Back on the mat→

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Ev Williams — yeah, that Ev Williams, the one who started Blogger, co-founded Twitter, and is currently CEO of Medium — has started blogging again. If you look at the common foundation of those three services he’s built, then it makes sense that Ev has something to say every now and then.

This paragraph resonated with how I felt when I started my November challenge:

This post is another experiment, perhaps less grand but still dangerous-feeling. Like walking into a yoga class, 10 years out of practice. As I put down my mat and start stretching these stiff old muscles, I wonder if I should be here. It’s awkward. A little painful. Worth it? Hard to say. Everyone else seems so much more comfortable. Remember when writing on the web was just fun?

Well, we’re here now. Gotta just crack those knuckles and get to work.

”Remember when writing on the web was just fun?” Wow. I mean, that hits it square on the head, doesn’t it? That’s the exact thing I was after when I started blogging again. This all — *waves hands* — used to be fun!

Somewhere along the line it stopped being fun and maybe that’s why we all stopped doing it. Instead we settled for quips in 140 characters. And nowadays most people just hit the Share button on Facebook, churning over someone else’s content.

We stopped being creative and taking the time to really spell out what was on our minds.

Back to Ev:

I sometimes say that the internet has changed how humanity communicates and shares knowledge in such a profound way, at such massive scale, in such a short period of time of course it’s broken. What else could we expect? So we keep working on it.

That’s why I’m getting back on the mat — i.e., making an effort to blog/write on a regular basis (in public) again. Partially for fun. Partially to see what comes out of my brain. And mostly to understand from the individual creator perspective how our tools need to evolve for this point in the internet’s evolution.

Long form writing has been around ages — epochs even. It is how humans have communicated as far back as we have history books. And there is something special about writing long form that text messages and tweets cannot replicate.

Let’s endeavor back toward that ancient art. When was the last time you sat down and wrote an actual letter to a friend or loved one? When was the last time you received one? My challenge to you, dear reader, is to write something of substance and put it in front of someone else’s eyes. I promise it will be cathartic. Write a letter, or even a card. Start a blog and send me the link. Whatever fits. Just crack those knuckles and get to work.

¶ Knowing When To Stay Put

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Don't poke the bear.

Let sleeping dogs lie.

Leave it be.

Let it go.

Restraint is the art of knowing when to stay put. Don't push forward. Just be still and let things play out. Patience often wins out, despite being frustrating.

My plans for today didn't come to pass. Factors out of my control pushed my plans entirely out the window. So the plan changed. The plan became staying put and waiting out the uncontrollable circumstances.

New plans formed. Plans that were more enjoyable and memorable. Better plans. Because instead of being stubborn and risky I stayed put and played it safe.

Today’s original plans will wait for tomorrow, when they will be better plans. Never underestimate the power of patiently waiting for the best.

¶ What I’ve Learned Over 30 Days of Blogging

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Today marks 30 continuous days of publishing to this site. It was a challenge to myself at the beginning of the month inspired by Shawn Blanc. I thought it would be good to review a few things I’ve learned along the way.

In no particular order:

  • Publishing regularly definitely has a dramatic effect on site traffic. Beyond RSS, I notified people of new posts via Twitter and my personal Facebook. According to Squarespace’s analytics, I am currently at 560 unique visitors for the month to date, which is a 273% increase month over month. I am also now sitting at 225 RSS subscribers, which is an 81% increase month over month.

    I have read from other writers time and time again the best way to grow an audience is to publish regularly. That seems to hold true. It reminds me of the old saying, “If you build it, they will come.”

    If anything, it’s nice to know a few more people than just my wife and parents read this site.

  • Writing daily seemed pretty easy until I ran out of my little list of ideas for topics. Then it got tough to figure out what to write about. It did not come easy, and honestly, I felt like I phoned it in a couple times. Not that there is anything wrong with phoning it in on occasion, because that is still forward momentum.

    I learned the importance of trying to have some semblance of a content calendar and knowing ahead of time some things I would want to write about. And sometimes something newsworthy arises and takes precedence over the plan. But it is good to have some ideas in advance to prevent spinning the tires in frustration.

  • I don’t enjoy writing much from my phone. I did a couple times out of necessity, and it is doable, but far from delightful. I wrote most of my posts from my iPad, and thanks to Safari’s much improved desktop-like experience, I published mostly from my iPad, too. I wrote a bit from my Mac, too, but the iPad has come a very long way for blogging.
  • I threw away a lot of drafts. I can’t tell you how many times I wrote something, read it over, and decided it either was poorly written or just plain not interesting. Often, the second draft is much improved, or even a different topic entirely. Don’t try to force the first draft into being the final publication.
  • Read other writers. I found a few more to read at the beginning of this journey a few weeks ago, and their words were very helpful. A lot can be gleaned from seeing what others go through.

Those are a few of the things I took away from my 30 day challenge. Now that I’m in a groove for doing this on the regular, I don’t see why I’d stop. I hope you’ll keep following along, dear reader.

Black Friday is Better Without the Rampant Consumerism

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I’m sure you know the Friday after Thanksgiving (in the US) is Black Friday in the retail world. How could you not? You’ve surely been inundated by email, tv, and website ads for weeks about it. Retail’s last desperate gasp to turn a profit before the end of the year.

I rarely venture into a store on Black Friday. If I do it’s typically for a needed grocery item than deal-seeking. In fact, my Black Friday shopping is online.

But this year I didn’t participate. There is nothing I want or need. I’m satiated. And it is a freeing feeling to be satisfied. I am richer for it both via my checking account and my disposition.

I can’t help but think we’d all be better off if we excised consumerism from our holidays. Perhaps we’d experience less anxiety, anger, and greed. And then perhaps we’d instead be filled with gratitude, kindness, and generosity.

Giving Thanks

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Today is Thanksgiving in the US, and one of the traditions many people like to observe is sharing what they are thankful for. I’m thankful to be with family today, to have enjoyed a fulfilling and delicious meal, and for the gym having been open this morning so I could put in the sweat equity to earn the Apple Watch Activity Challenge today.

It’s been a good and relaxing day, and I couldn’t have asked for much more.

Thank you, dear reader, for your attention this month as I have published daily. I value the moments you give my words, and I am encouraged greatly by how this month has gone. I don’t know whether or not I will continue the push to publish daily once December rolls around, but I think I will try. This has been good for me, and I hope some of the topics I have written about have been beneficial for you.

Until tomorrow, may you be rested, full, and happy.

¶ The Gift of Geek, 2019 Edition

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It’s been a long time since I’ve written about the role we geeks play in the larger family unit, and there’s no better time for a refresher course than today, the day before Thanksgiving.

You see, I am the Family Geek. It is my solemn duty when surrounded by family to check on how everyone is doing with their computers and gadgets. Are there any problems I can solve? Any questions I can answer? Of course there are. And I shall.

So, to quote 2011 me, here is how to give the Gift of Geek.

Some things to be prepared for:

  1. Be available. Set aside some time for one-on-one walkthroughs, or time to talk on the phone if your relative isn’t with you this holiday. That doesn’t mean you have to give up your entire holiday, but set aside a few hours for lending a helping hand.
  2. Be patient. Your relatives aren’t as nerdy as you are. Keep that in mind, and don’t treat them like an idiot. It’s new to them, and it takes time to learn new things. Also, don’t rush through so much to point of making it impossible to retain. Start with the basics. There can always be more phone calls.
  3. Run updates on their devices. One of the things I like to do is make sure everything is up to date on my relatives’ devices. There’s a few of them who never run updates, and there’s a lot that piles up over 6 months.
  4. Backups. On the same note, make sure to set up your relatives for data backup in one way or another. This will save you a headache later.

All four of those tips are as evergreen today as they were years ago. Out of all of those, number 4 is the most important. Do whatever you can to make sure your loved ones have some sort of automatic backup in place.

On iPhones and iPads, that is iCloud backup. You may have to convince your relative to spend a few bucks per month to increase their iCloud storage. 50 GB can be had for 99¢ per month, and 200 GB for $2.99 per month. That is a small price to pay for peace of mind.

On a Mac, Time Machine is the easiest option, and it is built into the Mac. But it does require plugging in a hard drive regularly. Also, a decent portable hard drive can be found for under $80, usually. Might be a good idea for a gift. For a more automatic solution, you can’t go wrong with Backblaze, which costs $5 per computer per month for unlimited storage.

Remember to enjoy yourself this holiday, too. Don’t spend the entire time solving problems, but try to do a checkup on your loved ones to make sure the basics are being met.

And if you are a loved one who is on the receiving end of the Gift of Geek, be sure to show your appreciation to your Family Geek. A genuine thank you goes a long way, and the willingness to heed advice does as well.

How to Take Great Holiday Photos→

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The Sweet Setup asked Erin Brooks, a fantastic photographer whose photos have been featured Apple ad campaigns, to update her guide on how to take great holiday photos for 2019. Erin’s advice is extremely practical and can be used by anyone with any camera — from a DSLR with great glass to an iPhone.

In the guide Erin covers pragmatic tips including lighting, composition, location, and how it all can affect the mood of a photo. One I hadn’t thought of before is her tip to get a neat indoor shot by going outside and taking the photo through a window.

By far her best tip, though, is the final one: get in the frame. This is one I am terrible at, and I think many of us are. It is all too easy to be so wrapped up in taking the photos that you end up with none of the photos having you in them. It’s makes me sad in retrospect how few photos there are of me at key family moments.

One way I have tried to do this recently is setting up my iPhone on a small, discreet tripod combined with the Studio Neat Glif, and then using my Apple Watch as a camera remote. If you don’t have an Apple Watch, you can also set up the self-timer on your phone, but it’s a bit harder to get casual photos that way.

The important thing is to have fun, be creative, and get yourself in some of the photos this holiday season.

The Surprise→

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Apple launched its holiday ad today, titled The Surprise. It is extremely touching, and I got choked up while watching it. Yes, I get choked up pretty easily with good storytelling, which this ad does well.

The Surprise is very reminiscent of Apple’s 2013 holiday ad, Misunderstood, which won an Emmy. I’d be surprised if this year’s ad doesn’t receive consideration for the award.

If You Have Digital Movies, You Should Use Movies Anywhere

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Being an Apple enthusiast, it should come as no surprise that I prefer to redeem digital copies of movies in iTunes (or whatever we’re going to call it now that iTunes is more or less dead — I guess Apple TV?). I’ll admit, though, that I have held some trepidation on having all my digital eggs in one digital basket.

This afternoon I was having lunch with a friend from church and we were talking about this, since he had a large movie collection in Walmart’s Vudu system, and he travels internationally a lot and can’t always access Vudu. So I told him about the solution I use to make sure my movies are in more than one place.

Movies Anywhere. Owned by Disney, the Movies Anywhere service acts like a central hub for your movies between a bunch of different services. When you add a movie to Movies Anywhere it will also add them into your other connected services’ libraries. And vice versa.

For instance, I had a lot of movies in iTunes when I signed up for my Movies Anywhere account. When I connected iTunes to Movies Anywhere, suddenly all those movies (except Lionsgate films, because they are being party poopers) showed up in Movies Anywhere. Then I connected Amazon, where I had zero digital movies, and all my movies showed up as purchased there!

It’s awesome. Truly.

One time this actually saved my bacon was when I wanted to watch a movie while traveling, and iTunes was misbehaving. So I opened up the Movies Anywhere app on my iPad, connected it to the TV, and started the movie there.

If you use any of the services that work with Movies Anywhere, I encourage you to sign up, especially since it is free:

  • Apple TV/iTunes
  • Amazon Prime Video
  • Vudu
  • Google Play/YouTube
  • Microsoft Movies & TV
  • xfinity
  • Fandango Now
  • Verizon Fios

Movies Anywhere is a digital locker done right. It cross-pollinates your movies across a variety of services you choose, which can give peace of mind when it comes to ephemeral digital goods.

It should go without saying, but the above is an honest to goodness personal recommendation, and not an ad. No one is paying me to recommend Movies Anywhere.

¶ AirPods, Siri, and Her

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If you have read this site for some time, followed me on Twitter, or have known me personally in the last few years, you know that I am a really big fan of AirPods. In fact, I think AirPods may be my favorite gadget in the past 5 years.

One thing AirPods reminded me of when they were originally released is the 2013 movie, Her — which is a strange movie in many ways, but has stuck with me ever since I watched it. My main takeaway from Her is that it is ultimately about loneliness, and how we as a society are ever-increasingly trying to substitute real connection with technology, but it isn’t a satisfactory substitute. That’s a whole essay for another day.

By far the main thing that stuck with me all these years about Her was the way everyday computing is portrayed. Computers are the size of a business card case and the primary interaction is through a small earbud. People take calls, read and reply to messages and email, and compose entire documents through voice. When at a desk, these small computers interface with a larger desktop monitor.

It’s all rather cool.

The first AirPods felt like an initial step towards this portrayed future. With a couple taps on an earbud you could summon Siri and dictate a message, among many other commands. But it was still a first step.

The second-generation AirPods have a newer chip in them, and brought along “Hey Siri” support. No more reaching up and tapping at your ear to get the attention of our favorite assistant. Just say the phrase and roll with your command, and Siri happily obliges — most of the time.

With the advent of iOS 13.2, Siri gained another new feature that brings us another step closer to the technology in Her — Announce Messages with Siri. This feature requires newer headphones from Apple that have the H1 chip. These currently include:

  • AirPods (second generation)
  • AirPods Pro
  • Powerbeats Pro
  • Beats Solo Pro

What this feature does is eerily conversational. While the AirPods (or other compatible headphones) are in your ears, and you receive a text message, Siri will fade out whatever you are listening to, give a delightful chime, and tell you something like, “Karen sent you a message: ‘Which flavor of ice cream would you like me to pick up?’”

At this point, there is just silence for a few seconds, which is your cue to say something like, “Reply. Definitely cookies and cream.”

And then she just sends it and returns your audio right where you left off. There is an option to have Siri read your reply back to you and ask for confirmation to send, just in case you don’t trust her ability to transcribe your dictation well.

But this whole process is surprisingly interactive and quick once you get the hang of it. The other day I was getting ready for a workout and carrying out a conversation via text with a friend, completely hands-free, without looking at my phone once.

For kicks and giggles I even had Siri read an email to the other day and then I composed the reply right from my AirPods. It worked great for a short reply.

I doubt this will be the last time I bring up AirPods or the comparisons to the tech in the movie Her, but it is fascinating to me how quickly AirPods and Siri are becoming a decent interaction model with the iPhone, and how the proliferation of AirPods are normalizing speaking to these little devices in our ears.

The cautionary tale, though, is the same as we see in the film: we shouldn’t let these conversations with our devices overshadow real relationships with other people. Sometimes you need to take the earbuds out, put them away, and talk to another person.