Numeric Citizen Introspection Newsletter #1

Photo by Andrew Ly on Unsplash

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, Medium and on my main blog.

Recently dropped on my Micro.blog

• Thought of the day about the role of blogs and newsletters these days.
• A quick comparison 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”, 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”, 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” 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”, 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, 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 for the botched WordPress rejection. Following an update submitted by Autommatic, 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. Don’t miss the super interesting article from Ben Thompson of Stratechery “Apple, Epic, and the App Store” 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. 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 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: 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:

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. 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 got many updates throughout the month, starting with The Perfect Imperfections Series, 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.

Downtown Montreal. Click the image to enlarge.

Fall is around the corner. Already.

theperfectimperfctions

#abandonedplaces #lostplacesphotos #abandoned #lostplace #forgotten #total_abandoned #abandoned_excellence #creepy #creepyplaces #rottenplaces #spooky #darkness #sombre #woods #cabin #dark #blairwitchprojectAugust 11, 2020

Climate change to worry about

• Troubling Twitter thread on visualizing 140 years of global temperature compared to CO2 and a lot more stuff. This is really troubling. To me at least.

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.
• 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. 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, for sure.

Leftovers

In “Keeping the lion away”, 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.

Photo by Priscilla Du Preez on Unsplash

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!

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