-
WWDC 2021: Quick Thoughts
Lots and lots of goodies in Apple’s 2021 keynote. Some quick thoughts: FaceTime on the web – I guess just as I was last pondering this May, someone at Apple was also wondering why Zoom took off and not FaceTime. Thankfully they reached the same conclusion. Digital ID – The ability to add ID to […]
-
All News Is Breaking News
Having set up a new phone recently, I started receiving “Breaking News” alerts from the BBC. I must have accidentally granted permission when installing the app. I left them turned on, thinking perhaps this time I might find it useful, especially given the precarious worldwide situation right now. Within hours though, I remembered why I’d […]
-
The Tablet Dilemma: Powerful Laptop Replacement or Casual Consumption Device?
Earlier this week Apple announced a new version of the iPad Pro, a £749 tablet that includes pretty much the same internals as the other recent Macs including the MacBook Air, MacBook Pro, iMac and Mac Mini. Once you up the storage to a more acceptable (but still bare minimum) 256GB and add in the […]
-
Apple, Please Make It Easier To Report Scam Apps
I was searching Apple’s App Store for something and came across a bunch of apps from a developer who offers a suite of apps that seem designed to confuse customers into paying for in-app purchases and subscriptions under false pretences. First there is a “Find My AirPods” type app which costs $4.99 a month and […]
-
The Little Things: View Current Headphone Decibel Level on iOS
A quick tip for iOS users. It’s possible to view the dB level that is currently being produced by your headphones at any time on iOS. This is useful if you want to make sure that your headphones don’t get too loud. To view the decibel level, you’ll first need to add the “Hearing” widget […]
-
Online Advertising Might Be One Giant Scam
If you listen to only one podcast this week then it should be the latest episode of Talking Politics featuring the great documentary film-maker Adam Curtis. I recommend listening to the entire episode, the bit at the 29 minutes was of particular interest as he explores the modern Internet, whether online advertising can possibly work, […]
-
20 Years of macOS
It is 2021 and would you believe it, macOS is 20 years old. Like someone who found out about band before they became famous, I used Mac OS X back when it was a strangely futuristic operating system that most people had never heard of. I left school in the summer of 2001 and to […]
-
No Video Calls on Friday
The Guardian on Citigroup banning internal video calls on Fridays:: Global investment bank Citigroup has banned work video calls on Fridays in an attempt to help employees break free from the “relentlessness of the pandemic workday”. Jane Fraser, Citi’s new chief executive, told staff that the last day of the working week would be known […]
-
Saying Goodbye to Podcast “Subscriptions”
Apple is ditching the word ‘Subscribe’ as a means to describe the act of telling your favourite podcast player to keep checking a particular feed and have the latest episode available at a moment’s notice. Instead it will use “Follow”, which seems to make a lot more sense as a way represent passively consuming a […]
-
Monetising Hobbies
I am looking for ways to monetise my running. I usually run 5 kilometres a couple of times during the week and a longer 10 mile (16.10K) run at the weekend. This is a heavy time investment. The 5K runs take between 22 and 30 minutes depending on the weather, my energy levels and the […]