Notices by Dave Mark (davemark@mastodon.social)

@WarnerCrocker I just started asking questions of both Siri and Alexa. Careful to phrase each question exactly the same for both of them. Tried to get a little obscure. For example, ask “what does top of keyway mean? “

Got my invite to try out Alexa+.

Bought an Amazon Echo Pop, the cheapest of all the devices that support Alexa+ ($40).

I'll talk about it on next week's show, but Alexa+ is FAR more advanced than Siri. No comparison. Apple has their work cut out for them.

#Apple #Amazon #AI

I am building a list of things I LOVE about Apple.

For example, I love that I can copy text on my iPhone and paste it on my Mac.

What would you add to this list? I want to talk about this on a future episode of the pod.

#Apple

Benjamin Franklin used the pen name "Silence Dogood" when he was 16, trying to get his opinions out in the world.

I love that name, especially for people who can't use their own name, perhaps out of fear of retribution.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Silence_Dogood

"Apple Store employees say the past few days have felt like the busy holiday season, as the threat of tariffs and potential price hikes sparked a shopping frenzy"

Tariffs. Pushing fence-sitters to pull the trigger on buying, betting on future price hikes.

https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2025-04-07/apple-customers-dash-to-stores-to-buy-iphones-ahead-of-tariffs

#Apple

"Aibohphobia"

Look it up.

Two headlines in my MacRumors feed this morning:

"Apple Canned Larger iPhone 17 Air Model Over Fears of Bendgate 2.0"

and:

"Foldable iPhone and iPad to Enter Production Next Year"

Yin. Yang.

#Apple

🔥
@gruber 's scorching take on the Siri meeting leak.

https://daringfireball.net/linked/2025/03/14/all-hands-siri-team-meeting-leaks-to-bloomberg
#Apple

This site lets you rename the gulf.

Gulf of #Mastodon, anyone?

https://gulfof.mapquest.com/?name=Mastodon

“The Party told you to reject the evidence of your eyes and ears. It was their final, most essential command.”
— George Orwell, 1984

Apple TV+ created Schmigadoon!, a comic take on the Broadway musical Brigadoon.

Schmigadoon! was innovative, but didn't find an audience, got canceled after 2 seasons.

Now Schmigadoon! is coming to the Kennedy Center as a live stage play (details via the gift link below).

A TV series based on a Broadway musical, gets turned into an actual Broadway-adjacent musical.

A bit meta. But from Apple.

https://wapo.st/4gQXVBo
#Apple

Ricky Mondello responds to the 404 Media post on passwords and magic links with this detailed explanation of passkeys.

Passkeys are the next gen authentication standard that Apple (and the FIDO Alliance and W3C) support.

Worth understanding passkeys. Ricky knows tons about this and his explainer does a great job laying out all the pieces.

https://rmondello.com/2025/01/02/magic-links-and-passkeys/
#Apple

The highlight of this "Rare Look Inside Apple's Secret iPhone 16 Camera Labs" is the mention of the new "Audio Mix" feature.

- Shoot a video on your iPhone
- Open the video in Photos
- Tap the edit button (looks like 3 sliders)
- Tap "Audio Mix"

Play around with it. If you make use of the built in iPhone mics, this is for you.

https://www.cnet.com/tech/mobile/a-billion-pixels-a-second-i-got-a-rare-look-inside-apples-secret-iphone-16-camera-labs/
#Apple #Movies

Om Malik celebrates the stent, a tiny device that saved his life back when the iPhone was born.

Great essay, learned so much about stents. Particularly fascinating is that GLP-1 drugs reduce cardiac risks and, thus, the need for a stent in the first place.

Good health, Om!!!

https://om.co/2024/12/28/the-story-of-stent/
#Health #Science

"Knowing your own darkness is the best method of dealing with the darknesses of other people."
-- Carl Jung

The Internet Archive collection of classic computer magazines, including:

- Macworld
- Byte
- MacUser
- Commodore
- Amiga
- Macweek

And many, many more.

Huge wave of nostalgia. Fully readable. Enjoy... ❤️

https://archive.org/details/computermagazines
#History

Just got my new US passport. It is awesome as hell. A boatload of new technology in these new ones. I like it a lot.

PSA: If you’ve got a passport, check the expiration date. If you are within 6 weeks of international travel, you’ll have to renew in person. I did mine on line, got my new one in less than a month.
#Travel

"Most iPhone owners see little to no value in Apple Intelligence so far"

Interesting post from @benlovejoy

Not surprised by this take. There's not one bit of Apple Intelligence that thrills me.

YET.

I do believe it'll get there, and I'm glad I have a phone (16 Pro) that'll support it.

In the meantime, I'm thrilled with the camera, camera button, action button.

https://9to5mac.com/2024/12/16/most-iphone-owners-see-little-to-no-value-in-apple-intelligence-so-far/
#Apple

This new with iOS 18.2?

All your app settings are organized under a single, easy to navigate page:

Settings > Apps

It’s all the way at the bottom of the main Settings page (see pic).

Lovely organization! Has it always been this way? (No coffee yet) 🤔
#Apple

@WarnerCrocker ❤️