Thank you, Federico!

(Not as if this is the first time he's ever been the only person to mention iOS/iPadOS general fuckery. In fact, he is almost certainly history's greatest advocate...)

What?!

No!??

I'm glad Federico likes the new Control Center. For exactly this reason, I can quite definitively say that its functionality for me as a control center has been drastically reduced. And I can't help but wonder - as I stumble through the multiple, scrolling, asymmetric pages of this new second Home Screen, with all my privilege, experience, and attention with the possible functions therein - how in the actual fuck normal, functional, this-is-my-cellular-telephone users are managing.

I still need a control center but now I have a second homescreen instead.

Haha, Sorrells! I know how much you cost! (maybe)

Tumblr Blog (Account) Embeds

Relatively angry with myself that I somehow never made it to this page in the Tumblr docs, somehow.

To embed a blog, use this code:

https://blogname.tumblr.com/js

Replace “blogname” with your username. If you’re using a custom domain, replace “blogname.tumblr.com” with your domain.

For example, say you wanted to embed the Changes blog somewhere. You’d use this code:

<script type='text/javascript' src='https://blogname.tumblr.com/js'></script>

<footer>Tumblr Developer<cite> https://help.tumblr.com/embed-basics/</cite></footer>

<script note="" src="https://cdn.jsdelivr.net/gh/Blogger-Peer-Review/quotebacks@1/quoteback.js"></script> <script type='text/javascript' src='https://asphaltapostle.tumblr.com/js'></script>

---

Documentation

https://help.tumblr.com/embed-basics/

To embed a blog, use this code:

[https://blogname.tumblr.com/js](https://blogname.tumblr.com/js)

Replace “blogname” with your username. If you’re using a custom domain, replace “blogname.tumblr.com” with your domain.

For example, say you wanted to embed the Changes blog somewhere. You’d use this code:

```

<script type='text/javascript' src='https://blogname.tumblr.com/js'></script>

```

<script type='text/javascript' src='https://asphaltapostle.tumblr.com/js'></script> `

Considering that Apple is now the most valuable company in the history of the world, the current state of the desktop iTunes client is absolutely unacceptable.

This isn't the most relevant quote on which to annotate a link to "Towards a Constructive Technology Criticism," but it's the first, so there ya go.

Why/how in God's name of the fuck would it be limited to (effectively) a single device??

...Voice Memos does not need to be a DAW.

If I may just have a moment of weakness...

This is a hero of the internet that raised me. <3

Having just experienced the text selection limitation myself, I am actually and absolutely offended by this.

Apple, Inc. - wealthiest company in the history of the world, often celebrated for their pro-accessibility effort in consumer technology - went through the trouble of developing and implementing an intentional limitation like this.

What the fuck do you think I'm going to do... sell your auto-generated transcription???

Apple Intelligence Reader Summary

The author compares the modern megachurch industry, specifically The Crossing in Columbia, Missouri, to Apple, Inc., highlighting their shared focus on customer experience and volume business strategies. The author notes the striking similarities in presentation style, technology usage, and even the use of Apple products in sermons. The author also points out the church’s digital presence, including live streaming and an iOS app, further emphasizing the parallels with Apple’s ecosystem.

About as fucking tame as is technically possible with the language. What an achievement.

Apple Intelligence Reader Summary

Bandcamp, an online record store, has remained profitable and drama-free for ten years by prioritizing selling good music and providing artists with a clean, user-friendly platform. Unlike other streaming services, Bandcamp charges a lower commission and has avoided advertising and hype, relying instead on organic growth and word-of-mouth. The article explores Bandcamp’s history, its impact on independent music, and its viability as an alternative streaming service, highlighting its commitment to transparency and innovation.

Incredible.

...this is the literal inverse of what seems sensible to me and it's caused me (cumulatively, anyway) quite a bit of grief, actually, over the 15 years I've been using DayOne...

Ah. Genius.

Just fucking kill me.

Despite knowing this had to be the truth - unless God had finally answered at least one of my prayers about intervening directly with The Bluetooth Specification - I'd never actually plugged my QuietComfort 45s into any one of the devices upon which I've had Lossless audio turned on for years... until just now.

Holy shit...

According to Anthropic's Claude LLM:

Point-in-time recovery refers to the ability to restore a database or system to a specific moment in the past. This feature allows administrators to recover data to a precise point before a failure, corruption, or unintended change occurred.

Key aspects of point-in-time recovery include:

1. Continuous backups: The system regularly captures changes to data.
2. Granular restoration: Allows recovery to any specific time within the backup window.
3. Minimal data loss: Helps reduce the amount of data lost between backups.
4. Flexibility: Useful for various scenarios like correcting human errors or recovering from cyberattacks.

This capability is especially valuable in database management systems and cloud storage solutions, providing a safety net for data integrity and business continuity.

Realizing in this moment how omnipotent a Jia recommendation is for me lol.

Incredible how this is still reflected in local politics, today.

This is the point in the episode where "I'm screaming" would have been so violently true of me to remark that I pulled over.

For you see... I remember hearing very passively about the rocks thing and being amused - as someone who has eaten locally-sourced gravel every day of my life and grown so much better for it - but I not heard that it was the fucking Onion.

unless I'm mistaken...

Box (the cloud storage service) really did just introduce their hat-in-the-ring entry to the Digitally Whiteboard Out My Asshole hype ...

...without the ability to actually embed files from one's box storage...

.... which is literally the one and only reason I could imagine for them to have invested the time into such a thing.

What a brilliant idea!

Congratulations, Arc motherfuckers with iPads: they finally... pushed the maximize button or whatever.

Chores?!

...I s2g.

Next, I need to find out how to fit this sentiment on a bumper sticker.

, clockwise, counterclockwise, clockwise, counterclockwise, clockwise, counterclockwise, clockwise, counterclockwise, clockwise, counterclockwise, clockwise, counterclockwise, clockwise, counterclockwise, clockwise, counterclockwise, clockwise, counterclockwise, clockwise, counterclockwise, clockwise, counterclockwise, clockwise, counterclockwise, clockwise, counterclockwise, clockwise, counterclockwise, clockwise, counterclockwise, clockwise, counterclockwise...

How very confident.

lol

Re-enable

sudo systemctl unmask sleep.target suspend.target hibernate.target hybrid-sleep.target

Absolutely decimated.

See underdocumented #15.

Thanks to this post on threads.

As far as I can tell, it looks like version 2.7.9's addition of a keyboard shortcut to reopen closed tabs (⌘⇧T) has overwritten this.

Kagi

Summary

The Drive's YouTube channel was launched in 2012 with funding from YouTube and became very popular, producing many successful car shows. However, YouTube ended its funding in 2014 and the channel struggled to remain profitable. It went through various ownership changes and attempts to stay afloat but was never able to regain its original success. In 2020 The Drive revived its YouTube channel with a new series profiling car enthusiasts and their vehicles, hoping to recapture the spirit of celebrating car culture, as new technologies have made cars less of a cultural force. They aim to explore the diverse ways people connect to cars and each other through their shared passion.

Key Moments

• The Drive's YouTube channel was launched in 2012 with funding from YouTube as part of their original content investment program. It grew a large audience but the funding was shut down in 2013.
• An attempt to launch a subscription model in 2014 faced major backlash from viewers who weren't used to paying for online content. This contributed to the audience drifting away.
• The channel's co-founder Emil Rensing was later arrested for fraud unrelated to The Drive, but his legal issues added instability during a difficult period.
• In 2015-2016 the channel was sold to Time Inc. but they weren't prepared to fully fund video operations, leading most original hosts and crew to leave.
• Under new ownership, budgets kept shrinking and YouTube uploads became sporadic as the focus shifted to the website.
• In 2018, Time Inc. was sold and the new owner wasn't interested in continuing automotive media, nearly leading to The Drive being shut down.
• It was saved by new private investors but efforts to relaunch on YouTube in 2020 were derailed by the pandemic.
• The author argues new cars no longer drive as much culture as enthusiast communities and modifying older vehicles.
• Two new YouTube series are announced focusing on enthusiast profiles and explainer stories of automotive history.
• The relaunch aims to rebuild the legacy of the original channel and celebrate car culture.

LLM Summaries

Kagi

Summary

The author writes about technology from the perspective of growing up in the 1990s and witnessing rapid changes firsthand. They had early exposure to computers in school and an interest in old machinery through their father's farm. This sparked a fascination with history and how technology changes over time. The author began blogging about gadgets and started following tech YouTubers in high school. They now write about trends in consumer technology development and how it has impacted innovation and the user experience in recent years.

Key Moments

• The author was born in 1994 and grew up exposed to new technologies like Windows 98 PCs and the internet at a pivotal time in history.
• They describe their generation, born in the early 90s, as having a unique experience growing up with technology and witnessing major world events like 9/11.
• The author had an unconventional childhood, growing up between their father's large farm and their mother's suburban home after their parents divorced.
• They developed a strong interest in mechanical engineering and historic vehicles/machinery from a young age through experiences on their father's farm.
• The author credits the History Channel show Modern Marvels with fueling their curiosity about technology and different eras.
• They shifted from being interested mainly in old technology to present/future gadgets after getting their first iPhone and MacBook in high school.
• The author feels consumer technology progress has slowed and become more fragmented in recent years since Steve Jobs' death.
• They question whether new technologies actually improve people's lives or just add more distractions.
• The passage discusses observing and reflecting on technological and societal changes from an outsider perspective.
• The author has published their thoughts online to both entertain and demonstrate different ways of reflecting on technology's role.

Craft Assistant

The author writes about technology from the perspective of growing up in the 1990s and witnessing rapid changes firsthand. They had early exposure to computers in school and an interest in old machinery through their father's farm. This sparked a fascination with history and how technology changes over time. The author began blogging about gadgets and started following tech YouTubers in high school. They now write about trends in consumer technology development and how it has impacted innovation and the user experience in recent years.

ChatGPT

The document provides a detailed exploration of the author's personal journey, intertwining their experiences with broader observations about society and technology. It highlights the author's introspection regarding their unique position in time, from being born into a world of evolving technology to witnessing significant historical events like 9/11 and the Trump presidency.

Furthermore, the author reflects on their upbringing on a farm, emphasizing their deep connection to historic machinery and the agricultural lifestyle. This background shapes their perspective on technology and innovation, as they juxtapose their experiences with the changing landscape of consumer technology.

The author's narrative also touches on societal trends, particularly regarding the direction of technological development and its impact on everyday life. They express skepticism about the current trajectory of technology, questioning whether it genuinely serves the needs of users or merely adds to the complexity of modern life.

Overall, the document provides a thought-provoking exploration of personal experiences, societal dynamics, and technological progress, inviting readers to contemplate their own relationships with time, technology, and societal change.

LLM Summaries

Kagi

Summary

The passage discusses various music apps for the iPhone, including MusicHarbor which allows users to easily track new releases. It also covers Albums, an app that focuses on album playback over individual songs or playlists. While the iPhone can't replace professional audio equipment, some apps like GarageBand allow basic music creation. Last.fm and SongShift are also mentioned as tools for tracking music listening history and transferring playlists. Overall, the passage examines different apps that enhance the music experience on iPhone beyond the built-in Apple Music app.

Key Moments

• MusicHarbor is an app that allows users to track new music releases in a chronological feed, which the author finds very useful for discovery. It also allows following artists and deleting songs from one's library with a few taps.
• Albums is another app that focuses on album playback over individual songs or playlists, providing tools for fans to deeply engage with albums they love.
• Odesli is an undercovered tool for sharing tracks across different streaming services by linking to the correct version.
• The author shares a simple Siri Shortcut they made to open a song's Odesli link from the currently playing track in Apple Music.
• SongShift allows transferring playlists between different music streaming services.
• Last.fm is still functioning for music scrobbling even after 19 years.
• Serious music production is still not practical on iPhone due to limitations of mobile DAWs and audio capture capabilities.
• The best audio quality capture on iPhone is from extracting video recorded in the Camera app.
• Apple has removed features over time that gave artists more control over their music on Apple Music.
• Third-party solutions continue to be developed to address problems not solved by Apple Music itself.

Craft Assistant

The article discusses various apps and services related to music consumption and creation on iOS devices. It highlights the features of the Soor app, Odesli/Song.Link for music sharing, Last.fm for scrobbling, and SongShift for playlist transfer. It also mentions different digital audio workstations (DAWs) available on iPhone for music creation, and the limitations of using smartphones for professional audio production. Additionally, it touches on Apple Music's history, the removal of iTunes Ping and Connect, and the launch of Apple Music on the web. The author expresses disappointment in Apple Music's lack of features for music makers and suggests that third-party solutions are necessary for a more personalized music streaming experience.

UHHHHH>>

Kagi Universal Summarizer output:

Are.na began as a platform for online research and knowledge sharing, created by Charles Broskoski and John Michael Boling as a replacement for the bookmarking site Delicious. They developed it with friends including Dena Yago and Damon Zucconi, seeing it as a way for people to archive and revisit information over time and gain insights. After a period of uncertainty, Broskoski recommitted to Are.na in 2014 and brought others back on board. Today, Are.na aims to cultivate curiosity and sustained thinking online as an alternative to short-term, addictive social media behaviors by allowing users to freely research and assemble information. Notably, Broskoski views Are.na as a lifelong project focused on promoting life-long education and curiosity.

We'll see about that lol.

Wull...

As summarized by Craft Assistant... (lmao)

The writer reflects on an encounter with a woman in a large SUV and delves into the psychology of American car buyers. They discuss the Volkswagen Atlas and its features, including its VR6 engine and fuel efficiency. The writer also discusses the Atlas Cross Sport and compares it to other SUVs in the market. They conclude that while the Atlas has its strengths, it may not stand out compared to its competitors. The article includes various quotes and references related to the Volkswagen Atlas.

I still believe vehemently that the latter proceeded the former.

Oooo...

Spark AI's "detailed summary" result:

Casey Newton, the founder of Platformer, announced in an email that the publication will be leaving Substack and migrating to the open-source publishing platform Ghost. Newton explained that while Substack had been a mostly happy home for Platformer, recent controversies over the platform's laissez-faire approach to content moderation led to the decision to leave. Newton cited Substack's promotion of its network of publications and its lack of proactive steps to remove hate speech and extremism as key concerns. After conducting an analysis, Platformer found several publications on Substack that supported Nazi ideologies, prompting them to question Substack's commitment to removing such content. While Substack removed some of the publications, Newton felt that the company did not address their larger concerns. Platformer's move to Ghost is seen as a way to ensure that their journalism is not associated with hate movements and to provide a better home for their readers.

Universal Summarizer

(Summary generated with Kagi's Universal Summarizer.)

Bandcamp has operated as an online music store for over a decade, providing artists and labels with an easy-to-use platform to sell music directly to fans. While receiving little mainstream attention, Bandcamp has paid out $270 million to artists and maintained a simple, artist-focused design. The platform allows free streaming but encourages direct purchases from artists. Chance the Rapper has been a notable champion of Bandcamp, using it for early mixtapes and helping to bring attention to its role in supporting independent musicians. While other services focus on algorithms and playlists, Bandcamp prioritizes direct artist support through low fees and transparent sales data. It has changed little over the years but provides a niche alternative for direct fan-artist connections without the culture-diluting aspects of other streaming services. Bandcamp's low-key approach has helped it avoid issues faced by competitors while continuing to innovate for artists.

I created a version of this Shortcut for Bear at the request of a user in the MacStories Discord.

lol

Just a heads up:

If you're as dependent on Action Search as I am, the fact that all Action Groups are apparently hidden by default from search after this update(?) might scare the living heck out of you as it did myself lol.

I do believe this might be the culprit for all the problems I've had with suddenly/inconsistently unresponsive keyboard shortcuts recently...

I've highlighted the shit out of this because I believe it actually argues a fundamental truth: communicating electronically is, indeed, a better way of communicating.

I don't think this friendship had to die, but the illusion of romance probably did. I'm going to do my best to choose to ignore the confirmation bias within me - could it be the absence of stigma that enabled these realizations? Is the stigma, itself, then, now a virtually all-powerful (beyond any measure of reflection) force which will never allow us to progress???

Fuck hype, man.

Well shucks... This seems specific enough to emphasize because this is the first time I'm seeing that figure.

Really really pushing "collaborative" out of its meaningful definition here, folks. Voting is cute, but it does not actually belong within the navigation software.

Here is a GitHub Gist of this reference in multiple formats for your convenience.

Here's the email I just sent Jeff:

Jeff,

Please add my name - David Blue - as a participant in the boycott of Feedback Assistant.

I don't want to take too much of your time right now, but after spending the past two years or so becoming truly familiar with Apple, Inc.'s negligence (my girlfriend is a third grade teacher... our district paid full retail price for each of the 15,000+ iPads assigned to elementary school children, none of which came with a power supply,) the experience of reading your statement of purpose was a tremendous, full-body release lol.

We don't know each other, but I am so proud of and excited for you... Some of the people I admire most are those who've been filing exceptionally/diligently documented favors regularly for who knows how many years only to be met with literally nothing most of the time.

This organization cannot be allowed to continue to cost so many people what it does. If it's practical/of any benefit, feel free to put my name on any future declarations critical of Apple, Inc.'s behavior. I hope we get to have a conversation some time.

Thank you so much.

So, so incredibly glad to see this acknowledged, here. It's something I try to repeat literally every time Apple, Inc. comes up in conversation (though I usually say in the history of the world lol,) as much to remind myself.

I have been kicked out of public group chats for doing so - public group chats full of beautiful, clever, original, and heroically prolific volunteers who will have spent obtuse fractions of their lives in service to this organization by their ends.

Just a reminder... that all (stereo) audio... is spatial already...

...

Here's the extracted content of this article in case you're paywalled.

I'm afraid I'm going to have to steal this, sorry.

Oh...

Sorry.

I'm afraid I'm having a problem coming up with any other reference (aside from the latest Grand Tour episode) to corroborate this quote...

No way lmao.

Can't believe what I long called "by far and away Siri's most important function in my life" must now be intentionally configured and (non-verbally) triggered in the form of a Siri Shortcut.

Thank you.

This technically works, yes, but - as I noticed on the very first beta build - the actual output has an absurdly low character(?) limit, after which it simply cuts off.

Oh CHRIST.

When I said this is all I really wanted from iPadOS 17...

I think it is absolutely absurd that Apple still(?) chooses to publish "complete" ""feature lists"" in Portable Document Format, of all motherfucking things, but - as always - thank fucking God for mr Hypo Thesis over here!

EXCUSE ME????

Well, now I've confirmed the most crucial answer I needed answering about iOS 17...

...now just to figure out how I'm going to make this happen.

According to this not-entirely-vetted World Wide Web service, this unit ("Candela per square meter") is 1:1 equivalent to "Nits."

...no, it would seem the latter is just an incorrect name for the same unit. Cool.

Blue, David. "Bandcamp: Streaming's Secret Savior." The Psalms, 21 Jul. 2018, https://bilge.world/bandcamp-streaming-music.

Please note that this was written long before Epic Game's acquisition of Bandcamp, which you can read more about in Pitchfork, The New York Times and/or Bandcamp's own blog post.

Pages is so much more impressive than you'd expect in so many ways, but damn...

The way styles are handled still perplexes the shit out of me... even after consuming this document.

I'm afraid this is one of those sentiments that should absolutely be tossed in the because of lack of user control category

This, I particularly hate and hope desperately I did not contribute to.

This I would very much like to learn more details about... I've been unable to find comprehensive documentation of Bluesky's API thus far.

I posted an audio file of this essay read by Siri Simone.

As summarized by ChatGPT:

This text explores the concept of "Text Fucking," a form of digital text manipulation primarily focused on Apple platforms. The author discusses their interest in accessibility and their personal authority on the subject. They define "Text Fucking" as the manipulation and destruction of digital text, and they emphasize the potential positive outcomes of this practice. The article covers various applications, including text editing apps, automation tools, Siri Shortcuts, and a text formatting app called "Text Case." The author shares their experience with automation, including automating tasks through tools like IFTTT, and they showcase various Siri Shortcuts they've created for text manipulation purposes. The article also highlights the use of Drafts, a versatile app that supports the author's experimentation with Text Fucking.

Fuck!

Going forward, I would (and have) strongly make the case against rethinking this assumption...

Surprised this was not emphasized more... I hope that doesn't mean

LMFAO.

I told y'all them motherfuckers always a few inches away from a true breakdown.

The operative information.

No no no...

it's

MUSK

MELON.

A few more apps have arrived since this was first published - I thought I would include three I've actually used the most.

• AirScrobble delivers a particularly powerful capability for scrobbling automatically... consecutively... to Last.fm as it identifies tracks playing ambiently. I set it in front of my TV for half of 100 Gecs' recent Boiler Room set and was quite astonished at the result.
• Finale is another Last.fm client which can fundamentally serve as an updated experience from Last.fm's own iOS offering. Its included tools also make pretty collages and can really deliver for those with friends on the service.
• MusicBox is my next favorite of Marcos Tanaka's music apps (behind MusicHarbor.) I've used it in place of the Apple Music API-enabled Siri Shortcuts suite I thought I was going to have to make (and could never figure out.) See Federico Viticci's review for more details.

Having spent the past two days exploring the potential of the used first-generation HoverBar Duo I somehow managed to acquire for $35, I would emphasize "enough" here as a qualifier at least once over.

Though the following is pure speculation, there were a few highly observable clues to suggest that the previous owner also had a heavy iPad Pro (perhaps a 13,9 as I have,) though - after over-tightening all the adjustment screws (all but stripping threads in the case of the one at the base,) they were ultimately not satisfied with the Duo's management of the weight, even tightened to that state.

(Again, entirely speculative but.)

See my reference Craft document for an index of said shortcuts. (I intend to publish it in more formats soon.)

My (Entirely-Unsolicited) Thoughts on the most Casual Crue™'s 10th:

Ya know, my memory isn't so great anymore, but I remember my then best friend and most respected music authority resting pretty confidently in an argument about this sound, and those who peretuated it: that it was by nature/declaration substanceless, and therefore, those invested in it were either just superficial or.. idek anymore. Ingenuine, maybe?

I don't think I was even placating with him when I mostly went along with it - it did seem important to invest in more abrasive (read: edgy bs) pursuits. I thought I was resisting "nostalgia" and even invested most of my twenties trying to start an online culture/electronic music magazine in direct editorial opposition to regurgitation. Imo, though, any actual exposure to self-described "vaporwave" makes it very plain how utterly useless it is to cry nostalgia because - crucially - whatever form of it that may or may not be an established marker of this voice is completely devoid of the illness that has absolutely pervaded, destructively, throughout all manner of expression and exploitation in the past 10 years.

It is just not a constraining or negative force, here. I would propose, even, that it's been made, here, into the most powerful form of critique there possibly could be.

And the grief!!! and the mania!! In any sort of ... worldly-participatory context, it should not be some gargantuan leap for even the most cynical, repressed, bitter 50-something white music writer army to make the connections, here. Our tears are fucking digital, idiot.

...ANYway, sorry. I don't actually have any business talking about music, but I can express my big, soppy as hell appreciation for the nigh-inconceivable amount of quantitive life force for which this milestone is a handy opportunity to reflect.

God bless.

I suspect - assuming this is accurate about solving its issue - that Flexibits' work would help other app devs figure out how the fuck to correctly appease the OS about accessing the system clipboard.

This is one of those hilariously overdone "highlights" but oh my god.

I need to make a commitment to either seek out more music criticism or figure out once and for all how to effectively communicate to all the different sorts of people in my life who act absurdly justified in demanding I express my thoughts about music ... well

FUCK OFF.

Finally found someone blogging about MediaWiki dev in a medium I can actually consume effectively hehe.

My god! I had no idea the EFF had become so radical!

No!!!

In fact, I would say the only people who "don't belong" are those who would ever argue such a thing lol.

friendliness definitely needs to be explicitly defined here.

Have you seen the goddamned art? lol

Now just imagine the equivalent on the scale of an entire server and you've got the story of Mastodon's incredibly centralized, swift expulsion of Gab's influence. Here's The Verge's version for the moment.