Jarrod Blundy
Matt Birchler: ‘More Birchtree is on sale this week’
Just a quick post today to say that I am running what I expect to be my only sale of the year on More Birchtree. If you sign up for a year from now through Friday November 29, you can get a yearly for $35. […]
Click here to sign up and thank you for supporting the site!
Heck of a deal! Good writing, great guy.
Michael Burkhardt: ‘Indie App Spotlight: ‘Pestle’ is the ultimate recipe manager, and it just got a big update - 9to5Mac'
Pestle 2.0 adds two big features – TikTok support, and support for recipe notes.
Using an on device AI model, Pestle is now able to save recipes from TikTok by transcribing the captions and processing it on device, and its able to do all of that in under a second. If you happen to see a cool recipe on TikTok, Pestle will now be able to save it fast and privately.
Clever clever.
Joe Rossignol, on the Wolfs sequel cancelation:
In an interview shared by Deadline today, Wolfs director Jon Watts said he canceled the sequel because he “no longer trusted” Apple as a creative partner. He told the publication that Apple made a last-minute decision to pivot away from widely releasing the movie in theaters without discussing that decision with him in advance.
Watts also said that Apple ignored his request to not mention the planned “Wolfs” sequel in its press release […].
Good movie. Bad look for Apple.
TIL the “closed” of ‘closed captions’ refers to your ability to hide or “close” them, as opposed to open captions, which are always shown.
If you find yourself flummoxed by the, to be clear, abhorrent way Donald Trump moves through the world, this podcast episode is doing a pretty good job at providing words to describe his behavior.
Just had a nice use for Apple Intelligence’s writing tools where you can describe the change you want to make. I stream-of-consciousnessed some app feedback for a developer using dictation and then selected it all and asked writing tools to “fix it up and format it as an email.” Worked like a charm.
I’m starting a new experiment where I use Ticci Tabs by @refactoredd@mastodon.online to be my dedicated Micro.blog app. There are things that are just better about MB in the browser and having its own dedicated one seems nice. Not sure how long this will last! cc: @viticci@macstories.net
I’m in the midst of trying to decide which accounting software to use for my small business. I’m leaning toward QuickBooks because it seems the most established and it has all the integrations, but I’m open to suggestions. Anybody have strong feelings about accounting software they’ve used?
Wow, I guess November 21st is just always going to be a prolific writing/sharing day for me. (This link won’t work on the 22nd.)
Since it’s now cool to do so, I should mention that I do have a Bluesky account if you’re social networking over there. I’m @heyjb.me, and everything I post to my microblog gets crossposted there. I can even see and respond to replies using my blog because @manton’s worked some real magic with it.
Just tested the waters of going all-in on Micro.blog with a titled blog post, and then checked my stats. This will be my 2001st micropost!
Stephen Hackett made a keen observation in his (just superbly titled) blog post about Apple ending its butterfly keyboard repair program: ‘The Eeeend d of an Eraa’
It’s wild to think about how much about this generation of MacBook Pros has been erased from the product line. The Butterfly keyboard is gone, as is the Touch Bar. The Thunderbolt-only future that these machines promised didn’t pan out, and the current MacBook Pro design brought with it the return of MagSafe, HDMI, and even the SD card slot.
I hadn’t realized this, but he’s right.
John Gruber has had some good hits lately, but this one was a miss. This bit, in particular, rubs me the wrong way:
What I can say, personally, is that I read and pay for several publications on Substack, and for the last few weeks I’ve tried using their iOS app (more on this in a moment), and I’ve never once seen a whiff of anything even vaguely right-wing, let alone hateful. Not a whiff. If it’s there, I never see it. If I never see it, I don’t care.1
Just because you don’t see it, doesn’t mean you shouldn’t care. Erland made a good analogy.
Wow, @sindresorhus@mastodon.social is killing it with Supercharge. Its rapid development is making it a must-have utility.
Ben Lovejoy, 9to5Mac: ‘Satechi M4 Mac mini stand and hub supports up to 4TB extra storage’
A Satechi M4 Mac mini stand and hub promises to let owners of the new ultra-compact desktop Mac add up to 4TB of fast SSD storage, together with an SD card slot and three USB-A ports.
These stand/hub things are really cool. I debated getting one for my M1 Mac mini, but it would have made it too tall for the riser it’s in.
But what would really seal the deal for this version is (1) a headphone jack on the back, and (2) somehow, a pass-through power button back there too.
Jason Becker: ‘Four issues without ambiguity’
[A]nd our incoming government is wrong on all four at once.
- We must support Ukraine against Russian invasion
- Israel is murdering Palestinians with impunity and support.
- Climate change is a serious, immediate threat
- Trans rights are human rights. Just fucking respect people.
[…] Whether we’ve entered the end of America’s leadership on the international stage as a matter of projected force, I do not know. But whether we’ve absolutely failed the moral leadership test? There’s no question.
Yup. 😔
Google Research is working on wildfire detection and modeling:
FireSat is a constellation of satellites dedicated entirely to detecting and tracking wildfires. After it launches, it will provide global high resolution imagery that is updated every 20 minutes, enabling the detection of wildfires that are roughly the size of a classroom.
It strikes me that Apple tackles problems from the human scale (AirPods as hearing aids, crash detection, etc.), and Google tackles problems from the global scale (FireSat program, Project Loon’s internet access, flood forecasting, etc.).
Another banger from Jason Snell: ‘The App Store era must end, and the Mac is the model’
But over time, the inevitable happened: Apple used the exclusivity of the App Store and its total control over the platform to extract money through rent-seeking and to bar businesses from admitting that the web existed outside their apps. Perhaps worst of all, the App Store’s exclusivity allowed Apple to essentially treat app developers as Apple employees, forcing them to follow Apple’s guidelines and please Apple’s approval apparatus before their apps would be allowed to be seen by the public.
I’m apparently not the only one waffling. Jason Snell, sixcolors.com:
But… this also means I would need to travel with a 14-inch MacBook Pro. They are great, don’t get me wrong, but I’m a refugee 11-inch MacBook Air user now accepting life with a 13-inch MacBook Air. Do I want to travel with a larger laptop? (Or, if I mostly use the iPad when I travel, does it not matter?)
Personally, I can’t decide between an M4 MacBook Pro (that screen and nano-texture!) or waiting out for an M4 MacBook Air (that thin, fanless design!).
A worthy piece from Paul Kafasis:
I had been describing myself as disgusted by this result, but I eventually realized that was incorrect. What I actually am is disillusioned. America was a dream, and now that dream is gone from me. Holding on to beliefs like “good triumphs over evil” and “justice will be served” has always required taking a long view. But now, when a convicted felon has yet again managed to evade consequences and scam his way into the presidency, I find my faith in my country shattered. It lies in pieces at my feet and I am unsure what I’m going to do about that.
I didn’t have high expectations for my performance, but I entered my first-ever climbing competition last weekend…and came in second place for the Intermediate division! It was a ton of fun, way lower pressure than I expected, and brought together a bunch of local climbers. Thanks Mt. Van Ho!
And Re: the terrible Apple Intelligence ads, @gruber@mastodon.social spotlights an example that I didn’t, but that I totally agree with. The ads make everyone look super dumb and rude.
