Notices by Aaron :apple_inc: :isles: (aaron@social.aaroncrocco.com)

@sun @mookie Wow, he must've bought it right away!

So there's good news / bad news about the article I wrote:

Good: It's a fun 11-min read.

Bad: It's an article I wrote for supporters of my site / newsletter.

If you still want to read it, you could always join as a member (it's only $2), read the article, then cancel if you don't want to remain a member. I get that paywalls suck, but it's one of the few perks my supporters get.

https://timemachiner.io/2022/03/02/next-of-kin/

@sun @mookie OMG I forgot about this. I should REALLY write about this + failed phones ( Amazon fire phone, facebook’s F1). I did the Kin a few years ago and loved that.

@dansup I use Sinch (formerly mail gun) and the prices are reasonable. You’re basically paying for server time and reliability of your emails actually getting delivered instead of binned directly to spam.

@Infoseepage @BroBot90001 @protonprivacy @jonah What's that bill? I'd be curious to know more as I'm giving FastMail a trial.

This cute, chunky guy is helping out today. #plushtodon #Plushie

If you’re surprised about Tom Cook donating $1M of his personal money to Trump, you haven’t been paying attention.

https://variety.com/2025/digital/news/apple-ceo-tim-cook-donates-1-million-trump-inauguration-1236265079/

OMG @Gargron, did you forget to order shipping boxes???

My mastodon plushie came in a busted up & reused Amazon box! 🤦🏻♂️

EDIT: I was more concerned about the poor tape job than the box itself. Kudos to reusing boxes that are well suited to something that doesn’t break, like a plushie.

#plushtodon

For the record, a plushie is a good item for boxes being reused and I’m not upset about this. More surprised than anything. The tape job wasn’t great but it’s fine. The plushie arrived intact and without any damage.

Also, points for reusing boxes, which is a sustainable option! I have ZERO issue with that. https://mastodon.social/@Gargron/113726544269956785

BlueSky’s surge in sign-ups proves it has a network effect and will likely keep its momentum. Mastodon had that last year, but the nuances of getting going on this platform are obstacles for Normals.

I know there’s been improvements since then to help people hit the ground running, so it’s important that we’re welcoming and helpful. Normals just want their stuff to work. We can’t talk about all the Pros of the Fediverse if it overwhelms them.

@dansup @loops 4k hevc 57.9mb.

@dansup @loops TestFlight shows I’m up to date.

@dansup @loops Not able to upload anything now. Any idea why?

@dansup Are these being pushed to TestFlight at all? Every time you say you’re pushing a new version, there’s no new build for iOS. Am I missing something?

@CliffWade @dansup @Mrfunkedude @Colby OMG keep them muted. Please. If I start hearing sound all the time that’s a deal breaker for me.

@liztai Have a link or place where I can learn more?

Last night I attended my first “Silent Book Club” event at a local bookstore. Simply put: you come and read whatever book you want for a hour. There’s optional socializing for 30-min after, and that’s it. No discussions, no pressure, no reading a book you’re not feeling.

At the end, the owner took this photo of everyone’s books and I love how this turned out. It was a lot of fun to go to and I even talked to someone because of the book they were reading. It was a good time and I’d absolutely do it again!

#bookstodon

@justincox @liztai I use a plugin for Wordpress called “The Newsletter Plugin”. I have a paid license. It’s got a lot of features and while I wish it had more, it’s quite good. If you use Wordpress, def give it a look.

@justincox @liztai I offer a free version of my newsletter with a paid membership option that gives people some perks. Nothing major but it’s something. Converting people is very difficult though and I suspect there’s subscription fatigue in general, even if it’s $2 a month.

I’m just gonna come out and say it: Every “rule” and “norm” here in the US is a big, fucking illusion. Only took 248 years for that to be figured out. 🫠

Here’s the apps Apple Sherlocked today off the top of my head:

- Grammerly
- Gentler Streak
- 1Password / Dashlane / KeePass / LastPass
- Soulver
- PCALC (sorta but not really?)
- Magnet
- Photo Math
- Retouch
- ChatGPT Mac App ( @vincentneo )

Know of more? Reply with the app’s name and I’ll add it to this post.

#WWDC2024 #WWDC24