But setting aside all the information garnered from the likes of supply chains and analysts, it’s always worth taking a step back and looking at what Apple is doing right now that might provide clues as to where it’s headed. The company is meticulous about laying groundwork for new products in its existing line-up, and if it’s rolling out something as major as a brand new platform sometime in the next six to nine months, you can bet that today’s Apple devices hold some indications.
I think Apple is going to have very full experience ready when they ship their AR product. We often talk about the breadcrumbs Apple leaves before making a big announcement (size classes before the bigger iPhones were introduced, for example), but the AR technology has been in development for a long time. Dan’s article highlights a few features — Memoji, SharePlay, and Spatial Audio — that will make a ton of sense on a glasses platform. I’m getting more excited about it by the month.
This morning he told me he was worried that it wouldn’t make him happy.
Of course it won’t, I said. But that’s the wrong question.
The better question is “Will I enjoy it?”
Making you happy is too high a bar for anything. It’s unfair to ask that of anyone or anything — it’s something you can really only ask yourself, or bring yourself.
But enjoying something? That’s possible! It’s very much within reach.
I read stuff from the guys at Basecamp with a large grain of salt ready to down these days, but this post by Jason Fried spoke to me. I’ll be trying to do more enjoying this year and attempting to fret less about making decisions.
3D Touch on iPhone was mainly used to access quick actions on app icons when the user pressed them hard. Apple also created an API for a gesture called “Peek & Pop,” which allowed pressing your finger on a link or conversation to see a quick preview of that content. With an even harder press, the content was fully opened.
But then it suffered a slow death over a couple of years:
In 2018, when Apple introduced three new iPhone models, only the iPhone XS and iPhone XS Max had 3D Touch, while the cheaper iPhone XR model was equipped with Haptic Touch — which is a fancy way of saying “long press with vibrations.” The following year, all three iPhone 11 models were released without 3D Touch.
These days, we all use the slower, cut-off-at-the-knees version, Haptic Touch:
Sure, a long press might do the same thing as 3D Touch to access quick actions in iOS, but that will never be as fast and precise as accessing them instantly just by pressing harder on the screen. And things like Peek & Pop and the actions to select text using pressure on the iPhone keyboard were extremely convenient.
I was a heavy user of 3D Touch and miss it often. Poping into messages and different app views was probably my primary way of getting around my phone at the time. Long presses get me by, but the precision from 3D Touch was so unique, fun, and fast to use.
After such a momentous 2020 for the Mac, it was hard for 2021 to measure up. But with the Apple silicon transition well underway, the question remains: What does the Mac’s 2022 have in store? Good news, friend. You’re reading a column about where the Mac is going in 2022. Let’s get to predicting the future.
Predictions done right. Jason sums up my basic expectations for the next year for Macs. A few tidbits that I found interesting from his forecast:
A single M1 Max chip would satisfy most pro customers, but Jason predicts that dual-chip iMac Pro would be an option. With all the extra room inside a desktop computer, I say go for it!
Jason thinks that an imminent external display won’t cost anything near the Pro Display XDR, but with ProMotion and mini-LED becoming the new standard for Apple displays, it’s hard to imagine that it won’t cost an arm and a leg, too.
He’s the first I’ve seen to expect an intel Mac Pro to stick around for specific industries. Makes sense.
Even after six months(!) of using iPadOS 15, I still learned a few tricks from Chris’s video. It’s like the MacStories iOS Review of videos, and I can give it no higher praise than that. I found myself practicing the keyboard shortcuts while watching the video and am excited to recreate the ‘Quick Note for Drafts’ shortcut.
[Frank’s] transformation from one of the world’s most notorious con men to an international cybersecurity expert trusted by the FBI has been mythologized in film and literature — but the takeaways he shares are the real deal.
Frank’s contributions to the world of security are immeasurable. He has become a hero to hundreds of public and private sector organizations for his indispensable counsel and strategic insight on safeguarding information systems and combating cyber-fraud.
With an eye on the latest techniques developed by high-tech criminals to deceive and defraud, Frank leaves audiences with a deep understanding of today’s evolving security landscape, and more importantly, a vision of how to make the world a safer place.
I thought I could just put this video on in the background and listen, but that was impossible. Frank’s story about how and why he successfully impersonated so many roles as a young man is fascinating, and his candor while telling it is intriguing. Even though I know the story well — Catch Me If You Can, now 20(!) years old, is probably my all-time favorite movie — he drew me in. Frank talking about his father’s influence and how he’s tried to take those lessons to be a good father to his kids had me tearing up.
I do not doubt that the FBI has significantly benefited from his contributions over the past 30+ years. Now, his prediction that passwords would soon be eliminated would speed up a little…
It’s a long video but very much worth putting on your watchlist.
7️⃣And finally, the New Years’ tradition I’m looking forward to doing next year!
This video sealed the deal after Marvel rounded out 2021 by giving us the gift of Spider-Man: No Way Home. I’ve seen plenty of other midnight-timed movies, but this made one me laugh the hardest.
Happy New Year, everyone! 🥂
Thanks for reading 7 Things! If you enjoyed these links, or have something else neat to share, please hit me up on Twitter or send me an email!
Along with celebrating a brand-new year, today I’m also excited to mark off the first 365 days of writing here at HeyDingus. It was December 31st of 2020 that I finally revealed to my wife what I’d been sinking weeks of late nights into. I had her pull up the password-protected site while on our way to a small New Years’ Eve gathering and explained how I had wanted my own plot of land on the internet with which to contribute. I’d been an observer for long enough. I had things to say, and I had to say them.
When the clock struck midnight, I made the site public and hit ‘publish’ the first posts. It was thrilling. And it was perhaps the thing that I most looked forward to doing in 2021.
Here we are, 12 months later, and I am so happy with that decision to start a blog. It’s given me an outlet to share my tech opinions — one that I don’t have in the physical world. It’s been my place to tinker with web technologies and dip my toes into writing code. It’s stretched my creativity with Shortcuts to create tools that optimize my writing workflow.
Even if no one read this site, I’d still be content with getting my thoughts out onto the internet. But people do read it. You are reading it now! And my correspondence with readers is something that I value tremendously. I’ve written a few things that have helped people or resonated with them. And writing this site has helped me get a smattering of attention from writers I’ve long respected. It’s been fulfilling to feel that connection with the broader community.
But before I get too sappy, I’d love to share some stats and ‘best of’ posts from this year!
I don’t look too often at statistics, but I was impressed at how consistently popular these posts were throughout the year:
‘Shortcuts Tips: Stand Goal Cheater’ — July 1st
This was an early Shortcuts Tips post that probably took the least amount of time to put together. It occurred to me that I couldn’t be the only one frustrated with inaccurate stand goal logging with the Apple Watch. I’d figured out a simple solution years ago but hadn’t seen anyone else write about it. So I took a few screenshots, wrote an explanation of why it works, and put it up on the blog.
It hasn’t stopped getting attention since then, which taught me that more people are out there looking for solutions to their problems than opinion pieces. And it turns out that I enjoy writing both! I’ve tried to be specific in posts since then about how and why a method works for me and how others could adapt it to work for them, too.
This post started its life as an email to a reader seeking more information about how I used Drafts day-to-day. After sending him a lengthy reply, I realized I still had more to say. So I wrote up how Drafts is like my outboard brain and the tool that connects many of my workflows. It took a while, but I also linked to all the actions and themes that make Drafts an excellent idea capture and refinement environment. And I explained how a small handful of Workspaces serve as temporary buckets for all those fleeting ideas.
I was fortunate enough to have the post be noticed and linked by Greg Pierce, the developer of Drafts, which sent a ton of new traffic to my site. It, too, has continued to be discovered throughout the year, drawing new readers in.
It’s a bit weird that all three of my most popular posts were written in July, but there you go. Since the first episode, I’ve been a massive fan of the Ted Lasso show and was positively vibrating with excitement leading up to the second season. In celebration of the show’s return, I created a themed set of wallpapers that also worked great as shirt designs. This post’s popularity is undoubtedly riding the coattails of the Ted Lasso team’s success, but I’m glad to have made something that brings a little joy to others. Those Ted Lasso shirts have also been the most bought from my storefront on Cotton Bureau.
I mentioned above that I write this site first and foremost for me. So while it’s fun to look at what has gotten the most page views, I’ll leave you with some of the posts that were most meaningful to me to write.
‘Thoughts on the Rumored Apple Car’ — For as long as Apple’s been hinting at their car project as being rooting in a keen interest in “autonomous technology,” I’ve thought that meant it was destined to be a car service, not a car product. So as soon as I had a place to publish, I put my stake in the ground.
‘The Apple Gift Card’s Secret’ — I was so surprised when peeling off the Apple logo from their new gift card to discover it was a fully functional sticker! Since I’d not seen that knowledge posted anywhere else, it was fun to ‘break’ that news.
‘27’ — I turned 27 in February (28 is coming up quick, now that I think about it!), and took the day to reflect on what I was doing on previous birthdays. It was fun searching back through photos to jog my memory.
‘WWDC 2021: Grading My Wish List’ — I read a bunch of WWDC prediction posts every year, but very few that are revisited after the event to see what they got right and wrong. So, I did one myself. I got a bunch of wishcasts wrong but still ended up happy.
Building a Better Blogging Workflow for Squarespace — Squarespace and I have had a tenuous relationship throughout the entirety of our time together. It’s a great platform, but I’m particular about how I want to write. Squarespace would prefer you to use their tools in the way they intended. So, I’ve molded my Markdown-heavy writing workflow to work with Spacespace the best I can, and this is the write-up for others who are in the same boat.
Desk Setup, Summer 2021 — Checking out desk setups, gear logs, and everyday carry posts scratches an itch for me. Before starting HeyDingus, I knew I wanted to write one to catalog my setup. This is an ongoing series as my tools and toys change over time.
Baffling App Ages — This post showed me the power of the internet. Most of my posts get no comments, but when you’re wrong, boy, do folks like to let you know fast! I wrote this post about how I couldn’t figure out why new apps were getting listed as 4+ years old, only to learn that it was actually the age-appropriate rating. This might have been the first post I made an official update to. (I jest about being told I was wrong. I was appreciative to have my question answered and update the post so that I didn’t look like a dufus.)
7 Things (Which Are My Unanswered Questions) This Week, 2021-11-21 — Rounding up links to articles and videos on Sundays is something that I look forward to each week. And I’m proud of the consistency I’ve tried to maintain. It’s when I’m scrambling for seven things, though, that my creativity is unlocked. Some of these questions are ones that I’ve had swirling around my head for years, and it was fun to share them.
What’s Next?
As of today, I’m out of a job — again. Don’t worry, it was planned as part of our upcoming move. I’m truly sad to leave this last position because I enjoyed my job a lot. But my exit means I’m no longer working in the industry I write about on HeyDingus. So I’m excited about feeling more comfortable commenting freely on the tech industry again.
With 154 articles under my best in one year, I technically hit my goal of posting every 2-3 days. But some months were very dry on this site, followed by months of prosperous posting. I’m aiming for more consistency in when I post and what I post about this year. My shortcuts explainers and challenge series are two categories where I want to do more. I’ll continue to dabble in design and coding and write about my progress for other beginners, but I don’t foresee them being the main focus.
And I’ll be open to following where my fingers take me. I find that it strikes when I least expect, but also when I’m most in need. Our new home in the mountains will provide plenty of opportunities to try new activities and revisit old hobbies — both of which I’m looking forward to chronicling here. 2022 is looking up, and I hope you’ll follow along.
Thanks, dear reader, for a fantastic first year, and here’s to many more to come.
While I like to think of myself as a considerate person, I don’t usually find that reflection comes easily. But I believe it’s fun and vital to think about the best of each year. So I’ve made a concerted effort to narrow down what has made the most significant impact on me over the past 12 months.
Reflection this year was particularly challenging because time has gotten weird as the world has somewhat exited from the COVID pandemic’s restrictions. I can’t decide if January feels likes weeks ago or years. And while I’m sure I have said that about each year, the pandemic has exacerbated the feeling.
But from that wibbly-wobbly, timey-wimey mess of a year came some remarkable advances in technology and well-crafted entertainment. So, with only a little further ado — as inspired by The Upgradies, and building on my inaugural edition last year — I present my favorite things: the products, media, tools, and more that stood apart this past year.
Apps
Favorite iOS App — Marvis Pro
While I certainly could have given this award to something more long-standing in my setup, like Drafts or Things, the truth is I had less of a need for those apps this year. A job change provided me more time to enjoy life rather than just work through it; I have loved filling it with music using Marvis Pro. It’s a fast, fluid, and customizable version of the Music app. Key to Marvis’s success is the Home page. Not only can you make it as informationally dense or sparse as you like, but you can also create custom sections to display your library or Apple Music content in a way that makes sense for you.
For example, I’ve set up Marvis to give me top-of-page access to my most-used playlists. Then I’ve got a scrolling list of albums that I’ve added that came out just this year (very helpful in narrowing down for the Favorite Album category). Then I have sections for music recently added and played. Finally, at the bottom of my home page, I set smart sections to pull in songs and albums that I may have forgotten about — things that I have loved or have high play counts but haven’t been played in a while.
Marvis has helped me rediscover and expand my music library in a way that the Music app never has. Plus, its swiping interface is stupid fast and very intuitive. I sometimes have to jump into the Music app (easy with customizable top and long-press actions), but Marvis is where all my listening starts.
Runner Up:Libby — The library ebook and audiobook companion built upon Overdrive’s infrastructure doesn’t follow any of the modern iOS app conventions, but that gives it some of its charm. I’ve been using Libby for years to check out ebooks from local libraries straight to my Kindle, and it’s saved me tons of both money and time. Though I did not read as many books as I usually do this year, I have to give it the runner-up award because I think it broke into the general mainstream in a big way. Pandemic lockdowns certainly helped it along, sure, but its become part of everyday vernacular in a way that very few apps have. Both my 90-year-old Grandpa and my technology change-averse wife have discovered and fallen in love with Libby this year. It’s a solid app that works just as well as an audiobook player as it does a book discovery and delivery engine. Libby gets a big thumbs up from me.
Favorite Newcomer iOS App — Parcel
Parcel stole the crown as my go-to deliveries app in 2021, and it’s another beneficiary in the surge of at-home convenience. After being a Deliveries customer for years, the promise of Amazon package integration made me try out Parcel, and it works great! I was able to turn off Amazon app notifications entirely and rely on the automatic import of items purchased from my Amazon account to show up alongside all the UPS and USPS items I add manually. There are still some design choices that I prefer in the Deliveries app, but since I don’t spend a lot of time in either, I value the functionality of Parcel higher. Plus, it’s fully universal, and sync has been rock solid. (I don’t know for sure if Parcel came out in 2021, but it certainly only got onto my radar this year.)
Favorite Mac App — Things
I used to be a person who relied on my task manager to get anything done. I had too much going on to keep it all in my head, so I used a combination of Drafts and Things to make sure that nothing got missed. And working between home, an office, and on the road meant that I needed a to-do app that would sync all my devices. And I wanted a consistent experience between them. Luckily, Things is a Mac-assed Mac app that is also excellent on the iPhone, iPad, and Apple Watch. But my needs changed enough that I probably got the most use out of Things on my Mac this year.
Some things that Things gets just right: design, integration with the operating system, and integration with other apps. The interface of Things feels right at home no matter which platform you use, but it also distinctly Cultured Code’s brand. The ubiquitous white background with clean lines and iconography brings a sense of calm to my tasks. There are plenty of power-user features like tagging, Markdown support, Shortcuts actions, and excellent keyboard navigation. Still, it never feels overcomplicated, which is more than I can say for most other task managers.
But perhaps my favorite feature of Things on Mac is its Quick-Add functionality. No matter what I’m doing in macOS, I can hit Control-Space to bring up the new task window. Or, I can press Control-Option-Space to bring up the same window, but with a URL ready in the notes field linking back to whatever I was currently in. Webpages and emails from Spark are my most commonly linked items, but lots of things around the system get pulled in automatically. It’s made contextual computing and getting back to the right place to complete a task more effortless than ever before.
Here’s what it looks like when I use Quick-Add from a webpage. Even this window is fully keyboard-navigable. ⌘
Runner Up:CleanShot X — Writing HeyDingus this year has made me even more appreciative of CleanShot X, the excellent screenshotting software from MTW. Sometimes a post needs a screenshot, and while there are many great solutions on the iPhone and iPad to frame and markup those screenshots, for the Mac Cleanshot is the only way to go. It offers way more functionality and customization than the built-in screenshot features in macOS. I love the persistence previews, one-click actions, and desktop background borders. But what seals the deal are the top-notch (😉) annotation tools. I’ve used them countless times for marking up a screenshot with
words, arrows, highlights, and more — you’ve seen them used most prominently here in my Shortcuts Tips series. I used to be a Skitch user but grew frustrated by its heavy-handed Evernote integration. The tools are similar, but Cleanshot X is better in every way.
Favorite Newcomer Mac App — Shortcuts for Mac
Alright, here’s where I know I’ll ruffle some feathers. Shortcuts for Mac was debuted at WWDC with the promise of being “the future of automation on Mac.” Excitement and expectations were high but quickly rocketed down throughout the beta period because of Shortcuts’ bugs, inconsistencies, and general unreliability. Some of those issues have been cleaned up, and I would call the app quite stable in macOS 12.1. But there’s no denying that problems persist, mostly — as I understand it — stemming from Apple’s decision to build Shortcuts for Mac with SwiftUI. (A decision that I applaud because I think it will push SwiftUI forward as these issues that need to be dealt with are discovered. Though I think it would have saved Apple some lousy press by labeling Shortcuts as the beta app that it truly is.)
All that being said, I’m so glad that Apple didn’t decide to wait even longer to bring Shortcuts to the Mac. My primary automation and scripting education is in Shortcuts from iOS and iPadOS. Sure, I could learn AppleScript or Automator, but if Shortcuts really is the way forward, I don’t want to waste my time and the hundreds of hours already put into the workflows I’ve made from the iPhone and iPad.
With Universal Control on the horizon, it could have been the stopgap for accessing iOS automations while working at my Mac, but a native solution is so much better. Working on shortcuts with my large monitor, multiple windows, and mouse has been a joy and unexpectedly reinvigorated me this fall. I, for one, and am even more excited about Shortcuts now than I was at that WWDC announcement. I’m confident the Shortcuts team will clean up the rough patches and continue to pave new ground for its many users.
Plus, it’s produced the only new permanent additions to my Dock this year:
Don’t let this horizontally-optimized screenshot fool you, the correct Dock placement is on the right-hand side of the screen. ⌘
Media
Favorite Game — Ticket to Ride
My friends introduced me to this railroad-building game this year, and I was hooked right away. (Perhaps because I won my first round.) I appreciate this game because it is strategic without being too competitive. It’s hard to know precisely what your opponents are aiming for until the end of the game. That secrecy means that tension builds throughout the game as you hope that no one builds their track in a critical spot you had your eye on. There are a few rules to understand initially, but not a lot must be explained while playing. Which makes it a great conversation game. I can’t recommend it highly enough.
Runner Up:Spyro Reignited Trilogy for PlayStation 4 — When we switched out our PS2 for a PS5 last year, my wife and I agreed that we would try to find modern versions of our favorite games getting left behind. Spyro was one of those games. We both grew up on it and have returned to it often, even though modern consoles and graphics left it in the dust long ago. I was thrilled to find the entire three-game series on one disc, and it looks great on the PS5. It’s been a real journey through nostalgia to play from the beginning.
Favorite iOS Game — Alto’s Adventure
You might think that since I’ve been working on this game for several years now, I’d be sick of it. On the contrary, I love this game, even though I’m still slowly slogging my way through its challenges. Snowboarding through the gorgeous scenery, collecting llamas, and attempting not to crash — all backed by a stellar soundtrack — is one of the more calming ways I spend time on my phone. I also appreciate that it works with the Backbone One controller, which is how I played on most of my flights over the past few years. I’m also glad to know that once I’m done with Adventure, I’ll be able to move onto Odyssey
Favorite Movie — CODA
When I sat down to watch CODA (titled as the acronym for Child Of Deaf Adults), I didn’t expect to be so moved by it. Being the only member of her family who can hear, you’d expect that Ruby would be thrilled with her lot dealt in life. But navigating her family through a hearing-centric world comes with a boatload of responsibility heavy for any young person. Ruby shoulders it, lovingly, the best she can until an opportunity of a lifetime comes along to pursue her passion that her family cannot understand: singing. The movie has ups and downs, love and heartbreak, and many side stories that kept me glued to the screen. Will Ruby’s brother gain the respect he craves? How could the family’s fishing business survive without Ruby? I haven’t stopped thinking about this film for months.
Runner Up:Spider-Man: No Way Home — This is an easy runner-up winner. I’ve loved every Spider-Man movie that’s come out over the past two decades, and this one ties them all together. Spider-Man is, by far, my favorite superhero. I won’t spoil any of it here, but I was impressed with how the writers weaved together so many storylines into a compelling viewing experience. It wasn’t perfect — I think Peter makes a lot of questionable decisions that seem a bit out of character — but the superb acting from so many fan favorites more than made up for those plot points. It gets a hearty two thumbs up from me!
Favorite TV Show — Trying (Season 2)
I continue to believe that Trying is Apple TV+’s most underrated show. And that’s coming from a fan of Dickinson, which I’ve also been evangelizing but has been more mainstream. Trying holds a special place for me. It’s got the heart of Ted Lasso but with more relatable characters. The inspiring relationship between the main characters Jason and Nikki makes me happy teary as often as it makes me laugh aloud. I’m so invested in their chaotic journey in trying to become parents, and I’m rooting for them!
Runner Up:Loki (Season 1) — Disney knocked it out of the park with this series. I wondered how they would make a compelling series about a character who is supposed to be villainous but who we all know ultimately has a soft spot. Would we hate Loki? Love him? The answer, as usual, is both. And it’s compelling not only because Loki serves as the lynchpin for the next stage of the multiverse but also because of the seasoned acting and incredible set design throughout the show. I recently heard it compared to Doctor Who, but with a Disney-sized budget. That description is apt.
Favorite Book — All The Light We Cannot See by Anthony Doerr
2021 was a light reading year for me. At least when it comes to novels. But my favorite of the year was Anthony Doerr’s telling of the fictional experience of two young children on opposing sides of World War II. Marie-Laure is blind and lives with her father, and keeps a secret. Werner is an orphan obsessed with terrestrial radio tech who gets shepherded into the Nazi army. How and why their stories intertwine kept me turning page after page, tension building all the while.
Favorite Album — You Signed Up For This by Maisie Peters
Speaking of Trying, that show is where I discovered Maisie Peters. She performed a song in Season 1 and then was asked to create the entire soundtrack for Season 2. You Signed Up For This is her debut album, but the fit, finish, and consistently great tracks reveal an artist with talent beyond her years. The Taylor Swift influence is unmistakable, but Maisie makes the music entirely her own. “John Huges Movie”, “Psycho”, and “Brooklyn” are among my most played songs this year, but I’d be hard-pressed to name a bad track on the album.
Runner Up:Screen Violence: Director’s Cut by CHVRCHES — In full transparency, Screen Violence had the top spot for my favorite album until my very last relisten two it and You Signed Up For This. I don’t say that to suggest that Screen Violence didn’t hold up; it’s just that Maise Peters barely edged it out.
With several albums now under their belt, CHVRCHES was on the top of their game with this latest one. It’s the tight, refined next step in the pop-alternative sound that could be defined with a picture of this band. I appreciate albums with a theme from start to finish, and Screen Violence definitely does. They have something to say and package it up in an album that can be listened to comfortably in one sitting. But you’ll want to hit replay.
Favorite Tech Podcast — Connected on Relay FM
Come for the tech, stay for the japes. The Connected trio continues to impress. Even after nearly a decade of podcasting together, the show evolves, becoming funnier and wilder each passing year. But don’t think that means they’re leaving tech news by the wayside. Stephen, Myke, and Federico are at the top of their game, but Connected is where they can ‘let their hair down.’ I never miss an episode.
Runner Up:Accidental Tech Podcast — Come for the tech, stay for the opinions. Another long-standing tech podcast, ATP is where I go to get insider knowledge. Not that Marco, Casey, or John have excessive insight into Apple’s secrets, but they have been covering the tech scene for a long time. And each has hands-on experience in software development, with strong opinions on design, user experience, business practices, cars, toasters, and much more.
Favorite Non-Tech Podcast — All Consuming
This is the only two-time winner in these HeyDingus annual favorites. There’s not much more that I can say about All Consuming, a show ostensibly about trying direct-to-consumer goods that I didn’t say last year except that it’s only gotten better over time. The antics, the bits, and the wild things that Noah and Adam make their editor, Paul, add into the show keep me laughing week after week. I’ve even purchased a couple of the items they reviewed, but that’s not really the point. Oh, and the listener-made website to track each item’s rating on the ‘World Famous One Hundred Point Scale’ is a wonder in itself.
Favorite Podcast Newcomer — Football is Life on The Incomparable
As you might have guessed from the TV section, I’m a huge Ted Lasso fan. The premise sounded awful, but then stole the whole of 2020 as the show we all needed. Season 2 certainly took a turn, but I think I can see where it’s going, and I trust the show creators. With its rotating set of hosts, this podcast went back to the beginning of Season 1 to rewatch and talk about it — you know, the way podcasts do. I enjoyed hearing folks talk about their favorite bits and episodes and how things that weren’t obvious at the time paid off over multiple episodes or into the second season. I anxiously await Season 3 and will absolutely be following along with Football is Life for the play-by-plays.
Favorite Blog — Birchtree.me
I can’t say for sure when I started following Matt Birchler’s work. It was probably after seeing his watchOS concepts pop up year after year. But 2021 is when I began reading his blog in earnest. As the tagline on Birchtree proudly states, he’s been “talking tech since 2010,” and I think his site serves as a real-life example of what can happen when you consistently work at something for a decade. Matt doesn’t have the notoriety of some of the other big names in the Apple community, but there’s no denying that he’s known, and his presence is growing. What I appreciate most about his blog, though, is that it’s not trying to be one thing. Matt writes about and links to stuff in all of his interests: photography, gaming, Apple, payment systems, design concepts, applications, and workflows. Another don’t-miss is his YouTube channel, A Better Computer. Matt is receptive on Twitter, writes a weekly newsletter, and might be the most impressive screencaster out there right now.
Runner Up:SixColors.com — If Matt Birchler is an up-and-comer, Jason Snell and Dan Moren sit at the opposite end of the spectrum. Anyone in the Apple community who isn’t aware of Jason’s legacy at Macworld and subsequent foray into self-employment with Six Colors is missing out. Despite being long-toothed in Apple coverage, I continue to be impressed by Six Colors posts. Their enthusiasm, along with expertise, is exactly what I look for in quality reporting.
Favorite Newcomer Blog — BasicAppleGuy.com
If I’m being honest, this guy is pumping out the kind of content that I imagined I would create when I started HeyDingus. I’m happy with what my blog has turned into — a place for me to think aloud and contribute to the automation and workflow conversation — but that makes me doubly glad that BasicAppleGuy.com exists. Besides having a swell general demeanor, Basic Apple Guy tells the stories of Apple devices, legacy and modern, with excitement that I can feel through his writing. And that’s not to mention the superb quality of wallpapers that he’s regularly crafting. As someone on Twitter recently put it, “I don’t know what his day job is, but he should consider being a graphic designer.” Add this site to your follow list, and you won’t be disappointed.
Products
Favorite Apple Product — iPhone 13 mini
I said last year that the iPhone 12 mini was the phone I wished I would have bought. I thought I wouldn’t notice the size increase from 11 Pro to 12 Pro, but I totally did. The iPhone no longer fit my hand, and I actively struggled to reach things on the screen. Well, as a member of the iPhone Upgrade Program and with whispers that the mini line may soon come to an end, I took the opportunity to put my money where my mouth was. The iPhone 13 mini was a phone worth craving. It changes everything, and it’s a joy to use. It’s so lightweight, and thumb typing is so much more comfortable. My last reservations were quelled with the improvements over the 12 mini — increased battery life, sharper cameras, and better 5G coverage. I’m in love with this phone, and if there’s no direct replacement for it next fall, I can’t see myself upgrading, which would be the first time in several years.
Runner Up:M1 Mac mini — I’m on a mini-train this year! This computer has been everything I dreamed of. After the pandemic sent everyone home and seriously strained our computers with streaming endless video calls, I knew the natural life of my 12-inch MacBook was coming to an end. However, since I already had everything I needed for a desktop setup — an external keyboard and mouse and a decent display — I knew the right next Mac for me. Everything you’ve heard is true. This Mac runs silently. Sometimes I think I’ve pushed it hard enough to turn on the fan, but it’s always just my external Time Machine drive spinning up. It’s responsive. It doesn’t care how many apps I open,
though the occasional Safari tab will bog down memory. It’s the always-on and ready-to-go Mac that I wanted, and I intend to run it for many years to come.
Favorite Non-Apple Product — Keychron K2 Keyboard
The vast majority of the words that you read here on HeyDingus have been pounded out on this very Keychron keyboard. Especially as the year wore on and I had less opportunity to write out of the house, my iPad’s Magic Keyboard fell by the wayside. I still love that accessory, but it doesn’t bring me as much enjoyment as this clicky, glowy, color-changing wonder under my fingers. The broader world of mechanical keyboards isn’t something that I am interested in exploring, but I know that its tactile feeling makes writing feel more substantial. Keychron has, thankfully, made this keyboard an easy plug-and-play for people like me who don’t know anything about hot-swapping, soldering, or keycap pullers. Next year I may try out the slimmer model to help out my wrists, but otherwise, I
couldn’t be happier.
This pot, with its simple and functional design, brings me joy every time I look at it. ⌘
This item is a little different. It’s a gift I got for my wife last Christmas because I thought it looked so cool. But it’s probably had a more significant impact on me than her because I perpetually forget to water the plants in our home. With its semi-permeable terracotta pot sitting inside a glass cup, the plant can consume water at the rate it needs. And it lets me keep an eye on when the water level gets low. Since the plant only sips, I have to refill the pot once every few weeks. It’s not earth-shattering, but it is a nice improvement. Plus, it makes a handsome home decoration. This MoMA one has the edge in design, but here’s an Amazon version that I expect would work just as well.
Thanks for letting me get all that out. As I mentioned at the top, it’s fun to take stock of what was most notable each year. I’d love to hear if we have similar tastes in products and media, or if you have suggestions for great stuff that I missed!
I wish you all a happy New Year, with the hope for great gadgets, goodies, and adventures to come.
Today I have a fun update featuring a few items that have recently found their way into my desk setup. If you’re interested in the full tour of what I use every day, you can find the summer installment here.
Surprisingly enough, none of these items were Christmas gifts. While I received a few tech gifts, the items below were all things that I bought myself and that finally shipped, I found in my house, or I bought for others but had an extra. Let’s dig in.
These new items bring me joy and feel right at home on my desk. ⌘
Apple Polishing Cloth — I know, I know, I fell for the hype. But I have my reasons. I usually want my phone on the desktop for easier access than fishing it out of my pocket when sitting at my desk. But I run case-less and have a cat constantly jumping up on the desk. So to give it a safe, soft place to live, I’ve been laying it on a cleaning cloth, but all my previous cloths were pretty small. The Apple Polishing Cloth has the advantage of being larger than average but not massive, and being thick and grippy on the desktop, which prevents my phone from sliding around. And it has a logo that I don’t mind seeing all the time. Was it overpriced? Of course, but it sure is good quality.
AirPods Beanies by Native Union — These were technically a Christmas gift, but from me. When Native Union debuted the AirPod Beanies in celebration of the iPod’s 20th anniversary, I just had to buy them. I never had the iPod Socks but thought they looked so fun. And while I’m not convinced that I’ll end up keeping my AirPods in them while pocketed, the beanies do bring some coziness to the hard plastic case. The beanies come in a pack of four, so one went to my wife (who did use the old iPod socks and had fond memories of it), and the other two were given to friends (and readers of this site — hey guys! 👋). PSA: AirPods charge wirelessly just fine through the beanie, and you can see the LED light shine through the fabric.
HyperDrive USB-C Hub & Wireless Charger — While getting ready for our move, I’ve taken the opportunity to clear out some drawers of junk that I don’t want to haul across the country just still never use. Hiding in the bottom of my cable drawer was this USB-C hub. It was a Kickstarter project that I backed years ago. In fact, it loyally served as the interface between my one-port MacBook and my desk display and other peripherals for almost the entire time I had the MacBook. And I’ve been longing for a hub like it for months, only to rediscover it just feet from my desk.
You see, for a while before I got rid of that MacBook, the HyperDrive seemed a bit glitchy. It didn’t connect as reliably as it once had. Also, it ran hotter than I felt it should. So, when I set up my M1 Mac mini, I retired it to the drawer. However, I suspect the problem was more with the MacBook than the hub.
One of the very few problems that I’ve had with the Mac mini is that its ports are basically unaccessible, at least in the way I have it set up in my Twelve South Curve Riser. So I’ve had my eye on this Satechi hub built specifically for the Mac mini to provide ports out the front. But I’m not convinced it would fit in my stand, and I use the extra ports just infrequently enough that I didn’t want to drop the dough on it. (I haven’t deleted that bookmark yet, though, because the internal SSD for Time Machine still intrigues me.)
But reinstating the HyperDrive allowed me to remove two items from my desk setup. The old Anker wireless charger, and a Satechi portable hub that I had been getting by with. The HyperDrive gives me easy access to all the occasionally-needed ports and a charger with an adjustable angle. I flatten it for AirPods, and I can raise it to prop up my iPhone 13 mini.
I don’t think Hyper sells a hub like this anymore, which is too bad. It’s a solid concept!
Mark Two by Studio Neat — I was an early backer for the Mark One Kickstarter and love that pen. So when Studio Neat launched their campaign for their Mark Two pocket pen, I was instantly on board. That was nearly two years ago. The pandemic and other problems delayed the shipping of the Mark Two, but it was worth the wait. This pen feels premium and built to last. It has a durable pocket clip (a must, in my opinion). It’s small in pocket, but then long in hand. And its clever magnets keep the pen capped while in my pocket. As someone who has ruined several pairs of jeans from retractable pens in pockets, I carry the Mark Two with the peace of mind knowing that it won’t ever fail me in that way.
Apple Mousepad — This Garamond-emblazoned beauty was another find as I was cleaning out some stuff from my childhood home. It was a gift from a fellow nerd (one of those same friends, actually, 👋 again!). While many of those items got tossed or donated, I couldn’t get rid of this mousepad. I can’t say for how long it will stick around (I’m no longer really a mousepad kind of guy), but it does bring some vintage charm to the setup and a smile to my face.
(Mark One by Studio Neat — I include the Mark One retractable pen again here only because the Mark Two is currently sitting in its place of honor, the cork bed. In all honesty, if I’m at my desk, I’m probably using the Mark One. The Mark Two lives in my pants pocket for other writing throughout the day. I just had to show it here because it’s so beautiful and completes the set with Mark One.)
Anyways, I decided to actually write Tim Cook directly, for the fun of it. I put together a fairly lengthy and well-written (if I may say so myself) email, in which I described how I’m a long time Apple fan, but that I thought the music app has provided a subpar experience for years, which is disappointing for a company that usually releases such great products. If you want to get an idea of some of the points I brought up, I covered a lot of the stuff from this popular thread that I posted here a while back. I focused on three broad areas where the app/service falls short - technical performance, design, and missing features.
and
Well, fast forward a few weeks and I got an email and voicemail from someone in Tim Cook’s office who told me she wants to chat on the phone because Tim actually saw my email, personally read it, and forwarded it to people in engineering and on the product design team for Apple Music. She said she’d like to set up a call with me, so of course I jumped at the chance. We chatted on the phone a few days later, and she told me that Apple took my email seriously and may potentially implement some of my suggestions, although she obviously couldn’t promise anything or tell me anything about future plans, as that’s all confidential, and Apple is a super secret company, as we all know.
What a thrill! I’ll choose to see the good in this story that anyone can actually break through to the CEO of one of the most influential companies in the world and inspire real change. I’ll be interested to see how the Music app shapes up over the next year. Speaking of which…
Apple on Thursday released the first beta of macOS Monterey 12.2 just a few days after the release of macOS 12.1 to all users. While the company didn’t provide any release notes for today’s update, it seems that Apple is finally rebuilding the Apple Music app as a full native macOS app.
and
As first noted by Luming Yin on Twitter, Apple Music in macOS 12.2 beta now uses AppKit — which is macOS’ native interface framework. 9to5Mac was able to confirm based on macOS code that the Music app is now using JET, which is a technology created by Apple to turn web content into native apps.
Could it be that the Music team has made a lightning-fast turnaround based on Dave’s call to Tim’s office? Perhaps the plan was already in motion, but it does seem awfully coincidental, doesn’t it?
Here are some of those ideas that Dave pitched to Apple, but expanded upon and public to the internet:
Smart Playlists/filters. Apple Music is still missing a Smart Playlist/filter system to sort through your Library and find the music you want. Apple keeps throwing curated playlists at us, but no matter how many “Here’s a playlist based on a mood or activity or time of day that our Apple curator put together” type playlists that Apple provides, they will never be a substitute for the user actually being able to set his own criteria to determine the music he wants to listen to. Curation is no substitute for smart filters. So many other first party Apple apps have introduced tag/filter systems, like Reminders, Notes, and Apple Maps. Even Fitness and the Apple Store app have a filter feature (see above images). Apple Music needs something similar.
and
Too much focus on curation. The entire app is far too heavily focused on curation. 4 of the 5 main tabs are about curated content — ‘Listen Now’, ‘Browse’, ‘Radio’, and now even the ‘Search’ tab are all about “Here’s music we want you to listen to”. Only the Library tab is about the user’s own preferences, and that tab has gotten very little attention from Apple over the years. As a result, the whole app feels like it was built for content providers, not for end users. It feels like a collection of billboards advertising content at you. Curation is good, but in the right place. Apple Music has not found the right balance. Curation should be a feature, not the entire basis of the app’s design.
and
Permanency. To expound on point #2 in the ‘Technicals’ section earlier, the matching problems result in a constant feeling of your library being ephemeral and inconsistent. The streaming ecosystem feels like it exists in a quantum state, where things just appear and disappear out of existence. Albums get split up. A song you downloaded from an album gets matched back to a single or greatest hits album. The ‘Show Complete Album’ feature often brings you to a compilation. Music you’ve downloaded gets greyed out and removed. And so on. Your library never feels like it’s on solid ground. Perhaps a solution to the matching problems would be to introduce a manual component to the process, where the user can confirm/deny the correctness of a match and submit errors, similar to how the error-reporting system works in Apple Maps. The fact is that
even though this is a streaming service we pay for monthly, music we download should have a feeling of permanency. Just because we’re renting our stuff monthly doesn’t mean we don’t want to maintain collections of that rented stuff.
There are some big ideas here. It almost feels ungrateful to ask for such riches.
The real win of home automation is eliminating cognitive distractions. When it’s time for dinner, it’s time to eat—the food is hot, one of us is likely already sitting down, and it’s disruptive if the other person has to traipse around the house, shutting off lights. Similarly, when we want to watch TV, getting all the lights set right wastes time and distracts from the focus of the activity. These might be self-imposed distractions—we could just leave all the lights on unnecessarily—but they’re no less annoying than unwanted notifications or spam phone calls. It’s quite similar to using Keyboard Maestro to automate a repetitive task on your Mac to save time and mental energy.
Adam Engst makes a strong argument for automating with HomeKit and Siri when it seems the general discourse is that Apple’s assistance still leaves much to be desired. But I have to agree with Adam. While Siri isn’t perfect, the ability to speak a command and have things happen without breaking my stride or pulling out a device is magical. If you haven’t yet dabbled with HomeKit devices, I will encourage you to get a smart outlet and dabble away.
While you’re waiting for your new outlet to arrive, read up on how Adam figured out specific use cases around his home. I’m intrigued by the bed warmer, myself.
Birds Aren’t Real members have also become a political force. Many often join up with counterprotesters and actual conspiracy theorists to de-escalate tensions and delegitimize the people they are marching alongside with irreverent chants.
I’ve seen a smattering of Bird Aren’t Real propaganda over the last few months and wondered what it was all about. Delegitimatizing and satirizing crazy conspiracy theories may be unorthodox, but it feels like a good move. Totally worth a read.
[Update 2021-12-30: Removed part of the blockquote that did not accurately represent my interest in the group.]
Engineers on the ground will remotely orchestrate a complex sequence of deployments in the hours and days immediately after the launch of the James Webb Space Telescope. This animation shows the nominal sequence for these deployments.
Humankind took a giant leap forward yesterday with our successful Christmas launch of the JWST. With it, we’ll be able to look further and farther back than ever before, nearly back to the birth of the universe. There’s still a lot that needs to go right for it to be functional, including unfurling correctly. This animation shows what we hope will happen as it sets itself upon its million-mile journey.
The Verge has had great coverage on the launch and what it means for scientific discovery.
In the last century, 85% of the world’s oyster reefs have vanished. And we’re only recently beginning to understand what that’s cost us: While they don’t look incredibly appealing from the shore, oysters are vital to bays and waterways around the world. A single oyster can filter up to 50 gallons of water every day. And over time, oysters form incredible reef structures that double as habitats for various species of fish, crabs, and other animals. In their absence, our coastlines have suffered.
Now, several projects from New York to the Gulf of Mexico and Bangladesh are aiming to bring the oysters back. Because not only are oysters vital ecosystems; they can also protect us from the rising oceans by acting as breakwaters, deflecting waves before they hit the shore. It won’t stop the seas from rising - but embracing living shorelines could help protect us from what’s to come.
I shouldn’t be surprised, but I had no idea how functional oysters are!
Thanks for reading 7 Things! If you enjoyed these links, or have something else neat to share, please drop me a line on Twitter or shoot me an email!
iOS developer Bastian Andelefski told me that he created this smart home remote app which uses the iPhone U1 chip to control the house. The idea is very simple: by using the U1 chip, the iPhone is able to locate specific points in your home. With that placement established, you can turn on/off lights, change their colors, and more.
Holy shit, this looks amazing! It would be awesome to see this kind of spatial awareness in the Home app. It’s like the magic wand for Lumos and Nox that I always wanted!
It looks like Andelefski is open to bringing his technology to one of the big tech companies so that it can be used by the masses. Let’s hope someone on the Matter team is pushing for UWB integration so that perhaps it could come to all of them.
Our favorite flight tracking app, Flighty, is a must-have app for this time of the year and tomorrow the pro tier will be unlocked free-of-charge for all users. December 23rd is the busiest travel day of the year and all pro features will be available throughout the day for everyone, even users who don’t currently pay for the pro tier.
This is a cool thing to do. The iOS community has regularly rallied around efforts like this by indie developers who try to give back. Christian Selig, developer of Apollo, has run several specials where he donates the proceeds from purchases of his app to grassroots charities. It warms the cockles of my heart.
Oh, and I’ve used Flighty and can vouch for it fully. The pro features are totally worth the subscription when you need to travel by air. If that’s tomorrow for you, make sure you’re protected, and then check out Flighty.
This variant is going to rip through our country and wreak havoc on those forty percent (and unfortunately, other immunocompromised people who those 40 percent refuse to protect, like true jackasses). Milder or not — data is promising, but the jury is still out for a host of reasons — this is going to be ugly. Time and mutations may be naturally blunting the virus, but the true stopgap, the vaccines, remain up for debate because our country is broken.
I’ve resigned to stop worrying about COVID. There will be variant after variant, and it seems nothing will break through to people who don’t take it seriously. So I’ve protected myself and my loved ones, and the rest, I guess, will get what they get. I do feel bad for people who cannot get vaccinated through no fault of their own. But I’m exhausted after two years of constant worry, and cannot put more energy into it.
Siegler seems optimistic than I am, hoping that harsh regulations will come down on the unvaccinated, while the vaccinated will be able to get on with their lives. But when many regulators are vaccine-opposed, it seems unlikely to me.
UPDATE: After posting this evening, I came across this from Greg Morris, which succinctly expresses more of my feelings about our current COVID situation:
The sacrifice was, of course, worth it. I suffered, and in many ways I still am. My family still bares the [scars] of staying in, some that won’t heal for a long time. Mentally exhausted from the effort to save others. None of these sacrifices are for us. Hardship in life rarely is, but to be a good person is to think of others. Help as many as you can and improve the lives of others when you can. Yet, in 2021 these values seem lost.
Lost to a world dedicated to the individual. Lives filled with selfishness and greed. Where they are all the main character and care very little for others around them. Instead of making this obvious sacrifice for the health and well-being of others, concentration is on themselves. We all did what we needed to do to get through this and are being held back by the few. We didn’t put ourselves through this for us, we did it for you.
A few weeks ago, we finally got around to putting up a bird feeder that I got my wife for our anniversary. (It’s a cool one, too, with solar lights so that it’s also a nice nighttime decoration!)
It turns out it’s not easy to get a good picture of birds through a screen window. ⌘
With it being winter here in Ohio, food sources are more scarce for birds, so they seem pretty excited to find a consistent place to feed. We get birds of all kinds; sparrows, cardinals, blue jays, woodpeckers, and more that I haven’t yet identified. It’s amazing how many birds will gather and take turns pecking at a small feeder and suet.
The feeder has brought a lot more joy to our house than I ever expected. My wife, dog, cat, and I all enjoy sitting by the window and watching the birds flit about. The outdoor cats in the neighborhood get a kick out of it as well, trying to sneak up on the birds the best they can.
But it has also brought back fond memories of my childhood. My grandma always had bird feeders hanging outside their large floor-to-ceiling windows. It’s one of my favorite parts about their living room because it brings the outdoors in. Nena still loves to watch the birds out those windows, and they came in droves.
When I was young, I didn’t get the appeal, but now I, too, look forward to sitting quietly in the mornings to watch the birds.
