Here’s how Apple describes its most abstract addition to the slate yet:

Calls is a groundbreaking immersive television experience that masterfully uses only audio and minimal abstract visuals to tell bone-chilling snackable stories.

Definitely check out the trailer. This show feels like something straight out of the QCode podcast playbook but enhanced for TV. I’m intrigued. It debuts in just a few weeks on March 19.

If you haven’t heard of QCode before, they create highly-produced podcasts telling fictional stories. They’re kind of like audiobooks but with impressive sound effects and built specifically for the podcasting medium. I can recommend shows like Carrier, The Edge of Sleep, Borrasca, and Blackout.

(Via MacRumors)

Linked TV Shows

1. MrBeast. I found MrBeast a few years ago and was really put off by his video style, which I found immature at the time. But now I’m so impressed by the empire Jimmy’s built by doing crazy moonshot stunt videos and by the philanthropy he does helping people with his money. A good starter video. [MrBeast Channel]
2. MKBHD. If you’re into tech and not watching Marques, you’re missing out. I enjoy that his videos aren’t focused on just one type of technology or just one company — he branches out from your typical smartphones and laptops into amazing new devices coming up, retro tech, and more. And the video quality is always spot on. A good starter video. [MKBHD Channel]
3. Us the Duo. I’ve been a big fan of Us the Duo as a band for many years. Michael and Carissa Alvarado are a married couple who produce music together, and they have a young toddler daughter, Xyla. For the past few months, I’ve been as entertained by their pandemic video projects as I am by their music. Once a week, they create a new song or cover live with an audience on Twitch, and then the 6-8 hours are artfully condensed down to roughly 10 minutes. They’ve also been making a weekly vlog about their family life; they seem like great parents and loving partners. A good starter video. [Us the Duo Channel]
4. zefrank. After a multi-year hiatus, zefrank is back with hilarious videos about unlikely animals. I can’t say that I retain the true facts that he puts into every video, but I sure do laugh at each one. A good starter video. [zefrank]
5. The Slow Mo Guys. In my opinion, Gav and Dan are the understated kings of YouTube. They’re down-to-earth, relatable people who enjoy creating something and putting it out into the world. They found a topic that they found interesting (showing the inner workings of everyday things, but in slow motion) and have been consistently improving video after video for over ten years. Gav’s a wizard with editing and sound design, and Dan is so funny and willing to go the extra mile for an entertaining video. We haven’t seen much of Dan during the pandemic, but Gavin’s done a superb job of keeping up the channel solo and sharing some behind-the-scenes of their process. A good starter video. [The Slow Mo Guys Channel]
6. Becca Farsace. I think I linked to Becca’s first video when she launched her channel, but I’ve continued to enjoy her vlogs. Becca’s day job is as a video director for the The Verge, so the quality of her videos is predictably excellent. Beyond sharp shots and masterful editing, Becca tells stories well and lets her goofy personality shine in each one. A good starter video. [Becca Farsace Channel]
7. CGP Grey. Another decade-long YouTuber, Grey does explainer videos for whatever catches his interest. Luckily, a lot of our interests overlap! The research and preparation that go into each video are visibly enormous, and the animations are full of whimsy and easter eggs. I also listen to Grey on the Cortex podcast, which I likewise recommend. A good starter video. [CGP Grey Channel]

7 Things

Today the folks at HEY Email launched HEY World, a dead-simple blogging solution. The long and short of it is that you write an email from your HEY account, address it to world@hey.com, and hit “Send” to publish your words to the web. It arrived much sooner than I expected, having been introduced as an experiment just last week. It also has me considering the notion that blogging really is just like sending an email to the world and what that idea means for HeyDingus.

Some background: I’ve been an avid follower of Basecamp, the people behind HEY, for several years. Their project management platform, which we use at work, is great and has made me reconsider the value of asynchronous communication (like email!). I’ve read books by their cofounders, Jason and David, and largely agree with the way they see the world. (Update from 2024: Our views have diverged significantly over the years, and I bristle at most things DHH writes these days. Enough that I mostly ignore them now.) When HEY Email launched last year, I eagerly awaited my chance to sign up and pay money for an email address. Who does that?!

I have opinions on HEY Email as a product that are mostly good, but they’ll have to wait. Today is about the entirely new blogging platform that they added to an email service (for no extra cost, which feels good). 

HeyDingus, too, is a new project. I published my first blog post just over two months ago after spending several weeks “building” the website. I really enjoyed learning the ins and outs of crafting a Squarespace site and tweaking the fonts, colors, link style, and other visual flair you see here. But that time spent adjusting each page, getting the footer right, purchasing and setting up the domain…it wasn’t spent writing, which was the whole point. Further, it made me think about this blog as something I had to live up to. It was to be my public home on the internet, so I wanted all the clutter put away and the best decorations out for people who stopped by. My writing had to earn its place on the pedestal that I had created in my mind.

I think that’s partly why I’ve written here less than I thought I would. But then along came HEY World, and now I’m thinking differently. When Jason said, “Email is the internet’s oldest self-publishing platform,” it clicked with me. I love email. I feel great about working through my inbox each day and writing thought-out replies in a timely manner. I’ve been commended time after time about how people can rely on getting taken care of if they send me an email. So, what if I think less about writing an article for HeyDingus, and more about writing an email to readers? 

People don’t expect perfect grammar and punctuation in an email. There are no fancy footnotes¹ in an email, just postscripts. Adding an image is as simple as dropping it in the composing window. Emails are written to be replied to, not hewn from stone, and the conversation continues. You get an email from someone who cares about you.

I’ve spent time tonight reading the first HEY World posts from people all over the internet, many of whom say it’s their first time writing a public blog. It’s inspiring to see those people put a bit of themselves out into the world, just like I am, and feel empowered by a simple piece of software. While I don’t intend to switch to blogging on HEY World — since I do appreciate the ability to tweak, categorize, and have static pages alongside an ongoing flow of blog posts — I have to admit that I admire its simplicity. And I’m feeling a little silly about sleepless nights spent creating three — yes, three — separate sites before landing on the one you see now. But that’s a story for another time.

Everyone says sheer volume will make you a better writer. For now, I’ll think about writing this blog as if I’m writing an email to you, the reader, and do my best to simply write more. And to get my words on the web, I’ll copy the Markdown text from iA Writer and archive the draft, then create a new post on Squarespace, then paste in the text, then check the URL, tags, and categories, then finally hit “Publish”. Or if I were using HEY World, I would just hit “Send”.

---

1. Footnote support was a sticking point when I was selecting a blogging platform. Though I like them, they’re more trouble than they’re worth and leave me dealing with HTML rather than plain text when I use them.↩︎

Blogging

1. At 21, I had a Harry Potter-themed birthday party with fun alcoholic drinks. [Photo]
2. At 22, I made a snowman in crocs. [Photo]
3. At 23, I asked the woman of my dreams to marry me while we hiked on the Appalachian Trail. [Photo]
4. At 24, I have no pictures, so I must have done some devious.
5. At 25, I celebrated at the zoo. [Photo]
6. At 26, I rented a cabin in the woods with my wife and puppy, and unplugged for a few days. [Photo]
7. At 27, I went for a run. [Blog Post]

7 Things

Today, I turn 27 years old. It’s not a particularly significant number. It’s one before my golden birthday. A few before the big 3-0. Still, it’s as good a time to reflect a little.

I leaned into it and went for a 2.7-mile run this afternoon with my dog. Today was the first day in what feels like months that it has been both warm enough outside and not blanketed in snow, so running would be enjoyable. I’ve been itching to get out, so I was grateful for that today.

Over the past few months, I’ve been closing my Apple Watch rings every day using the Fitness+ service. I was pleased to find the daily exercise made jumping back into a long-ish run not only possible but fun. I wasn’t gasping for breath, my legs felt strong, and I could have kept going. Blisters might be my only speed bumps for this latest restart of my running obsession — rather than having to rebuild my endurance.

I wasn’t the only one outside on this pleasantly warm Sunday. There were parents walking babies and dogs walking parents. Everyone seemed just as happy as I was for the opportunity to get outside without bundling against the bitter cold. I could give that small wave and receive a smile in return. On a birthday where I won’t be able to meet up with friends for a drink, or go to dinner with family, that bit of normalcy was nice.

I always look forward to my birthday. As I get older, it’s less about the excitement of a celebration, but instead, because it’s as good a day as any to be kind to myself. I sleep late. I eat foods I enjoy. I watch or play what I like. I make myself stop worrying about things, breathe, and relax. At a time in my life when I feel pulled between wanting to make a difference in the world and also just worn down by it all, this is a much-needed day of solace, of smallness, of simplicity.

My wife recently asked what my favorite season was these days. Late summer and into fall was what I said. I love the smell of crunchy leaves in the air and the cool autumn breeze whisking away the heat of the summer. But I was reminded today that spring is pretty great too. Spring is the time to reflect, restart, and renew.

Happy birthday to me.

Journal

1. “Don’t Let Me Down (feat. Daya)” by The Chainsmokers [Apple Music]
2. “Lonely (Acoustic)” by Justin Bieber & benny blanco [Apple Music]
3. “Sinking” by Clairo [Apple Music]
4. “Sky Above” by Jacob Collier [Apple Music]
5. “Afterglow” by Ed Sheeran [Apple Music]
6. “Mr. Whoever You Are” by Tim McGraw [Apple Music]
7. “She” by dodie [Apple Music]

7 Things

1. An Instagram account dedicated to cute Golden Retrievers. [I Love Golden Retrievers]
2. A Twitter account dedicated to cats in unlikely places. [Places Cats Shouldn’t Be]
3. Strange Planet comics depicting the human experience. [Strange Planet]
4. Finishing the final season of Letterkenny and itching for a rewatch already. [Letterkenny]
5. XKCD is still putting out gold. [XDCD]
6. The high jinks and japes on the Connected podcast. [Connected]
7. My Valentine. [❤️]

7 Things

• Living in a snowy and chilly Brunswick, OH with my wife and our three pets.

• Working for the Boy Scouts of America where I’m focused on breaking into the mainstream outdoor programs scene — not just for Scouts. We’re piloting a 6th-grade camp this spring, and hopefully some spring break camps as well.

• I’ve been closing my rings every day for nearly a month and a half now. Streaks like these are really motivating for me, and I feel stronger — even if I don’t look more fit yet.

• This update will be my 23rd post to this site. I’m working on making writing more of a habit, and to get more substantial blog posts up, but I’m pretty happy with HeyDingus so far.

• COVID has thoroughly converted me into a work-from-home guy. I’ve always felt less distracted when at home than at the office, but now I wonder how I ever got anything done with all the people around. I really value the quiet, focus, and freedom of my home office.

• I’m (still, still) reading Morning Star by Pierce Brown, and nearly finished with A Promised Land by Barack Obama, which is my bedtime audiobook.

• Not playing much of anything in the way of games, except for occasional Sudoku and Chess to keep the mind sharp. I have a couple puzzle games lined up that I’d like to get to soon, though.

• After finishing up several different shows, I’m watching a few new seasons of shows of Apple TV+ including Servant, Dickinson, and Losing Alice. They’re all pretty great but for very different reasons. I’ve also gotten into WandaVision on Disney+ and am making my way through the final few seasons of Letterkenny, which is a hilarious show. Palmer, with Justin Timberlake, was an excellent movie as well.

• Listening to a bunch of dodie lately, and using Brain.fm to focus during work (and right now as I write this).

• Looking forward to this deep cold breaking and it being more comfortable to run outside. I’m getting that itch to move that only a good, long run outdoors can scratch.

• Not watching the Super Bowl.

Now Journal

1. Mark Rober of YouTube is back with another over-the-top contraption. The NFL player, Matt Prater, seemed like a great guy too. [Mark Rober]
2. Since I typically get frustrated and angry with folks complaining about being “censored” by social media platforms, this bit of satire on McSweeney’s brought a smile to my face. [Eli Grober]
3. There’s more I want to say about Arun’s site and several of his articles, but this bit about Apple’s identity guidelines from back in the 80’s was a fun dive. [Arun Venkatesan]
4. Becca Farsace, a video director at The Verge, started a new YouTube channel recently. I always enjoy her appearances on Verge videos and podcasts, so I was pleased to see that she’s sharing more. Becca’s videos are fun, goofy, and indeed (to use her term) crispy. [Becca Farsace]
5. I love macOS’s dynamic wallpapers that adapt throughout the day, and this Mac-assed throwback collection by Hector Simpson called “Aqueuex” are irresistible. You can get the static mobile versions for free, but the dynamic ones for Mac are only $3. [Via 9to5Mac]
6. If you’re not watching WandaVision on Disney+, then now is a great time to start. The first three episodes were a little off-putting, but episodes four and five have blown the story open, and I can’t stop thinking about it. [Disney+]
7. You can always count on a new Apple product or feature to motivate me. It worked with Fitness+ to kickstart my exercise routine. Then again this week with the new Time To Walk program. This feature of Fitness+ on Apple Watch is a series of short stories from celebrities and a few songs meant to be listened to while walking. I wanted to try it out, and it did get me outside this week — despite the deep cold. I like how the host was also out on a walk during the recording, which, though gimmicky, effectively makes it feel like you’re on a walk along with them. [Via MacRumors]

7 Things

Every January, I look forward to Jason Snell’s roundup of commentary and grades from the Apple community about each of the company’s product lines and initiatives from the previous year. It’s fun to get a variety of perspectives, but I’ve always felt that the aggregate scores come out pretty accurate.

This year I wanted to add my own thoughts on each category without being swayed by everyone else’s opinion, so I’m rating them before reading Jason’s report. These are rated on a scale from 1 to 5, with 5 being the best.

Mac: 5
This is an easy year to grade the Mac. Despite having the Apple Silicon Macs lined up for later in the year, Apple still put out solid updates to the 13” MacBook Pro and the iMac. Though the iMac design is long in the tooth, the more powerful processors and the option for nano texture glass were good to round out this generation.

And then the stars of the show: the M1 Mac mini, MacBook Air, and 13” MacBook Pro. By all accounts, these machines punch far outside their weight class, and the transition to ARM processors has been nearly seamless. My own experience with the new Mac mini has been very positive, and I intend to use the hell out of it for years to come. It really feels like we’re on the precipice of something special in the lifetime of the Mac, and I”m excited to be along for the ride.

iPhone: 4
The iPhone had a great year as well! I’m very happy with the return to flat edge design, and the raw power bridled in modern iPhone chips is undeniable. Add in a great camera system, and an expansion of the sizes of phones with the iPhone 12 mini, and you’ve got a winner of a year. Oh, and we also got an updated iPhone SE earlier this year!

The only knocks I have against the iPhone are the overhype of 5G, a lack of a high-refresh rate screen, and a personal vendetta on the rollout. 5G is just not a game-changer yet, and Apple led us to believe that it was the greatest thing since sliced bread. High-refresh rate screens have been commonplace with flagship Android phones for a few years, and the lack of a ProMotion screen in iPhones was a little disappointing. That’s not to say the screens are bad — they’re actually great — but I was hoping for a tad more. And the schedule of the iPhone rollout this year meant that by the time the iPhone mini came out, I was just outside the return period of the iPhone 12 Pro. Not really Apple’s fault, but it stings just a bit since that small phone seems like a great device.

iPad: 4
The iPad had a bit of a funny year. The biggest and best of the line, the iPads Pro, barely had an update, even after two years. But iPad Air had a great leap forward to bring it basically in line with the 11” Pro model. It feels like there’s another shoe to drop for the iPad Pro line. Still, there’s little to complain about since the iPad has been ahead of the curve for a while. Plus, with the introduction of the Magic Keyboard, I feel like the story of the modular iPad has really been rounded out. I long for that flat, full-screen, and keyboard-plus-trackpad lifestyle.

iPadOS 14 could have been more feature-complete as compared with iOS 14. I’m looking at you, widgets, emoji search (finally coming in 14.5), and App Library. I’m looking forward to a more transformational 2021. But I’ve continued to be very happy with my iPad Pro and iPad mini overall.

Watch: 5
Like with the iPad, I sat this year out as far as an Apple Watch upgrade, but I do think the Series 6 was a solid upgrade. Any time Apple can squeeze in a new health or fitness sensor into the same sleek case design without destroying battery life is, in my opinion, a miracle. I’m hoping the titanium model will stick around for at least another year because it’s been calling my name!

Even without a hardware upgrade, watchOS 7 was a great upgrade for me. I don’t know if I could even tell you everything that was included anymore, but the simple addition of watch shortcuts and sleep mode was a great improvement. I love that I can easily adjust my alarm for just the next day, and I was able to stop shoehorning theater mode for overnight sleep tracking. The biggest improvement day-to-day, though, was how Apple sped up animations. It made my existing hardware feel snappier, and that’s always a pleasant surprise.

Apple TV: 1
I briefly considered giving Apple TV a 2 because I’ve really enjoyed the films and shows that have come out on TV+. But those are part of the service, not the hardware, and will be rated next. We’ve been waiting far too long for updated Apple TV hardware, and it’s frankly embarrassing that the existing boxes are still for sale at the exorbitant prices they were introduced at.

My wife and I bought a 4K HDR TV earlier this year but haven’t been able to fully take advantage of its goodness because I refused to purchase an Apple TV 4K back in March, thinking that an update had to be just around the corner. 11 months later, and I’m still waiting. If a new model doesn’t blow us away with power, a mechanism for playing great games (like an Apple-designed controller), and a better remote soon, I don’t know what I’ll do.

I guess I’ve been mostly happy with the Apple TV HD I’ve been rocking for many years, but it’s showing its age and can’t deliver even the table stakes for modern content.

Services: 4
When Apple puts public focus on a particular area of its business, it can move mountains. This was true of the Mac ever since the “roundtable” a few years ago — which heralded the renaissance of the Mac, starting with the iMac Pro, then the Mac Pro, blessedly-fixed laptop keyboards, and finally the kick-ass M1 Macs. The same has been true of their services division.

I’m all in on Apple Music, TV+, Fitness+, and iCloud. I dabble with Apple Card and News+. Sure, each service has a few nitpicks, but overall I’m very happy with their value. Had Apple not (finally) introduced a bundled option with Apple One, paying for each of these would feel excessive. But the price came in a little under my expectations (which never happens with Apple prices), and I’m very happy to keep using and sharing them with my family.

That the paltry 5GB of free iCloud space continued into the Apple One era, and a miss with not offering a high-fidelity tier of Apple Music to go with AirPods Max, kept Services from getting full marks.

HomeKit: 3
Not the best, but not the works. I’m glad for the few improvements to the Home app this year. But otherwise, I feel it’s been a quiet year for HomeKit. I still have a few random bugs in the system, but overall my devices seem to work. I don’t know exactly what I expect from HomeKit, but I’m still underwhelmed this year.

Perhaps CHOIP and more Thread radio devices will make a bigger difference in 2021.

Hardware Reliability: 5
I have very few complaints about hardware reliability this year. There were a few weird, but annoying, Bluetooth bugs in the new M1 Mac hardware was a spot of dirt on the overall sheen. My 2017 iPad Pro’s battery is showing its age. But that’s about it. Apple’s hardware is famously solid, but they’ve done a good job of not introducing any big new “gates” for a while and finally phased out the last one coughkeyboardscough.

Software Quality: 4
After a rocky 2019 with iOS 13 and macOS Catalina, 2020 was solid with iOS 14 and macOS Big Sur. For mobile, it felt like a quality-of-life update year, and I’d be hard-pressed to tell you exactly what comes with the 2020 updates besides widgets (which are great). But I’ve been happy with the operating systems. Even with a huge visual refresh on the Mac, I think the transition was smooth, and the new visuals feel at home already.

Keeping this category from a 5 are the minor bugs that aren’t show-stopping but are annoying. For example, my AirPods Max won’t remember that I want to keep “Off” as a setting that I can cycle the noise cancelation through. My Apple TV routinely skips back a few episodes after the current one finishes — we actually watch it happen on screen as though we’re scrolling back. AirPlay has been a little wonky the last couple of months. Again, nothing big but enough to be notable. Hopefully, the rough edges get rounded out before the new software season.

Developer Relations: 2
It’s been a rough year for developer relations, and I definitely think Apple could have been better. It’s almost hard to remember that the HEY vs. Apple, the Epic vs. Apple, and COVID-hurt businesses vs. Apple spectacles all happened in 2020, but they did. Some of these remain unresolved, and I wouldn’t say that Apple came out looking great in any.

Apple earned back a little goodwill by getting the increase in App Store commissions for small businesses in, but not a lot. It makes a big difference for those smaller developers, but there are too many hoops to jump through and “gotchas” to give them full credit.

Environment/Social Initiatives: 5
Apple continues to lead the industry in environmental efforts and social initiatives. Their donations and new projects were substantial. I continue to be impressed with how Tim Cook speaks on social justice very publicly and authentically. He could get away with saying less but truly puts his mouth where his money is.

Wearables: 4
My only new purchase in the wearables department this year was AirPods Max. Though the price hurt, I’ve been very happy with the purchase. I think it gets even better if you count HomePod mini in this category. These smaller, more affordable speakers sound great and have delivered the promise of whole-home Siri to my house. I might have expected other new AirPods, an introductory AR device, or a non-Apple Watch health device, but the ones that did ship have been solid.

—

In a year turned upside down by a global pandemic, Apple would have been given plenty of slack for “taking a year off”. Instead, they’re firing on all cylinders when it comes to their products. Only Apple TV and their developer relations dragged scores down. I’ll be very happy if they can earn back some credibility with those this year. I hope that as the world continues to get used to the way we’re working and living, it keeps working for them. We have a lot to enjoy from 2020, and hopefully, an even better 2021 to look forward to!

Average Score: 3.8

The entire Six Colors report card is well worth a read.