Support the life-saving work of St. Jude→

September is National Childhood Cancer Awareness month. This topic is near and dear to my internet pal Stephen Hackett of 512 Pixels and the Relay.FM podcast network. Stephen’s oldest son, Josiah, was diagnosed with brain cancer at age 6 months. Thanks to the miracle that is St. Jude Children's Research Hospital, Josiah is 12 now. Read more about Josiah’s incredible story on Stephen’s site.

Stephen’s network, Relay.FM, raises money every September for St. Jude. This year’s goal was $315,000, and they blew past that last night. I’d like to see if we can help get them to half a million.

Not only does St. Jude provide medical care and research for kids, they do this without ever charging the families a dime. This is truly a miracle. And this is where you and I come in. St. Jude is only able to do this because of donors like us.

There are so many things clamoring for our dollars — especially this year. Local businesses need our support throughout the pandemic, politicians want us to donate to campaigns, and we may even want to do a little retail therapy with shiny new gadgets this fall.

If you can afford to part with money for either or both of those last two, then I’m going to ask you to give some of that money to St. Jude first. St. Jude is a worthy cause that has a tangible effect on so many lives.

My family is in for $100. Will you match that? Honestly, even if you can pitch in $5, that adds up. The donation page even allows anonymous donations if you prefer, and also convenience of mobile payment systems like Apple Pay.

Let’s help out kids fighting cancer, and bless the families of St. Jude.

Dark Sky Acquired by Apple→

My favorite weather app, Dark Sky, had a big announcement today. Adam Grossman on the Dark Sky blog:

Today we have some important and exciting news to share: Dark Sky has joined Apple.

Our goal has always been to provide the world with the best weather information possible, to help as many people as we can stay dry and safe, and to do so in a way that respects your privacy.

There is no better place to accomplish these goals than at Apple. We’re thrilled to have the opportunity to reach far more people, with far more impact, than we ever could alone.

All in all, it makes sense why Apple would want to own the full stack for weather data. Over the years Apple has partnered with providers such as Yahoo! and The Weather Channel. And let’s face it, there are apps — even weather apps, including The Weather Channel’s apps — that abuse location privacy. Dark Sky is a huge player in the weather data arena and they always had a staunch stance on respecting user privacy. That’s why I use Dark Sky as my primary weather app.

So, what’s happening to the app, and more importantly, the service behind it that powers many other weather apps such as CARROT Weather and Weather Line?

• The iOS app is staying the same, for now. It is available for $4 on the App Store.
• The Android app is gone. It cannot be downloaded anymore. And the service for it will be discontinued on July 1, 2020. Sorry, droids.
• The website is also largely being shuttered on July 1, 2020. That’s too bad, because it is a nice site.
• And finally the API that powers other apps’ weather data will be kept alive until the end of 2021.

I’ll admit I am both excited and trepidatious with today’s announcement. On one hand, I fear the app I use daily and have used for over 8 years will end up disappearing and just become the data layer behind the beautiful yet too simplistic Weather app on my iPhone.

On the other hand I am excited that maybe Dark Sky’s story will turn out much like Workflow’s did. Workflow was acquired by Apple and largely left intact yet supercharged with system access as it became Shortcuts. Shortcuts today is very familiar to Worklfow users of old.

My hope is that Dark Sky becomes the new Weather app. Of course, I do think Apple may update the theme a bit to be a little more Apple-y, but I hope it retains its extensive forecast visuals and radar. And perhaps this means the iPad would finally have a built-in weather app. And heck, why not flex some Mac Catalyst muscle and bring it to the Mac?

I’m very happy for the Dark Sky team, as this is a huge win for them. And I hope the days ahead for the Dark Sky app I know and love are very bright.

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.

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.

How to Edit and Organize the Shortcuts in Your iPad Home Screen Widget→

The home screen widgets available on iPads running iPadOS 13 are very handy, and if you’ve delved into the Shortcuts app at all, having a selection of those within reach (ha ha) can be extremely helpful.

Shawn Blanc thinks so, too, yet has had the same problem as me with the Shortcuts widget.

Now, by default, the order of the shortcuts that appear on your Shortcuts Widget are the same as those in your primary Shortcuts Library within the Shortcuts app. Showing all the Shortcuts that you’ve ever created and which were toggled to “Show in the Widget”.

If you find that you have too many shortcuts in your Home Screen Widget, it can be a bit overwhelming. You may realize you don’t need all those shortcuts to be right there all the time.

This is something that has bugged me for quite a while, and I’m embarrassed to admit that I just discovered the solution to it yesterday.

It turns out there is a hidden-in-plain-sight way to organize the Shortcuts widget, but unless you’re a master at escape rooms, finding the clues to access the feature is not at all obvious.

To edit and organize your Shortcuts Widget:

1. Tap the top-right carrot arrow in the Shortcuts widget to expand it completely.
2. Then, at the bottom, you’ll see the option to “Customize in Shortcuts”.

Tap the “Customize in Shortcuts” button and you’ll be taken to the Shortcuts app with a special settings window that is specifically for the Shortcuts Widget.

From here you can now rearrange the order of the Shortcuts that are displayed in the Home Screen Widget and you can quickly select the check marks for which Shortcuts you do and do not want to show up in the widget.

This helped me prioritize which of my Shortcuts I want to be at the top of the list, without having to resort to a lot of frustrating rearranging via the main grid view in Shortcuts.

Preliminary Reports Suggest iOS 13.3 Fixes Multitasking Problems→

MacRumors:

Apple today released the first beta of iOS 13.3 to developers, and based on early reports from those who have downloaded the new update, it fixes the frustrating multitasking bug that is impacting many iOS 13.2 users.

While iOS/iPadOS 13.2 fixed a number of frustrating issues for me, this multitasking bug has been driving me crazy. In short, iOS/iPadOS has been so aggressive in closing down background multitasking that it effectively feels like iOS/iPadOS doesn't have multitasking anymore.

It's not unusual for me to close Safari to switch momentarily to another app, then come back to Safari to see any open tabs reloading from scratch, which loses my place on the page and/or loses any progress I was doing in a web app.

So while I am ecstatic to hear this problem may be solved with the developer beta of iOS/iPadOS 13.3, today's release is the first beta, and there are typically 4 or more before release.

Apple, is it too much to ask for a quick 13.2.1 update to address this issue?

Hey, Apple – The Activity App Needs Rest Days Like Right Now→

My friend Gedeon Maheux wrote yesterday about how he would love for Apple’s Activity app to start offering rest days as part of its goal for helping users becoming more healthy over time.

Contrary to what the folks on Apple’s Activity team may tell you, this isn’t actually healthy. It’s important to give your body (and mind) a break to recover and rebuild every now and then. Which is why iOS desperately needs to build in the concept of rest days into its Activity app.

Let’s just set aside the fact that the Activity app doesn’t even allow you to keep your streaks alive if you become sick or injured. That’s bad enough. But not to be able to give myself a much-needed break after many months of filling my rings is a poor decision on Apple’s part. I had really hoped iOS 13 would introduce Rest Days or Rain Checks or something that would allow us to take a day or two off a month and keep streaks alive, but that doesn’t seem to be the case.

The concept is simple – For every perfect month of activity award I complete, give me one rest day that I can use at any time to take an activity break and recuperate. Over time they would accrue like vacation days and I could even apply them for actual vacations so I don’t have to worry about filling my rings when I’m laying on the beach or waiting in line at Disney World.

I couldn’t agree more. One of the Activity awards I am most proud of achieving is my Longest Move Streak, which I let lapse at 1,000 consecutive days on December 31, 2018. I ended it for several reasons, and one of the biggest ones was ending the streak on my terms, and not losing it due to a sick day. You’ll enjoy the irony here: on January 2nd, 2019, I got the flu and was so weak I barely moved, aside from the frequent trips to the restroom to throw up.

So yeah, if I hadn’t ended my streak on my terms, just two days later I would have had it ended anyway.

A system for rest days would have saved my bacon if I had continued my streak. In fact, another streak I have maintained was saved by the app’s inclusion of rest days. I currently have 1,397 day streak going in Pedometer++. The system “Underscore” David Smith created for Pedometer++ (and Activity++) for rest days is well-balanced, and useful. From the settings screen of Pedometer++:

When enabled, activity streaks will not be broken by a single day missed after six consecutive days of reaching your goal.

I like this system. You have to earn the rest day, but it isn’t an arduous amount to earn it. You could conceivably take one day off each week and maintain a streak. It’s really similar to the idea of a Sabbath — a day of rest. And, of course, you don’t have to use it. But it doesn’t carry over and stack up, as Ged wants for vacations.

Either way, rest days are important for everyone, and sorely needed in Apple’s approach to healthy living in the Activity app. While I still try to complete my Move ring every day, I don’t sweat it if I just need a rest from it now that I’ve sealed away my Longest Move Streak at 1,000 days. For those still striving to keep that streak going, I hope Apple gives them a break with rest days in a future update.

Apple Launches Independent Repair Provider Program→

If you live near an Apple Retail Store or an Apple Authorized Service Provider — such as every Best Buy in the US — you can typically get an Apple device repaired by trained technicians with genuine parts that won’t void your warranty.

But if you don’t live near either of those, you’ve had to rely on either mailing your device off to Apple or taking it to a local place that may or may not be using sketchy parts or practices.

Well, that all changes today with Apple’s launch of its new Independent Repair Provider Program. Apple Newsroom:

Apple will provide more independent repair businesses — large or small — with the same genuine parts, tools, training, repair manuals and diagnostics as its Apple Authorized Service Providers (AASPs). The program is launching in the US with plans to expand to other countries.

This is great news. Now those cellphone repair outfits or local computer repair shops can have access to the same training, equipment, tools, guides, and more as Apple and its authorized providers use. This means that end users like you and me can have a little more trust if needing to have a device repaired.

Another great tidbit is the barrier to entry for independent providers is pretty low.

There is no cost to join Apple’s independent repair program. To qualify for the new program, businesses need to have an Apple-certified technician who can perform the repairs. The process for certification is simple and free of charge. To learn more and apply, visit support.apple.com/irp-program. Qualifying repair businesses will receive Apple-genuine parts, tools, training, repair manuals and diagnostics at the same cost as AASPs.

Now, instead of advising friends and family to only seek repairs from a small list of places, I can check and see if a shop has this certification and access, and feel better about recommending them.

I’ve had friends take their device to independent shops and I have definitely seen some sketchy repairs — such as a Touch ID/Home button that doesn’t feel quite right, making me think it is a knock-off part. And since that is a part that is supposed to be part of the security of the device, it left me with a bad feeling.

I’m very glad Apple has launched this program, and I hope independent repair shops take it seriously and join the program.

How to quickly fix sideways video clips on iPhone or iPad→

Serenity Caldwell on iMore has a fantastic tip on how to rotate videos on an iOS device:

This one's easy to miss, but a must-have for filming fiends: iMovie for iOS is a free app for more complex video editing projects, but it also offers a quick-fix extenison in Photos for iOS. This extension lets you trim a clip, silence it, or add filters, text, or music — but it also lets you flip video with a gesture.

The rest of the article has a step-by-step guide worth checking out. This tip was news to me, but it’ll be invaluable for those times when my iPhone doesn’t orient itself before I hit record.