Jarrod Blundy
I’ve always been frustrated that @things@mastodon.online’s share sheet extension on iOS doesn’t allow you to do, well, much at all. You can’t set a start date, deadline, tags, or checklist items—only the title, notes, and project can be set from there.
I finally thought to solve it with Shortcuts:
🎶 I’m determined to listen to more music this year. To that effect, I’ve set up an automaton to have Apple Music’s Feel Good station play in the living room whenever the first person arrives home. So far, I dig it! Also, my Get Up Mix is on point this week.
🔗 Manton Reece: ‘Automattic and .blog’ manton.org
A 128GB 7th-gen iPad mini (with A17 Pro) for $400 is a heck of a deal. I continue to adore the Mini’s size and that it doesn’t compromise on power.
Speaking of companies with strong morals, Mastodon is headed to a new nonprofit org:
Simply, we are going to transfer ownership of key Mastodon ecosystem and platform components (including name and copyrights, among other assets) to a new non-profit organization, affirming the intent that Mastodon should not be owned or controlled by a single individual.
(They used to have nonprofit status in Germany, but it was stripped last year for bureaucratic reasons.)
Ceding individual control of a major social network is huge in the context of Musk’s X and Zuckerberg’s Meta. Good on CEO Eugen Rochko.
If I’m to be incredibly reductive, there are two kinds of writers: One kind can’t help but write. Words flow from them into the world. The other kind pull words into the world, kicking and screaming. Like getting out of bed too early after a late night.
Which are you?
Me? Depends on the week, but lately the first.
🕜 As I was making some changes to my site tonight, I was bummed that Dropbox (where its files are synced) didn’t have more than a 30-day version history and I needed to reference back farther. Then I remembered I have Time Machine always running and found what I needed in a flash. 👍
I finally (after nearly nine months) sat down to finish up my site’s redesign with the new sidebar, including on the homepage!
I still have some tweaks to make, but I’m quite happy with how it’s turned out — especially the new dynamic bits. I hope you like it too. 😁
📺 I just finished my rewatch of Severance and, my god, did they ever nail that finale. Every scene a cliffhanger, with the ultimate one at the very end.
Though so much was left a mystery, I’d still have been happy if the series ended right there. But I’m overjoyed that season 2 picks up in a few days!
🆕📝 My favorite gizmos of CES 2025
Some of this is sure to be vaporware, but I feel good about a lot of products from CES this year — which isn't always the case.
A visionOS 3D-drawing app, a calculator keyboard, a tool to subscribe to old podcasts as if they're new, a podcast of mini stories, a speedy studio tour, an inspiration, and micro-adventures.
🧠 Quick tip: If you double-tap on the Top Level Domain (TLD) of a link (like “.com” or “.social”) when editing text on iOS, it will highlight the entire URL.
On Connected, @viticci@macstories.net made a risky pick: Apple might launch an AI Siri app with multi-modal input and chat history. It got me wondering—what if it’s a Shortcuts revamp? Siri & Shortcuts are deeply linked—doubly so with Apple Intelligence. Wishcasting? Maybe. But Shortcuts needs TLC.
Univershuffle sounds like a lot of fun. Here’s what Michael Burkhardt had to say on 9to5Mac:
Univershuffle is a new music discovery app that shuffles all of the songs on Apple Music, completely at random – no AI or algorithms involved. […]
Once you have an Apple Music account linked, you can shuffle through songs as you please. You can exclude certain genres, that way you can better suit your music tastes.
There are display ads after the first 10 songs, but to can go ad-free for $5.
Could be great! Could be terrible. I’m downloading now to try it out.
Annie Mueller:
Trying to make things what they are not can get you in a lot of trouble.
Cauliflower is not rice, for example. Codependency is not love.
This bit made me chuckle, but the rest is worth reading too.
I’m psyched about these “Paper Apps” mini notebook games! They’re easy and cheap, and can all be played with the notebook and Pencil Dice. They’ll be perfect for camping trips and to distract kids during bad weather. And I’m gonna try the TO•DO one for physical task management. (Via Brendon Bigley)
I can appreciate Rodrigo Ghedin’s silver lining perspective on Meta’s reprehensible updates to their moderation policies:
If we take X (former Twitter) as an example, the relaxation of moderation there accelerated the discarding of Elon Musk’s platform as a habitable place, leading to losses in revenue, users, and relevance in public debate.
It would be great if this were repeated with Instagram, Facebook, and Threads.
John Gruber: ‘Zuckerberg Disses Apple With Joe Rogan: ‘They Haven’t Invented Anything Great in a While’’
What’s really rich about Meta and Zuckerberg’s incessant complaining about being restricted by Apple’s rules for third party software on Apple’s platforms is that Meta doesn’t allow third parties any sort of access to their successful platforms. There are no third-party clients for Facebook, Instagram, Threads, or WhatsApp. It is very hard to get any information out of them let alone integrate with them bi-directionally.
Good point, worth remembering.
🧠 Nope, Aaron, I didn’t know this about Chip, Skip, and Trip nicknames! Neat.
🚨 Woot has an awesome sale right now on Apple Watch Solo and Braided Loop bands. I just bought one of each for a total of $50 — half the normal cost of a Braided Loop! 🤯 Act fact, some sizes are selling out. MacRumors' article has direct links to all the colors.
🆕📝 An unexpectedly tense but productive day in homeownership
The day didn't go as planned, but that's okay.
Heyo! Supercharge is now available to install via Setapp. It’s chock full of great little tweaks for your Mac.
Does anyone else reinstall apps they’ve already purchased when they show up on Setapp? I like that the developer gets a little more money from me. 😁 Congrats @sindresorhus@mastodon.social!
😮💨 Spread the word! Developer Garrett Murray has made Breathable, his air quality index tracker with excellent widgets, free of charge, forever:
In light of the awful fires and air quality in Los Angeles, I’ve made Breathable free and app will remain free permanently. I charged for the app prior only so I could donate the proceeds to climate change charities, but paying Apple 15% for that privilege is silly. breathable.app
📺 If you got hooked on Severance during Apple’s free TV+ streaming weekend, you should definitely get on finishing season one for free on the Roku Channel before its second season debuts on January 17. I’ve been rewatching and am completely captivated once again. The official podcast is great, too.
Calling all ADK ice (and ice-curious) climbers! Thursday night ice climbing is back in session. Meet the crew at Pitchoff Quarry at 6pm for a couple of hours of fun and fellowship. Some extra climbing boots (select sizes), crampons, and ice tools will be available (free of charge) courtesy of @onwardguides. (DM us early if you will need to borrow gear!) Bring your own harness, helmet, and warm beverage. See you there!
(Note this is not a guided experience. Climb at your own risk.)
