Is there a way to turn off Twitter for iOS’ takeover of audio whenever you switch to the app? It’s annoying to have to restart music just because you want to toot.
I’m really enjoying messing around with Raycast - a bit of a Spotlight / Alfred replacement? Something about it really clicks with my brain in a way that Alfred and similar apps never did. I know I’m barely scratching the surface of it’s usage though.
One person humbles themselves for the long term good of an org and the community, meanwhile another person sucks the org dry of $$ and will be gone in a year.
What would Jesus do, I wonder? 🤔
Any Eleventy (or JSON?) nerds help a newb out one last time? I want to create a JSON file off my Eleventy based blog including the full content of every post on my site to use as an import. Here’s what I have so far.
IMHO $0.02CAD - stop hunting for a Twitter alternative and set yourself up an account (and blog if you want) with Micro.blog. Cross post to Twitter for now while it’s still standing, but build your internet home elsewhere.
If you haven’t already heard about the latest from the 🇺🇸 hearings, the summary on today’s The Daily is worth a listen just to understand how bonkers things were on January 6th.
Think Less, Blog More
I, and others, have been motivated to blog more simply because of Chris Coyier’s recent uptick of posts on his own blog.
I appreciate his recent post reminding everyone that there is no bar you have to attain before you hit publish:
I’d like to write better individual blog posts, but something has always compelled me to punt out a thought early rather than wait until I have some perfect way to present it. And for the record, I don’t mind reading your posts like that either.
This is a big part of my motivation to move my blog off my nerdy Eleventy set up and set everything up with my Micro.blog account. Between the web interface, macOS app, and iOS app - it makes it so much easier for me to fire off a quick tweet style post or something longer like this without having to worry about anything needing to be updated first, or breaking something while trying to simply publish a quick thought.
@manton at Micro.blog has been super helpful trying to sort out my issues moving my blogging archive from ChrisEnns.com into Micro.blog - and once I get that sorted I’ll move this blog off my subdomain to my main site.
For the record I still am really excited about the Jamstack style of publishing websites. I’m just not nerdy enough to be able to maintain a site like that AND have time to publish anything.
How to Temporarily Disable Face ID or Touch ID, and Require a Passcode to Unlock Your iPhone or iPad
Related to the earlier post on data security on your iOS device, Gruber has this tip on temporarily disabling Face ID or Touch ID and using a passcode instead:
Just press and hold the buttons on both sides. Remember that. Try it now. Don’t just memorize it, internalize it, so that you’ll be able to do it without much thought while under duress, like if you’re confronted by a police officer. Remember to do this every time you’re separated from your phone, like when going through the magnetometer at any security checkpoint, especially airports. As soon as you see a metal detector ahead of you, you should think, “Hard-lock my iPhone”.
Handy tip for any Canadians who have to travel to the USA on their way to less restrictive countries.
Quick Health and Data Security Check
It’s always a good idea to periodically check and see what apps have access to your data, health or otherwise. Via Gruber:
HealthKit was designed from the ground up to be cryptographically secure in this way. You can check which apps have access to what Health data in Settings → Health → Data Access & Devices.
I do trust Apple with my data. Perhaps naïvely? While they’re not immune from potentially becoming a bad actor in this space, they’ve shown time and again their unwillingness to use customer data against them, or hand over customer data or keys to customer data to law enforcement.
Managed to thread the needle of getting the tent trailer to the mechanic’s and back for a spring check up without getting rained on today which I consider a win. 🏆🍻
iOS tip: If you’re taking a photo you’re going to be sharing with someone else, make sure to shout loudly while taking the photo on the off chance they view the live photo version.
I unlocked something in my brain today about how I could use @Microblog to post and publish my blog at, ditching the Eleventy / Netlify combo which is too complex for a woeful nerd like me. Just need to sort out how to import all my blog posts in? 🤔
HandMirror for macOS is one of those apps I would totally use a lot, if I could just remember to actually use it when I need it.
(It’s a menubar app that pops up a quick view of your camera so you can check your hair before a Zoom or Riverside call.)
M1 Mac vs M2 Mac
I don’t understand why I’d buy an M1 based Mac Studio when the M2 based MacBook Pro and MacBook Air are out right now - so clearly there’s going to be an M2 based Mac Studio coming.
The obvious deciding factor would be “Do you need a faster Mac right now or can you afford to wait?”
This post on MacRumors.com helps sort out the differences between the two chips - but everything I read there tells me I should wait before taking an M-based plunge with my main work machine - I currently have a 2019 16" MacBook Pro.
This paragraph jumped out at me as a reason to wait for the M2 based Mac Studio:
Both the M1 and the M2 have dedicated video encode and decode engines for hardware-accelerated H.264 and HEVC, but the M2’s video engines are also able to accelerate ProRes and ProRes RAW to enable playback of multiple streams of 4K and 8K video. In addition, the M2’s media engine includes a higher-bandwidth video decoder, supporting 8K H.264 and HEVC video.
I don’t do a lot of 4K video right now for clients, but when I do - rendering is the biggest bottleneck to creativity and getting my work done efficiently.
I recently heard someone talk about how fast their M1 Max MacBook Pro is at rendering video on a client’s podcast and that’s what’s got me feeling the itch to upgrade.
It’s a bit of a chicken and the egg for me right now. If I upgrade to a Mac Studio, I’ll get more work done which will allow me to make more money and then be able to more easily afford upgrading to a Mac Studio. 😊
