my performance, though. ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/numericcitizen.me/wp-content/uploads/2021/01/dsc_0697.jpg) The latest featured photo [My latest photo](https://unsplash.com/photos/CEdOBTu62Hk?ref=numericcitizen.me) to be featured is a black and white one I took last spring during our first confinement. It was during a long walk and snapped this seemingly ordinary photo. I wasn’t expecting the picture to be featured at all when I chose to upload it on Unsplash. This photo was part of a bunch of photos I uploaded after many months without contributing to the community. ![My Unsplash all time views statistics ](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/numericcitizen.me/wp-content/uploads/2021/01/all-time-views-unsplash.png) My Unsplash all time views statistics Being featured means the photo makes it to the feed on the Unsplash main page, which provides the best exposure one can get. The included graphs show how many views and downloads I have got since the beginning. The big spike on the right is the consequence of being unsplashed. I suspect the height of the spike compared to previous ones reflects how popular the service has become over the years. It’s nice when people recognize your favourite art expression. ![My Unsplash all time downloads statistics ](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/numericcitizen.me/wp-content/uploads/2021/01/all-time-downloads-unsplash.png) My Unsplash all time downloads statistics --- Finally, on a related note, Unsplash updated their iOS app to version 2.0\. The update brings better navigation as well as an improvement to the statistics dashboard view. The upload workflow has been improved, but I did not fully test it. ### Numeric Citizen Introspection Newsletter #6 URL: https://numericcitizen.me/2021-01/ Last updated: 2024-08-12T11:17:15.000Z Here is the **Numeric Citizen Introspection Newsletter #6** for **January of 2021**. For this first issue of 2021, I made a few visual and formatting tweaks as Substack allows for a bit more control on that front. Now, let’s start with this month’s post highlights. # **Highlights from [my microblog](https://numericcitizen.micro.blog/?ref=numericcitizen.me)** - Are you documenting your life with journaling apps like DayOne? [Some people do have a rigorous ](https://numericcitizen.micro.blog/2021/01/02/documenting-our-numeric.html?ref=numericcitizen.me)routine. - As much as I love my new M1-based Mac mini, [I hate the Bluetooth connectivity issues plaguing this device](https://numericcitizen.micro.blog/2021/01/02/bluetooth-issues-is.html?ref=numericcitizen.me). A fix is expected soon from Apple. - Do you struggle to find a good bookmarking tool? [Choices are aplenty](https://numericcitizen.micro.blog/2021/01/04/pinboard-pocket-raindrop.html?ref=numericcitizen.me). - For 2020, I didn’t write a year review. [Find out why](https://numericcitizen.micro.blog/2021/01/04/why-i-didnt.html?ref=numericcitizen.me). - For 2021, I have a new writer goal: [better engagement](https://numericcitizen.micro.blog/2021/01/04/a-new-kind.html?ref=numericcitizen.me). - Mailbrew, one service that I use a lot, received a massive update. [I love it even more](https://numericcitizen.micro.blog/2021/01/13/mailbrew-is-getter.html?ref=numericcitizen.me)! - [I have a wish](https://numericcitizen.micro.blog/2021/01/24/the-challenges-with.html?ref=numericcitizen.me) for social networks. # **Highlights from [my Medium page](https://numericcitizen.medium.com/?ref=numericcitizen.me)** - I got a pair of Apple’s AirPods Max. [Read my observations](https://medium.com/macoclock/im-not-an-audiophile-but-here-are-my-thoughts-on-apple-s-airpods-max-2feec08d7e34?ref=numericcitizen.me). - [“You’re on mute”](https://medium.com/numeric-citizen-tidbits/youre-on-mute-7935cef62554?ref=numericcitizen.me). After more than ten months of work from home, it seems people never learn. - Learn how [my creative energy saved me ](https://medium.com/numeric-citizen-tidbits/friday-notes-7-writing-saved-my-morale-during-this-covid-19-pandemic-6c6bb1e46b0c?ref=numericcitizen.me)during this COVID-19 pandemic. # **Highlights from [Numeric Citizen Blog](https://numericcitizen.me/)** - I finally got my **AirPods Max**! Read [my thoughts](https://numericcitizen.me/2021/01/03/im-not-an-audiophile-but-here-are-my-thoughts-on-apples-airpods-max/) on them! - Have you ever thought of changing the email address associated with your Apple ID? [Here is how to do it](https://numericcitizen.me/2021/01/03/changing-your-apple-id-email-address-2/). - [My story](https://numericcitizen.me/2021/01/08/the-story-of-a-90-minutes-photowalk-to-nowhere/) behind **a 90 minutes Photowalk to nowhere**. - Are you a Twitter user? Would you like to reinvent your Twitter experience and get back some control? Read my just-published guide: “**[The Ultimate Twitter Tips and Tricks Guide: Mastering Twitter Lists](https://numericcitizen.me/2021/01/24/the-ultimate-twitter-tips-and-tricks-for-mastering-your-twitter-experience/)**”. # **Apple tidbits worth my attention** January is usually a slow month in the Apple world. Yet, the Internet produced a few interesting tidbits. 1️⃣ The **original iPhone** announcement anniversary by Steve Jobs. It was in 2007\. Time flies. A few of [my thoughts](https://numericcitizen.micro.blog/2021/01/10/on-the-original.html?ref=numericcitizen.me). A great Twitter [thread by Steven Sinofsky](https://twitter.com/stevesi/status/1348041420058161152?s=21&ref=numericcitizen.me), a guy who was working for Microsoft at the time. [34 seconds](https://twitter.com/basicappleguy/status/1347969191169511424?s=21&ref=numericcitizen.me) of pure joy watching Steve Jobs. A great piece of tech history for sure. 2️⃣ Speaking of **Steve Jobs**, did you know that you can watch all of his appearances at the well-known **D: All Things Digital** conferences? Thanks to [Walt Mossberg](https://twitter.com/waltmossberg/status/1349119817115119616?s=21&ref=numericcitizen.me). Go to Apple’s Podcast with this [link](https://podcasts.apple.com/ca/podcast/steve-jobs-at-the-d-all-things-digital-conference-video/id529997900?ref=numericcitizen.me). Those were great moments. 3️⃣ [Apple seems on the verge of undoing five years of non-sense](https://numericcitizen.micro.blog/2021/01/17/apple-is-undoing.html?ref=numericcitizen.me) on its **MacBook Pro**. Gone will be the **TouchBar**. Back is the **MagSafe** power connector. We’ll get a few more ports. And voilà, the 2021 MacBook Pro, according to mounting rumours. About the MagSafe connector's return: what happens with charging through a USB-C port? Isn’t it redundant? 4️⃣ **Apple’s Q1FY21** financial results are out, and they are mind-blowing. [MacStories has a nice round-up](https://www.macstories.net/news/apple-breaks-records-with-1114-billion-in-revenue-for-q1-2021/?ref=numericcitizen.me), [Six Colors too](https://sixcolors.com/post/2021/01/q1-2021-financial-results-apples-latest-record-holiday-quarter/?ref=numericcitizen.me). [Apple’s Impeccable Timing.](https://techpinions.com/apples-impeccable-timing-i-e-why-apple-crushed-iphone-sales-records/60440?ref=numericcitizen.me)Apple is still the “**iPhone company**”, but every segment of its business is in sync and contributes to its bottom line. All numbers are up by a wide margin compared to the same period a year ago. Is Apple stoppable? Before trying to answer this question, think about **Intel** or **IBM**. [Subscribe now](https://numericcitizen.me/subscribe/) # **Some of my photos that came to light** ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/public/images/06b296d6-7a69-4236-a3ce-60997fb61c72_1024x768.jpeg) The empty park. The previous picture is part of a series taken during a 90 minutes **Photowalk** to nowhere. Read the [behind the scene story](https://numericcitizen.me/2021/01/08/the-story-of-a-90-minutes-photowalk-to-nowhere/). I pushed out [an update](https://numericcitizen-visualspace.com/the-perfect-imperfections-series/lighting-up-2021?ref=numericcitizen.me) to my **Numeric Citizen Visual space** to mark the beginning of the new year. Some light at the end of the tunnel? # **Must see photography stuff** You probably already know about **Unsplash**. The well-known service released a **[visual search](https://unsplash.com/blog/introducing-visual-search/?ref=numericcitizen.me)**[ feature](https://unsplash.com/blog/introducing-visual-search/?ref=numericcitizen.me) recently, and it is pretty cool. Read [my thoughts](https://numericcitizen.micro.blog/2021/01/08/unsplash-is-growing.html?ref=numericcitizen.me) on it. Searching for a particular photo is now much easier than before. Speaking of Unsplash, the **[Unsplash Awards for 2020](https://unsplash.com/blog/unsplash-awards-2020-selections/?ref=numericcitizen.me)** is out! There are so many great photos on this list—my preferred one. Benjamin Suter follows. ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/public/images/fc0d2f8d-41bb-481c-a17f-79588dec77d0_1500x1875.jpeg) Great architecture, great lighting, a well-placed focus point, bravo. Tempted by a mirrorless camera. Nikon updated them. Do you know about the **[Insta360 camera brand](https://www.insta360.com/?ref=numericcitizen.me)**? I didn’t until this month. I spent some time on their website. It is intriguing. If the pandemic was over and I had a long trip planned in front of me, I would seriously consider getting one of these cameras. **Physical Photos processing centers are closing at Costco’s**. Prints are more than ever a thing of the past. When I started to be interested in photography, I remember we had to wait two weeks before getting our prints from photo processing services. Competition mounted, and the delay eventually came down to a few days. We’re in such a different world with our smartphones. This year, Apple continues with their **“[Shot on iPhone](https://www.apple.com/newsroom/2021/01/shot-on-iphone-12-portraits-cityscapes-the-night-sky-and-more/?ref=numericcitizen.me)”** series, this time with the **iPhone 12**. This year again, Apple has a great photo selection to show how “great” the iPhone 12 can be. My preferred one is certainly the one from Dubai. Quite impressive. [Things are not looking good for ](https://petapixel.com/2021/01/19/nikon-to-focus-on-mirrorless-as-it-anticipates-historic-720m-loss/?ref=numericcitizen.me)**[Nikon](https://petapixel.com/2021/01/19/nikon-to-focus-on-mirrorless-as-it-anticipates-historic-720m-loss/?ref=numericcitizen.me)**. Mirrorless camera-only to the rescue? I doubt it. 🧐 # **Climate change issues** **What can we expect for 2021** for the earth's climate trends? Hard to say, according to [this Time article](https://www.notion.so/numericcitizen/Climate-Change-2021-What-to-Expect-Time-b5562d083d5a444187fd2ee50ccfbcc4?ref=numericcitizen.me#a07980ab15e24ab5b780b19d276234b6). Yet, experts have no reason to believe damaging trends to be reversed. Reduced economic activities, thanks to COVID-19, is not enough to guarantee a positive effect on climate. 📈 From probably permanent arctic ice melting to longer than usual hurricanes season, **[ten signs that climate change is accelerating](https://petapixel.com/2021/01/19/nikon-to-focus-on-mirrorless-as-it-anticipates-historic-720m-loss/?ref=numericcitizen.me)**. 🌪🌬🌊 # **Privacy stuff we should care about** Are you thinking of switching your messaging application? Maybe you considered **Telegram** over **Signal**? Think again. [Telegram may not be as secure](https://restoreprivacy.com/secure-encrypted-messaging-apps/telegram/?ref=numericcitizen.me) as advertised. Have you ever listened to the excellent “[Security Now](https://twit.tv/shows/security-now?ref=numericcitizen.me)” podcast from Twit with Steve Gibson and Leo Laporte? It is a must if you are interested in cybersecurity, security threats and vulnerabilities. I found a way to listen to this podcast every day while doing my morning walk before going virtually to work. For an IT guy like me, it is informative and… scary to hear all these stories. As someone who values privacy protection, I decided to switch from **Google Analytics** to **Plausible**, a great alternative. [Read all the details here](https://numericcitizen.me/2021/01/27/here-is-why-i-switched-from-google-analytics-to-plausible/). > [](https://twitter.com/apple%5Fobserver/status/1351158685599338496?ref=numericcitizen.me) January 28th was the data privacy day. I didn’t know that. Now I know, [thanks to Mr. Phillip Schiller](https://twitter.com/pschiller/status/1354671019651284994?ref=numericcitizen.me). I paid a visit to [Apple’s privacy web page](https://www.apple.com/privacy/?ref=numericcitizen.me). What I found is a super nicely designed page with highlights of Apple’s ecosystem privacy-focused features. **To me, Apple’s privacy stance is a product, not a feature.** 😎 **[A Day in the Life of Your Data](https://www.apple.com/privacy/docs/A%5FDay%5Fin%5Fthe%5FLife%5Fof%5FYour%5FData.pdf?ref=numericcitizen.me) (PDF)** from Apple’s privacy website is a fiction story used to elaborate on what happens to your private data in normal daily life. Really well done. And scary. ☹️ # **Quotes to remember** > With the shift to in-house silicon, Apple has flipped the PC world on its head by offering a device that defied the conventional tradeoffs of what we've come to expect from a computer. — **Basic Apple Apple on Twitter** > Apple Silicon represents something entirely new. It’s built specifically to integrate with Apple products. More importantly, it enables Apple to actualize its vision for future products on its own terms. — **Ken Segall** > The influence of social media has created a perspective in artists that they need to produce masterful quality works in a large enough quantity so that they can be shared on an almost daily basis. this is an impossible standard that forces artists to create uninspired work. - **Robert Saint Rich on Twitter** > Toxic content is profitable because ads can be targeted by personal data. Ban ads like that and you remove the profit motive to shovel shit into as many eyeballs as possible. The internet will not start healing until this is done. **DHH on Twitter** > Today is one of those days where I can’t stop thinking that mobile technology and the social media apps it gave rise to are some of the worst things to happen to our world. — **Joanna Stern** > 5G conspiracy theories are partly a side-effect of people hyping 5G as Radically! New! And! Amazing! rather than the boring iterative improvement in network efficiency that it mostly is. — **Benedict Evans** > The problem with software eating the world is that the only good software ever to exist was OS X Snow Leopard — **Nilay Patel** > We’re coming in on a year of using video calls to stay connected, and none of the old-line providers has stepped up their game. Webex, Skype, FaceTime, and Meet all seem stuck. Zoom is now a player, but it’s just mediocre. None of these services feels like the future. — **Ken Kocienda** # **What’s next? I’m glad you asked!** I started the year with the goal to write a **year in review** at the end of **2021**. For this purpose, I started taking notes in the beloved **Craft** application. I divided my notes into three sections: writing, personal life, photography. I can’t wait to see if I’ll keep up the required discipline for doing such a thing. I’m trying to finish up a few feature articles. One is about Craft. It takes time. I’m back to a full-time job now after a great three-week holiday vacation. Finally, I’m mostly done with a big update to my **Gurushots** **Tips, Tricks and cheat sheet**. You can find [the original version](https://numericcitizen.me/2018/12/01/gurushots-tips-tricks-and-cheat-sheet/) on my main blog. # **Leftovers** 1️⃣ The current pandemic will leave many indelible traces in our lives. Did you know that **the 1918 pandemic** had many influences on how houses are designed today? White kitchen tiles and powder rooms on the first floor are great examples. Interesting article from [the Architectural Digest](https://www.architecturaldigest.com/story/subway-tile-design-in-epidemics?ref=numericcitizen.me). As my father was an architect for his whole professional life, we used to receive these magazines at home every month. Oh, and another example of the 1918 pandemic: [radiators](https://twitter.com/missbreton/status/1336349534398472197?s=21&ref=numericcitizen.me). I lived in an old apartment in Montreal, Canada, with one of these under each window. See the following picture. ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/public/images/890b72e9-d177-4ac1-8aef-0cb8c479be6a_1000x750.png) An old apartment where I lived from 1997 to 2005. 2️⃣ For this newsletter issue, I decided to use **Craft** instead of **Notion** to gather information tidbits required for such a newsletter. I had to redo my newsletter template within Craft and copy some data from Notion to Craft. The process was a bit tedious. It’s the only way for me to compare both tools. So far, I prefer Craft over Notion for this purpose. 3️⃣ **The expert**. Watch this funny video. I’m the expert, just like him, in my daytime job. Not always funny, if you ask me. 4️⃣ Final thought. > [](https://twitter.com/donwinslow/status/1335770914860855296?ref=numericcitizen.me) 5️⃣ I'm not too fond of meetings. In fact, if meetings were productive, I would love them. But… > [](https://twitter.com/kocienda/status/1346139039510876161?ref=numericcitizen.me) > [](https://twitter.com/kocienda/status/1346139136390905856?ref=numericcitizen.me) --- This concludes the **Numeric Citizen Introspection Newsletter #6** for **January** of 2021\. I would love to get your feedback and read your comments. Thanks for being a subscriber. Thanks for reading! 🙏🏻 ### Here is why I Switched from Google Analytics to Plausible URL: https://numericcitizen.me/here-is-why-i-switched-from-google-analytics-to-plausible/ Last updated: 2023-11-12T17:52:23.000Z ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/numericcitizen.me/wp-content/uploads/2021/01/from-google-analytics-to-plausible.png) I’m an IT guy who happens to value privacy protection. I always liked statistics in my job. When managing or auditing a datacenter, for example, I depend on performance statistics and efficiency statistics for many tasks. At home, I use iStats Menu on my Mac and I love seeing what is going once inside. It is the same for my numeric life with [my blogging workflow](https://numericcitizen.me/2020/11/28/my-updated-blogger-workflow-as-of-2020-11/). I like to see what is going on. I’ve been using ***Google Analytics*** since 2010 when I started with Google’s Blogger (you can [see a sample in the web archive](http://web.archive.org/web/20100412141407/http://buildingiphoneapps.com/)). At that time, I ran a blog about being an indie iOS apps developer. Until now, Google Analytics was my go-to solution to get an overview of my blogs’ traffic. As someone who values privacy protection, it’s time to walk the talk. It’s time for a change. It’s time for a more privacy protection oriented solution. [Google Analytics is not privacy protection friendly](https://adalytics.io/blog/ip-address-leak?ref=numericcitizen.me). This is where ***Plausible***, a capable Google Analytics alternative, comes into play. After using it for 30 days, I’m all in. Here is why I dumped Google Analytics and switched to Plausible. ![Google analytics dashboard on Databox](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/numericcitizen.me/wp-content/uploads/2021/01/jean-francois-martin-wordpressmicro.blog_.png) Google analytics dashboard on Databox Plausible is [open source](https://github.com/plausible/analytics?ref=numericcitizen.me). Plausible took less than five minutes to set up on two of my blogs. Support questions were rapidly answered. Metrics are less comprehensive than Google Analytics, but they are more than good enough for my needs. Plausible is a web-only solution. The lack of official APIs prevents the creation of native apps for iOS. [But APIs are on the roadmap](https://github.com/plausible/analytics/discussions/637?ref=numericcitizen.me#discussioncomment-299943). Things will change and improve on that front eventually. Graphs options are ok, not as versatile as I would like, but it is good enough. Plausible is $4/month, billed annually. *Who said privacy protection is a free ride?* ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/numericcitizen.me/wp-content/uploads/2021/01/plausible-home-page.png) By switching to Plausible, I made another important decision too: I decided to make my blogs’ visitors stats publicly available. It’s not a matter of bragging about how my sites are popular (or not). Some bloggers don’t bother thinking about their visitor statistics. I do. Until now, I rarely talked about that. [One exception](https://numericcitizen.me/2019/12/27/a-sour-taste/) is when Google makes changes to their search algorithm, which can dramatically impact my visitor statistics. You can look at my main blog, Numeric Citizen, analytics ***[here](https://plausible.io/numericcitizen.me?ref=numericcitizen.me)*** and Numeric Citizen microblog analytics ***[here](https://plausible.io/numericcitizen.micro.blog?ref=numericcitizen.me)***. ![Numeric Citizen blog visitors stats with Plausible](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/numericcitizen.me/wp-content/uploads/2021/01/plausible--c2-b7-numericcitizen.me_.png) Numeric Citizen blog visitors stats with Plausible There is another reason why I decided to terminate my Google Analytics usage. WordPress already provides visitor analytics. By using Google’s analytics, it felt redundant. For my microblog, there is no such thing as visitor statistics. Plausible help me here to get a sense of what’s going on with it. By switching to Plausible, some apps and services tied to Google Analytics are no longer needed. Numerico which had many nice iOS 14 widgets and Databox service which was tapping into my Google Analytics data to create dashboards are no longer required and have been deleted and cancelled. Switching from Google Analytics to Plausible was not only painless, but it was also necessary. Sure I loved the breath of statistics, graphs and dashboards that comes with Google Analytics, but did I need all this? Nope. The year 2021 started with a “digital reset” mindset for me. My switch to Plausible is part of this trend. ### The Ultimate Twitter Tips and Tricks for Mastering Your Twitter Experience URL: https://numericcitizen.me/the-ultimate-twitter-tips-and-tricks-for-mastering-your-twitter-experience/ Last updated: 2024-09-17T11:24:44.000Z This article is about giving you the most effective tips and tricks to master your Twitter experience. It is all about taking advantage of Twitter lists, muted words and hashtags, using the best Twitter client and even third-party services like Mailbrew. ![My Twitter profile after the curation](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/numericcitizen.me/wp-content/uploads/2021/01/cover-image.png) My Twitter profile after the curation Estimated reading time: 13 minutes Over the years, the list of people that I follow on Twitter grew out of control. As a matter of fact, at the beginning of 2021, I was following more than 2300 Twitter accounts. My timeline became so noisy, its usefulness slowly decreased. From news outlets, Apple pundits, photographers, designers to tech people, my timeline was a messy melting pot. As a consequence, my Twitter experience suffered and became a non-productive and time-consuming one. > “Twitter and Facebook still feel too much like shouting into the void and waiting for the replies. Many of which never arrive because we all have hundreds of people to follow and simply can’t keep up with it all. Clicking follow on more and more people to give ourselves more and more to look at, for no other reason than ‘that’s just how it’s done’.”Greg Morris It was time for a spring cleanup. [It’s time to make it more personal](https://www.cjchilvers.com/blog/its-time-to-get-personal?ref=numericcitizen.me). Let’s see how I transformed my Twitter experience with the following tips and tricks. ## Tip #1: Creating Twitter lists Before the curation process could start, the first thing was to create theme-based Twitter lists. These populated lists with the most interesting accounts would then allow me to experience Twitter using a theme-based filtered view. With theme-based lists, it is like having many Twitter timelines[1](#fn1). When I started the curation process, my Twitter lists were private, but I decided to make them public. I thought they could be of interest to my followers. By using a meaningful name, a complete description and a great header photo, my Twitter lists were designed to be inviting. People started following many of them probably in part because of the attention in designing them. Also, keep in mind that by adding an account to a list, that account is notified. The user can then take a look at the list and see what it is all about. When creating a list, it is best to enable the “***Don’t show these Tweets in Home***” option. To keep my home timeline free of unwanted tweets coming from the list’s members. Also, most of my lists display the tweets in chronological order[2](#fn2). It’s mandatory to keep control of my Twitter experience. ## Tip #2: Unfollow staled accounts After creating my Twitter list, it was time to populating them. But first, a cleanup was needed. According to [this study](https://www.poynter.org/tech-tools/2019/10-percent-of-twitter-users-create-80-percent-of-all-tweets-study-finds/?ref=numericcitizen.me), 10% of accounts on Twitter create 80% of the content. In other words, there are a lot of staled or “observers-only” accounts. Because of their stale state, they don’t belong to a Twitter list. By using a service like [Untweeps](https://untweeps.com/?ref=numericcitizen.me), I quickly removed many hundreds of accounts.[3](#fn3) I chose to unfollow an account that didn’t post a tweet in the last 60 days. It was a good start, but it wasn’t enough. Unfollowing people wasn’t mandatory, but I wanted to bring down my accounts following count to be less than my followers count[4](#fn4). Next, the curation of Twitter accounts step began. Each day, while scrolling through my home timeline, I curated accounts by either migrating them to one of my Twitter lists or unfollowing them altogether if it was no longer required to follow the guy. I made an exception for protected Twitter accounts: I didn’t unfollow them but I did put them in a list. Otherwise, putting them in a list without following them would remove the visibility of their tweets on the timeline. ![Example of migrating a Twitter account to a Twitter list.](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/numericcitizen.me/wp-content/uploads/2021/01/migrate-an-account-to-list.gif) Migrating a Twitter account to a Twitter list (big 28 megs GIF, wait for it) A note on managing many lists with the official Twitter client: my most frequently used lists are pinned to the top of my home timeline, making it easy to switch to another list. But pinned lists settings are per device only. Also, a Twitter user can be a member of more than one Twitter list. For example, I used to follow many indie iOS developers who are also designers; they fit my ***Devs*** list and my ***Designers-UI-UX*** list. ## Tip #3: Using muted words and hashtags Another important tip is to use muted words to remove even more noise from my different timelines. In recent months, there were many discussions surrounding the American presidency. I had no choice but to use a lot of muted words. I made sure they were applied to my home timeline as well as to my lists, search results and mentions as shown in the following screenshot. ![Muting words and hashtags](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/numericcitizen.me/wp-content/uploads/2021/01/twitter-mute-filters.png) Muting words and hashtags Muted words are easier to manage in Tweetbot than with the official Twitter. They don’t sync between devices which is annoying. I had trouble finding them on Twitter, but they are readily accessible in Tweetbot. ## Tip #4: Remove unsolicited content Twitter still keeps control of a certain aspect of the timeline. For example, any members of my lists who happen to like a tweet will push that tweet to my timeline. I cannot change this behaviour. The same thing happens with replies from people who are members of one of my lists[5](#fn5). Also, subscribing to Twitter topics (like “Apple”) triggers tweets to show up on my home timeline. I decided to unfollow any topics because of that. ![Twitter topic about Apple](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/numericcitizen.me/wp-content/uploads/2021/01/twitter-topic.png) Twitter topic about Apple Similar to people’s likes, retweets by other Twitter users are uncontrolled. I still get many retweets in my home timeline. Why? Many of my lists already contained members added a long time ago and I forgot to unfollow them. If these users retweet someone, I would get their retweets on my home timeline. To fix this issue, unfollowing the users does the trick. For those accounts that I still wish to follow, turning off the retweet on them also fixes the problem. ![Turning off retweets](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/numericcitizen.me/wp-content/uploads/2021/01/turning-off-retweets.png) Turning off retweets Finally, other unsolicited contents are ads. To stop their occurrence, I returned to the excellent third-party Twitter client: Tweetbot. But not all features are available as per the limitations of the Twitter APIs available to third-party apps. What about those numerous [promoted tweets](https://medium.com/@LanceUlanoff/my-twitter-feed-is-a-garbage-dump-of-bad-ads-857468a9aa0d?ref=numericcitizen.me)? Simple: as stated earlier, I don’t use the Twitter official application anymore. I rely on Tweetbot instead 95% of the time. Promoted tweets don’t show up. ## Tip #5: Use Mailbrew digests The Twitter experience goes beyond using a Twitter client. This is where Mailbrew comes into play (read [my review of Mailbrew here](https://numericcitizen.me/2020/04/07/my-review-of-mailbrew-a-powerful-and-time-saving-internet-information-aggregator/)). There is one Twitter list that I keep private, it is called “***Under Observation***”. This list is reserved for a melting pot of accounts that are highly interesting. This list is the source of a newsletter generated with Mailbrew. While surfing my Twitter timeline, if a user looks interesting, I’ll add it to this list before following him or adding it to other lists. On Mailbrew, I added this Twitter list as the source in a private brew. What Mailbrew is doing for me is to get a maximum of 100 popular tweets from users on this Twitter list. A maximum of five tweets per user to make sure a single user doesn’t flood my digest. My next digest only contains the most popular tweets from this Twitter account under observation. It’s pretty clever, isn’t it? ![Using a Twitter list as a source in Mailbrew](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/numericcitizen.me/wp-content/uploads/2021/01/mailbrew-twitter-source.png) Using a Twitter list as a source in Mailbrew ## Now what? Some unexpected side effects By unfollowing someone who happens to follow me, it could trigger an unfollow back[6](#fn6). The other guy might interpret your unfollow as a negative signal. To mitigate that, sending a DM to users explaining why I was unfollowing them helped. Adding someone on a list usually sends a notification to the other user also helping to mitigate the bad impression this might leave. I’m still not done with my Twitter reset yet. The curation process is still ongoing. My Twitter experience is greatly improved. A side effect of timelines being much more focused is that ***my*** **time spent on Twitter decreased significantly**. In other words, not only I took back control of my Twitter experience, I’ve got more time off the platform to spend on other things. I didn’t expect that. There are a few downsides of this massive unfollow of Twitter accounts that you should be aware of. Internet services that depend on Twitter for specific features were unexpectedly affected by my account’s curation. For example, Substack allows you to discover other newsletters by connecting to my Twitter profile and see which accounts I’m following. The same goes for [Nuzzle](http://nuzzel.com/?ref=numericcitizen.me), a news referencing service based on recommendations from Twitter accounts that you follow. The fewer people you follow, the less the content is relevant. > *Overall, not only I took back control of my Twitter experience, I’ve got more time off the platform to spend on other things* Public Twitter lists are visible to all. When someone is visiting my profile, they can see the lists and choose to subscribe to them. It is already happening. I didn’t expect that. Conversely, though, I don’t subscribe to any Twitter list as it makes the experience confusing because the Twitter client doesn’t make a clear distinction between my lists and those that I would subscribe to. ## Which Twitter client to use? A big part of the Twitter experience depends on which Twitter client you use. Up to now, I relied on the official Twitter client, but during this Twitter reset, I returned to Tweetbot for many reasons. First, it is a fast, lightweight and well-designed client[7](#fn7). Nearly all Apple’s hardware platforms are supported. Tweetbot doesn’t display ads or promoted tweets. It is easier to manage list membership with it. The multi-columns view on macOS as shown in the following screenshot is easy to set up and can be modified to my liking. ![Tweetbot three columns view](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/numericcitizen.me/wp-content/uploads/2021/01/tweetbot-three-columns-view.png) Tweetbot three columns view The leftmost column is the Twitter home timeline. The second column displays tweets from a selected Twitter list at the top of the column. And the third column is a list of my latest tweets. Tweetbot also offers a visual cue when new content is available in a timeline with a little gray dot on each list’s right side and a counter at the top of the timeline. It’s convenient. While searching for how to create Twitter collections, I discovered TweetDeck. Twitter collections are displayed within Tweetbot while browsing a Twitter profile, but I didn’t know how to create them. The official Twitter client doesn’t support them, which is weird. They are created using TweetDeck, available at [https://tweetdeck.twitter.com](https://tweetdeck.twitter.om/?ref=numericcitizen.me). It’s not a perfect visual experience, but it does look like my current setup in Tweetbot. ## Quick tour of a few of my Twitter lists To help you create your own lists or maybe find some inspiration for doing so, here is a quick tour of a few of my Twitter lists. One of the very first lists I ever created was “[***Devs***](https://twitter.com/i/lists/2029948?s=20&ref=numericcitizen.me)” back in 2008\. It was meant to group a bunch of indie iOS developers[8](#fn8). This list has more than 275 members. Another list is “[***Apple Focus Guys***](https://twitter.com/i/lists/1346451725402705928?s=20&ref=numericcitizen.me)” which is grouping people who tweet a lot about Apple in general. The list “[***Apps and Services***](https://twitter.com/i/lists/1346445507560960003?s=20&ref=numericcitizen.me)” puts together all the Twitter accounts related to the many services and apps that I use personally, most of them part of [my blogger workflow](https://numericcitizen.me/2020/11/28/my-updated-blogger-workflow-as-of-2020-11/). I definitely encourage you to pay a visit to [my Twitter profile](https://twitter.com/apple%5Fobserver?ref=numericcitizen.me) for a complete view of my Twitter lists. Feel free to follow them as you see fit. ![A sample of my Twitter lists](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/numericcitizen.me/wp-content/uploads/2021/01/my-twitter-lists.png) A sample of my Twitter lists Public lists can be shared with a hyperlink. You can also see that my Twitter account is part of more than 130 Twitter lists, which I find flattering. ## Putting it all together Let’s do a recap. I rarely follow a Twitter account now. Instead, if an account posts interesting things, I’ll add the account to one of my lists. If this account is highly interesting, I may add it to my “***Under Observation***” list for use in Mailbrew. In summary, a transformed and highly personal Twitter experience is achieved by taking the following actions: | Create Twitter lists based on themes, interests or any other topics of your choice. | | ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ | | Provide a meaningful list name, description and don’t forget to put a nice photo for the header. | | Enable chronological order on each Twitter list. | | Unfollow unused or staled accounts. | | Unfollow any Twitter topics. | | Use muted words and hashtags to filter out undesired content. | | Disable retweets as much as possible on the account you still follow. | | Migrate any followed accounts to a Twitter list then unfollow these accounts. | | Only keep the very most important Twitter account to a minimum for your home timeline. | | Use Mailbrew to generate a digest of Twitter account of special interests. | | Skip ads and promoted tweets by using a third-party client only like Tweetbot. | --- ## Final words What about my home timeline? When I’m done with my curation process, It will become a timeline of VIPs. I’d like to follow only a few hundreds of the most interesting accounts. Nothing more, nothing less. It’s been a long but fruitful journey. I’m now following less than a thousand9 accounts instead of 2300 before my Twitter reset. Using Tweetbot to spend some time on Twitter is a delightful experience. Depending on my mood or objectives, I always have the right timeline theme on hand that will support my interests of the moment. It is priceless. 1. With Twitter lists, you don’t have to follow a Twitter account to see their tweets. That’s the key. [↩](#ffn1) 2. I’m not too fond of those algorithm-based timelines. ↩ 3. Periodically using Unsweeps should be done periodically, in my opinion. ↩ 4. It is a psychological thing for me. When I look at people’s profiles, if they follow much more people than they’ve got followers, I’m suspicious. It’s irrational, probably. ↩ 5. I guess Twitter wants engagement. ↩ 6. Actually, it wasn’t that bad. Actually, my followers count increased. 3 ↩ 7. The official Twitter client always has been slow to start, and its design is uninspired. [↩](#ffn7) 8. I’ve been an indie iOS developer myself from 2009 to 2013\. [↩](#ffn8) 9. This number keeps going down by the day. [↩](#ffn9) ### Winter can be Beautiful URL: https://numericcitizen.me/winter-can-be-beautiful/ Last updated: 2023-03-23T16:48:08.000Z ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/numericcitizen.me/wp-content/uploads/2021/01/img_7171.jpg) I don’t often post pictures of mine here, but this one had to be. I like it a lot. It was a mild winter day with some fog in the morning. It’s was a perfect setup to go out for a quick photowalk. On my way into the park, this person probably had the same mindset but to have a walk with the dog. The timing was perfect. I took four pictures of the scene. That’s the best one. Hope you enjoy. Take care. ### Changing your Apple ID Email Address URL: https://numericcitizen.me/changing-your-apple-id-email-address-2/ Last updated: 2023-03-23T16:47:32.000Z **So you would like to change the main email address used with your Apple ID? Here is my experience. It was (mostly) a great one.** Here is the situation: your Apple ID uses an email address like [myname@myisp.com](mailto:myname@myisp.com) but you would like to use a different one like [myname@icloud.com](mailto:myname@icloud.com) or just something to your liking. It used to be impossible to do this kind of change without creating a new Apple ID which was not really a good solution. But now, Apple allows this. Here how I did it. According to this support article from Apple ([https://support.apple.com/en-ca/HT202667](https://support.apple.com/en-ca/HT202667?ref=numericcitizen.me)), you have to sign off from iCloud on all of your devices (iOS, macOS, tvOS and watchOS). This process can be seen as a simple one by some or cumbersome by others… I was one of the latter. Personally, as a big user of iCloud services, I knew I was about to enter a big journey. I’m a paying user for 2 TB of storage, my photo library contains more than 32 000 photos, I subscribe to Apple Music, I use Notes a lot and everything is synced across all my devices. ![1*b2JX55mNh9rfXv3W5JCcuQ](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/numericcitizen.me/wp-content/uploads/2018/03/1b2jx55mnh9rfxv3w5jccuq.png) iCloud control panel on macOS 10.13 and later First, make sure you’ve got your base covered. - All devices should be running the latest software releases. - Make sure you use two factors authentication and you have set a trusted phone number at appleid.apple.com because you will need it when you sign back into iCloud on your first device after changing the Apple ID email address. - Know the unlock passcode of all your Apple devices, including your macOS computer if you have one. You will need it at some point. - Have a valid account recovery key stored somewhere that you can get access to easily just in case (you know what this is, right?). - Have an active iCloud backup of your devices or a fresh iTunes backup of your iOS devices (just in case). ***My first recommendation is don’t rush the whole process***. Complete each step before starting another. I’m quite a big Apple user so I have many devices from which to sign off of iCloud. I chose to start with all my Apple TV, then my iPad followed by my iPhone and finally with my iMac. On my Mac, I wanted an easy way to visit [appleid.apple.com](http://appleid.apple.com/?ref=numericcitizen.me) and also fix an issue with my big iCloud Photos library before sign-in back in (more on this later). ![1*RBnx8_PMbxbUJVqAe7c8Ng](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/numericcitizen.me/wp-content/uploads/2018/03/1rbnx8_pmbxbujvqae7c8ng.jpg) I’m a big  user, many many devices uses iCloud services and are signed in Apple TV is the easiest part of the story. I made sure to sign off in iCloud Photo Library, iTunes Store and the App Store and turn off Home Sharing. Then, I did my iPad. By logging off from iCloud on iOS, it triggers the following dialogue box. ![1*BbSUKHlxe0JtFDafkUbDVw](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/numericcitizen.me/wp-content/uploads/2018/03/1bbsukhlxe0jtfdafkubdvw.png) Since all the data is on iCloud, I didn’t want to get a local copy of these so I left all options turned off. The process of removing the data from my iPad took quite a while. Once this status message disappeared, the iOS device still continues to do its cleaning in the background. I was able to get a feeling of the progress by using a widget that shows how much free space there is left on my device. ![1*asBVyhCtv6uTW2iCdHF2bQ](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/numericcitizen.me/wp-content/uploads/2018/03/1asbvyhctv6utw2icdhf2bq.jpg) Be patient here At the end of the data removal process, I was back at 35 GB of free space. I did the same on my iPhone and got the same questions about keeping local copies of my data which I didn’t choose to do. ![1*-EP9ILGe2qcalhZDAOLfCg](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/numericcitizen.me/wp-content/uploads/2018/03/1-ep9ilge2qcalhzdaolfcg.jpg) A widget was telling me how much space the device recovered while removing iCloud data from the device Please, consider this when you are logged off of iCloud on an iOS device: - In iMessage, previously-stored conversations are not deleted but they don’t display real user names as the address book is empty; - In the App Store, you cannot apply updates even if they show up; - In Photos, a partial library may be showing, this is the local copy left by the sign off process; - Apple Music and FaceTime won’t work. On macOS, the sign off process is a bit different. First, macOS has to ask what to do with your iCloud data on your Mac. I choose to remove it altogether as I was confident everything was securely kept on iCloud servers. I guess I like to live dangerously. ![1*d-4SeP76omPTqHVTAGVOcg](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/numericcitizen.me/wp-content/uploads/2018/03/1d-4sep76omptqhvtagvocg.png) If you ever had an issue with iCloud syncing, go ahead and click Continue ![1*jVYpOHq1mE5koLQeJq3R7Q](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/numericcitizen.me/wp-content/uploads/2018/03/1jvypohq1me5kolqejq3r7q.png) The previous dialogue seems to imply that a sync process with my library wasn’t finished. So I chose to download a copy as my computer was having all full-resolution photos and videos (not the case on my iOS devices though). But the download took forever (I waited a few hours) but I couldn’t see any progress. ![1*oLrUn80_bUxRILQ6f1NI8w](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/numericcitizen.me/wp-content/uploads/2018/03/1olrun80_buxrilq6f1ni8w.png) iStat Menu showing network activity I decided to stop the process by turning off iCloud Photo Library from within the Photos.app. Next, I choose to delete all local data and start fresh when I sign back into iCloud later. The next step was to answer a request to decide what to do with Safari passwords. Again, I decided to delete this from my Mac because I was confident to get this back from iCloud servers. ![1*8w4vbaTjC90fmngnP1snLw](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/numericcitizen.me/wp-content/uploads/2018/03/18w4vbatjc90fmngnp1snlw.png) Eventually, macOS removed all my desktop files and my Documents folder. That was expected but that was scary. My iCloud Photo library was empty. I went on [appleid.apple.com](http://appleid.apple.com/?ref=numericcitizen.me) to login with my Apple ID and chose to use the email address that I wanted to associate it with. It was already defined as one of my few email addresses. Since this Apple ID uses two-factor authentication but my only trusted device was my iPhone phone number, I received a six-digit code that I had to enter to confirm my session. Next, that was the time to change my Apple ID email address ![1*SNf1cnc_BfIuYjATSKt31g](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/numericcitizen.me/wp-content/uploads/2018/03/1snf1cnc_bfiuyjatskt31g.png) ![1*3-FPt9e397wh4qgIkmGmrQ](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/numericcitizen.me/wp-content/uploads/2018/03/13-fpt9e397wh4qgikmgmrq.png) When you hit Continue, the change takes place and voilà! The next part is to sign back into iCloud on all your devices… I choose to do it in the reverse order. ![1*UgNQitNaNJ-_ksTsx4cpOQ](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/numericcitizen.me/wp-content/uploads/2018/03/1ugnqitnanj-_kstsx4cpoq.png) When you sign in into iCloud, this triggers a massive download of metadata like address book, password keychain, text replacement strings, etc. Here are a few observations from the sign-in process. - Re-download of iCloud stuff takes a lot of time even with fast internet access… allow 12–24 hours for the whole thing to complete on all devices mostly if you have a really big photo library like mine; - Sign-in in from an iOS device will require the passcode to unlock the device itself; - iCloud sign-in is a slow process as was the sign off process; - You will have to set back the default address used to start a new conversation on iMessage (important when signing in from iPhone last); - You will have to add all Apple Pay cards one by one, on the iPhone first then the Apple Watch and the iPad; - You have to re-enable Apple Watch to unlock your Mac; - Some content won’t be downloaded back to your device except if needed (like Notes… it will trigger a download if you start the Notes.app); -  Music requires to sign back in from within the app but that is not enough. You also need to enable iCloud Music Library from within Settings.app. This is less than optimal; - Your next App Store download will require to confirm your payment information; So there you have it. Hope this will help others to do the same if they need it. ### Fixing a Broken iCloud Photo Library Upload Process URL: https://numericcitizen.me/broken-icloud-photo-library-upload-process-my-story-and-solution/ Last updated: 2023-03-23T16:47:32.000Z If you are like me, you may be experiencing the famous “iCloud Photo Library” stuck uploading items problem on one of your iOS devices. I experienced the issue many times in the past. The cause is unknown. ![iCloud Update Warning](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/numericcitizen.me/wp-content/uploads/2015/01/icloud-update-warning.png) See this discussion on Apple Support forums for more information. This discussion has been viewed by more than five thousand users. [https://discussions.apple.com/thread/6617665](https://discussions.apple.com/thread/6617665?ref=numericcitizen.me) I was tired of waiting for Apple to fix the issue with a more stable release of iOS, so I decided to spend some time fixing the issue. Here is my experience. And yes, the issue is fixed. For now. And yes, I know, this piece of iOS is still in beta. After looking at Apple Discussion Forums extensively, I decided that none of the plans could help me fix the issue. So, my initial plan was: 1. Transfert pictures not uploaded to iCloud to my Mac with Image Capture (I didn’t want to lose them by executing the next step). 2. Turn off iCloud Photo Library on my iPhone 3. Reboot iPhone 4. Turn on iCloud Photo Library on my iPhone Turning off iCloud Photo Libray on my iPhone gave me two warnings: ![IMG_3171](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/numericcitizen.me/wp-content/uploads/2015/01/img_3171.png) My understanding of this warning is that I can choose to download all my pictures currently on iCloud to my device (thus replacing what is on my iPhone). I choose “Remove from iPhone” since I wanted to “clean” my library on my device. Next, I got this warning: ![IMG_3172](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/numericcitizen.me/wp-content/uploads/2015/01/img_3172.png) This warning was also expected because of my first choice. After doing that, iCloud Photo Library (beta) was off and I waited a few minutes for my device to reclaim the space (I use a notification center widget called iMonitor to monitor the status of my device). I was curious to see what has left on the Photos.app so I launched it… What a surprise, all pictures were there but browsing them produced black spaces all over… I decided to reboot my iPhone. The reboot completed and then I came back to the Photos.app and still, all pictures were there and the same behaviour while trying to browse them. I then opened Settings.app and General / Usage / Storage and finally Photos & Camera was showing something unexpected: Photo Library was shown taking up 4.3 gigs of space. This is not what I would call a clean state. I decided to go ahead and execute the rest of the initial plan, turn iCloud Photo Library ON and see how things go. Here is how iOS shows the space usage before turning back on iCloud Photo Library: ![FullSizeRender](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/numericcitizen.me/wp-content/uploads/2015/01/fullsizerender.jpg) The sort order is wrong. Photos & Camera should be at the top of the list. ![FullSizeRender+-+2](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/numericcitizen.me/wp-content/uploads/2015/01/fullsizerender-2.jpg) Turning on iCloud Photo Library again didn’t produce the expected behaviour. The iPhone stated that 711 pictures had to be uploaded to iCloud. I waited for the process to update a few minutes and found out that the uploading was still jammed! But, Since I didn’t want to get duplicates all over in my iCloud Photo Library, I stopped the process by turning iCloud Photo Library off again. ![IMG_5602](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/numericcitizen.me/wp-content/uploads/2015/01/img_5602.png) My understanding is this: turning off iCloud Photo Library did not erase the local database of pictures. This could explain why more than 4 gigs of space were still consumed on my iPhone. If I decided to let the process go for a long time, the process would probably still jammed at the same stage: uploading xxx items. A possible conclusion: iOS 8.1.2 is having an issue with one or more items in the picture database that freezes the uploading process. Next step: delete all pictures from my iPhone with Image Capture (an app built-in OS X). With Image Capture, I removed all my pictures from my device (while iCloud Photo Library was still turned off)… My Albums could not be removed this way and I decided to keep them there. Then I re-enabled iCloud Photo Library… sure enough, my iPhone started to re-download all my 5450 pictures from iCloud… and my first try to take a picture and see if it is being uploaded to iCloud was a success. **Conclusion: turning off and on iCloud Photo Library without deleting any remaining pictures on the device doesn’t fix the issue. A full deletion of pictures from the device is mandatory in order to fix the problem once and for all.** Other general notes regarding iCloud Photo Library with iOS 8.1.2: - Updates are slow to propagate to other devices, sometimes I have to wait as much as an hour for changes to be reflected on all devices. - scrolling on iPad Air in Album view is can be laggy which I find very surprising in regard to the power of the device. - There should be a Delete Immediately option available (to bypass the recently deleted album). - Hidden pictures should be hidden everywhere except in the Hidden album. - I cannot understand the need for My PhotoStream option when iCloud Photo Library is active on all devices, expect to allow for photo syncing with iPhoto for OS X. - Rebooting the device can help restart the sync process with iCloud unless you are experiencing the problem documented here. - When enabling iCloud Photo Library, downloading database is relatively fast but updating thumbnails in Photos.app is very slow and takes many hours to complete. Now turning to my iPad to fix the exact same issue. ### I’m not an audiophile, but here are my thoughts on Apple’s AirPods Max URL: https://numericcitizen.me/im-not-an-audiophile-but-here-are-my-thoughts-on-apples-airpods-max/ Last updated: 2023-03-23T16:47:32.000Z ![Me with my AirPods Max](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/numericcitizen.me/wp-content/uploads/2021/01/me-with-airpods-max.jpg) Me with my AirPods Max Last year, the ***HomePod mini*** and the ***AirPods Max*** release made quite some noise (pun intended). For two and opposite reasons: one is surprisingly cheap, the other is way too expensive. There is no middle ground here. Here is my take on the AirPods Max after a week of use ([this is not intended to be a review](https://www.basicappleguy.com/basicappleblog/not-another-airpods-max-review?ref=numericcitizen.me)). First thing first, some background is needed. Before getting the AirPods Max, I owned a pair of original AirPods. [I’m still using a pair of AirPods Pro](https://numericcitizen.me/2019/10/31/airpods-pro/) and a pair of [Bose QC25](https://www.trustedreviews.com/reviews/bose-quietcomfort-25?ref=numericcitizen.me). [I’m not an audiophile](https://500ish.com/pretty-great-pretty-loud-pretty-expensive-pretty-heavy-and-pretty-b540097aa8d2?ref=numericcitizen.me), if you care to know. Those expressing their thoughts on Apple’s AirPods Max feel the need to set the record straight, about being an audiophile or not. Does it make a difference for the appreciation given about their sound quality? It all comes down to something very simple: do I like the sound of the AirPods Max? I used the following [Apple Music playlist](https://music.apple.com/ca/playlist/soundcheck/pl.u-11zBBygTZjGyxD?ref=numericcitizen.me) to test my AirPods Max. I also played the latest release of Daft Punk — [The original soundtrack of Tron Legacy](https://music.apple.com/ca/album/tron-legacy-complete-edition-original-motion-picture/1543824814?ref=numericcitizen.me). I played « [The Elephant Queen](https://tv.apple.com/ca/movie/the-elephant-queen/umc.cmc.1ybrwww83rknjtwiuuemjfbvq?ref=numericcitizen.me) » movie both on my iPad Pro and using my ATV 4K to experience the spatial audio feature. Finally, I wrote part of this review using the excellent [DarkNoise app](https://darknoise.app/?ref=numericcitizen.me). I would have preferred them to be called AirPods Studio instead of AirPods Max. I hate the « Max » moniker to the max. AirPods Max feels cold to the touch at first. Build quality is top-notch; what else should we expect at this price, right? They certainly are heavier than my Bose QC25 but not as heavy as I was expecting. The physical controls are in the right place. I’m happy to see Apple went on the practical road regarding their placement instead of going the route of obsessive form over function. I love the choice of the digital crown. Pausing the music is nearly instantaneous, but restarting it takes around 2 seconds. There is a lovely gentle click sound when turning the volume up or down. Nice touch. The noise cancellation feature is impressive. Wearing the AirPods Max with ANC but without music turns off all the ambient noises in my house, and boy, there are a lot of them. This feature is useful for taking a quick power nap in the afternoon. Experiencing the spatial audio feature is something cool. It’s tough to describe, but I would say it adds a new dimension to the listening experience. Too bad it doesn’t work with the Apple TV, only on the iPad or iPhone. Why? Are the AirPods Max suitable for recording your voice for a podcast, for example? I tested this use case with my M1-based Mac mini and on my iPad Pro using Apple’s Voice Memos. For M1-based Macs owners: if you are affected by the connectivity issue with Bluetooth devices like the mouse or the keyboard, expect sound cut-off while listening to your music with the AirPods Max ([read about my recent experience](https://numericcitizen.micro.blog/2021/01/02/bluetooth-issues-is.html?ref=numericcitizen.me)). Frustrating. Voice recording is also suffering from this. Here are three recordings for you to listen to and compare for yourself. Recording with AirPods Max with M1-based Mac mini --- Recording with AirPods Max with my iPad Pro --- Recording with iPad Pro builtin microphone --- The lack of a power adapter in the box is not an issue for me, but the lack of an RCA jack to lightning cable is dumb if not user-hostile. Come on, Apple, don’t be so greedy. Why is Apple launching its AirPods with a press release? Another mystery to me and to [Neil Cybart from Above Avalon](https://www.aboveavalon.com/notes/2019/11/19/airpods-are-becoming-a-platform?ref=numericcitizen.me) in AirPods Are Becoming a Platform: > One of the more fascinating aspects found with AirPods Pro was how the product was unveiled. Instead of receiving stage time at Apple’s big product event at Steve Jobs Theater one month earlier, AirPods Pro received the press release treatment. When contemplating potential sales, AirPods Pro may end up being the best-selling Apple product that has ever been unveiled with just a press release.Neil Cybart Oh, I almost forgot about… the extra packaging provided in the box! It went to the trash as I couldn’t think of any use for it. 😜 ![Throwing away AirPods Max case?](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/numericcitizen.me/wp-content/uploads/2021/01/2c0863d5-656d-4132-b327-b0023cdf6532.gif) Throwing away AirPods Max case? So, do I like the sound quality of my AirPods Max? Yes. Do they sound better than my Bose QC25? Yes. By a wide margin compared with the price difference with my Bose Q25? No. But, hey, they are wireless, convenient, comfier, have transparency mode, spatial audio and they fit within Apple’s walled garden. As Basic Apple Guy puts it in [his post](https://www.basicappleguy.com/basicappleblog/not-another-airpods-max-review?ref=numericcitizen.me): > Part of Apple’s brilliance, like some pyramid scheme, is that the more you lock yourself up in their ecosystem, the more benefits you’ll uncover.Basic Apple Guy [We shouldn’t be ashamed for loving this 550$ piece of tech](https://gizmodo.com/the-airpods-max-are-annoyingly-incredible-1845966158?ref=numericcitizen.me). I do, and it’s ok. Again, I’m with Basic Apple Guy here: > These conveniences matter a great deal to me, so much so that I’m willing to pay a premium to buy these headphones then I would be to buy a competing pair that didn’t have these technologies.Basic Apple Guy **Conclusion: highly recommended if you are an Apple user willing to pay the price.** ### Remember You Will Die URL: https://numericcitizen.me/remember-you-will-die/ Last updated: 2023-03-23T16:47:33.000Z ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/numericcitizen.me/wp-content/uploads/2021/01/cemetery.jpg) Picture taken by me, in a cemetery close to the town where I was born Yep, that’s right. Repeat: *remember you will die*. A friend of mine started a series on Medium: “*[A Year in the Death.](https://david-27999.medium.com/memento-mori-db834bda529f?ref=numericcitizen.me)*“. I think it will be an interesting one. It seems obvious, but we tend (or hope?) to forget about this very basic fact. His article came out at the same time I read the following from AppleInsider: “*[What to do about Apple devices and iCloud content when the owner dies.](https://appleinsider.com/articles/21/01/02/what-to-do-about-apple-devices-and-icloud-content-when-the-owner-dies?ref=numericcitizen.me)*“. It’s an important subject matter for many reasons, but in a world where the numeric space takes over the physical space for many of us, we have to ask ourselves how we should prepare our survivors to deal with our numeric assets once we are gone. The AppleInsider article touches on a few critical aspects of the challenge. But today, I feel the need to recall one of my article, titled: “*[A Guide for Preparing to Leave Your Numeric Legacy](https://numericcitizen.me/2020/05/16/a-guide-for-preparing-to-leave-your-numeric-legacy/)*“. Please, read it and get yourself ready or tell others to get ready. It’s important and can make a big difference for the survivors. One final thought: *life is beautiful if you accept it as it is, this includes embracing death.* ### One More Thing URL: https://numericcitizen.me/my-2020-visual-highlights/ Last updated: 2023-03-23T16:47:33.000Z ![My 2020 Visual Highlights ](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/numericcitizen.me/wp-content/uploads/2020/12/1a8f6592-b993-4b49-8074-3774e3cd0f92.png) Each picture represents a meaningful moment to me during the year of 2020. ### Apple in 2021 — Things to Look For URL: https://numericcitizen.me/apple-in-2021-things-to-look-for/ Last updated: 2023-03-23T16:47:33.000Z Now is the time of the year to look forward and forge our expectations, set wishes and focus points for Apple in 2021\. A publication like [MacWorld](https://www.macworld.com/article/3601993/what-to-expect-from-apple-in-2021.html?ref=numericcitizen.me) already published their take; here is mine. ### Apple Silicon Transition — Act II The start of the transition to Apple Silicon in 2020 should indicate where Apple will go in 2021\. I’m not expecting the M2 processor just yet but a M1X variant instead for higher-end machines like the 16” MacBook Pro and iMac. More cores, support for more external ports are two things that come on the list of must-have improvements for next year. Next year should bring the long-awaited iMac redesign too. I’m not so sure about a MacBook redesign, though. ### iPadOS — Stop Holding Back the iPad The iPadOS evolution seems to follow a [Tick-Tock strategy](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tick%E2%80%93tock%5Fmodel?ref=numericcitizen.me). Release 14 (a « tick » release) of iPadOS was not as big as release 13 (a « tock » release) was the year before. I would like to see Apple pushing iPadOS and make some tweaks here and there. I’m thinking about giving some love to the iPad multitasking model. Without breaking anything, a lot of people showed with mockups how Apple could make some improvements. Adding visual cues to the apps that have input focus while in split-screen mode is long overdue. Better support for an external monitor is also expected by many which would help create a better differentiation factor for the iPad Pro line. It didn’t come in iOS 14\. Speaking of the Pro line, I think the iPad product line’s current state is a transitive one. In the first half of 2021, I expect Apple to release updated iPad Pro models to make them even more professional in their nature. Screen improvement is one such thing coupled with better external screen support. I’m hoping Apple is not playing the game of crippling the iPad Pro favouring their M1 MacBook Air. Finally, I hope Apple will reverse course on its widgets support and allow for more freedom in their placement on the screen. They can and should position iPadOS with its own personality. Not everything needs to be aligned on iPadOS, iOS and macOS. Is this possible? What about Xcode for iPad you might ask? Nope. Or multiuser support? Not going to happen. Or what about safari extensions? Why not! I’d like to be able to use extensions like Buffer of Grammarly on the iPad for sure. ### Widgets — Act II With the introduction of widgets in iOS 14, the iPhone experience got the most significant upgrade since the initial release of iPhoneOS. With iPhone seeing an increase in system memory every year enabling new features like more interaction possibilities for widgets. Today, widgets are limited to providing a peek at an application’s internal data structures. Widgets could allow for minimal interactions with an application’s specific feature. Widgets 2.0 would provide a richer entry point into an application, just like what App Clips are. I can see this happening in 2021. ### Apple TV Max or Apple TV mini or ? Does Apple still care about its streaming device? An update to their aging Apple TV 4K has been expected for some time. Two things are in dire need of attention from Apple: the remote and the pricing. Can Apple be good at designing remotes for TV players and gaming? I’m not convinced. Do they have to be the same device? I’m not sure either. Should Apple remove the remote from the box and ask customers to use their iPhone instead? I wouldn’t bet against this idea, knowing Apple. On the Apple TV pricing, Apple is not in the game by a wide margin. Recent smart TVs come with the Apple TV application and AirPlay 2 built-in. If Apple wants us to pay for a physical device, it has to provide a clear advantage. The kind of feature only Apple could add is its vertical integration between hardware, software and services. One final thought: the use of the Apple TV moniker is confusing as hell; Apple offers a streaming service with the same name. [I’m coming back to my idea of using the HomePod instead](https://numericcitizen.me/2019/02/12/amazon-google-apple-and-home-networks-my-take/). If Apple stayed in the home networking market, the HomePod name would have been a perfect fit, IMHO. What if Apple named the new Apple TV the HomePod TV? I wouldn’t go too far in thinking about what other features Apple could bring besides being a gaming and streaming device. The inclusion of routing and wireless capabilities could make sense, but will Apple bother? I’m far from convinced. ### Digital-only events The year 2020 proved to be a challenging one for Apple, at many levels. They showed that they can adapt quickly and even take advantage of the situation. Apple’s special events, even in their digital-only form, were nothing less than astonishing. I expect Apple to continue to use this format for at least their WWDC2021 conference. We’ll probably get a special event before, in March or April. For the fall of 2021, all bets are open. I certainly hope Apple will keep their digital event even after the pandemic ends. ### The Watch Face Store This one is a no-brainer to me. Everything is in place: the ability to share a watch face and install a new one from a file. Apps like Buddywatch are sketches of a possible watch face store from Apple. Such a store would allow the ultimate customization experience to the watch. It would help sells more watches and more apps. Some people are wary of copyright issues, but I think the same could be said from the App Store itself. This could be the game changer of 2021. ![image](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/numericcitizen.me/wp-content/uploads/2020/12/27a26677-66cf-49e6-8a21-9c9e0fcc0448.png) Buddywatch ### Miscellany I still have the desire to buy a Mac Pro for my project of creating a data center in a box (see [details here](http://numericcitizen.me/2020/10/29/the-sddcbox-project-part-3-choosing-a-mac-pro-configuration/)). Another wish for 2021, in light of the recent development in regard to the M1 chip performance and efficiency, is for Apple to revisit the Mac Pro pricing. I’m not holding my breath, though. Yet, I cannot see them holding the current pricing so high when a mere M1 Mac mini comes so close to an entry-level Mac Pro in terms of performance. Oh, I almost forgot: fix the autocorrect and text selection on iOS. What about AirTags? I think Apple lost them. I didn’t mention the iPhone 13\. Yeah, it will be faster, probably use the same external design but with different colour options. ### Closing thoughts I don’t expect Apple to outdo its 2020 performance. [It was one of its best year ever](https://numericcitizen.me/2020/12/22/2020-year-in-review-apples-best-year-ever/). After all, things like transitioning to a new CPU architecture for the Mac is done once in a while. Transforming the iPad to support the mouse and keyboard is done once too. Allowing iPadOS and iOS apps to run on macOS is a once in a lifetime achievement. What else can Apple bring to the table in 2021? We have the next 1 months to discover the answers. ### Three Very Personal Wishes for 2021 as a Blogger URL: https://numericcitizen.me/three-very-personal-wishes-for-2021-as-a-blogger/ Last updated: 2023-03-23T16:47:33.000Z ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/numericcitizen.me/wp-content/uploads/2020/12/ray-hennessy-gdtxvsae5sk-unsplash.jpg) Photo by Ray Hennessy on Unsplash I don’t want to spend too much time on what to expect in 2021\. After all, we live in such unpredictable times. But, as a writer, as a blogger, I do have a few personal wishes for the brand new year about to begin. First, I wish to be able to keep my current writing and publishing pace. If the pandemic eases a bit, I know it will become a challenge to keep up. There are so many other things on pause right now besides writing. One example being photography in general. I never took so few pictures in a whole year than I did in 2020\. Another dimension experiencing a pause are social interactions. Hoping for a reversal in 2021, which means a bit less time for writing. We cannot have it both ways, right? Second, my other wish for 2021, I’m being very candid here, is to get a bit more exposure, just being a tad more noticed for my work would be welcomed. Something tells me that I don’t get enough credits for my blogger work, which can be challenging to accept at times. What is funny is, in real life, I’m not the kind of person looking for attention or rewards from others. The latter is always welcomed, but I don’t look for it much. I’m not sure it’s a healthy sign to wish for more credits. Yet, I feel the need to publicly talk about it because I suspect this is something other bloggers could wish for too, at least secretly. Third, and most importantly, staying in good physical and mental health in challenging times like 2020 was is mandatory. Hoping for some relief in 2021\. We all need it, right? Will 2021 be the enabler ground that helps me fulfill my wishes? We’ll see. No matter what happens, I’ll stay focus on my content creator mission. It’s one of the ways to feel alive and well, for me at least. For now, I wish you a happy one. Thanks for reading. If you liked this article, why not say so? ### Five Must-Have Tools for Serious and Efficient Bloggers URL: https://numericcitizen.me/eight-must-have-tools-for-serious-and-efficient-bloggers/ Last updated: 2023-03-23T16:47:33.000Z Successful bloggers publish frequently. They do so on different platforms and consistently. By using a set of tools, active bloggers can meet their busy publishing schedule. These tools help make bloggers more efficient and increase the quality of their work. In this article, I want to present some of the tools that make a real difference in [my blogger workflow](http://numericcitizen.me/2020/11/28/my-updated-blogger-workflow-as-of-2020-11/). Most of them are not free. Some tools are for the iPad, and others are for the Mac or the web. Let’s dig in. ### [Apple Frames](https://www.macstories.net/ios/apple-frames-3-0-completely-rewritten-support-for-iphone-14-pro-and-dynamic-island-new-devices-multiple-display-resolutions-and-more/?ref=numericcitizen.me) (An Apple Shortcut) I recently imposed on myself to never publish a screenshot without processing it through this clever shortcut to put a nice device frame around it. The result is a more professional-looking screenshot in all my blog posts. It takes just a few seconds to process, and the shortcut asks me what to do with the resulting file at the end. ### [Markdown linker](https://github.com/horimislime/safari-markdown-linker?ref=numericcitizen.me) (Safari Extension) This recently discovered safari extension allows me to copy a URL and paste it in markdown format in text editing apps like MarsEdit or while using the native version of Micro.blog app. Copying and pasting a link in Markdown format has never been easier. I made a shortcut version for the iPad, but it’s a work in progress; it only works in the action sheet in Safari. ### [MarsEdit](https://redsweater.com/marsedit/?ref=numericcitizen.me) (A text editor with a Safari extension included) The venerable MarsEdit is a well-known text editor. MarsEdit comes with a Safari Extension. Link posts using this Safari extension are easier to create instead of doing it manually. Selected text on a page is automatically put in a quote block and a reference to the article source before the quoted text. You can edit the template used for this to add your specificities. Very handy. On my iPad, I do have a shortcut that does similar automation for my Micro.blog posts. Another variant of this shortcut is to create a quote from a website. The resulting text saved to the clipboard can is available when needed. Up to me to use it wherever I want. ### [Synology Photos management](https://www.synology.com/en-ca/dsm/feature/moments?ref=numericcitizen.me) (A storage appliance) Synology Moments is a solution to manage all your visual assets for easy access from any device, from anywhere. [I recently started to use this feature](https://numericcitizen.me/2020/12/28/using-synology-nas-for-hosting-my-blogger-visual-assets/) on my Synology DS720+ as I didn’t want my personal iCloud Photos Library to contain assets that are not private photos. ![Synology Moments Library](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/numericcitizen.me/wp-content/uploads/2020/12/synology-moments-web-interface.png) Synology Moments Library ### [IFTTT](https://ifttt.com/?ref=numericcitizen.me) (Web service) This well-known web automation service acts behind the scene in many places of my blogger workflow. One of my applets is to save all microblog post URLs into a Google sheet. When I want to search for one of my previous posts and use the reference, it is easy to do so from the iPad or the web. Another applet lets me create an archive copy of a blog post into Dayone, as documented [here](https://numericcitizen.me/2018/12/22/documenting-your-numeric-life/). IFTTT, in general, has a weird user interface, which makes it harder to use than necessary. I’m subscribing to their paid tier for less than four dollars. ### Putting it all together In summary, as an example, for a single blog post on Micro.blog, tools like the MarsEdit Safari Extension, MarsEdit text editor, and IFTTT all contribute to making my blogger workflow faster and more consistent. For example, while reading an interesting article on the web, MarsEdit Safari extension and text editing feature help me create the initial link post. After hitting the publish button to post the article online, IFTTT will detect a new article on my blog’s RSS feed, an entry will then be saved into a Google Sheet file for reference purposes. One key thing to consider when selecting a tool is the tool’s invocation speed; the quicker, the better. A keyboard shortcut is preferable to a menu bar item. The former is way faster but puts more pressure on your memory because you need to remember all those keyboard combinations. Nothing is free. ### Closing remarks My toolset is not a static thing. I’m constantly looking for improvements ,in my workflow as documented [here](https://world.numericcitizen.io/meta-toolset?ref=numericcitizen.me). When I first published this article in 2020, I was considering two other tools: One is Shortcut Bar and the other is Unclutter. I started using Unclutter in 2021, and I couldn’t live without it. I’m hesitant to go forward with these because they didn’t receive significant updates recently to support the latest releases of macOS. If you are a blogger like me, I hope you made some discoveries that will eventually help you improve your efficiency and consistency. Are you using tools that make a difference in your work? Feel free to share your own experience. You can find all the details about [my latest update to my blogger workflow](https://world.numericcitizen.io/meta?ref=numericcitizen.me). Thanks for reading. ### Using Synology NAS for Hosting my Blogger Visual Assets URL: https://numericcitizen.me/using-synology-nas-for-hosting-my-blogger-visual-assets/ Last updated: 2023-03-23T16:47:33.000Z Managing digital assets can be challenging for content creators like bloggers, digital photographers and video producers. This article exposes a solution to a common problem for those who like to be organized and efficient in their work or even hobbies: *how to manage digital assets without mixing them with your personal photos*. First, let’s start by presenting my challenge as a long time blogger. ### The problem ![Synology Moments iPad App](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/numericcitizen.me/wp-content/uploads/2020/12/synology-moments-ipad-app.png) Synology Moments iPad App Over the years, I created and amassed countless screenshots and diagrams for my articles and blog posts. Up until now, I was using a mix of Apple’s iCloud Photo Library and a folder structure on my computer for storage purposes. By using the same iCloud account on all my devices, these assets are readily available for use; It’s the power and convenience of the Apple ecosystem. What if I don’t like to intermix personal photos with screenshots or other visual assets? That’s the problem I’m trying to solve. Creating albums doesn’t meet my goal. Since Apple doesn’t allow creating multiple iCloud Photo libraries on iOS and iPadOS (it’s possible on macOS’s Photos, though), I’m out of luck. Simple things like assigning keywords, backing up the iCloud Photo Library are not as easy as it should be. Moving everything out of iCloud Photo Library to a folder structure is not a complete solution either. There is a need to find a better solution, and selecting one must meet many essential criteria. With a better understanding of the challenge, we can look at what a solution must have to be considered. ### Must haves The solution must allow assets access from a filesystem (as files and folders; something not possible with iCloud Photo Library) as well as from a library presented visually. The latter usually provides features like searching and indexing. Renaming and moving files around should be allowed without breaking any references in the catalog. A tagging mechanism must be available. Searching must be easy and fast. Assets should be easily protected against hardware or other significant failures. Photos metadata must be exposed and available for search. Restoring data should be flexible, like allowing easy backup content browsing and individual file restores. Content should be available from the Mac or a mobile device like an iPad or an iPhone. Features parity among platforms is also essential to provide the maximum flexibility for managing and accessing the library content. Being able to quickly grab something from the catalog for inclusion in one of my articles is also essential. It should be as easy as it is with iCloud Photo Library. Without these essential features, the solution isn’t a candidate to replace my iCloud Photo Library use. But, that’s not all; other features could add even more value to any possible replacement solution. Let’s see what those are. ### Nice to have Sharing a single file or an album could be useful in some situations. Face recognition would help to search for people when saving photos of public figures. Animated GIF should be supported. Grouping of similar images would be handy as the library grows with albums. Mobile apps should support Apple’s latest operating system releases and technologies they enable, like iPad multitasking, iOS share sheet, etc. Basic photo editing features like flipping and reframing could also be nice to have. Now that the requirements are clearly defined let’s see how a solution came to light quite unexpectedly. ### The solution ![The Synology DS720+ NAS](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/numericcitizen.me/wp-content/uploads/2020/12/synology-nas-ds720.jpg) The Synology DS720+ NAS After getting a [Synology](https://www.synology.com/?ref=numericcitizen.me) [DS720+ NAS](https://www.synology.com/en-ca/products/DS720+?ref=numericcitizen.me) last fall, I spend some time experimenting with the included [Synology Moments application](https://www.neowin.net/news/review-of-three-new-synology-applications-drive-moments-and-office/?ref=numericcitizen.me), their photo management solution. It is easy to install within the DSM environment, and getting it up and running was a breeze. Once running, importing pictures can be done using the Upload button in the web interface or only by copying files to a CIFS share automatically created during installation. Synology Moments relies on Synology Drive for its operation. I started with a small proof of concept with my current assets stored in a folder within iCloud Drive. I currently have more than 1300 photos and illustrations; it’s only the beginning. As more content gets added, the more keywords and the better the value of this catalog for [my blogger workflow](https://numericcitizen.me/2020/11/28/my-updated-blogger-workflow-as-of-2020-11/). After a few hours, this was it: Synology Moments met all my requirements stated above. Looking ahead, Synology is working on the next major release of the NAS management operating system, [DSM 7.0](https://www.synology.com/en-ca/beta/DSM70Beta?ref=numericcitizen.me). I tested the beta release, which includes [a revamped and simplified photo management application now called Synology Photos](https://www.androidpolice.com/2020/12/08/synologys-new-photos-app-goes-live-ahead-of-a-big-diskstation-manager-redesign/?ref=numericcitizen.me). I did the same proof-of-concept with my photo sample, and it worked perfectly fine. Synology Photos is a substantial upgrade that brings a unified solution for managing photos for those like me who want an easy browsing mode in a folder-organized view in addition to a traditional album-based method. DSM 7.0 is expected to become available to the general public sometime in 2021. ![Synology Moments web interface](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/numericcitizen.me/wp-content/uploads/2020/12/synology-moments-web-interface.jpg) Synology Moments web interface This article exposed a solution for keeping my personal photos in one place and all my blogger visual assets in another. Synology Moments is a great solution that works perfectly for me. In the coming months, Synology Photos will make it even better. With the release of their management software, DSM 7.0\. A long-term solution requires commitment, it’s certainly looking to be the case here. **Side note**: How did I import all my current visual assets into Synology Moments? Simple. First, by connecting to my Synology NAS via the Finder using the smb protocol (smb://), then selecting the Home folder, then the Moments sub-folder. These are automatically created when installing the Synology Moments application within the NAS unit. From there, a simple drag-and-drop of my folders tree into the Moments directory, and voilà! As soon as Synology Moments starts receiving the first files, thumbnail generation and indexing immediately started. ### Numeric Citizen Introspection Newsletter #5 URL: https://numericcitizen.me/2020-12/ Last updated: 2024-08-12T11:16:20.000Z Here is the ***Numeric Citizen Introspection Newsletter*** #5 for ***December of 2020***. ***First thing first: 2021 is full of promises, hoping the better for all my readers!*** Now***,*** let’s start with this month’s post highlights. ### **Highlights on my** [**Micro.blog**](https://numericcitizen.micro.blog/?ref=numericcitizen.me) - Will a touch screen ever come on the Mac? Who knows. [Don’t rule it out, though](https://numericcitizen.micro.blog/2020/12/01/dont-touch-this.html?ref=numericcitizen.me). - I started to use Twitter fleets. [Here is why](https://numericcitizen.micro.blog/2020/12/04/using-twitter-fleet.html?ref=numericcitizen.me). The answer will surprise you. - I created the [modern version of the business card](https://numericcitizen.micro.blog/2020/12/06/the-modern-business.html?ref=numericcitizen.me), oops, blogger card. - ***My Synology DS720+ NAS*** takes a more prominent role in my blogger workflow. [Find out how](https://numericcitizen.micro.blog/2020/12/08/how-synology-nas.html?ref=numericcitizen.me). - [I’m grateful](https://numericcitizen.micro.blog/2020/12/15/my-first-contact.html?ref=numericcitizen.me) for Apple’s stance on privacy protection. - [Introducing my new avatar for 2021](https://numericcitizen.micro.blog/2020/12/18/time-for-something.html?ref=numericcitizen.me). Please tell me what you think! ### **Highlights on my** [**Medium page**](https://numericcitizen.medium.com/?ref=numericcitizen.me) - Please have a look at ***my Friday notes series***, available from my [Tidbits publication on Medium](https://medium.com/numeric-citizen-tidbits?ref=numericcitizen.me). Each Friday, I post a summary of the concluding week of writing. ### **Highlights on my** [**Numeric Citizen Blog**](https://numericcitizen.me/) - *“*[***From an idea to a blog post — how I do it***](https://numericcitizen.me/2020/12/05/from-an-idea-to-a-blog-post-how-i-do-it/)*”* is about explaining how I process information in order to generate web content. - If you’ve just got a brand new M1-based Mac, check out “[***My Top 5 iPadOS & iOS Apps for macOS Big Sur***](https://numericcitizen.me/2020/12/20/my-top-5-ipados-ios-apps-for-macos-big-sur/)”. - Make sure to have a look at [***my 2020 Year in review for Apple’s historic year***](https://numericcitizen.me/2020/12/22/2020-year-in-review-apples-best-year-ever/). - Do you want to know why ***I’ll never be a YouTuber***? [Find how why here](https://numericcitizen.me/2020/12/22/ill-never-be-a-youtuber-here-is-why/). --- ### **Apple tidbits worth my attention** 1️⃣ This month is all about getting myself immersed in the world of ***Apple Silicon Mac***. I got a brand new M1 Mac mini with 16 GB of RAM and 1 TB of SSD. If there is one review and summary you should read is this one: “[Apple Silicon M1: Black. Magic. Fuckery.](https://www.singhkays.com/blog/apple-silicon-m1-black-magic/?ref=numericcitizen.me) \- Kay's Blog”. I wanted to write something like it with a summary of the best tweets and quotes. He did it for me. Must read, and it fits pretty well my own experience with the machine. 2️⃣ [I chose to start fresh with my Mac mini](https://numericcitizen.micro.blog/2020/12/05/getting-ready-for.html?ref=numericcitizen.me); no Time machine restore. It’s been a long time since I set up a new Mac that way. It was long overdue. One very cool feature of the Apple ecosystem is the tight integration of its components (hardware + software + services). A tedious task when setting up a new machine is to re-install applications and activate their license. For that purpose, I used my iMac to get my license key from the registration panel of the application, hit “copy”, then with to the Mac mini and hit “Paste”. Voilà! Thanks to iCloud, the clipboard is synchronized across all the devices signed in with the same iCloud account. It’s a time saver. 3️⃣ Besides all things related to M1 Macs, Apple finally launched the long rumoured ***AirPods Studio***, now officially called ***AirPods Max***. Reviews are good in general, but the price is making people pause quite a bit. [I do love their design](https://numericcitizen.micro.blog/2020/12/09/ill-take-the.html?ref=numericcitizen.me); the retro look is quite interesting. 4️⃣ The ***detailed version*** of ***Apple Maps*** is finally available for **Canada**. Originally launched with iOS 13, the results are impressive. I didn’t know we would also get the “*look around*” and guides as [I thought they were for the US only](https://numericcitizen.micro.blog/2020/12/12/detailed-apple-maps.html?ref=numericcitizen.me). Now, I would like to see Apple introduce something along the lines of Waze but with no ads and no data collection or tracking. Maybe for iOS 15? Who knows. 5️⃣ Speaking of details, here is ***the evolution of Apple’s icon design*** for the Settings.app on macOS. There is something wrong with every one of them except the one in the middle. The gears arrangement doesn’t make sense from a purely mechanical way. The more pleasing one to look at is the one on the left. Apple is losing it in icon design. > [](https://twitter.com/jsngr/status/1342206930870157312?ref=numericcitizen.me) --- [Subscribe now](https://numericcitizen.me/subscribe/) ### **Some of my photos that came to light** Because winter is at the door with cold temperatures and a bit of snow on the horizon. ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/public/images/adbd0119-cba1-4970-b413-296a3fecbd90_3024x3024.jpeg) From the Imperfect Imperfection Series ### **Must see photography stuff** The [beauty of soviet control rooms](https://designyoutrust.com/2018/01/vintage-beauty-soviet-control-rooms/?ref=numericcitizen.me) is a visual throwback to the USSR period for which we didn’t get much exposure. I downloaded them all and used them as background during my Zoom and Teams meetings. I always get questions about them. Funny. This [picture of the moon](https://www.reddit.com/r/itookapicture/comments/k0q3pv/itap%5Fof%5Fthe%5Fmoon/?utm%5Fsource=share&utm%5Fmedium=ios%5Fapp&utm%5Fname=iossmf) is quite an accomplishment. It’s the best example of being in the right place, at the right time. I didn’t know the moon could remind me of Saturn. Speaking of the moon: > [](https://twitter.com/ajamesmccarthy/status/1338274960498782212?ref=numericcitizen.me) ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/public/images/da1e8bec-3717-4f3d-8469-9d606fc1878a_1088x1281.jpeg) Saturn and Jupiter, so close yet so far away from each other I’m a big fan of astronomy since I was 10 years old. Those pictures always impress me. At that time, the most popular telescope companies were **Meade** and **Celestron**. Recently, I stumble upon a newcomer in this field called [***Unistellar***](https://unistellaroptics.com/?ref=numericcitizen.me). Their telescope is quite impressive; it’s a must-see. The cool thing about them is the use of the iPhone as the sky catalogue where you pick up the star that you would like to observe, and the telescope will find it for you automatically. The telescope works by accumulating light and compositing a series of pictures in real-time—very clever stuff. ***Adobe Lightroom CC 4.1*** enables full support of Apple silicon. I wasn’t in a rush to install it on my Mac mini because of the way Adobe installers work. The latter is not optimized yet. But, one interesting thing that it brings on iPadOS and iOS is iOS 14’s widgets support. Many widgets are supported. Two of the most interesting and useful ones are “Discover Edits” and “In-app tutorials”. Updates are frequent, and it’s a great way to discover new ways to use Lightroom. I love it. Apple’s ***ProRAW*** gets an official release with iOS 14.3 on the iPhone 12 Pro line. Many articles explore the new format in detail. Don’t miss the excellent “[Understanding ProRAW](https://blog.halide.cam/understanding-proraw-4eed556d4c54?ref=numericcitizen.me)” article from the makers of [Halide](https://www.google.com/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=web&cd=&cad=rja&uact=8&ved=2ahUKEwipxNjEsNrtAhVBGVkFHQpRCT8QFjAAegQIARAC&url=https%3A%2F%2Fhalide.cam%2F&usg=AOvVaw2QUTOJ3hUNHMfVGj6dw7Mx). Another great article is “[ProRAW is here!](http://austinmann.com/trek/iphone-proraw?ref=numericcitizen.me)” from Austin Mann. The articles make me wish I would have upgraded to the iPhone 12 Pro. As I wrote, [ProRAW is about expanding the range of possibilities](https://numericcitizen.micro.blog/2020/12/19/on-apples-proraw.html?ref=numericcitizen.me). [Om Malik has an interesting experience](https://om.co/2020/12/22/proraw-black-and-white/?ref=numericcitizen.me) with Apple’s ProRAW. [Top 25 News Photos of 2020 - The Atlantic](https://www.theatlantic.com/photo/2020/12/top-25-news-photos-2020/617312/?ref=numericcitizen.me). 2020 is such a weird year. A great photographic look at this year nobody was expecting. --- ### **Climate change issues** [This makes me cry](https://www.frsthand.com/story/hawaii-this-is-not-paradise?ref=numericcitizen.me). I was to Hawaii in 2018; this is such a wonderful but endangered place. [From 1970 to 2020](https://www.climatecentral.org/outreach/alert-archive/2020/2020WinterPackage.html?ref=numericcitizen.me), thirty years of climate change. It isn't very comforting. Chicago average winter temperature warming: +3.1 degrees. ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/public/images/0bd43717-626f-4209-a78b-36a4eb36b809_1920x1080.jpeg) ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/public/images/00330636-3b97-424d-a988-23ef5309bfd4_1920x1080.jpeg) Too bad the site doesn’t provide data for Canada. --- ### **Privacy stuff we should care about** At the ***Data protection and privacy conference***, Craig Federighi representing Apple [had something to say](https://www.macrumors.com/2020/12/08/craig-federighi-apple-privacy-keynote/?ref=numericcitizen.me) about Apple’s four principles to privacy protection: 1. Not collecting unnecessary data through data minimization. 2. Processing as much data on the device as possible. 3. Processing as much data on the device as possible. 4. Keeping data safe through security, including Apple's unique integration of hardware and software. Security is the foundation of privacy. Apple is not budging from its principles, clearly expressed by Steve Jobs a while back, in 2010: And how do you ask the user’s permission? Like this. > [](https://twitter.com/tim%5Fcook/status/1339720611313065984?ref=numericcitizen.me) Oh, and have a look at the [App Store privacy details for each app](https://numericcitizen.micro.blog/2020/12/14/thanks-apple-apple.html?ref=numericcitizen.me). The [official documentation](https://developer.apple.com/app-store/app-privacy-details/?ref=numericcitizen.me) is available from Apple. *I love Apple*. 🥰 --- ### **Quotes to remember** > Great leaders make things better. — ***Ken Kocienda*** > In the 80s and 90s big companies moved their IT from mainframes and terminals to Oracle/SAP/PCs/Windows (mostly). Now they're moving again, to cloud, AWS/Azure/GCP, SaaS and ML. And there's 10 or 20 years of that ahead. — ***Benedict Evans*** > I’m glad the Mac is finally starting to feel as fast as an iPad; maybe next year it can get ProMotion, Face ID, cellular, touch and stylus input so it can finally join the modern era and feel like the magic device we know it’s more than capable of being. For now, it’s a fast Mac. — ***Steve Troughton-Smith*** > In one of our onstage interviews, as well as many times in private, Steve Jobs told me he was almost prouder of the things he decided not to build than of those he did. He was always all about curation and selectivity. — ***Walt Mossberg*** > Focus is about saying no. — ***Steve Jobs*** > “Perfection is achieved not when there is nothing more to add, but when there is nothing left to take away.” — ***Antoine de Saint-Exupery*** > Big Sur’s notifications are Big Sur’s butterfly keyboard. — ***Marco Arment*** --- ### **What’s next? I’m glad you asked!** I have many days of vacation during the holidays; I plan to make good use of all of them. Writing, writing and writing as a full-time blogger is my objective; so far, [I like it a lot](https://medium.com/numeric-citizen-tidbits/friday-notes-3-being-a-full-time-blogger-6774921824f?ref=numericcitizen.me). I do have quite a few important articles I want to finish and put online. Stay tuned! ### **Looking ahead but not too far from here** [**I’m back on Vimeo**](https://numericcitizen.micro.blog/2020/12/22/tempted-by-vimeo.html?ref=numericcitizen.me)**.** I don’t have high expectations from this experiment. For now, I’m posting a few user interactions in applications that I find interesting and well-executed. Find [my Vimeo page here](http://vimeo.com/numericcitizen/?ref=numericcitizen.me). I’m eagerly awaiting ***my AirPods Max***, ordered the same week they were announced. Mine was initially expected for mid-February of 2021\. But, thanks to someone on Twitter who said Amazon had them in stock, I switch my order to Amazon. Now I should get them in the coming days. 🤪 I’m also eagerly waiting for [version 7.0 of the Synology NAS operating system](https://numericcitizen.micro.blog/2020/12/07/massive-update-coming.html?ref=numericcitizen.me). Big improvements are expected, and I’m looking forward to the new Synology Photos. I’ll have to be patient according to [this Reddit post](https://www.reddit.com/r/synology/comments/kizfft/no%5Fupdates%5Fto%5Fdsm%5F70%5Fbeta%5Fyet%5Fready%5Ffor%5Fprime%5Ftime/?utm%5Fsource=share&utm%5Fmedium=web2x&context=3), though. DSM 7 will arrive eventually later than sooner. ### **Leftovers** 1️⃣ I started to use a new service called Linktr.ee which allows the creation of a visitor card so they can see all the places they can find my work. It’s pretty nice, easy to use, works for mobile as well as on the desktop. It’s not free, it’s good. You can [have a look for yourself](https://linktr.ee/numericcitizen?ref=numericcitizen.me). 2️⃣ I found a good use case for Medium shortform posts. I started a new series called “[***Friday Notes***](https://medium.com/numeric-citizen-tidbits?ref=numericcitizen.me)”. There is a good side to this pandemic and partial confinement: I never had so much time for writing. *3️⃣ What happens with your numeric assets when you die?* I mean, think of your online presence: Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, etc. Where all that stuff ends up a few years after you die? That’s the type of question “[**Where Does Our Data Go When We Die?”**](https://medium.com/@LanceUlanoff/where-does-our-data-go-when-we-die-fb914cf2bd92?ref=numericcitizen.me) tries to answer. It’s something that I find interesting and a big challenge, something that I wrote about in my piece titled “[**A Guide for Preparing to Leave Your Numeric Legacy**](https://numericcitizen.me/2020/05/16/a-guide-for-preparing-to-leave-your-numeric-legacy/)”. 4️⃣ From the sixties, imagining the future of remote work. So cool and troubling. > [](https://twitter.com/isaacdovere/status/1330533939719573505?ref=numericcitizen.me) 5️⃣ Speaking of trying to imagine the future, read [this excellent thread](https://threadreaderapp.com/thread/1319720571790213120.html?ref=numericcitizen.me) about **Tony Fadell** who worked on the original iPod design and conception. This guy's journey is quite something. --- This concludes the *Numeric Citizen Introspection Newsletter #5* for *December of 2020*. ***Have a happy new year. Take care and be safe. 🙏🏻*** I would love to get your feedback and read your comments. Thanks for being a subscriber. Thanks for reading and sharing with the world! ### I’ll never be a YouTuber – Here is why URL: https://numericcitizen.me/ill-never-be-a-youtuber-here-is-why/ Last updated: 2023-03-23T16:47:33.000Z Here is why I’ll never be a YouTuber. My filming set sucks. I don’t have the right equipment like lighting, microphone, tripod. My camera is ok, though: an iPhone 11 Pro. My English sucks. I prefer to write words and process digital photos over video footage assembling and audio processing. I’ll never post on YouTube anyway, [I prefer Vimeo](https://vimeo.com/numericcitizen?ref=numericcitizen.me). Speaking of which, you can see me there, [right now!](https://vimeo.com/493901292?ref=numericcitizen.me) Or, right below! Enjoy! It was fun to do. ### 2020 Year in Review — Apple’s Best Year Ever? URL: https://numericcitizen.me/2020-year-in-review-apples-best-year-ever/ Last updated: 2023-03-23T16:47:33.000Z At long last, here we are at the very end of this exceptional and historic year, 2020\. We’re not out of the woods yet but Apple is done with 2020\. Here are the ten best things from Apple in 2020. #### 1\. The start of the transition to Apple Silicon ![The M1 chip](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/numericcitizen.me/wp-content/uploads/2020/12/the-powerful-m1-chip.jpg) The M1 chip Without a doubt, Apple’s transition to its own chips for its Mac product line is the most significant moment of 2020 for Apple. Called the M1, this powerful and power-efficient CPU is transformative not only for the Mac but probably for the industry. The performance per watt ratio level achieved by the M1 has never been so profoundly liberating. Looking at the upcoming year is certainly promising for the transition still unfolding on the Mac. As they say, Apple is only getting started with this transition. #### 2\. One More Thing Special Event ![The M1 chip visual spec summary](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/numericcitizen.me/wp-content/uploads/2020/12/the-m1chip-spec-visual-summary.jpg) The M1 chip visual spec summary The “One More Thing” special event was the fourth of a series in 2020 that started with the WWDC conference. It wasn’t the first time Apple used that tag line for a special event. Not all announcements made under the « one more thing » label were as transformative as this year’s announcements. A whole keynote was mandatory for what Apple had to show us. The announcements made will be remembered for years to come. Apple started its transition to its own Apple Silicon with a big bang. With the M1 chip, Apple steered the vessel in a direction where it will be hard for competing platforms to catch up. Good luck to Intel, Microsoft, Qualcomm et al. #### 3\. WWDC 2020 special event ![WWDC 2020 invite](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/numericcitizen.me/wp-content/uploads/2020/12/wwdc2020-invite.jpg) WWDC 2020 invite As the pandemic became official and the first wave came in, we knew we were bound to have an unexpected year. By going digital-only, WWDC started a new trend for Apple and probably for the tech industry. As I wrote in “[WWDC2020 — My Observations and a Survey of Comments](https://numericcitizen.me/2020/06/28/wwdc2020-my-observations-and-a-survey-of-comments/)”, WWDC was a great special event marking the start of a new direction for Apple’s Mac product line. The transition to Apple Silicon got official but without much detail. Only later in the year, we got all the details. #### 4\. “Hi, Speed” special event ![Hi-speed-invite](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/numericcitizen.me/wp-content/uploads/2020/12/hi-speed-invite.jpg) Hi, speed invite The third digital special event was all about the iPhone 12 lineup release. In my article “[The iPhone 12 Moment](https://numericcitizen.me/2020/10/17/the-iphone-12-moment/)”, I wrote about the lack of surprises, but the production quality of the event was showing Apple at the top of the hill. Apple Park makes a great filming set and I cannot get enough of it. With this tag line, Apple could have used this event to announce its first crop of Apple Silicon Macs. Instead, the speed references, and there were many of them in the event, was for the 5G network. #### 5\. Product launches and software releases ![The 2020 Mac product line](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/numericcitizen.me/wp-content/uploads/2020/12/2020-mac-product-line.jpg) The 2020 Mac product line Many were expecting a challenging year for Apple but they managed to release one of their best product rollouts in recent years. Besides a delayed iPhone 12 launch, COVID-19 didn’t have much apparent impact on the release schedule of products, be it software or hardware. All in all, Apple released meaningful updates to all of its product lines. Some announcements were made via simple press releases; others got their special moments. iOS 14 brings back stability but the iPad will have to wait to get more specific features. Tim Cook’s Apple never ceases to impress when it comes to operational efficiency and how quickly they can adapt to external market conditions. Consider me impressed. #### 6\. Time Flies special event ![Apple Watch Series 6](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/numericcitizen.me/wp-content/uploads/2020/12/apple-watch-series-6-montage.jpg) Apple Watch Series 6 Apple started its fall products launch with the Apple Watch annual update ([my thoughts about the events](https://numericcitizen.me/2020/09/17/my-thoughts-on-the-time-flies-apple-event/)). It wasn’t a breakthrough update, yet [I decided to upgrade from my Series 4](https://numericcitizen.me/2020/10/03/upgrading-from-an-apple-watch-series-4-to-series-6/). Of note are the surprise release of iOS 14 and an updated iPad Air. The fourth-generation iPad Air gathered rave reviews for being a powerful iPad at a much lower price than the 11 inches iPad Pro. #### 7\. iOS 13.4 + Mouse Support + Magic Keyboard ![iPad Magic Keyboard](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/numericcitizen.me/wp-content/uploads/2020/12/ipad-magic-keyboard.jpg) iPad Magic Keyboard Who knew a “dot release” of iPadOS as more transformative than any significant new revision like iOS 14\. It’s precisely what iPadOS 13.4 was for the iPad. At long last, Apple seems determined to push the iPad as a real portable replacement. With iPadOS 13.4 and mouse support, Apple made it possible to add new interaction models without transforming the original iPad design. It’s a tour-de-force. The Magic Keyboard for the iPad was an instant buy for me, and I [wrote my thoughts](https://numericcitizen.me/2020/04/24/my-review-of-the-ipad-pro-magic-keyboard-a-transformative-accessory/) on this transformative accessory. #### 8\. Environmental actions, privacy protection promotion and social measures ![Apple Store Entrance](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/numericcitizen.me/wp-content/uploads/2020/12/apple-store-entrance.jpg) Apple Store Entrance There are so many reasons why I love Apple as a company. Not only do they release great physical products, but I also share many of their corporate values. Their stance on privacy protection is mandatory to stand against Facebook. Their actions to limit their footprint on the environment are examples for others to follow. Their politics on social inclusion is a stark contrast to American society in general. Finally, I’d like to put COVID-19 measures the company put forward to protect people in general, including not only their employees but their customers. We never feel hesitation from Apple when it comes for Apple to putting human first, business second. It is remarkable. #### 9\. iPad Air with A14 Bionic chip ![2020 iPad Air](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/numericcitizen.me/wp-content/uploads/2020/12/2020-ipad-air.jpg) 2020 iPad Air This year’s iPad Air update may look strange when comparing it to the current iPad Pro line. I’m happy to see iPad Pro design language come down in the iPad product line. I’m even more delighted to see that this update should be seen as a signal that Apple has much more in store for the iPad Pro in the future. Otherwise, the iPad Pro line as it is standing now doesn’t make sense. Next year’s release of the iPad Pro should prove to be very interesting. #### 10\. Apple One Launch ![Apple One Bundle](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/numericcitizen.me/wp-content/uploads/2020/12/apple-one-bundle.jpg) Apple One Bundle With Apple One service bundle, Apple’s vision of a highly integrated ecosystem comes to fruition. Only a tight integration between hardware, software and services makes it all possible. The best exemplification of this is their Fitness+ service, which depends on the Apple Watch for it to work. I didn’t hesitate to upgrade to Apple One services bundle as it makes me save a few hundred dollars a year in return for Apple Arcade and Fitness+, two services I wasn’t subscribing to before. Speaking of Fitness+, [I gave it a try. And I loved it](https://numericcitizen.micro.blog/2020/12/15/my-first-contact.html?ref=numericcitizen.me). #### Honourable mentions for iPhone 12 and the HomePod mini. Make no mistake, the iPhone 12 lineup is massive but it’s mostly everything that was expected. That being said, ProRAW introduction that came with it is a game changer for professional photographers who lean more and more toward the iPhone for their needs. Yes, this is happening, slowly but surely. Ask Canon, Nikon et al. and have a look at their financial statements, you’ll see what I mean. The HomePod mini was a small, oops, a mini surprise. Apple may have finally found a way to move the needle with its HomePod. All-in customers in Apple’s ecosystem will rejoice for sure. I bought two. I’m happy but I’m also being realistic. The HomePod mini is still a Siri speaker. Siri is still… Siri. Are you getting it? Because of that, I don’t think the HomePod mini is a notable addition in 2020 compared to the rest of the crop. Yet, I love them. 🤷🏻‍♂️ ![20200 Year in Review Summary](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/numericcitizen.me/wp-content/uploads/2020/12/2020-year-in-review-tiles.png) 20200 Year in Review Summary – click to enlarge ### A Few Thoughts on the new Substack Reader (still in beta) URL: https://numericcitizen.me/testing-substack-reader/ Last updated: 2023-04-27T12:23:12.000Z There is a lot happening recently on Substack. Big names are coming in. New features are coming out. So, [Substack introduced a new reader feature](https://blog.substack.com/p/new-reader-homepage?r=9aeg3&utm%5Fcampaign=post&utm%5Fmedium=web&utm%5Fsource=copy). [I didn’t expect this would be so soon](https://numericcitizen.micro.blog/2020/12/09/a-substack-reader.html?ref=numericcitizen.me), as this rumoured feature made the news on December 9th. Substack Reader is a web application. If you are a writer on Substack, this becomes [the default view](https://reader.substack.com/inbox) instead of the dashboard. I put a shortcut on my iPad home screen for quick access. Currently in early beta, the features are promising and somewhat intriguing. Newsletters, RSS feed entries and podcasts are all intermixed in your inbox. You can imagine this can quickly become overcrowded. No filtering options are available for now except for filtering between Paid or All of your subscriptions. I wish there was a way to filter only free newsletters. For me, as a new newsletter publisher, I’m looking forward to seeing how the discovery feature will move the needle regarding my subscribers count. I don’t have high expectations. The discovery tab leans toward paid content. Is it surprising? Nope. I wrote a feedback report asking for an explicit “free” label to the small filter menu. We’ll see if they enable this. Still, about the discovery section, many newsletters created two years ago pop up in the list. More often than not, these point to abandoned newsletters. It’s not exactly the best user experience. The *inbox* is a intermix of whatever you subscribed to: newsletters, rss feeds content or podcasts. ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/image/fetch/f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https-3a-2f-2fbucketeer-e05bbc84-baa3-437e-9518-adb32be77984.s3.amazonaws.com-2fpublic-2fimages-2f3ea4a677-e24a-4eee-b921-e4ec8eae9c01_2630x1908.png) My Substack Inbox The inclusion of podcasts is a surprise to me. I initially thought Substack was meant to be a platform for writers. Is the inclusion of podcasts a new direction for Substack, was it planned or are they being opportunistic? After searching for podcasts, I found out that [they were intended all along](https://blog.substack.com/p/introducing-substack-for-audio). The idea behind this is clearly explained by the Substack team: > We’ve always believed that one of the great benefits of Substack is that you can subscribe to a person. That power is intensified when you can actually hear that person’s voice. The other mild surprise is the inclusion of RSS feed support. Is Substack trying to replace the defunct Google Reader? Is this feature going to dilute different content types, or is it just a convenient feature added to keep users on Substack for all their reading needs? Probably the latter. This is how you will discover my newsletter if you search for “introspection” keyword. ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/image/fetch/f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https-3a-2f-2fbucketeer-e05bbc84-baa3-437e-9518-adb32be77984.s3.amazonaws.com-2fpublic-2fimages-2f02e2ca2e-4b22-44b7-9e79-d53cfd4ea7f3_1328x384.jpg) --- I’m looking forward to see how Substack Reader will evolve over the coming months. One thing is sure, **I’m not leaving Mailbrew anytime soon**, another similar platform for consuming newsletters. Speaking of Mailbrew, one of its creators had this to write about Substack’s Reader. > [](https://twitter.com/linuz90/status/1339262676162273287?ref=numericcitizen.me) > [](https://twitter.com/linuz90/status/1339262677026271235?ref=numericcitizen.me) > [](https://twitter.com/linuz90/status/1339262677936467970?ref=numericcitizen.me) > [](https://twitter.com/linuz90/status/1339262678821384193?ref=numericcitizen.me) So, what do you think of the new reader feature? Have you tested it? [Leave a comment](#ghost-comments-root) ### From an Idea to a Blog Post — How I do it URL: https://numericcitizen.me/from-an-idea-to-a-blog-post-how-i-do-it/ Last updated: 2023-03-26T01:37:54.000Z In this blog post, I want to share a different “behind the scene” look at how I process information that will eventually give birth to a new blog post. It’s a bit different than the one I publish from time to time about [my blogger workflow](https://numericcitizen.me/2020/11/28/my-updated-blogger-workflow-as-of-2020-11/). This behind the scene view emphasizes something important to me: the process. Sure, the results are always important, but equally important is the process that leads to these results. Moreover, within each process, there are tools involved, which, for a blogger and writer like me, are applications and services. I often think that I love creating because I usually love to use tools in general, especially if they are well crafted. The act of writing in a great writing app like Ulysses, for example, is satisfying. The process of retouching photos in Lightroom is an enjoyable experience. So. let’s see how I do all this. In general, my inspiration comes from my readings and my time spent on Twitter. Each morning, I spend between thirty and ninety minutes doing just that: consuming content from many sources like RSS feeds, Medium, Reddit, etc. I do spend time on YouTube or Vimeo, but I’m mostly reading stuff. I spend less than 10% of my time on video consumption. I force myself into reading; it’s one of the best ways to find subjects to write about or get new post ideas. There is too much content available online; I do have to use applications to bookmark things to read later. For that, [I use Reeder 5](https://numericcitizen.micro.blog/2020/10/17/a-simple-wish.html?ref=numericcitizen.me). Apple’s Reminder helps me bookmark articles, tweets or other information tidbits on which I want to react or write about in a very short time frame. I do have a list called “Process ASAP”. Anything that goes into this list shouldn’t stay there for more than 24 hours. If I see a tweet containing an interesting article, I’ll save it to this list. Processing this tweet later could then trigger a blog post idea or simply be saved in Notion for a future article project. After trying to make applications like OmniFocus or Things, I came back to Apple’s Reminder, and I couldn’t be happier. [Reminders.app is often underrated](https://numericcitizen.micro.blog/2020/12/01/apples-reminders-is.html?ref=numericcitizen.me). When I write, depending on the expected length, complexity or destination of the piece, I may write it down directly on Micro.blog or use their macOS application which is good enough. When I plan to publish on my main blog on WordPress with a cross-post to Medium, I’ll go with [Ulysses](https://numericcitizen.me/2019/03/17/switching-to-ulysses-for-my-writing-needs/), which is the case for this current blog post. Another important tool that I use is Notion (please, refer to [my review of Notion](https://numericcitizen.me/2020/04/19/my-review-of-notion-from-a-bloggers-perspective/), from a blogger perspective for a detailed look at this wonderful service). This application serves as a repository for many things like future articles in the research phase. I do use Notion to collect all the pieces that will go in a future issue of my [Numeric Citizen Introspection newsletter](https://numericcitizen.substack.com/). Notion will support my writing process as I can reuse tidbits of information that I saved in there for longer posts. The more I use Notion, the more I depend on it for everything. This is why Notion has a special place in the following diagram showing how all the pieces fit together. Finally, all references to my posts on Micro.blog are stored in Google Sheet so I can easily refer to and include them while writing. It’s a time saver. ![My information processing workflow (click to enlarge)](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/numericcitizen.me/wp-content/uploads/2020/12/my-information-processing-workflow-v2020-12-05.png) My information processing workflow (click to enlarge) I guess my process has nothing really special, but it is perfectly crafted for my needs. I do publish a lot, and I need to be as efficient as possible, and this process enables and supports it every day. ### Numeric Citizen Introspection Newsletter #4 URL: https://numericcitizen.me/2020-04/ Last updated: 2024-08-12T11:15:38.000Z ![](https://bucketeer-e05bbc84-baa3-437e-9518-adb32be77984.s3.amazonaws.com/public/images/696076d7-a4ba-4d1a-b8ff-d86062cc0fd7_1352x858.png) The new M1 chip that powers the next generation of Macs - a performance monster from Apple - a game-changer Here is the **Numeric Citizen Introspection Newsletter** #4 for **November of 2020**. Let’s start with this month’s post highlights. ### **Highlights on my [Micro.blog](https://numericcitizen.micro.blog/?ref=numericcitizen.me)** - Who likes Apple’s **macOS 11 Big Sur** visual language the most? Is it the young generation who grew up with the iPad and iPhone? [My answer](https://numericcitizen.micro.blog/2020/11/04/how-old-are.html?ref=numericcitizen.me) might surprise you. - I upgraded my 2017 office MacBook Pro to **macOS 11 Big Sur**. I played with it quite a lot, installed many apps, installed widgets, etc. [I’m warming up to this new design](https://numericcitizen.micro.blog/2020/11/13/on-big-sur.html?ref=numericcitizen.me) but there are obvious flaws that will be hard to get over. - There is a new [pivotal moment coming for the ](https://numericcitizen.micro.blog/2020/11/06/on-the-mac.html?ref=numericcitizen.me)**[Mac](https://numericcitizen.micro.blog/2020/11/06/on-the-mac.html?ref=numericcitizen.me)**. - John Gruber doesn’t like **Facebook** **design**. I think Facebook is bad at this too. In fact, [Facebook is bad at a lot of things](https://numericcitizen.micro.blog/2020/11/03/facebook-is-bad.html?ref=numericcitizen.me). ### **Highlights on my [Medium page](https://numericcitizen.medium.com/?ref=numericcitizen.me)** - Some reading stats on **Medium** are not adding up, why? [I’m asking the question](https://numericcitizen.micro.blog/2020/11/15/whats-wrong-with.html?ref=numericcitizen.me). - [I tried the ](https://medium.com/numeric-citizen-tidbits/trying-mediums-shortform-c59317caddde?ref=numericcitizen.me)**[shortform](https://medium.com/numeric-citizen-tidbits/trying-mediums-shortform-c59317caddde?ref=numericcitizen.me)**[ post](https://medium.com/numeric-citizen-tidbits/trying-mediums-shortform-c59317caddde?ref=numericcitizen.me) but still don’t know how and if I’ll use them. Any ideas for me? ### **Highlights on my [Numeric Citizen Blog](https://numericcitizen.me/)** - [My thoughts and observations](https://numericcitizen.me/2020/11/14/thoughts-on-one-more-thing-the-ultimate-mac-transition/) on the “**One More Thing**” Apple event, held on November 10th. The **new M1 chip** is at the center of this new era for the Mac. - This is the fourth issue of the **Numeric Citizen Introspection newsletter**. It’s now time for me to share **[my experience with Substack](https://numericcitizen.me/2020/11/22/my-experience-with-substack/)**, my newsletter home. --- ### **Apple tidbits worth my attention** 1️⃣ iPhone 12 built-in **A14 chip** is a powerhouse on many levels while being power efficient. Apple builds its chips to fit many purposes like fitting an iPhone but also an iPad and… the Mac. You can read more about the A14 processor [on Engadget](https://www.engadget.com/apple-a14-bionic-chipset-closer-look-tim-millet-interview-170002121.html?ref=numericcitizen.me) who had a chance to sit down and talk with Tim Millet, VP of Platform Architecture at Apple. 2️⃣ It’s a historic moment in **Mac history**. The well-known developer, Steve Troughton-Smith, [points-out](https://twitter.com/stroughtonsmith/status/1317981607043715076?s=21&ref=numericcitizen.me) the Mac is directly or indirectly going through three transitions: from Intel to Apple Silicon processors, from AppKit to UIKit/SwiftUI via Catalyst and from Objective-C to Swift. 3️⃣ Apple held a third Apple Event this fall, the last one being “**One More Thing**” where they revealed their first round of **Apple Silicon Macs**. As you know, it’s not the first time Apple uses this tagline in its presentations. Someone on Medium [published](https://medium.com/macoclock/looking-back-at-every-one-more-thing-in-apple-history-dbddc2d447d3?ref=numericcitizen.me) a list of these interesting announcements. Not all of these “One More Thing” announcements were game-changers. But this one was, and [Microsoft should start to worry](https://numericcitizen.micro.blog/2020/11/15/here-is-why.html?ref=numericcitizen.me). ![](https://bucketeer-e05bbc84-baa3-437e-9518-adb32be77984.s3.amazonaws.com/public/images/f2331b21-db4d-4974-a0bd-817bbff71dda_1200x802.jpeg) Which is better? Why are we here? Are we exposed to mediocrity? This is not evolution, this is regression. 4️⃣ Really nice [24” iMac mockup](https://svetapple.sk/english/imac-2021-exclusive-renders-from-svetapple-sk/?ref=numericcitizen.me) that could come with Apple Silicon… next year, maybe. How many application developers will **opt-out of BigSur support** like the makers of “[Suspicious Package](https://mothersruin.com/software/SuspiciousPackage/faq.html?ref=numericcitizen.me#big-sur)”, Mothersruin? I’m afraid, too many. Their FAQ explains why they won’t support Big Sur: > We've done our best to make Suspicious Package *functional* on macOS 11 (Big Sur), but haven't attempted to adopt the “design language” changes. > > That means Suspicious Package doesn't use the new style of window title and toolbar. We are not, quite frankly, fans of this new design, and enabling it requires the new Xcode and SDK, which introduce re-testing requirements that we're not eager to undertake at this time (or for this reason). And speaking of opting-out of Big Sur support, according to this [9to5Mac’s article](https://9to5mac.com/2020/11/09/ios-apps-will-run-on-apple-silicon-macs-but-major-developers-have-already-opted-out-of-the-mac-app-store/?ref=numericcitizen.me), major software developers like **Google**, **Facebook** (this one, I don’t care) and more already opted-out of Apple’s Mac App Store for Apple Silicon Macs. In other words, you won’t be able to install the Facebook iPad app on your shiny new Mac. **Facebook certainly wants you to stay on the web, a place where it is much easier to track your every move**. Don’t miss the **macOS 11 Big Sur** [full review](https://arstechnica.com/gadgets/2020/11/macos-11-0-big-sur-the-ars-technica-review/?ref=numericcitizen.me) and analysis by Ars Technica. That’s the exact [kind of review that I’m always looking for](https://numericcitizen.micro.blog/2020/11/13/massive-big-sur.html?ref=numericcitizen.me). You’ll learn that Big Sur is more about pretty pixels. **Apple’s M1 processor** is a monster of power and efficiency. Follow this small Twitter thread for all the details and a comparison to the original ARM design, dating back to 1985. > [](https://twitter.com/kenshirriff/status/1327021630636212224?ref=numericcitizen.me) Highly recommended YouTube video, how Apple is not what it used to be. --- [Subscribe now](https://numericcitizen.me/subscribe/) ### **Some of my photos that came to light** One of the places that I like a lot to go to for photography is cemeteries. It’s not always easy to find the right angle or the right composition in a crowded area with a lot of tombstones. The following picture was taken with my iPhone 11 Pro and entirely edited with the Photos app. ![](https://bucketeer-e05bbc84-baa3-437e-9518-adb32be77984.s3.amazonaws.com/public/images/500443bd-c392-48a5-a593-764d8b8ca7b7.jpeg) An angel in Montreal’s cemetery - I love these places ![](https://bucketeer-e05bbc84-baa3-437e-9518-adb32be77984.s3.amazonaws.com/public/images/eda78095-9ab5-4569-9eaf-c564723860e7.jpeg) *Photo by me - freezing the time - Montreal, Canada*. ### **Must see photography stuff** The following visual montage of a tree at each season is really well done. > [](https://twitter.com/gdmorewood/status/1312285048197046272?ref=numericcitizen.me) It’s not exactly photography, more like a short video clip showing a microburst. As a meteorology fan, I find these micro-events to be fascinating. Can you name the two “objects” in the following space picture? Impressive. > [](https://twitter.com/thomasdglenn/status/1308321066582863873?ref=numericcitizen.me) There is a possible game-changer on the horizon for smartphone photography, it is called **ProRAW**. Available in iOS 14.3 before the end of 2020, this new feature looks to be the best of both worlds. Here is a [five minutes video comparing ProRAW to RAW](https://birchtree.me/blog/first-look-at-proraw-night-mode-photography-on-the-iphone-12-pro/?ref=numericcitizen.me) images. More [juicy details on DPReview.com](https://www.dpreview.com/news/0346474925/apple-proraw-image-format-capture-12-bit-raw-dng-files-up-to-14-stops-of-dynamic-range?ref=numericcitizen.me). 🤯 Apple’s **iPhone 12 Pro Max** not only has the best cameras of all iPhones but has the best screen of all smartphones, according to [DisplayMate](https://www.displaymate.com/iPhone%5F12Pro%5FShootOut%5F1P.htm?ref=numericcitizen.me). 🤯 You probably know that from time to time, I’m doing **urban exploration photography** (see some of [my photos here](https://numericcitizen-visualspace.com/?ref=numericcitizen.me)). Recently, I discovered [this beautiful website](https://www.obsidianurbexphotography.com/?ref=numericcitizen.me) on the subject. Its author is Janine Pendleton, from Germany, Europe. Europe has such a longer history than North America, I cannot imagine how many great places there are to explorer over there. --- ### Climate change issues If you think a world lockdown due to the coronavirus pandemic helped earth's climate, think again. [According to the UN](https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2020/nov/23/climate-crisis-co2-hits-new-record-despite-covid-19-lockdowns?ref=numericcitizen.me), the small drop in CO2 emissions is just a tiny blip on the increasing curve. Depressing. Not convinced? See how humans didn’t try enough in the following graph. The trend seems unstoppable. How many pandemics would it take to flatten this curve? ![](https://bucketeer-e05bbc84-baa3-437e-9518-adb32be77984.s3.amazonaws.com/public/images/63e442c8-f2aa-4f1a-ae0f-9eea1ac858d1_862x988.png) --- ### **Privacy stuff we should care about** 😳 Who is peeking over your shoulder while you work, watch videos, learn, explore, and shop on the internet? Enter the address of any website, and **Blacklight** will scan it and reveal the specific user-tracking technologies on the site—and who’s getting your data. You may be surprised at what you’ll discover. 👉🏻 [https://themarkup.org/blacklight](https://themarkup.org/blacklight?ref=numericcitizen.me) 🤔 At your own job, you are spied on, [thanks to Microsoft](https://9to5mac.com/2020/11/27/spy-on-employees/?ref=numericcitizen.me)’s Office 365\. 👀 ![](https://bucketeer-e05bbc84-baa3-437e-9518-adb32be77984.s3.amazonaws.com/public/images/eb16d81c-fd9e-4b9a-92a6-3e17bcfb395a_960x768.png) Privacy protection is hard these days. The upcoming **Ring security camera** sounds pretty cool, right? Sound very and intrusive to me. Thanks, but no thank you. 👎🏻 How do we stop our precious files from being lost forever? It’s a complicated problem in a world where the “*digital space*” is so important. [Interesting article](https://apple.news/AC%5FC5GGgMTXqT8ueFx1yxFQ?ref=numericcitizen.me) on **Which webzine** (via Apple News+). --- ### **Quotes to remember** > Enduring design doesn’t need constant reinterpretation. It needs tweaking, polishing, and subtle improvement — **Om Malik** > Like the Porsche design, iPhone is a product that is available in many variations of the original, which was so good that it can only be tuned, not reinvented — **Om Malik** > Apple’s switch to Apple Silicon Macs is deeper than its own ambition to be a chip designer. This — along with the shift from Intel modems to Qualcomm this year - is partly because of Intel’s steep technological decline. — **Mark Gurman** > You’ve got to start with the customer experience and work backwards to the technology. — **Steve Jobs** > The problem with recent times... Is that people listen to respond, rather than listen to understand. — **Someone on the internet** > Apple's unique ability to successfully complete the shift to PowerPC was complicated by other firms' failing to do the same, resulting in Apple eventually ending up the only major PowerPC user. The difficulty of that transition and its unexpected result might suggest that in hindsight, it was ultimately a mistake to have attempted such a complex and risky task. — **Daniel Eran Dilger** > Apple's new M1 powered MacBook shows impressive performance gains that make Intel's chips obsolete overnight — **TechCrunch** > I can’t remember the last time reviews for an Apple product were so universally positive, especially considering these are machines that look the same as the previous-gen. Apple simply excelled themselves with the ARM transition. — **Benjamin Mayo** > Apple makes this stuff look effortless, but you need only look at other platforms to see just how incredibly difficult it is to change your OS so dramatically and convince your developers to come along with you. Apple’s power to affect evolution on its platforms is unparalleled — **Steve Troughton-Smith** --- ### **What’s next? I’m glad you asked!** 1️⃣ My SDDCbox project (read “**[the SDDCbox project](https://numericcitizen.medium.com/the-sddcbox-project-part-1-an-introduction-af398b375b3f?ref=numericcitizen.me)”**) is going well. I wrote a few articles explaining a lot of technical things, from choosing the right Mac Pro configuration to the way I will be managing IP address allocation. If you are an IT guy, this stuff is for you. ### **Looking ahead but not too far from here** A few days after the introduction of the M1-based Macs, when I started to read about the benchmarks of these new machines, **I decided to buy a Mac mini**. To learn why I made an apparent impulsive buying decision, read it [here](https://numericcitizen.micro.blog/2020/11/11/another-experiment-mac.html?ref=numericcitizen.me). A quick research of Geekbench numbers reveals [this will be a big improvement](https://numericcitizen.micro.blog/2020/11/15/it-will-be.html?ref=numericcitizen.me) over my current iMac. I should get it just before Christmas. ### **Leftovers** 1️⃣ The best for the last: **the clown is finally on the way out**. [Now I can breathe](https://numericcitizen.micro.blog/2020/11/07/i-can-breath.html?ref=numericcitizen.me). 2️⃣ Is there a revolution waiting to happen in **note-taking applications**? [David Sparks](https://www.macsparky.com/blog/2020/9/research-is-about-to-get-way-more-interesting?ref=numericcitizen.me) think that’s the case, thanks to [Roam research](https://roamresearch.com/?ref=numericcitizen.me). I personally use Notion and like it a lot, but I couldn’t myself and glanced at their website. It is certainly fascinating but seems mostly directly to researchers. 3️⃣ **Do you hate meetings**? Most of them are useless. Why? This meeting could’ve been: an email, a chat conversation, a message with an added link to a file, a well-written document, an annotated diagram, a screen recording, a comment in a task manager, etc. 4️⃣ The personal printers industry is full of crooks. Take HP with its “**Instant Ink**” program which is in fact a subscription-based service. Under this program, you pay a monthly fee which allows you to print a certain amount of pages. If you print more, you pay extras. The “beauty” of this program is that you don’t have to worry about getting enough ink. HP will send you new cartridges as they see low ink level warnings. But, is this a case of subscription going too far? According to [an article from the Electronic Frontier Foundation](https://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2020/11/ink-stained-wretches-battle-soul-digital-freedom-taking-place-inside-your-printer?ref=numericcitizen.me), yes. You don’t own your printer. 5️⃣ Could the trend of work-from-home be enough to spur **always-connected PC**? Tom Mainelli [writing for Tech.pinions thinks so](https://techpinions.com/how-wfh-could-spur-always-connected-pc-adoption/60052?ref=numericcitizen.me). Personally, I think it won’t happen anytime soon. Wireless technology like 5G is too spotty, PC vendors are not willing to dd modem option to their zillions PC models. One vendor that could have done it is Apple and yet, their latest M1-based MacBooks doesn’t have a 5G modem option. --- This concludes the *Numeric Citizen Introspection Newsletter #4* for *November of 2020*. I would love to get your feedback and read your comments. Thanks for being a subscriber. Thanks for reading and sharing with the world! ### I’m all mixed up now, Thanks to Apple URL: https://numericcitizen.me/im-all-mixed-up-now-thanks-to-apple/ Last updated: 2023-04-01T11:54:33.000Z In recent weeks, I started working on a new project for my daytime job: building a software-defined data center in a box (or some would call it a home lab). I put a [lot of thoughts into it](https://numericcitizen.me/2020/10/29/the-sddcbox-project-part-3-choosing-a-mac-pro-configuration/), [wrote about it](https://numericcitizen.me/2020/10/25/the-sddcbox-project-part-1-an-introduction/). Now, thanks to Apple and their shiny new Apple Silicon Macs, I’m all mixed up. Let me explain what it is all about. ![Apple Mac Pro](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/numericcitizen.me/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/mac-pro-top.png) Apple Mac Pro The whole idea of this project is to learn more about specific software technologies that go into modern data centers. To do that, I elected to buy a beefed up 2019 Mac Pro in the next few weeks or months. But, as you already know by now, Apple came up with these M1-based Macs. Reviews are unanimously positive, if not ecstatic. These Macs completely change the game. Again. ### Entry-level M1-based Macs are game-changers The new M1 machines won’t run Windows, Vmware ESXi, Docker or Kubernetes, for now. But, it may be a question of less than a year for most of these to run on a simple M1 Mac mini or any upcoming Macs Apple will release. Some software won’t make it like some previous versions of Windows Server software. That being said, the [list of compatible and optimized software for M1 Macs](https://isapplesiliconready.com/?ref=numericcitizen.me) is growing every day. Until this happens, I’ll have a decision to make: to wait or buy a Mac Pro as originally planned. Current events certainly make me pause quite a bit, hence my mixed-up feelings. Why? Because these entry-level Macs are already performing as well as higher-end Intel-based ones or even better. Can you imagine what type of performance we will get when Apple tries even harder with their pro machines? ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/numericcitizen.me/wp-content/uploads/2020/11/mac-mini-visual-spec-sheet-1.png) M1 Mac mini visual visual summary – I loke those slides! ### Mac Pro purchase plans on hold Following the release of reviews and benchmarks the week following the now-famous “One More Thing” special event (read [my thoughts](https://numericcitizen.me/2020/11/14/thoughts-on-one-more-thing-the-ultimate-mac-transition/) on it), I couldn’t help myself and ordered a 16 GB M1 Mac mini with a 1 TB SSD. It chose a future proof configuration without really knowing if I would keep this Mac for a long time. Benchmarks are pointing to an 8 GB of RAM as more than enough for many use cases. One thing seems obvious right now, my purchasing plans for a Mac Pro are being put on hold until the beginning of next year. Before then, I’ll receive my new Mac Mini, still projected to arrive by December 22th, configure it as a brand new Mac, no need to restore from Time Machine, and I’ll start exploring the new world of Apple Silicon Macs running macOS 11 Big Sur. I’ll keep my 2017 iMac for work and my current experimentation for my project, albeit in a more limited way. ### Can’t wait to experience the M1 Mac mini ![Apple original Mac mini](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/numericcitizen.me/wp-content/uploads/2020/11/original-mac-mini.jpg) Apple’s original Mac mini I always wanted a Mac mini since the day it was first introduced by Steve Jobs. Finding a use case for it was hard, up until now. I’ll use [my 23.7” LG UltraFine 4K Display](https://numericcitizen.me/2019/06/02/my-review-of-the-237-lg-ultrafine-4k-display/) with it, sitting side-by-side to my iMac. Slowly but surely, I’ll drop [all my apps](https://numericcitizen.micro.blog/2020/11/16/my-growing-list.html?ref=numericcitizen.me) on it and enjoy the ride. It will give me more time to think about what’s coming next. > “Just a few days with the Air have spoiled me beyond the point of return. When it came to doing a few tasks on the Intel Pro before selling it off, I couldn’t help notice stark differences in performance. Last week, my MacBook Pro felt zippy, but after using the M1 Air for less than a week, the Pro feels like sludge”The Basic Apple Guy I hope the same won’t happen with my currently “speedy” 2017 iMac. 🙏🏻 ### My Experience with Substack – Good Enough? URL: https://numericcitizen.me/my-experience-with-substack/ Last updated: 2023-04-27T01:15:01.000Z ![My newsletter banner](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/numericcitizen.me/wp-content/uploads/2020/11/substack-newsletter-banner.png) My newsletter banner Back in late August, I started a new journey: a free monthly newsletter. To support my work and enable this project, I elected to choose Substack, a well-known, but young platform for writing exactly that type of content. I already knew about services like MailChimp (read [my experience on using Mailbrew instead of Mailchimp](https://numericcitizen.me/2020/04/07/my-review-of-mailbrew-a-powerful-and-time-saving-internet-information-aggregator/)) or Ghost (read [my experiment with Ghost](https://numericcitizen.me/2020/05/09/my-ghost-experiment/)), but neither was satisfactory to me. At the time I experimented with the services, I didn’t have an interest in building a monthly newsletter anyway. Now I do. [Newsletters are gaining in popularity for many reasons](https://pxlnv.com/blog/paid-email-newsletters/?ref=numericcitizen.me). Today, I want to share my experience working with Substack after nearly four months of use and three issues of the [Numeric Citizen Introspection newsletter](https://numericcitizen.substack.com/). For the occasion, this article will be made available on my Substack page and sent to my subscribers as well as on [my Medium page](https://numericcitizen.medium.com/?ref=numericcitizen.me). Wait, a review of Substack, published on Medium? I hope they won’t notice. Just kidding. ## A quick tour of Substack ![My Substack main page](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/numericcitizen.me/wp-content/uploads/2020/11/my-substack-main-page.png) My Substack main page Substack is a simple writing and publishing platform. Its mission is to help writers put together newsletters, be it free or not, send them to a list of subscribers. Those who will head to the website will be able to like and comment. Creating an account takes a few minutes. A Substack page is a list of recent newsletters. This is where one of the main issues with Substack resides: [all main pages look pretty much the same](https://twitter.com/apple%5Fobserver/status/1312386775709618177?s=21&ref=numericcitizen.me). Customizability is minimal. Substack recently added the ability to set the URL of a newsletter issue and set the picture to show up on social media preview. It was kind of overdue. There’re no themes like on WordPress or Square Space. Substack is mainly about writing and publishing newsletters by email but the platform also supports writing posts called “thread”. It is a way to engage with your readers. I tried it once, but since my audience is still very limited, I didn’t get any feedback or response. Also, just like MailChimp, you can set up welcome emails sent to newly signed-up subscribers. Importing posts from your other websites is also possible if you want to quickly populate your Substack page. Importing from MailChimp, WordPress, Revue, Medium, Tumblr, or a website RSS feed is possible. I didn’t test this feature, though. You can also create an HTML embed that you can include in other places. You can look at it on [my main blog](https://numericcitizen.me/newsletter/). Finally, you can enable subscription benefits after activating a subscription plan. You can decide that paying members will get access to exclusive content. Again, as my newsletter is still free, I didn’t use this feature, but many writers on Substack do. ## A minimalistic editing experience Editing on Substack is easy, maybe simplistic. The web editor is capable but lacks some flexibility. Up to recently, we couldn’t write photo captions. Now we can. There are also some display bugs with the toolbar (I’m writing using Apple’s Safari), which sometimes becomes hidden, making formatting options tricky, if not impossible, to use without a full page reload. Managing pictures is also not always easy or is too finicky. But, after a while, I got used to these small issues and how to bypass them. Overall, it’s ok. There is something important missing for periodic newsletters based on a normalized structure like mine: Substack doesn’t support templates. This would be a big time-saving feature. Each month, I must copy and paste, from a personal template text file in Notion, the starting structure of my newsletter. Substack recently ran a survey asking what we were looking for in the future, and templates certainly made the list. ![Email preamble settings page](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/numericcitizen.me/wp-content/uploads/2020/11/newsletter-preamble-setting-page.jpg) Email preamble settings page Finally, you can write a preamble section that will be included in each newsletter. That section will vary depending on if the newsletter issue is made available to all subscribers or only to paying ones. An interesting feature is that you can send your newsletter to yourself to preview within your favourite email client. I do use this feature a few times each month to make sure the layout is without issues. ## Sending the newsletter After putting a newsletter together, the distribution process is straightforward. At this stage, this is where you decide if the issue will be a paid one or a free one. You can set the URL and the social network image thumbnail and you hit the Publish button. It’s a satisfying experience after working four weeks on one newsletter. You can set a schedule for sending your work too. It’s up to you. ![Publishing your newsletter ](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/numericcitizen.me/wp-content/uploads/2020/11/6be6a85d-c8ec-4413-8d08-652f1ef9d66d.jpg) Publishing your newsletter ## Missing goodies Substack is a young platform, I understand they have to build a critical mass of users before adding richer features or things like an iPad or a Mac application. The whole experience happens on the website. I guess most people are ok with this, but I prefer using native applications. Fortunately, the Substack website works mostly fine on Safari on iPad. Substack analytics are basic and could benefit from a few more variables. The Substack dashboard offers the newsletter open rate and the click rate (how many and which links were clicked in the newsletter). You’ll also get to see how many new subscribers an issue got and how many shares were generated by the users, provided a sharing button was inserted within the newsletter. Finally, Substack provides visitors with statistics to your Substack page as well as visitor sources. That's pretty much it. It’s basic, but it shouldn’t be regarded as a problem. After all, this is all about writing content, right? Substack is a free service. You pay a 10% commission when you start to charge for your newsletters. If you charge $10 a month, then you’ll pay $1 to Substack. It’s a fair deal. For that price, it’s hard to ask for more. Yes, I do have a few wishes for Substack, but I’m patient. In recent weeks, I saw new initiatives by Substack, which tells me they want to move the platform forward. I’m happy with this. Now, let me go back, so I can start writing my fifth issue of the Numeric Citizen Introspection newsletter. Oh, one last thing, if you want to know more about the origin of my newsletter, feel free to read “[Finding my Newsletter Purpose](https://numericcitizen.substack.com/p/finding-my-newsletter-purpose)”. ### My Experience with Substack URL: https://numericcitizen.me/my-experience-with-substack-2/ Last updated: 2024-08-11T16:21:23.000Z *Note: issue #5 on the Numeric Citizen Introspection newsletter is scheduled to come out on November, 28th.* Back in late August, I started a new journey: a free monthly newsletter. To support my work and enable this project, I elected to choose Substack, a well known, but young platform for writing exactly that type of content. I already knew about services like **MailChimp** (read [my experience on using Mailbrew instead of Mailchimp](https://numericcitizen.me/2020/04/07/my-review-of-mailbrew-a-powerful-and-time-saving-internet-information-aggregator/)) or **Ghost** (read [my experiment with Ghost](https://numericcitizen.me/2020/05/09/my-ghost-experiment/)) but neither were satisfactory to me. At the time I experimented with the services, I didn’t have an interest in building a monthly newsletter anyway. Now I do. ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/image/fetch/f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https-3a-2f-2fbucketeer-e05bbc84-baa3-437e-9518-adb32be77984.s3.amazonaws.com-2fpublic-2fimages-2f6d35e09d-d7ab-424c-88ce-a3303a9803ff_1128x1020.jpg) [Newsletters are gaining in popularity for many reasons](https://pxlnv.com/blog/paid-email-newsletters/?ref=numericcitizen.me). Today, I want to share my experience working with Substack after nearly four months of use and three issues of the [Numeric Citizen Introspection newsletter](https://numericcitizen.substack.com/). For the occasion, this article will be made available on my Substack page and sent to my subscribers as well as on [my Medium page](https://numericcitizen.medium.com/?ref=numericcitizen.me). Wait, a review of Substack, published on Medium? I hope they won’t notice. Just kidding. ## **A quick tour of Substack** Substack is a simple writing and publishing platform. Its mission is to help writers put together newsletters, be it free or not, send them to a list of subscribers. Those who will head to the website will be able to like and comment. Creating an account takes a few minutes. A Substack page is a list of recent newsletters. This is where one of the main issues with Substack resides: [all main pages look pretty much the same](https://twitter.com/apple%5Fobserver/status/1312386775709618177?s=21&ref=numericcitizen.me). Customizability is minimal. Substack recently added the ability to set the URL of a newsletter issue and set the picture to show up on social media preview. It was kind of overdue. There’re no themes like on WordPress or Square Space. > *Substack, on the other hand, feels like an email-first product, with the web as an afterthought — Ben Thompson in Stratechery Daily Update 9–24–2020* Substack is mainly about writing and publishing newsletters by email but the platform also supports writing posts called “thread”. It is a way to engage with your readers. I tried it once, but since my audience is still very limited, I didn’t any feedback or response. Also, just like MailChimp, you can set up welcome emails sent to newly signed up subscribers. Importing posts from your other websites is also possible if you want to quickly populate your Substack page. Importing from MailChimp, WordPress, Revue, Medium, Tumblr or a website RSS feed is possible. I didn’t test this feature, though. You can also create an HTML embed that you can include in other places. You can look at it on [my main blog](https://numericcitizen.me/newsletter/). Finally, you can enable subscription benefits after activating a subscription plan. You can decide that paying members will get access to exclusive content. Again, as my newsletter is still free, I didn’t use this feature, but many writers on Substack do. ## A minimalistic editing experience Editing on Substack is easy, maybe simplistic. The web editor is capable but lacks some flexibility. Up to recently, we couldn’t write photo caption. Now we can. There are also some display bugs with the toolbar (I’m writing using Apple’s Safari) which sometimes becomes hidden making formatting options tricky if not impossible to use without a full page reload. Managing pictures is also not always easy or is too finicky. But, after a while, I got used to these small issues, and know how to bypass them. Overall, it’s ok. There is something important missing for periodic newsletters based on a normalized structure like mine: Substack doesn’t support templates. This would be a big time-saving feature. Each month, I must copy and paste, from a personal template text file in Notion, the starting structure of my newsletter. Substack recently ran a survey asking what we were looking for in the future, templates certainly made the list. Finally, you can write a preamble section that will be included in each newsletter. That section will vary depending on if the newsletter issue is made available to all subscribers or only for paying ones. An interesting feature is that you can send your newsletter to yourself to preview within your favourite email client. I do use this feature a few times each month to make sure the layout is without issue. ## Sending the newsletter After putting a newsletter together, the distribution process is straightforward. At this stage, this is where you decide if the issue will be a paid one or a free one. You can set the URL and the social network image thumbnail and you hit the Publish button. It’s a satisfying experience after working four weeks on one newsletter. You can set a schedule for sending your work too. It’s up to you. ## **Missing goodies** Substack is a young platform, I understand they have to build a critical mass of users before adding richer features or things like an iPad or a Mac application. The whole experience happens on the website. I guess most people are ok with this, but I prefer using native applications. Fortunately, Substack website works mostly fine on Safari on iPad. Substack analytics are basic and could benefit from a few more variables. The Substack dashboard offers the newsletter open rate and the click rate (how many and which links were clicked in the newsletter). You’ll also get to see how many new subscribers an issue got and how many shares were generated by the users, provided a sharing button was inserted within the newsletter. Finally, Substack provides visitors statistics to your Substack page as well as the visitor sources. That pretty much it. It’s basic but it shouldn’t be regarded as a problem. After all, this is all about writing content, right? > *There is something very exciting in building a monthly newsletter. Each month, my impression is that I’m crafting something that I will put in a bottle and drop in the sea. — Numeric Citizen* Substack is a free service. You pay a 10% commission when you start to charge for your newsletters. If you charge $10 a month, then you’ll pay $1 to Substack. It’s a fair deal. For that price, it’s hard to ask for more. Yes, I do have a few wishes for Substack but I’m patient. In recent weeks, I saw new initiatives by Substack which tells me they want to move the platform forward. I’m happy with this. Now, let me go back, so I can start writing my fifth issue of the Numeric Citizen Introspection newsletter. Oh, one last thing, if you want to know more about the origin of my newsletter, feel free to read “[Finding my Newsletter Purpose](https://numericcitizen.me/finding-my-newsletter-purpose/)”. ### Thoughts on “One More Thing” — The Ultimate Mac Transition URL: https://numericcitizen.me/thoughts-on-one-more-thing-the-ultimate-mac-transition/ Last updated: 2023-03-23T16:47:34.000Z The Mac is once again in a pivotal moment, starting its ultimate transition. During its “One More Thing” special event, Apple once again showed to the tech world what it looks like when they fully take control of their destiny. Apple kickstarted the transition with the MacBook, one of the primary beneficiaries of the many Apple Silicon feats. By ditching the Intel processors, Apple is starting a new round of innovations for the Mac product line. The Mac is gaining even more traction, in a time where working from home is in full swing, where the very definition of working is having its own pivotal moment. Is the timing perfect for Apple? You bet. Let’s see why. ![The original iMac](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/numericcitizen.me/wp-content/uploads/2020/11/hello-again.jpg) The original iMac ## What were my expectations? I’d like to restate what were my expectations before this week’s event. As I wrote in a recent microblog post, “[On The Mac pivotal moment](https://numericcitizen.micro.blog/2020/11/06/on-the-mac.html?ref=numericcitizen.me)”, Apple had two roads they could choose from to move the Mac forward with regard to the introduction of the first Apple Silicon Macs. The bolder Apple would be, the better. I was expecting Apple to start from the outside, not from the inside. People, ordinary people, immediately notice a design statement, a turning point from the past. The current MacBook design is based on the unibody first introduced in 2012\. Since then, the general allure of a MacBook pretty much stayed the same. Is the Apple Silicon introduction the right time for a design shift? I thought so. Apple is running on an iterative approach with everything they do, but sometimes, there is a stronger beat that marks a more pronounced change, when such a change is mandatory for the next phase of evolution. They did it with the iPhone, they could have done it again for the Mac. It was time for such stronger beat to act as a bold mark on Mac’s evolution timeline. ![Microsoft’s Surface portable computer](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/numericcitizen.me/wp-content/uploads/2020/11/fadab29f-ac96-409b-b6fc-aa47aa2da620.jpg) Microsoft’s Surface portable computer > “And, you know, we don’t usually want to just go and change the design just for the sake of changing a design — we have a great platform here, we have a great new processor, we can marry them into something really spectacular. And that was the thinking behind it.” — hardware engineering John Ternus in an [interview for the Independent](https://www.independent.co.uk/life-style/gadgets-and-tech/apple-m1-interview-macbook-release-specs-ports-reviews-b1721844.html?ref=numericcitizen.me) New materials, new textures, updated tones, thinner bezels, softer edges yet similar design cues could have been the ingredients of a possible refreshed MacBook. Microsoft is trying hard with their Surface, why not Apple? But are these attributes enough? There is one more thing Apple could have done: with the just-released macOS 11 Big Sur, adding touch support to the Mac could have been the biggest surprise, the one more thing. As you already know by now, Apple took the other road, yet, they are scoring big. The M1 processor is the one more thing. ## About this third special event After the conclusion of its 45 minutes presentation, I was thinking that Apple should keep these events around in a post-covid world. I like their general pace and the “studio” where they get produced1\. This third edition brought a different twist: no special introduction and a clever recall of the “PC guy” at the very end. It was a joy to watch; it brought back great memories of a past era. I also want to thank Apple for not having included a game demo segment. Instead, Apple chose to let the developers, any kind of developers, speak and express their feelings about how fast these new machines are, how long-lasting are the batteries in a high pace tone. Kudos to them for this decision. ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/numericcitizen.me/wp-content/uploads/2020/11/craig-look.png) The event was boldly tinted with “speeds and feeds”, very tech-enthusiast oriented, more than usual I would say. It was all about the Mac, nothing like the AirTags or the AirPod Studio to distract from the essential message. For a clear message, it had to. ## Starting the ultimate transition with M1 ![A small wonder: the M1 chip](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/numericcitizen.me/wp-content/uploads/2020/11/b1daaf11-2dc9-4182-88ab-5b53712052f1.jpg) A small wonder: the M1 chip > “The M1 puts the Mac in a class of its own in CPU, GPU, battery, and every other aspect of computing” — [Jim Dalrymple for The Loop](https://www.loopinsight.com/2020/11/10/apple-unleashes-m1/?ref=numericcitizen.me) Apple finally gave a name to its Apple Silicon chip for the Mac: the M1\. It marks the start of a new era. You can imagine Apple to come up with an M1X, M2 in the future. This technological marvel is based on the A14 architecture with 16 billion transistors, four high-performance cores, four power-efficient cores, 16 GPU cores and a lot of caching memory. Memory is embarked on the chip package itself. Three Macs are making the transition: the Mac mini[2](#fn2), the 13” MacBook Pro[3](#fn3) and the MacBook Air. The latter is now fan-less[4](#fn4) which is undoubtedly a feat if performance is as good as Apple wants us to believe. The transition starts on an aggressive note. Apple started on the low-end, and [it makes a lot of sense](https://twitter.com/jcieplinski/status/1326521002675867649?s=21&ref=numericcitizen.me). The 16” MacBook Pro, the iMac and Mac Pro will be the next, probably in that order, in the upcoming 18 months. [Some people](https://twitter.com/leaksapplepro/status/1325768253763891200?s=21&ref=numericcitizen.me) will be surprised by the Mac mini being in the first group of machines to make the switch. I think we may underestimate the importance of the Mac mini for the Mac and Apple’s bottom line. I’m happy to see Apple keep it around. It’s the Mac for tech enthusiasts, the developers, the geeky people. Sadly, this iteration is no longer user-upgradable in any way. ![Funny picture of a MacBook kid](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/numericcitizen.me/wp-content/uploads/2020/11/macbook-kid.png) Funny picture of a MacBook kid Some well-known figures in Apple history, like Tony Fadell, are quite impressed, and one question lingered in my mind: how is the Wintel world supposed to compete with this? Apple seems unstoppable, and they are only getting started. I can’t remember feeling so upbeat about the Mac and Apple’s ability to compete and challenge their competitors. I know someone who would smile right now if he was still around[5](#fn5). ## Going back to reality Now, let’s go back to reality and [be a bit more critical](https://mjtsai.com/blog/2020/11/10/one-more-thing-apple-silicon-macs/?ref=numericcitizen.me). First, as impressive as these new machines may seem, there is a long list of no shows in them: no touch screen support, no pencil support, no 4G or 5G wireless options, no decent quality FaceTime camera, no Face ID, no glowing Apple logo, no redesign, no slimmer screen bezels, no more eGPU support, no thunderbolt 4.0 support, fewer ports, no 12” MacBook. That’s basically the other side of Apple’s portable story in 2020\. Are you still excited? [Many aren’t](https://mjtsai.com/blog/2020/11/10/apple-silicon-the-roads-not-taken/?ref=numericcitizen.me). [Apple chose continuity](https://www.theverge.com/2020/11/11/21559478/apple-m1-macbook-air-pro-mac-mini-design-same-chip-transition-hardware?ref=numericcitizen.me) over anything else. What does [the M1 chip enables](https://twitter.com/markgurman/status/1326693056796528643?s=21&ref=numericcitizen.me) besides big performance increases? ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/numericcitizen.me/wp-content/uploads/2020/11/macbook-air-speeds-and-feeds.png) Also, these performance measure increase claims are based on previous generation products, or something else that only Apple knows. It is part of the story yet to unfold. Upcoming reviews in the next few weeks will be interesting to read, much more interesting than Apple’s marketing message. About this 720P FaceTime camera: why is it so hard for Apple to upgrade this essential feature in the age of massive work-from-home? Instead, Apple will use ML tricks to “upgrade” the quality of the image, thanks to the power of the M1 processor. Providing an updated FaceTime camera with a decent optic would alleviate the need for this ML wizardry altogether, duh. Here is the thing: the new M1-based Macs use the new “**unified memory architecture**” that is at the center of our iPhones and iPads. If you plan to buy one of these shiny new Mac, my recommendation would be to go with 16 GB of RAM, not 8 GB. Why? Consider this: Rosetta 2 is a new emulation software layer that will consume memory, something that is not present on Intel-based machines. Moreover, the memory will be consumed for video processing too. My guess is: the biggest monitor, the higher the resolution, the more memory will be consumed. What’s left for the applications? Even if SSDs are fast on reads and writes, application launches are fast, nothing equals the speed of RAM. I’m afraid 8 GB of RAM is the new 16 GB iPhone base memory tier. We’ll see with the upcoming reviews and benchmarks. Why so little difference between a MacBook Air configurations, CPU-wise, RAM-rise compared to a MacBook Pro? As noted by John Gruber, [Apple came out with a new Mac in three different physical incarnations](https://numericcitizen.micro.blog/2020/11/12/one-computer-three.html?ref=numericcitizen.me). ## Unanswered questions There were many things to watch for before the special event, as [stressed out by The Verge](https://www.theverge.com/2020/11/10/21557644/apple-silicon-macbook-app-compatibility-ios?ref=numericcitizen.me). In a typical Apple fashion, Apple left out many details during their keynote. Let’s try to identify a few important of them. ![The Apple's M1 processor](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/numericcitizen.me/wp-content/uploads/2020/11/m-processor.png) The Apple’s M1 processor There is no mention of the M1 clock speed, only the number of cores. The same is true of the CPU found on your iPhone. I think this is a strategic move by Apple as they don’t want people to compare M1 GHz to Intel’s. Lower clock speed doesn’t translate to lower speeds. It is a complex matter as you can probably conclude by reading the very detailed article from [Anandtech](https://www.anandtech.com/show/16226/apple-silicon-m1-a14-deep-dive/4?ref=numericcitizen.me). In summary, the M1 chip is probably something like an A14X, and is a screamer using very low power. The other thing that is unclear is about any possible updates to Intel-based Macs like the iMac Pro and the Mac Pro during the rest of the transition. No words on this, but we certainly can infer some conclusions by the fact that Apple introduced three new Macs. Apple wants to go fast with this transition, probably faster than they announced[6](#fn6). My guess is that we won’t get any new Intel-based Mac updates starting from now, and we’ll see how long Apple keeps Intel-based Mac around. > “Thanks to Metal and M1, some of the most graphically demanding apps actually perform better under Rosetta than they did running natively on previous Macs with integrated graphics” — Apple exec. On the graphics performance side of the story: what kind of performance levels should we expect for non-Metal-based graphic applications and games? Does the M1 chip bring the Mac platform into serious gaming? Apple hasn’t been known to build gaming machines, will M1-based Macs change the perception with hard numbers? Will software technologies like Apple’s Metal and Machine Learning really help the Mac to go into uncharted territories? Software compatibility is probably one of the most critical aspects of these M1-based Macs. For now, the level of compatibility is unknown. Developers using the DTK[7](#fn7) were mum on specific issues, per Apple’s request. Again, reviews will probably put some light on this potential issue. > In shifting from Intel x86 chips to its own Apple Silicon SoCs, Macs will lose some of the hardware compatibility they gained back in 2006\. However, two things have changed since then. First, the need to run Windows has fallen dramatically for many people for whom it was once very important. Secondly, Microsoft itself has developed the native ability to run Windows on ARM. — Daniel Eran Dilger I’m eagerly awaiting real benchmarks stressing the Rosetta 2 compatibility layer. Back in the days of PowerPC emulation on Intel machines, we could “feel” when Rosetta was launching and starting its magic. It is already known that Rosetta 2 will need at least 20 seconds to start the very first time[8](#fn8). Ouch. After this initial startup, with much faster processors, the end-user experience might be better. It’s probably a non-issue. This brings me to my next point: What will VMware be able to do with VMware Fusion? What are their options? I’m afraid that, [until Microsoft perfects an ARM-based Windows platform](https://www.theverge.com/2020/9/30/21495510/microsoft-windows-on-arm-x64-app-emulation?ref=numericcitizen.me), Fusion on Apple Silicon Macs will not support any Windows operating systems. Linux compiled for ARM will probably work just fine. It’s not good news for many corporate customers. Meanwhile, Parallels, the makers of Parallels Desktop, posted this [blog post on Parallels Desktop’s future](https://www.parallels.com/blogs/parallels-desktop-apple-silicon-mac/?ref=numericcitizen.me). Starting with the low-end was the obvious move for Apple; these machines are not as demanding as the higher end ones. But, [how well will M1 architecture scale up](https://twitter.com/castirony/status/1326425118063603715?s=21&ref=numericcitizen.me) to iMac, iMac Pro and the Mac Pro? At the WWDC conference in June, Apple announced support for virtualization technologies built-in the Apple silicon. We didn’t get any new details on how this translates for the end-user. Is this something that only Parallels and VMware can take advantage of? Probably. Will there be an invasion of popular iPhone and iPad apps on the Mac App Store? [Very early indications](https://numericcitizen.micro.blog/2020/11/13/its-happening-macos.html?ref=numericcitizen.me) are positive. For developers, Apple want’s us to believe it’s only a matter of turning on a checkbox in Xcode. Reality is often quite different. For developers, the prospect of adding a few more millions of avid computer enthusiasts is certainly enticing and make this checkbox tempting. ## Looking forward ![The entire Mac product line](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/numericcitizen.me/wp-content/uploads/2020/11/mac-product-line.png) The entire Mac product line Let’s face it, Apple is only getting started with this transition. Remember when Apple released their iMac with USB ports? They were tagged as using proprietary ports, yet they started a revolution on the PC side of the world. Is Apple about to spark a similar movement with ARM-based Macs? If Apple can keep the pace and distance itself even more from the crowd, while Intel CPU is still holding back PC makers to achieve better battery life, people will start to notice and could switch to the Mac in drove. Some people are already asking Apple to sell their designs to other companies. It’s not going to happen, for obvious reasons. ![Mac mini visual spec sheet](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/numericcitizen.me/wp-content/uploads/2020/11/mac-mini-visual-spec-sheet.png) Mac mini visual spec sheet On a more personal note, how affected are my buying plans for a Mac Pro? They are probably postponed a bit. As benchmarks started to show up a few days after the event, [I decided to get a Mac mini](https://numericcitizen.micro.blog/2020/11/11/another-experiment-mac.html?ref=numericcitizen.me). [Benchmarks](https://www.macrumors.com/2020/11/11/m1-macbook-air-first-benchmark/?ref=numericcitizen.me) look very promising. I chose the 16 GB of RAM configuration with a 1 TB SSD. I’ll be using this machine to experiment with macOS Big Sur compatibility in general with native-only apps that I use frequently, [mostly photo processing](https://numericcitizen.me/2018/11/18/mac-mini-for-photo-processing/) apps like Pixelmator Pro[9](#fn9). I don’t expect to keep this Mac forever, though. [My current personal project](https://numericcitizen.medium.com/the-sddcbox-project-part-1-an-introduction-af398b375b3f?ref=numericcitizen.me) still points me to a Mac Pro, not this Mac mini. That being said, it will be utterly exciting to follow Apple’s next moves for the Mac. They started with the MacBook and Mac mini, I can’t wait to see what they will do with the iMac, which is in dire need of an updated design, not only a more efficient processor. The “One More Thing” special event was the last of a long series. It was a great Mac-centric experience that only Apple could create. The Mac is creating excitement again. It was long overdue. Change is welcome. A quote from Daniel Eran Dilger writing for Apple Insider: > “By moving future generations of its Macs to its own uniquely enhanced silicon, Apple is again able to benefit from both common economies of scale and proprietary advancements that add unique value. It’s noteworthy that other competitors in the PC and mobile space have tried but failed to similarly do this.” We’ll see where this all goes from here. ![Mr. PC](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/numericcitizen.me/wp-content/uploads/2020/11/mr-pc.png) Mr. PC 1. I’m referring to the Apple Park headquarters in Cupertino, California. [↩](#ffn1) 2. I didn’t expect Apple to include the Mac mini in the first round. [↩](#ffn2) 3. Surprisingly, Apple didn’t introduced a 14” version but instead kept the 13” in the product line. [↩](#ffn3) 4. The MacBook Pro and Mac mini do have a fan in order to help the processor sustain higher speed for a longer period of time. It’s not possible in the MacBook Air. [↩](#ffn4) 5. Steve Jobs. [↩](#ffn5) 6. Think about under promise but over deliver. [↩](#ffn6) 7. Developer Transition Kit based on a Mac mini design [↩](#ffn7) 8. The word came from Microsoft. [↩](#ffn8) 9. Version 2.0 of Pixelmator Pro improves performance by up to 15 times according a blog post. Again, still unknown is the configurations used to make the comparison. [↩](#ffn9) ### I Can Breathe URL: https://numericcitizen.me/i-can-breathe/ Last updated: 2023-03-23T16:47:34.000Z ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/numericcitizen.me/wp-content/uploads/2020/11/bye-bye-trump-the-clown.png) Good riddance Too significant not to post here. Enough said. Looking forward. ### Numeric Citizen Introspection Newsletter #3 URL: https://numericcitizen.me/numeric-citizen-introspection-newsletter-354/ Last updated: 2024-08-12T11:14:56.000Z Here is the **Numeric Citizen Introspection Newsletter #3** for **October of 2020**. Let’s start with this month’s post highlights. ### Recently dropped on my [Micro. blog](https://numericcitizen.micro.blog/?ref=numericcitizen.me) - I’m thinking a lot about the Widgets experience introduced with iOS 14 and iPadOS 14\. On the latter, the experience is not as flexible as it is on the iPhone. Why. Many are trying to imagine a world where widgets are supported on the iPad. This is **[my observation](https://numericcitizen.micro.blog/2020/10/02/one-major-observation.html?ref=numericcitizen.me)** of Matt Birchler's concept video. 📲 - Have you ever wondered what Apple could do to the iPad Pro to make you upgrade? I did it in “**[From 2018 11-inch iPad Pro to…](https://numericcitizen.micro.blog/2020/10/04/from-ipad-pro.html?ref=numericcitizen.me)**”. 🤔 - How the A14 for the upcoming Apple Silicon Mac will differ from the one in the iPhone 12? That’s an **[interesting question](https://numericcitizen.micro.blog/2020/10/18/a-from-the.html?ref=numericcitizen.me)**. ### Recently published on [my Medium page](https://numericcitizen.medium.com/?ref=numericcitizen.me) - Some of my responses to people’s articles are also published in \[**[Numeric Citizen Tidbits](https://medium.com/numeric-citizen-tidbits?ref=numericcitizen.me)**. That’s another experiment with Medium. You will also find many of my longer articles there. 💵 - If you want to follow me on Medium, here my address: [https://numericcitizen.medium.com](https://numericcitizen.medium.com/?ref=numericcitizen.me) I updated my Medium page with the newly provided Medium tools. ### Notable posts on [my Numeric Citizen Blog](https://numericcitizen.me/) - During October, I upgraded from an **Apple Watch Series 4 to Series 6** because it was convenient and fashionable. Please, read my review and observations [here](https://numericcitizen.me/2020/10/03/upgrading-from-an-apple-watch-series-4-to-series-6/). - With **iOS 14’s widgets** support, Apple provides a new user experience and a higher customization level to the iPhone and the iPad. Widgets are great, but they’re still a long way to go. This is [my analysis of the situation](https://numericcitizen.me/2020/10/10/about-ios-14-widgets-great-but-still-a-long-way-to-go/). - [My observations](https://numericcitizen.me/2020/10/17/the-iphone-12-moment/) on the **Apple event “Hi, Speed”**. Lot’s of exciting stuff and a big surprise for photographers. ### Apple tidbits worth my attention October was busy as usual. Here are a few things that I found quite interesting. 1️⃣ The **iPhone 12 line up** was released! Overall a good Apple event which lasted for a bit over an hour. The 2020 iPhone product line is crowded, complicated and every single price point you can imagine is covered. The old stays around with the brand new. The A14 is a monster of power. All models get 5G. I’m skiing the upgrade this year, though. [Here is why](https://numericcitizen.micro.blog/2020/10/14/i-wont-upgrade.html?ref=numericcitizen.me). It’s been a long ride since 2007. ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/public/images/1d9146bd-dd99-497c-8ba1-d43781f2a067_2048x1254.jpeg) 2️⃣ The **iPhone 12 mini** was announced too. Is it a [game-changer](https://www.tomsguide.com/news/the-54-inch-iphone-12-will-be-a-game-changer-heres-why?ref=numericcitizen.me) some people are expecting? People think it will mark the return of the small form-factor for smartphones. Maybe. 3️⃣ [iPad Air 4 benchmarks are now surfacing the web](https://9to5mac.com/2020/10/04/ipad-air-4-benchmark-results-emerge-on-the-web-as-apple-reportedly-prepares-a14-apple-tv/?ref=numericcitizen.me), and if they are any indications of what we should expect for upcoming **Apple Silicon Macs**, the future is bright. 4️⃣ The popular and controversial email service, **Hey,** now **supports iOS 14 widgets**, and I couldn’t be happier. The design is great and useful and in line with Hey’s Imbox, The Feed and Paper Trail. I’m a happy camper. ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/public/images/af08edb0-b416-4279-9935-982e337ff2df_1125x1030.png) 5️⃣ Are you still on the fence about upgrading your beloved iPhone to **iOS 14**? More than 40% of iPhone users already upgraded. Are you afraid to see performance going down the drain after the upgrade? Well, rest assured, it won’t change the performance of your iPhone according to this well-documented YouTube video. 6️⃣ [Apple won a prize](http://www.architecturepressrelease.com/winner-apple-carnegie-library-washington-dc-by-foster-partners/?ref=numericcitizen.me) for the renovation of the **Carnegie Library in Washington**. Good for them. My father was a professional architect for forty years. Architecture is an important thing for me. Seeing Apple continually investing in building preservation like this is another reason to like them like I do. ### Some of my photos that came to light Here is an addition to my photo series “[The Perfect Imperfection](https://numericcitizen-visualspace.com/?ref=numericcitizen.me)”. The first update came as COVID-19 cases in my region were dangerously increasing, leading to more hospitalizations and eventually will impact fatalities. ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/public/images/1919eaa7-76ca-437a-8eaf-fd6cc978a6b3_2341x1520.jpeg) The second update came a few days later and is all about the graphical nature of a cross. Nothing more, nothing less ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/public/images/0a31b956-b9bf-4e92-baae-891390531507_4032x2268.jpeg) One of my first photos on VSCO. ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/public/images/4d24a06d-e863-4461-8bc3-5ff0fe0b528e_1224x1224.jpeg) ### Must see photography stuff Here something I would like to have: the **[Hasselblad 907X](https://www.hasselblad.com/cfv-ii-50c-907x/?ref=numericcitizen.me)**. I like everything about this thing, from the design and the dual nature of the camera (digital back coupled with a traditional Hasselblad lens). Too bad, DPreview doesn't have a full review of it. Too bad, I don't have the money for it. But, these YouTube videos gives you a feel of this camera. **Lightroom CC was updated to version 6.0**. Colour grading, auto version and graphical watermarks features were introduced. Lightroom CC is becoming more and more social as you can follow others and see their shared photo edits. Also available is the learn and discover feed to help you find newly curated content based on your interests. If you are a subscriber of **Adobe Lightroom CC Photography plan**, do yourself a favour, pay a visit to the following [link](https://lightroom.adobe.com/learn/discover/3979b4e9-4199-4f0e-9393-dbc56772850f?%5Fheight=1152&%5Fwidth=2048&%5Fbranch%5Fmatch%5Fid=829303814068815633&ref=numericcitizen.me) to see the photo processing work behind this great black and white picture below of a castle. I don’t go as often as I should in Lightroom CC to see these. ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/public/images/038b9ba1-a9bd-45c7-9f34-01c4ba2340b8_1650x1062.png) 🖼 Oh, and did you hear about **[Glass](https://glass.photo/?ref=numericcitizen.me)**? According to their website: > Glass is a community for photographers to share and collaborate with each other. It's an application that provides a best in class experience to view and discuss photography. It focuses on the specific and unique needs of photographers instead of a generic social network. Seriously anxious to see this in action! Will it replace Instagram or Flickr or 500px? I certainly hope so. ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/public/images/b4e31f8b-46c7-473a-b0b2-b69602f38169_2400x1260.jpeg) One last thing about **Unsplash**. I [love](https://numericcitizen.me/2019/04/10/my-growing-love-affair-with-unsplash/) this free stock photo service a lot; I use it for many things like in this newsletter (as the intro of this newsletter), on my blogs and on social media. But, this [Reddit post](https://www.reddit.com/r/photography/comments/j6b0fg/unsplash%5Fhas%5Fbasically%5Fmade%5Fphotography%5Ffree/?utm%5Fsource=share&utm%5Fmedium=ios%5Fapp&utm%5Fname=iossmf) made me think about the perverse effect of Unsplash’s massive popularity. There is a race to the bottom as for how much people are willing to pay to get great stock photos. Everything is free on Unsplash. Is this the price to pay for an abundance of content and the democratization of photography as a popular art? ### Climate change to worry about Take the following pictures from Twitter when the reality is hard to distinguish from science fiction. Scenes from California under siege because of fires. > [](https://twitter.com/JohnPaczkowski/status/1303788772610326528?ref=numericcitizen.me) Hurricanes season is not done yet, and [we don’t have enough letters in the alphabet to cover them all](https://onezero.medium.com/the-2020-hurricane-season-is-a-turning-point-in-human-history-72710f79abed?ref=numericcitizen.me). As of this writing, [Delta](https://weather.com/storms/hurricane/news/2020-10-07-hurricane-delta-forecast-us-gulf-coast-yucatan-peninsula-0?ref=numericcitizen.me) is raging in the Gulf of Mexico, near Cancun. That is the new normal, I guess. > At no point in the 170 years of Atlantic basin weather history have so many strong storms formed so quickly. — [Eric Holthaus](https://onezero.medium.com/@EricHolthaus?ref=numericcitizen.me) \- Meteorologist **Did you know** that sea levels increase for two reasons: thermal expansion and ice melting? *Ice melting is now the main driver behind increasing sea level, thanks to increasing temperatures around the world*. ### Privacy stuff we should care about 🕶 What’s in **iOS 14** regarding **security and privacy protection**? I’m glad you asked because Ars Technica covered the subject in a recent article: “[A bevy of new features makes iOS 14 the most secure mobile OS ever](https://arstechnica.com/tech-policy/2020/09/a-bevy-of-new-features-makes-ios-14-the-most-secure-mobile-os-ever/?ref=numericcitizen.me)”. Have you upgraded? ### Quotes to remember > The A14 benchmarks are a very good indicator as to what the first generation Apple Silicon chips will be like in Macs; I personally expect even the thinnest & lightest devices to beat out almost all of the 2020 iMac lineup in perf, and push very close to the high-end i7 and i9 — **Steve Troughton-Smith** > A paid newsletter means giving up reach. Instead of tens or hundreds of thousands of people reading what you said (and that has tangible value beyond ego), you get hundreds or thousands. So can you write both a free thing and a paid thing, or are you happy making the switch? — **Benedict Evans** > It might be a disappointing thing to realize for people who work on infrastructure, but people outside the tech world don’t care about it. People care about how apps will help them accomplish their goals, do their work, and hopefully, make their lives a little better and happier. — **Ken Kocienda** For your information, I’m working in the Information Technology infrastructure business since the nineties. 😳 > Instagram stories were solving a problem for a user — that problem of pressure. But when you look at Reels — what problem does that solve for a user? It really solves a problem for Facebook’s business. And when you start solving problems for your business, as opposed to for the people who use your product, it gets really confusing for people. — **Sarah Frier** > In \~10 years, Apple went from having one person (Steve) handle an entire product unveiling to having 10+ people talk about new features and products in their domain. — **Neil Cybart** ### What’s next? I’m glad you asked! 1️⃣ I’m still working on many different articles for the future. One of them is about **Substack** as a publishing platform. I’m getting better at using it to build this newsletter; I’d like to offer my observations about it. 2️⃣ I’m also gathering my thoughts around my usage of my brand new **Synology DS720+** NAS device. This is a longer process than I originally thought. 3️⃣ I’m entering into a personal journey: **[the SDDCbox project](https://numericcitizen.medium.com/the-sddcbox-project-part-1-an-introduction-af398b375b3f?ref=numericcitizen.me)**. Read more about it on Medium. It’s the first article in a long series. ### Looking ahead but not too far from here 💻 If [rumours hold true](https://numericcitizen.micro.blog/2020/10/11/thanks-apple-youll.html?ref=numericcitizen.me), Apple will introduce its highly anticipated Apple Silicon Mac during an #**AppleEvent** (I hope the tag line will be: “**One More Thing**”). Which model, at what price point, shipping when? Your guess is as good as mine. An updated **Apple TV** with Apple Silicon in it could also be a good fit for this event. I’m very anxious to see what Apple has in store for us. Apparently, we should know more on November 17th. ### Leftovers 📂 **[Instagram](https://techcrunch.com/2020/10/05/instagrams-10th-birthday-release-introduces-a-stories-map-custom-icons-and-more/?ref=numericcitizen.me)**[ is ten years old](https://techcrunch.com/2020/10/05/instagrams-10th-birthday-release-introduces-a-stories-map-custom-icons-and-more/?ref=numericcitizen.me). To celebrate, they made a few changes, and one of them is to be able to set the application icon to one of the previously used, the ones before Facebook bought them and scrapped the platform. I cannot bring back what Instagram used to be, but I did bring back its 2010 icon. 📨 In a recent blog post, the well-known blogger and content creator, Matt Birchler, wants to understand **why so many people are opting for emails (newsletters)** over the web. [I wanted to give my perspective on each of his questions](https://numericcitizen.micro.blog/2020/10/17/a-follow-up.html?ref=numericcitizen.me). **⚙️ iPadOS 14** came out in September, and **multitasking** was left untouched by Apple, probably thinking that it is good enough. Many are asking for improvements on that front. It’s exactly what **Silvia Gatta** did in a new [iPad multitasking feature concept](https://www.macstories.net/stories/a-fix-for-ipad-multitasking/?ref=numericcitizen.me) shown on MacStories. The idea is to use something that we currently have on macOS. There is a way to put windows side-by-side while holding the green light button on any Windows traffic lights. By doing so, the user can select one which side the window should go. Silvia Gatta’s concept is based on the same idea, and I find it to be clever. ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/public/images/da38f268-0ab4-467a-a7e7-b14196224621_2731x1037.jpeg) This concludes the Numeric Citizen Introspection Newsletter #3 for October of 2020\. I would love to get your feedback and read your comments. Thanks for being a subscriber. Thanks for reading and sharing with the world! ### The iPhone 12 Moment URL: https://numericcitizen.me/the-iphone-12-moment/ Last updated: 2023-03-23T16:47:34.000Z The second Apple event of this fall took place on October 13th at the Apple Park. This highly awaited streamed keynote was the iPhone 12 moment. Was this event too much hyped? Did Apple meet pundits’ expectations? Here are my observations and appreciation. ## About this AppleEvent !["Hi, Speed" Apple event artwork](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/numericcitizen.me/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/apple-event-fall-2020.png) “Hi, Speed” Apple event artwork First, it was probably the most leaked event in the history of Apple. Until the last minute before the start, [details about the HomePod mini and the entire line up of the iPhone 12 appearance was leaked online](https://www.cultofmac.com/725357/apple-leaks-must-make-things-completely-crazy-in-cupertino/?ref=numericcitizen.me). Leakers like to spoil the show. Good for them, but I’m still enjoying the experience, though. This one was no exception. With the “**Hi, Speed**” tagline, the event was the second of a rumoured series of three. It was a bit later than usual, thanks to… well, 2020\. Nonetheless, it was a good one with, yes, very few surprises. More on this later. Besides the iPhone, the HomePod got some attention, right at the beginning of the show. Again, more on this segment later. Also, remarkable is the number of presenters who seems to increase with each keynote. We’re far from the old days when Steve Jobs would do 90% of the presentation. For a quick and very nice visual summary of this keynote, tune in on this [one minute YouTube video](https://youtu.be/Gz8vBoEFArA?ref=numericcitizen.me) by Apple. It’s really well done and worth a watch. ## The production value > The whole is more than the sum of the parts. It’s a new, high-level art form. — John Martellaro of [MacObserver](https://www.macobserver.com/columns-opinions/editorial/new-apple-event-videos-breathtaking/?ref=numericcitizen.me) Apple keeps impressing me on the production quality of their event. For a third time, Apple Park was the center of nearly all the footage. Contrary to M. G. Siegler, I just can’t get enough of this architectural feat. Transitions between video segments were spectacular if not mind-blowing like when Tim Cook introduces the speaker presenting the HomePod mini (see the following picture). ![One of the most unexpected and mind blowing transition of the keynote ](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/numericcitizen.me/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/transition-to-homepod-mini.jpg) One of the most unexpected and mind blowing transition of the keynote After the event, Apple’s website was updated with the latest product details and the store reopened. This orchestrated playbook is a joy to experience. Special appreciation goes to the iPhone page with high-quality pictures, animations and typography. It usually takes me a few days to dwell on all this content. I’m still not done with it. ## HomePod mini So, about this HomePod mini. If I look back at the whole presentation, without having the Apple TV hardware refresh and the rumoured AirPod Studio, it felt a bit weird. I understand the value of full integration with the iPhone or the rest of the ecosystem, but why now with the iPhone event? It’s a mystery to me. ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/numericcitizen.me/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/homepod-mini.jpg) I’m not sure about this whole new design. Apple pouts a lot of emphasis on Siri but as you know, [Siri is not the leader in its class](https://om.co/2020/10/13/sorry-state-of-siri/?ref=numericcitizen.me). Apple may want to put any kind of speaker with Siri, it doesn’t make Siri any better. The magic usually happens on the backend. Period. There is a small nifty thing that was announced to go with this HomePod mini is this intercom feature. It is intriguing and will certainly help sell more than one HomePod to those who want to get a sense of the intended experience. They will sell a lot of these. I’ll take two. The HomePod segment felt like a relaunch of the HomePod or what it should have been first: smaller and cheaper. The big brother is still around and at the same price. When you compare both devices, we have to wonder if the bigger HomePod-only features warrant the price difference. I doubt it. The U1 ship in the mini will certainly provide an edge over the older HomePod but in very specific use cases only. More expansive HomePod still gets specific features like spatial awareness and home theatre mode with Apple TV 4K (coming later with a software update). I expect Apple to launch another bigger HomePod to replace the current one with this U1 chip in it. ![Comparing HomePods features](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/numericcitizen.me/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/homepod-comparison.png) Comparing HomePods features ## The iPhone 12 lineup Now, for the iPhone 12\. Last year [I upgraded from an iPhone 7 to the iPhone 11 Pro which brought back delight](https://numericcitizen.me/2019/09/28/from-iphone-7-to-iphone-11-pro-the-return-of-delights/). I’m still enjoying this device, so [I will skip the iPhone 12 this year](https://numericcitizen.micro.blog/2020/10/14/i-wont-upgrade.html?ref=numericcitizen.me). That being said, I do have a few observations regarding the iPhone 12 unveiling and the product line itself. ### Network ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/numericcitizen.me/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/5g.jpg) First, let’s talk about high-speed wireless technology: 5G. The 5G capability being the first feature to be introduced was a bit of a surprise. Apple played it big all along. Promoting 5G to increase bandwidth in stadiums while those are empty, thanks to COVID-19, is weird. The actual experience will not depend on the iPhone 12 but on the cellular providers and the actual coverage. Exhibit A here. I’m not sure this is a situation Apple likes to be in. Did they have a choice? Last year’s iPhone 11 didn’t have it, many pundits were quick to notice it. Now the iPhone 12 has it but again, many pundits will say that 5G isn’t ready yet. Also, the words “under ideal conditions” in many slides are key here. Nonetheless, to support 5G around the world, Apple has to create many more different iPhone versions than with 4G (or LTE). It’s a massive rollout challenge. All in all, [5G is so complicated and is not customer friendly](https://twitter.com/ortwingentz/status/1316111261285978119?s=21&ref=numericcitizen.me). If you want to read a great summary of what is 5G and why you should care, [Benedict Evans has one](https://www.ben-evans.com/benedictevans/2019/1/16/5g-if-you-build-it-we-will-fill-it?ref=numericcitizen.me). Let’s put 5G aside now. From a design perspective, the best-looking iPhone is the blue iPhone 12 with mat finish edges. For performance, my choice goes to the pacific blue iPhone 12 Pro. A common theme among the iPhone 12 models compared to last year’s iPhone 11 is slimmer bezel, [as shown here](https://twitter.com/bengeskin/status/1316146398266621955?s=21&ref=numericcitizen.me). I like it a lot. It reminds me of the iPhone 5, one of the best design Apple ever created for the iPhone. Apple is slowly moving to a full-screen iPhone. Slowly. ![The best design of 2020](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/numericcitizen.me/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/iphone12-blue.jpg) The best iPhone design of 2020 ### Performance ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/numericcitizen.me/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/performance.jpg) On the performance side of the equation, the A14 seems to be a performance monster enabling features never seen before on a smartphone like HDR video recording, 10 bits colour channels capture, at 60 FPS in 4K resolution, Dolby video capture and editing. Impressive. Benchmarks are putting the iPhone 12 at 20-25% faster than the previous generation. It’s a big leap. How much room does the A-chip has left to grow? ### Cameras and photography ![@sdw camera hardware summary](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/numericcitizen.me/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/twitter_eku6dscucaehfw5.jpg) @sdw camera hardware summary Cameras received upgrades across the board, especially [on the iPhone 12 Pro Max](https://twitter.com/bengeskin/status/1316161215568150532?s=21&ref=numericcitizen.me). Deep fusion is now available on all cameras on the Pro line. There is a new night mode time-lapse, which could be cool to use in certain circumstances like sunsets or sunrises. But, there is a big surprise for pro photographers: ProRAW. What is this all about? Well, until now, if you were using deep fusion while taking pictures, you couldn’t get access to the RAW version of the image. When you think about it, it made sense as deep fusion adds many layers of photo processing to make it much better; why keep the unprocessed RAW version you might wonder? ProRAW brings [the best of both worlds](https://twitter.com/mattbirchler/status/1316200149996232706?s=21&ref=numericcitizen.me): you get all the processing of deep fusion separated from the RAW image in a single file. I guess that we will be able to alter the deep fusion processing as we wish as they are stored as mathematical information. This is probably another game-changer waiting to happen. ProRAW will be enabled for all cameras, and Apple will provide an API for developers to take advantage of it, probably with the forthcoming iOS 14.2 release later in November. ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/numericcitizen.me/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/draggedimage.png) Finally, the LiDAR thing. When Apple released the 2020 iPad Pro with LiDAR, many, including me, were wondering what is the actual use that is so important that Apple needs to include this thing builtin? Well, the iPad doesn’t provide a real use case, but the iPhone 12 is quite another story. LiDAR is used in photo and video to help the autofocus. This is wild. In iPhone 12, Apple made LiDAR easier to understand its advantage in real scenarios where it brings added value. For a much more detailed view of each camera features, head to this [Medium article](https://blog.halide.cam/iphone-12-event-all-the-camera-news-baed29486c47?ref=numericcitizen.me) from the maker of the popular Halide camera app. ### You know, it’s complicated ![Nice graphic of the iPhone generations - By @iMicSun](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/numericcitizen.me/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/all-iphone-generations.jpg) Nice graphic of the iPhone generations – By @iMicSun The iPhone line up is more crowded than ever. That’s Tim Cook’s Apple: keep the old, add price points. The following chart gives a quick overview of relatively recent iPhone models up to the new ones. I’m not sure everybody understands the subtleties network the iPhone 12 and the iPhone 12 Pro and what is the best between the iPhone SE 2 and the iPhone 12 mini. Last year’s lineup was a bit easier to grasp. ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/numericcitizen.me/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/twitter_ekozwkyu0aaslbl.jpg) ### Miscellaneous MagSafe Duo is a nice addition and supports older devices albeit in a Qi-compatible matter at 7.5W! More powerful charging comes with the iPhone 12 only. Clearly, Apple wants to build a new ecosystem. Again. Apple is good at this. But, troubling is the fact that as of this writing, there is no shipping date, nor pricing for the MagSafe Duo. Is this a repeat of the AirPower disaster? Hope not. ![MagSafe Duo - The new AirPower?](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/numericcitizen.me/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/twitter_ekof87cwoaaudsu.jpg) MagSafe Duo – The new AirPower? As you know, Apple is removing the power adaptor for the sake of being environmentally friendly. That’s the only good way, marketing-wise, to put it, but many people won’t like it, [like him](https://twitter.com/OhMDee/status/1316907330764767233?s=20&ref=numericcitizen.me), but who said environmentally friendly decisions were easy to make and without consequences? Finally, as Sami from AppleTerm [writes](https://appleterm.com/2020/10/15/opinion-extra-charger-trade-in-program/?ref=numericcitizen.me), Apple could offer a credit for those chargers upon buying a new iPhone if it’s really about the environment. But one quick question: why provide a USB-C to Lightning cable instead of USB-A to Lightning one? Another mystery. ## Missing in action Now, with every Apple event, there are many no shows. First, the highly rumoured AirTags tracking devices. Current rumours point to the first quarter of 2021\. Second, Apple TV hardware refresh. It could have been a great addition to the HomePod mini segment. Maybe in November on the third fall event? Third, the AirPod Studio headset is missing too. The focus of this event was the iPhone, I get it. Personally, after seeing the new iPad Air which had Touch ID on the power button, I thought it could have been a nice surprise to see it coming to the iPhone 12\. Many don’t like Face ID and the pandemic which forces us to wear face mask is not a good mix with Face ID. But hardware features are frozen quite a bit in advance and my guess is the iPhone 12 was done well before the beginning of COVID-19. Finally, an Apple event without [Philip Schiller](https://twitter.com/pschiller?s=21&ref=numericcitizen.me) is a bit strange. His favourite part always seemed to be the photography stuff. Too bad he wasn’t there to express his usual enthusiasm. ## Is it November yet? This fall is like nothing we’ve seen before, thanks to the pandemic. Apple has to adapt and so far, they do a sensational job. Now that the iPhone 12 lineup is officially out, people are already turning their attention to what comes next: the unveiling of the first Apple Silicon Mac and macOS Big Sur in November. As great looking and powerful the shiny new iPhone 12 Pro might be, I’ll skip the upgrade this year. Sure, I tend to skip a few generations, but there is one unexpected reason not to do so and another one more obvious. First, because of the pandemic, I cannot see when I’ll return traveling around the world. Traveling is the best photography opportunity for me. Without travel, working from home all the time, there is no need to get the latest smartphone technology. Second, 5G networks may be powerful, but the coverage is spotty at best. I prefer to wait a year for this coverage to increase before making the jump on the new iPhone. It will be hard to resist until next year’s iPhone. ### The Numeric Citizen Tip Sheet URL: https://numericcitizen.me/the-numeric-citizen-tip-sheet/ Last updated: 2023-03-23T16:47:34.000Z ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/numericcitizen.me/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/numeric-citizen-tip-sheet-1.png) Click to enlarge Dear readers, I wanted to let you know [where you can find me on the web](https://numericcitizen.me/find-me-here-too/) in a convenient and beautiful (I think) matter. Hit the link to have a more detailed view. Enjoy. ### About iOS 14 Widgets — Great But Still a Long Way To Go URL: https://numericcitizen.me/about-ios-14-widgets-great-but-still-a-long-way-to-go/ Last updated: 2023-03-23T16:47:35.000Z With the recent introduction of widgets on iOS, what is referred as “the iPhone experience” is having a refreshing moment. Never before users could customize their home screen as much as today. [Not everything is perfect on iOS 14](https://link.medium.com/K6sZ6ToRjab?ref=numericcitizen.me), far from it, but this new level of control was long overdue. Time as come for some reflection and assessment. ## My must-have widgets In the last few months, I’ve been playing with a lot of widgets. I probably spent way too much time on this. First, I started with Apple’s stock widgets, then came the third-party one with the beta phase before the release of iOS 14\. The excellent [AirPort](https://numericcitizen.me/2020/08/27/airport-the-testflight-app-store-apple-didnt-create/) app helped me discover many of them. First, let’s start with my widget picks. ### HEY email client The popular and controversial email service, **Hey**, now supports iOS 14 widgets and I couldn’t be happier. The design is great and useful and in line with Hey’s Imbox, The Feed and Paper Trail. I’m a happy camper. It is my preferred one. ![HEY widget](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/numericcitizen.me/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/hey-widget.png) HEY widget ### WeatherLine The weather app called, **WeatherLine**, is the second runner-up. For weather enthusiasts, it is one of the best widget out there. I’m not a fan of CarrotWeather. ![WeatherLine widget](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/numericcitizen.me/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/weatherline-widget.png) WeatherLine widget ### Lumy **Lumy** is another great one which displays golden hour. The three basic widget sizes are supported. This app also offers an Apple Watch complication which is also very well-designed. ![Lumy widget](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/numericcitizen.me/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/lumy-widget.png) Lumy widget ### Numerico — a Google Analytics data visualizer Previously known as GAdget for Google Analytics, this nice little app was completely redesigned for iOS 14\. I’m happy to see widgets supported which are sitting on my blogger home page. That’s exactly what widgets are for. ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/numericcitizen.me/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/numerico.png) ### Buddywatch **Buddywatch** is a brilliant app to discover watch faces for Apple Watch. You can search for them, browse them and download them on your Apple Watch. This is something Apple could have done. It’s probably the closest thing you’ll get to [a watch face store](https://tidbits.com/2020/10/08/four-reasons-why-we-wont-see-third-party-apple-watch-faces-and-what-apple-is-doing-instead/?ref=numericcitizen.me). It is a really well done application. Oh, and did I say it is free? ### Buffer Finally, **Buffer** widget was introduced during the writing of this article. I like the end result: simple widget displaying the number of items scheduled in the buffer queues. ### What do they have in common? Now, what is the common denominators to these widgets? Why do they stick to my home screen pages? It comes down to a few, probably obvious, reasons. First, they look great. To be on my home screen page, it needs to be pleasant and well-designed. Second, there are useful. They have to expose useful, obvious and very specific information from their parent application. Third, they support all widget sizes which provide flexibility in their placement on my screen. See? Only three reasons are needed to enable the possibility of finding a precious slot on one of my home screen page: great design, useful and variable in size. ## Still missing in action As much as I do use widgets now, there is a lot going on in the widget space since the release of iOS 14 on September 16th. Yet, at the time of publishing this article, many of my favorite apps still lacked widgets support. Here is a rundown. 1. **News Explorer**. I’d like to have a widget showing recent entries for a specific RSS feed. The idea of using widgets to display recent items from a massive stream of information like “all the feeds” is very questionable as [I wrote on Micro.blog](https://numericcitizen.micro.blog/2020/09/30/here-is-a.html?ref=numericcitizen.me): that’s not a great use case for widgets. 2. **MyRadar**. Another one that could make good use of widgets with the most recent radar image for a specific region or for my current location. Hope they provide that option. 3. **Twitter**. How about a widget showing current stats like followers and following count? There is not many use cases for widgets for Twitter. [Aviary](https://apps.apple.com/us/app/aviary/id1522043420?ref=numericcitizen.me), another Twitter client, supports widgets that I find cute but not very useful. 4. **Notion**. How about a widget showing the most recent notifications or the most recent pages that I worked on? 5. **App Store**. How about displaying the most recent application updates available, something along the line of what Apple TV app already do? That could be useful. 6. **Unsplash**. Having a widget showing pictures from people you follow or from a specific theme would be really nice on my home screen. Can’t wait for that one. I would pay for this! 7. **500px**. Again, just like Unsplash, having a way to see pictures of photographers of your choice could be a nice way to personalize the home screen. What are they waiting for? 8. **Local news app**. Many of the local news apps that I use are still lacking widget support and that’s a shame. 9. **WordPress**. WordPress currently supports widgets in the Today view and there are quite useful. Would like to see them ported to iOS 14 widgets format. Moreover, what about a widget showing current posts in draft status, number of followers, scheduled posts queue? 10. **Medium**. I would love to see the most recent article headlines from people and publications I follow and the most recent bookmarked articles. Medium is currently in beta for the redesigned application but as of this writing, widgets are still not supported. Also, another widgets showing followers count, reading statistics would be a useful addition. 11. **Deliveries**. The recently released version 9 of Deliveries finally brought dark mode support but is still lacking widgets support. That’s another no-brainer feature to add to this venerable utility. Speaking of Deliveries, you can read my recent comments on this version [here](https://numericcitizen.micro.blog/2020/10/10/deliveries-does-it.html?ref=numericcitizen.me). 12. **Ulysses**. I would like to see a widget showing current drafts in the works. The latest release (v21) did bring a refreshed look to better support iOS 14 but did not add any widgets. Or what about a widget showing the progress of the most recently edited article? 13. **Living earth**. This excellent earth cloud imagery could benefit from adding a widget showing a user-defined area on the 3D globe. 14. **Adobe Creative Cloud**. Recently edited photos thumbnails, available storage, recent tutorial additions are all examples of things that could be part of any new widget. 15. **Adobe Lightroom**. Again, recently edited or imported photos could be shown as small thumbnails. User could also be offered to select a specific album as the source for shown pictures. 16. **Currency conversion apps**. Another no-brainer, which I’m still waiting for my preferred currency converter app to support. 17. **Castro**. This excellent podcast player and management still lacks widgets support which is a bit of a shame if you’re considering the iPad is still not supported either. You see, subscription model doesn’t always equate to basic operating system features support. This list was way too long, I know, but these are the most obvious cases for widgets support that I’d like to see. ## A widget construction kit ![Widgets creation and customization apps](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/numericcitizen.me/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/19981444-f378-4b90-8c01-1a1a89389096.jpg) Widgets creation and customization apps As I wrote in a [recent blog post](https://numericcitizen.micro.blog/2020/09/29/here-is-a.html?ref=numericcitizen.me) on Micro.blog: I think those who will come up with a fully featured widget construction kit, something along the line of the [Widgetsmith](https://apps.apple.com/us/app/widgetsmith/id1523682319?ref=numericcitizen.me) or [Widgeridoo](https://apps.apple.com/ca/app/widgeridoo/id1531359008?ref=numericcitizen.me) app, will make a lot of money. The sooner the better. Make no mistake, Widgetsmith is a pretty cool concept with a few rough edges, and a lot of untapped potential. In the future, I see a world where I should be able to design a widget pretty much the same way we design a newsletter: setting the frame size, adding text, images, live data from different sources like RSS, websites, weather, etc. I would pay to have this on my iPad or iPhone. I’m patient and willing to pay for that. ## Some (free) widget ideas Besides the imagined widget construction kit, here are other obvious ideas of widgets for which I would pay for. Here is a short list. **RSS.** Display content from a single RSS feed. **Web pages.** Display the content of a single web page. **Search.**– Display a Search field for on-device searching with option to branch out a search on the web. Strange widgets ideas are also starting to emerge like a collaborative widget content in [Magnets](https://apps.apple.com/ca/app/magnets-shared-widgets/id1520682943?ref=numericcitizen.me). ## On iPadOS 14 widgets ![Image from Matt Birchler concept video](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/numericcitizen.me/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/ipados-widgets-support.jpg) Image from Matt Birchler concept video I’ve been thinking about the lack of the full widget experience on the iPad lately. Many are frustrated by Apple still holding back the iPad as shown in [this Twitter thread](https://twitter.com/saradietschy/status/1312483722092969984?s=21&ref=numericcitizen.me). Why Apple did not enable widgets placement anywhere on the home screen? Let’s try to figure this out. > I wish iPad OS had the App Library and the ability to put widgets anywhere instead of just the today view 😤😤😤 > Big miss. > > — Sara 🍑y (@saradietschy) [October 3, 2020](https://twitter.com/saradietschy/status/1312483722092969984?ref%5Fsrc=twsrc%5Etfw&ref=numericcitizen.me) ### Lack of resources on the springboard team at Apple. Apple’s resources are not infinite. Introducing widgets support is something that probably wasn’t trivial to add to the iPhone. Maybe Apple chose to concentrate on this device first and introduce the full experience in a forthcoming update to iPadOS. ### The importance of the Today view Contrary to the iPhone, the today view on the iPad can be more prominent to the user. It’s plays a distinctive role to make the iPadOS experience different compared to the iPhone where the Today view is always hidden from the user until it is brought into view with a swipe gesture. One could argue: to add the full widget experience on the iPad, Apple has to reconsider the existence of today view. I think it could be replaced with widgets only in the future. ![Widgets on iPad](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/numericcitizen.me/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/a407eab1-f498-4a71-84ee-d554dba540fb.jpg) Widgets on iPad As [I wrote on Micro.blog](https://numericcitizen.micro.blog/2020/10/02/one-major-observation.html?ref=numericcitizen.me) following an [interesting article](https://birchtree.me/blog/concept-proper-widget-support-on-the-ipad/?ref=numericcitizen.me) from Matt Birchler, Apple is not obligated to keep the Today view around on the iPad when they introduce full widgets support. This view could easily be recreated by placing widgets on the left of the screen in landscape view. Device rotation would not affect widgets placement. ### Too much strength on system resources There is so much more space on the iPad home screen that maybe having too many widgets would cause a lack of system resources? Widgets in iOS14 are not interactive like they were on iOS 13 which required more advanced runtime environment to support them. Yet, we should not forget about the fact that iPads do have less system memory than a laptop. ### Are resizable widgets needed? If Apple wants to keep the current icon spacing on the home screen as it is on each current iPad models, this mean a widget would need to be resizable to support device rotation. This feature is not yet available. Resizable widgets are certainly something that would be useful. To change the widget size, users have to remove the widget and add the same from a different size. It’s not the best user experience. As it is now, the standard widget sizes were designed with the iPhone home screen in mind, this doesn’t transpose well on the iPad as the icon screen spacing changes depending on the iPad model. ### iPadOS update cycle What if Apple chose a different update cycle to the iPadOS experience? Maybe it is based on a two-years cycle, who knows? This could mean that the full widget experience could come with iPadOS 15 next year. My gut feeling is that Apple would do more than just completing the widget experience. I think this explains why we don’t have as much flexibility on widgets usage on the iPad, for now. ## Nothing new for widgets in iOS 14.2 beta Today, there are many areas open for improvements regarding widgets, especially regarding their management. The upcoming iOS 14.2 is out (in beta form), but doesn’t contain any widget-related and user-facing improvements. My guess is that Apple is content with the current state of widgets implementation. That being said, looking ahead, here is a list of things I’d like to see improved. ### Editing widgets stacks Once a widget stack is added on the home screen, we cannot add other widgets in the stack. Only widgets deletion and reordering are allowed. Adding widgets should be possible. ### Merging two stacks in one It will be useful in the future to allow users to merge two stacks by dragging one on top of another. Right now, we need to rebuild the stacks from scratch which, again, imposes too much management burden on users. ### Fragile home screen layout While adding a widget on the home screen, the layout of icons and widgets already in place is fragile and prone to be broken. This is particularly true when the home page if already full of icons and widgets. Fixing these induced layout issues takes many manipulations. ### Siri suggestions widget lacks a visual cue The Siri suggestions widget should come with a small outline to help differentiate this bunch of dynamically placed icons from those individually placed by the user. An option to add such an outline should be provided at the very least. ### One-by-four A one-by-four widget size should be introduced. The batteries widgets would benefit from it. A more flexible widget placements possibilities would be a welcomed addition. ## What the future holds? We will have to look beyond iOS 14 to get any meaningful changes or improvements regarding widgets. But, [One person](https://twitter.com/bo0mh4cks/status/1313872906833858560?s=21&ref=numericcitizen.me) did have a look and created an animated mockup of what could lie ahead. It is a short clip but it shows where Apple should be heading and It is very cool. > iOS15 maybe 🤔 [@Apple](https://twitter.com/Apple?ref%5Fsrc=twsrc%5Etfw&ref=numericcitizen.me) [@tim\_cook](https://twitter.com/tim%5Fcook?ref%5Fsrc=twsrc%5Etfw&ref=numericcitizen.me) I believe in you. [#Makeithappen](https://twitter.com/hashtag/Makeithappen?src=hash&ref%5Fsrc=twsrc%5Etfw&ref=numericcitizen.me) [pic.twitter.com/6k2m9qh4tO](https://t.co/6k2m9qh4tO?ref=numericcitizen.me) > > — Bo0MH4CKZ®️ (@Bo0MH4CKS) [October 7, 2020](https://twitter.com/Bo0MH4CKS/status/1313872906833858560?ref%5Fsrc=twsrc%5Etfw&ref=numericcitizen.me) ## Still unsettled I’ve been playing with widgets since the first beta of iOS 14 came out this summer. I’m still searching for the best home screen pages configuration. I spent countless hours trying to figure out the best setup. And just like for the Apple Watch, [I’m never satisfied](https://numericcitizen.micro.blog/2020/09/19/im-never-satisfied.html?ref=numericcitizen.me). Is this supposed to tell something about me, my personality or about Apple’s new iPhone experience? Apparently, I like to have widgets on the top half of each home screen pages and I do use stacks a lot. There is still a lot of experimentation going on in the widgets space right now. I’m not sure all widgets are useful, many are gimmicky and show a lack of fundamental understanding of what a widget should provide to the users. There is a lot of room for improvement and there are many low-hanging fruits. The coming months will be interesting to watch. ### Did You Know That Newsletters Are Hot? URL: https://numericcitizen.me/newsletters-are-hot/ Last updated: 2023-03-23T16:47:35.000Z ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/numericcitizen.me/wp-content/uploads/2020/09/substack-newsletter-banner.png) This post is a friendly reminder that [I started something new](https://numericcitizen.me/2020/09/04/i-started-something-new-a-monthly-newsletter/) a few weeks ago: a free newsletter called The Numeric Citizen Introspection newsletter. I’m already at two issues and working on the next one. I’m very excited about this project. It is really fun to put together a newsletter and hit the “send” button at the end of every month. Read all about my project [here](https://numericcitizen.substack.com/p/finding-my-newsletter-purpose). If you are a regular reader of the Numeric Citizen blog, then don’t miss this newsletter too! It is free! Please, visit [my Substack page](https://numericcitizen.substack.com/) and subscribe. Did I say it is free? [![Numeric Citizen Introspection Newsletter for September of 2020. ](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/numericcitizen.me/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/ncinewsletter-2.png)](https://numericcitizen.substack.com/) The Numeric Citizen Introspection Issue for September of 2020 ![man sitting on bench reading newspaper](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/numericcitizen.me/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/roman-kraft-_zua2hyvtbk-unsplash.jpg) Photo by [Roman Kraft](https://unsplash.com/@romankraft?ref=numericcitizen.me) on [Unsplash](https://unsplash.com/?utm%5Fsource=numeric-citizen-blog&utm%5Fmedium=referral) ### Upgrading from an Apple Watch Series 4 to Series 6 URL: https://numericcitizen.me/upgrading-from-an-apple-watch-series-4-to-series-6/ Last updated: 2023-03-23T16:47:35.000Z On October 1st, I got my new 44 mm Apple Watch Series 6\. Ordered just a few minutes after the end of the [Time Flies event](https://numericcitizen.me/2020/09/17/my-thoughts-on-the-time-flies-apple-event/), using the latest release of [Deliveries](https://numericcitizen.micro.blog/2020/09/29/waiting-waiting-and.html?ref=numericcitizen.me), I patiently waited for the package to arrive at my door. Here are my experience and my impressions about this “convenient” addition and “fashionable” upgrade. ![My Apple Watch Series 6](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/numericcitizen.me/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/my-apple-watch-series6.jpg) My Apple Watch Series 6 ## Why I decided to upgrade from an Apple Watch Series 4 First, I wanted a watch with the always-on display, just like traditional watches. I loved the Apple Watch since the first day I got one, but let’s face it, having a display that turns itself off to save power is a compromise that only Apple can impose on us. Series 5 last year introduced the always-on display but I didn’t feel the upgrade was worth it as I generally try to skip at least one generation of a product. Second, when I ordered the Series 4 in 2018, I waited too long and I couldn’t get the silver finish version fast enough. Series 4 was a major upgrade and sales went through the roof pushing the silver model delivery delays further. I wanted to get a lighter finish, something that looks closer to a traditional watch. I was so anxious to upgrade from the original watch, I couldn’t resist and bought the space gray version instead. ![A traditional watch with a silver finish](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/numericcitizen.me/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/traditional-silver-finish-watch.jpg) A traditional watch with a silver finish Third, I wanted a second watch, so I could track my sleep without bothering to manage battery power. Having to manage device charging with only one watch is a bit of a hassle. When I upgraded to the Series 4, I kept my original Apple Watch for sleep tracking. Now, I’m back with a two-watches setup. I don’t have to worry about the battery power level anymore. ## A broken upgrade process ![An Apple Watch during pairing process](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/numericcitizen.me/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/an-apple-watch-during-pairing-process.jpg) An Apple Watch during pairing process In normal circumstances, the process to replace an old Apple Watch with a more recent model as [documented here](https://appleinsider.com/articles/20/09/09/how-to-upgrade-to-a-new-apple-watch?ref=numericcitizen.me) goes as follows: 1. Using the Watch app on the iPhone, select the current watch in the “All watches” view by tapping the “i” button. 2. Tap the Unpair Apple Watch and wait for the process to finish. 3. Power on the new Apple Watch and keep it close to the iPhone. 4. Select the pairing option and follow the on-screen instructions. 5. At some point, when asked to use a backup to restore your settings, select the most recent one. This is where things went wrong. Something that could have been (and should have been) a flawless process turned up to be a major failure: the last backup of my Series 4 stored on my iPhone apparently dated back from September 2019\. That was not only useless but risky to use such an old backup. How can this be possible? Is it because this year I went [all-in with all the betas](https://numericcitizen.me/2020/07/18/going-all-in-with-ios-14-ipados-14-macos-11-big-sur-and-watchos-7-betas/) breaking the backup process for good? I will never know. The unpair process usually forces a backup to take place from the Apple Watch to the iPhone. I had no choice but to start from scratch knowingly I would have to reconfigure everything back. What a frustrating experience. After a moment, I started to think that this was for the better: I could start from scratch by selecting which app was good enough to stay on my watch and which watch face was good enough to be shown on this always-on display. There is often a good side to a bad experience, right? ## My appreciation of the new Apple Watch Series 6 In general, I’m happy with this upgrade even if it isn’t as big as coming from the original Apple Watch. After wearing the Series 6 for a few days, here are my impressions. ### The screen The main feature of this upgrade is the always-on display. At long last, the Apple Watch is a real watch, with very few compromises. It makes a huge difference. I really like the increase in brightness when I bring my arm to look at the watch. The brightness increase is now some sort of “hey, you, here is the current time”. Under direct sun, the display content is bright enough to compensate. Compared to this shiny new watch, my Series 4 seems broken when the display is off. ### About the Black Leather Link I chose the Black Leather Link because I liked the novelty of the design. After a few minutes with my watch on my wrist, I started to feel the band was not tight enough. After playing with the band, I wondered if it was because it wasn’t correctly attached to the watch. It was. Magnets are strong, the feeling is great, yet, it is hard to close the loop in a tight manner. It’s hard to put it on while making sure it not too loose. It’s a small deception. I’m not alone, the well-known Michael Steeber on Twitter [shared a similar feeling](https://twitter.com/michaelsteeber/status/1312108463669932033?s=21&ref=numericcitizen.me). ![Black Leather Link band](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/numericcitizen.me/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/leather-link-band.jpg) Black Leather Link band > After 1 day: just as comfortable as the Milanese Loop, I don't even notice it on my wrist. Maybe a bit lighter. Magnets are super strong to the extent that it's a bit tough to wrap tightly around my wrist because they want to snap into place. Otherwise, really liking it. [https://t.co/ZwOuMT1gU5](https://t.co/ZwOuMT1gU5?ref=numericcitizen.me) > > — Michael Steeber (@MichaelSteeber) [October 2, 2020](https://twitter.com/MichaelSteeber/status/1312108463669932033?ref%5Fsrc=twsrc%5Etfw&ref=numericcitizen.me) A side effect of loosely wearing the watch is the heartbeat reading seems to be skipping more often as shown in the following two workout examples. ![Heartbeat reading missing from a short workout](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/numericcitizen.me/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/skipped-heartbeat-readings.jpg) Heartbeat reading missing from a short workout After three days, I was back wearing the black Milanese loop. ### Battery life After a few days of using the Series 6, I get the feeling that battery life is on par with my Series 4\. It is not a scientific measure for sure, just an appreciation. ### Speed Coupled with watchOS 7 sped up animations, the other area where I do see more pronounced improvements on Series 6 is the wireless speed. Everything that I use on the watch that needs to fetch some data over the air feels a bit faster. Also improved is the charging speed but I couldn’t really tell as I put down my watch on the charger before going to bed. ### The digital crown The digital crown feels much more “*clicky*” and louder. We can clearly hear it each time I push it. Is it because my Series 4 is old and the click is having some fatigue? I’m not sure. I’m not sure if I prefer this version compared to my previous Apple Watch. ### The blood oxygen sensor The new sensor is interesting but it isn’t as valuable as the ECG feature introduced with the Series 4\. According to a few reports, the blood oxygen reading should be taken with a grain of salt. The lack of precision of this type of reading could be the root cause according to an article on The Verge. This feature certainly shouldn’t be regarded as the only reason to upgrade, that’s for sure, but it is interesting to have on the wrist nonetheless. My tests gave me a variety of results including a lot of inconclusive results. ## So, should you upgrade? All in all, having an always-on display, a silver finish and my Series 4 becoming my second Apple Watch for sleep tracking, for me, at least, this upgrade is worth it. Taken individually, these reasons aren’t necessarily enough to warrant an upgrade, though. Should you upgrade? That’s an easy yes if you have a Series 3 or older device. If you are a Series 4 owner just like me, it comes down to the always-on screen and improved speed for wireless operations. Finally, while listening to [Marques Brownlee’s review on YouTube](https://youtu.be/XDamqi%5F3Aro?ref=numericcitizen.me), I couldn’t agree more by saying the Apple Watch Series 6 is probably *the most complete ecosystem bait yet!* I couldn’t put it another way. ### Numeric Citizen Introspection Newsletter #2 URL: https://numericcitizen.me/numeric-citizen-introspection-newsletter/ Last updated: 2024-08-12T11:13:59.000Z *It is fall time - I wish it was a picture from me - Photo by [Johannes Plenio](https://unsplash.com/@jplenio?utm%5Fsource=unsplash&utm%5Fmedium=referral&utm%5Fcontent=creditCopyText) on [Unsplash](https://unsplash.com/s/photos/autumn?utm%5Fsource=unsplash&utm%5Fmedium=referral&utm%5Fcontent=creditCopyText)* Here is the **Numeric Citizen Introspection Newsletter** #2 for **September of 2020**. Feedbacks on the August newsletter were great! Let’s start with this month’s post highlights from my [Micro.blog](https://numericcitizen.micro.blog/?ref=numericcitizen.me), [Medium](https://www.medium.com/@numericcitizen?ref=numericcitizen.me) and on [my main blog](https://numericcitizen.me/). ### Recently dropped on my Micro.blog - Sending a newsletter is like putting a message in a bottle and... **[then what](https://numericcitizen.micro.blog/2020/09/03/it-came-to.html?ref=numericcitizen.me)**? 📨 - I returned to podcasts listening in part because of my subscription to Stratechery which comes with Dithering podcast. After using Apple’s Podcasts app and then Overcast, **[I decided to go with Castro with a one-year subscription](https://numericcitizen.micro.blog/2020/09/12/from-overcast-to.html?ref=numericcitizen.me)**. 🎙 - I shared **[my experience and impressions on Apple's iOS 14 Widgets](https://numericcitizen.micro.blog/2020/09/19/ios-widgets-my.html?ref=numericcitizen.me)**. Partial spoiler alert: they are great but… 📲 - I'm asking myself **[why I'm never satisfied](https://numericcitizen.micro.blog/2020/09/19/im-never-satisfied.html?ref=numericcitizen.me)**. 🤔 - Much more on Micro.blog! ### Recently published on my Medium page - In “**[The Rotten Side of Tim Cook’s Apple](https://medium.com/@numericcitizen/the-rotten-side-of-tim-cooks-apple-1a00ca6c61e9?ref=numericcitizen.me)**”, I expose my observations on less than perfect and dirty sides of Apple. The picture is not pretty. ### Notable posts on my Numeric Citizen Blog - The month of September marks the beginning of a new round of product releases from Apple. A few days before the September 15 Apple Event, I published **[my Apple purchases plan for the upcoming months](https://numericcitizen.me/2020/09/13/thinking-about-my-upcoming-apple-purchases-plan/)**. - Read about my impressions on Apple’s first fall event “Time Flies” in “**[My Thoughts on the “Time Flies” Apple Event](https://numericcitizen.me/2020/09/17/my-thoughts-on-the-time-flies-apple-event/)** **”.** The focus of this event was, as you might expect from the title, the Apple Watch. ### Apple tidbits worth my attention September is always a big month for Apple news. Here are a few tidbits that got my attention. - Apple can be seen as stubborn with its stance on the **App Store review policies** and rules. Under the right amount of pressure from its developers, though, Apple can change and show that they care. [Apple updated its review guidelines](https://developer.apple.com/news/?id=xqk627qu&ref=numericcitizen.me). Developers like [David Barnard](https://twitter.com/drbarnard/status/1304467081518362624?s=21&ref=numericcitizen.me) feels Apple shows they care more than others to listen. - Benjamin Mayo [writes](https://bzamayo.com/watchos-no-force-touch?ref=numericcitizen.me) his impressions about the removal of **Force Touch** in the upcoming **watchOS 7**. In general, he doesn’t like the transition because it makes the user interaction slower and less coherent across Apple’s own stock apps. I’m with him on this one. The other side effect is to visually bloat the user interface with new buttons that were otherwise hidden and invoked with Force Touch. It was perfect for the small screen, yet hardly noticeable for average users. Too bad. - **Notifications** and **widgets** implementation on **macOS Big Sur** [is a design disaster](https://twitter.com/bazscott/status/1302103880323330049?s=21&ref=numericcitizen.me). Apple could have restored the dashboard for the widgets and keep the notifications on its own. - Apple opened its **Marina Bay Sands** store in **Singapour**. It is a unique spherical design where the interior looks much more impressive than what the outside is portraying. See photos taken during the opening [here](https://9to5mac.com/2020/09/10/apple-store-marina-bay-sands-opening-photos/?ref=numericcitizen.me). Apple’s guide for the store visitors is [available here](https://www.apple.com/sg/retail/store/pdf/Apple%5FMarinaBaySands%5FOnlineVisitorGuide%5FL.pdf?ref=numericcitizen.me) for download (PDF). - Eric Kim wrote “[Apple Prison](https://erickimphotography.com/blog/2020/09/05/apple-prison/?ref=numericcitizen.me)”. In this short blog post, the author expresses his view of the Apple ecosystem as being a prison. He gives an example of iMessage being a **walled garden**. The problem is, sure **iMessage** is an exclusive service from Apple, running only on Apple devices but as you can install other messaging apps on your iPhone, I cannot see the point here. Next, on the China connection in which the author is concerned: who's not dependent on China these days? Most of the things we buy come from China because we set our pricing expectation so low, only low waged Chinese people can make the stuff for us. Simple as that. The day we start to think globally but act and buy more locally, maybe our dependency on China will change. This has nothing to do with Apple being a prison. - **Is Apple a monopoly**? It depends on who you ask. From a market share based on units sold, nope. From a profit standpoint, that's another story, but it doesn't mean that's illegal. That's capitalism at works. See [this short animation](https://twitter.com/alecstapp/status/1302981985179258880?s=21&ref=numericcitizen.me) showing the market share evolution from the early days of smartphones up to now. Very impressive. > [](https://twitter.com/alecstapp/status/1302981985179258880?ref=numericcitizen.me) ### Some of my photos that came to light [The Perfect Imperfections Series](https://numericcitizen-visualspace.com/the-perfect-imperfections-series/cloudy-city?ref=numericcitizen.me) on my [visual space](https://numericcitizen-visualspace.com/?ref=numericcitizen.me) got updated once on September 7th. This photo was taken from a train during a business trip to Quebec City. It was before the pandemic obviously. There was snow on the field and it was cold. ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/public/images/cb051950-aa58-4c7d-b1bf-bcde8d72edd1_4009x3006.jpeg) The following picture was taken while I was sitting at the back of a moving car. I had only a few seconds to pop out my iPhone 11 Pro and snap this fast-moving scene. It was entirely processed with the Photos.app. I didn’t know in advance how I would process the image. The concrete building provides a nice set of shadows. The street light is a bit fuzzy, suggesting a moving scene. ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/public/images/49038ed4-af17-42ef-8fd3-49db710026ef_2130x2662.jpeg) Did you know that I do some urban exploration photography? Once in a while I go out with friends on abandoned sites and spend a few hours there to explore and capture the past. I like broken things and sometimes I do cross unexpected things like this abandoned car on the side of a country road in Hawaii. [theperfectimperfctions](https://instagram.com/theperfectimperfctions?ref=numericcitizen.me) ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/public/images/__ss-rehost__IG-CFAuZZPAWR0.jpg) [#urbexplaces](https://instagram.com/explore/tags/urbexplaces/?ref=numericcitizen.me) [#urbexpeople](https://instagram.com/explore/tags/urbexpeople/?ref=numericcitizen.me) [#urbex\_disciple](https://instagram.com/explore/tags/urbex%5Fdisciple/?ref=numericcitizen.me) [#urbex\_world](https://instagram.com/explore/tags/urbex%5Fworld/?ref=numericcitizen.me) [#urbexworld](https://instagram.com/explore/tags/urbexworld/?ref=numericcitizen.me) [#urbex\_supreme](https://instagram.com/explore/tags/urbex%5Fsupreme/?ref=numericcitizen.me) [#urbexphotography](https://instagram.com/explore/tags/urbexphotography/?ref=numericcitizen.me) [#urbanexploration](https://instagram.com/explore/tags/urbanexploration/?ref=numericcitizen.me) [#urbanexplore](https://instagram.com/explore/tags/urbanexplore/?ref=numericcitizen.me) [#urbanexploring](https://instagram.com/explore/tags/urbanexploring/?ref=numericcitizen.me) [#urbexphoto](https://instagram.com/explore/tags/urbexphoto/?ref=numericcitizen.me) [#the\_urbex\_institute](https://instagram.com/explore/tags/the%5Furbex%5Finstitute/?ref=numericcitizen.me) [#urbex\_utopia](https://instagram.com/explore/tags/urbex%5Futopia/?ref=numericcitizen.me) [#world\_wide\_urbex](https://instagram.com/explore/tags/world%5Fwide%5Furbex/?ref=numericcitizen.me) [#team\_urbex](https://instagram.com/explore/tags/team%5Furbex/?ref=numericcitizen.me) [#abandonedplaces](https://instagram.com/explore/tags/abandonedplaces/?ref=numericcitizen.me) [#lostplacesphotos](https://instagram.com/explore/tags/lostplacesphotos/?ref=numericcitizen.me) [#abandoned](https://instagram.com/explore/tags/abandoned/?ref=numericcitizen.me) [#lostplace](https://instagram.com/explore/tags/lostplace/?ref=numericcitizen.me) [#forgotten](https://instagram.com/explore/tags/forgotten/?ref=numericcitizen.me) [#total\_abandoned](https://instagram.com/explore/tags/total%5Fabandoned/?ref=numericcitizen.me) [#abandoned\_excellence](https://instagram.com/explore/tags/abandoned%5Fexcellence/?ref=numericcitizen.me) [#decaynation](https://instagram.com/explore/tags/decaynation/?ref=numericcitizen.me) [#decay\_of\_today](https://instagram.com/explore/tags/decay%5Fof%5Ftoday/?ref=numericcitizen.me) [#decay](https://instagram.com/explore/tags/decay/?ref=numericcitizen.me) [#urbandecay](https://instagram.com/explore/tags/urbandecay/?ref=numericcitizen.me)September 11, 2020 ### Must see photography stuff If you love old photos but wish you could see how they would look in colour, look no further. [This guy](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stuart%5FHumphryes?ref=numericcitizen.me) does an incredible job at colouring and retouching old photos to make them look like if they were taken yesterday. It’s a must-see. Here is an example. > [](https://twitter.com/stuarthumphryes/status/1307410213608271873?ref=numericcitizen.me) Speaking of highly processed photos, something that I like a lot is seeing **before-and-after** posts from other photographers. One of the most fascinating artists I came across recently is “[hscblack](https://www.instagram.com/hscblack/?ref=numericcitizen.me)” on Instagram. Most of his posts are made of two pictures, the final result and the original photo. I wish this guy would produce videos showing how he does it. Warning: so graphic scenes. There is a lot of crappy stuff on Instagram. Facebook is messing this platform since the first day they acquired it. Yet, you can find real gems like this one. ### Privacy stuff we should care about The troubling and provocative documentary "**The Social Dilemma**" got released on Netflix and I encourage you to see it. It was done by the guys behind [Humane Technology](https://www.humanetech.com/?ref=numericcitizen.me). Watch the trailer on [YouTube](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uaaC57tcci0&ref=numericcitizen.me). I'm troubled by what comes ahead of us. I'm not optimistic at all. Humans put together social networks, now, it is time to reconsider and regulate this whole thing. I know, it won’t be easy. John Gruber, in “[Online Privacy Should Be Modeled on Real-World Privacy](https://daringfireball.net/2020/09/online%5Fprivacy%5Freal%5Fworld%5Fprivacy?ref=numericcitizen.me)”, writes about **online tracking** companies activities: > They have zero right, none, to the tracking they’ve been getting away with. We, as a society, have implicitly accepted it because we never really noticed it. You, the user, have no way of seeing it happen. Our brains are naturally attuned to detect and viscerally reject, with outrage and alarm, real-world intrusions into our privacy. Real-world marketers could never get away with tracking us like online marketers do. I’m wholehearted with Gruber on this one. These companies see themselves as an essential service which is, obviously, a twisted point of view. Speaking of **online tracking**, apparently, Apple is under pressure to revisit its intention of blocking users tracking on iOS 14\. Big money is at stake, according to Facebook and its advertising partners. Personally, I do worry that Apple will bend to the bad guys at the price of weakening **privacy protection measures in iOS 14** and beyond. In other news, find out how a new user of the excellent **Unifi Dream Machine**, thanks to its IPS feature, discovered his home network was compromised by a device he was using from a well known NAS company. If you don’t know about Unify Dream Machine, you can read [my review](https://numericcitizen.me/2020/06/21/replacing-an-airport-extreme-with-unifi-dream-machine/). If you don’t know about the Unify product line, [this post](https://link.medium.com/CX5xdKAXv9?ref=numericcitizen.me) explains all the pieces of a Unify-based network. Very interesting stuff. Finally, did you see this Apple ad on privacy? While Apple is proudly promoting its iPhone as a secure device, don’t you find it ironic that the same device can run apps like Facebook? ### Climate change to worry about ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/public/images/eadccdf3-4db3-4f46-926b-584a4992c830_1583x800.png) From the picture above, can you see right in the middle the brownish cloud in the pacific ocean? That’s the cloud of smoke created by the fires on the United States west coast earlier this month. Appalling. This year’s fires are worst than last year. Have you ever wondered what 1.5 or 2.0 Celcius of difference makes on the environment? [Here is a peak](https://www.reddit.com/r/climatechange/comments/ilx1a7/heres%5Fa%5Fbreakdown%5Fof%5Fthe%5Fdifferences%5Fbetween%5Fa/?ref=numericcitizen.me). It’s not pretty. ### Quotes to remember > Apple’s problem (and paradox) may be that it achieved market dominance by selling a model that is acceptable in a niche player but not acceptable in one with market dominance. — Benedict Evans > Apple competitors have turned to guerrilla warfare tactics to wage a battle against the App Store. Valid criticism aimed at the App Store has descended into calls to burn everything down and replace it with anti-consumer and anti-developer alternatives. — Neil Cybart ### What’s next? I’m glad you asked! - Upcoming review on the **Synology DS720+** that I just bought. - I started working on an article about why Apple didn’t enable the **full widgets experience** on iPadOS 14. - I’m still waiting for my **Apple Watch Series 6** to arrive. Expect a review soon. ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/public/images/de0560f8-5d35-4953-86f5-e72b1c772234_1016x978.png) ### Looking ahead but not too far from here - Apple will announce the **iPhone 12**. **iOS 14.1** should be the version running on these devices. **iOS 14.2** is not far behind but I expect Apple to release it in November. - I’m still waiting for the **redesigned Medium mobile app** to be released. I’m looking forward to it. Let’s hope this new version will enhance (not cripple) the reading experience. - If you want to get a sense of **Apple’s upcoming products** (based on chatters and rumours), subscribe to [this newsletter](https://app.mailbrew.com/apple%5Fobserver/apples-upcoming-products-1hKzQTg94WGj?ref=numericcitizen.me). ### Leftovers - A major earthquake occurred in the market of semiconductors: [Nvidia is buying ARM](https://nvidianews.nvidia.com/news/nvidia-to-acquire-arm-for-40-billion-creating-worlds-premier-computing-company-for-the-age-of-ai?ncid=so-twit-58914&ref=numericcitizen.me#cid=gnl%5Fso-twit%5Fen-us) holdings for 40 billion. An astute observation from Gruber on why Apple wasn’t interested in ARM: > Arm’s business is about licensing technology to other companies; Apple’s business is about keeping its technology for itself. - Did you know Apple provides its employees with face masks that were designed internally? This is so Apple’ly. [Have a look](https://twitter.com/markgurman/status/1304539489717583882?s=21&ref=numericcitizen.me). This concludes the Numeric Citizen Introspection Newsletter #2 for September of 2020\. I would love to get your feedback and read your comments. Thanks for being a subscriber. Thanks for reading and sharing with the world! [Subscribe now](https://numericcitizen.me/subscribe/) ### The Rotten Side of Tim Cook’s Apple URL: https://numericcitizen.me/the-rotten-side-of-tim-cooks-apple/ Last updated: 2024-08-11T17:02:45.000Z ![Tim Cook, CEO of Apple](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/numericcitizen.me/wp-content/uploads/2020/09/tim-cook-time.jpg) Tim Cook, CEO of Apple My love story with Apple started a long time ago. I’ve been an Apple enthusiast since 1982 when I started programming on an Apple \]\[+ before moving to an Apple //e then on a //c. I’m considered an Apple fanboy by my friends, my colleagues and my family. They could argue that I don’t have a critical sense of Apple. For them, my only take on Apple is one that they are perfect and never make mistakes. They couldn’t be more wrong. Here is why. Warning: this blog post contains many harsh statements about Apple. ## Trying to strike a balance If you want to be credible, you have to be critical. This is one of the many motivating factors behind this article. I don’t want to be perceived as an Apple hater because I’m far from it. Hating Apple is popular in the press in general, I know. It is fashionable. Why are people hating Apple these days? What are the pain points? In my opinion, behind the image of perfection Apple wants us to see, they’re many glaring issues and contradictions. Apple fans should have a critical view of the company, its practices, its products and its services. There is always two sides to a story. As much as I like the story of Apple, their products, their ecosystem, there are many more broken things than we’d like to see, small and large, that I despise. We want Apple to thrive but not at any cost, certainly not while abusing its power. Over the last year, I’ve been compiling my observations and thoughts on Apple in general. Today, I’m ready to expose my long list of grievances. Before I get into it, let me explain a few things. First, when I use the word “You”, I’m referring to Apple. Second, to prove or give credence to my point, I’ll use “exhibits” as needed. Oh, a message to Apple zealots: You will probably deny many things that I mention in this article. I couldn’t care less. I have no need to justify any of this. This is my view, my interpretation. You can disagree and it is fine. ## Generally speaking ![A thounsand no for every yes.](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/numericcitizen.me/wp-content/uploads/2020/09/philsaysno.jpg) A thounsand no for every yes. If I had to choose a few words describing the rotten side of Apple, generally speaking, I would go for pretentious, stubborn, greedy, opportunistic, bully and indecisive. These words may seem harsh or even unjustified but it’s time for a reality check. In this section, It is all about problems, issues, missteps that are impacting Apple as a whole. Let’s start to dig the dirt. **It’s no longer about the products.** Under the leadership of Tim Cook, it is no longer about the products. *Exhibit A*: As I recently wrote in “[On Tim Cook’s Apple: It’s Less About the Products](https://numericcitizen.me/2020/08/10/on-tim-cook-apple-its-less-and-less-about-the-products/)”, Apple is becoming more reactive to market opportunities than being a trendsetter. As an example, the motive behind the creation of the HomePod was in fact a reaction to Amazon’s Echo popularity, not because they thought they could fix a long lasting issue. **A big corporation.** You might say that you are still thinking and acting like a startup internally but you are so slow to change or fix so many simple things. You’re the shadow of the startup you’ve been in the past. *Exhibit A*: How long did it take to reconsider the iPad as being a real computing platform which required its own distinctive operating system? *Exhibit B*: How long did it take to get rid of the volume hud on iOS, a simple user interface element that people were decrying to be too intrusive visually. **You are the bully in the room**. You are being paid by us, the customers, [to make decisions](https://numericcitizen.micro.blog/2020/09/13/for-what-reason.html?ref=numericcitizen.me) on product design, on privacy protection features in your operating systems and services, not to bully the developers with arbitrary decisions to terminate their developer account on shaky grounds. Some people would say you are highly competitive while others think you are a bully with your developers. *Exhibit A*: [Examples](http://ipadinsight.com/general/sometimes-apple-is-its-own-worst-enemy-this-is-one-of-those-times/?ref=numericcitizen.me) are well documented. **It just works, really?** Forget about “It Just Works”. It’s no longer the case. Sorry. Over the years, the Apple ecosystem saw an increase in device types, services, apps, operating system versions and features. Complexity has to increase accordingly and with it comes bugs and instabilities. It is a well-known fact that [software quality has declined in general](https://pljns.com/blog/2016/02/04/apples-declining-software-quality/?ref=numericcitizen.me). *Exhibit A*: iMessage synchronization problems are lingering since Messages in the cloud has been introduced. It used to be worst but there are still issues popping up here and there. *Exhibit B*: Ask any developers their opinion regarding Xcode. You’ll be surprise by the responses you will get. **Greedy you can be.** You are greedy at so many things these days. *Exhibit A*: meagre entry-level iCloud storage tier of 5 GB. *Exhibit B*: including a lousy FaceTime camera in most of your Macs. You started to fix this in 2021 MacBook Pro, thank you. The current pandemic and the new work from home trend should have pushed you to reconsider this much earlier. *Exhibit C*: The lack of SSD for entry-level Mac configuration, until recently, was a mistake. Instead, we endured the Fusion Drive with inadequate cache size. **Too stubborn to admit it.** You are being perceived as stubborn by refusing to admit your mistakes quickly and swiftly because you care so much about your public image. Who remembers the MobileMe flaky debuts? Sure it was under Steve Jobs’s leadership but today’s Apple isn’t really different in that respect. *Exhibit A*: Remember the iPhone [*batterygate*](https://www.theverge.com/2017/12/20/16800058/apple-iphone-slow-fix-battery-life-capacity?ref=numericcitizen.me)? What about the iPhone [*bendgate*](https://www.macworld.com/article/3329747/no-apple-bent-ipad-pros-are-not-acceptable.html?ref=numericcitizen.me)? Customers have to push you in the corner in order to get some results. It’s exhausting. Oh, I almost forgot: the butterfly keyboard. A disaster that lasted four years! **Missing obvious opportunities.** You constantly miss opportunities. *Exhibit A*: The pandemic is forcing people to work from home. FaceTime, iMessage are great but not perfect. You could have used iOS14 to bring more features to these services to facilitate the work from home paradigm as I wrote in “[Five Reasons Why Apple’s FaceTime is Losing The Battle Against Coronavirus](https://numericcitizen.me/2020/04/26/five-reasons-why-apples-facetime-is-losing-the-battle-against-coronavirus/)”. Things are better with iOS 15 and screen sharing. You’re getting there, slowly. *Exhibit B*: Home networking is more and more important in this era of working from home is partially replacing traditional work patterns. Instead of pushing the AirPort product lines into new territories, you came up with the HomePod. The HomePod could have been something else entirely as I wrote in “[Apple’s Biggest Mistake — No Home Networking Product](https://numericcitizen.me/2019/10/17/apples-biggest-mistake-no-home-networking-product/)” and in “[Amazon, Google, Apple and Home Networks](https://numericcitizen.me/2019/02/12/amazon-google-apple-and-home-networks-my-take/)”. Instead, you made it look like the HomePod as a “me too” product. The HomePod mini didn’t change that. It’s more like a course correction. **Losing the education market.** While on the subject of missing opportunities: your strategy for education is failing to help you fight against Google in the schools. Your products are for an elite, a certain type of student, a certain type of school. Poor schools are turning to Google’s cheap devices and services. *Exhibit A*: The loss of iTunes U and iBooks Author show that you no longer focus on educational tools beyond programming language, something that is much more narrow in scope and reachability. *Exhibit B*: Numbers are not in your favour, you are losing market share, fast. ## Design language lost in translation ![Apple's Trash Can Mac Pro](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/numericcitizen.me/wp-content/uploads/2020/09/apple-trash-canmac-pro.jpg) Apple’s Trash Can Mac Pro For so many years, Apple was regarded as the one who would put out the best product designs. But in recent years, this has started to change. Steve Jobs used to say design is not only how it looks but how it works. On that front, Apple’s recent years didn’t bring the best to the market. Let’s find out how. **Paying the price of iOS 7.** We are still suffering from the iOS 7 redesign and you cannot see your mistakes so you can’t fix them. They’re so many things wrong in this area they would require a separate article just for that. *Exhibit A*: Flat and drab design, weird and inconsistent iconography, hard to read text (too small, wrong contrast setting, etc.), invisible button behind text, home screen icons colour choices, etc. How many versions of iOS do we need to finally put iOS 7 bad design elements behind all of us? It’s 2022 and we are still suffering from this mess. ![iOS 7 original design](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/numericcitizen.me/wp-content/uploads/2020/09/ios7.jpg) iOS 7 original design **Absurd product design**. You brag about your design prowess yet you come up with the trash can Mac Pro that nobody really liked and bought. You kept the pricing of this turd the same from start to finish: for five years. This is scandalous. Oh, again, I almost forgot about the Magic Mouse charging port, underneath. **The butterfly keyboard that didn’t fly.** You think you are the best design company yet you came up with the [utterly flaky and flawed butterfly keyboard](https://m.signalvnoise.com/the-macbook-keyboard-fiasco-is-surely-worse-than-apple-thinks/?ref=numericcitizen.me). It took four years to fix it by reverting to a working design. Users will have to endure their shitty keyboards for years to come until they throw out their expansive MacBook for a new one or when they switch to a Windows laptop. You thought the latest 16’’ MacBook Pro fixed all that? According to this Twitter thread, [you are wrong](https://twitter.com/frederikriedel/status/1303234090569797634?s=21&ref=numericcitizen.me). At long last, this heresy was finally put to an end, in 2021 with the new MacBook Pro. ![The butterfly keyboard](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/numericcitizen.me/wp-content/uploads/2020/09/the-butterfly-keyboard.png) The butterfly keyboard **User interface design choices that won’t scale.** You design basic UI elements that fail at scaling. There are a plethora of examples affecting power users. *Exhibit A*: The Shortcuts apps which until recently didn’t support folders, a simple way to organize big shortcuts collection. *Exhibit B*: The share sheet redesign in iOS 13 was a mistake to merge both application actions with shortcuts. It’s a mess now. How do you manage that thing again? It is way too cumbersome. **If it works, don’t touch it.** You forget too easily what is working just fine and get rid of things that you shouldn’t. *Exhibit A*: Text selection in iOS 13 was a nightmare. What were you thinking? Nobody at Apple uses text selection? Thankfully, it was fixed in iOS 15. **Less and less visual delight.** Over the years, thanks to iOS 7, you removed so much delight in your software. You’re playing the conservative game. You still barely touch the surface of what could be done on a multi-touch device like the iPad. ![Fourty years of user interface evolution at Apple](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/numericcitizen.me/wp-content/uploads/2020/09/apple-button-evolution.jpg) Fourty years of user interface evolution at Apple **Broken UI design elements.** It takes ages to fix blatant basic UI design flaws like low contrast visuals, buttons not looking like buttons, too small tapping areas, etc. Are you taking accessibility seriously? Are you using your stuff and are you happy about it? That’s good enough, right? **Your user interface Achilles heel.** You constantly fail at basic user interface design principles like [*affordance*](https://uxdesign.cc/affordance-in-user-interface-design-3b4b0b361143?ref=numericcitizen.me), [*discoverability*](https://www.interaction-design.org/literature/article/make-it-easy-on-the-user-designing-for-discoverability-within-mobile-apps?ref=numericcitizen.me) and consistency. *Exhibit A*: You tried 3D touch only to remove it a few years later because few people knew about it. The same is happening on the Apple Watch with watchOS 7\. It was a great idea but poorly implemented on the discovery aspect of it. With watchOS 7 you rolled back Force Touch and [the transition is no going well](https://bzamayo.com/watchos-no-force-touch?ref=numericcitizen.me). [Another case](https://twitter.com/ow/status/1303343121841950721?s=21&ref=numericcitizen.me) for poor discoverability, in case you didn’t know. *Exhibit B*: [Catalyst apps](https://pxlnv.com/blog/a-step-back/?ref=numericcitizen.me). **Device thinness obsession.** You put iPhone thinness ahead of more desired features like longer battery life. Can you still read the room temperature? On that matter, thank god, things are slowly starting to change. The iPhone 13 is a good sign and the 2021 MacBook Pro, being much thicker than its predecessor. **Jony has left the building, at long last.** Let’s face it, Jony Ive stayed at Apple way too long. My point of view is probably not very popular. He should have left the company when he started to get deeply involved in architecture, leaving his team at the design studio behind, without direction to go beyond the Steve Jobs+Jony Ive era. Did he prepare his successor like Steve Jobs did? I doubt it. Now, who’s in charge? Pay attention to the following Apple’s leadership page. The design team is not represented in any way. ![Apple leadership page as of September of 2020](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/numericcitizen.me/wp-content/uploads/2020/09/apple-leadership-page.jpg) Apple leadership page as of September of 2020 Here is a recent [blog post by John Gruber](https://daringfireball.net/2020/09/apple%5Fleadership%5Fbubblegum%5Fcards?ref=numericcitizen.me): > My biggest question and deepest concern regarding Apple’s leadership (…) whose taste is driving product development? We know the actors, we know the writers, we know the cinematographers, but who is directing? Who is saying “This isn’t good enough” — or in the words of Apple’s former director, “This is shit”? When a product decision comes down to this or that, who is making that call?Jogn Gruber **Refreshing but inconsistent.** The lack of visual consistency in icon design on macOS Big Sur (and later on macOS Monterey) is questionable. This lack of uniformity makes it look like you couldn’t make up your mind. Sure it is a refreshing look but what is the purpose beyond looking arbitrary? Oh and no, [it isn’t funny](https://applypixels.com/blog/comeback?ref=numericcitizen.me). *Exhibit A*: [http://morrick.me/archives/9025](http://morrick.me/archives/9025?ref=numericcitizen.me). *Exhibit B*: [https://link.medium.com/AXVOs197q9](https://link.medium.com/AXVOs197q9?ref=numericcitizen.me). Another example [on Twitter](https://twitter.com/morrick/status/1298247398528098311?s=12&ref=numericcitizen.me). ![Icons comparison between macOS Catalina and Big Sur](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/numericcitizen.me/wp-content/uploads/2020/09/macos_big_sur_icons.jpg) Icons comparison between macOS Catalina and Big Sur **Big Sur big flaws.** On macOS Big Sur, the design of the new notifications and widgets is a complete mess. You could have re-introduced the beloved Dashboard. Instead, you went with a clumsy design mixing notifications and widgets on the right, leaving the vast portion of the screen unused on the left. What is the idea of missing widgets with notifications on the Mac but on all other devices they are separate? Oh, and the animation when manipulating the objects is massively janky. ![macOS Big Sur notifications and widgets](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/numericcitizen.me/wp-content/uploads/2020/09/macos-big-sur-widgets.jpg) macOS Big Sur notifications and widgets **Laziness over leadership.** You became lazy over the years. You don’t go far enough and try hard enough to reinvent basic things like emails and calendaring. You stopped showing the way of software design a long time ago. *Exhibit A*: Look at @HEY for trying something different and succeeding at doing it. **Simple missing features.** Your software can be frustrating to use. *Exhibit A*: on iOS 14, when you enter the Edit Pages on the home screen, you cannot move pages around, just turn them off or on. Really? That’s really baffling. ## Developers vs Apple ![Where would be the iPhone without the developers?](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/numericcitizen.me/wp-content/uploads/2020/09/apps.jpg) Where would be the iPhone without the developers? Developers are the best brand promoters. They build software and services because they believe in their ability to take monetary advantage of an ecosystem. We can argue that without developers, your success isn’t possible. You often talk about the developer community as very creative people using Apple’s latest software technologies. On the other hand, your actions can land a different message about how you see developers to your bottom line. Sometimes, you have to ask yourself if you remember how important developers are and always have been for your existence. **Power abuse.** You look like you despise your developer community by abusing your power over them with inconsistent rules interpretation for anything that could endanger your bottom line. **Burning bridges.** You are burning bridges with your most important allies: the developers. They are the most powerful platform advocates. They no longer can trust you and are afraid to speak publicly on many subjects. *Exhibit A*: Complaints from developers are numerous and well known as [shown here](https://mjtsai.com/blog/2020/09/07/japanese-game-developers-complain-about-app-store/?ref=numericcitizen.me). Those are samples from the ones who chose to speak out. It is well known that many developers are afraid to talk publicly about this matter. **The famously bad review team performance.** You lost control of your App Store review team with arbitrary blockage and widely questionable rejections. *Exhibit A*: The most recent and high-profile case is [the rejection of an update to the popular WordPress.app](https://www.theverge.com/2020/8/21/21396316/apple-wordpress-in-app-purchase-tax-update-store?ref=numericcitizen.me). Even if the case has been quickly resolved, this is inexcusable. You are inconsistent with your App Store submission reviews. The process is not fully transparent. There are way too many known cases to list here and I cannot imagine how many unknown cases there are. Not all developers are willing to talk about this. **Innovation neutralization.** You are neutralizing innovative software and service creation with your inconsistent App Store review. Developers are more and more afraid to invest time and effort into new ideas because they just don’t know how the App Store review team will process submission. **Questionable tools quality.** Your tools are suffering from quality and stability problems. The same applies to your developer documentation in general: incomplete, inconsistent, contradictory, absent. The trend has been worsening in recent years. **Lack of excitement for the Mac.** Why so many new Mac apps these days are based on the Electron framework instead of being native? What is it that is not working for such a silent platform defection to take place? Is your only answer Catalyst? That’s it? Developing apps with Catalyst creates sub-professional, under-powered apps and you know it. Catalyst is something that you created for your desire to port iOS apps to the Mac and it shows. Good examples of Catalyst-based apps like Craft the exception, not the rule. **Customers’ shadows only.** You keep obfuscating the customer relationships from the developers with less and less added value. In fact, this is becoming more and more frustrating for developers to deal with it. Sure the customer is at the center of your prerogatives, but you are not alone for which customers need to be at the center. **Inequality in developers treatment**. Stop saying all developers are treated the same. This is false. *Exhibit A*: Netflix. ## Products missteps ![The HomePod - Photo by Nicolas Lafargue on Unsplash](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/numericcitizen.me/wp-content/uploads/2020/09/nicolas-lafargue-2fcsiyjqktm-unsplash.jpg) The HomePod – Photo by Nicolas Lafargue on Unsplash Being ahead of the curve can be a good thing. Apple isn’t always judged by how many times they can see where the puck will be going. We all know they enter an existing market space if they feel they can improve the currently available products. In recent years, Apple lost many opportunities that make Apple look behind the curve. **Too much hesitation.** You often look hesitant while launching products [in search of a purpose](https://www.theverge.com/2020/9/14/21435659/apple-watch-6-health-siri?ref=numericcitizen.me). *Exhibit A*: HomePod may be a good design with great sound performance but it is lacking intelligence and features. *Exhibit B*: Apple Watch Series 0: First touted as a personal communication device, later pitched as a health-centric device. **Weird product naming schemes.** You suck at naming your product lines. *Exhibit A*: iPhone SE and now the Apple Watch. Thank god, you didn’t come up with Apple Watch Pro. *Exhibit B*: Even service naming can be lame and creates confusion: Apple TV+, the TV service, or the physical device? **Features with unclear or unrealized potential.** Customers are replacing their devices faster than the time it takes for you to implement software that takes advantage of hardware features. *Exhibit A*: The most recent case is the [Lidar scanner](https://www.macrumors.com/2020/08/31/iphone-12-reported-to-come-with-lidar/?ref=numericcitizen.me) on the 2020 iPad Pro. *Exhibit B*: U1 ships in iPhone 11 Pro and now in the Apple Watch Series 6. **Holding back products.** You are apparently holding back many of your products by not implementing features without an apparent reason. *Exhibit A*: The iPad is a special beast. You want it to be a computer replacement for many people. You position the iPad as a full-featured computing platform. Even after introducing support for mouse input with iPadOS 13.4, you are still holding back the iPad by not fully supporting free widgets placement or external monitors. *Exhibit B*: The Apple Watch is still without a watch face store which could prove to be hugely successful. **Too much security is like not enough security.** macOS Catalina should have been called macOS Vista: too many security prompts. macOS Big Sur is even worse. The very first thing the user gets upon the first session is a security prompt to access your location. Not sure if this is the best user experience. macOS Monterey hasn’t changed that. **Flimsy hardware**. You are making some flimsy hardware. *Exhibit A*: Outdated FaceTime camera in modern and pricey Macs for way too many years. *Exhibit B*: You let the Fusion Drive option live for way too long as everyone was moving to SSD in entry-level configurations. **Pro photographers left behind.** You abandoned the pro photographers market a long time ago. Why? You brag about the iPhone 13 Pro camera prowess but don’t offer a professional photo editing application. *Exhibit A*: Remember Aperture? **A solution is search of a problem.** Augmented Reality certainly makes great demos but beyond saying AR is the next big thing, you fail to answer why it is important for normal end-users. Use cases are still for very specific demographics and use cases. **The future of TV.** Remember [The future of TV is apps](https://gigaom.com/2015/09/09/apple-ceo-the-future-of-tv-is-apps/?ref=numericcitizen.me)? Where are real interactive television shows? Is there a line that can be drawn between the future of television and augmented reality technologies? Where are you going with this? In fact, you are trying to become just another cable company promoting bundles or another Netflix. **The Touch Bar nobody asked**. The Touch Bar was introduced with the wrong use cases. Since its debut, it barely evolved and too few apps are taking advantage of it. Moreover, you make the Touch Bar mandatory in every professional MacBook. **Keyboards…** Do you see that keyboards, physical and virtual, are one of your Achilles heels? *Exhibit A*: the utterly flawed butterfly keyboard. *Exhibit B*: The autocorrect feature on iOS is still broken, even on iOS 15\. It’s the worst release in that respect. **Fonts support on iPadOS.** Why is fonts support on iPadOS is so convoluted? Is this a real computer replacement or not? Maybe with iPadOS 16. **Search is hard.** You suck big time at anything related to search, especially on the App Store. Developers are complaining about it. Users are complaining about it. The quantity of junk and outdated apps could be part of the problem, I guess. ## Services, the growth landscape ![Apple One Bundles](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/numericcitizen.me/wp-content/uploads/2020/09/appleonebundles.png) Apple One Bundles Ten years from now, we will look back at Tim Cook’s era as the CEO and see how he was intimately instrumental in the transformation of Apple going from a product company to a service company. Is it a good thing? Was it the only way for Apple to grow? How well did Apple execute in this space compared to physical products? **Apple TV a messy mess.** This little black box is pushing standard streaming on us, not reimagining the television experience that could mix streaming with interactive content (remember video disk players back in the eighties? Or what about iTunes Extras?). *Exhibit A*: [You had one job with the TV app](https://5ish.org/p/the-apple-tv-job?ref=numericcitizen.me) and is utterly lacking in meeting its mission of unifying the streaming world. You know why? Because competing services didn’t think it was worth it to join your platform. **The App Store junkyard.** You brag about quality but the App Store with more than two million apps is full of uninspired, useless, unfinished, outdated, broken and scammy apps that you let it in with your highly questionable review process. **5 GB of iCloud storage for free.** How is this even possible that a mere 5 GB of storage is available for free while you sell iPhone capable of 4K videos? **Uneven and slow international rollout.** I live in Canada. It took years before Apple News came in. We are still waiting for Apple Cash and Apple Card. Canada is not alone in this situation. It is a bit frustrating. ## Concluding remarks Make no mistake, Apple is still a remarkable and unique company. My love affair with Apple is far from falling apart. Their products are most of the time the best in their class. Product launches are still perfectly orchestrated. The M1 chip is probably the most mind blowing thing to happen to the Mac in a long time. It was an example of “savoir-faire” that is still unmatched in the industry. They keep attracting world-class talent in many fields. Yet, as an Apple observer, lucidity is mandatory and Apple is far from perfect. I don’t want to look like an Apple hater because I’m not. Really. I want Apple to keep pushing the boundaries and stay close to the “think different” mentality. I hope they don’t forget their roots and keep caring while others don’t. I do. That’s why I wrote this piece. ### My Thoughts on the “Time Flies” Apple Event URL: https://numericcitizen.me/my-thoughts-on-the-time-flies-apple-event/ Last updated: 2023-03-23T16:47:35.000Z ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/numericcitizen.me/wp-content/uploads/2020/09/applewatchseries6.jpg) Apple Watch Series 6 ### Digital-only Apple Event Time did fly at the “Time Flies” Apple event. Compared to the WWDC online-only event in June, production was even better. The idea being was to put the products in the best light possible without being tagged as an infomercial. Apple delivered on this. The Apple Park is such a great place for filming, a role Apple didn’t envision a few years ago, I guess. Seeing Craig walking with its iPad in the office in a fast-moving scene was funny. But, [what about the products](https://numericcitizen.me/2020/08/10/on-tim-cook-apple-its-less-and-less-about-the-products/), right? Let’s see. First, what wasn’t announced but people were expecting a lot? Not the iPhone, not the Apple Silison Mac but the AirTags. The event went at the speed of light and at the end, I asked myself: oh, what about the AirTags? They were a no show. October probably. The release of the GM of iOS 14 and iPadOS 14 for the next day was surprising. Everyone was expecting a release for the end of September, giving some time for developers to put a final touch on their latest application releases. They were angered by Apple’s move. > A big WTF at Apple dropping iOS 14 tomorrow without giving developers any notice, or final tools to submit their apps 😂 > > — Steve Troughton-Smith (@stroughtonsmith) [September 15, 2020](https://twitter.com/stroughtonsmith/status/1305930775666323459?ref%5Fsrc=twsrc%5Etfw&ref=numericcitizen.me) Usually, Apple gives a week for developers to submit their apps for review. Not this time. [Weird move](https://twitter.com/jsnell/status/1305930988388663297?s=21&ref=numericcitizen.me) for Apple in these tumultuous times between them and the developers community. ### The Apple Watch ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/numericcitizen.me/wp-content/uploads/2020/09/2020watchfaces.jpg) All the newly introduced watch faces Apple’s vision of the Apple Watch is maturing and I like it. There is no more doubt about it, the Apple Watch is meant to be a health and fitness device. The introduction of the Fitness+ service and the addition of the new blood oxygen level sensor are a clear statement of this. As an owner of a Series 4, [I will upgrade to the Series 6 this year](https://numericcitizen.me/2020/09/13/thinking-about-my-upcoming-apple-purchases-plan/). My Series 4 will be used as my sleep tracking watch. On that front, I was expecting Apple to introduced a Series 6 only feature for sleep tracking. They didn’t. The sleep tracking feature is software-only and is available to all Apple Watch. ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/numericcitizen.me/wp-content/uploads/2020/09/myapplewatch.png) My next Apple Watch Regarding the Apple Watch SE, besides de naming scheme that I don’t like, it is a smart move from Apple. Another smart move: [refraining from using the Pro moniker](https://twitter.com/mgsiegler/status/1305920246180491264?s=21&ref=numericcitizen.me) in the higher end versions of the watch. Why they keep Series 3 on sale is a bit surprising to many. ### The iPad I love the new iPad Air, but is it too powerful? Right now, compared to the iPad Pro, probably. Apple is transitioning the product line; the next updates will probably come for the iPad Pro in the first half of 2021\. I expected a monster upgrade for the pro line. The best surprise and a clear indication of where Apple is heading is [the new Touch ID](https://twitter.com/stevemoser/status/1305980026865815558?s=21&ref=numericcitizen.me). I think it is the best solution and is probably providing a good user experience for unlocking the iPad. I expect Apple to add back the Touch ID feature to the iPhone next year and for the iPad Pro. A lot are asking for a come back because of Face ID troubles with people wearing face masks. ### Services I like the proposed bundles. I’m already subscribing to all services except Apple Arcades. For me, the top-level bundle will save me more than 250$ per year and I’ll get Firness+, for all my family. It’s a no brainer. Apple is clearing betting on upselling to customers by upgrading from their current subscription plans. The Firstness+ service looks promising and exciting to use. It’s the best expression of Apple’s vision around the role of the Apple Watch. All in all, it was a solid Apple Event, one in a series of many this fall. Next up? The iPhone 12. ### Thinking About My Upcoming Apple Purchases Plan URL: https://numericcitizen.me/thinking-about-my-upcoming-apple-purchases-plan/ Last updated: 2023-03-23T16:47:35.000Z With the upcoming new products season from Apple, it is time for me to revisit my upcoming Apple purchases plan. ![Apple Event Time Flies Invite](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/numericcitizen.me/wp-content/uploads/2020/09/apple-time-flies-event-invite.png) “Time Flies” Apple Event Invite This week, Apple’s event “Time Flies” is rumoured to be about the Apple Watch and the iPad. Apple Series 6 will be announced along with the pre-order date, [probably on September 18th](https://numericcitizen.micro.blog/2020/09/09/a-short-beta.html?ref=numericcitizen.me). Shipments will follow a week later. So, what am I going to do? ### From Apple Watch Series 4 to Series 6 Last year, with the Series 5, I thought the always-on display wasn’t enough for me to warrant an upgrade. But this year, I already know that I’ll make the move. First, when I bought my Series 4, I couldn’t get the silver aluminum fast enough, so I chose the space grey version instead. I’m a bit tired of the dark look, so this year, I want to switch to the silver one. Second, when I bought my Series 4, I still had my original Apple Watch for sleep tracking purposes. It is no longer working as the screen peeled off from the watch case. My plan is to use my Series 4 for sleep tracking and buy the Series 6\. My only concern is if Apple introduces a Series 6 specific feature for sleep tracking. Third, because of the pandemic, I’m no longer travelling and I’m working from home full time, my expenses dropped quite a bit. Depending on the pricing and material options of Series 6, I may choose to go with a higher-end version. ### Curiously thinking about the AirTag Apple has long been rumoured to launch the AirTag, a competitive product to [Tile](https://www.thetileapp.com/en-ca/?ref=numericcitizen.me). I’m intrigued by this new product. Depending on the pricing and the design in general, I may opt-in and buy a few of them to help me track my wallet and my keys, two typical use cases I guess. The AirTag is rumoured to become available starting in October. ### The Mysterious Apple Silicon Mac We all know Apple is about to start transitioning from Intel to its own Apple Silicon. Pundits don’t agree on which Mac model Apple will start the transition. I’m currently not on the market to buy a new Mac, my 21.5″ 2017 iMac is still very capable. I’m curious about Apple’s willingness to reinvent the Mac during this transition. Many are expecting new form-factors. The iMac is in need of a redesign as the current one was first introduced in 2012\. If Apple reinvents the iMac form factor by reducing the width of the bezel, increasing the screen size to 24″, replacing the flimsy FaceTime camera with a much-improved one, adding Hey Siri support, I could make the move. I also need to consider the maturity of application support of the new CPU architecture as well as the stability of macOS Big Sur. As you know, I’m a big user of Adobe photography suite as documented in [my photo processing workflow](https://numericcitizen.me/2020/06/07/my-photo-processing-workflow-as-of-2020-06/). I expect a possible purchase in the first half of 2021\. It’s more than six months from now, probably enough to see how the dust settles. ### From iPhone 11 Pro to iPhone 13 I’m skipping the iPhone 12\. I’m very satisfied with [my current iPhone 11 Pro](https://numericcitizen.me/2019/09/28/from-iphone-7-to-iphone-11-pro-the-return-of-delights/). I don’t expect the iPhone 12 to be a major redesign, but next year’s iPhone models could be just what I’m wishing: a real full-screen device without the notch with higher resolution camera sensors. ![My upcoming Apple purchases plan](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/numericcitizen.me/wp-content/uploads/2020/09/apple-purchases-plan.png) My upcoming Apple purchases plan Now, let’s see what Apple has in store for us, this week! Have a great Apple Event, dear readers! ### Numeric Citizen Introspection Newsletter #1 URL: https://numericcitizen.me/numeric-citizen-introspection-newsletter-2/ Last updated: 2024-08-12T11:11:06.000Z ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/public/images/6050d67b-16ad-428c-bda6-b60b724bab9f_3888x2592.jpeg) *Photo by [Andrew Ly](https://unsplash.com/@nineteen?utm%5Fsource=unsplash&utm%5Fmedium=referral&utm%5Fcontent=creditCopyText) on [Unsplash](https://unsplash.com/s/photos/introspection?utm%5Fsource=unsplash&utm%5Fmedium=referral&utm%5Fcontent=creditCopyText)* Here is the Numeric Citizen Introspection Newsletter #1 for August of 2020\. This is the first version of my newsletter. I hope you like it. Let’s start with recent post highlights that I published on [Micro.blog](https://numericcitizen.micro.blog/?ref=numericcitizen.me), [Medium](https://www.medium.com/@numericcitizen?ref=numericcitizen.me) and on [my main blog](https://numericcitizen.me/). ### Recently dropped on my Micro.blog - **[Thought of the day](https://numericcitizen.micro.blog/2020/08/31/thought-of-the.html?ref=numericcitizen.me)** about the role of blogs and newsletters these days. - A **[quick comparison](https://numericcitizen.micro.blog/2020/08/29/quick-comparison-of.html?ref=numericcitizen.me)** of writing platforms based on my experience of putting something online. ### Recently published on my Medium page - In “**[My Take on Apple’s 30% Cut and a Proposal](https://link.medium.com/1IcbUN1Hp9?ref=numericcitizen.me)**”, I expose my view on Apple's current App Store situation and five ways Apple could improve things. It won’t be an easy one. (Article behind Medium paywall.) - In “**[Tim Cook’s Apple — Sadly Not About Products Anymore](https://link.medium.com/aPZi0X8Et9?ref=numericcitizen.me)**”, I argue that Apple is distancing itself from its roots of being a products-oriented company. (Article behind Medium paywall.) ### Notable posts on my Numeric Citizen Blog - “**[Botched Lightroom CC Update Causes Major Data Loss](https://numericcitizen.me/2020/08/22/botched-adobe-lightroom-cc-update-causes-major-data-loss/)**” exposes the details surrounding a recent update from Adobe that went very bad for many users. I hope you were not among them. I wasn’t. - In “**[Buying a Windows Laptop in 2020: My Troubling Experience](https://numericcitizen.me/2020/08/19/buying-a-windows-laptop-in-2020-my-troubling-experience/)** **”**, I recount my experience of buying a windows laptop for educational purposes. Surprisingly, the complexities of the Windows platform starts right from the beginning, while shopping for a device. --- ### Apple tidbits worth my attention - In this short, but very telling [Twitter thread](https://twitter.com/davemark/status/1300412186641215488?s=12&ref=numericcitizen.me), learn how the upcoming **Apple Silicon Macs** will move the platform ahead for the next decade. It’s the performance per watt that counts. I’m excited! - [Apple apologizes](https://www.theverge.com/2020/8/22/21397424/apple-wordpress-apology-iap-free-ios-app?ref=numericcitizen.me) for the botched **WordPress** rejection. Following an update submitted by **[Autommatic](https://automattic.com/?ref=numericcitizen.me)**, Apple wanted them to remove any references of hosting plans without adding an in-app purchase within the app. Stupid move by Apple. - A battle between **EPIC** and **Apple** started with EPIC shooting first with an update to their Fortnite game introducing an out of App Store payment system. This violates one of the App Store guidelines. Apple rejected the update and kicked out Fortnite from the store. The battle still rages and I expect it will be a long one. Complete timeline available on [MacRumors](https://www.macrumors.com/guide/epic-games-vs-apple/?ref=numericcitizen.me). Don’t miss the super interesting article from Ben Thompson of Stratechery “**[Apple, Epic, and the App Store](https://stratechery.com/2020/apple-epic-and-the-app-store/?ref=numericcitizen.me)**” to get a better sense of this battle. - First announced during the WWDC conference back in June, the new **app review guidelines** are now live for developers, [according to Apple](https://developer.apple.com/news/?id=84w3e5bm&ref=numericcitizen.me). Of note, guidelines can now be challenged. This is important. Apple has to present more openness towards its developers in regards to its App Store management. - [iOS 13.7 came out in beta form](https://themealyapple.com/2020/08/27/covid-19-exposure-logging-and-your-iphone/?ref=numericcitizen.me) which includes the second phase of the **notification exposure API**. At this stage, an application is not required at all to work (in certain countries) which will help increase the usefulness of this technology because of a possible wider adoption and fewer requirements. - According to a [recent article from TechPowerUp](https://www.techpowerup.com/271609/apples-custom-gpu-is-reportedly-faster-than-intel-igpu?ref=numericcitizen.me): **Apple's Custom GPU** is Reportedly Faster than Intel iGPU. Poor Intel, missing the mobile trend will cost you a lot for a long time. Finally, the maker of the popular Deliveries application had this announcement to make, on the last day of August: > [](https://twitter.com/junecloud/status/1300518219086794752?ref=numericcitizen.me) If you open up the thread on Twitter, you’ll find many comments of people complaining about the switch to a subscription model in the next major release of their apps. No pricing was announced yet, but people don’t like the subscription model. You can read all the details in the [official announcement](https://junecloud.com/journal/iphone/deliveries-9-preparing-to-ship.html?ref=numericcitizen.me). I’m a long time user of Deliveries on all Apple hardware platforms. Let’s wait and see. --- ### Some of my photos that came to light My [visual space](https://numericcitizen-visualspace.com/?ref=numericcitizen.me) got many updates throughout the month, starting with [The Perfect Imperfections Series](https://numericcitizen-visualspace.com/the-perfect-imperfections-series/cloudy-city?ref=numericcitizen.me), on August 1\. This website is hosted on a unique building tool named “**Universe**”. If you don’t know about Universe, a content publishing platform (or CMS), read [my review and my visual space introduction](https://numericcitizen.me/2020/05/22/introducing-numeric-citizen-visual-space-on-universe/). ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/public/images/ec836001-5ebd-4b94-a114-127a4751b48b_3793x2268.jpeg) *Downtown Montreal*. *Click the image to enlarge.* ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/public/images/f4b8dabb-e48f-4864-aa05-b9517541e8fd_4032x2268.jpeg) *Fall is around the corner. Already.* [theperfectimperfctions](https://instagram.com/theperfectimperfctions?ref=numericcitizen.me) ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/public/images/__ss-rehost__IG-CDuv4s3A46N.jpg) [#abandonedplaces](https://instagram.com/explore/tags/abandonedplaces/?ref=numericcitizen.me) [#lostplacesphotos](https://instagram.com/explore/tags/lostplacesphotos/?ref=numericcitizen.me) [#abandoned](https://instagram.com/explore/tags/abandoned/?ref=numericcitizen.me) [#lostplace](https://instagram.com/explore/tags/lostplace/?ref=numericcitizen.me) [#forgotten](https://instagram.com/explore/tags/forgotten/?ref=numericcitizen.me) [#total\_abandoned](https://instagram.com/explore/tags/total%5Fabandoned/?ref=numericcitizen.me) [#abandoned\_excellence](https://instagram.com/explore/tags/abandoned%5Fexcellence/?ref=numericcitizen.me) [#creepy](https://instagram.com/explore/tags/creepy/?ref=numericcitizen.me) [#creepyplaces](https://instagram.com/explore/tags/creepyplaces/?ref=numericcitizen.me) [#rottenplaces](https://instagram.com/explore/tags/rottenplaces/?ref=numericcitizen.me) [#spooky](https://instagram.com/explore/tags/spooky/?ref=numericcitizen.me) [#darkness](https://instagram.com/explore/tags/darkness/?ref=numericcitizen.me) [#sombre](https://instagram.com/explore/tags/sombre/?ref=numericcitizen.me) [#woods](https://instagram.com/explore/tags/woods/?ref=numericcitizen.me) [#cabin](https://instagram.com/explore/tags/cabin/?ref=numericcitizen.me) [#dark](https://instagram.com/explore/tags/dark/?ref=numericcitizen.me) [#blairwitchproject](https://instagram.com/explore/tags/blairwitchproject/?ref=numericcitizen.me)August 11, 2020 --- ### Climate change to worry about - Troubling [Twitter thread](https://twitter.com/scottduncanwx/status/1300418420786237440?s=21&ref=numericcitizen.me) on visualizing 140 years of global temperature compared to CO2 and a lot more stuff. This is really troubling. To me at least. > [](https://twitter.com/scottduncanwx/status/1300418420786237440?ref=numericcitizen.me) --- ### Quotes to remember > Content moderation is to social media what virus scanning was on Windows 20 years ago. — *Benedict Evans on Twitter* > Aww, poor baby, Facebook. Now it has to ask permission to track everything you do on your phone. — *Joanna Stern of the NYT on Twitter about iOS 14’s new privacy measures impacting the bottom line of Facebook.* > 3 out of 4 Mac buyers in the quarter were new to Mac. That should scare the PC OEMs. Strong momentum, which will only accellerate with Apple Silicon Macs. — *Ben Bajarin* > In the second quarter of 2020, 13.5% of all smartphones sold worldwide were iPhones. No wonder all the accusations of an Apple monopoly. — *Horace Dediu* --- ### What’s next? I’m glad you asked! - I’ve been working on another feature article for quite some time on the rotten side of **Tim Cook**’s **Apple**. For someone like me who has been a fan of the Apple brand, it will be a surprising take. Expect availability soon on [my Medium page](https://medium.com/@numericcitizen?ref=numericcitizen.me). - I’m working hard to put the final touches on my online presence on **Substack** too. I’ll be writing a review of this publishing platform, don’t miss it! ### Looking ahead but not too far from here - September is an important month for **Apple**, but this year will be different (everything is different in 2020, right?). Looking at the current state of betas of **iPadOS 14**, **iOS 14** and **watchOS 7**, I wouldn’t be surprised to see final releases in advance (this month), well before any new hardware (October). We should remember the [rather rocky start of iOS 13 last year](https://tidbits.com/2019/09/19/ios-13-0-now-available-ios-13-1-and-ipados-13-1-moved-up-to-september-24th/?ref=numericcitizen.me). Maybe Apple wants something different this year. Later, when the **iPhone 12** is released, it will probably come with iOS 14.1\. We’ll see. It will be [a busy fall for Apple](https://www.macrumors.com/2020/08/31/airtags-iphone-12-october-event/?ref=numericcitizen.me), for sure. ### Leftovers In “[Keeping the lion away](https://nahumck.me/keeping-the-lion-away/?ref=numericcitizen.me)”, about the troubled times we currently live in, the author writes: > I am, (…), stifled when it comes to writing. My brain feels like it hurts when I sit down to type things out. My journaling has been hit or miss in the past few weeks, as has my general health routine. I’m feeling burned out. I’m feeling like I need a break. And so, I think I’ll continue to take one. This isn’t to say that I don’t have thoughts and ideas: I’ve created several mind maps to help me organize what I want to write about in the future, and ideas that I feel are worth sharing. But right now, given the current climate, I just can’t bring myself to sit down and really focus on them when so much else out there is important. I can relate to this so much. I often find myself battling a lack of motivation to keep writing and posting things online. --- ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/public/images/a403e253-799b-4de7-bcde-0be3b36858cc_4812x3208.jpeg) *Photo by [Priscilla Du Preez](https://unsplash.com/@priscilladupreez?utm%5Fsource=unsplash&utm%5Fmedium=referral&utm%5Fcontent=creditCopyText) on [Unsplash](https://unsplash.com/s/photos/thanks?utm%5Fsource=unsplash&utm%5Fmedium=referral&utm%5Fcontent=creditCopyText)* This concludes the Numeric Citizen Introspection Newsletter #1 for August of 2020\. I would love to get your feedback and read your comments. Thanks for being a subscriber. Thanks for reading and sharing with the world! [Subscribe now](https://numericcitizen.me/subscribe/) ### I Started Something New: A Monthly Newsletter URL: https://numericcitizen.me/i-started-something-new-a-monthly-newsletter/ Last updated: 2025-08-16T13:14:30.000Z [![Numeric Citizen Introspection Newsletter on Substack](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/numericcitizen.me/wp-content/uploads/2020/09/substack-newsletter-banner.png)](https://numericcitizen.substack.com/) A banner that you will more and more in the future It was during a walk in the woods on my last weekend of vacation that my vision for the newsletter content came up clearly in my head. I was ecstatic. I’m happy to report that I found most of my answers to this [recent post](https://numericcitizen.substack.com/p/a-newsletter-about-what?r=9aeg3&utm%5Fcampaign=post&utm%5Fmedium=web&utm%5Fsource=copy). Here are the details surrounding this monthly newsletter. ### The newsletter purpose The purpose of my upcoming newsletter is to summarize a month’s worth of readings (mostly in the numeric world: the cyberspace), to highlight some of my own writing and a bit more. I’ll look back but also offer a glimpse of what I’m working on and the things I’ll be looking forward to the next month. The newsletter will touch all my passions: Apple, photography, privacy protection and climate change. If any of these subjects matter to you, you’ll likely want to subscribe! I hope you do. But, that’s not all. ### How often you’ll get it? It will be a monthly newsletter as I don’t want to overflow your inbox. I think this is the best frequency for this kind of content. I’m also considering the amount of work I will need to accomplish in order to meet the deadlines. I know they will come fast and I have a limited amount of hours that I can spend on this. I don’t want to burn myself while doing it or neglect the rest of my blogging work. So, there it is, a monthly newsletter. Expect the newsletter in the first week of every month. What’s more? ### The name How should I name this newsletter? It could be “The Numeric Citizen Report” or “The Numeric Citizen Newsletter”. But none of these are satisfying to me. I wanted something a bit different and related to being a citizen, someone, in a numeric space. What are people doing when they look back at their behaviours, their memories, their consciousness, their life? They do introspection. According to Wikipedia, here is a definition of the term *introspection*. > The examination of one’s own [conscious](https://en.wikipedia.org/api/rest%5Fv1/page/mobile-html/Conscious?ref=numericcitizen.me)[thoughts](https://en.wikipedia.org/api/rest%5Fv1/page/mobile-html/Thought?ref=numericcitizen.me) and [feelings](https://en.wikipedia.org/api/rest%5Fv1/page/mobile-html/Feeling?ref=numericcitizen.me).[ In ](https://en.wikipedia.org/api/rest%5Fv1/page/mobile-html/Introspection?ref=numericcitizen.me#cite%5Fnote-Schultz-1)[psychology](https://en.wikipedia.org/api/rest%5Fv1/page/mobile-html/Psychology?ref=numericcitizen.me), the process of introspection relies exclusively on observation of one’s [mental state](https://en.wikipedia.org/api/rest%5Fv1/page/mobile-html/Mental%5Frepresentation?ref=numericcitizen.me), while in a [spiritual](https://en.wikipedia.org/api/rest%5Fv1/page/mobile-html/Spirituality?ref=numericcitizen.me) context it may refer to the examination of one’s [soul](https://en.wikipedia.org/api/rest%5Fv1/page/mobile-html/Soul?ref=numericcitizen.me). Introspection is closely related to [human self-reflection](https://en.wikipedia.org/api/rest%5Fv1/page/mobile-html/Human%5Fself-reflection?ref=numericcitizen.me) and [self-discovery](https://en.wikipedia.org/api/rest%5Fv1/page/mobile-html/Self-discovery?ref=numericcitizen.me) and is contrasted with [external observation](https://en.wikipedia.org/api/rest%5Fv1/page/mobile-html/Observation?ref=numericcitizen.me). It’s is about the discoveries. I like this a lot. ***Numeric Citizen Introspection Newsletter***. There you have it. I’ve got the name. What’s left? ### Working efficiently In order to be as efficient as possible, I’ll be using all the tools available to me. I’m thinking of [Mailbrew](https://numericcitizen.me/2020/04/07/my-review-of-mailbrew-a-powerful-and-time-saving-internet-information-aggregator/) from which I get automatically generated newsletters from sources like Twitter, Reddit, and many RSS feeds. It’s a pretty cool tool. Trust me. Next, I’ll use Hey’s text clipping features to save interesting tidbits of information from these newsletters. Expect a few of my recently published photos or any other visual discoveries that are worth highlighting. To tie all this, I’ll be using Notion, my go-to place for organizing my numeric life. Oh, by the way, don’t miss [my review of Notion](https://numericcitizen.me/2020/04/19/my-review-of-notion-from-a-bloggers-perspective/). That’s all? One more thing. ### How much will it cost? That’s the burning question. Remember, I’m investing a lot in this adventure. I’m a serious blogger. I want to build something for the long run where a small community of regular readers will form. I hope to build trust between my readers and me. Finally, I wish my readers to wait anxiously for their newsletter to come in, each month. But, I have to prove that I can do it and that will be worth it: both for you, and for me. So here the thing. For the time being, ***the newsletter will be free***. Yep. Free. Each month, I’ll put together the best newsletter I can. It will improve over time. And I hope to get feedback from my readers. I’ll see over the coming months how well it is received and how much traction it is gaining. If this thing doesn’t fly, then, so be it. Otherwise, if it gets off the ground, then I’ll see. I won’t be greedy. I promise. To conclude, here is a quote from Benedict Evans: > I understand it rationally, but it still feels weird that the immediate feedback you get from setting an email newsletter is a bunch of people unsubscribing. Well, hoping my experience will be different. ### Final note to my readers The newsletter is not taking over this blog or anything else. Don’t worry. But, expect to find things in the newsletter that won’t be published here. A newsletter is a different medium and requires different type of content. Sure there will be some similarities but I want to give my newsletter its own “*personality*”. Lastly, I’m still experiencing Substack as a writing and publishing platform. Expect to read a review here in the coming weeks. ### Finding my Newsletter Purpose URL: https://numericcitizen.me/finding-my-newsletter-purpose-2/ Last updated: 2025-08-16T13:12:58.000Z It was during a walk in the woods on my last weekend of vacation that my vision for the newsletter content came up clearly in my head. I was ecstatic. I’m happy to report that I found most of my answers to this [recent post](https://numericcitizen.me/a-newsletter-about-what/). ### The purpose The purpose of my upcoming newsletter is to summarize a month's worth of readings (mostly in the numeric world: the cyberspace), to highlight some of my own writing and a bit more. I’ll look back but also offer a glimpse of what I’m working on and the things I’ll be looking forward to the next month. The newsletter will touch all my passions: Apple, photography, privacy protection and climate change. If any of these subjects matter to you, you’ll likely want to subscribe! I hope you do. But, that’s not all. ### How often you’ll get it? It will be a monthly newsletter as I don’t want to overflow your inbox. I think this is the best frequency for this kind of content. I’m also considering the amount of work I will need to accomplish in order to meet the deadlines. I know they will come fast. I have a limited amount of hours I can spend on this. I don’t want to burn myself while doing it or neglect the rest of my blogging work. So, there it is, a monthly newsletter. Expect the newsletter in the first week of every month. What’s more? ### The name How should I name this newsletter? It could be “The Numeric Citizen Report” or “The Numeric Citizen Newsletter”. But none of these are satisfying to me. I wanted something a bit different and related to being a citizen, someone, in a numeric space. What are people doing when they look back at their behaviours, their memories, their consciousness, their life? They do introspection. According to Wikipedia, here is a definition of the term *introspection*. > The examination of one's own [conscious](https://en.wikipedia.org/api/rest%5Fv1/page/mobile-html/Conscious?ref=numericcitizen.me)[thoughts](https://en.wikipedia.org/api/rest%5Fv1/page/mobile-html/Thought?ref=numericcitizen.me) and [feelings](https://en.wikipedia.org/api/rest%5Fv1/page/mobile-html/Feeling?ref=numericcitizen.me).[ In ](https://en.wikipedia.org/api/rest%5Fv1/page/mobile-html/Introspection?ref=numericcitizen.me#cite%5Fnote-Schultz-1)[psychology](https://en.wikipedia.org/api/rest%5Fv1/page/mobile-html/Psychology?ref=numericcitizen.me), the process of introspection relies exclusively on observation of one's [mental state](https://en.wikipedia.org/api/rest%5Fv1/page/mobile-html/Mental%5Frepresentation?ref=numericcitizen.me), while in a [spiritual](https://en.wikipedia.org/api/rest%5Fv1/page/mobile-html/Spirituality?ref=numericcitizen.me) context it may refer to the examination of one's [soul](https://en.wikipedia.org/api/rest%5Fv1/page/mobile-html/Soul?ref=numericcitizen.me). Introspection is closely related to [human self-reflection](https://en.wikipedia.org/api/rest%5Fv1/page/mobile-html/Human%5Fself-reflection?ref=numericcitizen.me) and [self-discovery](https://en.wikipedia.org/api/rest%5Fv1/page/mobile-html/Self-discovery?ref=numericcitizen.me) and is contrasted with [external observation](https://en.wikipedia.org/api/rest%5Fv1/page/mobile-html/Observation?ref=numericcitizen.me). It’s is about the discoveries. I like this a lot. ***Numeric Citizen Introspection Newsletter***. There you have it. I’ve got the name. What’s left? ### Working efficiently In order to be as efficient as possible, I’ll be using all the tools available to me. I’m thinking of [Mailbrew](https://numericcitizen.me/2020/04/07/my-review-of-mailbrew-a-powerful-and-time-saving-internet-information-aggregator/) from which I get automatically generated newsletters from sources like Twitter, Reddit, and many RSS feeds. It’s a pretty cool tool. Trust me. Next, I’ll use Hey’s text clipping features to save interesting tidbits of information from these newsletters. Expect a few of my recently published photos or any other visual discoveries that are worth highlighting. To tie all this, I'll be using Notion, my go-to place for organizing my numeric life. Oh, by the way, don’t miss [my review of Notion](https://numericcitizen.me/2020/04/19/my-review-of-notion-from-a-bloggers-perspective/). That’s all? One more thing. ### How much will it cost? That’s the burning question. Remember, I’m investing a lot in this adventure. I’m a serious blogger. I want to build something for the long run. I want to build a small community of regular readers. I want to build trust between my readers and me. I want my readers to wait anxiously for their newsletter to come in, each month. But, I have to prove that I can do it and that will be worth it: both for you, and for me. So here the thing. For the time being, ***the newsletter will be free***. Yep. Free. Each month, I’ll put together the best newsletter I can. It will improve over time. And I hope to get feedback from my readers. I’ll see over the coming months how well it is received and how much traction it is gaining. If this thing doesn’t fly, then, so be it. Otherwise, if it gets off the ground, then I’ll see. I won’t be greedy. I promise. To conclude, here is a quote from Benedict Evans: > I understand it rationally, but it still feels weird that the immediate feedback you get from setting an email newsletter is a bunch of people unsubscribing. Well, hoping my experience will be different. [Subscribe now](#/portal/signup) ### My Online Presence URL: https://numericcitizen.me/my-online-presence/ Last updated: 2025-08-16T12:41:17.000Z I’ve been asked a few times *where does the “*Numeric Citizen*” name come from?* In order to answer this question, I have to talk about my online presence first. The following diagram shows a summary of where I’m posting my content online (articles, shorter posts, photos, link posts, etc.). ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/public/images/6449000b-20dd-481f-979c-60846bb0bcc5_3080x974.png) As you can see, I do have a lot of “homes” online. Taken as a whole, coupled with all the scouting I do on the internet, you can probably see me as a *numeric citizen*. That’s the whole concept behind my name online. I like to see me as an open minded, curious guy scouting the web for new things to learn and experiment. Most of my efforts are concentrated around my preferred themes: Apple, digital photography, privacy protection and climate change. I read a lot of stuff online. I see a lot of things too. Now, why am I explaining all of this you might ask? Well, I’m glad you asked. In order to be able to find the niche I want to occupy with my upcoming newsletter, I wanted to take a step back and reflect about my online presence. The way I process content and eventually get “*sparked*” by things I stumble upon on the web is important to me. Have you seen [my Blogger Workflow](https://numericcitizen.me/2020/07/30/my-updated-blogger-workflow-as-of-2020-08/)? The question now comes to this: in what other way can I help others benefit from all my readings and discoveries? Stay tuned because I think I might have a definitive answer. ### Competition from Medium URL: https://numericcitizen.me/competition-from-medium/ Last updated: 2021-11-14T22:33:36.000Z As I’m currently thinking about my “raison d’être” here on Substack, Medium is announcing a plethora of new features and changes to their platform. Many of them are directly in competition with Substack. One of them is the support for [newsletters feature](https://link.medium.com/WhjhKaeZn9?ref=numericcitizen.me). It is not new but they seem to put more energy in it as newsletters popularity is making a comeback. This all makes me pause a bit in regard to Substack. Here is why. I’ve been on Medium since 2015\. After writing and posting a few important articles there, I entered a periode of silence because I didn’t like the way Medium was evolving. [I was wrong](https://numericcitizen.me/2019/05/25/i-was-wrong-about-medium/). I didn’t close my account. I came back last year to become a subscriber of their Partner Program and began to cross-post many of my longer articles already available on [https://numericcitizen.me](https://numericcitizen.me/), my main blog. And I made a few bucks (quite a few bucks actually) along the way. With time, my writing attracted nearly 700 followers. So, if I consider building a newsletter, on Medium, this is my starting point. Not bad at all if you ask me. M.G. Siegler is pointing out in a recent post [the return of blogging](https://link.medium.com/wkq0j5s3n9?ref=numericcitizen.me) and the role Medium would like to play in this space. Blogging isn’t new but in this world of AI-generated feeds, blogging and newsletters are becoming tools of counter-expression. In recent months [I started using Mailbrew](https://app.mailbrew.com/apple%5Fobserver?ref=numericcitizen.me) which is a tool to create automatically-generated newsletters and I like it a lot. Those who subscribe to those are more likely to be coming back compared to other social media tools. In a word, [newsletters are here to stay](https://500ish.com/in-the-inbox-2f74ba442190?ref=numericcitizen.me). They can attract high quality subscribers. So, I decided to give a try to Medium newsletters editing tools and created my own: [Numeric Citizen Tidbits](https://medium.com/numeric-citizen-tidbits?ref=numericcitizen.me). It is currently regrouping my most important articles of the last year. I’m quite happy with the end result. It has zero followers because it is unknown to the world. I could use Medium to post an article about its creation and ask for people to subscribe to it. It is on my to do list. ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/public/images/2ac1b1b2-8254-42ae-aa38-4bd7a3a8cd84_2388x1668.png) Having a presence on Medium doesn’t exclude having one here on Substack, far from it. The idea of manually crafting newsletters requires careful planning. I wouldn’t be the only one being on both, Medium and Substack but for different purposes. M. G. Siegler is on both, [here](https://5ish.org/?ref=numericcitizen.me) and [there](https://500ish.com/?ref=numericcitizen.me). Why not me? --- [Subscribe now](https://numericcitizen.me/subscribe/) ### Airport: The TestFlight App Store Apple Didn’t Create URL: https://numericcitizen.me/airport-the-testflight-app-store-apple-didnt-create/ Last updated: 2023-03-23T16:47:36.000Z [Airport](https://airport.community/?ref=numericcitizen.me) is a new service that came to life in recent weeks for helping people discover applications available for testing under the TestFlight service from Apple. Think of Airport as the TestFlight App Store but everything is free. I had a chance to enter the beta of Airport, here are my impressions. ## A Simple Idea ![Airport iPad app](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/numericcitizen.me/wp-content/uploads/2020/08/img_7333.png) Airport main screen on iPad When an app developer wants people to test an application, they can use Apple’s TestFlight service to make a special version of their app installable outside of the App Store, through TestFlight service. People can access a pre-release version of an application by installing it on their device only if they receive an invite for testing purposes. There is a big problem with TestFlight: there is no centralized repository of apps available for testing. This is where Airport comes into play. It is a catalogue of apps that you can install for free on your device. These apps are still in development and are prone to crashing or malfunction. Also, these apps will stop working after 90 days or when the developer decide to remove the build from TestFlight. So, in summary, think of Airport as a front-end catalogue to TestFlight. > There is a big problem with TestFlight: there is no centralized repository of apps available for testing. ## My personal experience with Airport After using Airport for a few days, I can only say that not only this is a brilliant idea, it works really well and its design feels very “Apple-ly”. In fact, I wonder why Apple didn’t come up with this idea. I think they could introduce a new section on the App Store for application testing, something along the line of what Steam offers for games in a pre-release state. I suspect Apple won’t offer something like this as they probably don’t want people to have an easy way to access buggy apps. At the time of this writing, there are more than 300 apps available. Onboarding an app for testing is simple: you browse the catalogue, tap an app to see the application page with description, screenshots, just like on the App Store, then you hit the Get button in order to launch TestFlight and finish the onboarding process there. The process works perfectly hand in hand with TestFlight. The latter has to be installed on your device, though. While using Airport , it is easy to forget that you are not browsing the actual App Store. The design of Airport is clean, simple and effective. Bravo to the guys behind this: [@jsngr](https://twitter.com/jsngr?s=21&ref=numericcitizen.me) and [@sidddevs](https://twitter.com/SiddDevs?s=21&ref=numericcitizen.me). Now, here is a simple question: will these guys submit Airport to Apple for approval and make it available in the App Store? I’m not sure. Even if they wanted to, will Apple’s review team accept it? It’s far from certain. Apple these days seems very picky and can reject an app pretty easily. ## Living on the bleeding edge ![Apps in beta that I’m currently testing](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/numericcitizen.me/wp-content/uploads/2020/08/img_7336.png) Apps in beta that I’m currently testing One thing that is cool with Airport is that you can easily find apps that will take advantage of iOS latest APIs and technologies like widgets. So, if you are running iOS 14 on your device [as I do](https://numericcitizen.me/2020/07/18/going-all-in-with-ios-14-ipados-14-macos-11-big-sur-and-watchos-7-betas/), you can also get apps that will take advantage of newly introduced operating system features. Pretty neat. ## Where do we go from here? Looking forward, I have to wonder about the future of Airport. Could Apple buy the service and make its own? Probably but very unlikely. Could Apple send a cease and desist order to bring it down? Unfortunately, Apple’s attitude in recent weeks and months makes me think this could happen. I wouldn’t bet against it. Meanwhile, if you want to have a shot at Airport, you’ll have to register with your email address and… wait. There is a lineup to enter the TestFlight remaining slots. Have fun! ### Buying a Windows Laptop in 2020: My Troubling Experience URL: https://numericcitizen.me/buying-a-windows-laptop-in-2020-my-troubling-experience/ Last updated: 2023-03-23T16:47:36.000Z One could think that buying a Windows laptop in 2020 is quite different from twenty years ago. Think again. It is as much complex and unpleasant as it was in 2000\. Here is my personal experience of buying a Windows laptop for my son entering college this month. ## A simple homework From the college provided guide, the premise was simple: *a Windows laptop priced in the range of $700 to $1000 is strongly recommended. This laptop will be used for in-class and remote learning for the next two years and should be able to run basic things like Office 365 and other general purposes software*. Simple, right? You are wrong. ## Twenty years of evolution for nothing What’s a Windows laptop in 2020 anyway? Well, it is a machine not very different from a MacBook from Apple. They all use a CPU[1](#fn1), some memory, an SSD, have more or less ports and have a screen of different sizes with or without touch input support. They are more or less lightweight and come with pre-installed software: Windows, an anti-virus, etc. Why so many things on Windows side are always more complicated? From searching for a great product to buying the computer to using it? Is it the inherent cost of providing choices? You would think that after twenty years of evolution, all Windows laptops would be essentially using the same components and have settled on fewer configurations. After two decades, I was expecting to find great online stores with easy to select options and hit “buy”. Vendors didn’t really try to simplify their product lines nor the buying experience. Looks like they didn’t learn from the simplified Apple approach since the original iMac. Why is that? During my search for the perfect product, Dell was the only one that came close to Apple in design and simplicity. ![Configuration a windows laptop from Dell](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/numericcitizen.me/wp-content/uploads/2020/08/dell-buy-experience.png) Configuration a windows laptop from Dell ## The ASUS experience Consider my buying experience of an [ASUS ZenBook](https://www.asus.com/ca-en/Laptops/ZenBook-Classic-Series-Products/?ref=numericcitizen.me). I chose ASUS after spending a few hours googling for a Windows laptop comparing Dell, HP, ASUS and Acer. So, after a bit of searching operation within ASUS main site, I finally found the ZenBook section. Hitting the “Shop Now” button as shown below, brings a popup menu to select a reseller. On the iPad, the popup is visually broken. ![ASUS ZenBook product Landing page](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/numericcitizen.me/wp-content/uploads/2020/08/asus-zenbook-product-landing-page.jpg) ASUS ZenBook product Landing page Not only the popup is broken but the link is broken too as shown below. Since I knew BestBuy was reselling ASUS products, I went on their website and entered the following keywords: ASUS ZenBook 14\. The search results were surprising. ![Page not found error on BestBuy](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/numericcitizen.me/wp-content/uploads/2020/08/619c1ae4-e11a-4aa6-8377-40b98a2826b2.jpg) Page not found error on BestBuy There were close to two thousands different configurations available to choose from. How is this even possible for a single product line? Search results were classified in categories that were too similar like “refurbished” and “open box”. The vast majority of configurations are on sale. I guess the timing was good to buy an ASUS! Suffice it to say that the experience is a bit overwhelming. Where do you start? Why not present a basic configuration that can be modified as needed? Manufacturers didn’t learn and neither the resellers. ![BestBuy ASUS ZenBook search results](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/numericcitizen.me/wp-content/uploads/2020/08/bestbuy-asus-zenbook-search-results.jpg) BestBuy ASUS ZenBook search results ## The Apple Store experience Now, compare this to the Apple experience of buying a new Mac[2](#fn2). First, the web landing page for potential student buyers is much more clean and enticing. The message is clear: you buy a new Mac or an iPad and you get a pair of free AirPods. Simple. Tempting. ![Apple’s web page for educational products](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/numericcitizen.me/wp-content/uploads/2020/08/apple-web-page-educational-products.jpg) Apple’s web page for educational products The best buying experience is by using the Apple Store app. From the start page, you get a clear idea of Apple’s Mac product lines. Hitting the MacBook Air tile will move you to select a configuration step. ![Apple Store app computers section](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/numericcitizen.me/wp-content/uploads/2020/08/apple-store-app-computers-section.png) Apple Store app computers section As shown in the following screenshot, selecting the desired color of the MBA is done by tapping the desired tone circle. You get a clear description of each starting configuration. Apple could have made it even more visually descriptive instead of the wordy bullet points, though. ![Selecting the starting configuration of a MacBook Air](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/numericcitizen.me/wp-content/uploads/2020/08/selecting-starting-configuration-macbook-air.png) Selecting the starting configuration of a MacBook Air Next, you customize the selected configuration by changing components like CPU speed, the amount of RAM and the size of the SSD, a straightforward experience. I know, Apple doesn’t provide a bazillion of options, but the fundamentals behind the purchasing experience are simple. Why is it so hard in the Windows computer world? ![Customizing the chosen MacBook Air configuration](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/numericcitizen.me/wp-content/uploads/2020/08/customize-macbook-air-configuration.png) Customizing the chosen MacBook Air configuration ## Beyond the buying experience, a troubling discovery The ZenBook 14 machine is light, well constructed with a premium design and the keyboard is really nice. Opening the laptop from the lid, produced the same experience as on any MacBook: the bottom part of the laptop stayed well in place. That was unexpected. For something that I picked up from a million possibilities, I’m pleased with my choice. I have the feeling that I won the lottery. My son seems happy with it. But, during the setup process, I discovered something troubling[3](#fn3). My setup experience of the ASUS ZenBook 14 went flawlessly. Yes, there are many steps involved… as many steps as setting up a brand-new MacBook or an iPad with advanced options selected. As Windows Setup was asking questions about operating parameters, I was astonished to listen to my son saying he didn’t know about Microsoft Windows at all. He doesn’t know the different browsers (Microsoft’s or Google’s). He doesn’t know either about the local windows account vs a Microsoft account. My son is seventeen. He’s not computer-literate, he’s iPad literate. I find this to be troubling for someone entering college. It is such a different environment from twenty years ago. I guess he will learn a lot more about Windows during his college years. I certainly hope so. ## Closing remarks I can’t remember exactly when was the last time I bought a Windows machine for myself. All my past Windows computers were provided by my employer and I didn’t have to choose which one I would use. My buying experience of this ASUS ZenBook proved to me that nothing really changed in the last twenty years. But, I learned along the way that young generations are not as much computer-literate as I thought. 1. Most of the time an Intel CPU but Windows machines can also use an AMD CPU. [↩](#ffn1) 2. For the sake of this article, I’m buying a MacBook Air. I mean, not for real, just simulating the experience. [↩](#ffn2) 3. I was behind the keyboard for the duration of the setup process as I’m knowledgeable in computers (even if non-Apple computers). [↩](#ffn3) ### How iOS 14 and watchOS 7 are Game Changers for Apple Watch Owners URL: https://numericcitizen.me/how-ios-14-and-watchos-7-are-game-changers-for-apple-watch-owners/ Last updated: 2023-03-23T16:47:36.000Z iOS 14 and watchOS 7 are game changers for Apple Watch Users. Together they bring new features that will certainly increase your Apple Watch usage. In this blog post, I share my personal experience[1](#fn1). ## My typical Apple Watch use cases before iOS 14 and watchOS 7 Before iOS 14 and watchOS 7, the use cases of my Apple Watch were already extensive. Here is my use cases list, in any particular order, most of them being on a daily basis. | Make in-store contact-less payments. This use case has increased since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic. | | --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- | | Glance at my recent notifications. | | Set a timer for cooking purposes. | | See my upcoming day schedule with the Siri watch face. | | Log my water intake with [WaterMinder](https://apps.apple.com/ca/app/waterminder/id653031147?ref=numericcitizen.me). | | Using the excellent [Streaks](https://apps.apple.com/ca/app/streaks/id963034692?ref=numericcitizen.me) watch application to log entries occurence of habits that I care about: blogging frequency, photography time, reading more often, etc. | | Track all my exercise activities like outdoor walks, bike runs, etc. | | Check my daily calories burning. | | Enter activity challenges with friends. | | Filter incoming phone calls[2](#fn2). | | Quickly reply to incoming messages using emojis, voice or scribble. | | Take ECG and heart beat measures. | | Check local weather conditions. | | Check package delivery status with the [Deliveries](https://apps.apple.com/ca/app/deliveries-a-package-tracker/id290986013?ref=numericcitizen.me) application. | | Unlock my Mac or my password keychain when required. | | Chat with friends with Walkie-Talkie albeit not as often as I could. | | Hand washing detection (it’s a watchOS 7-only feature)[3](#fn3). | My Apple Watch use cases As you can see, I consider myself an Apple Watch power user. But there is more coming with watchOS 7 and iOS 14\. Let’s have a quick peek. ## Apple Watch’s new tricks After reading all this, you might ask, well, you look like an Apple Watch power user already, what is missing in order to reach the next level? One problem with the Apple Watch for me is to settle on a watch face. I’m constantly switching between them for many different reasons. After thinking about it, I found out that 80% of the time I use four or five different watch faces only in different configurations. I recently discovered that I could set my watch face automatically from a shortcut automation in iOS 14, I was jubilating. So, after playing with this for a while, I created a few automation shortcuts like the following ones to switch watch faces when certain conditions are met. ![iOS 14 automation example for Apple Watch with watchOS 7](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/numericcitizen.me/wp-content/uploads/2020/08/ios14-automation-with-watchos7.png) iOS 14 automation example for Apple Watch with watchOS 7 For example, every day at sunset, the automation set my watch face to Solar Dial. I find it useful to see when the sun will set. The same goes every day in the morning at sunrise. It is one of the best designed watch face. Also, at eight in the morning, on week days only, another automation will switch to the Siri watch face, a convenient way to glance at the upcoming events in my calendar. These automations are super handy and easy to create from your iPhone and I’m only scratching the surface of the possibilities. To my surprise, changing watch faces automatically could have been provided in the watch app too but Apple decided to allow this through automation. I’m ok with that but I think it harder for people to discover this feature[4](#fn4). ## What is still missing The release of watchOS 7 didn’t bring what I wanted most, though: a watch face store. Sharing watch faces with my friends, a new feature with watchOS 7, is nice, but it’s not what I wanted. It seems clear this sharing feature is paving the way somehow for a watch face store in the future so others can share their discoveries. We will have to wait. Meanwhile, thanks to a [recent article](https://9to5mac.com/2020/08/14/discover-download-apple-watch-faces-buddywatch/?ref=numericcitizen.me) on 9To5Mac, a new watch face sharing site just went live and it is called: [buddywatch](http://buddywatch.app/?ref=numericcitizen.me). This is the closest thing you’ll get today to a watch face store. It’s pretty cool. ![Buddywatch watch face sharing site](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/numericcitizen.me/wp-content/uploads/2020/08/buddywatch.png) Buddywatch watch face sharing site The sleep tracking feature in watchOS 7 and iOS 14 is pale in comparison of what other third-party apps are offering. Apple is way behind. To me, or Apple is being too timid or Apple is waiting to announce more advanced feature of sleep tracking with the release of the Apple Watch Series 6\. I vote for the latter. At the time of this writing, Apple is rumored to announce Series 6 via a press release only in September. That’s not exactly the best way to announce such an important feature. As a current Series 4 owner, I plan to upgrade this year. ![Rumors about upcoming Apple products release](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/numericcitizen.me/wp-content/uploads/2020/08/upcoming-apple-products-release.jpg) Rumors about upcoming Apple products release Also, for new features like advanced sleep tracking or any new health monitoring initiatives for that matter, Apple has to increase the battery life. With recent watchOS releases, battery life took a hit. iOS 14 beta cycle started with a solid beta 1 release. Then, came beta 4 and the stability went downhill. With current beta release of watchOS 7, things are even worse. We’ll have to wait and see in coming weeks for any improvements. Apple has much work to do. As of this writing, the automation shortcuts I created are not always executing. The basic principles are there, but the execution is lacking finish to say the least. ## Looking ahead The release of iOS 14 coupled with watchOS 7 brought some unexpected automation support for the Apple Watch like setting the watch face. This brings another level of usefulness to the Apple Watch that I didn’t expect Apple to bring this way. Now, if only Apple could introduce a watch face store because let’s face it: current watch faces are limited compared to what it could be. Patience is a virtue. I’ll wait. 1. I installed all the betas on all my mobile devices this year. It’s the first time that I go so fast, so wide with Apple’s beta software. Caution: don’t do that at home! Backup your devices before making the jump. This is a rocky road ahead. You’ve been warned. [↩](#ffn1) 2. My current Apple Watch is a black Series 4 without cellular. I plan to upgrade to a non-black Series 6 version this year. I don’t expect to chose the cellular one as my iPhone is always with me. [↩](#ffn2) 3. New features like hand-washing detection is certainly welcomed. From my current experience, it is working pretty well in general. There are a few occurence where I had to tell my Apple Watch that I wasn’t exactly washing my hands. I guess it’s normal for a beta release. [↩](#ffn3) 4. Apple has so much trouble with everything related to discovery in they user interfaces. [↩](#ffn4) ### Tim Cook’s Apple — Sadly Not About Products Anymore [Updated] URL: https://numericcitizen.me/on-tim-cook-apple-its-less-and-less-about-the-products/ Last updated: 2023-03-23T16:47:36.000Z ![Illustration by the New York Times](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/numericcitizen.me/wp-content/uploads/2020/08/tim-cook-in-apple-logo.jpg) Illustration by the New York Times A published [Tim Cook profile in the New York Times](https://apple.news/Azb-hAvJuS4yr89Cy8Pccog?ref=numericcitizen.me) contains many insights about Tim Cook’s leadership style, the man who turned Apple into a cash machine. But, reading between the lines, there are troubling signs that Apple is less and less about products. Here are a few of my thoughts. ## Tim Cook’s priorities Make no mistake, I love Tim Cook’s Apple. However, I cannot see how Steve Jobs’s personality could have done something like this. Steve Jobs’ tenure was all about the products, how they were designed and made, how they worked. In my opinion, environmentally friendly products were not at the center of Steve Jobs’ vision, in my opinion[1](#fn1). It’s a Tim Cook thing. I don’t think people’s inclusivity was a pre-occupation for Steve Jobs either. It’s something essential for Tim Cook[2](#fn2). It is fascinating how people’s origin or their own personal fights can forge the company they lead. With Tim Cook as CEO, Apple got a new operating style, something Steve Jobs wanted before he died. ## It’s the products, stupid! ![Apple Watch — A Product of Tim Cook’s era - Photo from Simon Daoudi on Unsplash](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/numericcitizen.me/wp-content/uploads/2020/08/apple-watch.jpg) Apple Watch — A Product of Tim Cook’s era – Photo from Simon Daoudi on Unsplash Tim Cook’s Apple is still operating under the “iterate, iterate, iterate” modus operandi, just like when Steve Jobs was there. That’s the way Apple operates: enter a space that you think you’ll make a difference, start slow, own the full stack and iterate methodically until you own the space. They did precisely that with the Apple Watch, an entirely new product category that came to life under Tim Cook’s tenure. After a few iterative releases, Apple eventually settled on the “raison d’être” of this product: health. It is something that has yet to happen on the HomePod. That’s Apple under Tim Cook: a powerful cash machine that is not willing to bet the farm on a new product thanks to the iPhone. Will this be the rumoured AR headset? The Apple Car? Time will tell. Tim Cook decided to bet the farm on China in recent years and [signed a secret deal](https://fortune.com/2021/12/09/apple-china-tim-cook-secret-deal/?ref=numericcitizen.me) with them. ## Smoking gun of a shift at Apple Back to The New York Times article where it contains some interesting anecdotes regarding Tim Cook’s interests. Most of them relate to operations, not the products themselves[3](#fn3). Tim Cook is a master at operations. Steve Jobs knew it. A very telling story about Tim Cook’s lack of drive for new products: > When hardware chief Dan Riccio was exploring the idea of a smart speaker around 2015, Mr. Cook peppered him with questions about the product and asked for more information, said Mr. Deaver, the former human-resources executive, who said he was briefed on the exchange. > > Mr. Riccio’s team scaled back working on it, Mr. Deaver said. Later, Mr. Cook emailed Mr. Riccio about Amazon.com Inc.’s Echo speaker and asked where Apple stood on its speaker effort. > > Mr. Riccio’s team ramped up work. Apple’s resulting HomePod speaker trailed rivals to market by about two years and has struggled to catch up, accounting for five million of the 76 million active smart speakers in the U.S. as of last year, according to Consumer Intelligence Research Partners. Under Steve Jobs, I have the feeling the HomePod would be no more already, or there would be another iteration. Tim Cook wasn’t interested in the idea of a smart speaker, only to change his mind when Amazon’s own smart speakers became popular. > Mr. Cook tends to assess new product ideas with caution, taking the position in some discussions that he doesn’t want to release a product that may sell poorly and undermine the company’s track record of success, according to senior engineers. Remember the story about the lacklustre Cube sales? It was cancelled less than a year after its introduction by Steve, and he moved on[4](#fn4). But, unfortunately, under Tim Cook, Apple tends to double down instead of backtracking. We all remember the MacBook butterfly keyboards, right? It took them four unbearable years to fix it. It’s a long time. Today, thankfully, Apple reverted most of their bad decisions about the MacBook Pro by re-introducing things like an HDMI port and an SD Card slot. ## Lack of products leadership? ![Apple’s HomePod — Photo by Nicolas Lafarge on Unsplash](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/numericcitizen.me/wp-content/uploads/2020/08/apple-homepod-white.jpg) Apple’s HomePod — Photo by Nicolas Lafarge on Unsplash The HomePod story is a sad example of a product created with the wrong intention, the wrong goal. The HomePod could have been something entirely different as I wrote a while back in my piece “[Amazon, Google, Apple and Home Networks](https://numericcitizen.me/2019/02/12/amazon-google-apple-and-home-networks-my-take/).” In 2015, Apple was still selling the AirPort product line, but they didn’t have the vision or the drive to move it to its next phase, and Tim Cook clearly wasn’t the right leader to steer the ship in the much-needed new direction. So instead of building a product for themselves, they made the HomePod to compete against Amazon. It’s the worst motivation possible, in my opinion. ![Tim Cook — CEO of Apple since 2011](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/numericcitizen.me/wp-content/uploads/2020/08/tim-cook-white-background.jpg) Tim Cook — CEO of Apple since 2011 Tim Cook’s style has reshaped how Apple staff work and think. To me, if true, it’s a tangible sign that Apple is distancing itself from its roots: it’s all about the product and the experience. Now, it’s about the customer satisfaction rating, the manufacturing capacity and operations efficiency. When Steve Jobs passed away, people thought Apple would start to fail without a guy like him. I was one of those who believed that Apple was not a one-person show. It was undoubtedly the case, but the leadership Steve Jobs had on Apple made a big difference in product development direction. Under Tim Cook, Apple is so different in many different and positive ways, but it is also more hesitant. The Apple Watch start is a great example of a super nice product but lacks a clear mission. The same goes for the HomePod. All other products are iterative versions of their predecessors. ## Apple Silicon Macs — Back to Products? ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/numericcitizen.me/wp-content/uploads/2022/01/imac-colors-6.png) The redesigned iMac The ongoing transition of the Mac product line to the Apple Silicon is probably the most telling sign that Apple’s under Tim Cook is thinking again about the product. This transition shows that Apple is back at pushing the envelope from a design perspective, even though they don’t go as far as Microsoft in recent years[5](#fn5). With Apple Silicon in Macs, Apple focuses on performance and performance per watts. For the MacBook product line, it makes a big difference in battery life. The latest updates to the MacBook Air, Mac mini, MacBook Pro made a big splash among customers bringing back delight. Finally. 1. I remember seeing Steve Jobs presenting environment cards of the iPhone 4 for example but this wasn’t his thing. It was a by-product of great designs. Tim Cook team is much more involved in environment-friendly initiatives which took place under his current position as a CEO. That is the way he leads I guess. I’m thankful for that. [↩](#ffn1) 2. For Tim Cook, it was very important for him to come out of the closet. It is a well documented decision. [↩](#ffn2) 3. He rarely pay a visit to the design studio, something Steve would do many times a week. [↩](#ffn3) 4. According to MacTracker’s History note on the Cube: The consensus was that Apple had misjudged the market, making the Cube an expensive “luxury” computer instead of a cheaper monitor-less iMac. In February 2001, The Cube received a feature and price change. The low-end configuration was repriced at $1299 U.S. A “better” configuration was made available, with a CD-RW drive and 128 MB of RAM, for $1599 U.S. Finally, the high-end version got a 60 GB hard drive, 256 MB of RAM, a CD-RW drive and an 32 MB NVIDIA GeForce2 MX video card, and sold for $2199 U.S. [↩](#ffn4) 5. Microsoft is trying hard new ideas and I like what they do in general. [↩](#ffn5) ### Ghost Office and Strange Feelings URL: https://numericcitizen.me/ghost-office-and-strange-feelings/ Last updated: 2023-03-23T16:47:36.000Z I had to return to my office for a day this week. I’m still not sure why. My last visit there was on March, 12th. I didn’t know what to expect. I knew there would be other colleagues too, but how many? This is my short recount of visiting a ghost office since the beginning of the pandemic. From the very first moment I entered the building, downtown Montreal, I knew it would feel different. The streets were mostly empty. The entrance walls were fills with instructions related to COVID-19: masks are mandatory, keep your distance, two persons maximum in the elevator, wash your hands, this door for entry only, etc. You know the drill. The hall was empty. The security guard was waiting patiently for people to come in. I perceived a smile on his masked face. I went to the elevator. Places, where we need to stand, were marked on the floor. I went on floor 11th. The office entrance is open, but nobody is there. It feels just strange coming back after more than four months. It feels when I come back from a long vacation. Where is everybody? They are working from home. Computer screens are turned off. Personal items can be found on some desks. I go to a closed office, getting ready for work. What am I doing here? My day will be spent on virtual meetings anyway. I saw four of my colleagues. They were all happy yet surprised to see me there. We chat for a while then I went to the bathrooms. Again, there were clear instructions on where I could go or not go. I felt like it was a science fiction movie. How long will we have to endure this shit? Is the return to some kind of normality even possible? On my way back home, I couldn’t count all the closed businesses and empty offices marked for rent. I saw how far-reaching this pandemic is and how hard it is affecting and will be affecting all of us in so different ways for years to come. What a mess. Returning to my office after four months iota felt weird. It wasn’t a good idea. It made me feel the real consequence of this pandemic. It’s depressing. What is even more depressing is that I have to return there because I forgot something to bring back. Duh. ### July of 2020 in Pictures URL: https://numericcitizen.me/july-of-2020-in-pictures/ Last updated: 2023-03-23T16:47:36.000Z ![Photo selection for July 2020](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/numericcitizen.me/wp-content/uploads/2020/08/d906cce1-c248-488b-882e-96c39c446f96.png) Selection of pictures I took and processed in July of 2020 My summer vacations plans are not what they were supposed to be. That being said, I managed to get a few nice pictures during the month of July. I rarely post pictures here so why not post a visual summary of what July brought to me. The theme is a big darky and spooky… maybe the pandemic is affecting my photo style after all but hey, this is what it is! Hope you enjoy them. ### Feeling Robbed URL: https://numericcitizen.me/feeling-robbed/ Last updated: 2023-03-23T16:47:36.000Z One hundred forty. One hundred forty days. We all remember March, 13th, right?. That’s the day the confinement started for me. For many of us too. And since then, normality is taking another meaning. Something that we didn’t chose. This is our war. Our third world war. Nothing like we could expect, but a war requiring as much sacrifices nonetheless. Maybe more. We are still in the invasion phase. So it seems. There is no clear end in sight. Time goes by. Planning is near impossible. Opportunities are lost. I feel robbed. ### My Take on Apple’s 30% Cut and a Proposal URL: https://numericcitizen.me/my-take-on-apple-30-cut-and-a-proposal/ Last updated: 2024-08-12T01:50:02.000Z With [recent events](https://mjtsai.com/blog/2020/06/16/hey-rejected-from-the-app-store/?ref=numericcitizen.me) surrounding the launch of the controversial HEY email service, just before the WWDC conference, Apple has been on the defensive more than ever[1](#fn1). Their App Store policies are attracting more and more criticism from long-time developers. Apple is in a powerful position that is attracting attention from lawmakers and regulators all around the world. Can Apple do something about it before it becomes an ugly mess? I think so. Let’s see how. ## A powerful but tricky position ![Apple powerful position over the App Store](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/numericcitizen.me/wp-content/uploads/2020/07/apple-logo-over-wall-of-app-icons.jpg) Apple powerful position over the App Store Apple’s posture reminds me of Microsoft’s similar situation in the nineties. Both situations are similar and different at the same time. Microsoft was imposing Internet Explorer to end users by integrating the browser into Windows, making it hard for competing browsers to emerge. Moreover, Microsoft relations with OEMs had the effect of spreading (imposing) the Windows banner everywhere on the planet, so they had more than 90% of the PC market[2](#fn2). Apple’s position is quite different, though. They are not dominating any market like Microsoft did[3](#fn3). The common theme between these two situations, is the lack of choice. Microsoft wanted to own the browser. Apple wants to own the whole App Store stack. Apple won’t let you in their App Store as a developer if you want to charge for a service outside the App Store’s integrated payment system[4](#fn4). My understanding of ***the problem is the lack of choice for developers*** and this is what is attracting regulators’ attention. Sure, there is a lot of noise regarding the 30% cut Apple is getting on every transaction. It seems a lot. But, to me, this is a secondary issue, yet an important one. Is Apple willing to change its mind? ![Steve Jobs (in case you didn’t know)](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/numericcitizen.me/wp-content/uploads/2020/07/steve-jobs.jpg) Steve Jobs (in case you didn’t know) John Gruber used [a great story of Steve Jobs and the Cube](https://www.wired.com/story/20-years-ago-steve-jobs-built-the-coolest-computer-ever-it-bombed/?ref=numericcitizen.me) in [a post to illustrate](https://daringfireball.net/linked/2020/07/24/levy-jobs-cube?ref=numericcitizen.me) how Apple reversed its stance regarding the Cube which wasn’t selling very well. Steve Jobs cancelled it. > Why not pull a Steve Jobs on the App Store? Cut the commission rate to 85/15 across the board and act like it’s innovative and something only Apple could or would do. Open up the Netflix rule to all developers — maintain the rule that if your app charges money as an in-app purchase, you must use Apple’s in-app payment system — but let any and all apps choose to do what Netflix does if they want to opt out of that, and sign up customers on their own outside the app. ## Apple is not there yet ![Apple’s CEO, Tim Cook](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/numericcitizen.me/wp-content/uploads/2020/07/thinking-tim-cook.jpeg.png) Apple’s CEO, Tim Cook I’m not sure Apple is ready to pull a Steve Jobs on the App Store yet. Why? They recently published an “[analysis](https://www.analysisgroup.com/globalassets/insights/publishing/apples%5Fapp%5Fstore%5Fand%5Fother%5Fdigital%5Fmarketplaces%5Fa%5Fcomparison%5Fof%5Fcommission%5Frates.pdf?ref=numericcitizen.me)” of the current digital marketplaces landscape[5](#fn5). I didn’t read the full report but after a few paragraphs I knew what it was all about. According to John Gruber, the report’s narrative is essentially something like “[We are not better or worse than the others](https://twitter.com/mattbirchler/status/1286654077376630785?s=21&ref=numericcitizen.me)”. I’m not a lawyer but, to me, it looks like a terrible defense. I think Apple is missing the point: they are not making it easy for developers to opt-out of their payment system. The following Twitter thread is very telling of the core issues Apple is facing. Don’t miss it. > Why 30%? [https://t.co/PGyOYL7mds](https://t.co/PGyOYL7mds?ref=numericcitizen.me) > > — Matt Birchler (@mattbirchler) [July 23, 2020](https://twitter.com/mattbirchler/status/1286439937211015169?ref%5Fsrc=twsrc%5Etfw&ref=numericcitizen.me) ## A proposal requiring “courage” I recently published something along the line, “[The Race for the Bottom of Everything](https://numericcitizen.micro.blog/2020/07/23/the-race-for.html?ref=numericcitizen.me)” where my point is that no matter what Apple does regarding their cut from developers sales, the debate will come back in the future. Any pourcentage is always too high and developers will want a better piece of the revenue cake. Period. The debate has to shift to something else. Let’s say I’m an advisor to Apple, here is a five steps plan I would expose to them. 1. Allow developers to opt-out of the App Store payment system. This would help reduce the importance of the cut Apple is imposing. If Apple wants to keep 30%, they will be compared to other payment platforms like Stripe and developers will make their choice. 2. Make everyone to play the same rules, not only big players like Netflix. On that subject, [Phil Schiller declared in an interview with Reuters](https://www.reuters.com/article/us-usa-tech-congress-apple/app-store-chief-says-apple-aimed-to-level-playing-field-for-developers-idUSKCN24T1WY?ref=numericcitizen.me) that the App Store aims to treat every app on the same level. Probably true in 2008, but in 2020? Do you believe him? It has to change. 3. Reconsider the 30% cut on developers’ revenues and propose something not only lower (15%?) but maybe with a variable over time or with volumes. This move would be more political than anything as Apple would show some flexibility. 4. Make the Developers program free of charge. This would help send a clear message to developers: you are not only revenues generators but also partners in our journey to offer value to our common customers. Managing bad perceptions is critical. 5. Upgrade the App Store and its payment system and features to increase intrinsic value of the App Store to enable highly requested features like: application rentals, paid upgrades, free trials. Again, developers would then weight the pros and cons of each platform as suggested by Matt Birchler > This 🙌 As the only option, it’s a “what are you gonna do, not support the iPhone?” situation, but if there was another option then they can make the percentage whatever they want and customers/devs can weight the costs/benefits of both. 😊 > > — Matt Birchler (@mattbirchler) [July 25, 2020](https://twitter.com/mattbirchler/status/1287031360268447744?ref%5Fsrc=twsrc%5Etfw&ref=numericcitizen.me) I’m not an expert. All these things are much more complex than it may look. There are probably as many plans or proposals as there are Apple pundits. Take that one from Matt Birchler. He goes ahead and make a similar proposition in his post entitle: “[If Not 30%, What? 4 Ideas on How to Improve App Store Pricing](https://birchtree.me/blog/if-not-30-what/?ref=numericcitizen.me)”. Interesting. When it comes to its fundamentals, Apple is not moving fast. Apple’s 30% cut is controversial and many developers want a new deal. But something more central to Apple’s currently held position is causing lawmakers and regulators to notice: the lack of choice. Developers cannot opt-out of the App Store payment system. Apple has to reconsider its stance on this. This blog post tries to lay the basic steps Apple could go through to shift the dynamics. Is Apple ready? Does it even make sense? --- **What is your take on Apple’s 30% cut and the lack of payment system opt-out option for developers? How would you change Apple’s policies? Leave a note in the comments section after this post.** 1. Why not save for later [my thoughts on HEY](https://numericcitizen.me/2020/07/24/my-thoughts-on-hey-and-why-im-paying-for-emails-in-2020/), a game changing email service for me. [↩](#ffn1) 2. To counter Microsoft, many pundits asked Apple to do the same and license MacOS to OEMs. It didn’t worked, it was just before Steve Jobs came back to Apple. [↩](#ffn2) 3. From a market pourcentage perspective, they are not as pervasive as Microsoft once was in the nineties. From a revenue share pourcentage, that is another story. [↩](#ffn3) 4. I still don’t understand how Netflix is getting away with it. [↩](#ffn4) 5. This study was commissioned by Apple. [↩](#ffn5) ### My Thoughts on HEY and Why I’m Paying for Emails URL: https://numericcitizen.me/my-thoughts-on-hey-and-why-im-paying-for-emails-in-2020/ Last updated: 2024-08-11T16:23:56.000Z \[Early 2021 Update: this article has been updated to reflect my six months experience with HEY and a streak of application updates.\] Let me tell you something: I’m paying to get my emails, even in ~~2020~~ (*still in 2021 after six months with HEY*). In fact, I’m willing to pay for something that tries to reinvent a user experience and succeeds at doing it yet fitting with my desired workflow. It is astonishing to see how little has changed in the last four decades about reading, writing and managing emails. I don’t remember seeing a company that tried as hard as Basecamp’s owners. Their new email service called “HEY” launched recently. Here are my thoughts on this controversial service and why I’m paying for it. ## Re-imagining email ![The Feed feature](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/numericcitizen.me/wp-content/uploads/2020/07/the-feed-header.png) The Feed feature HEY is trying to rethink everything about emails. From getting new emails to reading newsletters or looking at attachments, HEY is unlike anything else. It can be disorienting sometimes. Don’t look for folders to organize your emails because there is none. Trying HEY is accepting the possibility of being outside your comfort zone more than once. Old habits die hard. If I could summarize what HEY is trying to do to email, it would be something like this: ***HEY wants to reframe how we approach email***; instead of focusing and helping you manage tons of emails, it tries to remove the management part of the experience. It doesn’t mean there is nothing to manage while using HEY, quite the contrary. In fact, in the first few days of HEY usage, HEY looks like a demanding friend. You have to feed The Screener, the part of HEY that lets you decide which email should be allowed in. After a while, The Screener starts to do his work silently, in the background and helps you see what is worth it and what is not. You have to be patient here. \[Early 2021 Update: The screener is quiet after a while and you rarely have to pay attention.\] With HEY, I’m currently consolidating five different email accounts that I have accumulated over the years. The more accounts, the more useful HEY has become for me. ***HEY is now an email portal.*** Once emails are allowed in, what’s next? Well, that’s the other interesting part of HEY. ![Saving text clips in HEY](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/numericcitizen.me/wp-content/uploads/2020/07/saving-clips.png) Saving text clips in HEY I get many newsletters from different sources, and they get put away in The Feed. That’s the other area where HEY is trying to be different: the email reading experience. Every day, I sit down with my iPad and look at my feed to read my newsletters. From there, I can select pieces of information that I put aside; HEY calls them Clips. It is super cool and it is one of the reasons I love HEY so much. ![HEY's Clips feature](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/numericcitizen.me/wp-content/uploads/2020/07/hey-clips.png) HEY’s Clips feature \[Early 2021 Update: I use Clips in [my monthly Numeric Citizen Introspection newsletter](https://numericcitizen.substack.com/) a lot to gather notable thoughts from many sources.\] There is another feature that I like about HEY: the ability to write notes attached to emails called Stickies. If I want to do something about an email and I don’t want to forget about it, I can write a small sticky note attached to it. They look like small post-it stickers. Both Clips and Stickies are not game-changers, but they certainly add value to the service. > Both Clips and Stickies are two features I had no idea I wanted. They’re not specifically designed for workflows like mine, nor are they perhaps the best feature for what I’m using them for. But they’ve quickly supplanted anything I’ve previously used and have helped clear out my Imbox and eliminate mental overhead of a long, pending email inbox. — Josh Ginter writing on [The Sweet Setup](https://thesweetsetup.com/hey-email-disrupted-my-email-workflow/?ref=numericcitizen.me) ![HEY's Stickies example](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/numericcitizen.me/wp-content/uploads/2020/07/hey-sticky-example.png) HEY’s Stickies example Finally, in the department of small niceties, you can have HEY automatically assign one or more tags to each incoming email. It’s up to you to decide their name. One thing I’d like to see in a future update is the ability to assign a colour to tags. \[Early 2021 Update: After many updates, I’m still waiting for those coloured tags. That being said, with so many emails, tags are useful in searching for a bunch of similar emails.\] The other part of HEY that I love is the Paper Trail. That’s the space where emails like invoices, purchase confirmations, package delivery confirmations are grouped together. It is up to you to decide what goes into the Paper Trail. There is no AI or other sneaky algorithm working behind your back. Very straight forward. ![The Paper Trail](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/numericcitizen.me/wp-content/uploads/2020/07/paper-trail-header.png) The Paper Trail I used to get newsletters in different accounts requiring manual action to classify them. It’s no longer the case. HEY is doing all this for me, in the background. That’s important, I get some time back. Somehow, HEY makes me think of another excellent web service: Mailbrew which gathers information from different sources and sends me newsletters based on them ([read my review of Mailbrew](https://numericcitizen.me/2020/04/07/my-review-of-mailbrew-a-powerful-and-time-saving-internet-information-aggregator/)). How cool is that? HEY and Mailbrew are both powerful tools when used together. ## What happened since I began using HEY? Since using HEY, I’ve turned off notifications from Mail.app on all my devices. But, In HEY, by default, there are no notifications. Silence. We get to choose which senders will trigger a notification. There are no unread items counter on the application’s icon either. This is intentional. I open HEY a few times a day to see what’s new. This is my choice, not HEY’s. It makes a big difference. Really. Lastly, I found out that I rarely write emails. I would say that 99% of my usage of HEY is for reading. So, I didn’t test the writing experience as much as I would have liked. From what I’m seeing, it does the job well. ## But HEY is not using open standards! So, what? I read many comments on Twitter from people who refuse to use HEY because it is not using open standards ([Exhibit A](https://twitter.com/zbrando/status/1273479567513182208?s=21&ref=numericcitizen.me) for the front end, [Exhibit B](https://twitter.com/alekseykulikov%5F/status/1272887192495566849?s=21&ref=numericcitizen.me) for the backend). HEY doesn’t use IMAP as the “client-server” transport. HEY is not trying to reinvent email transport protocols like SMTP. It’s true they don’t use IMAP but the reality is I couldn’t care less. The whole idea is to re-invent the end-user experience with emails, and for this to happen, I guess IMAP doesn’t do the job. Compare this to Micro.blog which is also based on open standards and tries to re-invent Twitter. Micro.blog doesn’t really re-invent the end-user experience as it is pretty close to what Twitter is. I do care in that case because it’s all about content durability. How about Google’s AMP web page format? Who’s playing evil here? What HEY is doing is offering an email platform open enough to be a convergence service but proprietary enough to provide a different end-user experience. That’s not playing evil in my opinion. ## HEY is far from perfect ![HEY's action menu example](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/numericcitizen.me/wp-content/uploads/2020/07/action-menu-example.jpg) HEY’s action menu example HEY is not perfect; it’s a version 1.0 product1\. There are many things that I’d like to see improved in the future. Here is a rundown for you in case you find a deal-breaker. - HEY should automatically pull the icon for generic and well-known contacts like Pinterest, PayPal, Office 365, Dropbox, etc. \[Early 2021 Update: still not the case\]. - Popup menus look is consistent within each app and across platforms. I find this irritating as I don’t always see why they are different and in different places. \[Early 2021 Update: still messy\] - I wish I could collapse The Feed view to quickly glance at the list of newsletters. \[Early 2021 Update: still not the case\] - There is no “read status”. It is hard to remember where I left off in the previous read session. \[\[Early 2021 Update: again, still no sign of reading status\] - If I want to reply to an email from one of my forwarded accounts, the outgoing response will be from HEY.com. It can be confusing for people to get responses from a different sender. To circumvent this, I have to return to my old email client and respond from there which will break the message thread in HEY. That one was close to a deal-breaker for me. The reason I decided to go ahead with HEY is simply since I’m not writing many emails anyway. So, beware. - While viewing my attachments, I’d like to be able to select a few then hit delete. Clicking an attachment currently triggers the attachment download. \[Early 2021 Update: still the same behaviour\] If you are still on the fence with HEY and want to know other weak points of the service, you could also read this excellent blog post from Matt Birchler about [feature requests and things to improve](https://birchtree.me/blog/hey-feature-requests-and-improvements-id-love-to-see/?ref=numericcitizen.me). For another take on HEY, read the excellent article by M.G. Siegler: “[Some Thoughts on Hey](https://500ish.com/some-thoughts-on-hey-81c1541624fb?ref=numericcitizen.me)”. Finally, [a well-balanced view of HEY](https://empty.coffee/on-hey-email/?ref=numericcitizen.me) from Mike Lapidakis brings another point of view. \[Update #1: Please, if you want to get a real sense of HEY, be sure to look at their visual tour available [here](https://m.signalvnoise.com/take-a-video-tour-of-hey/?ref=numericcitizen.me).\] ## Concluding words ***HEY’s design intention is to re-imagine how we interact with emails, from the writing experience to the consuming experience.*** HEY started in controversy and got attention because of Apple’s App Store’s strict rules. This is behind us now and I’m a proud paying user of this nascent web service. The convergence of all my non-business email accounts in itself has value for me, and the new way of reading my newsletters or managing my email fits me well. I can’t wait to see where HEY is going to evolve. Now that HEY is re-inventing the email experience, I hope that they tackle the calendar applications space eventually. \[Early 2021 Update: as I’m updating this article, we’re currently at version 1.1.5 of HEY’s mail client. Slowly but surely, HEY got new features and a few tweaks. The most interesting addition is support for iOS 14 widgets. They are one of the best use cases for widgets. External monitoring support and Siri Shortcuts are also supported. Overall, the experience is still the same. On the Mac, the app is based on the Electron development framework and this means it isn’t optimized for M1-powered Macs.\] 1. As of this writing, version 1.0.6 is the current version of the application on iOS. [↩](#ffn1) ### Going All In With iOS 14, iPadOS 14, macOS 11 Big Sur and watchOS 7 Betas URL: https://numericcitizen.me/going-all-in-with-ios-14-ipados-14-macos-11-big-sur-and-watchos-7-betas/ Last updated: 2023-03-23T16:47:37.000Z For the first time since Apple is releasing public betas of its operating systems, I’m going all in with iOS 14, iPadOS 14 and watchOS 7\. This year’s round of betas are exceptionally exciting and stable for their first incarnation. This sentiment is also echoed by [M.G. Siegler on 500ish](https://500ish.com/double-tap-aab48584dba9?ref=numericcitizen.me). This year, there is nothing ground breaking but my interests goes into the details these updates bring to the Apple ecosystem. Before testing these betas on my main devices[1](#fn1), I bought a used iPhone 8 to experiment with iOS 14 that I’ll later give to my oldest son[2](#fn2). The installation of iOS 14 beta 1 at that time went without any issue as I chose to set the device as brand new. But, after playing with it for a while and by looking at people’s reactions, something was clear: **this is one of the most stable beta release of iOS in a long time**. I mean, for a brand new major release, iOS 14 surprisingly stable, compared to my experience with iOS 13’s initial beta release last year. I was very enthusiastic by the new iPhone home screen experience, I knew I would need to re-imagine my applications layout. After much thought, I published “[Getting Ready for the new iOS 14 Home Screen Experience](https://numericcitizen.me/2020/07/01/getting-ready-for-the-new-ios-14-home-screen-experience/)“. Since the publication of my article, my thoughts are still the same: remove never used apps entirely, remove rarely or barely used apps from the home screen and rely on search to find them later[3](#fn3). Create theme-based home screen pages with enough space to accommodate widgets at the top. Eliminate folders as much as possible. This is an entirely new way of managing my home screen which forces me to adapt. After beta 2 came out, I was convinced to move ahead and install it on all my devices. One of the motivational factor was the fact that, this year, Apple didn’t touch some fundamentals features like iCloud synchronization or database format of iCloud Photo Library[4](#fn4). I started with the iPad followed by my iPhone 11 Pro. Finally, it was the turn with my Apple Watch. All in the same day. The following section goes a bit deeper of explaining my general experience for each operating systems. But, before going any further, a warning is required: **Don’t do the same thing at home because my experience is vastly positive. Results may vary. Every device is unique by its content and setup. Your experience could be much worst and result in data loss.** ## iOS 14 Beta ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/numericcitizen.me/wp-content/uploads/2020/07/f12a133a-c23c-4051-a3b1-964782af42db.jpg) The updated iPhone experience with iOS 14 For iOS 14, the things I wanted to experiment the most are the new widgets and the App Library. I’m happy with Apple’s implementation of widgets. But the best is still to come as developers are actively updating their apps to support this new feature. But I see two missing things: widgets resizing[5](#fn5) and a 4×1 widget format[6](#fn6). According to a [Readdle’s blog post](https://readdle.com/blog/ios14-plans?ref=numericcitizen.me) about their upcoming applications updates, I expect widgets to be the star of the show this fall. Another thing to improve is the Siri Suggestions widget which currently doesn’t have a different background color, making it difficult to distinguish it from normal application icons arrangement. Since using iOS 14, my usage of folders decreased dramatically but I need more home screen pages. Reaching an app now requires much more page flipping. The easiest way is to use the search feature. The problem will be more acute this fall when a massive amount of new widgets will be available from the App Store. This is why, with iOS 14 widgets support, I may reconsider my stance on big iPhone like the iPhone 11 Pro Max for my next iPhone[7](#fn7). The general stability of iOS 14 is impressive. Sure, the battery drains a bit faster and there are a few visual glitches here and there, mostly with widgets. CarPlay is having issues too with Maps crashing quite often. The speed of this beta is impressive. In fact, it doesn’t feel as a beta release. That’s refreshing from last year’s iOS 13 disaster. ## iPadOS 14 Beta My experience with iPadOS 14 is mostly positive except for one thing: the lack of the same flexibility in widgets placement is a major downer. Again, as I recently wrote after the WWDC conference in “[WWDC2020 — My Observations and a Survey of Comments](https://numericcitizen.me/2020/06/28/wwdc2020-my-observations-and-a-survey-of-comments/)”, the iPad is taking a small pause this year[8](#fn8). The new Siri interface is interesting and less obstructive, but as you probably know by now, you cannot interact with the screen content while Siri is on screen. I suspect Apple is reconsidering this design choice as I wrote these lines. Scribble works great, most of the time, but I don’t expect to use it much. The automatic geometric forms recognition is really nice, it reminds me about the Newton in 1992. As for the iPhone, this beta release feels fast and quite stable but a bit less than iOS 14 on my iPhone. That being said, I’m not concerned as this release of iPadOS 14 is much more stable than any beta releases of iPadOS 13. All in all, with each major iteration of iPadOS, the iPad is more and more acting like a fully featured computer, while keeping its essential simplicity. ## macOS 11 Big Sur Beta ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/numericcitizen.me/wp-content/uploads/2020/06/big-sur-desktop-beta-1.png) macOS 11 Big Sur Beta 1 desktop For macOS 11 Big Sur, I used my work machine to install beta 1 on an external SSD drive, [a SanDisk 1 TB Extreme Portable External SSD.](SanDisk%201TB%20Extreme%20Portable%20External%20SSD%20-%20USB-C,%20USB%203.1%20-%20SDSSDE60-1T00-G25%20https://www.amazon.ca/dp/B078STRHBX/ref=cm%5Fsw%5Fr%5Fcp%5Ftai%5FWEGcFb481JDKB) My first try failed. I was trying an upgrade from Catalina and it didn’t finish. For my second try, I simply installed Big Sur after formatting the external SSD as an APFS volume with a GUID-type partition. This time, the installation completed successfully. My first login into macOS 11 Big Sur was a refreshing experience. Big Sur is fresh yet familiar, we can feel the iPadOS touch[9](#fn9) here. And I am pleased with this direction. Not all is perfect, some design choices are steps back but in general, the intention is valuable. Don’t miss [my comments on Big Sur compared to Catalina on Micro.blog](https://numericcitizen.micro.blog/2020/07/08/a-visual-comparison.html?ref=numericcitizen.me). Big Sur is probably the least stable beta among the bunch. I don’t expect to upgrade my main machine, a 21.5” 2017 iMac anytime soon. I may postpone it to late fall. I’ll see. ## watchOS 7 Beta For the first time ever, I installed a beta release of watchOS on my Apple Watch. Again, the installation went smoothly. Upon my first use of watchOS 7, the speed is the first thing I noticed. Everything is super speedy. Again, Apple is proving that they want to push boundaries on current hardware. A very welcomed addition is the possibility to automatically change watch face according to a specific schedule. This is something I wished for in watchOS 7\. What Apple did is even better: you can automatically change the watch face using an automation in Shortcuts. For example, I’ve set up an automation to set the Apple Watch to use the Siri watch face at 8 in the morning. I have another one to set the watch face to Infograph Modular on weekdays at noon. It’s very cool. I plan to spend some time in the future to set up something more useful on the weekend. But, not all is good about watchOS 7\. The first problem is about activity tracking. My first two tries resulted in bad calories count and wrong distance calculation. Next, I experienced one occurence of super fast battery drain. I’m not able to reproduce it, though. Time will tell. The lost of Force Touch is a big deception too. Apple had to re-do many portions of the UI with the result being more complex because everything has to be explicit now. For example, clearing all notifications now requires going to the beginning of the list which is not optimal. A long press on the screen would have been better and more in line with the iPhone or iPad experience in my opinion. Finally, watch face customization has been redone too. At first, I thought Apple made a mistake with the new design. But, after playing with it for a while, I think in the end this is a better design. Selecting colors options and complications in particular is easier to see as you scroll through a list of possible complications. The only drawback is you don’t see the end-result directly on the watch face until you tap your selected complication. ## Looking forward I never went so fast and so wide in adopting early betas from Apple. Software quality took over Apple’s focus this year. I’m delighted with that. All in all, I’m quite pleased with where Apple is going in terms of features, design and a continuous focus of privacy protection. There may be no game changer this year, but there this shift in iOS that will mark the way we use our devices for a long time. But, the most significant change is yet to come and it will play out in the Mac universe. Stay tuned. The Mac future is exciting again. 1. Yes, you read it correctly. I’m using Beta 2 of all my mobile devices. [↩](#ffn1) 2. He’s 18 right now. The iPhone 8 will be replacing is old iPhone 6 as a birthday gift. [↩](#ffn2) 3. I’m not very found on the new App Library. Yet. [↩](#ffn3) 4. Remember about iCloud Drive migrating to a new sync mechanism where people were losing data? Or when migrating to the new Notes format when previous versions couldn’t open notes created with the more recent Notes? None of these problems are present this year. [↩](#ffn4) 5. As of beta2, to resize a widget, you have to first remove it then re-add a different size version. Too complicated. [↩](#ffn5) 6. Currently supported widget sizes are 4×4, 4×2 and 2×2\. [↩](#ffn6) 7. I don’t expect to upgrade to iPhone 12 this year but a last minute surprise or game changer could force me to reconsider. [↩](#ffn7) 8. Another bad surprise was the lack of added support for external monitors. [↩](#ffn8) 9. It is clear to me that Apple is positioning macOS Big Sur as a touch-friendly upgrade for future Mac hardware. [↩](#ffn9) ### A Simple Review of Townscraper URL: https://numericcitizen.me/a-simple-review-of-townscraper/ Last updated: 2023-03-23T16:47:37.000Z I’m not into games. I’m not a gamer. I rarely play computer games. I don’t play games at all actually. It doesn’t mean I don’t value this type of art, I do. I’m impressed by how games are evolving and taking all the juice of computer power to draw pixels on the screen. But, that’s about it. Well, not exactly. Read on. A few months ago, I came across this guy on Twitter: [Oskar Stalberg](https://www.twitter.com/osksta?ref=numericcitizen.me) who was posting pictures of a game he was actively developing: [Townscraper](https://store.steampowered.com/app/1291340/Townscaper/?ref=numericcitizen.me). I was immediately seduced by the visuals and the gameplay. I turned on Twitter notifications on this account in order to learn more about the game as it was being developed. Here is a small video showing how to play this game. > Ahh, after seeing so many GIFs of this wonderful game it is so nice to build a town myself! I composed a track to imagine what [@OskSta](https://twitter.com/OskSta?ref%5Fsrc=twsrc%5Etfw&ref=numericcitizen.me)'s [#Townscaper](https://twitter.com/hashtag/Townscaper?src=hash&ref%5Fsrc=twsrc%5Etfw&ref=numericcitizen.me) could sound like. [pic.twitter.com/ZNTFAxb5Tn](https://t.co/ZNTFAxb5Tn?ref=numericcitizen.me) > > — Floris (Timelapser) (@MineTimelapser) [July 4, 2020](https://twitter.com/MineTimelapser/status/1279462401306513409?ref%5Fsrc=twsrc%5Etfw&ref=numericcitizen.me) See how cool this game is? As soon as it was made [available on Steam](https://store.steampowered.com/search/?developer=Oskar%20St%C3%A5lberg&ref=numericcitizen.me), I installed Windows in a virtual machine on my iMac. Playing this game is very simple. The only thing that you can select is the colour of your next building block. That’s it. Next, depending on where you place your next piece, the existing construction will be expanded. This is the part that is magical about Townscraper: the gameplay is simple, there are no levels, graphics are beautiful, rewards are instantaneous. After 3 minutes with this game, I created this small village. ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/numericcitizen.me/wp-content/uploads/2020/07/townscraper-game.png) My first town created with Townscraper I think I know why I love this game so much. It reminds me of SimCity. That’s the only game I played a lot in my whole life. But, even more than that, it reminds me of playing legos when I was a young kid. I played until I was twelve! My love is about constructing things, not destruction. It is fascinating how parent’s values and professional life can translate into their kid’s life. I never thought I would be an architect like my father, but it is clear that my choice of games was influenced by my father’s career. So, all in all, that all there is to this wonderful little game called Townscraper. If you don’t see many new posts in the coming weeks, you’ll know where I spend my leisure time. Instant gratification is available for less than 10 bucks. Oh, and look at #twonscraper hashtag on Twitter for many more examples or even YouTube. So much fun to watch. ### Getting Ready for the new iOS 14 Home Screen Experience URL: https://numericcitizen.me/getting-ready-for-the-new-ios-14-home-screen-experience/ Last updated: 2023-03-23T16:47:37.000Z ![The updated iPhone experience with iOS 14](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/numericcitizen.me/wp-content/uploads/2020/07/f12a133a-c23c-4051-a3b1-964782af42db.jpg) The updated iPhone experience with iOS 14 With iOS 14, Apple is accepting the fact that the iPhone experience needed some kind of modernization. Apple’s answer to this is widgets and the App Library introduction in iOS 14 home screen. Two simple things on the surface but that will transform my use of the iPhone. Let’s see how I’m going to get myself ready for this change. ### Cleaning up unused apps First, you have to understand that I’m the type of guy who likes to have an organized home screen. With more than 330 hundred applications on my iPhone, folders are playing a big role to organize my home screen. I decided to reconsider every single app presence on my iPhone as I’m probably using only 10% of them. By removing unused apps, my folder usage will decrease. With iOS 14, I expect my home screen pages to move from “full of icons and folders” to a balanced use of widgets at the top and icons in the bottom part. ### Only for iPhone Second, this reconsideration of my home screen design only applies to the iPhone. The reason for this is simple: the iPad home screen experience didn’t receive much love with iPadOS 14[1](#fn1). As you probably know by now, widgets on the iPad are limited to the left portion of the home screen in landscape view and are not shown in portrait view. Hence, the status quo for my iPad home screen organization rules. ### Less cross-platforms apps Third, many cross-platforms apps didn’t really make sense on my iPhone, and in that case, didn’t need to be installed. I’m thinking of apps like GarageBand, MindNotes and iMovie, just to name a few. For these apps, I decided to remove them from my iPhone and keep them only on my iPad. ### Use of dynamic content Fourth, I plan to carefully consider the use of dynamic content like Siri Suggestions widget and widget stacks. Example of people exclusively basing their home screen design on dynamic content can be found on Twitter, like Morten Just. I’ll decide after spending some time with iOS 14 to see if Siri Suggestions is better than in iOS 13 at suggesting applications. > I no longer have apps on my home screen. Instead, > – Siri app suggestions, > – Siri shortcut suggestions, > – widget smart stack > All dynamic content based on context [pic.twitter.com/WHYeOqaN2k](https://t.co/WHYeOqaN2k?ref=numericcitizen.me) > > — Morten Just (@mortenjust) [June 28, 2020](https://twitter.com/mortenjust/status/1277345812041908224?ref%5Fsrc=twsrc%5Etfw&ref=numericcitizen.me) ### New organization rules Many people are moving away from the hyper-organized home screen in favour of relying on the new App Library. Here is an example from Ian Robinson on Twitter (@ianrobinson). > My new iOS 14 home screen. The weather widget is the first one of the new widgets to get promoted. Which will surprise nobody who knows me 😊 > > I’m going to eliminate the folders and use App Library over time. [pic.twitter.com/GdEx4alnF4](https://t.co/GdEx4alnF4?ref=numericcitizen.me) > > — Ian Robinson (@IanRobinson) [June 28, 2020](https://twitter.com/IanRobinson/status/1277360185032482816?ref%5Fsrc=twsrc%5Etfw&ref=numericcitizen.me) Before reorganization > New iPhone home screen on iOS 14\. All the other apps are in App Library. [pic.twitter.com/haWtxs8vZH](https://t.co/haWtxs8vZH?ref=numericcitizen.me) > > — Ian Robinson (@IanRobinson) [June 29, 2020](https://twitter.com/IanRobinson/status/1277667824522190848?ref%5Fsrc=twsrc%5Etfw&ref=numericcitizen.me) After reorganization Personally, with the new iOS 14 iPhone experience, new rules for organizing my applications are needed. First, I’ll use theme-based home screen pages. Second, the first screen will be for critical apps and must-have widgets. Third, the first screen will need to strike a balance between applications and widgets usage. Fourth, my use of the pre-iOS 14 widgets page on the Siri search screen will probably evolve as I get a stable home screen pages organization. I think many updated widgets will be promoted to one of my home screen pages. Speaking of updated widgets, here is a short rundown of application updates I’ll be anxiously waiting to be updated to support the new widgets. - Deliveries - WordPress - Buffer - Moon - Klok - Sky Guide - Streaks - WaterMinder - Currency - Unifi Network - Unsplash ### A theme-based approach As for the home screen themes (page 2 and beyond), I will use these themes: blogging, photography, news, media and weather. With iOS 14, quickly moving from one page to another is easy, so I’m not afraid of having too many pages. Each of these home screen pages will be fitted with relevant widgets to the page theme. The unclassified applications will be removed and put away in the App Library. Finally, depending on the release of third-party widgets, I’ll probably use a few “widgets-only” home screens. The following diagram shows an example of my future home screen organization. ![Theme-based organization for iOS 14 Home screen](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/numericcitizen.me/wp-content/uploads/2020/07/b6b46de1-cc9f-4103-b99b-9a318284c82a.jpg) Theme-based organization for iOS 14 Home screen In summary, here are the steps I went through to get my iPhone ready for iOS 14: - Removed unused apps once and for all. I deleted dozens of apps that I never or barely use. - Considered leaving behind the folder-based organization in favour of a flat layout coupled with App Library. - Reconsidered the use of widgets in the pre-iOS 14 world. - After upgrading to iOS 14, review each app and decide if I want to simply remove it from the home screen and let it go to the App Library. Many apps that I want to keep but rarely use will go in the App Library this way. My Home screen settings are shown in the following screenshot. Newly downloaded apps will first go to the home screen. I prefer to decide later if I want to keep it there or simply let it go to the App Library. ![My Home Screen Settings for iOS 14](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/numericcitizen.me/wp-content/uploads/2020/07/home-screen-settings-in-ios-14.png) My Home Screen Settings for iOS 14 As The Verge puts it in their [first look at iOS 14](https://www.theverge.com/2020/6/24/21299924/ios-14-iphone-wwdc-2020-apple-home-screen-widgets-app-library-clips-pages-complexity?ref=numericcitizen.me), Apple introduced a welcomed complexity to the iPhone experience. Complexity requires management. Is this a step back for the iPhone? I don’t think so. But, as exposed in this blog post, it requires careful thinking for an organization freak like me. I can’t wait for iOS 14 later this summer. Meanwhile, you can get a peek at my possible home screen designs. Oh, and don’t miss [my WWDC 2020 week observations](https://numericcitizen.me/2020/06/28/wwdc2020-my-observations-and-a-survey-of-comments/)! ![Possible home screen page designs ](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/numericcitizen.me/wp-content/uploads/2020/07/c922ea43-75c7-4061-98b7-b4aa882c7834.png) 1Possible home screen page designs --- **Disclaimer**: even if this first beta of iOS 14 is rock solid, no production devices have been harmed while experimenting with widgets and the App Library. A second-hand iPhone 8 was used for testing purposes. 1. Again, Apple is holding the iPad back. [↩](#ffn1) ### WWDC2020 — My Observations and a Survey of Comments URL: https://numericcitizen.me/wwdc2020-my-observations-and-a-survey-of-comments/ Last updated: 2024-08-12T01:57:15.000Z This year’s WWDC conference was a great demonstration of a balancing act by Apple. In its first-ever digital-only version of the venerable WWDC conference, Apple delivered an outstanding and high pace keynote. While this year’s platforms advances are not as feature-packed as last’s year versions on the surface, Apple is delivering many turning point changes to its platforms. More than ever, I’m enthusiastic about Apple technologies. Let’s dig in. ## On the digital-only version of WWDC ![WWDC 2020 opening sequence](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/numericcitizen.me/wp-content/uploads/2020/06/wwdc2020-keynote-opening-sequence.png) WWDC 2020 opening sequence Before WWDC, many people, including me, were wary about a digital-only version of the keynote. But, Apple delivered one of the best experiences in recent years. The general look and delivery of the keynote were top-notch. I watched the keynote using my Apple TV and the picture quality was so good. Apple Park is such a nice environment for filming and Apple took advantage of the situation to show what it is like to be there. I don’t think the keynote had any live parts. They were all pre-recorded segments for sure. The pace was high as transitions were succinct. It felt a bit jam-packed but I liked it. Not only the keynote was great but the whole week [was highly regarded](https://twitter.com/marcoarment/status/1276525557073707009?s=12&ref=numericcitizen.me) by well-known developers like Marco Arment. Finally, an online-only WWDC allows for a much wider audience. After the keynote, Apple’s website was updated to reflect the announcements. After spending quite some time glancing at the new content, I had this feeling of the lack of details about the new features on each platform. I realized this year’s platform advances were not as big and spread all over the place as last year. And you know what? I think this is for the better. Apple’s ecosystem needs a small pause to fix things. According to comments like [this one](https://twitter.com/maxwinebach/status/1276159094114652161?s=21&ref=numericcitizen.me) or [this one on](https://twitter.com/SnazzyQ/status/1276388022792028160?s=20&ref=numericcitizen.me) Twitter, Beta 1 of iOS/iPadOS is surprisingly stable which is a good sign. ### What others are saying? - Keep the online version of WWDC but also come back to a live version — Joe Cieplinski on his blog. - Apple is on top for the production quality of keynotes — [Tyler Stalman](https://twitter.com/stalman/status/1275135114205253633?s=21&ref=numericcitizen.me) on Twitter. - Best WWDC conference ever — [David Smith](https://twitter.com/%5FDavidSmith/status/1276639269415784454?s=20&ref=numericcitizen.me) on Twitter - Sundell LOVES the WWDC format this year — [John Sundell](https://twitter.com/johnsundell/status/1275925118745706497?s=21&ref=numericcitizen.me) on Twitter. - Terrific Keynote — [Guy English](https://twitter.com/gte/status/1275144064862760960?s=21&ref=numericcitizen.me) on Twitter - What are analysts saying following the Apple keynote? Vastly positive comments but [Philip Elmer-DeWitt](https://www.ped30.com/2020/06/22/apple-wwdc20-analysts-saying/?ref=numericcitizen.me) has it all on his excellent website. ## Software — iOS & iPadOS 14 ![Updated Music App and widgets](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/numericcitizen.me/wp-content/uploads/2020/06/ipad-and-iphone-running-ios-14.png) Updated Music App and widgets The mother of all software platforms at Apple is iOS. iOS 14 is probably not the biggest release in terms of new features, but one feature that was shown during the keynote will make history. I’m thinking about the introduction of the long-awaited widgets. Users will love them but developers too it seems. Widgets and App Library are adding complexity to the iPhone experience but under the surface only. People looking at an iPhone running iOS 14 won’t be able to notice the difference from the get-go. The complexity is available to the power user yet the novice user sees the basic iPhone experience that seems unchanged. I like that a lot, but it also means that iOS 14 requires more management of the experience than before. I’m still undecided about how I’ll manage my home screens. I think it will, in part, depends on the developer’s adoption of the new technology. But, on the iPadOS side, Apple is again holding it back. Things like the decision to exclude the iPad from supporting widgets anywhere on the home screen, just like for the iPhone. Also, untouched is the multitasking general behaviour. Nonetheless, there are many enhancements that are welcomed for me. Here is a not too long rundown of them, in no particular order. - The new search bar on iPadOS is much better and is closer to the macOS version. - Handwriting translation was long overdue knowing Newton came from Apple. From what I’m seeing it seems to perform really well. - Apple keeps updating the Notes app with automatic forms recognition, refreshed design. - The redesigned image picker is so much better than the previous one. - The introduction of a Sidebar design on iPadOS is a welcomed refinement that allows for a more immersive experience when it is hidden. - The iPad didn’t get as much love as the iPhone regarding the use of widgets. Apparently, on iPadOS, you have much less flexibility in placing your widgets on the screen. Is this only for beta 1? We’ll see, but I don’t hold my breath. What is weird is that I think widgets on iPad would better fit the available screen space. On the iPhone, I find it hard to select a good home screen configuration to satisfy my widgets needs. - There are a few optimizations in camera operation speed which is always welcomed. But, now in Photos, you can add a caption to photos, just like on the desktop version. - Widgets are no longer interactive. They look like being an app launcher now. It means that Streaks or WaterMinder apps will have to be updated or even drop their respective widgets. Not cool at all. ### What others are saying? - Apple opening up to allow charging default applications, but why only for Mail and Browser [is asking The Verge](https://www.theverge.com/21301478/apple-ios-14-default-apps-browser-email-changes-features-report?ref=numericcitizen.me). - Many interesting comments by Matt Birchler on Twitter. - Apple Music gets a well-received design tweak as [documented by 9To5Mac](https://9to5mac.com/2020/06/24/ios-14-apple-music/?ref=numericcitizen.me). > By definition, these features make the iPhone home screen more complicated, but there’s no downside to this added complexity because they’re all optional. Typical users don’t need to be aware of them. They’re traditional “power user” features that reward exploration.John Gruber ## Software — macOS 11 (not 10.16) ![macOS 11 Big Sur Beta 1 desktop](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/numericcitizen.me/wp-content/uploads/2020/06/big-sur-desktop-beta-1.png) macOS 11 Big Sur Beta 1 desktop Remember “[Back to the Mac](https://www.engadget.com/2010-10-20-live-from-apples-back-to-the-mac-event.html?ref=numericcitizen.me)” special Apple event in 2010? Well, WWDC2020 is certainly proof that Apple is back to the Mac and for a very long time. Let’s talk about the user interface redesign. At first, while watching the segment on the introduction of the redesign, I thought they were going the same way they went with iOS 7\. But after a while, I realized they were moving the macOS experience closer to iPadOS. Some will hate this change, but I don’t. I like the way Apple is creating a unique visual spectrum across its platforms. I prefer visual consistency. I’m not against the cross-pollination of iPadOS and macOS. Here is a list of comments, in no particular order. - Developers are facing a plethora of options to develop for the Mac. Depending on where they come from, they will find the right tool to create or port their existing apps to the Mac. We are the winners here. - Catalyst has received a significant update, making Catalyst-based applications look much better now and Mac-like. - The dark mode looks better on Big Sur than on Catalina. Is it only an illusion or is there any difference? I’ll have to see it myself, I guess. - I don’t like “macOS Big Sur”. What about “macOS Golden Gate”? It would have been way more evocative to what this release of macOS is in the grand scheme of things. - The new design of macOS will probably please the younger generation more than the older one who grew up with the Mac. - How many times people are asking for macOS to come on the iPad. Well, it is more the opposite that is happening, slowly and furtively. - The redesigned icons lack consistency, as many don’t have the 3D effects. - I don’t like the new transparency of the dropdown menus. What is happening here? Is Apple trying to diminish its importance and getting ready for another UI shift? - Toolbars now contain icons without boundaries, just like on the iPad. Do I like it? I’m still undecided. - Maps and iMessage are the latest Catalyst applications from Apple landing on the Mac. Again, it makes me think that Apple wrote Catalyst for themselves first, for developers, second. ### What others are saying? - macOS: iOS with toolbars — [M. G. Siegler](https://twitter.com/mgsiegler/status/1275130849009098752?s=21&ref=numericcitizen.me) on Twitter. - macOS to get more like iOS — [Steve Troughton-Smith](https://twitter.com/stroughtonsmith/status/1275130702057652231?s=21&ref=numericcitizen.me) on Twitter - macOS is iOS now — [Owen Williams](https://twitter.com/ow/status/1275129551572566017?s=21&ref=numericcitizen.me) on Twitter - Touch-input is coming to the Mac — [Quinn Nelson](https://twitter.com/snazzyq/status/1276238015048773632?s=21&ref=numericcitizen.me) on Twitter ## Hardware — Apple Silicon ![Apple Silicon "magic" quadrants](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/numericcitizen.me/wp-content/uploads/2020/06/apple-silicon-quadrant.gif) Apple Silicon “magic” quadrants This year’s announcement of the transition to Apple Silicon[1](#fn1) is another game-changer moment for the platform. Yes, it is cool to expect better and cooler Mac in the future, probably discounted2\. The prospect of a higher performance GPU subsystem is also super exciting for photographers like me. But, there is more to this. In the grand scheme of things, Apple is preparing something special and unexpected on the Mac: the introduction of another input method, exclusive to ARM-based Mac: touch input. It is written on the walls. Here is why. I don’t think the Apple Silicon is the real enabler here but it is mandatory for helping bring two million iPhone applications to the Mac. A big portion of these apps relies on multi-touch. This is where touch support on ARM-based Mac comes into play. But, as of today, there is no touch support on macOS. Well, Apple’s answer for this is macOS Big Sur[3](#fn3). The redesign of the user interface brings it closer to iPadOS for sure but not only visually. Apple is paving the way for a usable macOS interface in the context of touch inputs. Clever. ![Apple Silicon subsystems](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/numericcitizen.me/wp-content/uploads/2020/06/apple-silicon-internal-structure.png) Apple Silicon subsystems I can’t wait to see how well the transition will play out. It seems déjà vu all over again. I went through the PowerPC to Intel transition in 2005-2006\. The success of the transition doesn’t rely only on Apple’s shoulders but on third-party software developers like Adobe. For those who won’t care to put the efforts to re-compile their software, [Rosetta 2 will take it from there](https://www.theverge.com/21304182/apple-arm-mac-rosetta-2-emulation-app-converter-explainer?ref=numericcitizen.me). Looking at Apple’s message on it, it looks like they are very confident about it. We’ll see. Meanwhile, let’s review some of my comments about macOS Big Fur and the Mac in general following the WWDC conference. - By transitioning to ARM-based Mac, Apple is closing the circle of application runtime unification across all its product lines. This is quite a feat. - Bye bye bootcamp. If Apple wants Windows on the Mac, they will have to work with Microsoft to think of a solution. Windows not supporting 16K pages seems at the center of the problem. It won’t be an easy one, but does it really matters now? - Catalyst is a way to extend life to existing Intel-based Mac, they will come through Catalyst. The other way around will be possible with iPadOS apps running unmodified on ARM-Based Mac and with a more mature SwitftUI. - In a subscription-based software world, I expect users will demand companies to quickly move their software to Apple Silicon, or they risk losing subscription revenues. - I think Apple is better prepared for this transition than the one to Intel in 2005. ### What others are saying? - Apple Silicon Inside — [Ben Bajarin](https://techpinions.com/apple-silicon-inside/59795?ref=numericcitizen.me) on Tech.pinions > I think people will find the Mac runs awfully nice on that system DTK… it gives you a sense of what our silicon team can do when they are not even trying.Craig Federighi ## Software — watchOS 7 The still-maturing watchOS platform is probably where a few big deceptions lie for this year’s WWDC. watchOS 7 didn’t bring the watch face App store that I was wished for. Instead, Apple decided to introduce watch face sharing. Looking at demos, it certainly looks cool and useful to enable discovery. But all is not lost, I think watch face sharing is another piece of the puzzle that will be at the center of a future watch face App Store. Apple is moving slowly, but they stay focused on their long-term objective only. I’ll be patient. Another deception is about the sleep tracking feature. Apple doesn’t go really far in this area as explained in “[A First Night with Apple’s New Sleep Tracking Feature](https://www.dcrainmaker.com/2020/06/apples-sleep-tracking-watchos7.html?ref=numericcitizen.me)”, but I think I know why. What if the full sleep tracking experience is only possible with specialized hardware that is waiting to be introduced with the upcoming Series 6\. It is where I want to place my bet. We’ll see. While waiting for the story to unfold, here are a few other comments about watchOS 7, in no particular order. - Gone is Force Touch. Too bad. Apple is replacing it with the long-press gesture. Again, the lack of discoverability is causing Apple to step back. Apple is focusing on providing better consistency across its platforms. Because of the loss of Force Touch, I’m not sure if the new way to customize watch face is an improvement over the older way. Time will tell. - The tracking of handwashing is absolutely cool, and useful. Very nice design and clever use of technology. - Multiple complications from the same app on the same watch face is a game-changer. I can imagine a weather-oriented or activity watch face. - Another interesting addition: including the Shortcuts app. Not only you can start a shortcut from the watch but you can also trigger watch face change via shortcuts automation. Can’t wait for that one. ### What others are saying? - The removal of Force Touch could help Apple fit more hardware features in the next generation of Apple Watch [according to MacRumors](https://www.macrumors.com/2020/06/23/apple-drops-force-touch-gesture-in-watchos-7/?ref=numericcitizen.me). - A First Night with Apple’s New Sleep Tracking Feature — [DC Rainmaker](https://www.dcrainmaker.com/2020/06/apples-sleep-tracking-watchos7.html?ref=numericcitizen.me). - watchOS 7 feels much faster, thanks to a simple tweak by Apple — [Felix Lapalme](https://twitter.com/TylerMcAtee4/status/1276923720720740354?s=20&ref=numericcitizen.me) on Twitter ## Software — tvOS 14 I didn’t have many expectations for the tvOS platform. But, being able to share audio with two pairs if AirPods Pro is damn cool. I hope that we can experience the spacial audio with movies with surround sound. ### What others are saying? Crickets. Do we care? Is Apple TV still a hobby for Apple? ## Cross-platforms features ![Apple development technologies ](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/numericcitizen.me/wp-content/uploads/2020/06/a1c1418f-d1c5-4839-af61-0ebf8bf44b2a.jpg) Apple development technologies Apple’s strength lies in its ecosystem and the numerous cross-platform services and features. Apple’s Siri, iMessage or Maps are critical services for Apple. They all received important enhancements. But there is something else that keeps improving: privacy protection. Apple keeps pushing the envelope here, and we can give them a big round of applause for that. Who else, in today’s world, is positioning its business mission on top of privacy protection? Of special interest for me, here are a few comments on cross-platforms features improvements, again, in no particular order. - The App Store will now show what data an application is collecting about us. - Sharing our position on Maps will let us specific how precise we want this to be. - Safari will enable website surveillance and expose what tracking features are enabled on each website. - Sharing of subscriptions among iTunes Family members is a welcomed addition. Is that on an opt-in or opt-out option? - Siri interface redesign is interesting but this big moving sphere appearing at the bottom of the screen on the iPhone invites for interaction with the rest of the UI which is currently not the case. By placing the Siri animated sphere in the middle of the screen instead, maybe it would better indicate that no interaction is possible. - Is Siri smarter? According to Apple, yes. We’ll see. - iMessage is receiving a big upgrade this year. Pinned conversations, better group conversation handling, a real iMessage client on macOS Big Fur, iMessage is a serious and secure messaging platform for Apple. They took care of it. - Canada will see the expansion of detailed maps, which is nice for me as a Canadian. - Speaking of Safari, WebExtensions are now supported, and we can expect many more extensions to come to Safari. I’ll be happy to get Notion, Grammarly for Safari. - We will be able to search for emojis instead of endless scrolling. Finally. - On-device translation is making its first appearance. It will work both online and offline. Online experience should prove to give a better translation, but online will work too. Welcome in 2018, Apple. - I expect some confusion in the coming months in the developer’s community. Selecting the right language and tools to build apps for the Mac is certainly requiring careful thinking. ### What others are saying? - Apple is covering all the bases with Catalyst according to [Steve Troughton-Smith](https://twitter.com/stroughtonsmith/status/1276883623329718274?s=20&ref=numericcitizen.me) on Twitter. - Many technologies here with us for a long time according to [Steve Troughton-Smith](https://twitter.com/stroughtonsmith/status/1276875819172888576?s=20&ref=numericcitizen.me) on Twitter - A round-up of photo features and updates in iOS 14, iPadOS 14 and macOS Big Sur by [DPReview](https://www.dpreview.com/news/6775566589/wwdc-a-round-up-of-photo-features-and-updates-in-ios-14-ipados-14-and-macos-big-sur?ref=numericcitizen.me) - Why Macs in the future? ## What about the developers? With the recent debacle surrounding the launch of the already popular and controversial HEY email service, Apple is pressured to open up its walled garden. A few moves from Apple are obviously directed at easing the pressure but also are preemptive strikes at keeping regulators at bay. I’m thinking of the FindMy app which will allow third-party developers to use it[4](#fn4). Will this be enough? Time will tell. Meanwhile, a few more things are worth noting. - Apple’s DTK was announced and will be available to select developers who apply for it. Cost: $500\. Seems reasonable. Based on a Mac mini. - Developers will be able to appeal decisions and even challenge App Store guidelines which is another step in the right direction for Apple to keep developers (mostly) happy. ## Things that didn’t happen Each year, Apple brings excitement in the room but also some deception. As recently published in “[WWDC2020 — Checking my Wish List](https://numericcitizen.me/2020/06/25/wwdc2020-checking-my-wish-list/)“, I came back to my wish list and reviewed [everything I wished for](https://numericcitizen.me/2020/05/31/my-wish-list-for-wwdc-2020/). In summary, Apple didn’t score well. Does it mean Apple is doomed? Is this a bad year for Apple? Absolutely not, but, I want to point out specific things that didn’t happen and are worth mentioning. - There is nothing new in regard to helping people work from home or cope with the current pandemic. FaceTime is mostly unchanged. You cannot use your iPhone as a better webcam on the Mac. You still can’t support an iPad user remotely like we can on macOS via iMessage. - There is no word of Apple reverting the loss of the loupe while doing text selection not any words if Apple improved text selection in general or autocorrect performance. - Xcode for iPad will have to wait. Could this be when SwiftUI is complete and mature so Xcode for iPad only creates SwiftUI apps, leaving all the legacy stuff behind like ObjC and AppKit? - Big deception the lack of better support for external monitors on the iPad. My gut feeling is that Apple wants to keep this flexibility to the Mac platform. - The iPad multitasking didn’t get any improvements like a better focus on which app is receiving keyboard inputs. It’s a bit baffling IMHO. - Being able to set new default apps for Mail and browser is a sign of Apple opening up but why stop there? What about maps or music? ## Concluding words For this year’s WWDC conference, Apple demonstrated its ability to pivot and adapt rapidly without sacrificing quality and relevancy. By staying focused on their long-term objectives and goals, they managed to up the game and consolidate their platforms to allow a near-perfect universal application runtime environment across a large technological spectrum. This feat represents a unique position for Apple where no other companies could achieve in the modern tech world. The next few years will be even more interesting for all Apple enthusiasts like me. --- 1. I don’t think this is the final marketing name. Apple Silicon could just be a placeholder. ↩ 2. I don’t think we will see a big pricing difference. Apple likes to push specs and keep its margin intact, if possible. [↩](#ffn2) 3. macOS Big Sur: I hate this name but I’m willing to trade this with a stable macOS release. [↩](#ffn3) 4. Great way to respond to Tyle’s claim of Apple’s monopolistic behaviors. [↩](#ffn4) ### WWDC2020 – Checking my Wish List URL: https://numericcitizen.me/wwdc2020-checking-my-wish-list/ Last updated: 2023-03-23T16:47:37.000Z So, now that Apple’s Keynote is behind us, how did Apple fare against my [previously published WWDC2020 wish List](https://numericcitizen.me/2020/05/31/my-wish-list-for-wwdc-2020/), Let’s see. | Theme | Importance | Description | Fix coming | | ------------------ | ---------- | ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- | ---------- | | Services | High | Apple Card expansion to Canada. I’m not holding my breath, though. | 👎🏻 | | Services | High | Apple Pay Cash expansion to Canada. I’m not holding my breath, though. | 👎🏻 | | Apple Watch | High | Third-party watch face available from a dedicated App Store. This could be another game changer. But this could open the door to so much crappy faces and this is probably why Apple is holding out this feature. | 👎🏻 | | Apple Watch | High | Sleep tracking and better battery life to support the feature. Already rumoured to be in the works, this feature could come with a new hardware release. | 👍🏻 | | Apple Watch | Medium | The ability to change the watch face according to the current time of the day, day of the week, location (home vs office), etc. This would remove manual operations with the watch. | 👎🏻 | | macOS | Medium | An expert mode that disables SIP (system integrity protection). Let’s be honest, macOS Catalina behave much like Microsoft Windows Vista. | 👎🏻 | | macOS | Medium | An explanation of where Catalyst fits in Apple’s ecosystem, because so far it looks like it was made for Apple. | 👍🏻 | | macOS | High | Feature parity of iMessage with iOS. [Apple is close to delivering this](https://twitter.com/stroughtonsmith/status/1264213278311489537?s=21&ref=numericcitizen.me). | 👍🏻 | | macOS | High | The ability to run iPhone applications, not only iPadOS ones, on macOS. | 👍🏻 | | macOS | High | Ability to use the iPhone as a webcam. Working from home imposes new requirements for many people and builtin cams in computers are simply crappy. | 👎🏻 | | macOS | Medium | Shortcuts for the Mac seem so close to [being real](https://twitter.com/stroughtonsmith/status/1264585189126279172?s=21&ref=numericcitizen.me). | 👎🏻 | | macOS | High | Make Catalyst-based apps look more like real Mac apps. | 👍🏻 | | iOS:System | Medium | Better font management capabilities. As of this writing, adding fonts to iOS is a welcomed addition but the way to do it is a clusterfuck. | 👎🏻 | | iOS:System | High | Fix the autocorrect fiasco introduced in iOS 13\. Autocorrection is way much worse than with previous releases. | TBD | | iOS:System | High | Re-introduce the magnifiyng loupe while selecting text. Another weird decision from Apple. | 👎🏻 | | iOS:System | Medium | Ability to show touchpoints while recording the screen. It would be helpful when building tutorials for example. Some apps already support that like Adobe Photoshop for iPad. | 👎🏻 | | iOS:System | High | Open Control Center to third-party applications. I’d like to be able to change settings for an app without having to open it up, especially of we can change default applications for basic functions like photography. | 👎🏻 | | iOS:System | High | Ability to group shortcuts in folders in the Shortcuts app. With more than a few dozens shortcuts, it is mandatory to be able to organize them with something else than colour coding. | 👍🏻 | | iOS:System | High | Time Machine for iCloud Drive. Having to go to icloud.com to recover a version of a document is another clusterfuck decision by Apple. | 👎🏻 | | iOS:System | Medium | Emoji search option on the system keyboard. Each year, new emojis are introduced which make it harder and harder to select the one we want. It is already available on macOS. | 👍🏻 | | iOS:System | High | Full support for external monitors on iPadOS. Another potential game changer for the iPad. | 👎🏻 | | iOS:System | Medium | Colour picker support just like on macOS. Makes sense to me. Already available on macOS for ages. | 👍🏻 | | iOS:System | Medium | Fix the search feature within the Settings.app. I don’t know when but this feature is broken as of this writing. | TBD | | iOS:System | Medium | A seperate section for Shortcuts in Action Sheet. I don’t like shortcuts being mixed with application actions. | 👎🏻 | | iPadOS: System | Medium | Many people are asking for multi-users support. It makes sense for school environments and some businesses use cases for sure. For family setup, I’m not sure. | 👎🏻 | | iPadOS: System | High | Enable remote sessions to another device to help supporting others. Another feature that could prove to be helpful during confinement. | 👎🏻 | | iPadOS: Homescreen | Medium | Ability to freely place widgets with live content, [something along these lines](https://dribbble.com/shots/11587660-iOS-Widgets-for-iPhone?ref=numericcitizen.me). It would be really nice for weather applications. | TBD | | iPadOS: Homescreen | High | Introduce a zone to display notifications. | 👎🏻 | | iPadOS: Homescreen | High | Ability to rearrange entire page of icons without having to move icons one by one. | 👎🏻 | | iPadOS: Homescreen | Medium | Ability to insert free space between icons in order to arrange icons in visual groups not necessarily within folders. Speaking of folders, ested folders would be quite useful too. | 👎🏻 | | iPadOS:System | Medium | Make iPhone applications floating instead of centered. Allow me to mix them in multitasking. | 👎🏻 | | iPadOS: Homescreen | High | Ability for applications to display a darkmode version of their icons. | 👎🏻 | | iPadOS:Design | High | Make a better use of the screen space by expanding many of the popovers and popup menus that feel cramped just because they come from the iPhone screen sizes. | TBD | | Design | High | Replace the “More” text label in update notes with a real button of the right size. | TBD | | Design | High | Complete redesign of the incoming phone call screen. Should take into consideration better thumb-based operations. Some are suggesting to put it like a notification at the top of the screen. It is a bad design proposal. | 👍🏻 | | Design | High | Redesign of the Facetime application. Remove normal the phone calls history from FaceTime calls history. | 👎🏻 | | Design | High | There are so many great ideas behind the [Main Menu for iPad concept](https://ipadmenu.study/?ref=numericcitizen.me). 🙏🏻 | 👎🏻 | | Design | High | Stop using the (…) for everything, it is ridiculus. It is ambigious and inconsistent. | 👎🏻 | | Apps: Mail | Medium | Feature parity with macOS: folders support, smart folders support. And fix syncing bugs for god sake. | 👎🏻 | | Apps: Calendar | High | With the proliferation of webconferencing applications, there has to be a central invokation point. The calendar could be a perfect fit, particularly in the business world. | 👎🏻 | | Apps | Medium | Ability to set a different default application for things like Mail, Calendering, Podcasts, etc. | 😐 | | Apps | High | I don’t really know why but to me, Xcode on iPad would be a potential game changer. I think we are close to see this coming for real. | 👎🏻 | | Apps: iMessage | Medium | Ability to retract a sent message. | 👎🏻 | | Apps: Siri | High | A complete redesign of the conversational Siri interface. Make it look more like a conversation in iMessage for example. Oh, and while we are at it: why not make Siri available within iMessage? I’d like to have a conversation with him/her. | 👍🏻 | | Apps: Photos | High | When syncing is in progress with iCloud Photos Library, clearly show which photos are being synced to the cloud, which one are not synced. | 👎🏻 | | Apps: Photos | High | Let me see which photos came in from AirDrop and sent by who. | 👎🏻 | | Apps:Photos | High | Put an action to add a photo to an album directly in the toolbar instead of the sharing menu. | 👎🏻 | | Apps: Photos | High | Better labeling of RAW images. | 👎🏻 | | Apps: Photos | Medium | Let me select photos or albums I want to keep locally stored on my device. Something like iCloud Drive already support. | 👎🏻 | | Apple: Photos | High | If I take a video or a photo only to delete it a few minutes laters, don’t bother uploading them to the cloud. | 👎🏻 | | Apps: Phone | Medium | Ability to record a phone call. Could be tricky because of variable legislation in various part of the world. | 👎🏻 | | Apps: Files | High | Add a progress bar indicator in Files for long operations. A cannot remember how many times I lost files because of this. Why? Copying a large amount of files, not knowing the operation was completed, I deleted the source files and got an error message. Boom. Gone were the files. | TBD | | Apps:Files | High | Ability to browser Photos from within Files as another Location. | 👎🏻 | | Apps: Notes | High | Enable geometric forms and written charaters recognition. | 👍🏻 | | Apps: App Store | High | Bring back the Updates tab at the bottom of the screen. | 👎🏻 | | Apps:FaceTime | High | Ability to send messages or links or documents while in a FaceTime Call. | 👎🏻 | | Apps:Home | Medium | Redesign the Home application because right now it is a mess. | 👎🏻 | | iCloud | High | A shareable iCloud Photo Library. Sharing albums is a good step in the right direction, but something more robust is needed to share photos within a family. | 👎🏻 | Two-thirds of my wishes didn’t get answered and many a still TBD because of the lack of information. That’s not a really good score, but, it doesn’t mean Apple didn’t do well in general. Come back in a few days to read all my impressions on this WWDC2020 conference. ### Replacing an Aging AirPort Extreme with the Unifi Dream Machine URL: https://numericcitizen.me/replacing-an-airport-extreme-with-unifi-dream-machine/ Last updated: 2023-12-01T00:55:47.000Z Apple left the home networking market a few years ago. I’ve been looking at a replacement for my aging AirPort Extreme router ever since. After much research, contemplation, I finally made my choice. Here is my experience replacing an AirPort Extreme with the Ubiquiti’s Unifi Dream Machine. ![Apple AirPort Extreme](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/numericcitizen.me/wp-content/uploads/2020/06/4d64ba73-f283-4e2a-a62c-373b84771f49.jpg) Apple AirPort Extreme Apple exited the home network market in [2018](https://9to5mac.com/2018/04/26/apple-airport-cancellation/?ref=numericcitizen.me). I was in shock as a long time user of their AirPort products. Instead of making the greatest routers on the market, Apple-designed and released the HomePod. I don’t expect Apple to come back anytime soon. While the HomePod name implies something more than just a smart speaker, the reality is the HomePod is a smart-dump speaker with great sound. The HomePod could have been the start of a new line that integrates a speaker, a router and a HomeKit hub, all in the same package. I wrote about Apple’s absence of the home networking market many times ([Apple’s Biggest Mistake: No Home Networking Product](https://numericcitizen.me/2019/10/17/apples-biggest-mistake-no-home-networking-product/), [Amazon, Goole, Apple and Home Networks](https://numericcitizen.me/2019/02/12/amazon-google-apple-and-home-networks-my-take/)). Another more recent take on the subject can be found here: [Why is Apple missing the Boat with Home Wifi?](https://www.intego.com/mac-security-blog/why-apple-is-missing-the-boat-on-home-wifi/?ref=numericcitizen.me). > With all the concerns about privacy and the exploitation of user data, this is an area where Apple could have taken a stance. They could have built their AirPort devices into a mesh wi-fi system, perhaps adding that capability to the HomePod as well, which could give more value to that device. Perhaps Apple has some plans for this in the future, but for now, Amazon has a huge advantage in the smart home market. Kirk McElhearn ![What the HomePod could have been](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/numericcitizen.me/wp-content/uploads/2020/06/homepod-2.0.png) What the HomePod could have been I’ve been searching for a potential replacement for more than a year. As an avid Apple consumer, the design of my next router had to be paramount. On the other side, as an IT professional for more than twenty-five years, I was looking for something with a rich management interface. If a product could provide both, it would be my dream machine. I’m happy to report that I found one. Here is my story of replacing my Apple AirPort Extreme with a Ubiquiti’s Unifi Dream Machine. I think there are a lot of people in the same situation as me, my hope is they find this article so it can help them make a better decision. ## Selecting a replacement for AirPort Extreme One of the goal for looking for an AirPort Extreme replacement was to fix a few dead zones in my house where I could hardly get a wifi signal. The other goal is that I wanted to get more information from my internet usage[1](#fn1). On the list of potential replacement products were Google Wifi, Amazon Eero, Orbi and Ubiquiti Amplifi[2](#fn2). ![Google Wifi App Store page](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/numericcitizen.me/wp-content/uploads/2020/06/google-wifi-app-store-page.png) Google Wifi App Store page Google’s product was quickly eliminated. First, I didn’t want to put a *mass surveillance device* in my home. Secondly, Google’s applications are drab in general, uninspired and don’t adhere to Apple’s UI visual language prescription. Just by looking at Google Wifi application on the App Store, we can see a lot of unhappy users. ![Eero home Wifi App Store page](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/numericcitizen.me/wp-content/uploads/2020/06/eero-app-store-page.png) Eero home Wifi App Store page Amazon’s Eero was also quickly eliminated. [Amazon bought the Eero last year](https://www.cnbc.com/2019/02/12/why-amazon-bought-eero.html?ref=numericcitizen.me). Amazon’s goals are well known: data gathering. There is nowhere I would put a beacon in my house to feed the Amazon machine. Again, looking at the App Store, people don’t really like the Eero management application. Next on the list was [NetGear’s Orbi product line](https://www.netgear.com/orbi/?ref=numericcitizen.me). According to Orbi’s App Store page, users do like the application which is a good indication. Orbi’s product includes a speaker and a microphone for Alexa support. I’m not into Amazon’s ecosystem so it wasn’t attractive to me. ![Ubiquiti Amplifi Wifi router](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/numericcitizen.me/wp-content/uploads/2020/06/9c549263-8a6a-47ba-93a4-b9fe6d91d394.jpg) Ubiquiti Amplifi Wifi router Finally, Ubiquiti was the next contender. At first, I was looking at Ubiquiti’s Amplifi product line because of it’s simplicity, the general design, the size and the integrated display showing current bandwidth consumption, something other manufacturers didn’t have. I thought it was cool. But, while exploring Ubiquiti’s website, I stumbled upon the Unifi products line and became intrigued with the Dream Machine. The Dream Machine is a semi-professional router that fits perfectly my home networking needs, but could also be used in business-like environments. It is also a bit more pricey but I was willing to pay more if I get more in return. ![Unifi App Store page](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/numericcitizen.me/wp-content/uploads/2020/06/unifi-app-store-page.png) Unifi App Store page Unified Dream Machine was released in November of 2019 and includes a router, a basic management interface and a more sophisticated management application called the Network Controller that is tied to Ubiquiti’s web backend where you can log in and manage the devices from anywhere in the world. Ubiquiti gives a name to the operating system which is UnifiOS. All their products under the Unifi umbrella use the same operating system and management interface and can be managed by a single sign-on account which is a good thing for larger environments. ![The Unifi Dream Machine](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/numericcitizen.me/wp-content/uploads/2020/06/img_5119.jpg) The Unifi Dream Machine ## Setting up Unifi Dream Machine ![The setup process initial screen](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/numericcitizen.me/wp-content/uploads/2020/06/setup-start.png) The setup process initial screen The setup process took me less than fifteen minutes and went nearly flawlessly. Here is how I physically made the switch from Apple’s AirPort Extreme to the Unifi Dream Machine. - Move all cables from the AirPort Extreme to UDM[3](#fn3). - Reset the cable modem so it recognizes the new router. - Plug the power cable of the UDM, wait for it to start. - On the iPad, open the Unifi Network management application and follow the instructions. See the following image gallery for each step .[4](#fn4) - Once the UDM is configured, add the two Unifi AP BeaconHD to create the mesh network. I had to “adopt” the AP BeaconHD one by one, a process that takes a few minutes each. - Upgrade firmware of each BeaconHD. --- ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/numericcitizen.me/wp-content/uploads/2020/06/unifi-dream-machine-setup-screen-01.png) ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/numericcitizen.me/wp-content/uploads/2020/06/unifi-dream-machine-setup-screen-02.png) ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/numericcitizen.me/wp-content/uploads/2020/06/unifi-dream-machine-setup-screen-03.png) ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/numericcitizen.me/wp-content/uploads/2020/06/unifi-dream-machine-setup-screen-04.png) ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/numericcitizen.me/wp-content/uploads/2020/06/unifi-dream-machine-setup-screen-05-1.png) ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/numericcitizen.me/wp-content/uploads/2020/06/unifi-dream-machine-setup-screen-06-1.png) ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/numericcitizen.me/wp-content/uploads/2020/06/unifi-dream-machine-setup-screen-07.png) ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/numericcitizen.me/wp-content/uploads/2020/06/unifi-dream-machine-setup-screen-08.png) ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/numericcitizen.me/wp-content/uploads/2020/06/unifi-dream-machine-setup-screen-09.png) ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/numericcitizen.me/wp-content/uploads/2020/06/unifi-dream-machine-setup-screen-10.png) ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/numericcitizen.me/wp-content/uploads/2020/06/unifi-dream-machine-setup-screen-11.png) ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/numericcitizen.me/wp-content/uploads/2020/06/unifi-dream-machine-setup-screen-12.png) ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/numericcitizen.me/wp-content/uploads/2020/06/unifi-dream-machine-setup-screen-13.png) ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/numericcitizen.me/wp-content/uploads/2020/06/unifi-dream-machine-setup-screen-14.png) ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/numericcitizen.me/wp-content/uploads/2020/06/unifi-dream-machine-setup-screen-15.png) ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/numericcitizen.me/wp-content/uploads/2020/06/unifi-dream-machine-setup-screen-16.png) ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/numericcitizen.me/wp-content/uploads/2020/06/unifi-dream-machine-setup-screen-17.png) ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/numericcitizen.me/wp-content/uploads/2020/06/unifi-dream-machine-setup-screen-18.png) ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/numericcitizen.me/wp-content/uploads/2020/06/unifi-dream-machine-setup-screen-20.png) The initial setup process from the iPad --- At this point, my network was up and working with the same SSID as previously made available by the old AirPort Extreme. This was a requirement in order for all known devices to automatically connect to the network without re-entering the network password. Next, I started testing clients access and my HomeKit devices including the HomePod. Everything worked flawlessly. I was relieved. A few other steps were required like setting up an alias on a few devices with MAC address as their name to better identify them in the management interface. I also made sure to disable automatic firmware update because I prefer to read about them before installing them. ![First SpeedTest result on my iMac was disappointing](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/numericcitizen.me/wp-content/uploads/2020/06/speedtest-on-imac-after-udm-install-with-smart-queues-on.png) First SpeedTest result on my iMac was disappointing The first network speed test that I ran gave a lower speed than I was expecting. The internet speed of my ISP is 120 Mbps for download and 30 Mbps for upload. On my iMac, using [iStats Menu](https://bjango.com/mac/istatmenus/?ref=numericcitizen.me), this speed used to translate to about 13 MB/s. After my Unifi Dream Machine was up and running, I was getting only 10 MB/s. Upon investigating for a possible cause, I found the solution: disabling the “Smart Queue” feature on the WAN settings fixed the throughput issue. Again, I was relieved. Now, I’m getting a 5% to 10% speed increase compared to what I was getting with my AirPort Extreme. Another urgent issue to fix was the remote access to my iMac with the popular [Screens from Edovia](https://edovia.com/en/?ref=numericcitizen.me): port forwarding was no longer working. Enabling the UPNP on the UDM quickly fixed the problem by itself on the iMac. In order to get an idea of the coverage, I took advantage of a mapping feature of the UDM and designed my house main flour plan and placed the devices on the map. The end result is interesting and very close to what I’m experiencing. ![Wifi coverage in my house](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/numericcitizen.me/wp-content/uploads/2020/06/flour-plan-before-rf-scan.png) Wifi coverage in my house I also set up a guest network with a landing page with mandatory authentication and bandwidth limitations which is something I couldn’t do with the AirPort Extreme. The login page for the guest network can be customized as shown below. You can change the webpage background with pictures coming from Unsplash, one of my favourite places to find quality pictures! How cool is that! ![Designing a webpage for the guest network](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/numericcitizen.me/wp-content/uploads/2020/06/hotspot-page-design-page.png) Designing a webpage for the guest network Once the UDM was humming and running, I started to dig the rich management interface. For many people, this could be overwhelming; there is a lot of features, options and statistics at your fingertips. ## Managing Unifi Dream Machine ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/numericcitizen.me/wp-content/uploads/2020/06/connecting-to-dream-machine.gif) The fun part is managing the Dream Machine from the iPad or from the web. Some people would say the best products are the ones who don’t require management at all. Well, maybe in theory, but in practice, networking is a complex subject in IT. Unifi products are designed by a serious networking products company and it shows. The Unifi Network management software is feature-packed and designed for serious network administrators, even in their home product line like the UDM. Network features, performance analysis and alerting are fully accessible and easily manageable. It is something that I was willing to pay more for. The Unified Dream Machine comes with a basic webserver to allow for simple management tasks like upgrading the firmware, giving a name to the device and setting its time zone. In order to manage more advanced features, UDM also comes bundled with the Unifi Network Controller that is the management foundation of an Unifi-based Network. On business-oriented equipment, the controller has to be installed on a separate computer on the network. With the UDM, the Network Controller is embedded which provides a fully autonomous solution as shown in the following diagram. ![Management architecture of the Unifi Dream Machine](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/numericcitizen.me/wp-content/uploads/2020/06/image-2020-06-15-8-00-pm.png) Management architecture of the Unifi Dream Machine You can manage the UDM from the excellent native iOS / iPadOS application, from a browser (preferably Firefox or Chrome). There is no need to be at home to manage your Unifi network. You can use the iOS application on the go. Why? Because when installing your UDM it is associated with your Ubiquiti account that should be created before starting the setup process, which I did. From there, the UDM communicates with the web service. The end result is that, now, directly from my iPad, I’m able to manage my home network very easily, from home or from anywhere else. It’s something the AirPort Extreme didn’t provide me. ![My Unifi network topology](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/numericcitizen.me/wp-content/uploads/2020/06/unifi-network-topology.png) My Unifi network topology ## Question & Answers While reading this article, you may have some questions that pop in your head. Here are a few questions with their answers. - How long did it take to deploy the UDM and be fully operational? Less than fifteen minutes. - Can an AP BeaconHD be used with an existing AirPort Extreme to extend the network? Nope. It requires an Unifi Dream Machine5. - Is there an internal fan in the UDM? Yes. Is it silent while operating? Absolutely. - Does the UDM come with an AC adaptor brick? Nope, only a power cord is provided, just like the AirPort Extreme, which is nice. - How long does it take for the UDM to reboot after a power failure? Less than a minute, which is about the same as Apple’s AirPort Extreme and my IPS modem. Maybe a bit longer. When the reboot is completed, the device emits a nice completion sound (it can be disabled in case you wonder). - Is the internet speed faster compared to Apple’s AirPort Extreme? Yes, about 5%-10% faster. I get 14 MB/s in download and 4.3 MB/s in upload speed using my 2017 iMac. - Is the wifi speed consistent around your house? Not really. It varies quite a lot, a bit too much to my liking. I think it all depends on which AP is feeding each client at any given time. I guess that is normal while operating a wifi mesh network. ## Things to love There is a lot to like about the Unifi Dream Machine and its management software. Let’s see first, from a physical design standpoint, then from the software side. ![The Unifi Dream Machine](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/numericcitizen.me/wp-content/uploads/2020/06/img_5122.jpg) The Unifi Dream Machine The physical design of the Unifi Dream Machine is top-notch; it’s a nice physical device, it feels approachable, honest, all attributes that generally fit the Apple design language. The Dream Machine looks a bit like a smart speaker with it’s blue LED ring at the top. The same can be said for the AP BeaconHD wifi extenders. They come with a LED too, a distinctive attribute of Unifi product line. These LEDs can be turned off. ![Unifi Wifi extender "Beacon HD"](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/numericcitizen.me/wp-content/uploads/2020/06/img_5069.jpg) Unifi Wifi extender “Beacon HD” On the software side, I couldn’t be happier. The network controller web-based management is well designed, responsive and complete. You can also manage the Unifi Dream Machine from an iPhone or an iPad[6](#fn6). The most important management features and visualization features are available from the iPadOS application. The iPadOS application takes full advantage of Apple’s Human Interface Guidelines. The iconography is really nice. As an IT professional who used to manage data center technologies, I wish companies like VMware, NetApp, IBM would take a note from Ubiquiti. Just look at the main page of the Unifi products line and wait for the full animation. Mind-blowing and very cool. ![General UDM bandwidth usage including access points](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/numericcitizen.me/wp-content/uploads/2020/06/dashboard-statistics-view-on-ipad.png) General UDM bandwidth usage including access points The amount of statistics that you can get from the devices is impressive, may be overwhelming for many, but for me, it is just fun to peek at. Each Unifi device has its own set of counters like how many clients are connected, the speed of download and upload, how many data has transited through the device, etc. The same level of detail is available for each wifi clients. All these statistics can be queried with very flexible time range (last hour, last 24 hours, last week, etc.) using a resolution the goes from 5 minutes intervals to daily interval. ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/numericcitizen.me/wp-content/uploads/2020/06/throughput-statistics-24hours.png) As I experimented with the management tools, I visited the Unifi community on the company’s website. It is a very active community which is helpful to find tips, other users’ experience, and stories, [like this one](https://community.ui.com/stories/Dream-Machine-Deployment-to-my-network-/f331fe3c-965a-4f3c-a3e1-cae2acc9dbf5?ref=numericcitizen.me). I plan to publish my own story soon after this article gets pushed to the web. ## Things to improve As much as I like the UDM and the Unifi software in general, there are a few things that need improvements or that need fixes soon. As I wrote earlier, the management software is called the Unifi Network Controller and it comes bundled with the Dream Machine[7](#fn7). There is a stand-alone version that can be installed on Windows or macOS that is a few releases ahead and that offers fixes and new features. At the time of this writing, the latest UDM firmware version is 1.7.2 which includes release 5.13.27 of the network controller, but my current bundled release is 5.12.60\. I wish I could upgrade the controller software on a different schedule than the firmware. The current release of the controller management interface includes a new navigation menu that is in beta. I don’t know how long before it goes final but I feel it is a step in the right direction that makes the user experience even better as you can search for options. Oh, and the Network Controller’s website doesn’t work with Firefox on iPadOS. The situation is a bit better on Chrome albeit with many layout issues. Since a few features are only available on the website, it would be nice to be able to access them from the iPad native application as well. Some tasks require visiting different pages. Providing a setup wizard beyond the one that is used to initially set up the Dream Machine would be helpful. For example, I’m thinking about a wizard to set up a guest network, for example. That being said, the help page explaining [how to proceed to create a guest network](https://help.ui.com/hc/en-us/articles/115000166827-UniFi-Guest-Network-Guest-Portal-and-Hotspot-System?ref=numericcitizen.me) is really informative and helpful, though. ![UDM's system statistics](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/numericcitizen.me/wp-content/uploads/2020/06/udm-system-stats.png) UDM’s system statistics There are a lot of statistics that you can look at for a certain duration period and with a specific resolution (5 min, hourly, daily, etc.), but it is mostly only available from the website. I wish I could peek at those statistics from the iPad too. Speaking of the iPad application, there is a widget to connect to the Network Controller which provides an overall score of the wifi network health status which is nice, but offers minimal information. If there is an unread alert, it will also indicate it. I’d like to be able to see more statistic summary there too. ## Lingering issues At the time of writing this article, there are a few lingering issues that are in search of a solution. 1. For unknown reasons, looking at the controller events log, there are many occurrences where my AP Beacon HD are becoming isolated before returning back online after a minute. It happens all day, every day. It does affect my work as my iMac needs to reconnect to the UDM or another AP. I do experience interruptions while using video conferencing software. It’s probably the most frustrating problem I’m currently experiencing with the UDM. I went through [this troubleshooting guide](https://help.ui.com/hc/en-us/articles/221029967-UniFi-Debugging-Intermittent-Connectivity-Issues-on-your-UAP?ref=numericcitizen.me) and made a few changes. We’ll see how it goes[8](#fn8). ![Unifi Access Point isolation errors](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/numericcitizen.me/wp-content/uploads/2020/06/ap-isolation-errors.png) Unifi Access Point isolation errors ![Example of an AP Beacon HD being isolated](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/numericcitizen.me/wp-content/uploads/2020/06/ad-isolated.png) Example of an AP Beacon HD being isolated 1. Issues with bandwidth speed regularity. Depending on my location, the network speed can vary quite a bit. Upon investigation, I found out that a specific client is not necessarily connecting to the router or the closest access point. I’m not sure how bad this affects the resulting speed. 2. I suspect there is a display bug in many graphics where the selected time zone is not reflected on the time scale. It is probably fixed in the latest release of the Network Controller, though. 3. I noted that changing many settings requires partial or full router reboot which is disruptive. There should be a warning to the effect before applying the change. I have spent some time on the community forums to look for tips and answers to my few issues. One of the support guys suggested to upgrade my UDM to a beta release and see if it fix the issues. There is no way I’m going to put beta releases on my UDM, it is too critical for me as I’m working all the time from home. I’ll be patient here. ## Things to study further I’m still learning new things every day about my Unifi Dream Machine. There are a few things I’d like to dig a bit further in the coming days or weeks. For example, I didn’t test the threats detection module. Enabling this feature would reduce the actual bandwidth to 850 Mbits/sec according to the documentation instead of the 1300 Mbits/sec. It is a big difference. ## Concluding words When Apple announced they were stopping to make and sell the AirPort product line, I thought they were making a big mistake. The following eighteen months proved they actually did make a mistake with the birth of intelligent speakers and mesh networks. Two products that could become one. As time went by, I knew that I would eventually need to replace my aging AirPort Extreme. I’m happy to report that, after more than a year of passive-aggressive research and a bit of wait-and-see attitude, I found a replacement solution. I replaced my AirPort Extreme with a Ubiquiti Unifi Dream Machine. This device, coupled with two AP BeaconHD Wifi extenders fixed many coverage issues, is providing faster wifi (most of the time) than my old AirPort Extreme. On top of that, it provides a top-notch management solution. I’m a happy camper. ![Bye Bye AirPort Utility](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/numericcitizen.me/wp-content/uploads/2020/06/bye-bye-airport-utility.jpg) Bye Bye AirPort Utility ## Final score | **Overall satisfaction** | **4.5 / 5** | | ------------------------ | ----------- | | Design | 5 / 5 | | Setup experience | 5 / 5 | | iOS/iPadOS Application | 4.5 / 5 | | Management Features | 4.5 / 5 | | Performance | 4 / 5 | | Support | 4.5 / 5 | 1. My kids are older now, but when they were young, I certainly had a few occasions where I wanted to know where they spend their time when they are surfing on the internet. [↩](#ffn1) 2. Many people suggested TP-Link as a possible candidate, but I didn’t really like the look of their products. [↩](#ffn2) 3. Two client devices are physically connected to the router: my LG Smart TV and my home movie theatre device. [↩](#ffn3) 4. When the UDM is rebooting, the internal fan produces a noticeable sound for less than a few seconds. [↩](#ffn4) 5. I received my two AP BeaconHD a few days before the Dream Machine router. I tried to set them up with the application to work with my AirPort Extreme, but it didn’t work: an Unifi controller has to be present in order to kick start the configuration and the discovery process. ↩ 6. Being able to manage my devices from anywhere is cool and could prove to be a real time-saver in the future. [↩](#ffn6) 7. Other products from Unifi don’t include the network controller which, in this case, must be installed separately on the network. [↩](#ffn7) 8. It did help a lot. In fact, I no longer see isolation errors. [↩](#ffn8) ### Three Months and Three Life Hacks URL: https://numericcitizen.me/three-months-and-three-life-hacks/ Last updated: 2023-03-23T16:47:38.000Z Today is a special day for many reasons. I’ve been working from home and (mostly) confined for exactly three months (March 13th). It’s certainly seems like a long time, but I cannot help but think that it’s only the beginning of a long journey. In fact, I can no longer consider myself as being confined as I’m going outside for many reasons like for doing errands and for long walks. Yet, life has not returned to normalcy. But, a few things are returning to normal. Today, my younger kid, he is 16, returned home after spending the last three months with his mother. It was a happy moment where we hugged each other for a long time and told how much we missed each other. It was a great moment. --- ![Apple Watch](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/numericcitizen.me/wp-content/uploads/2020/06/image.jpg) Don’t underestimate how useful the Apple Watch can be Now for the life hacks. In recent days, I discovered how much more useful the Apple Watch can be in very specific use cases. As you know, while being at the grocery store, having a face mask is not ideal when the list of things to buy is on the iPhone: unlocking the iPhone with FaceID and wearing a mask is not a great experience. Thanks to iOS 13.5, Apple partly addressed the problem. But, using the Apple Watch to look at my grocery list makes my life much easier. As a user of Apple’s Reminder, grocery list is synced across my devices. Simple but neat. The next life hack still relates to being at the grocery store. What if you are not sure about what to buy from the list and want to ask a question to your wife? Instead of using iMessage, why not use Walkie-Talkie? Yes, my wife has an Apple Watch, so I’ve used it many times in the last few weeks and it is absolutely magical. I don’t really care if I look weird, I already do with my face mask anyway. I know that Walkie-Talkie is nothing new, but I kind of stopped using it after the initial release. Now I use it more often without the need to unlock my iPhone. Simple but neat. Finally, the third life hack in this pandemic crisis, the Apple Watch is still involved. At the store or restaurent, instead of using your iPhone to pay with Apple Pay, remember that you can use your Apple Watch too, no need to unlock you iPhone and enter the PIN number because of FaceID not working. Paying with Apple Watch is faster and hassle free. Again, very simple to use and cool. --- Not everything is bad because of the pandemic. As time goes by, we discover many new things that we wouldn’t otherwise. Some will be long lasting, others will quickly fade away. ### My Photo Processing Workflow as of 2020-06 URL: https://numericcitizen.me/my-photo-processing-workflow-as-of-2020-06/ Last updated: 2023-03-23T16:47:38.000Z Today, I want to share a few updates on my photo processing workflow. It’s been a long time since the [last update](https://numericcitizen.me/2020/02/06/my-photo-processing-workflow-as-of-2020-02/). This time, four important additions to my workflow require attention as shown on the following workflow diagram. ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/numericcitizen.me/wp-content/uploads/2020/06/my-photo-processing-workflow-2020-06.png) My photo processing workflow as of 2020-06\. Click to enlarge. #### New visual space In order to show my work on [The Perfect Imperfections Series](https://numericcitizen-visualspace.com/?ref=numericcitizen.me), I opened up a [new visual space on Universe](https://numericcitizen.me/2020/05/22/introducing-numeric-citizen-visual-space-on-universe/). I’m very happy with the end-results and with the publishing application so far. #### Instagram return As [recently published](https://numericcitizen.me/2020/06/04/i-have-sinned-im-back-on-instagram/), I decided to return to Instagram. Yes, there are so many things to dislike about Instagram; being part of Facebook, numerous ads, lack of a native iPad application just to name a few. That being said, I realized that you can make something good out of Instagram by carefully choosing high-quality accounts only. You can see [my profile page here](https://www.instagram.com/theperfectimperfctions/?ref=numericcitizen.me). The content I publish now comes from my urban exploration photo sessions. I also push a few cross-posts from my new visual space in Instagram Stories. #### Snapseed I’m now using Snapseed as my main post-processing photo application to create the Perfect Imperfections Series photos. This application is endangered. Google, the owner of the application, rarely releases updates and can kill it at any time. I will consider alternatives to Snapseed like Polarr, Camera+ and even Photoshop for iPad. #### Camera+ In recent weeks, my usage of [Camera+ by LateNightSoft](https://camera.plus/?ref=numericcitizen.me) increased quite a lot because of the many post-processing features. Coupled with Snapseed, they form a great combo. This application frequently receives updates, the last one introduced a [new ML-based photo-processing feature](https://camera.plus/blog/get-creative-with-magic-ml/?ref=numericcitizen.me) named Magic ML. I didn’t play with it yet. That is it for my photo processing workflow update. I guess the next update will come after Apple releases iOS 14 this fall. Meanwhile, you should have a look at [my WWDC wish list](https://numericcitizen.me/2020/05/31/my-wish-list-for-wwdc-2020/) where there are many requested features about photo processing on Apple’s mobile devices. ### I have Sinned: I’m Back on Instagram URL: https://numericcitizen.me/i-have-sinned-im-back-on-instagram/ Last updated: 2023-03-23T16:47:38.000Z I’m back on Instagram. That’s right. About a year ago, I wrote about how [I was missing Instagram](https://numericcitizen.me/2019/05/15/i-miss-instagram/). In that post, I was expecting Bokeh, a Kickstarter project, to take off and become a successful alternative. A year later, Bokeh project backers like me are still waiting to see the outcome. So, I decided to come back on Instagram. Here is why. [![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/numericcitizen.me/wp-content/uploads/2020/06/my-instagram-profile-page.png)](https://www.instagram.com/theperfectimperfctions/?ref=numericcitizen.me) I recently started something new, [my Numeric Citizen Visual Space](https://numericcitizen-visualspace.com/?ref=numericcitizen.me). I’m very happy about where it is going. I’m still loving [my experience with Universe](https://numericcitizen.me/2020/05/22/introducing-numeric-citizen-visual-space-on-universe/). But, there is something missing: a community. This is where Instagram comes in. There is a lot of crap on this platform but by carefully selecting people to follow, my feed becomes quite close to what I really like. Returning to Instagram after a long hiatus is quite an experience. There are so many more things now going on. I was disoriented. Stories (obviously) play a big part now of anybody seriously taking advantage of this venerable social network. It is a bit overwhelming at first. But, after a while, you get used to it. Stories add another dimension over the more static content put on there. I use them to “advertise” new publications on my Visual Space. Editing tools for building stories are quite funny but man I wish Instagram was available on the iPad. [![A sample of my Instagram Stories](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/numericcitizen.me/wp-content/uploads/2020/06/my-instagram-stories-sample-1.png)](https://www.instagram.com/theperfectimperfctions/?ref=numericcitizen.me) A sample of my Instagram Stories As you can see, the subject of my publications is “*urban exploration*” (“*urbex*” for short) and the perfect imperfections photo series. The community is quite active and reacting to other people’s photos generally is welcomed by comments on my own work. This is exactly the thing that I’m missing on my other online presences. And for those who start following me, I follow them back if we share a visual affinity. Don’t judge me. I know Facebook is the owner. I know how Facebook is full of s\*\*\*. But at some point, we have to be able to put things into context. Instagram, while being an important part of the Facebook machine, it is not Facebook. If Instagram is your thing, you can find [my profile here](https://www.instagram.com/theperfectimperfctions/?ref=numericcitizen.me). I’m also slowly creating a collection of great urbex photos. Finally, using Instagram on a regular browser seems to skip all the ads. Great. ![My Instagram Saved pictures. ](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/numericcitizen.me/wp-content/uploads/2020/06/my-instagram-saved-photos-1.png) Sample of saved photos from my IG feed ### My Wish List for WWDC 2020 URL: https://numericcitizen.me/my-wish-list-for-wwdc-2020/ Last updated: 2024-08-12T01:54:20.000Z Each year, the WWDC conference marks the start of a new cycle impacting nearly all aspects of Apple’s ecosystem. This year is no exception. The coronavirus crisis forced Apple to change course this year by maintaining the [WWDC conference but in an online-only format](https://www.apple.com/ca/newsroom/2020/03/apples-wwdc-2020-kicks-off-in-june-with-an-all-new-online-format/?ref=numericcitizen.me), albeit scheduled two weeks later than usual. We are entering new territories and there is room for big surprises. For this year’s keynote, I’d like to see a movie-style event, like a pre-recorded movie, something along the line of [Microsoft 365 recent briefing](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0SkHWXH49js&feature=youtu.be&ref=numericcitizen.me). Apple already uses a lot of pre-recorded materials during their keynote. The WWDC movie, filmed entirely with the iPhone, could be filmed on Apple Campus. Apple could even do a “*making of*” which would be made available after the conference. Apple has a lot of talented people; their recorded segments during keynotes are generally very impressive and well done. Will Apple deliver this year? We’ll see. \[*Updated after Apple [announces](https://developer.apple.com/wwdc20/?ref=numericcitizen.me) the WWDC program: it seems the Keynote and the state of the nation will be live-streamed directly from Apple Park. Well, too bad for my wish of experiencing a movie-like event.*\] I don’t have any expectations about Apple releasing new hardware, except maybe for the rumoured AirTag, but I don’t think they will be announced at the WWDC conference. While waiting for June 22th, we can always hope and wish for Apple to move its platforms forward while fixing long-standing bugs. This year, I created a wish list where each item is assigned a desirability degree. After WWDC, the list will be updated to take into account Apple’s announcements. ## A few generic wishes There is a consensus around software quality going down in Apple’s ecosystem. What used to “*just works*” just doesn’t anymore. As we are navigating in a maturing market, Apple could reduce its cadence and work on fixing long-lasting bugs. Last year, a lot of new things were introduced with WWDC, especially in iOS 13 and iPadOS 13\. Both of them suffered a long streak of instabilities and problems. We all hope Apple learned a few things in the last twelve months like to never introduce a half-baked feature that put user data at risk, even if being made available as beta is a risky business. Before going to the wish list, a few words on iPadOS. Introduced last year, iPadOS is the beginning of a new direction for the iPad. Was it just a marketing trick? Signs are pointing to the fact that it is not the case. Take, for example, the recent introduction of the pointer support in iPadOS 13.4\. As I wrote in [my review of the Magic Keyboard for iPad Pro](https://numericcitizen.me/2020/04/24/my-review-of-the-ipad-pro-magic-keyboard-a-transformative-accessory/), together, mouse and trackpad support in iPadOS 13.4 are transformative. Will Apple push iPadOS in new territories, something along with this exceptional [concept of the Main Menu for iPadOS](https://numericcitizen.me/2020/04/08/the-ipad-main-menu-the-next-game-changer/)? ![iPad Main Menu Concept](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/numericcitizen.me/wp-content/uploads/2020/05/ipad-main-menu-concept.png) The iPad Main Menu Concept ## My (long) WWDC wish list The following table lists all my current wishes for Apple to deliver. I don’t have anything related to hardware; I’m looking forward to improvements on the software side of the story. This list will be updated as required before and after WWDC. | Theme | Importance | Description | Fix coming | | ------------------ | ---------- | ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- | ---------- | | Services | High | Apple Card expansion to Canada. I’m not holding my breath, though. | TBD | | Services | High | Apple Pay Cash expansion to Canada. I’m not holding my breath, though. | TBD | | Apple Watch | High | Third-party watch face available from a dedicated App Store. This could be another game changer. But this could open the door to so much crappy faces and this is probably why Apple is holding out this feature. | TBD | | Apple Watch | High | Sleep tracking and better battery life to support the feature. Already rumoured to be in the works, this feature could come with a new hardware release. | TBD | | Apple Watch | Medium | The ability to change the watch face according to the current time of the day, day of the week, location (home vs office), etc. This would remove manual operations with the watch. | TBD | | macOS | Medium | An expert mode that disables SIP (system integrity protection). Let’s be honest, macOS Catalina behave much like Microsoft Windows Vista. | TBD | | macOS | Medium | An explanation of where Catalyst fits in Apple’s ecosystem, because so far it looks like it was made for Apple. | TBD | | macOS | High | Feature parity of iMessage with iOS. [Apple is close to delivering this](https://twitter.com/stroughtonsmith/status/1264213278311489537?s=21&ref=numericcitizen.me). | TBD | | macOS | High | The ability to run iPhone applications, not only iPadOS ones, on macOS. | TBD | | macOS | High | Ability to use the iPhone as a webcam. Working from home imposes new requirements for many people and builtin cams in computers are simply crappy. | TBD | | macOS | Medium | Shortcuts for the Mac seem so close to [being real](https://twitter.com/stroughtonsmith/status/1264585189126279172?s=21&ref=numericcitizen.me). | TBD | | macOS | High | Make Catalyst-based apps look more like real Mac apps. | TBD | | iOS:System | Medium | Better font management capabilities. As of this writing, adding fonts to iOS is a welcomed addition but the way to do it is a clusterfuck. | TBD | | iOS:System | High | Fix the autocorrect fiasco introduced in iOS 13\. Autocorrection is way much worse than with previous releases. | TBD | | iOS:System | High | Re-introduce the magnifiyng loupe while selecting text. Another weird decision from Apple. | TBD | | iOS:System | Medium | Ability to show touchpoints while recording the screen. It would be helpful when building tutorials for example. Some apps already support that like Adobe Photoshop for iPad. | TBD | | iOS:System | High | Open Control Center to third-party applications. I’d like to be able to change settings for an app without having to open it up, especially of we can change default applications for basic functions like photography. | TBD | | iOS:System | High | Ability to group shortcuts in folders in the Shortcuts app. With more than a few dozens shortcuts, it is mandatory to be able to organize them with something else than colour coding. | TBD | | iOS:System | High | Time Machine for iCloud Drive. Having to go to icloud.com to recover a version of a document is another clusterfuck decision by Apple. | TBD | | iOS:System | Medium | Emoji search option on the system keyboard. Each year, new emojis are introduced which make it harder and harder to select the one we want. It is already available on macOS. | TBD | | iOS:System | High | Full support for external monitors on iPadOS. Another potential game changer for the iPad. | TBD | | iOS:System | Medium | Colour picker support just like on macOS. Makes sense to me. Already available on macOS for ages. | TBD | | iOS:System | Medium | Fix the search feature within the Settings.app. I don’t know when but this feature is broken as of this writing. | TBD | | iOS:System | Medium | A seperate section for Shortcuts in Action Sheet. I don’t like shortcuts being mixed with application actions. | TBD | | iPadOS: System | Medium | Many people are asking for multi-users support. It makes sense for school environments and some businesses use cases for sure. For family setup, I’m not sure. | TBD | | iPadOS: System | High | Enable remote sessions to another device to help supporting others. Another feature that could prove to be helpful during confinement. | TBD | | iPadOS: Homescreen | Medium | Ability to freely place widgets with live content, [something along these lines](https://dribbble.com/shots/11587660-iOS-Widgets-for-iPhone?ref=numericcitizen.me). It would be really nice for weather applications. | TBD | | iPadOS: Homescreen | High | Introduce a zone to display notifications. | TBD | | iPadOS: Homescreen | High | Ability to rearrange entire page of icons without having to move icons one by one. | TBD | | iPadOS: Homescreen | Medium | Ability to insert free space between icons in order to arrange icons in visual groups not necessarily within folders. Speaking of folders, ested folders would be quite useful too. | TBD | | iPadOS:System | Medium | Make iPhone applications floating instead of centered. Allow me to mix them in multitasking. | TBD | | iPadOS: Homescreen | High | Ability for applications to display a darkmode version of their icons. | TBD | | iPadOS:Design | High | Make a better use of the screen space by expanding many of the popovers and popup menus that feel cramped just because they come from the iPhone screen sizes. | TBD | | Design | High | Replace the “More” text label in update notes with a real button of the right size. | TBD | | Design | High | Complete redesign of the incoming phone call screen. Should take into consideration better thumb-based operations. Some are suggesting to put it like a notification at the top of the screen. It is a bad design proposal. | TBD | | Design | High | Redesign of the Facetime application. Remove normal the phone calls history from FaceTime calls history. | TBD | | Design | High | There are so many great ideas behind the [Main Menu for iPad concept](https://ipadmenu.study/?ref=numericcitizen.me). 🙏🏻 | TBD | | Design | High | Stop using the (…) for everything, it is ridiculus. It is ambigious and inconsistent. | | | Apps: Mail | Medium | Feature parity with macOS: folders support, smart folders support. And fix syncing bugs for god sake. | TBD | | Apps: Calendar | High | With the proliferation of webconferencing applications, there has to be a central invokation point. The calendar could be a perfect fit, particularly in the business world. | TBD | | Apps | Medium | Ability to set a different default application for things like Mail, Calendering, Podcasts, etc. | TBD | | Apps | High | I don’t really know why but to me, Xcode on iPad would be a potential game changer. I think we are close to see this coming for real. | TBD | | Apps: iMessage | Medium | Ability to retract a sent message. | TBD | | Apps: Siri | High | A complete redesign of the conversational Siri interface. Make it look more like a conversation in iMessage for example. Oh, and while we are at it: why not make Siri available within iMessage? I’d like to have a conversation with him/her. | TBD | | Apps: Photos | High | When syncing is in progress with iCloud Photos Library, clearly show which photos are being synced to the cloud, which one are not synced. | TBD | | Apps: Photos | High | Let me see which photos came in from AirDrop and sent by who. | TBD | | Apps:Photos | High | Put an action to add a photo to an album directly in the toolbar instead of the sharing menu. | TBD | | Apps: Photos | High | Better labeling of RAW images. | TBD | | Apps: Photos | Medium | Let me select photos or albums I want to keep locally stored on my device. Something like iCloud Drive already support. | TBD | | Apple: Photos | High | If I take a video or a photo only to delete it a few minutes laters, don’t bother uploading them to the cloud. | TBD | | Apps: Phone | Medium | Ability to record a phone call. Could be tricky because of variable legislation in various part of the world. | TBD | | Apps: Files | High | Add a progress bar indicator in Files for long operations. A cannot remember how many times I lost files because of this. Why? Copying a large amount of files, not knowing the operation was completed, I deleted the source files and got an error message. Boom. Gone were the files. | TBD | | Apps:Files | High | Ability to browser Photos from within Files as another Location. | TBD | | Apps: Notes | High | Enable geometric forms and written charaters recognition. | TBD | | Apps: App Store | High | Bring back the Updates tab at the bottom of the screen. | TBD | | Apps:FaceTime | High | Ability to send messages or links or documents while in a FaceTime Call. | TBD | | Apps:Home | Medium | Redesign the Home application because right now it is a mess. | TBD | | iCloud | High | A shareable iCloud Photo Library. Sharing albums is a good step in the right direction, but something more robust is needed to share photos within a family. | TBD | As you can see, that is a pretty long wish list. Nothing about Apple TV, nothing about hardware. WWDC is around the corner and it is always a big happening for Apple. Let’s see how they deliver this time around because last year’s WWDC was a monster event. ### On SpaceX Launch with Humans URL: https://numericcitizen.me/on-spacex-launch-with-humans/ Last updated: 2023-03-23T16:47:38.000Z Space exploration by humans is so fascinating. When I was a young kid, I remember reading books on the Apollo program and Skylab. My room walls were filled with space exploration posters. Consider me part of the Space Shuttle program generation. Everything about SpaceX brings back the excitement for space exploration. During the Space Shuttle program, they wanted to make a flight every month. We are closer than ever to this reality, thanks to the hard work made in the last decade. ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/numericcitizen.me/wp-content/uploads/2020/05/spacex-launch-t-5-27.png) SpaceX Launch T-00:05:27 I’m glad to see manned flights resuming in the US. It’s a private-sector endeavour that is quite different than with the Space Shuttle program. I was observing video sequences this week. Looking at astronauts’ space suits, I couldn’t help myself but I was thinking about their design in general. They look so light, “designed” to look good, close to being part of a science fiction movie. Today, looking at the astronauts in their cabin created the same effect. It looks so white, so clean, “spacey” even. I’m impressed. And on top of that, those big interactive screens replacing so many switches and buttons, it is mind-blowing. I wish I could have a closer look at the user interface, features and interaction models. ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/numericcitizen.me/wp-content/uploads/2020/05/spacex-in-spave.png) Watching the SpaceX ascend on my computer screen I can’t wait to see where this will lead us. It is so refreshing to see success like this in these difficult times. ### Day #72 — Still No End in Sight URL: https://numericcitizen.me/day-72-still-no-end-in-sight/ Last updated: 2023-03-23T16:47:38.000Z By a sunny Sunday with a very mild and enjoyable weather, I look forward and I see no end in sight to my confinement. Well, I should say, I don’t see the day where I’ll return to a normal work life. The old way of working by going to the office every weekday, saying hello to my coworkers, looks so « passé » and unnecessary now. The old normal is not coming back anytime soon. For the most part, I’m happy with this. Working from home is nothing new for me. My kids are young adults and can take care of themselves. I’m not one of those parents who has trouble focusing on my work because of needy young kids. Thanks god. I can imagine that I would be struggling if that we’re the case, though. I’m thankful for that. Because of this coronavirus, now employers will probably stop wondering about their employees productivity while working from home. If they focus on the results instead on the rest, they will probably be well regarded. This is the new normal and everyone has to accept it. Working from home is no longer being seen as a privilege reserved to the few but a required possibility for the most. I find this to be relieving somehow. I’m not really optimistic about the outcome of this coronavirus crisis. I don’t expect we take as many lessons as we can from all this. I hear and read a lot of comments about how better or how different things will be after the pandemic. The very few lessons that will be adopted will probably be for a too short period of time. I wish I had more optimistic sentiments but it is too hard. And the reason is simple. Just look at how people are easily forgetting social distanciation rules because of the relaxation of confinement rules. People don’t like their liberty to be restricted. On that sour note, I’m enjoying my own time, doing what I like to do most: writing and digitally processing photos I take with my iPhone. Life is made of small pleasures. You can see a sample of my experimentation here, on the [Numeric Citizen Visual Space](https://numericcitizen-visualspace.com/?ref=numericcitizen.me). Or read my latest posts. --- - [Anybox – My Experience with a Bookmarks Manager](https://numericcitizen.me/2023/03/09/anybox-my-experience-with-a-bookmarks-manager/)2023-03-09I’m ditching Raindrop.io for Anybox – Here’s why and how. - [A Message to my Readers & Followers on WordPress.com](https://numericcitizen.me/2023/01/20/a-message-to-my-readers-followers-on-wordpress-com/)2023-01-20I have a special message for you today. I’ve been here for quite a few years and loved the experience of publishing on WordPress, but the time has come for some changes. I’m in the early stage of planning for the migration of this website to another platform. I’ll explain the reasons why in the… [Continue Reading →](https://numericcitizen.me/2023/01/20/a-message-to-my-readers-followers-on-wordpress-com/) - [Five Steps For Safely Leaving Twitter](https://numericcitizen.me/2023/01/13/five-steps-for-safely-leaving-twitter/)2023-01-13Thanks to Elon Musk, I decided to leave Twitter and move on. Here’s my five-step plan for safely leaving Twitter behind. ### A Guide for Preparing to Leave Your Numeric Legacy URL: https://numericcitizen.me/a-guide-for-preparing-to-leave-your-numeric-legacy/ Last updated: 2024-06-23T16:04:56.000Z The Digital Legacy Management Guide is now available on Gumroad [Digital Legacy Management GuideFirst, What is Digital Legacy Management?In today’s interconnected world, much of our lives are lived online. From social media accounts and email inboxes to digital photo albums and cloud storage, the traces of our digital existence are widespread and multifaceted. Digital Legacy Management refers to the process of organizing, managing, and planning the future of your digital assets and online presence. The goal is to ensure that your digital footprint is handled according to your wishes after you pass away.What you’ll get when you buy this digital product?An access to the Craft document serving as the foundation and support for digital legacy management. Any Craft users can open the document in native Craft format and can duplicate the document to have their own copy in their Craft space. If you’re not a Craft user, you get a Word version of the document, fully editable to fit your needs. Lastly, you’ll get a PDF version of the document that you can print and fill on paper instead. Please note that the PDF version is not an Adobe PDF form. Special introductory pricing. Price will go up on the next update of the template. Why is Digital Legacy Management Important?Peace of Mind for Loved Ones: Providing clear instructions for your digital assets can relieve your family and friends from the burden of making difficult decisions during a time of grief. It also helps to avoid potential conflicts and confusion among heirs.Financial Considerations: Some digital assets, like cryptocurrencies or online business accounts, have significant financial value. Proper management ensures these assets are accessed and transferred smoothly.Personal Privacy: Without clear instructions, your personal data could remain vulnerable or misused. Managing your digital legacy helps safeguard your privacy even after you’re gone.Preservation of Memories: Digital photos, videos, and social media accounts often hold sentimental value. Proper planning ensures these memories are preserved and accessible to your loved ones.Key Elements of Digital Legacy Management TemplateInventory of Digital Assets: Create a comprehensive list of all your digital assets. This includes:Email accountsSocial media profilesOnline banking and financial accountsSubscription servicesCloud storage and backupsDigital photos, videos, and music librariesAccess Credentials: Document usernames, passwords, and any two-factor authentication details necessary to access your digital accounts. Consider using a password manager that allows secure sharing of these credentials.Instructions for Each Asset: Decide what should happen to each digital asset. This might include:Deleting accounts and dataTransferring ownership to a family member or friendArchiving and preserving certain contentMaking memorial posts or announcementsDesignation of a Digital Executor: Appoint a trusted individual to manage your digital assets according to your instructions. Ensure this person is aware of their responsibility and has access to your documentation.Legal Considerations: Incorporate your digital assets into your will or trust. Consult with an attorney to ensure that your digital legacy plan aligns with current laws and regulations regarding digital inheritance.How to Use the Digital Legacy Management GuideThe Digital Legacy Management Guide is designed to guide you through the process step-by-step. Here’s how to use it:Download and Print: Get a copy of the guide from our website and print it out for manual completion, or use the digital version to fill out on your computer.Fill Out Personal Information: Start by documenting your personal information and key contacts.Inventory Your Assets: Use the provided sections to list all your digital assets and their respective access credentials.Specify Instructions: Clearly indicate what you want to happen to each asset after your passing.Appoint a Digital Executor: Identify your digital executor and ensure they have access to the template and any password management tools you’re using.Optionally, consult Legal Advice: Review your completed template with a legal professional to ensure it complies with relevant laws and fully protects your wishes.Taking the time now to manage your digital legacy can provide peace of mind and security for both you and your loved ones. Embrace this vital aspect of modern estate planning with the confidence that your digital footprint will be handled with care and respect.![](https://public-files.gumroad.com/4iwvblftztohkqgytce8bx58bnau)Gumroad![](https://public-files.gumroad.com/aztlnc450wtlhu2rvxjsam4pmojx)](https://numericcitizen.gumroad.com/l/digital-legacy-management-guide?ref=numericcitizen.me) In challenging times like we are currently in, death becomes an everyday subject. Losing someone you love is painful. When we pass away, it can be a major burden for the family to manage our legacy, not only in the physical world but in the numeric world too. Preparing to leave your numeric legacy is something you should be considering doing, but how do you address this challenging endeavour? ![Photo from Robert Eklund on Unsplash](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/numericcitizen.me/wp-content/uploads/2020/05/robert-eklund-ngdqn_9rwc0-unsplash.jpg) Photo from Robert Eklund on Unsplash I wanted to write something like this for a long time. Now, here it is. It’s been a long journey. The idea for writing this guide came up after briefly touching the matter in “[Managing the Elderly’s Numeric Life](https://numericcitizen.me/2019/08/09/managing-the-elderlys-numeric-life/)“. When I wrote this piece, it was about managing the numeric life of my living, but very old parents. I had to ask myself: “when they will pass away, how do I prepare their numeric legacy?”. The same question applies to me and everybody else for that matter. After someone’s death, how do survivors get access to the numeric legacy of the diseased? How can you recover photo libraries? What about social networks like Facebook or Instagram, how do you access them? As more and more things happen in the virtual world, the numeric legacy of someone grows. Over the years, we subscribe to services like iCloud and pour things in them. Our parents accumulated physical souvenirs, but the following generations are building a numeric legacy with a lot of data in them. We need to prepare how we will leave it behind. This is what this guide is all about. ## Read me first This guide is not about helping people writing their testament, nor is it trying to replace a testament, far from it. Consider this as a complement to your will. Also, this is an Apple-centric guide, but most of the principles apply to other digital ecosystems as well. Writing this guide allowed me to create my own plan and upped my game in regard to my security practices in my numeric life. I’m a long-time user of [1Password](https://www.1password.com/?ref=numericcitizen.me), a well-known password manager that is at the center of my strategy. During my research, I upgraded to the paid subscription[1](#fn1) of 1Password which helped me improve my security posture in many ways. ![Photo by Kate Macate on Unsplash](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/numericcitizen.me/wp-content/uploads/2020/05/kate-macate-xmddehycisc-unsplash.jpg) Photo by Kate Macate on Unsplash This guide is a three parts guide. The first part is about helping people build an emergency kit that will help survivors manage their numeric legacy. Part 2 is about creating and managing the electronic vault. Finally, the third part consists of describing the actual process of using the emergency kit after your dear one passes away[2](#fn2). ## Part 1 — The secure envelope The first thing to do is to create a one-pager document on which you’ll write enough information to kick start the process of taking control of your numeric legacy. That is the sheet of paper that will be put in an envelope. In order to access the digital world, a secure envelope act as the backdoor to this closed world. In order to prepare the secure envelope, four important questions need answers: which informations should be in it? How should you store them? Where should you put this envelope? Who should know about the secure envelope existence? Let’s look more closely at each question. ![The emergency kit components at the center of your numeric legacy preparation](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/numericcitizen.me/wp-content/uploads/2020/05/emergency-kit.png) The emergency kit components ### What First, determine what are the minimal pieces of information that will be required to get access to your numeric legacy. The date and the person name you expect to read the document must be there. Describe how to access the electronic vault (required for the next part). Write down the PIN number used to unlock your smartphone or tablet. Write down the username and password of the account used to unlock your computer (if you own one). Never write anything down anything related to your work, as this could violate a corporate security policy. The following list summarizes the minimal information that should be written down. - Current date - Your name - The name of the person you expect to have access to this information - The PIN used to unlock on your smartphone - The PIN used to unlock your tablet - The email address you use the most - The account information used to open a session on your computer - The name of the password manager you and where it is located - The master password required to unlock the password manager vault ### How Your sheet of paper is created in a text editor of your choice and saved on a computer or a tablet. My suggestion is to refrain from using an electronic device like a USB key to be put in the envelope. These devices can fail at the worst moment and may not be compatible with future equipment required to read their content. Why not print the document and store it in the envelope. Simple. Effective. When you are ready to store the envelope, seal it. It’s a good way to detect unwanted breach[3](#fn3). When you need to update the information contained in the secure envelope, first create a new version then destroy the old one with a shredder. Keep all versions of the electronic document, though. ### Where There are many places where the emergency kit envelope can be stored. If you have a safe in a bank, this is probably the most secure way. Alternatively, if you have a safe at home, use it. If you have a physical document filer with personal documents, you can classify the envelope with your other personal papers. You could mention the location of the secure envelope in your will too. Finally, consider storing two copies of the secure envelope, just to be safe against fire or other life disasters. But remember the more copies, the less secure it is. ### Who The secure envelope is as useful as someone knows about its existence. It must be a person you trust the most. Don’t take it too lightly. As you can understand, the content of the secure envelope is the key to your numeric legacy. It can be your husband or wife, your sister or brother, or one of your children. ## Part 2 — The electronic vault Take advantage of this guide to update your security posture and practices. You’ll find instructions on how to use modern security measures like two-factor authentication. If you don’t use a password manager, now is the time to get one. ![1Password main screen](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/numericcitizen.me/wp-content/uploads/2020/05/1password.png) 1Password main screen You need a way to write down your account passwords and other important information in a secure way. Don’t write them on paper 4\. You have to be clever, more sophisticated. There are a plethora of password managers on iOS or macOS. Personally, I’m using 1Password and Apple’s iCloud Keychain5\. The former has been available for many years. The latter is integrated into Apple’s operating systems. It is very convenient but lacks a few important features usually found in more sophisticated applications. 1Password can store much more information than account passwords. You can store secure notes, credit card information, passport information, etc. As mentioned earlier, 1Password is subscription-based. By subscribing you get secure access to your passwords vault from anywhere on [1password.com](https://1password.com/?ref=numericcitizen.me)[6](#fn6) website. If you use many web services and have many accounts, I would suggest that you record the most important one first. While doing this exercise, consider closing down accounts that you no longer use, but mark them as such in your password manager. Keeping account history can prove to be valuable, you never know. ![Enabling two factor authentication example](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/numericcitizen.me/wp-content/uploads/2020/05/enable-2fa-example.png) Enabling two factor authentication example While entering or updating your account information, you’ll get a warning if the website supports two-factor authentication (or 2FA). For each of these warnings, take action and enabled it. Learning about what is 2FA is not in the scope of this guide, though. If you want to learn more about 2FA, read this [short guide](https://www.onespan.com/topics/two-factor-authentication?ref=numericcitizen.me) or a more [complete explanation on Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Multi-factor%5Fauthentication?ref=numericcitizen.me)[7](#fn7). To see which sites support 2FA, see [https://twofactorauth.org](https://twofactorauth.org/?ref=numericcitizen.me). Suffice is to say that protecting an account with 2FA is a really good security practice which I encourage you to adopt. While doing so, you’ll need a small application on your iPhone or iPad like [Authy](https://authy.com/?ref=numericcitizen.me)[8](#fn8). That’s the one I use and I’m pretty much happy with it. Don’t forget to look on your iPhone or iPad to see which applications you use and note the ones that require a password as you should record them too. If you are the type of person who uses the same password for many accounts[9](#fn9), say it so in a secure note with your password manager[10](#fn10). That way, if you forget to record an account, your survivor could try to use that frequently used password. Oh and finally, why not keep a list of your subscriptions in your password manager. These are services that will need to be eventually terminated. Don’t limit yourself and write any pieces of information that you deem important for someone to know when you pass away. ## Part 3 — When bad things happen Death is part of life. It is a sad event. He or she left behind a numeric legacy. You don’t know anything about it, but you are going to find out. Most people don’t care about putting some order into their numeric life and death can happen anytime soon. For those who read this guide and left behind the emergency kit with a secure envelope, they are lucky. Let’s see what could happen when the death strike. As shown in the following diagram, the first stage is the discovery phase of your journey. ![A three phases journey after death of your dear one](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/numericcitizen.me/wp-content/uploads/2020/05/stages.png) A three phases journey after death of your dear one ### The discovery phase Where do you start? Use the secure envelope from the emergency kit. You’ll find a sheet of paper with the required account information to get access to the diseased’s smartphone, tablet or computer. Next, you should be able to enter the diseased’s password manager where you’ll find a treasure of security information. ![A typical login screen of a modern web service.](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/numericcitizen.me/wp-content/uploads/2020/05/typical_modern_login_screen.png) A typical login screen of a modern web service. ### The take control phase With the secure envelop on hand, you now have a better hand on this numeric legacy. Now, it is time to visit every service starting with the most important ones. If you want to keep them for a while, it might be a good idea to reset the password and change the recovery email address if one is available to one of yours. Many online services allow setting up a recovery email address or phone number on an account. By resetting the password of that account, an email will be sent to the recovering email address. By monitoring the diseased’s mailboxes, you will quickly receive an email containing an URL to trigger the password reset. ![Typical account security features](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/numericcitizen.me/wp-content/uploads/2020/05/typical-account-security-structure.png) Typical account security features You must keep the mobile phone or tablet of the diseased person for 2SA or 2FA authentication requirements if such security measures were used. Don’t cancel credit cards, monitor them for a few months and see transactions unfold. You will probably make a few discoveries. Also, subscriptions to critical services like password managers like 1Password are required to keep the access to the data they contain. ### The close down phase The final phase is to start closing down each service, one by one. Start with the least important ones. A Facebook account should probably be the last one to be closed. Same for emails and Apple ID accounts. Apple ID, Google accounts should be closed at the very last step. For each of them, you have to make sure that there is no valuable data or information to export first. Not all online services provide a way to export the data. For those that do, the export process is different and takes some time to export and download. The end result is some sort of file which varies in format. There is no standard process yet. ![Closing down an account example](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/numericcitizen.me/wp-content/uploads/2020/05/closing-down-an-account-example.png) Closing down an account example Taking over the numeric legacy of someone is a strange journey. As we proceed, we inherit things that will, in turn, grow our own numeric legacy. Eventually, we’ll have to create an emergency kit too so others can keep memories alive and help pass it along to the next generation. ## Concluding words My goal while writing this guide was for helping others address the challenging task of managing someone’s numeric legacy. With the help of the emergency kit on hand, a kit made of a secure envelope and an electronic vault, it should ease the challenge quite a bit. Hoping that you won’t have to use one anytime soon. Stay safe. 1. Yes, I know, you probably hate this business model. [↩](#ffn1) 2. This is not an easy task. It takes time, but think of this as an investment for your survivors. In fact, it is more like a way of life. [↩](#ffn2) 3. If such a thing happen, you’ll have to change all your password as soon as possible. Then, try to find the reason why the envelop was opened and by who. [↩](#ffn3) 4. Only the emergency envelope should contain the minimum required information. [↩](#ffn4) 5. Why use a separate password manager when Apple’s iCloud Keychain seems to work just fine with websites? One of the missing feature is the lack of password history, just to name one. [↩](#ffn5) 6. This is by no mean a review of 1Password, but it is certainly an endorsement. [↩](#ffn6) 7. Don’t mix 2FA with two-steps authentication (or 2SA). It is similar in nature, but 2FA is much more secure than 2SA [↩](#ffn7) 8. [Google Authenticator](https://apps.apple.com/us/app/google-authenticator/id388497605?ref=numericcitizen.me) is another popular, but less appreciated one. 1Password offers this feature too. [↩](#ffn8) 9. Using the same password for many account is not a good practice. Now is the good time to stop doing that, especially if you are now using a password manager. [↩](#ffn9) 10. Modern password managers already flag this for you because it is a very very very bad practice. [↩](#ffn10) ### My Ghost Experiment – Simple but… URL: https://numericcitizen.me/my-ghost-experiment/ Last updated: 2024-08-11T16:24:55.000Z I’m a perfectionist. I’m never fully satisfied with the tools I use. The same goes with the end results of the things I put out there, on my blogs. As you can see in [my blogger workflow](https://numericcitizen.me/how-is-it-done/), I depend on WordPress for my long posts and Micro.blog for shorter ones. There is one area where I’m looking to improve things: publishing a small set of pictures. I’m currently using 500px ([read about my experience](https://numericcitizen.me/2020/02/02/online-photo-sharing-services-my-experience-with-500px/)) as a way to publish most of my pictures online, but the style of what I want to publish doesn’t fit this platform. I’m also using Adobe Portfolio (see [my portfolio](http://numericcitizen.myportfolio.com/?ref=numericcitizen.me)) as part of my photography plan from Adobe, which is great, but I’m not entirely happy with the design. I can change the layout, but it a tedious task. I want something simple to use with the least management possible. When I read people mentioning Ghost on Twitter, and looking at site examples, I was pleased. Here is one such example. ![An example of a visual theme on ghost](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/numericcitizen.me/wp-content/uploads/2020/05/edge-ghost-team-desktop.png) An example of a visual theme on Ghost So I decided to try it and enter the 14-days trial period to see if it would be a good fit for me. This blog post is about my experience with Ghost from a photographer perspective, looking for a small place to share a few pictures. Let’s see how well it fared. ## A broken promise My first moments into Ghost environment felt disorienting. Simplicity is what Ghost is all about but I quickly found out that it comes at a cost. If you know Medium, then you’ll feel at home with Ghost’s text editor. They both look and behave the same way. It’s not a bad thing per sue. It’s definitely simpler than WordPress’s Gutenberg block editor. Each post can be tagged but not categorized. Tags have a twist though; you can assign private tags to each post. Private tags help classify posts but are not visible to visitors. I also found out that I take for granted the availability of a mobile application for any serious web services these days. Ghost doesn’t have an app on iPhone or iPad. How can this be possible in 2020? Ghost is an open-source platform with open [APIs for developers](https://ghost.org/docs/api/v3/?ref=numericcitizen.me#rest-api) to create native applications. The lack of iOS application baffles me[1](#fn1). Sure I can use the website from my iPad, and it is working fine, except for inserting a picture while editing a post: the insert picture button does not work. This is a deal-breaker for me. I think I prefer Micro.blog’s approach here: it’s not an open-source platform but published content is created using open standards, on the open web and there is an API and many iOS applications are available. On macOS, the situation is a bit better but their application is obviously a non-native one; it’s mostly a wrapper around their website. And speaking of supporting the Apple ecosystem, Sign in with Apple is not supported either, which is yet another strike. ## Not photographer friendly I’m sorry to say that, in many ways, Ghost is not photographer friendly. Galleries cannot have more than nine pictures in them. Managing images is limited as you cannot change photo dimensions; the only arrangement within the gallery can be modified. Speaking of pictures, contrary to WordPress, there is no media library available to insert pictures into a post. If you want to use the same picture in two different publications, you need to upload it each time. I don’t get it. Finally, Ghost relies on Zapier for automating basic things like cross-posting from Ghost to Twitter, for example. So I had to open a free account on Zapier. It’s probably one of the most positive things about this whole experience. I’m a big user of IFTTT, but now I’m discovering Zapier. It’s great. Unsplash is also supported by allowing me to insert any pictures from the service into a blog post. In this particular case, it wouldn’t be of much use as I’m looking to publish my own pictures. ## A bad ending Very early in the experiment, I knew Ghost wouldn’t fit my needs and meet my expectations of a modern, complete yet simple CMS. For many of the reasons exposed in [this Ghost reviews](https://www.cmscritic.com/ghost-pro-review/?ref=numericcitizen.me), my initial excitement for the service simplicity quickly changed to a series of bad surprises. Considering the money they charge for hosting, it is more expensive than my Adobe photography plan, which includes Adobe Portfolio. Now you know why It makes me think more than twice. My conclusion is simple: Ghost is not for me and doesn’t bring more value than what I’m currently using. If you are curious about the type of pictures I want to share, you can find a sample on [my Adobe Portfolio](https://numericcitizen.myportfolio.com/perfect-imperfections?ref=numericcitizen.me). 1. In fact, there is one application and it is Ulysses which I use for my writing needs. That being said, I wonder if the lack of applications demonstrates the lack of popularity of the platform. [↩](#ffn1) ### Eight Weeks URL: https://numericcitizen.me/eight-weeks/ Last updated: 2023-03-23T16:47:39.000Z Two months in confinement. I’m not sure we are where we should be on the battle against the virus. It seems we were reacting in much better ways than in some other countries. Yet, here we are. The number of new cases each day is only stabilizing, not decreasing yet. It is a bit depressing as rules of confinement and business reopening is starting this week albeit in a very gradual way. Some think it is too early. I’m not sure. It is a complex situation. ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/numericcitizen.me/wp-content/uploads/2020/05/montreal-mobility-graph.png) Montreal’s mobility as of May, 4th. The curves are slowly bending up. I know for sure that I’ll keep working from home for the foreseeable future. I used to go to the office four days out of five every week. I’ll probably do the opposite eventually. I don’t know when. I don’t think it will be in the next few months. And my body is taking a toll. I see the difference, and it is not good. In the last few days, I upped my physical activity level, though. Last weekend I went for a bike ride for two days in a row. Yesterday I went out for a 10KM walk. I was exhausted. Can you imagine, I was scheduled to do a half-marathon this month in Ottawa? These days, I’m thinking of my summer vacations that are going down the drain and the trips that we won’t do. It also means losing so many photo sessions opportunities. It means that I’m condemned to do street photography for a long time. ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/numericcitizen.me/wp-content/uploads/2020/05/img_4808-1.jpg) Really, 2020 sucks big time. ### Five Reasons Why Apple’s FaceTime is Losing the Battle Against Coronavirus URL: https://numericcitizen.me/five-reasons-why-apples-facetime-is-losing-the-battle-against-coronavirus/ Last updated: 2024-08-12T01:50:53.000Z With the coronavirus crisis around the world, video conferencing applications and services usage is exploding. More than ever, [thanks to confinement](https://numericcitizen.me/2020/04/10/covid-19-a-month-of-confinement/), people want to stay in touch with their colleagues or loved ones. FaceTime[1](#fn1) is Apple’s solution to help people communicate using their Apple devices. How is FaceTime faring in this challenging world? ![Group FaceTime in action](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/numericcitizen.me/wp-content/uploads/2020/04/group-facetime-iphone-ipad-ios-12.jpg) Group FaceTime in action #### A short story that prompted-me to write this post Before the worldwide confinement, my wife used to meet with a group of longtime friends once a month. Each time they used to do a different activity when they met. As you can expect, the coronavirus put an end to this tradition. After five weeks of confinement, I told her that she could try to do a virtual meeting instead. She liked the idea very much. A few days later came the “*virtual event*” on a Thursday night at five. It was a disaster. Since all of them are using an iPhone, I told her that she could do the meeting via Group FaceTime, which she did. At the time of the meeting, she set up an iMessage group then she tapped the FaceTime icon at the top of the conversation[2](#fn2). After a short while, people started to show up on the screen. Then, someone complained that she wanted to use her iPad to take the call but she couldn’t. Another person started to wonder why someone wouldn’t show up. Finally, others asked why some people only had initials instead of their pictures as avatars. See the confusion? It took them 45 minutes to try to fix these issues. They eventually abandoned and went ahead with Zoom instead, which worked flawlessly. #### It shouldn’t have been that way Apple is the privacy and security champion, but they don’t take advantage of it as much as they could to promote an easy and secure video conferencing platform that competes against the others. Video conferencing can be tricky to use, and people are naturally adopting a solution that creates the least friction possible. Facebook Messenger is hard to beat as nearly everyone is on Facebook. The mere fact that you have a Facebook account is enough to be reachable via Messenger. Simple. Effective. Zoom is another service that took off because of its simplicity[3](#fn3). At the center of every video conferencing services, the following flow must be considered. Reaching others by setting up the call, managing in-call options and features, adding or removing people on the fly and terminating the call are all required stages. Apple’s FaceTime has issues in the first three phases which are the most important ones. ![Video conference call stages](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/numericcitizen.me/wp-content/uploads/2020/04/web-conference-flow.png) Video conference call stages Instead of working on serious and much-needed features for FaceTime, Apple, in the last major releases of iOS, chose to *gamify* it with memojis and special effects. Now, Apple is paying the price. Let’s see more closely where lies the problems with FaceTime. #### 1) FaceTime is not a multi-platform service When initially [announced with the iPhone 4 in 2010](https://youtu.be/eujypqKT8o0?ref=numericcitizen.me), Steve Jobs said FaceTime was built using open standards and that it would be proposed to standards bodies in order to become an open standard. [Because of patents battle against VirnetX](http://www.iphonehacks.com/2018/06/why-apple-facetime-open-standard.html?ref=numericcitizen.me), it was harder to implement an architecture without going against already established patents. Plans for making it an open standard were abandoned. In other words, an Apple device is required to enjoy this service, too bad for PC owners or Android phone owners. Families running on Apple’s gear are mostly fine but could still face hurdles (see next section)[4](#fn4). #### 2) Setup and management is convoluted If you are a new Apple customer who just bought an iPhone, you’re good to go. Your phone number automatically gets activated for use with FaceTime (see Apple’s documentation [here](https://support.apple.com/en-us/HT204380?ref=numericcitizen.me) and [here](https://support.apple.com/en-us/HT209022?ref=numericcitizen.me#call-from-facetime) for details). Potential problems come when you have more than one Apple device or more than one Apple ID and if your Apple ID has more than one email address assigned to it. ![Typical FaceTime Settings](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/numericcitizen.me/wp-content/uploads/2020/04/facetime-settings.jpg) Typical FaceTime Settings You can start a FaceTime call by entering an email address or a phone number of the contact you want to reach. As stated on Apple’s website to manage your Apple ID: “*Adding contact information helps friends and family reach you using iMessage, FaceTime, Game Center and more.*” If you look carefully at the FaceTime settings in Settings.app, you will probably find your phone number and more than one email address. This is possible if your Apple ID is associated with more than one email address. It may seem convenient but the success of the call is dependent on the activation, by the one receiving the call, of FaceTime with its associated email or phone number. For the caller, it can be a hit or miss situation. People don’t like these kinds of intricacies. Convenience comes at a price of management cost. In order to receive FaceTime calls on more than one device, careful setup is mandatory. If not done right, receiving calls to your device might not be working as expected. If you signed in with a different Apple ID on different devices, receiving FaceTime calls from the device of your choice may not work as expected. FaceTime settings are not, apparently, tied to an Apple ID per se as shown in the following screenshot of the iCloud settings. Why? It is a mystery to me. ![No FaceTime Settings in iCloud, why?](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/numericcitizen.me/wp-content/uploads/2020/04/icloud-settings-with-no-facetime.jpg) No FaceTime Settings in iCloud, why? #### 3) There is no version or features for the business world Companies require a different set of features not available in FaceTime today. For example, there is no way to blur the background, which can be necessary to protect privacy in business environments. You can’t organize a virtual place for people to join in, only the initial caller can add people to an ongoing FaceTime call (see Apple’s [tech note](https://support.apple.com/en-us/HT204380?ref=numericcitizen.me)). You cannot transfer the ownership of the call nor you can’t share your screen nor documents with others. This feature alone could prove to be useful to help others with problems with their devices. Apple’s stance on privacy and security protection could partly explain this omission, though. #### 4) Reachability of contact is highly unpredictable If you cannot reach someone over FaceTime, you in for a potentially long debugging chat just to try to diagnose and fix the issue. As you probably know, you can reach people using their phone numbers or email address. The use of one or the other method depends on what the Apple ID owner configured. Most people don’t understand that you don’t need a phone number. This can be confusing for people. Having an Apple ID in order to be reachable is not a guarantee because the owner can elect to not enable FaceTime on it. In that specific case, you are out of luck and your call won’t get through. ![Starting a FaceTime call on iPhone](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/numericcitizen.me/wp-content/uploads/2020/04/facetime-group-video-calling-2.png) Starting a FaceTime call on iPhone #### 5) Apple made highly questionnable design choices Design is paramount for Apple and everything is not perfect, though. FaceTime is such a case. The start screen of the FaceTime application could see some design teaks. For example, I never understood the design choice of presenting a list of recent calls on top of a semi-fuzzy background. It doesn’t provide a great visual experience, especially on the iPhone. Mixing phone calls history with FaceTime calls is another questionable choice and can be confusing. Apple could provide a better way of distinguishing phone calls from pure FaceTime calls. This design lies in the fact that the FaceTime app is also used to place or receive phone calls on the iPad. The group discussion animation cannot be disabled and is more of a gimmick than anything else. A more subtle effect could have been designed, like adding a delicate glowing frame to emphasize the person who is talking. Even in this case, in a very busy group discussion, it would probably be annoying more than useful. Finally, some people are [reporting getting nausea](https://www.macworld.com/article/3534476/three-ways-apple-could-improve-facetime.html?ref=numericcitizen.me) while looking at these changing size rectangle. It is the worst part of the experience. \[*Update: On April, 29th, according to details leaked regarding the next minor update of Apple’s iOS/iPadOS, version 13.5, there is a setting which will allow users to disable the visual effect causing tiles to dynamically change in size. Good to know.*\] #### Final words Because of a lack of simplicity in critical areas, too much management and required Apple ID wizardry, FaceTime is losing the battle as a video conferencing service of choice. As of today, FaceTime remains essentially a one-to-one conversation tool. It may have been the original goal of the service but times are changing. We may have to wait for the next major release of iOS, iOS 14 or even beyond before we can see if Apple took notice. It may be too late which is too bad. 1. Group FaceTime was introduced with iOS 12\. Up to 32 people can be part of the conversation. [↩](#ffn1) 2. She could also have setup the call from within FaceTime app by adding one person after the other and then tapping Video button. [↩](#ffn2) 3. Zoom is not considered a very secure service. Use at your own risk. [↩](#ffn3) 4. WhatsApp, Messenger, Zoom, Skype, etc are available on major platforms making them more pervasive than FaceTime. [↩](#ffn4) ### My Review of the iPad Pro Magic Keyboard – A Transformative Accessory URL: https://numericcitizen.me/my-review-of-the-ipad-pro-magic-keyboard-a-transformative-accessory/ Last updated: 2023-03-23T16:47:39.000Z With iPadOS 13.4, Apple injected much-needed delight to the iPad with the introduction of pointer support. Using the iPad with a mouse is undoubtedly delightful, but Apple’s vision of the future of personal computing is fully experienced with the Magic Keyboard. Here is my review of this highly regarded keyboard from Apple. ## Is the iPad a real laptop now? ![A tablet or a laptop?](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/numericcitizen.me/wp-content/uploads/2020/04/apple_ipad-pro-keyboard-pages_04152020.jpg) A tablet or a laptop? In 2020, Apple upped the game of its iPad platform with the introduction of real pointer support with the iPadOS 13.4 release. While most people enjoyed their first experience because of a well thought out pointer implementation, Apple’s vision wasn’t complete until the release of their Magic Keyboard for the iPad Pro. Rarely an iPad accessory generated so much interest[1](#fn1). Why all this excitement, after all, it’s a keyboard with a trackpad, right? There are so many commentary posts and reviews about this keyboard as I write this. Why? Why such an accessory generates so much interest right now? Well, the answer partly resides in people desire to have the iPad replace a laptop. But, the iPad is missing credibility for being a “real computer”. Any new use cases make the iPad more relevant, more complete. > There’s still this thought that people need either a laptop 100% of the time, or an iPad 100% of the time, when really I need iPad 90% of the time & want laptop features for that 10% – [Steve Troughton-Smith on Twitter](https://twitter.com/stroughtonsmith/status/1251985411905290242?s=21&ref=numericcitizen.me) A few years ago, I never thought I would need a physical keyboard for my iPad. As Apple continued to invest in the platform, since getting the 2018 iPad Pro, my usage of the iPad increasingly looked like a typical laptop usage pattern. The most important thing for me is to improve my iPad usage in scenarios where I need my iPad to be more like a laptop. ![Previously, the stand alone Magic Keyboard with the Magic Trackpad 2](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/numericcitizen.me/wp-content/uploads/2020/04/my-previous-ipad-pro-setup.jpg) Previously, the stand alone Magic Keyboard with the Magic Trackpad 2 After buying a USB-C hub, a physical keyboard became the next thing to fully experience the iPad in a laptop usage style. Before buying the Magic Keyboard, my iPad Pro setup consisted of the stand-alone Magic Keyboard with the [Canopy from Studio Neat](https://www.studioneat.com/products/canopy?ref=numericcitizen.me) and the Magic Trackpad 2[2](#fn2). It was the best way to experience the latest features of iPadOS. It was enough to appreciate much of the stuff Apple brought to the iPad. Again, I felt delighted. But, something was still missing: unity, completeness. Today, I want to share my impressions of the Magic Keyboard after using it for a few days[3](#fn3). Now, here is the ten thousand dollars question: does the Magic Keyboard make the iPad Pro a real laptop this time around? Read on to find my answer to this burning question. ## Unpacking the weighty package After reading many reviews pointing out how this thing is so [heavy](https://9to5mac.com/2020/04/20/ipad-pro-magic-keyboard-weight?ref=numericcitizen.me), I was expecting something hefty and guess what? It is heavy but a bit less than I was anticipating. > The design of the Magic Keyboard requires it to be heavy; a counterbalancing stand needs enough of its own mass to support the iPad securely in place. – 9to5Mac Packaging of Apple products is always top-notch: simple, honest and made of recycled materials and bound to be recycled. The product is always at the center of the opening experience. The packaging is very simple, very Apple. ## Design and physical handling The Magic Keyboard is a wonderful expression of Apple’s savoir-faire in design and use cases understanding. The magic keyboard has two tones of black because of the difference in the finish of the keys and the external material surrounding them. It has a nice feeling to the touch, very soft. I’m not sure about the durability of this though. It is a very classy look. I like it a lot. ![Opening the Magic Keyboard the wrong way](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/numericcitizen.me/wp-content/uploads/2020/04/opening-the-magic-keyboard-method1.jpg) Opening the Magic Keyboard the wrong way Every manipulation of the Magic Keyboard is a two-hands operation (see [Reddit comment](https://www.reddit.com/r/ipad/comments/g4rp1d/some%5Fmore%5Ffirsthand%5Fcomments%5Fon%5Fthe%5Fmagic%5Fkeyboard/?ref=numericcitizen.me)). The physics behind this design could not make a single-hand manipulation easy. ![Opening the Magic Keyboard the good way](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/numericcitizen.me/wp-content/uploads/2020/04/opening-the-magic-keyboard-method2.jpg) Opening the Magic Keyboard the good way The only thing that can be done with one hand is closing the keyboard onto itself or taking the iPad away. I don’t think this is a problem or bad design. I prefer solidity over anything. On the subject of the closing operation, there is a satisfying flap sound when closing the iPad on the keyboard. Nice. ## Using the magic combination ![Side view of the iPad Pro with Magic Keyboard](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/numericcitizen.me/wp-content/uploads/2020/04/side-view-of-the-ipad-pro-with-magic-keyboard.jpg) Side view of the iPad Pro with Magic Keyboard The iPad seems to be floating in front of me and I like it. It reminds me of the Apple //c a few years ago. There is some magic happening when you sit in front of the iPad, hitting the space bar to bring the device to life, seeing notifications expand after the device authenticates you, hitting the spacebar again to fall on the home screen. Magical and delightful. There is some chatter to the effect that the viewing angle of the Magic Keyboard is limited to 130 degrees. While this is strictly true, my experience so far is not affected by this. ![The Apple //c with monochrome monitor](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/numericcitizen.me/wp-content/uploads/2020/04/the-apple-iic-with-monitor.jpg) The Apple //c with monochrome monitor What about the typing experience? Well, I’m happy to report that typing on this keyboard is a joy. My expectation was for the keyboard keys to feel pretty much like the ones on the [stand-alone Magic Keyboard](https://www.apple.com/shop/product/MLA22LL/A/magic-keyboard-us-english?fnode=56&ref=numericcitizen.me) that I already own but it is a quite different feeling. The click sound of the keys is less resounding, less clicky. I love the touch feeling but the surface of the keys is kind of slippery because of its glossy-ish finish, something I wasn’t expecting. Keys are stable wherever the fingers hit them, this applies to the space key too. Using the Magic Keyboard in the dark with iPadOS dark mode on is really something. The light leakage around the keys is just enough, visually pleasing. Thanks to the Smart Connector, the fact that I don’t have to pair the keyboard with the iPad via Bluetooth is already a big plus. Using the stand-alone Magic Keyboard was prone to a stickiness issue: after taking the iPad away for normal use, the paired keyboard could stay “connected”, preventing the onscreen keyboard to show up when needed. It was frustrating. It is a thing of the past now. Comparing to the standalone magic keyboard, it requires some time to get used to the smaller size keyboard. The difference in size is quite big. ![Comparison of keyboards size](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/numericcitizen.me/wp-content/uploads/2020/04/keyboards-size-compared.jpg) Comparison of keyboards size Using the Apple Pencil is ok for basic tasks as taking a screenshot and making annotations on it but I would not use it for more sophisticated tasks. For note-taking during meeting, I would either keep using the keyboard or simply take the iPad away and use the Apple pencil instead. I experimented with the use of this combo on the couch, on my lap, and the whole thing is very stable. I can imagine using it this way on the plane too, without any issue[4](#fn4). ![USB-C port on the Magic Keyboard](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/numericcitizen.me/wp-content/uploads/2020/04/the-usb-c-port-on-magic-keyboard.jpg) USB-C port on the Magic Keyboard The USB-C port on the left side of the hinge is for charging the iPad, slow charging, but charging-only nonetheless. This design leaves the iPad Pro USB-C port available for other more demanding use cases like plugging an external monitor, a thumb drive or a USB-C hub. ## Trackpad design and usage The trackpad is small, much smaller than what we are used to with Apple’s portables. At first contact, the trackpad size seems too small, but after a few interactions with it, I was rapidly gaining confidence in it. Clicking on the trackpad feels great, and it is uniformly reacting. The click sound is a bit too clicky to my liking, though. Gestures on it are a breeze to execute and very natural with one exception: pinch to zoom. It is not easily executed because of the trackpad size. It may prove to be an issue in certain use cases like photo editing. Time will tell, I guess. ## Is the Magic Keyboard magically perfect? In every product, every design, there is a search of equilibrium. The iPad Pro Magic Keyboard is a great keyboard with very few things to dislike. Here are the most annoying issues for me. > The iPad Magic Keyboard is to iPad-as-laptop accessories what AirPods were to earbuds: a game changer. — [John Gruber reviewing the Magic Keyboard](https://daringfireball.net/2020/04/the%5Fipad%5Fmagic%5Fkeyboard?ref=numericcitizen.me) First, the missing keys. The lack of function keys means the use of the Control Center is the only way to change the iPad volume. Next, the absence of an escape key is a sad omission for certain applications[5](#fn5). Two, there is no way to change the backlit level from the keyboard itself since there are no function keys. This time, the Control Center is helpless and a visit to the Settings application is the only solution, not very convenient. My guess is for Apple to fix this in iPadOS 14. > The Magic Keyboard strikes a perfect balance between altering the iPad’s nature and keeping it intact at the same time. — [Federico Viticci reviewing the Magic Keyboard](https://www.macstories.net/stories/magic-keyboard-for-ipad-pro-a-new-breed-of-laptop/?ref=numericcitizen.me) One last issue: opening a MacBook by lifting the screen with one hand is a delight. Opening the Magic Keyboard to start using the iPad is not a great experience. Far from it. These omissions are also seen has big drawbacks by Ben Lovejoy of 9to5Mac in “[iPad Pro Diary: Day 2 with the Magic Keyboard reveals more pros and cons](https://9to5mac.com/2020/04/22/magic-keyboard/?ref=numericcitizen.me)”. I couldn’t agree more with him. ## What the future holds? With iPadOS 13.4, Apple made big strides toward making the iPad an even more versatile touch screen. The Magic Keyboard is another step in that direction, probably a game-changer as I recently wrote in “[The iPad Magic Keyboard: The Magic Pivot of the iPad](https://numericcitizen.me/2020/03/23/the-ipad-magic-keyboard-the-magic-pivot-of-the-ipad/)”. But my gut feeling is that iPadOS 14 will be another major push that will put an end to the old saying that, in case of the iPad, the software is always behind and holding it back. My hope on this matter is for Apple to notice this recently published concept of [the iPad Main Menu.](https://numericcitizen.me/2020/04/08/the-ipad-main-menu-the-next-game-changer/) It is far from perfect as a concept but there is a lot to like. ![Apps need to be updated in order to bring the best user experience with the Magic Keyboard and pointer support](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/numericcitizen.me/wp-content/uploads/2020/04/apps-updated-to-support-ipados-pointer.png) Apps need to be updated in order to bring the best user experience with the Magic Keyboard and pointer support While the iPadOS 14 will probably fix a few simpler issues like exposing the brightness control in the control center, other things need to be addressed. After the Magic Keyboard positive reviews, pressure now turns to application developers to update their applications in order to adopt these new technologies. The sooner, the better. ## Concluding thoughts The Magic Keyboard is… a keyboard first and foremost, not an iPad case, don’t be mistaken. And it is ok with me. This keyboard will help make us forget about the fiasco of the butterfly keyboards on the MacBook. I’m happy to see Apple back in the game in this area. Reflecting on the Magic Keyboard for the iPad Pro makes me conclude that we may have the most versatile, powerful screen you’ll ever own. Does it make the iPad more than an iPad, like a real laptop substitute? There is no definitive answer. I don’t pretend to have one. For me, at least, the iPad is slowly but surely taking over my digital needs and I’m ok with this. 1. The only other thing such as a keyboard that generated a lot of reactions was the 2016 MacBook Pro butterfly keyboard. [↩](#ffn1) 2. My first try was with the Magic Mouse 2 [↩](#ffn2) 3. Warning: this review is not about comparing the iPad with Magic Keyboard to a Surface Pro from Microsoft or with anything else for that matter. [↩](#ffn3) 4. I don’t really know when I’m going to take the plane again because of the coronavirus crisis. [↩](#ffn4) 5. You can remap keys to be an ESC key. I did this and remapped the globe key to be the ESC key. Works like a charm. [↩](#ffn5) ### My review of Notion from a blogger’s perspective URL: https://numericcitizen.me/my-review-of-notion-from-a-bloggers-perspective/ Last updated: 2024-03-17T14:52:40.000Z In the past few months, I’ve been using Notion, a popular collaboration platform. What I discovered is a surprisingly powerful tool that helps me be better at blogging. Here is my review of Notion from a blogger perspective. (If you want a freebie, head to the end of this review for details at the end of this blog post. You’ll thank me later.) ## How does it work? First, let’s see how it all comes together. When you understand basic concepts behind Notion digital workspace, it is easier to get a better idea of how the tool can fit your requirements and your own workflow. If reading is not your thing, then head to YouTube for a [quick tutorial](https://youtu.be/GsT81PXaTZ0?ref=numericcitizen.me). ![Type of objects the can be inserted on a Notion page](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/numericcitizen.me/wp-content/uploads/2020/04/notion-page-with-objects.png) Type of objects that can be inserted on a Notion page The base object is a page acting as an infinite canvas of semi-structured objects. Pages can be linked together as well as nested and shared as public websites. No registration is required to access shared pages. Each page can be personalized with a banner and an icon. Almost any kind of object can be put on a page: text, lists, images, weblinks, etc. These objects are called “blocks”. Complex blocks like databases re-use the page canvas concept for entering a single record in the database. All blocks have attributes like colour or link. Blocks can be rearranged on pages to create a more complex layout to suit your needs. ![A typical Notion page](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/numericcitizen.me/wp-content/uploads/2020/04/a-typical-notion-page.png) A typical Notion page Notion service may look difficult or challenging to use for new users. To help them start quickly, templates are available from which new pages can be created then modified according to specific needs. There is a bunch of templates organized in a classification library. Finally, pages can be exported in different formats like PDF, HTML or Markdown. ## My observations while extensively experiencing Notion As Notion quickly became part of [my blogger workflow](https://numericcitizen.me/2020/03/15/my-updated-blogger-workflow-as-of-2020-03/), I gathered many observations about the service and their native applications. Notion is such a powerful beast; I could probably write a series of blog posts about it. Let’s review a few interesting observations. Notion is fast and dependable. The more you add stuff in there, the more searching becomes useful; Notion becomes a knowledge base reflecting my interests and my research. ![Searching in Notion](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/numericcitizen.me/wp-content/uploads/2020/04/searching-in-notion.png) Searching in Notion On the iPad, Notion is generally a joy to use. Adding stuff to Notion from other apps is easy as the share sheet is available almost from any application supporting images, text or URLs. I experienced a few crashes and weird scrolling or display behaviours on the iPad. Thanks to frequent updates, the company behind Notion seems aware of the problems and pushes application updates on a regular basis. One last thing regarding native application, copying and pasting content from a web page won’t preserve URL in the text. The same goes when copying a text block containing a link into Ulysses, for example. It shouldn’t be that way. We are in 2020, right? ![URL information is lost while pasting a text block. Frustrating. ](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/numericcitizen.me/wp-content/uploads/2020/04/notion-losing-url-while-copy-pasting-text-block.png) URL information is lost while pasting a text block. Frustrating. You can import content into Notion on the web. Import feature supports basic file formats like HTML, text or Office documents. A few third-party cloud storage services like Google Drive is also supported. Content from the web like Tweets or Google Maps locations can be embedded as objects. Notion is great at bookmarking websites. ![The database object in Notion](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/numericcitizen.me/wp-content/uploads/2020/04/the-database-object-in-notion.png) The database object in Notion The most complex object is the database block. Databases can be created to store records of information made of many attributes of many typical types we can find in database applications, including text, date, percentage, images, URL or even Notion pages. You can change the record format as you wish even after data is already present in the database. Filters and views can be defined for each database to sort or present the data in different and more useful ways. I created many databases for my own needs, one of them is a list of upcoming blog posts I’m working on, or I plan to work on. This data can be presented in a calendar format or as a Kanban-style format. Very cool stuff. ## Things I love about Notion I’ve been using Notion for a while now. Over the weeks, I’ve learned a lot about it. I love this service so much that it became part of my blogger life. Under the deceptive yet straightforward design hides the richness of features. Here is a collection of things that I love about it. If you are a regular reader on my blog, you probably remember that [I’m a big fan of the free photo-sharing service called “Unsplash”](https://numericcitizen.me/2018/12/07/do-you-know-unsplash/). I’m happy to report Unsplash is available from within Notion. Since each page can have its banner photo, you can search Unsplash to import the picture that best fits your taste. ![Unsplash integration within Notion](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/numericcitizen.me/wp-content/uploads/2020/04/unsplash-integration-in-notion.png) Unsplash integration within Notion Notion fully supports Apple’s ecosystem by offering apps on iOS, iPadOS and macOS besides being a web-based service first and foremost. And, finally, Notion is surprisingly cheap at 4$ a month for a single user and free for students. This pricing makes the service very competitive. Finally, Notion on macOS shines at supporting keyboard-only interactions. if you prefer using the keyboard instead of the mouse while writing, you’ll be pleased with Notion. Within a page, tab, forward slash, arrows, enter and the ESC key are all contributing to a mouse-less usage of Notion. ## Wishing for more Notion is certainly not perfect. My usage of Notion over the last few weeks allowed me to discover a few missing features that I’d like to see added in the future. Here is an exhaustive list. I hope they pay attention[1](#fn1)! - As pages can become quite long with a lot of stuff on them, navigation can be tedious. It would be helpful to have a dropdown menu built on the page’s headline blocks. Think of it as a table of content. Writing applications like Ulysses has this feature to jump to a specific portion of a text. - Text selection is currently limited to the block boundaries, which is frustrating. When I’m done with my writing in Notion, I want to be able to select multiple paragraphs, drag them out to Ulysses. At the time of publishing this review, it wasn’t possible on the iPad or macOS. - One very irritating issue is the lack of drag and drop support within the application and with other applications. This issue is present on the iPad and on macOS. It is a bit baffling. - I’d like to see [APIs](https://medium.com/keep-productive/why-notions-api-will-change-everything-862d86d273b2?ref=numericcitizen.me) added to the platform to allow for integration with services like IFTTT. - On iPadOS, support for creating simple drawings with Apple Pencil would be useful. Shortcuts support would be helpful too to better automate things like importing stuff into Notion. - Better feature parity between the iPad and the web would be nice, but they are fixing this with recent [updates](https://www.notion.so/What-s-New-157765353f2c4705bd45474e5ba8b46c?ref=numericcitizen.me). Keep them coming! - Extension for Chrome and Firefox are available, but I wish Apple’s Safari were supported too! - I’d like to be able to subscribe to Notion calendar block from Apple’s iCal. - Word and characters count from text selection would be very handy too. ![Naviating content in Notion with the sidebar](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/numericcitizen.me/wp-content/uploads/2020/04/naviating-content-in-notion-with-the-sidebar.png) Naviating content in Notion with the sidebar I’m very optimistic about Notion as they keep improving the platform. ## The fake interview For this review, let’s do a fake interview with myself[2](#fn2). The subject is Notion and its impact on me as a blogger. #### **Q. In your blogging process, where does Notion come into play?** *A. From the very beginning where an idea about a possible blog post pops up in my mind up until I’m ready to write the actual blog post within Ulysses.* ![Macro view of my blogger workflow](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/numericcitizen.me/wp-content/uploads/2020/04/macro-view-of-my-blogger-workflow.png) Macro view of my blogger workflow #### **Q. How do you take advantage of Notion as a blogger?** *A. Notion is now at the center of my blogger workflow. It has become a knowledge base. My usage pattern of the service is simple. From the first few days of use, I perfected a template that I use when I start a new blog post project (you can access* [*this template in read-only mode*](https://www.notion.so/numericcitizen/Template-for-new-articles-772079faeff040abb5ed02a78ee13f4e?ref=numericcitizen.me) *to see for yourself). This template then becomes my research canvas and helps me be more consistent in my work.* *Besides this template, I use Notion to store important pieces of information in a semi-structured way. I created many pages to contain references to my work like important blog posts, quotes to use later, web articles to read later or just to keep an eye on, etc. I created a page to plan for my upcoming blog posts, including recurring ones on subjects like my photographer or my blogger workflow and the photo series like the newly introduced “*[*Perfect Imperfections Series*](https://numericcitizen.me/series/the-perfect-imperfections-series/)*”.* #### **Q. How does Nation help me be a better blogger?** *A. I’m a very structured type of guy at work and as an indie blogger. When I’m done researching and assembling pieces of information, everything I need to actually start writing is in one place: texts, references, quotes, images, URLs to previous articles, and so on. Putting a blog post together is way faster. Notion serves as a digital workspace with a repository of my accumulated knowledge on many subjects. Overtime, Notion’s usefulness increases. By using a template for each new blog post, my work is of better quality by imposing the same content and research structure. In short, I think Notion helps me improve the quality of my posts.* #### **Q. How is Notion changing your blogging work?** *A. I spend less time in Ulysses or Apple’s Notes*[*3*](#fn3) *as I write more in Notion. After completing my work in Notion, the remaining work mostly consists of copy-pasting text, editing, inserting images and entering metadata.* #### **Q. How can Notion enable collaboration?** *A. Notion allows me to invite other bloggers or reviewers to have a look at a Notion page with the possibility to enable commenting or just in read-only mode. This can be really handy to enable collaborative work with other bloggers. Remember, Notion is a collaborative platform*[*4*](#fn4)*.* ![Sending an invite to a person to enable collaborative work](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/numericcitizen.me/wp-content/uploads/2020/04/collaborating-in-notion-by-sending-invites.png) Sending an invite to a person to enable collaborative work #### **Q. In what proportion do I use the web version of Notion compared to one of the native applications available on iPad, macOS or iPhone?** *A. By default, I prefer to use the native version. I would say 40% on iPad, 40% on macOS and the rest being split between the web version and the iPhone native app.* #### **Q. Do I still use Apple’s Notepad?** *A. No except to draw basic diagrams or ideas that I will eventually transpose into more serious drawing apps. The same goes for Apple’s Reminders as a bookmarking tool and never went ahead with a subscription to* [*Raindrop.io after my initial review*](https://numericcitizen.me/2020/03/01/things-to-look-for-before-buying-a-new-application/)*.* #### **Q. Are you a paying subscriber of Notion?** *A. Yes, since I crossed the limit of 1000 blocks of the free tier. On top of the unlimited blocks, you get page versions tracking.* #### **Q. Do you receive any form of advantage from Notion for writing this review?** *A. Well, read the conclusion for that one.* ## Conclusion and a freebie There is so much more to write about Notion. Notion isn’t perfect but it is a perfect fit for me and my needs as an indie blogger. Sure [there are many alternatives](https://clickup.com/blog/notion-app-review/?ref=numericcitizen.me) but Notion offers what I didn’t know I wanted and for a few pennies a day. If you are not sure yet, don’t worry and look for what [others are saying](https://towardsdatascience.com/the-best-note-taking-task-manager-app-for-data-science-research-projects-ddc82afaa509?ref=numericcitizen.me) and how they use Notion for their own needs. Better yet, look for [critical reviews of Notion](https://www.pcmag.com/reviews/notion?ref=numericcitizen.me) or a [good description](https://theuxstudio.com/reviews/notion-so-detailed-review/?ref=numericcitizen.me) of the platform and how it works. If you want to register with Notion and get a 10$ credit from the get-go, here is something for you. Register to this blog newsletter (provided by the excellent Mailbrew service – [see my Mailbrew review here](https://numericcitizen.me/2020/04/07/my-review-of-mailbrew-a-powerful-and-time-saving-internet-information-aggregator/)), and I’ll send you an invite[5](#fn5). **If you are a Notion user, feel free to drop a few comments following this blog post!** 1. I should fill feature requests for all of these. [↩](#ffn1) 2. I know, it sounds silly but hey, why not! [↩](#ffn2) 3. I no longer use Apple Notes for blogging work. [↩](#ffn3) 4. I didn’t have a chance to test it except for a few simple things and it worked great. [↩](#ffn4) 5. I’ll receive a 5$ credit commission if you do so. Think of it as a gift for my blogger’s work. [↩](#ffn5) ### Confinement – A Visual Essay URL: https://numericcitizen.me/confinement-a-visual-essay/ Last updated: 2023-03-23T16:47:39.000Z ![Confinement of 2020 because of COVID-19 crisis. ](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/numericcitizen.me/wp-content/uploads/2020/04/6a67e044-3688-47cc-b22a-7ef70b5c6305.jpg) Yesterday, I went out for a very long walk in downtown Montreal. Since the beginning of my confinement, more than a month ago, I wanted to go out and experience the city’s emptiness. I took eighty pictures from which I selected nine of the best. The subject of each photo is trying to portray confinement or a consequence of it. ### COVID-19: A Month of Confinement URL: https://numericcitizen.me/covid-19-a-month-of-confinement/ Last updated: 2023-03-23T16:47:40.000Z Today marks a month of [my confinement](https://numericcitizen.me/2020/03/11/on-covid-19-im-not-afraid-yet-but-im-angry/). Already. Surprisingly, life still goes too fast. Yet, I do have a feeling it is only the beginning. There will not be a clear cut return to normality. It will be slow, painful, full of uncertainty. It is why I have a feeling that we won’t be back to pre-coronavirus time way of living for many months if not a few years. I’m already feeling tired of all this. This week I was supposed to be on vacation. I kept working from home instead. A holiday to do what, to go where? ![woman sitting on dock during daytime](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/numericcitizen.me/wp-content/uploads/2020/04/eakjzxcu0p0.jpg) I read and hear a lot of people hoping for a better world after this crisis and I wish I had the same feelings. The world will mostly stay the same. We will change everything that needs to be changed to keep those habits we cannot get rid of: massive consumption of resources is such a habit. I may sound alarmist but looking at history, there are way too many examples of missed opportunities. Just consider 9/11, See? I’m looking ahead to the next month of confinement. Summer will come, the school will end, but then, what? Nobody knows for sure. ### The iPad Main Menu concept: the Next Game Changer? URL: https://numericcitizen.me/the-ipad-main-menu-the-next-game-changer/ Last updated: 2023-03-23T16:47:40.000Z I rarely write about mockups of potential new user interfaces or new devices. But when I see something that is profoundly good, I have to pass it along. Yesterday [I came across the release of a study](https://numericcitizen.micro.blog/2020/04/07/another-potential-ipados.html?ref=numericcitizen.me) made by [Alexander Käßner](https://www.alexkaessner.de/?ref=numericcitizen.me), a young UI/UX and digital product designer based in Berlin, Germany (it is one of the guys behind the excellent diagramming application: [Diagrams](https://numericcitizen.me/2020/02/05/diagrams-for-mac-a-promising-beginning/)). The thesis subject: ***an iPad main menu concept***. Think of it as a reimagined menubar but for iPadOS. Let’s dig in a bit more. ## Why a menu on iPadOS? Well, if we look at macOS, a menubar is a quick way to access an application feature. By sitting there, unobstructedly, a menubar helps a user to discover the application’s features. Discoverability is one of the major problems *with iPadOS since day one of the iPad*. The iPad Main menu concept is an excellent answer to this problem. ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/numericcitizen.me/wp-content/uploads/2020/04/advanced-settings.png) The iPad Main menu imagined for Keynote ## A deeply thought out concept The iPad main menu concept covers many usage contexts: from being available as a system menu to the split-screen use case. The latter is particularly smart, as shown in the following example. While using two applications side-by-side, the iPad main menu supports a dual view by proposing a segmented control so the user can select which menu to use for which application. ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/numericcitizen.me/wp-content/uploads/2020/04/ipad-main-menu-split-screen-1.png) The iPad main menu concept supports split screen scenarios The iPad’s main menu is available from the dock or with a three fingers gesture. It can be invoked at any time. The beauty of this concept is to keep iPadOS simple and mainly unchanged. The iPad dock gets a new icon on the left; that is it. For keyboard users, menu items come with shortcuts, just like on macOS. Each menu items come with colour-coded mini-icons on the left of menu items, which make it more user-friendly, an important attribute of the iPad. Other notes of interest are the support of the slide-over, draggable portion of the menu and the support for sub-menus. To get the full experience, head to the website to see clips and videos. ## Is Apple listening? I hope that Apple finds this concept and take it as is. Period. It could mark another milestone in the long journey of the iPad becoming a mature computing device. iPadOS 13.4 with mouse support is one of those turning points. The iPad main menu concept is another. I’m crossing my fingers. ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/numericcitizen.me/wp-content/uploads/2020/04/slide-over.png) Slide-over is supported by the iPad Main menu concept ### My Review of Mailbrew: a Powerful and Time-Saving Internet Information Aggregator URL: https://numericcitizen.me/my-review-of-mailbrew-a-powerful-and-time-saving-internet-information-aggregator/ Last updated: 2023-03-23T16:47:40.000Z Mailbrew is a powerful and time-saving internet information aggregator that allows its users to build useful newsletters. More than ever, content aggregation is essential these days. This is why I’m a big fan of News Explorer ([read my review here](https://numericcitizen.me/2020/02/24/rss-readers-war-from-reeder-to-news-explorer)) and this is why I decided to subscribe to Mailbrew for a year. Here is my review from a blogger’s perspective. ## What is Mailbrew? According to Mailbrew website: > Get the best content from any website, Twitter, Reddit, YouTube, Google News, and more — right in your inbox, away from the clutter of the Internet. [Mailbrew](https://mailbrew.com/?ref=numericcitizen.me) is a new service in the category of [information aggregators](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aggregator?ref=numericcitizen.me) that allows users to build and receive newsletters automatically to their mailbox. Newsletters are based on content sources like RSS feeds, Twitter, Google News, Reddit, just to name a few. ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/numericcitizen.me/wp-content/uploads/2020/04/mailbrew-flow.png) Mailbrew flow: from sources to newsletters In a sense, it reminds me of [Paper.li](http://paper.li/?ref=numericcitizen.me) which helps create websites based on outsourced content. Mailbrew is similar but the medium is an email newsletter directed to one user. The service is much cheaper too than Paper.li. I have been using the service for a few weeks now and I couldn’t be happier about it. But, after a trial period, I wasn’t sure how this would fit [my blogger workflow](https://numericcitizen.me/2020/03/15/my-updated-blogger-workflow-as-of-2020-03/) but I had a sense that it could help me to be more productive. ## How to build a newsletter There is an infinite number of ways that you can build your newsletters. They can be subject-specific or source-specific or both at the same time. It is really up the user and this is the beauty of this service. For example, if you are a big user of Reddit, you can build a newsletter based on your favourite subreddits. Or, if you are a fan of Apple, newsletters can be based on many of your favourite websites about Apple and add Apple pundits from Twitter. The building process if very strait-forward: a newsletter is generated from a [brew](https://www.thefreedictionary.com/brew?ref=numericcitizen.me). You start by giving it a name and a publishing schedule. Scheduling options are flexible: the newsletters can be sent on a daily, weekly or monthly basis. ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/numericcitizen.me/wp-content/uploads/2020/04/mailbrew-popular-brews.png) You can strat your new brew by cloning an existing one ### Content selection Next, you proceed by adding information sources from the left that will populate the newsletter content. While you build your newsletter, you can see a preview of its content on the right side of the page. Sources can be re-ordered as you wish. For Twitter, you can add individual users as different sources or you can add a Twitter list. Using individual users gives you more formatting and content selection flexibility. Using a Twitter list is great as you can manage the content of the list from Twitter itself and your newsletter will adjust accordingly automatically. I use both methods. Look for “[My Twitter Superstars](https://app.mailbrew.com/apple%5Fobserver/my-twitter-superstars-DDr9u6gPu3b5?ref=numericcitizen.me)” on my mailbrew profile page for details. ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/numericcitizen.me/wp-content/uploads/2020/04/supported-brew-sources.png) Currently supported brew sources in Mailbrew Adding Twitter users is easy because Mailbrew uses auto-completion from your own Twitter account. Multiple Twitter accounts are even easier to add with a large list from which you can pick and choose from. ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/numericcitizen.me/wp-content/uploads/2020/04/twitter-user-as-brew-source.png) Adding a Twitter user as a brew source Twitter searches are supported and prove to be both very powerful and useful. For example, I set up a newsletter to search for very specific tweets about Apple’s upcoming products like iPadOS 14 and iOS 14\. I get this newsletter once a week, on Saturday morning. Working with Mailbrew is really like having a digital assistant doing work for you, repeatedly, diligently. I love this. Adding RSS feeds is very cool. If you don’t know the RSS feed of a website, just enter the website’s address and Mailbrew will figure it out for you. Again, layout options are numerous as you can choose to see the post title, a post excerpt or the full article. An interesting option is to use a quote mode to display articles in a tile format when using a three-column layout. ### Layout options Layout options are source-dependant. For example, using Twitter, you can select a specific user, a Twitter list or do an advanced search. Next, you choose how many tweets you want to get (I’m mostly using the top three popular as it reduces noise and I get better content quality) and the layout of these tweets on the page. I prefer to use three columns layout. You can change all these parameters as you wish. Most of my formatting options are set to three columns with full image size. I like the information density. If I want to get the full content, it is easy to just click the link. Newsletters are organized on your home page based on their scheduled frequency (daily, weekly and monthly). You can pause a newsletter if you want to stop sending it to your mailbox. ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/numericcitizen.me/wp-content/uploads/2020/04/brew-scheduling-options.png) Brew scheduling options ## The social touch of Mailbrew There is a social aspect to Mailbrew: you can share a link to a specific newsletter’s brew and you get a public profile too. [Here is mine](https://app.mailbrew.com/apple%5Fobserver?ref=numericcitizen.me). You can browse other people’s newsletter brews to quickly build your own or just take it as is. Your brews are private by default but, you can enable them to be public if you want. In that case, people will be able to see previous editions of the newsletter which is really nice. ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/numericcitizen.me/wp-content/uploads/2020/04/my-mailbrew-public-profile.png) My Mailbrew public profile ## What I’d like to see in the future Mailbrew is in its infancy. There is so much more potential to grow from here. Being able to add a visual separator as a layout option with a light coloured background choice would help to divide a newsletter content visually. Being able to add a text or image block as a way to add more personalized content of each newsletter, especially if Mailbrew allows other users to subscribe to your newsletter. The user experience of editing mailbrew on the web is very impressive, clean and flawless, but I wish I could do this with a native iPad app. New information sources are being added over time to the service, but I’d like to see more “dashboard” like sources like stocks or even weather statistics. Also, a popular site like Medium would be an excellent and handy addition. As their [publicly available roadmap](https://www.notion.so/numericcitizen/Mailbrew-roadmap-d9535cdc61c44514957844bdd98af721?ref=numericcitizen.me) depicts, we can see that more social options will be available in the future. ## How does Mailbrew helps me as a blogger? In many ways, Mailbrew is a valuable addition to my blogger tools arsenal. I save a lot of time, but having Mailbrew cut the noise (including ads). It is like having a digital assistant working for me 24 hours a day, seven days a week. It helps me reduce the risk of missing essential information tidbits from the sources I value the most. Without paying too much attention, Mailbrew silently builds an information archive, which is paramount in a numeric world where information is short-lived. ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/numericcitizen.me/wp-content/uploads/2020/04/a-mailbrew-example.png) A mailbrew issue example ## Concluding words Mailbrew is just getting started, and the foundation seems to be solid. From here, a lot more is possible. I’m a happy camper for now and can’t wait to get my next newsletters. Who knew I would be anxious to receive newsletters in my inbox. My hope is for this new service to meet success soon and for a long time. If you want to subscribe to Mailbrew, please use this [link](https://mailbrew.com/?invite=apple%5Fobserver-cIJg4gMy&ref=numericcitizen.me) to register yourself and I’ll get a little bit of money while doing so. Think of it as a way to thank me for writing this review. ### COVID-19: Comments on Living and Working at Home for a Long Time URL: https://numericcitizen.me/covid-19-comments-on-living-and-working-at-home-for-a-long-time/ Last updated: 2023-03-23T16:47:40.000Z Today, I’m starting my third week of confinement at home per request of the local, state and federal governments (Canada). This confinement is supposed to last at least until mid-April. Personnally, I don’t expect to return to a “normal” situation before the beginning of May. My work from home setup is perfect for my needs. I’m using a 21.5” 2017 iMac with a LG UltraFine 4K Display ([read my review here](https://numericcitizen.me/2019/06/02/my-review-of-the-237-lg-ultrafine-4k-display/)) and a Logitech USB 1080P webcam (FaceTime camera is not good enough and the builtin microphone of the Logitech is stereo and much better). Finally, my AirPods Pro complete the picture. I use them all the time for my meetings or just to listen to music. In fact, the problem is not really the hardware. ![Work from home setup](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/numericcitizen.me/wp-content/uploads/2020/03/image.jpg) My work from home setup For my work, we use many different collaborative applications. What I would like to see in the future is a unified collaboration platform. Something as ubiquitous as the traditional phone. I know this is utopia and it won’t happen anytime soon. But, having to deal with so many web conference applications kills me. None are perfect. On top of the list, for me at least, are MS Teams and Zoom. The latter has the best user interface but the company behind it should learn about user privacy respect. The [latest story](https://www.macrumors.com/2020/03/27/zoom-ios-app-stops-sending-facebook-data/?ref=numericcitizen.me) on this is troubling. By the way, please, make sure to read my recent blog post on [how to improve your web conference experience](https://numericcitizen.me/2020/03/25/working-from-home-how-to-improve-your-web-conferencing-experience/) if you are one of these users of this type of tool. --- Working from home is quite a different experience than working at the office. My kids are living with their mother. So, my environment is quiet and I can focus on my work. In fact, I’m focusing too much on my work. At the end of each work day, I’m much more exhausted than normal. At the office, seeing people, chatting, take small breaks help a lot. But, working from home, the only way to replicate this in this crisis is to go out for a walk as often as possible. Confinement rules allow us to go out for walk as soon as we respect a social distanciation with a two meters distance with others. But finding time between virtual meetings is hard to do. It is a constant challenge. --- As I’m writing this blog post, I’m looking ahead and I’m not feeling confident for the near future. The worst in Canada is still in front of us. I cannot image what it will be like in the US. The return to normal will be as hard for all of us as the plunge to this crisis was. I don’t expect a return to a clear cut situation where things feel safe. There will be a lot of grey areas that will require balancing act from our government. Something that we have here in Canada, not much in the US. I expect the global situation to be a source of anxiety for many people. The coronavirus is here to stay, just like the regular flu. The aftermath of this crisis will be far reaching at many levels of our society. It is transformational. Let’s hope we learn a few lessons from this. ***How do you cope with confinement***? ***Share your story or experience in the comments section below!*** ### Working From Home? How to Improve Your Web Conferencing Experience URL: https://numericcitizen.me/working-from-home-how-to-improve-your-web-conferencing-experience/ Last updated: 2023-03-23T16:47:40.000Z *The coronavirus forces many people to work from home. Here is how to improve your use of collaborative software like web conferencing applications and be a good meeting attendee.* The world is in a major sanitary crisis, putting our life on hold for many weeks, thanks to the coronavirus. Companies need to react. Office work has to adapt quickly. More than ever, technologies come into play to help businesses address these challenges. Collaborative services and applications are gaining in popularity and companies who can deploy and learn to use them rapidly are the ones who will minimize the crisis impacts on its operations and ultimately its bottom line. For many companies with employees already working from home, it is business as usual but for others, it is an entirely new way of working and collaborating. For them, learning new skills may be required and new habits must be developed. One of the most popular collaborative services in use are web conferencing applications. Examples of these tools include [Zoom](https://zoom.us/?ref=numericcitizen.me), [MS Teams](https://products.office.com/en-US/microsoft-teams/group-chat-software?ref=numericcitizen.me), [Skype](https://www.skype.com/en/?ref=numericcitizen.me), [Webex](https://www.webex.com/?ref=numericcitizen.me), etc. Here is a cheat sheet to improve your web conferencing experience. The next time you enter a web conference, please, remember these tricks. #### Getting ready Before the web meeting, get yourself ready. - When filling your information before entering a meeting, pay attention and write your complete name so others can see who is in. - Why not set your avatar with a picture of your face instead of leaving it blank with your initials? Don’t be afraid to show up your face, just like in real meetings! - For big meetings with more than six people, name a moderator who will keep an eye on the meeting participant list for those who raise their hands. - The moderator should record the meeting for those who can’t attend the web conference. Tell others at the beginning of the meeting if it will be recorded. - If you are more than one in the same session, let others know because otherwise, the meeting moderator could be waiting for people to join-in while they are already there. - Using a webcam consume more bandwidth for all people in the meeting, consider this before entering the meeting when using your webcam because participants with low-bandwidth internet service will suffer. #### Keep it confidential Because confidentiality is paramount, here are a few specific precautions to limit information leaks to curious eyes while using web conferencing applications. - Before starting your meeting or sharing screen content, make your desktop free of sensitive pieces of information (company internal documents, photos, emails, diagrams, etc.). Otherwise, you are wasting people’s time if scramble to hide things before presenting your screen. - Don’t forget to mute your notifications, you never know who will try to reach you while presenting. - If other people stay in the same room, put on headphones so they don’t hear everything. - Use a virtual visual background to mask your surroundings if the application allows it (Zoom and MS Teams allow Setting a virtual fuzzy background). ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/numericcitizen.me/wp-content/uploads/2020/03/me-in-microsoft-teams.png) Video settings in Microsoft Teams #### Friendliness Good manners and consideration make a big difference between a bad and a great experience for you and other meeting attendees. - Ask others if they can hear you correctly after presenting yourself then turn off your microphone. - When you intervene, name yourself so others can know who’s talking, especially if you don’t use a webcam. - More than ever we should respect other people while they talk. Slowing down your pace and make short pauses to help others have their say. Why is this an issue? Talking on a video conference is not the same as talking in person or on the standard phone. There is some lag caused by many things like processing time, data transfer speed and link or congestion. You don’T want people talking over each other. - The non-verbal posture of the participants is not available to others because very few people enable their webcam (for reasons like security, fear of being recorded without consent, etc.), Consider turning your webcam on if you have one of these meetings where non-verbal communication can make a big difference. - While your webcam is on, refrain from moving too much, especially if you use your smartphone to join the conference as this can be hard for others to see without feeling nauseous. Oh, and the more you move the more it consumes bandwidth too. Just put your smartphone of a table and leave it there for the during of the conference. ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/numericcitizen.me/wp-content/uploads/2020/03/matthias-wagner-qrqeusbpfmm-unsplash.jpg) Photo by Matthias Wagner on Unsplash #### Make it sound good and look great “What did you say? I’m sorry, I can’t hear you…. “… sounds familiar? Read on. - Always pay attention to the way you appear on other’s screens, look at the camera and point the camera to your face! It is easy to forget and point the camera in the wrong direction! - Enter the meeting in mute mode, we don’t want to hear background noises unless you are required to present yourself. - If your video looks too laggy to others, you may have to reduce video quality if your application allows it. - Get yourself high-quality gear (microphone or camera) so your voice is clear while minimizing background noises. - If you attend a web conference while outside and walking, stop before you talk and turn off your microphone if you don’t talk. - If you are more than one in the same room, only one should be using the microphone otherwise we will hear a sound echo. - Watch out when you use your keyboard while attending a meeting, others will hear the keyboard in the background and this can be very annoying. Turn off your microphone if you need to take notes. - Being hungry during a meeting? Please, keep your microphone on mute, we don’t want to hear you eat or drink. - If your smartphone is on vibrate, put it away from your desk because each time it will buzz, others will hear the buzz too on your table as background noise and this is annoying. - if you are working from home, ask others in the house to minimize their bandwidth consumption (no Netflix, no software download, etc.) while you are on a web conference because this could have an effect on the sound and video quality of your presence on the meeting. #### Become a pro This crisis will last for many weeks. Web conferencing applications are probably here to stay and will be much more pervasive from now on. - Consider increasing your internet speed to improve sound and video quality; other participants could thank you for that. - Sounds don’t take much bandwidth; it shouldn’t be an issue normally. If people complained about a low-quality sound, it might be time to consider upgrading your internet service link to a faster speed. - Integrated microphones in portables usually are not very good. Consider buying an external one (USB microphone) or even an external webcam that comes with a microphone. #### A few more words I do understand that many of these issues are consequences of tools not being mature enough. The same goes for operating systems or applications like Outlook, who show detect when you are in a meeting so it can stop showing notifications when you get new mails. Finally, web conferencing applications are far from perfect. For example, Cisco Webex cannot blur the background while it may be hard to find options like muting your microphone. This coronavirus crisis already pushes software developers to improve their offerings as they increased new updates to fix issues and improve usability. Wondering which web conference application is most popular? Look no further, it is Zoom by a long shot as shown below. Did you know [Zoom was at the center of a privacy breach story](https://numericcitizen.me/2019/07/11/on-this-zoom-vulnerability/) last year? > Zoom exploded past other video conferencing apps last year. But before lockdowns, video conferencing penetration was still tiny, based on Okta's data (which should skew to tech-forward companies). [https://t.co/s68pOuz3nR](https://t.co/s68pOuz3nR?ref=numericcitizen.me) [pic.twitter.com/xoR8vBBzgK](https://t.co/xoR8vBBzgK?ref=numericcitizen.me) > > — Benedict Evans (@benedictevans) [March 23, 2020](https://twitter.com/benedictevans/status/1242091021984555008?ref%5Fsrc=twsrc%5Etfw&ref=numericcitizen.me) ### The iPad Magic Keyboard: The Magic Pivot of the iPad URL: https://numericcitizen.me/the-ipad-magic-keyboard-the-magic-pivot-of-the-ipad/ Last updated: 2023-03-23T16:47:40.000Z Amid the coronavirus crisis, Apple recently released a bunch of new products[1](#fn1). From an updated MacBook Air to a beefed-up [iPad Pro](https://www.apple.com/ipad-pro/?ref=numericcitizen.me) and many new Apple Watch bands, one product stands out: the Magic Keyboard with a trackpad for the iPad. With the iPadOS 13.4 release, the new keyboard could become a pivot in the iPad journey. This is my take on Apple’s announcements. ![Top view of the new iPad Magic Keyboard with trackpad](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/numericcitizen.me/wp-content/uploads/2020/03/ipad-magic-keyboard-with-trackpad.jpg) Top view of the new iPad Magic Keyboard with trackpad #### Surprise and excitement Many observers and tech journalists were expecting an Apple event this spring. But, as you know, the coronavirus probably forced Apple to change its plans. I’m happy to see Apple release new products anyway for our joy and excitement. There was no keynote, but there is plenty of online stuff for us to take a look at. Take [this video of Craig Federighi](https://www.theverge.com/2020/3/18/21185188/ipad-trackpad-how-to-support-mouse-cursor?ref=numericcitizen.me) talking about the new iPad keyboard and iPadOS 13.4\. It feels a bit strange, but the context makes it understandable. It could represent a taste of things to come for their WWDC conference in June[2](#fn2). The other thing exciting is this ad: “[How to correctly use a computer](https://youtu.be/w0P0FQ770dE?ref=numericcitizen.me).” I like this ad very much because of its tone and a bit of self-mockery. It is probably one of the best iPad ads that I’ve seen. This video could have been part of a keynote. #### Staying true to its core attributes According to [Apple](https://www.apple.com/ca/newsroom/2020/03/apple-unveils-new-ipad-pro-with-lidar-scanner-and-trackpad-support-in-ipados/?ref=numericcitizen.me): > With iPadOS 13.4, Apple brings trackpad support to iPad, giving customers an all-new way to interact with their iPad. Rather than copying the experience from macOS, trackpad support has been completely reimagined for iPad. As users move their finger across the trackpad, the pointer elegantly transforms to highlight user interface elements. Multi-Touch gestures on the trackpad make it fast and easy to navigate the entire system without users ever lifting their hand. Here is the thing, the one thing that I find utterly interesting. Apple managed to introduce support for a trackpad without touching any of the visual attributes of what makes an iPad an iPad. The input methods circle is now complete (touch, keyboard, pencil, voice and now the trackpad). You won’t lose anything by not connecting a keyboard or a mouse. It is brilliant. > It’s important to note that if you don’t attach a mouse or trackpad or keyboard to your iPad, nothing will change. The iPad is, at its core, a touchscreen tablet. You should never, ever find yourself in a situation where you can’t do something on an iPad if you don’t have a mouse or trackpad handy.[Jason Snell of SixColors](https://sixcolors.com/post/2020/03/the-ipad-cursor-is-here-no-wait-required/?ref=numericcitizen.me) #### Let’s talk about the hardware ![The Magic Keyboard with trackpad puts the iPad in all its glory](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/numericcitizen.me/wp-content/uploads/2020/03/floating-ipad-on-magic-keyboard.png) The Magic Keyboard with trackpad puts the iPad in all its glory I’m a big fan of the 2018 iPad Pro design, and this year’s product release is about continuity. The floating design of the Magic Keyboard enhances the iPad general allure, and I love it. I can see, from promotional videos, that it is quite easy and natural to take off the iPad from its stand by grabbing the bottom part of the device. Clever. That is the Apple way that I like. This thing is not designed to be a case but to be a great keyboard with a stand. And the colour, hard to tell from looking at images or videos, seems darker than what Apple has done so far. Seeing Apple gear in person always makes things even better looking. This magic keyboard design was unexpected in a few ways: backlit keyboard keys, USB-C port for charging on the side of the hinge, which is a brilliant idea by the way. The keys look like the one on the [Magic Keyboard](https://www.apple.com/shop/product/MLA22LL/A/magic-keyboard-us-english?ref=numericcitizen.me) that I use and love but with rounded edges. I wonder about the combined weight of the new keyboard and the iPad Pro. I hope that it stays on the “still light enough” side of the fence. I can’t wait to try it. For obvious reasons, I’ll buy it as soon as it becomes available for purchase. We still don’t know when Apple Store around the world will open its doors[3](#fn3). #### Experimenting with the mouse While I wait for the keyboard to be available in May, I decided to install the GM image of iPadOS 13.4 to try it with my Magic Mouse 2[4](#fn4)[5](#fn5). I’ve been testing this setup for many hours, and so far, it is awesome. It’s not without its quirks though (more on this later), but what Apple has done here is remarkable. It [feels alive](https://twitter.com/ChrisSDreiling/status/1240483686660706306?ref=numericcitizen.me) [6](#fn6). It feels organic [7](#fn7) [8](#fn8). It is like [it always been there](https://twitter.com/zcichy/status/1240690870489198594?s=21&ref=numericcitizen.me). > Adding a trackpad to iPad was done in a way that reimagined not just the idea of a pointer, but in the entire package — hw & sw. That’s what makes this interesting.Steven Sinofsky I did make a few changes to the default pointer settings though as shown here. It better fits my taste. ![I made a few changes to Increase Contrast, Hide pointer after 3 seconds and scrolling speed](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/numericcitizen.me/wp-content/uploads/2020/03/pointer-control-modified-options.jpg) I made a few changes to Increase Contrast, Hide pointer after 3 seconds and scrolling speed You can peek at how the cursor support has been implemented by looking at the web yourself. But, since I’m a good guy, here is a short reference list. - General interaction with the mouse with a few apps, [see this tweet](https://twitter.com/simonbs/status/1240332999868194818?s=20&ref=numericcitizen.me). - Adaptative cursor in action based on target type and how it goes from one target to the other, [see this tweet](https://twitter.com/bwalkin/status/1240386019666481153?s=20&ref=numericcitizen.me). - Interaction with the Calendar app, [see this tweet](https://twitter.com/bzamayo/status/1240255536601485312?s=21&ref=numericcitizen.me). #### Better at text manipulation? As you know, iPadOS 13 introduced quite a few changes to text manipulation. Some of the changes are quite controversial and infuriating[9](#fn9). How does iPadOS 13.4 with mouse support help in this context? I’m happy to report that I find it much easier to work with text in general. Positioning the text cursor is much more precise than with touch. Selecting text is what it should be. But, by default, once selected, right-clicking doesn’t bring the cut-copy-paste menu, though, which is weird. Enabling the right-click in mouse settings fixes the issue. I wonder why Apple didn’t choose to enable that by default. ![Enabling the right-click on the Magic Mouse](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/numericcitizen.me/wp-content/uploads/2020/03/enable-right-click-magic-mouse.png.jpg) Enabling the right-click on the Magic Mouse To make a story short, trust me, if you write a lot with your iPad, mouse support will improve your experience a lot. #### Some adaptation required but it is worth it ![The Magic Keyboard with trackpad](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/numericcitizen.me/wp-content/uploads/2020/03/magic-keyboard-side-view.jpg) The Magic Keyboard with trackpad There are some areas where will need to adapt, though. One example of this is with iPadOS multitasking gestures. Consider this case: moving the pointer to the bottom of the screen will eventually, bring the dock. By keeping the movement downward, and eventually, the current app will be dismissed and the home screen revealed. But, if you want to bring the multitasking view, grab the horizontal handle, and move it up but do this before the dock comes into view. It sounds harder than it is in reality, and I expect the learning curve to be short for most people. Here is an example of something that works better with the mouse than with touch. ![An example of something easier to do with the mouse](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/numericcitizen.me/wp-content/uploads/2020/03/multitasking-with-ipados-and-mouse.gif) An example of something easier to do with the mouse To me, at least, this gesture is smoother than by using my finger. Another example below when invoking the Cmd-Space to search while in an application. ![Bringing another app side by side with search](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/numericcitizen.me/wp-content/uploads/2020/03/bring-another-app-with-search-ipados.gif) Bringing another app side by side with search #### A lack of focus? I do welcome mouse support on the iPad, but it amplifies a well-known problem: the lack of focus of the active application while being in split-view. The absence of a clear visual cue of the currently active application in relation to the keyboard input becomes worst with iPadOS 13.4 with mouse interaction[10](#fn10). Let me give you an example. ![Which application is currently receiving keyboard input?](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/numericcitizen.me/wp-content/uploads/2020/03/lack-of-input-focus-example-ipados.png) Which application is currently receiving keyboard input? Let say I’m typing text on the application on the left. Next, I move the mouse cursor over the application on the right but without ever clicking anything. I scroll the content with the magic mouse gesture. But, If I start to type again, the text input focus is still on the application on the left side. There is no visual cue of this, and the application that gets the focus is not coherent: keyboard input on the left, mouse on the right. Apple has to fix this in iOS 14\. One solution would be to change the keyboard input in conjunction with the mouse cursor position. With iPadOS 13.4, Apple didn’t just bolt a cursor on the screen ([read this excellent article on the subject](https://medium.learningbyshipping.com/ipad-pro-gets-a-trackpad-a2d232689a97?ref=numericcitizen.me)). They reimagined the cursor, something that did not happen since the mouse invention. But, what they could have done is to bring the way application focus is managed from traditional computers. #### Beyond iPadOS 13.4 Today, iPadOS 13.4 brings new APIs for developers to take advantage of to adjust their apps for mouse and trackpad interactions. Apple will release an update to iWork in the coming days too. For the next year, it will be interesting to see how the upcoming iPadOS 14.0 will improve the iPad experience after the feature-rich release of iPad 13.4\. One small thing I’d like to see is a less flat cursor. Adding some “very slight depth” would increase visual appeal, in my opinion. One big thing, I think, is much-improved support for external monitors. Remember, the Magic Keyboard with trackpad comes with a USB-C port that can charge the iPad leaving the iPad’s USB-C port for other things like an external monitor. I guess Apple is actively working on this and support will be introduced when they feel the user experience is top-notch. I can’t wait to plug [my LG UltraFine 4K display on it](https://numericcitizen.me/2019/06/02/my-review-of-the-237-lg-ultrafine-4k-display/). #### Some more thoughts This announcement from Apple created a stir, at least, from what I saw on my Twitter feed. Reactions are [overwhelmingly positive](https://twitter.com/imyke/status/1240335310824910848?s=20&ref=numericcitizen.me), either for the hardware or the software implementation side. But, for some people, the idea of adding a keyboard and a trackpad to the iPad kind of goes against its very nature of being a simple tablet. I couldn’t disagree more. Suffice it to say that Apple did offer a keyboard option for the original iPad, too[11](#fn11). ![The original iPad with a Keyboard dock.](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/numericcitizen.me/wp-content/uploads/2020/03/ipad-keyboard-dock.jpg) The original iPad with a Keyboard dock. And what about those people who think that to consider a tablet to be capable of doing serious work, [only Microsoft’s take on tablets was right from the beginning with the Surface](https://www.theverge.com/2020/3/19/21186500/apple-ipad-pro-vs-surface-pro-trackpad-mouse-inputs-history?ref=numericcitizen.me). With these people, I would argue that Apple’s initial intention with the iPad was different than Microsoft’s. The starting point of the journey was also quite different. Apple started with a mobile OS that eventually was extended for the iPad, another quite mobile device. In contrast, Microsoft started with a Desktop OS that was morphed into a mobile OS. I prefer the end results with iPadOS by a long shot. By the way, Microsoft is not done yet as it tries to fit Windows OS as a more tablet-friendly operating system with Surface 8 currently in the works: > Microsoft, who is working from the opposite of end of trying to make a desktop OS more palatable to light-computer devices like the Surface Pro X[Daniel Rubino of Windows Central](https://www.windowscentral.com/apple-ipad-pro-magic-keyboard-surface?ref=numericcitizen.me) To me and many others (see [Gruber’s tweet](https://twitter.com/gruber/status/1241041449581457409?s=20&ref=numericcitizen.me)), Apple’s iPad and Microsoft’s Surface are converging to a stage of equilibrium. It is a good thing. Eventually, tablets will represent 80% of non-smartphone devices and PC will be seen as trucks. Just wait for it, it will happen. One side note, when looking at the iPad standing up on its Magic Keyboard with a trackpad, being suspended or supported in the air, don’t you see some similarities with this Mac? ![Lamp Mac](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/numericcitizen.me/wp-content/uploads/2020/03/lamp-mac.jpg) The “desk lamp” iMac Finally, each time I see people posting iPad screen recording clips, I find it hard to understand what is happening. The reason why is simple: we don’t get to see touch interactions. Well, starting with iPadOS 13.4, it is a thing of the past because of the mouse cursor is now visible! It is an exciting time for the iPad. Apple’s ongoing investments in the platform are bearing fruits. More than ever, I see the future of computing for the masses in tablets. The last time I had the same feeling was in 1984 following the Macintosh introduction. At the time, I saw the future too. For me, this iPadOS update is transformative of the iPad experience in many ways. The future is brighter than ever. Meanwhile, I cannot wait to get my setup transformed this coming May. ![My setup at the time of writing this blog post](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/numericcitizen.me/wp-content/uploads/2020/03/my-current-ipad-and-keyboard-setup.jpg) My setup at the time of writing this blog post **Do you think the iPad is at a pivotal time? Feel free to leave a comment and engage in discussion! It’s always welcomed!** 1. The updated iPad Pro is nice but having a 2018 iPad Pro I don’t feel the need to upgrade. [↩](#ffn1) 2. As I write this blog post, I still think Apple won’t cancel the online version of WWDC even if Google cancelled its own conference altogether. Who knows, maybe Apple will reinvent the conference too as we know it! [↩](#ffn2) 3. As of this writing, my expectation is that it won’t be before the keyboard is available for order. [↩](#ffn3) 4. Exceptionally, I didn’t participate in this beta. I didn’t want to mess around with my data and iCloud Drive. [↩](#ffn4) 5. I’m wondering if I should buy a Magic Trackpad but at $US 129 a pop, I think I’ll wait. [↩](#ffn5) 6. This is something that I really like in user interface design. [↩](#ffn7) 7. I’m still fascinated by inertial scrolling on iOS by the way. [↩](#ffn8) 8. The loss of the loupe is one of them. [↩](#ffn9) 9. Before you correct me, yes I know about the different tint of the small horizontal handle at the top of the application window view but I don’t consider this to be clear enough for the user. [↩](#ffn10) 10. It did look a bit weird at the time. [↩](#ffn11) ### COVID-19: A Crisis All-Around me URL: https://numericcitizen.me/covid-19-a-crisis-all-around-me/ Last updated: 2023-03-23T16:47:40.000Z ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/numericcitizen.me/wp-content/uploads/2020/03/daily-new-cases-covid19.png) Source: [https://www.worldometers.info/coronavirus/coronavirus-cases/#daily-cases](https://www.worldometers.info/coronavirus/coronavirus-cases/?ref=numericcitizen.me#daily-cases) Every day, every hour bring this crisis closer to me, all around me. More than ever, I live in a clear and present danger. It is less about [angriness](https://numericcitizen.me/2020/03/11/on-covid-19-im-not-afraid-yet-but-im-angry/) more about facing reality. Businesses are shutting down operations, temporarily, for now. My kids’ schools closed their doors for the next two weeks. They stay at home with their mother because they cannot go out, go to the gym or be at the party… it is not a time for celebration. I told them it will eventually be all behind us but before that, it will be much worst. They have to be patient. The company employing me takes drastic actions. We are informed. We are asked to take care of ourselves and be available to our customers. But, their projects are put on hold. They need to prioritize remote work. We can see the horizon coming to us with a darker tone. We no longer laugh like we used to do just a few days ago because we all know what this could mean. For now, I want to take it, one day at a time and do my best as an employee, as a citizen and as a father. Tomorrow is another day. I’m not alone in this. So many people are being affected by this ordeal. I know things will get worst. I will feel helpless but doing what I have to do: staying home and working remotely because I can, because it is required just by simple common sense. How are you doing yourself? How do you cope with this crisis? I want to know, share your experiences in the comment section. ### WWDC2020 to be Virtual Only – My Take URL: https://numericcitizen.me/wwdc2020-to-be-virtual-only-my-take/ Last updated: 2023-03-23T16:47:41.000Z ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/numericcitizen.me/wp-content/uploads/2020/03/wwdc2020-invite.jpg) At long last, Apple joins the plethora of other companies announcing updated conference plans. They had but no choice. Unsurprisingly, [Apple announcement](https://www.apple.com/newsroom/2020/03/apples-wwdc-2020-kicks-off-in-june-with-an-all-new-online-format/?ref=numericcitizen.me) offers a twist by presenting this as a new experience, like if from now on, this is the only way WWDC will take place. I can’t wait to see how different the event will be. I guess Apple will push a new version of the WWDC.app in due time. --- Most people still think real contacts are important in such event but let’s face it, times are changing. My hope is that COVID-19 will make us reconsider the way we work, the way we meet. All the technologies are available to enable this. On top of that, this will be good for the environment too! The last holdout is management and mentalities. And, to be frank, many of these events are pretty much low value-added. And consider our countless meetings, most of them could have been skipped. The following tweet is spot on. > This meeting could’ve been: > \* an email > \* a chat conversation > \* a message with an added prototype link > \* a well-written document > \* an annotated image > \* a screen recording > \* a comment in a task manager app > \* one or multiple threads inside an async team communication app > > — Alex 🌚 (@alexmuench) [March 12, 2020](https://twitter.com/alexmuench/status/1238154582141931520?ref%5Fsrc=twsrc%5Etfw&ref=numericcitizen.me) --- In Canada, the Quebec government just announced schools and university closure for two weeks. One of my kids goes to a college where the iPad is at the center of the learning experience. This week, they pushed Google’s Hangout so they can have virtual classes while we go through this ordeal. One last word, I wouldn’t be surprised if the rumoured upcoming March event is virtual too. Mark my words. ### The World Right Now URL: https://numericcitizen.me/the-world-right-now/ Last updated: 2023-03-23T16:47:41.000Z ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/numericcitizen.me/wp-content/uploads/2020/03/img_604771359.jpg) A closed door on an abandoned ship Why is this door closed and locked? What is behind it? What can be seen through this window? Where is the key to unlock the lock? Is it still available or was it thrown away? When and why this ship was abandoned? Where did people go? This picture has so many unanswered questions. For me, this photo is a reflection of my perception of the state of the world right now. The tone, the colours, the subject perfectly illustrate my feelings. [I’m not afraid](https://numericcitizen.me/2020/03/11/on-covid-19-im-not-afraid-yet-but-im-angry/) but I’m tired of this constant perception of the world in perpetual state of emergency. I guess this is our generation’s new normal. This photo was processed with the excellent Camera+ on iPadOS. ### On COVID-19: I’m Not Afraid (Yet) but I’m Angry URL: https://numericcitizen.me/on-covid-19-im-not-afraid-yet-but-im-angry/ Last updated: 2023-03-23T16:47:41.000Z I’m not afraid. Yet. I’m just angry. This clown (and his incompetent team) in Washington DC are at the worst place at the worst time. This “super-power” is unable to test enough people. So we cannot have the required data to act upon. This is catastrophic. ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/numericcitizen.me/wp-content/uploads/2020/03/covid-19-numbers-as-of-2020-03-11.png) Meanwhile, conferences are being cancelled. Events are being postponed. Vacation plans are being reconsidered too. Financial markets are going downhill. People are panicking. The world is close to coming to a halt. Recession is already looming. Time is running out. COVID-19 is making its way around the world. Now, this is a pandemic. [Numbers](https://www.arcgis.com/apps/opsdashboard/index.html?ref=numericcitizen.me#/bda7594740fd40299423467b48e9ecf6) are against us. In Canada, my home country, the situation is (still) under control. Our Prime Ministers (Federal & Provincial) are doing a great job as well as people in health care. They are heroes. ![COVID-19 cases around the world](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/numericcitizen.me/wp-content/uploads/2020/03/covid-19-virus-new-cases.png) COVID-19 cases around the world – the yellow line is the one to watch People don’t always realize what is pending in front of us. Health care institutions are already operating at full capacity and then this virus is among us. Just look at the situation in Italy. We don’t want this to happen here at home. This is much worst than the flu. Do I have to remind that we don’t have a vaccine for this shit, yet? But, many people think it’s not the case. I wonder how long they will keep thinking this way. Maybe they’ll change their mind when one of their close friends or one of their parents will get infected. I’m not afraid (yet) of COVID-19\. But, I’m angry. ### Being an Average Person Doing Average Things URL: https://numericcitizen.me/being-an-average-person-doing-average-things/ Last updated: 2023-03-23T16:47:41.000Z ![Photo by Beau Runsten on Unsplash](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/numericcitizen.me/wp-content/uploads/2020/03/beau-runsten-mr-n67xjthg-unsplash.jpg) Photo by Beau Runsten on Unsplash Here is something different. This blog post is about me as a person. It is about being an average person doing average things. Yep, that is right, this is me. What am I talking about you might ask? Well, read on. #### Condemned to be an average person? Last summer, I went to an Ironman as a supporter of one of my dear friend, Kathy. For those who don’t know what is an ironman, please spend a few minutes [reading this](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ironman%5FTriathlon?ref=numericcitizen.me). The night before the main event, we had dinner with many of soon to be ironman friends. She was accompanied by her own friend who did this more than a dozen times. This is insane. How can this be even possible? It takes so many sacrifices to accomplish a single Ironman. I can’t imagine for a dozen. During the diner, a question came to my mind: what could be the driving forces behind such a challenging physical exercise? What motivations drive them? I was pretty sure everyone had to have one in order to be motivated. How can that be otherwise? I went ahead and asked the question openly. Surprisingly, the answers I got were all around the same theme. In a few words, when you do such thing as an Ironman, you have to be driven by a desire to fight some sort of inside daemons. Some might be fighting child abuse, others might try to compensate for the lack of self-esteem. Whatever the cause, following this dinner I could better understand why they can be such powerful motivation factors. --- *Elite people are burning fuels made of things that are not part of me in any way or any form.* --- I don’t have daemons big enough to push me to do an Ironman. I don’t have anything inside of me that can push me even close to this. So, I will never do an Ironman. I will never do half an Ironman or even a triathlon. And this is why I feel that I’m probably condemned to be an average person. Good thing for me, my childhood is a pretty ordinary one. I was a happy child living in an ordinary family without big issues. #### Mandatory selfishness But there is more than motivation factors. The other thing that stood out during my conversation with these athletes is that It takes some degree of selfishness to be part of an elite like being an Ironman or in any other elite field for that matter. I personally experienced it the day before the big event. I wanted to train myself with my friend during her training. Without openly saying so, her answer meant she would do better if she did it alone. At first, I was disappointed by her answer. We could have had a great time together while doing the short run. We could have talked about training for an ironman. But, after thinking about this for a few moments, I realized she wanted to stay focused and for this, she had to be with herself. I know she really likes me and all that but she made a decision. She made a small sacrifice. She does this all the time in order to get where she is now. #### Yet, I’m happy When I look at my personal life, there are three things in which I invest myself: my professional career, photography and blogging[1](#fn1). That being said, I do train for a half marathon that I’ll be doing this spring in Ottawa, Canada. But this is not a passion per se, only a desire to keep me in good shape[2](#fn2). And I expect to perform at an average pace of 6 minutes per km. Professionally, I can say that I’m proud of what I accomplished so far and where I stand now. I know that I could probably be managing people and having my team. But I’m not career-driven. I’m very appreciated by all my colleagues, I feel that I make a difference and it is ok. On the hobby side of things, photography is and always has been a great source of creative expression for me. And looking at my performance in general on photography gaming sites like GuruShots (read my very popular blog post “GuruShots Tips, Tricks and Cheat Sheet”), I’m performing well above average. But, yet again, I’m not in the elite portion of the bunch. In general, I’m in the 25% of the best and for me, this is good enough. The efforts that I would need to invest are too demanding and require many sacrifices that I don’t want to do. My lack of selfishness puts the elite status out of reach for me, and this is ok with me. I’m happy with that. From my monthly reports that I get from Unsplash, I’m in the top 25% contributor. See the trend here? ![My not too bad performance on Unsplash](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/numericcitizen.me/wp-content/uploads/2020/03/unsplash-stats-2019-12.png.jpg) My not too bad performance on Unsplash Finally, blogging is another important area of investment in my personal life. This medium allows for a lot of creative expressions (please, read “[Why This Blog](https://numericcitizen.me/why-this-blog/)”. It’s even a platform where I can expose my photography work. It does require quite some time for writing, editing and publishing on a regular basis. Is my blog the best of its kind? I don’t think so. But I do invest in tools to help me achieve my quality goals (don’t miss “[My Blogger Workflow](https://numericcitizen.me/2020/02/15/introducing-my-blogger-workflow/)”). I’m proud of what I’m doing with all this. But I’m not in the elite game with this. As an average person doing average things in my life, somehow I feel that’s not the typical average. I do feel proud of many of my past achievements even if they aren’t close to what elite people would achieve. I’m a happy average person I guess. **How do you feel about yourself and your personal achievements? Please, leave a comment and engage the discussion! It’s always welcomed!** 1. I don’t consider relationships with others the same way. These are important to me and I cherish many of them. They do require attention but this is at another level. [↩](#ffn1) 2. Sure, it’s a way to push myself a bit… [↩](#ffn2) ### Not a Review of Mailbrew URL: https://numericcitizen.me/not-a-review-of-mailbrew/ Last updated: 2023-03-23T16:47:41.000Z A new and one of a kind service launched this week called “[Mailbrew](https://mailbrew.com/?ref=numericcitizen.me)“. Basically, it is a news aggregator that generates newsletters that you receive in your mailbox. Sources can be RSS, Reddit, Twitter and a few more. I’m not aware of any service like this one. Tempting. At first, I thought that I could give it a try but I quickly realized this would have been redundant with News Explorer, my go-to solution for news consumption (please, read my story: “[RSS Readers War: from Reeder to News Explorer](https://numericcitizen.me/2020/02/24/rss-readers-war-from-reeder-to-news-explorer/)“). The only thing missing from News Explorer compared to Mailbrew is native support for Reddit as a source. Bah, I’m too curious, I’ll give it a try anyway! 😎 ### Things to Look for Before Buying a New Application URL: https://numericcitizen.me/things-to-look-for-before-buying-a-new-application/ Last updated: 2023-03-23T16:47:41.000Z When you buy a new app for your iPhone or your iPad, what do you look for before making your decision? Here is a real use case with Raindrop.io. For this blog post, I want to do things a bit differently. I’m always looking for new ways to improve my blogger workflow (please, read “[Introducing my Blogger Workflow](https://numericcitizen.me/2020/02/15/introducing-my-blogger-workflow/)” for more information). Recently, I discovered **Raindrop.io**. Instead of doing a classic review, I want to step back. I want to tell you about what I’m looking for before buying an application. For that purpose, I’ll use Raindrop.io as an example. ![This is the Raindrop welcome screen on the iPad](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/numericcitizen.me/wp-content/uploads/2020/03/raindrop-welcome-screen-ipad.png) This is the Raindrop welcome screen on the iPad *App developers, please take note: if you want to know what your future customers are looking for before buying your application, look no further. Read on.* What is Raindrop.io? It is a bookmarking application. With Raindrop.io, you can bookmark web pages, photos, many different kinds of numeric objects. Do I need a bookmarking app? Well, as previously documented in my blogger workflow (fully exposed here: “[Introducing my Blogger Workflow](https://numericcitizen.me/2020/02/15/introducing-my-blogger-workflow/)”), I do use Apple’s Reminders to bookmark things like web articles on which I want to write about or that is inspiring me a new blog post. But I must say that it is not really the best solution for this. For that reason, a specialized bookmarking app could make a lot of sense. Let’s see if Raindrop.io is doing a good job of supporting this task. #### First contact The first contact with the application’s promotional materials is utterly important. You rarely get a second chance to make a first good impression. The application’s website or the App Store app’s main page is often the main entry point. Presentation, completeness and honesty are mandatory. ![Raindrop.io App Store page](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/numericcitizen.me/wp-content/uploads/2020/03/raindrop-io-app-store-page.jpeg.png) Raindrop.io App Store page The things I look for: are the screenshots representative? Are the update notes detailed? What about the user ratings, starting from the most recent ones?[1](#fn1) Is this a one-time purchase or is it a subscription-based app? How long is the trial period? Is the app only available outside the App Store? Personally, I prefer to buy from the App Store because of its convenience for updates. ![Use the most recent reviews to get a sense of user’s sentiments](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/numericcitizen.me/wp-content/uploads/2020/03/raindrop-io-recent-reviews-view.jpg) Use the most recent reviews to get a sense of user’s sentiments *In this regard, I give a score of B+.* #### Design Obviously, general design, icon quality, welcome screen are essential attributes in deciding if the app is worth it. Even the application’s web site is another important indicator. Usually, you can find longer video sequences demonstrating the application in use. Part of an application’s design and general execution efficiency are dependent on the tools used to build it. Electron-based apps are very common these days, especially those also available on Windows. What it means is multi-platforms apps can use more resources of your machine than a native version would. Raindrop is not a real native macOS app as it relies on the Electron framework. Not good. ![Raindrop.io icons can be used for each bookmark](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/numericcitizen.me/wp-content/uploads/2020/03/raindrop.io_.png) Raindrop.io icons can be used for each bookmark Finally, how is the application distinguishes itself from the rest of the crowd? Raindrop.io in that respect is using a unique set of icons to use with bookmarks. They are cute and unique in their appearance. Lovely. But is that enough? *In this regard, I give a score of B.* #### Features richness Usually, we buy applications because of its feature set. For a bookmarking application like Raindrop.io, mandatory features for me includes: - Does it really takes advantage of the iPad bigger screen? - Does it support iPadOS latest features? Can we drag and drop an URL from Safari to Raindrop’s main view? - Is this application multi-platform (macOS, iPhone, iPad)? - What synchronization mechanism does the application use to sync data across devices? (I do prefer iCloud based mechanism but in any case, it should be reliable and fast); - Are the bookmarks accessible from the web? Raindrop.io does take advantage of the iPad big screen but not its multitasking capabilities which is a major downside for me. Raindrop.io uses its own sync service that proves to be fast and flawless, at least during my testing period. By being available on iPhone, iPad, macOS and over the web, Raindrop.io is a good citizen in the Apple’s ecosystem. I didn’t experience features discrepancy among devices which is also important for me. *In this regard, I give a score of A+.* #### Sustainability Next, look for things like update history. How often and why the app is being updated? Updates are obviously released to fix stability issues, introduce new features or support new Apple technologies. ![Update frequency of Raindrop.io](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/numericcitizen.me/wp-content/uploads/2020/03/update-history-raindrop-io.png) Update frequency of Raindrop.io Also, don’t forget to look for how long is the app in the App Store. The longer, the better. Pay attention to the company’s web site and look for a blog section. You get useful hints there if the blog is regularly updated about the vitality of the developer. *In this regard, I give a score of B+.* #### A few missing features Raindrop.io is really solid but there are a few missing features that are deal-breaker for me. First, there is no support for iPad multitasking. I cannot overcome that one as I’m using apps side-by-side all the time. Second, there is no support for Shortcuts. It could have been nice to be able to work with bookmarks to automate some portion of my workflow. Third, the developer of Raindrop.io recently published APIs, so external support from third-party apps is lacking as of this writing. *In this regard, I give a score of C.* #### Privacy and security protection Privacy protection and security are utterly important these days. What authentication methods are supported other than the usual Facebook or Twitter login. Is Sign-in with Apple supported? In the case of Raindrop.io, there is no support for Sign in with Apple. Again, not good. There is no support for two factors authentication either. *In this regard, I give a score of B.* How does Raindrop.io fit my current blogger workflow? Well, it could have replaced Apple’s Reminders. I said “it could” because as of this writing, I decided not to go ahead with this app. The lack of support for iPad multitasking is a deal-breaker as shown here with my short exchange of email with the developer. ![Asking for multitasking support to Raindrop.io developer](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/numericcitizen.me/wp-content/uploads/2020/03/mail-to-raindrop-dev.jpg) Asking for multitasking support to Raindrop.io developer As you can see, not only Raindrop.io is a no-go for me but while doing my research on bookmarking apps, I remembered about this collaborative platform name **[Notion](http://notion.so/?ref=numericcitizen.me)**. It is quite another world that will need to be covered in a future blog post. Stay tuned for that one. *Overall, I give a score of B+ for Raindrop.* 1. I don’t like Apple’s choice of defaulting to “Most Useful”. [↩](#ffn1) ### Now Available on Flipboard URL: https://numericcitizen.me/now-available-on-flipboard/ Last updated: 2023-03-23T16:47:41.000Z ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/numericcitizen.me/wp-content/uploads/2020/02/img_6545.png) Numeric Citizen Blog now on Flipboard If you are a user of Flipboard, now you can access the content of Numeric Citizen blog directly on that platform. Follow this link: [https://flipboard.com/@jfmartin67/numeric-citizen-jd5fel31z](https://flipboard.com/@jfmartin67/numeric-citizen-jd5fel31y?ref=numericcitizen.me) ### RSS Readers War: From Reeder to News Explorer URL: https://numericcitizen.me/rss-readers-war-from-reeder-to-news-explorer/ Last updated: 2023-03-23T16:47:41.000Z I’m a long time user of Reeder, a well known and well designed RSS reader for the Apple ecosystem (see [my review of Reeder 4 here](https://numericcitizen.me/2019/05/01/my-reeder-4-review/)). But, recently during a discussion on Telegram (which by the way you can find me there @ [https://t.me/numericcitizennews](https://t.me/numericcitizennews?ref=numericcitizen.me)), someone mentioned [News Explorer](https://betamagic.nl/products/newsexplorer.html?ref=numericcitizen.me) as being a great RSS reader with many useful features. Really? It was the first time I’ve come across this name I was curious. Let’s dig in. ![News Explorer for macOS](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/numericcitizen.me/wp-content/uploads/2020/02/6194dfb0-de6e-4d0a-a4a5-96ed5288d90a.jpg) News Explorer for macOS #### Why the switch RSS is an old Internet standard (see [definition here](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/RSS?ref=numericcitizen.me)). In short, according to Wikipedia, RSS is: > a web feed which allows users and applications to access updates to websites in a standardized, computer-readable format. After more than a week of testing and using News Explorer as my only RSS reader, I’m completely sold. There are many reasons why I’m moving from Reeder. To sum it up, there are features in News Explorer that are not available in Reeder but add a lot to the value to my RSS reading experience and content consumption in general. News Explorer is not only supporting RSS feeds but also other types of sources: Twitter and YouTube for example. Being able to gather information from my Twitter VIPs is a time-saving feature for me. News Reader does not rely on a third-party synchronization service like Feedly for its magic. Instead, News Explorer does its own RSS feeds updates and relies on Apple’s iCloud syncing engine instead. During my testing, new items, read statuses synced between devices without an issue. As the application name implies, you can also read the RSS feeds in a newspaper-like layout as shown below. Cool. ![Browsing new content in a newspaper-like layout](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/numericcitizen.me/wp-content/uploads/2020/02/47514fbd-0749-4684-ae69-1ffd017e789b.jpg) Browsing new content in a newspaper-like layout #### The migration process To migrate from Reeder to News Explorer, I had to follow this process. Since Reeder is not capable of exporting the feeds as an OPML file, I did the export from Feedly, on their website. The export feature is located in your Profile section. The process may be different depending of your RSS syncing service. ![The OPML file is located within the zip file](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/numericcitizen.me/wp-content/uploads/2020/02/export-opml-from-feedly.jpg) The OPML file is located within the zip file With the OPML file on hand, it was a breeze to import in News Explorer. Oh and, if you don’t like News Explorer, you are not locked in with the builtin Export to OMPL file feature. ![The file to import is "Subscriptions.opml"](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/numericcitizen.me/wp-content/uploads/2020/02/subscriptions-file.png) The file to import is “Subscriptions.opml” By the way, did you know that you can open the OPML file directly into the excellent mind mapping app “MindNote”? ![Peeking at an OPML file with MindNote](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/numericcitizen.me/wp-content/uploads/2020/02/opml-file-in-mindnote.png) Peeking at an OPML file with MindNote #### Other goodies: an Apple TV and Apple Watch app There is an Apple TV app version of News Explorer too. I never thought reading my news from the couch would be cool. It works great. This is probably one of the best designed and accomplished Apple TV apps that I’ve seen. ![News Explorer Apple TV app show my blog feed](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/numericcitizen.me/wp-content/uploads/2020/02/news-explorer-apple-tv-app.jpg) News Explorer Apple TV app show my blog feed ![Navigation is easy and intuitive ](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/numericcitizen.me/wp-content/uploads/2020/02/news-explorer-apple-tv-app2.jpg) Navigation is easy and intuitive The Watch version of News Explorer is actually useful, fast and fits perfectly the watch form factor. Articles are presented in decreasing chronological order. Tapping an item brings the article in a simplified format. Images are shown if included in the feed. Very useful to glance at recent news feed. Also, some other things to note: - Rich notifications with aggregated content when syncing is completed. They give a nice summary of updated sources. - When you first install the application, it comes with a set of RSS feeds to follow. I discovered a few new sources of content because of this. - News Explorer makes it easy to discover new feeds with the search feature as shown here. ![Searching for RSS feeds on the web](https://storage.ghost.io/c/db/90/db90e17a-b0ed-4eb3-8db1-a5b434dbead1/content/images/numericcitizen.me/wp-content/uploads/2020/02/search-rss-feeds-news-explorer.png) Searching for RSS feeds on the web - Viewing YouTube videos from within the News Explorer windows is nice too and makes the news consumption experience more fluid and uninterrupted. - News Explorer is better than Reeder at parsing images from my blog’s RSS feed which is great for quality tracking of my blog posts. #### A few things I’d like to see News Explorer is far from perfect. There are a few things I’d like to see in the future. - The ability to create smart filters. News Explorer comes with three smart filters builtin: Latest News, Unread Items and Favorites. I’d like to be able to filter based on keywords, dates, etc. - The ability to set the expiration of items on a per-feed basis instead of globally. For example, I would set a shorter expiration on general news sites but a much longer one on blog feeds. - The ability to group notifications based on sources. Looking at the update frequency on the App Store, I don’t expect any of these features to come anytime soon though. #### Reeder: a few things that I’ll miss Leaving Reeder.app behind is accepting to turn my back on many small things that I usually value a lot. For example: - Much better-looking application icon. - Interaction gestures are more refined and natural. - More refined look in general. That’s part of the price to pay for switching I guess. All in all, I’m very satisfied with News Explorer, an app that you can purchase, it is not a subscription! This is refreshing! One thing that I learned, News Explorer can be data-hungry on your smartphone, be sure to make the appropriate configuration change in order to limit data consumption. **Overall, I give a score of A- for News Explorer.** **What is your favourite RSS reader? Feel free to leave a comment and start the discussion! It is always welcomed!** _Includes the latest 500 public posts. Use `/sitemap.xml` for the complete archive of public content._