Apple delivers a new redesigned Maps for all users in the United States→

Apple has been gradually rolling out their re-built Maps data across the United States for the past year or so. Today, Apple announced that work is complete.

Apple today announced that all users in the United States can now experience a redesigned Maps with faster and more accurate navigation and comprehensive views of roads, buildings, parks, airports, malls and more, making it easier and more enjoyable to map out any journey. Apple completed the rollout of this new Maps experience in the United States and will begin rolling it out across Europe in the coming months.

I will say the new Maps data is terrific. It is a huge upgrade over the old data. While most buildings in my area are represented by fairly generic boxes, there is a good deal of detail in important landmarks such as Memorial Stadium (of Cornhusker fame) and the Nebraska State Capitol building. They even got a good representation of the statue of the Sower on the top of the building.

Memorial Stadium in Lincoln, Nebraska

Nebraska State Capitol in Lincoln, Nebraska

But today is not the first I have seen of this new map data. Apple began a soft rollout for the new maps in my region (Nebraska) last month, and they were active on my iPad Pro, but not my Mac or iPhone. And then last week the new maps reverted back to the old maps on my iPad Pro, which was odd.

One change that came today — for everyone in the US, from what I can tell on Twitter — is the addition of stoplights and stop signs when getting directions. This is represented nicely, and Siri will even tell you to “turn right at the stop sign”. It’s a subtle way of telling the driver about traffic signs and signals, which also sounding more natural.

Directions showing traffic signals and stop signs along the route.

Apple also highlighted a few more features of the new Maps in their press release today, many of which have been around since earlier releases of iOS 13:

• Explore major cities with Look Around
  This is basically Apple’s answer to Google Maps’ Street View. It only works in a few cities, currently: New York City, the San Francisco Bay Area, Los Angeles, Las Vegas, Houston and Oahu.

  If you zoom into one of those areas and tap the binoculars icon that appears, you can try it out for yourself. It seems a lot nicer than Google’s Street View, and I can’t wait for that to roll out to more places.

• Users can share places they love with collections
  These are simple collections of places you can create and share. My only complaint is that when you share a collection, the recipient’s copy is standalone — meaning if they add something it doesn’t sync back to you. This feature would be more useful if it allowed collaboration, much like Notes and Reminders does.
• One-tap navigation to frequent places with Favorites
  Pretty much what it says on the tin. Pretty handy for places you frequent.
• Real-time transit information
  This is active in my city and appears to work pretty well.
• Share ETA
  This is a really nice feature. When you start directions, you can tap a Share ETA button, and choose a recipient. They will then be able to see you in Maps and see your estimated time of arrival. This worked a treat earlier this month when I needed to rendezvous with my dad for a road trip.
• Flight status
  Siri intelligences does a bunch of on-device processing, looking at Mail, Calendar, and Wallet passes for flight info, then keeps you up to date on terminal, gate, or departure changes. I’ll give this a go in a couple weeks.
• Indoor maps
  Zooming in on some airports and malls with now have a Look Inside label, and shows you the interior of the locations. This can come in handy when you need to find a certain shop, or plan out your rush through an airport between flights.

All in all, I’m really excited about the future of Apple Maps. If you are in the United States and the previous incarnation of Apple Maps left a bad impression, it’s worth your time to give it a fresh try.

¶ Returning to 1Password

Today I am rejoining the incredible team at 1Password. I will be serving as the Client Apps Product Manager, and I am ecstatic to work with the various teams within 1Password to deliver security you can trust and actually use.

I’ve used 1Password for over a decade, well before I worked with them the first time. Even though they supply my paycheck, I want you to know my recommendation of them in the past, present, and future is completely unbiased by that. It’s a top-notch product and you should use it.

Back on the mat→

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

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

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

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

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

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.

And in those days Caesar Augustus decreed that all must return to the town of their birth, that they might sort out their parents' computers

— Phil Rodgers (@PhilRodgers) December 24, 2012

How to Take Great Holiday Photos→

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→

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.