Yesss, bring on the camera bar! I’m ready to get rid of the wobble. Though this would interfere with Apple’s new best friends, Spatial Photos and Videos.
(Image via 9to5Mac)

A sleek smartphone, viewed from the back and side, displays a horizontal triple-camera setup and prominent Apple logo. It rests against a smooth gradient background transitioning from pink to blue.

“Eats their own dogfood” is kind of a revolting phrase. I propose “test pilots their own rockets” when describing developers using and testing their own software on the daily.

Headed back to that Indian grill tonight, followed by Wicked for date night!

Super glad I got out yesterday for a ski before all the rain blew in. It was so good out at @whiteface_mt. Hope we get a new covering soon!

Chairlift moving over a snowy ski slope surrounded by leafless trees with mountains in the distance. Orange skis visible at the bottom indicate someone skiing below. Ski lift ascends snowy mountain slope with bare trees below and distant peaks under a cloudy blue sky. A ski lift chair moves through a foggy winter landscape with snow-covered trees, under a dimly visible sun in the sky.

🔗 Apple Original Films lands “All of You” starring and written by Brett Goldstein:

Apple Original Films today announced it will expand its film slate with “All of You,” a humorous and heart-wrenching romantic drama starring and written by Emmy Award winner Brett Goldstein (“Ted Lasso,” “Shrinking”), written and directed by Emmy Award winner William Bridges (“Black Mirror”), and hailing from MRC.

I think Apple’s given Brett Goldstein a blanket go-ahead for all his projects. So far, so good!

Brendon Bigley: ‘Panic Inc. Announces Blippo+'

Panic Inc. — creators of the PlayDate console and publishers of games like Thank Goodness You’re Here_ — announced some kind of FMV… thing… at Day of the Devs today called_Blippo+. There’s no real information here beyond the above trailer and the ability to wishlist it on Steam, but this is one of those things I saw and immediately thought: Yeah, I’m gonna love this thing.

Boy that video was unsettling though.

🔗 Voice Memos update brings Layered Recording to iPhone 16 Pro lineup

With iOS 18.2, users will be able to play their original instrumental ideas through the iPhone speaker while simultaneously recording vocals using the new studio-quality microphones on iPhone 16 Pro and iPhone 16 Pro Max.

Michael Bublé thinks very highly of it!

Sure seems like a UI tailored for musical artists’ needs and these additional features would go well in a dedicated app, though. Let’s call it Music Memos. Oh wait.

Maybe Apple couldn’t get enough artists to download an app that wasn’t preinstalled. Shame though.

Matt Birchler (🔒):

The election was 5 weeks ago, and I’d say at least half of the houses in my neighborhood that put out Trump signs and flags before the election still have them up today. Maybe some are waiting for the inauguration on January 20, but something tells me a lot of these are staying up for the next 4 years (at least).

But yeah, I don’t get it, and I just don’t get how I’d ever want to walk out my front door each day and see a sign sucking up to the current (or former) President.

I fear many of these will stay up until they’re too faded to recognize. Then they’ll be replaced.

Jason Snell blogged about Mic Drop, a handy utility that mutes and unmutes your microphone, system-wide, with a global hotkey:

Mic Drop literally does everything I expected from it. It lives in your menu bar and has support for global hotkeys or AppleScript, optional audio and multiple visual notifications of mute status, the ability to choose which mics are muted and which ones aren’t, and even an optional push-to-talk toggle mode.

I don’t do many video calls anymore, but I always hated hunting for the mute key. The visual status in the menu bar and pop-ups are nice touches.

I have real trouble remembering the correct usernames for folks now that we’re all spread across networks and servers. Autocomplete often shows outdated accounts, leaving me unsure which to pick. As a proud Text Replacements power user, though, I’ve found the perfect workaround.

A smartphone displays a text replacement screen. The phrase “@imyke@myke.social” is set to expand from the shortcut “@imyke”. The backdrop is a gradient of purple and orange.

Anyone else seeing this issue where you can no longer copy a web address from the Safari View Controller? I use this all the time, and I think it stopped working during the 18.2 beta. I hopped off the beta train, but there’s no new public update for me in settings. Still broken out there?

Smartphone screen displays a webpage with an arm raised amidst swirling lights. Red arrow points to the URL bar labeled “apple.com.” Text reads, “Long-press copy?” and mentions “Apple Watch App of the Year: Lumy."

I don’t use Sketch, but I very much enjoyed @rafa@mastodon.design’s recap of what they shipped in the app this year. 🤣

mastodon.design/@rafa/113…

I so grateful to have received two pairs of Mack Weldon slippers for Christmas a few years ago. So when my original pair went missing this week — and were, frankly, getting a bit ratty anyway — I could just pull out a fresh pair! They’re so cozy.

Gray slippers rest on feet, surrounded by a textured beige carpet. A wooden floor and a peeling white baseboard lie in the background.

Jason Kottke made an ask of his readers to point out things only they have noticed:

Anyway, I was wondering if any of y’all have any bugaboos like this where you feel like you’re the only one who knows this is happening.

While I didn’t notice this weirdness personally, I happened upon it via a Reel, I think it fits the theme:

Why on earth would the wizarding world so extravagantly celebrate Christmas? Wouldn’t Jesus just be a normal dude in their eyes? “You turn water to wine? Yeah, we all do that here!” Even returning from the dead isn’t so special with horcruxes and everything. 🙃

TIL you can navigate complex interfaces from within a Messages notification. I expanded this one, long-pressed on an email address sent, and was able to tap and swipe through the UI for adding the address to a contact in the tiny viewport. What if I chose to add a new one? Mini keyboard!?

Smartphone screen displays contact options for a phone number, offering actions like creating a new contact or adding to an existing one. Background shows a blurred purple image of another smartphone.

🆕📝 The App Store Awards unexpectedly brightened my day (and my Today View)

A calculator app wasn't on the list, but the Awards still led me to it and its wonderful widget.

Re: @kottke@mastodon.social’s microwave game challenge. 10,000! (Also, I have thoughts about microwaves and their buttons.)

A game interface displays a score of 10,000 and a 1-second timer with icons of food items. “New High Score!” is highlighted. Buttons labeled “STOP,” “START,” and “OPEN” are below.

Today was a perfect day at @whiteface_mt! Incredible views, soft snow, good weather, and great friends. Thanks to the whole team there! (And maybe let someone know that your ski patroller made their escape with a Christmas tree down the slopes! 🤣)

Snow-dusted trees stand along ski trails blanketed in fog on a mountain slope amidst a forest landscape under a gray sky. Three people wearing winter gear and helmets sit on a ski lift with snowy trees in the background. The person in the middle waves, smiling in an outdoor snowy setting. Snow-covered trees stand motionless atop a mountain overlooking winding ski trails amidst a vast expanse of nearby snow-topped ridges under a cloudy sky. Skier carries a large branch while skiing down a snowy slope wearing dark pants and a red jacket amidst vast white snow-covered terrain. Digital map shows ski routes on a mountain highlighted in red. <strong>Text:</strong> WHITEFACE December 9 2024 8 runs skiing a total of 15.6 mi and 15755 ft downhill 33.8 mph top speed 3134 ft tallest run 2.9 mi longest run Tracked with Slopes

🔗 Apple Watch Ultra 3 Will Support Texting via Satellite (Juli Clover / macrumors.com)

Apple is hoping that the satellite feature will encourage Apple Watch owners to update to a new Apple Watch Ultra, with the third-generation model set to come out in September 2025. Satellite connectivity would also allow Apple to better compete with companies like Garmin that manufacture dedicated satellite hardware for use in off-grid emergencies.

This alone would be a worthwhile update for me. Add in the fresh battery gains and other usual improvements and we’ve got ourselves a banger watch upgrade. 🤞

Look at their little snow hats! 😍

Mailboxes covered in snow standing in a line along a snowy path by a forested area. Visible numbers include 117 and 23.

Shoutout to Simple Scan which was the runner-up as Best New App in the MacStories Selects awards. I love this thing and it gets 3(!) spots in my Control Center for super easily scanning documents to the right place in Files.

(Also to Shareshot, which framed this screenshot and earned Best Design.)

A smartphone screen displays a control center with various app shortcuts labeled &ldquo;Simple Scan.&rdquo; Four buttons include &ldquo;Scan OMG Receipts,&rdquo; &ldquo;Scan Save Paystub,&rdquo; and &ldquo;Scan Scans Folder,&rdquo; highlighted in red.

Swinging into early ice season at Harlot on the north side of Pitchoff! (Is it still early with flows this thick?) It sure feels good to kick into vertical ice again.

Book your trip to learn the pure joy of climbing frozen waterfalls. No experience needed! Or get out onto new flows with us.

@newyorkoutdoorguides @lakeplacidadk #Adirondacks #PerfectDayADK #HireAGuide

Climber ascends a steep icy cliff using ice axes surrounded by a snowy landscape with bare trees. Snow-covered evergreen trees stand still across a sloped mountain landscape surrounded by sparse underbrush and a cloudy sky. Snow-covered trees stand still in a mountainous landscape surrounded by dense forest under an overcast sky. Sparse branches emerge from the deep snow in the foreground. Climber scaling an icy cliff using gear in a snowy forested area with leafless trees above. A person climbs a steep ice-covered rock face using ropes in a snowy forested area with bare and evergreen trees under an overcast sky. Climber ascends icy rock face using ropes surrounded by snow-covered terrain and leafless trees under a cloudy sky. Icicles hanging from a rocky cliff with snow covering the ground and trees. The cliff is steep, and the frozen formations create a layered appearance in a winter forest setting.

🎙️ On an episode of one of my new favorite podcasts, The Sharp End, from about five years ago, I heard a shout-out to someone I know in real life! Another local climber and hiker, Matt Baer, apparently won a climbing helmet giveaway back then. Makes the world feel a little smaller, in a good way.

Winter has well and truly arrived in the ADK.

I’m so proud of Petra as she completed her first-ever High Peak, Phelps, on Saturday! Although she was nervous about the cold and all that mileage in snowshoes, she absolutely rocked it out all day! The weather even cooperated, and we got a stunning view of the Great Range, Colden, the McIntyres, and more just as we poked out of the trees, and no wind to speak of!

We couldn’t have asked for better conditions for Petra’s first winter hike in the Adirondacks, and we’re already planning her next trip to the mountains. 1 down, 45 to go!

@newyorkoutdoorguides @lakeplacidadk #Adirondacks #PerfectDayADK #HireAGuide

A bundled-up person holding trekking poles stands on a snowy landscape, gazing toward distant, fog-covered mountains surrounded by a forest of evergreen trees. Two people smiling stand in a snowy landscape wearing winter clothing and backpacks holding hiking poles surrounded by snow-covered trees and mountains. A person stands looking upward using hiking poles surrounded by a snowy forest of evergreen trees and birch trees covered in snow. A person wearing a colorful hat walks through a snow-covered forest, surrounded by frosted trees, with distant mountains visible under a cloudy sky. Snow-covered trees stand still in a quiet forest while small animal tracks trail across the fresh snow on the ground creating a serene winter scene. A hiker stands with trekking poles amidst a snow-covered landscape, surrounded by frosted trees, under a cloudy sky with distant mountain views. Two people smile holding drinks on a snowy mountain with snow-covered trees and cloudy skies in the background. Snow-covered pine trees stand in the foreground overlooking a distant mountain peak under a cloudy sky with patches of blue visible. A person in a blue jacket observes a snowy trail next to a forest. A yellow sign reads &ldquo;ATTENTION PLEASE READ THE BACKCOUNTRY USERS RESPONSIBILITIES AND FOLLOW THESE SAFETY PRECAUTIONS.&rdquo; Mountains are visible in the background. A snow-covered branch forms a round face with indentations resembling eyes and a smile in a snowy forest setting surrounded by trees. Two people smile in snowy woods near a bear safety sign. The woman points at the sign. They wear winter jackets and hats. Sign text: ATTENTION HIGH BEAR ACTIVITY PLEASE FOLLOW THESE SAFETY PRECAUTIONS A pint glass filled with amber beer sits on a wooden bar next to an open menu. The glass features the text Lake Placid Pub &amp; Brewery UBU www.ubuale.com. A booklet displays Onward Mountain Guides with contact information for Jarrod Blundy. The setting is a dimly lit bar.

The Daley family thru-hiked 1300 miles of the PCT — with three kids under five 🤯:

On the PCT, none of the wrong distractions existed. The little ones found multiple purposes for everything around them. Rocks transformed into plates and jumping platforms, trees became resting places and climbing toys, and sticks turned into all the things. Their imaginations went wild, but so did the need for practicality and focus. They became partners in looking for good shade or where they all might sleep for the night–empowering tasks that helped the family function. And the parents transformed, too.

👏