Back in July I posted about taking a break but here I am in October celebrating the 7th anniversary of the site.
There's still plenty for me to write about but juggling work, Good Gear Club, app development and life in general is getting harder as I get older!
So my intention right now is to try and see the year out for a start. Beyond that, I do want to focus some more on app development rather than blogging. Right now I have 3 very simple ideas in mind that would be a good base to start with and then we'll see where we get to from there. Just one in the app store would be great to achieve.
Last week saw the 365th post on the site. As I probably say every year, that seemed unthinkable when I kicked this project off.
Read the post from week 366
I've created a Gist on Github for posting to Bluesky with PHP after a little bit of investigating.
It logs you in (using an app password) and saves the token so you can reuse it later if required. The script also posts 'Hello, world!' to the validated account so that you can see that it worked.
In fact, this post was posted by the script.
Now thinking about how to roll this into Good Gear Club as the site I'm most excited about working on right now.
Read the post from week 365
I genuinely love my iPad mini, it's been a fantastic device for me that I use daily. Combined with the 2nd-gen Apple Pencil has made it indispensable for note taking and for creative endeavours.
Today, Apple announced the 7th-generation iPad mini which is marketed as being "built for Apple Intelligence".
I won't be upgrading because there's nothing wrong with mine and to be honest, it was Smart Script that I was most interested and turns out the 6th-gen already got the feature in iPadOS 18.
The Apple Pencil Pro, however, is the best Apple Pencil. I used one once and it was a natural upgrade to the previous generation with its new pinch gestures. I also don't have hover support for the Apple Pencil. MacRumors have a good breakdown of the differences between the new and old and there's not a lot in it.
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Despite being a big fan of Pharrell, I didn't really get why Piece by Piece was coming out and after watching this interview with Jimmy Fallon, I can't wait to see it.
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When Smart Script was announced, I wasn't sure if it would be an Apple silicone exclusive but thankfully it hasn't been.
It has it's quirks on my iPad mini which has an A15 chip and not a desktop-class processor, but overall it's pretty good.
Read the post from week 364
Elon Musk:
It will be an age of abundance
Because that's what we need, more stuff.
The Cybercab itself actually looks pretty good and the minimal interior works better in my opinion for this concept but it looks like a bad take on the Lucid Air.
I find Elon repulsive and his stage manor awful, but he's yet again selling the dream...
Nearly 7 years ago, he promised the Tesla Roadster in 2020 but we're now 4 years beyond that date and still waiting for it to be shipped. Full Self Driving has long been promised and isn't here yet either. Maybe the Cybercab will be the anomaly and make it out in the wild outside of California and Texas but I wouldn't hold my breath.
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I posted about the Aurora Borealis being visible in the UK way back in May but we got a second viewing last night, much to my surprise.
I posted two photos on Instagram after spending some time in near 0° temperatures. My Canon DSLR managed to capture some great shots, one a 25 second exposure, but I couldn't get the HDR version I could see in Photometer to show in the Photos app.
View on Instagram
My third viewing of the phenomenon and I hope to catch it a few more times yet.
Read the post from week 363
It's rare that I will binge an entire podcast series, but I couldn't stop listening to ODB: a Son Unique. The podcast covers the career of Ol Dirty Bastard of the Wu Tang Clan.
one of the most colourful characters in the history of Hip Hop. He captivated fans with his unique style, his chaotic persona and unforgettably wild antics... But now, nearly two decades since ODB’s passing, filmmaker and photographer Khalik Allah is on a mission to find the real ODB.
I was vaguely aware of the Wu Tang Clan in the late '90s but I there was no way to avoid ODB after his collaboration with Mariah Carey on the Fantasy remix in the mid-90s. It was a few years later when the band became a little more prominent here in the UK after they performed with Texas at the 1998 Brit Awards. Even that was a year or two before I really discovered hip-hop.
If you are a hip-hop fan, this podcast is worth a listen to hear about the rise and fall of such an interesting artist, the world around him and the legacy he's left.
I know have a playlist full of music videos to go watch and to catch up on.
Read the post from week 362
Double Tap is one of those killer features of the Apple Watch now. One handed operation for getting through notifications as they come in or bringing up just-in-time information via the smart stack. In some apps it provides access to key functions too.
With watchOS 11 though, Apple have prioritised actioning notifications instead of dismissing them. For example, if you get a calendar notification with a location attached, the primary action is to open directions which is rarely what I would want to day-to-day. Not for meetings, maybe on holiday that would be useful, but I haven't found a way to revert back to making the dismiss option the one that is prioritised.
This is true for message notifications too, although maybe replying was always the prominent action, but apart from the first year after getting me Series 2, I very rarely interact with message notifications and defer to my phone for that. My use of WhatsApp has clearly changed a lot in the intervening 10 years as messages were usually 1-2-1 with people and rarely were there multiple texts coming in in quick succession.
I'll give it a chance as it is, but I do feel there should be a choice for how these notifications work. Even if it was configured per app.
Read the post from week 361
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I enjoyed reading through John Gruber's thoughts on last week's iPhone event:
My dissatisfaction flying home from last week's event is, ultimately, selfish. I miss having my mind blown. I miss being utterly surprised. I miss occasionally being disappointed by a product design that stretched quirky all the way to wacky. I miss being amazed by something entirely unexpected out of left field.
Personally, I was amazed by Camera Control button this year. I put my phone in a case so the overall shape and design don't make a huge difference. The camera, internals and software combine to make a compelling product. Last year, the Action Button didn't excite me. It was interesting, but not exciting. Camera Control is genuinely exciting to me and I can't wait to play with it. Sadly, this is not an upgrade year for me so I won't be getting a new phone but there's something I'll be really excited to get my hands on for photography in the future.
Overhauling the design of an entire product is not a small task so I appreciate these iterations but still believe they should come every other year instead of annually.
Dynamic Island + Action Button + Camera Control would make a pretty great feature set for an update, but rather than all at once they've rolled out over a 3-year period.
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I had come across Andy Clarke's posts on layouts some time ago and they are a great read for non-designers looking to figure out the basics or just as inspiration. It was a post over on Smashing Magazine titled Inspired Design Decisions: Pressing Matters that really opened my eyes on how to push things a little more.
I had missed it, but recently Andy has started posting on YouTube and his video about Willy Fleckhaus is a fantastic watch.
Web development is where my career took me, but I could have quite easily fallen on the other side and become a web designer instead and it's posts and videos like these from Andy that inspire me to keep dabbling in the more visually creative side of the web.
Read the post from week 360
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While I planned to watch as always, I wasn't expecting much at all across the iPhone and Apple Watch line ups. The Apple Watch Ultra already introduced a new form factor two years ago so it felt unlikely we would see the regular Apple Watches overhauled.
AirPods
Starting with the least interesting, but decent enough update, The 4th generation AirPods now have the option of Active Noise Cancellation and come in a smaller case that boasts better battery life.
The AirPods Max gets USB-C charging (finally) and the AirPods Pro can test your hearing.
Apple Watch Series 10
Nice update that somehow sees the regular Apple Watches get a bigger screen and faster charging than the Apple Watch Ultra 2. I never felt my Series 2 was too thick and my Apple Watch Ultra never looks or feels bulky so not sure how necessary shaving a millimetre off is, that could have been used to meaningfully increase the battery life.
The screen also boasts a wider aperture for each pixel meaning it's easier to see at more angles. The Apple Watch Ultra's flat face already made that pretty easy so for the model's further down the line up, it's a welcome addition. The Series 10 also gets screen updates every second, rather than every minute, but if that's at the expense of a bit of battery life, I'm not interested.
iPhone 16
The iPhone 16 gets a more sensible camera arrangement on the back, and improved sensors too. There are now 3 lens options in the camera app (plus macro options) which make it a pretty complete camera. Apple Inelligence is here, but already announced at WWDC '24.
Overall, a solid update but I'll save thoughts on my favourite feature once we're passed the iPhone 16 Pro...
iPhone 16 Pro
The 5x zoom comes to both Pro models this year and there are a whole load of updates to the Camera app for grading and Photographic Styles, which is a feature I've never used...
While the iPhone 16 jumps two generations to the A18 chip, the Pro models get an A18 Pro. There's better battery life and improved MagSafe too across all iPhone models.
Camera Control
This is not just a button for focusing, which is what the rumours were pointing at, but a multi-function button for really push the Camera app to the max.
The Camera Control 'button' does bring a two-stage shutter to the iPhone but it's more than that. Press, click or swipe through various options and functions. Change the aperture, choose different controls or double click for more settings.
Truly a killer feature for all phone models that has me craving an earlier than normal upgrade.
Read the post from week 359
When Warrior took over as the kit manufacturer for Liverpool, they reintroduced the liver bird and L.F.C. to shirts rather than using the more formal club crest. A move I was fully behind, but outside of kits and training wear, the crest continued across print and digital media, and everywhere else.
This season, Liverpool have changed their approach to how the brand themselves and even the official website now has the liver bird in the header rather than the crest. It's far simpler and more fitting as a symbol of the club that is named after the city.
But I have some thoughts on the execution, which I think hasn't been great in all use cases. It feels like there should have been some variations that could be used for specific use cases.
Liver bird variations
On shirts, the liver bird and L.F.C. wordmark combination makes total sense. The liver bird alone would actually be fine but I can accept it sitting above the initials of the club. For comparison, Tottenham Hotspurs Football Club (THFC) do not include the name or initials on their kits or across any of their digital properties. Liverpool have kept the initials everywhere and that's where I think the variations are needed.
The liver bird is iconic enough to be the main part of the club's identity. These are the variations I would have made available:
- liver bird + L.F.C.:
- Football shirts
- Training wear
- Official printed products (eg: match day programmes)
- Digital content (eg: tickets)
- Official website header
- liver bird only:
- Social media profiles
- On screen graphics (live games and highlights)
In a wider context, sometimes the liver bird doesn't fit quite right. UEFA's Champions League graphic has the new logo and the crest would be more in keeping with the rest of the badges here, but I think it's more that the initials throw it off because it minimises the iconic liver bird.
Here I've swapped it out for just the liver bird and it fits so much better.
Potential wider use
Anfield has grown in size massively since my first visit in 2008. It feels at least twice as high as it did back then and continues to have the club crest on the side. In 2008, the Kop had the full colour crest whereas now the stadium is adorned with silver crests which I think look better and more fitting with a club with such a rich history and so much success to celebrate. But what if it was just the liver bird?
LFC's Liver bird in the wild
You can see above, against Brentford, that a white outline was applied but that seems to have been removed since. It looks far better without at least and at this scale, the initials work.
Above shows the actual Fotmob widget for iOS with the next fixture but the red badge on a red background looks silly. The initials look fine, but a larger liver bird would be better which I mocked up in white on the right.
Again I've mocked up at the bottom what the logo could look like if the initials were removed for Live Activities.
Final thoughts
I like it, but its use is complicated. There are so many sizes and use cases in the modern world to worry about. Ultimately I feel like the initials are overkill but understand why they're there.
Read the post from week 358
Apple are bringing Live Activities to their Sports app, so I'm eager to see how it matches up to a third party app like FotMob that has been doing this since Live Activities launched. If there's enough to talk, or gripe, about then I'll post up a comparison here as the season progresses.
Right now it doesn't look like there's any live sports going on so I can't test it until later it seems.
Update: I went back to look to see if the Champions League was included and it's not but further down was the following update:
Additional leagues will become available on Apple Sports over time, including Champions League and Europa League, beginning with the league phase in September.
So to me that reads that it becomes available in September for the mentioned leagues with more to follow.
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Many times I have thought about sharing my love of playing Pokémon Go but never quite got around to it. I've managed to find and catch 833 of the pocket monsters on offer and while I still have a way to go to level 50, I think I'm doing pretty well all these years later.
I began playing the day it was available, the game was a spin-off of a Google April Fool's joke and it's been a great push to get out, to explore and to walk even more than I was walking before.
The video above shows how dedicated, organised and lucky you need to be to catch 'em all.
I still have a way to go, but overall I would say I've caught all I can. Even at 833, the true count of variants, shinys, genders and event based Pokémon is far higher. There are 50 or so event Pikachu's wearing costumes and hats but I've caught 180 event Pokémon easily taking the count to over 1,000.
If you play, let me know via your preferred social media site.
Read the post from week 357
Absolutely love this video and the focus on the practical side of a car.
Power is largely meaningless in a car now, practicality an d efficiency is where it's at!
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If we can't laugh at the last 14 years, what can we do? It's really on the Brexit and pandemic years that are covered and with this much content from them it feels like today's election has been a long time coming.
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