Something in my house just made a powering down noise, and I’ve no idea what it was. I fear I never will.

Yay!! Launched podcast by @charliemchapman@mastodon.social is coming back!

So… some personal news

(watch till the end)

Yup, it’s time that Apple no longer be the sole gatekeeper for apps on iOS. Consider me in the pro sideloading camp.

A screenshot of three news articles from Daring Fireball. The first article, reported by Pablo Manríquez for Migrant In…, is titled “Apple’s Justification for Removing DelCER From the App Store” and is time-stamped at 1:47 PM. The second article, reported by Joseph Cox for 404 Media, is titled “Apple Banned an App That Simply Archived Videos of ICE Abuses” and is time-stamped at 1:33 PM. The date below reads “Friday, October 3, 2025.” The third article, indicated with a star and reported by Ashley Oliver for Fox Business, is titled “Complying With ‘Demand’ From Trump Administration, Apple Removes ICEBlock From App Store” and is time-stamped at 5:01 PM.

Okay, this trailer for Pluribus on Apple TV+ has peaked my interest. Looks like a real ride. Oh, and you can call this number for some unconventional marketing for the show: 202-808-3981 🤪

Finished reading: The Sharp End of Life by Dierdre Wolownick 📚

Y’all know Alex Honnold of Free Solo fame. His mom’s book recounts her life — difficult marriage, self-doubt, and her incredible tenacity through it all. In pursing her own outdoor adventures later in life, she found clarity and purpose.

This is exactly how I’ve been thinking about the new iPhone 17 Pro design, that it shares so much in common with the Apple silicon-era MacBook Pro — right down to their rounded edges. And yes, the iPhone Air as the dazzling jewel made room for the Pro phones to go hard on functionality over flashiness.

Rounded out a superb Rocktober weekend of climbing by leading Cure Cottage (5.8) at Baker Mtn with my wife (got her climbing too, but no pics unfortunately!), and then an evening ascent of Chapel Pond Slab with Brian, lit by the full moon! Checked out the Lil Sebastian finish, ‘twas awesome!

Climber ascends a large rock slab using an orange rope in a forested area with vibrant autumn foliage Chapel Pond Slab is written at the top left. A climber ascends a large gray rock face wearing a red shirt and helmet during autumn with orange and green trees in the background. A rope trails downward from the climber. Climbing gear secured with carabiners and colorful ropes anchored into a rocky surface. The gear is set up for rock climbing on a textured stone face with distant foliage visible. Climber ascends steep rock face using ropes in a mountainous area. The person wears a helmet and harness surrounded by rugged rocks and trees under a clear sky. Sun rising over a forested mountain bathed in autumn colors with a clear sky and silhouetted branches in the foreground. A bright full moon shines through a clouded sky illuminating the silhouette of a hilly landscape with dark foliage. A person wearing a helmet with a red light smiles against a dark mountain landscape under a bright full moon. Rocky cliffs stand still under scattered stars in a mountainous landscape surrounded by dense forests and a reflective lake below in the calm nighttime setting. A person wearing a helmet sits on a rocky ledge illuminating the ground with a flashlight at night, overlooking a forested valley and distant mountains under a starry sky. A nighttime landscape with a bright moon shining in a clear sky over a mountainous area. Silhouettes of evergreen trees are visible against the horizon, and soft clouds are illuminated by the moonlight. A woman is walking through a forested area with fall leaves on the ground. She is smiling broadly, carrying a backpack with a coiled rope and a helmet attached. She is also holding a cup in one hand. The sunlight filters through the trees, and a red heart emoji is placed near her head, adding a playful touch.

Helping others to build up their skills has always been one of my favorite parts of climbing. Our climbing community is at its best when we share our knowledge, opening up opportunities for more folks to explore new heights with confidence and support.

A climbing rope stretches across a rocky surface with dense, colorful autumn forest below. Text reads Alex Bonacio 1 review Jarrod has become a great mentor of mine with climbing. As always this trip was epic. We hit a bunch of Adirondack classics! 2 hours ago.

It was pretty awesome to get back on The El (5.8) today with my buddy Shane. I linked the first two pitches via The Lonely (5.6) variation, and then took the plum line up P3. What an exhilarating route! 🤩

Two climbers scaling a large rock face with visible cracks at Pitchoff Chimney Cliff surrounded by trees. Text reads The El 5.8 Pitchoff Chimney Cliff. A climber ascends a steep rock face using climbing gear surrounded by a vast landscape of autumn-colored trees under a clear blue sky. A person wearing a green helmet smiles at the camera while rock climbing. They are secured with ropes against a large rock face surrounded by colorful autumn foliage. Climber ascending steep rock face secured by a rope surrounded by vibrant autumn foliage with a river and road in the valley below. Climber ascends a steep, rocky cliff using a rope, amid vibrant autumn trees and overlooking a winding road with a car below. Two climbers wearing helmets and gear smile while scaling a rock face with ropes high above a winding road and river amidst an expanse of colorful autumn forested mountains.

Today was awesome! I volunteered with the Adirondack Mountain Club, Adirondack Climbers’ Coalition, Skylight Mountain Guides, and other guides for The Mountaineer’s Mountainfest to get the ski trails at Heart Lake ready for winter. Trails are clear and beautiful! ⛷️

Two people work clearing fallen branches in a sunlit autumn forest. Text reads Getting trails ready for ski season. A group of hikers walks along a wooden path in a forest with tall trees under a clear blue sky. Some carry backpacks and use trekking poles. Person in a bright shirt cutting a fallen tree branch with a handsaw in a dense forest with scattered leaves on the ground.

I’ve been climbing with Alex for a while now, and it’s infectious the enthusiasm he’s got for scaling rocks! We enjoyed a perfect fall day and hit up some classic 5.7 routes on his tick list: Pete’s Farewell on Pitchoff, Tilman’s Arete at Chapel Pond, and Rum Doodle at The Aquarium.

A person wearing a blue helmet climbs a steep rocky cliff face gripping rocks using equipment surrounded by autumn-colored foliage below. A climber ascends a large, rocky cliff, wearing a helmet and harness, with autumn trees and a winding road by a river seen below in the vibrant landscape. Climber ascends a steep rock face wearing a helmet and harness surrounded by colorful autumn trees beside a calm lake below. A person wearing a helmet climbs a steep rock face using a pink rope surrounded by a forested area with colorful autumn foliage and a distant lake below. Climber ascending a steep rock face, secured with a pink rope, surrounded by a forest with autumn foliage. Two climbers wearing helmets give thumbs-up while ascending a rock face in a forested outdoor setting. One wears a camera on his helmet. Shirt text reads ARENA.

Kudos to Taylor Swift for getting me to purchase an album of music for the first time in about a decade. Pricing it at $5 and having a 24 hour availability window was genius marketing. Cheap enough to make it an easy rash decision.

A smartphone screen displays the iTunes music store, featuring an album titled “The Life of a Showgirl (DELUXE Alone In My Town)” by Taylor Swift. The album is categorized under pop, with a release date of October 6, 2025. The “Purchased” button is visible. Below, there is a list of songs including “The Fate of Ophelia,” “Elizabeth Taylor,” and others, with options to play or purchase tracks. The background is a gradient of green, blue, and pink.

Finished reading: Hangdog Days by Jeff Smoot 📚

These true stories of early climbers, their feats, and their feuds read like fiction. But people are incredible!

Yesterday was a perfect day to visit the top of New York State! Andrew visited from Toronto on his east coast tour, and, despite having never been up a mountain before (let alone one in the ADK) made a blistering hike up to the summit of NY’s tallest peak in under 4 hours. And that was with dodging ice that’s now on the trail near the top. We rested on top, enjoying the splendidly clear and sunny view, and chatted with fine folk also out for a hike — including a couple working on their 50 state high points, of which Mt. Marcy was their 47th! They’ll finish up in Vermont, New Hampshire, and Maine in the next few days.

Big thanks to Andrew for the delightful conversation and joy of just being in the mountains. Hope to see you back in the winter!

The new dropdown text editing menu in iOS 26 is getting even better in 26.1, according to Ryan Christoffel at 9to5Mac:

As discovered by X user Beta Profiles, you can now swipe left to make the dropdown menu appear even faster.

I like the dropdown, but the abrupt change to my swiping muscle memory was a bummer. This is the right solution!

Started reading: Hangdog Days by Jeff Smoot 📚

Nick Heer: ‘On Liquid Glass’

Apple justifies these decisions by saying its redesigned interfaces are “bringing greater focus to content”. I do not accept that explanation. Instead of placing tools in a distinct and separated area, they bleed into your document, thus gaining a similar level of importance as the document itself. […] But, in my experience, the more the interface blends with what I am looking at, the less capable I am of ignoring it. Clarity and structure are sacrificed for the illusion of simplicity offered by a monochromatic haze of an interface.

A fair and cogent review.

Ryan Christoffel brought the iPhone Air to Disney World — with its harsh environment for smartphones — and came away thoroughly impressed:

Battery life was similarly a champ. I brought the Air’s new MagSafe battery with me, fully expecting to use it every day.

I didn’t use the MagSafe battery once.

He also didn’t miss the telephoto lens. Your mileage may vary, but I think Apple may have finally made a good mid-tier iPhone that will actually appeal to folks.

Amazon’s new Search Party feature sounds very cute and helpful… until they update it to track down anything (anyone) other than pets. Aren’t they already well-known for being super police-friendly? I’m not thrilled with regular citizens contributing to a CCTV-like situation.

There are big adventures to be had within an hour of the road, and Prelude to Overture (5.8) is one of them! The positioning is wild with so much air under your feet. And Upper Washbowl is offering some of the most stunning views of our peak fall foliage here in the ADK. 🧗🍁

A climber ascends a steep rock face using a rope and gear, surrounded by a misty environment with some greenery. Text reads Prelude Overture (5.8) Upper Washbowl. Climber ascending a large rocky cliff face surrounded by dense forest with autumn foliage and a nearby dark lake under a cloudy sky in a mountainous landscape. A climber scales a rugged rock face wearing climbing gear and a helmet surrounded by a scenic mountainous vista under a cloudy sky. A climber wearing a green helmet smiles while another climber ascends a rocky cliff. Vibrant autumn foliage covers the surrounding forested landscape below. A climber in red ascends a steep rock face using a rope amidst a vibrant autumn forest with a river and lake visible below. A climber ascends a steep rock face using safety gear and ropes against a backdrop of expansive, colorful autumn forests stretching to the horizon under an overcast sky. A climber in a red jacket scales a steep rock face surrounded by lush green and autumn-colored forested mountains under a cloudy sky. Climber ascends steep rock face under overcast sky with forested mountains in the background. Climber ascending a steep rocky cliff face using ropes while surrounded by a dense forest exhibiting vibrant autumn foliage in shades of green red and orange in a remote mountainous region. A climber scales a steep rocky cliff, surrounded by vibrant autumn foliage and overlooking a winding road and calm lake below. A person climbs a vertical rock face gripping tightly wearing safety equipment. An autumn forest with colorful foliage stretches below providing a vibrant scenic backdrop. A climber wearing a helmet and backpack ascends a steep rock face attached to a red rope overlooking a forested landscape with autumn foliage below. Two climbers wearing helmets smile atop a mountain holding climbing ropes overlooking a forested landscape and a lake partially obscured by clouds Clouds hover above mountain peaks covered in colorful autumn foliage, creating a serene, misty atmosphere in a vast, hilly landscape.

Okay, I’ve been procrastinating rope cleaning day for a while, but it actually went pretty quick! Can’t wait to get these freshly scrubbed beauties back on the rock. Thanks @beal.official for the easy rope wash!

Today was a special day guiding Fern and Kevin up the classic Pete’s Farewell (5.7) on Pitchoff. Why? It’s their honeymoon! 😍 It’s wonderful to see partners in climbing be partners in life — full of encouragement and support. They crushed the climb, despite some wet conditions, and got to enjoy peak Adirondack fall foliage. Best wishes (including many more pitches together) for the happy couple! 🥂

Hold onto your hats, things are about to get a lot more generative and a lot more advertise-y. Ben Thompson discussed how Google is barreling toward endless generated videos and auto-tagged products in every video and picture you see.

Roxane Gay: ‘Civility Is a Fantasy’

Within this framework, incivility is refusing to surrender to hatred, refusing to smile politely at someone who doesn’t consider you their equal, refusing to carve away the seemingly unpalatable parts of yourself until there is nothing left. To be uncivil means pointing out hypocrisies and misinformation. It means accurately acknowledging what people have said, with ample documentation and holding them accountable for their words and deeds.

Well-written, and well-worth reading.

I’m onboard with Jason Snell’s prediction that the iPhone Air will see more sales with in-store shoppers outside of Day 1 upgraders:

I guess we’ll have to wait and see, but I’m inclined to believe that the iPhone Air, with its lack of cameras and a heavy lean toward design, will have broader appeal over the course of the entire year. The fall is, in many ways, for iPhone Pro users who will scoff at most of the specs of the iPhone Air. But over time, as iPhone Airs get out into the world, people will see them and feel them, and I think the Air will get a lot of sales pick-up from word of mouth.