Couldn’t have asked for a nicer day to go up Saddleback for Tom’s 29th high peak! We made such good time that we paid an extra visit to Gothics via the cable route just for the fun of it. Fall colors are certainly coming in!

@lakeplacidadk @saranaclake @tupperlakeny @adirondack46ers_ @hike.adk @mountaineerbandana @newyorkoutdoorguides #Adirondacks #PerfectDayADK #HireAGuide

Two people smiling stand on a mountaintop wearing casual outdoor clothing under a clear blue sky surrounded by forested hills in the background. Two people with backpacks smile in a forest parking area with cars parked nearby and a small wooden building visible in the background. A deer grazes quietly amidst dense green foliage in a forest setting, surrounded by tall trees and scattered fallen leaves. Sunlit meadow sits quietly bordered by dense forest under a clear blue sky with sunlight streaming through the trees. Two hikers smile on a trail in a forested area with a wooden cabin in the background. The hiker in front wears a blue shirt with a mounted device displaying 8:39. Tall evergreen trees standing silently in a dense forest surrounding a small stream cascading down a gentle hill under a clear blue sky. A lush green mountainside with a rocky outcrop is surrounded by dense forest. A dry tree stands in the foreground under a clear blue sky. A person wearing a yellow cap and carrying a backpack holds trekking poles while standing on a rocky forest trail surrounded by tall trees. A person hikes with poles on a rocky slope wearing a backpack under a clear blue sky surrounded by dense forest with green trees and distant mountains in the background. Two hikers walk along a narrow wooden bridge in a forest. One smiles at the camera, wearing a blue shirt and cap, while the other follows in orange. Dense green foliage surrounds them. Trail signs attached to a tree direct hikers to Gothics Mt Armstrong Mt and Saddleback Mt surrounded by a dense forest You are entering an Arctic Alpine Plant Zone Mountains covered in dense green forest slope downward under a clear blue sky with distant ridges and valleys stretching into the horizon on a sunny day. A person is smiling while standing on a rocky mountain ledge. They wear a yellow cap and backpack. In the background, expansive forested mountains stretch under a clear blue sky. ![A person holding a white sign stands smiling on a rocky mountain summit with tree-covered hills in the distance under a clear blue sky.

Text on the sign: “Saddleback Mtn Elevation 4515' #29/46”.](https://jb.heydingus.net/uploads/2025/18059569631123103.jpg)

🔗 Michael Burkhardt, 9to5mac.com: ‘Seven iPhone Air details you might’ve missed during yesterday’s keynote’

I hadn’t realized about the uncentered USB-C port, the further in-cut Dynamic Island, the single speaker in the earpiece, or all the extra camera features you lose when you only have one lens.

Looks like @imyke@myke.social and @matt_birchler@mastodon.social were having a brainwave this morning.

Two social media posts about the iPhone lineup. First post by “imyke@myke.social”: “This might be Apple’s strongest iPhone lineup in years?” followed by emojis and details: iPhone 17 has ProMotion and Always-On display. iPhone Air is described as “magic.” iPhone 17 Pro is available in orange. Mentions a new selfie camera. Includes a URL to an article. Second post by “matt_birchler@mastodon.social”: Expresses confidence in the iPhone upgrade being the best in years, barring surprises. Includes a different URL to an article. Both posts have options to reply and bookmark.

Devon Dundee: ‘Apple Introduces AirPods Pro 3’ macstories.net

The other Apple Intelligence feature coming to AirPods Pro 3 (as well as AirPods Pro 2 and AirPods 4 with ANC) is Live Translation. When the user is having a conversation with someone speaking a supported language other than their own, AirPods will play real-time audio translations of the phrases being spoken while using ANC to lower the volume of the speaker so the translation is clear.

I didn’t realize this was coming to my AirPods 4 too! Gonna have to find someone to test this with…

Another awesome evening on the ropes with Brian. I had the pleasure of showing him around Pitchoff for his first time on the cliff, and we got a send on the three-pitch uber classic, Pete’s Farewell (5.7). Loving these beautiful fall climbing days!!

A person climbs up a large rocky cliff using ropes with a forested valley and blue sky in the background. Climber ascends steep rocky cliff using a rope surrounded by dense green forest and adjacent to a road and water body below. Climber ascending steep rock face using a rope flanked by lush trees below with a road and water body visible in the background. Climber scaling a narrow rocky crevice using a red rope for support surrounded by tall vertical stone walls with some light filtering through the top.

Dan Moren was wondering about satellite connectivity today:

I found myself thinking about satellite connectivity during today’s Apple event, during which the company announced that the Apple Watch Ultra 3 would include the feature. Back when the feature debuted on the iPhone 14 line, Apple said it would remain free for two years. When that period was up, Apple extended free coverage for another year. Which brings us to this year! Will people have to finally start paying?

The short answer? No, not yet.

When Apple said the Ultra 3 watch came with free satellite connectivity but didn’t mention for how long, I wondered if it meant they gave up on the idea that the feature might eventually require a subscription. But, alas, a footnote in the Newsroom post tells us it’s free for two years, just like the iPhone. I wonder how long this two years will last!

Anil Dash: ‘How Tim Cook sold out Steve Jobs’

The son of an immigrant, a child of the counterculture, a man offering an unmistakable fuck-you to Big Brother, and a person who, above all, would never kiss the ass of someone who had absolutely awful taste. This was Steve Jobs.

Solid reading to go along with my post from earlier today.

(Via Manton Reece)

So it looks like this is shipping in macOS 26… 😬

The image shows two external drive icons on a blue background. The top icon is a gold drive labeled “Time-Turner” with a small green light on its side. The bottom icon is a turquoise drive labeled “TARDIS,” featuring a clock with circular arrows on its side, with its perspective drawing off.

Okay, logging off to go outside and climb some rocks. It’s good for the soul. 🙂

🆕📝 Post-Apple Event Gadget Waffling

Thinking through what's going in the shopping cart this time.

Oh wow, the Air is lighter than my current 16. That orange color and amazing cameras are tempting, but I don’t know if I want the drastically heavier phone of a Pro.

Weights:

iPhone 13 Mini: 141g
iPhone Air: 165g
iPhone 16: 170g
iPhone 16 Pro: 199g
iPhone 17 Pro: 206g

🆕📝 Live Thoughts on Apple’s September Event

Refresh the page to follow along! Or don't. Up to you. 😉

🆕📝 Rapid-Fire Pre-iPhone Event Thoughts

Can I publish this in the 4 minutes before the keynote starts??

🆕📝 On Tim Cook, Cowardice, and Leadership

This will probably get lost in the hubbub of today's iPhone event, but I had to get it off my chest before participating in the excitement of new gadget season.

Amit Gawande has come to embrace imperfection in blogging — something I’m still trying to learn:

I have a bad habit while blogging – my posts need to have a structure. Context first. Lead to the main point next. Follow that with as many supporting points as I can think of. And then I finally hit the whole point of writing the post.

This is foolish. I am not writing perfect prose. I am not writing to meet a particular word count. I often write to convey a thought. One thought. I should write just that one thought.

It doesn’t matter if it takes 10 words. Or 500.

Jules has attended summer camp in Old Forge the past few summers and got bit by the #46er bug. He and his dad booked us for a 2-day backpacking trip in which we knocked out three more peaks: Big Slide and the Wolfjaws, with Yard Mountain tossed in for good measure. It was so cool to help them dial in their hiking and camping skills, and we shared so many stories, riddles, and brain teasers on the trail. These two aspiring 46ers are well on their way!

🆕📝 7 Things This Week [#180]

I might be biased, but I think this issue is chock full of pretty great stuff. 😉

Hanging out with Jim and @imjessicakahler and helping them on their @adirondack46ers_ journey was one of the highlights of my summer. Thanks for all the wonderful memories, guys, and I can’t wait till the next one! 🙏

Review displayed against a cloudy sky and landscape background. Text: Jessica Kahler Local Guide 47 reviews 5 stars a week ago Jarrod is an incredible guide My dad and I have gone on 3 overnight trips with Jarrod to hike some of the Adirondack 46 high peaks and we could not have found a more knowledgeable kind prepared and patient person to guide us My boots broke on our first 3 day 2 night trip and Jarrod had not one but 3 or 4 different hacks to help get me back to the trailhead with my shoes in tact and a smile to help ease my anxiety If you are looking for an individual or group led hike or climb look no further and while he still has availability wish we could keep him a secret honestly Onward Mountain Guides gets 11 stars from me

Our clients are just the best! Just got a special delivery as member of the #SlothHikingTeam. 😁 I’ll wear it with pride. Thanks Jim & @imjessicakahler! 🦥

A blue T-shirt featuring a smiling sloth carrying a backpack with mountains and trees reads “SLOTH HIKING TEAM WE WILL GET THERE WHEN WE GET THERE” accompanied by a sloth-shaped scrub sponge labeled “SLOTH SCRUB SPONGE”. Two people smiling and standing together on a mountain wearing shirts with sloth images text Sloth Hiking Team We Will Get There When We Get There One person holds a patch with ADK 46.

Okay, I’m done with the doom and gloom posts for today. Time to go be productive.

‘Twas a bad choice for folks to elect Trump. Don’t let voters ignore it.

The latest jobs report came in short, from AlterNet:

A federal jobs report released on Friday showed the US economy added a mere 22,000 jobs in August in yet another signal of weakness in the US labor market.

Economists had projected the economy would produce 75,000 jobs on the month[.]

Rep. Brendan Boyle says it plainly:

“Donald Trump inherited an economy built on years of steady job growth,” he said. “In just seven months, he’s managed to screw it up—just like he’s screwed up everything else in his life.

It seems the Trump administration’s guiding principle is to simply choose whatever side of an issue that will hurt the most people.

This time, they’re rolling back plans to make airlines compensate travelers for major disruptions and cancellations. But why?

🔗 macOS Icon History — Basic Apple Guy:

The new Apple Books icon might be the only one I like more than its predecessor. Good on BAG for putting this together, but it honestly makes me a little sad to scroll through. It’s like perusing a junk yard full of old masterpieces that were chucked aside.

Numeric Citizen: ‘While We Wait for the Next Apple Infomercial’

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.

True. Though I’ve always watched the keynotes alone from my Mac, the feeling of being part of the crowd that was lucky enough to attend in person is gone. Producing a slick video takes skill, and Apple arguably does it best. But it doesn’t carry the same clout as nailing a live keynote, as they used to do.

Weird weather stuff this year. During the first few months, Upstate New York had something like 30 weekends in a row of rain or snow. Now we’re in a drought due to lack of rainfall for the last 90 days. No bueno! ☔️☀️