Author: Joshua

An amazing video by Cabel Sasser has been floating around the internet the last week. If you’re one of the lucky 10,000 who haven’t seen it yet, my pitch is simple. If you love anything, want to create anything, and ever wonder about your purpose in this world, you may find some joy and hope…

On October 3, the British government announced that it was giving up sovereignty over a small tropical atoll in the Indian Ocean known as the Chagos Islands. The islands would be handed over to the neighboring island country of Mauritius, about 1,100 miles off the southeastern coast of Africa.  The story did not make the…

A few weeks ago I picked up some new books, including The Wild Robot, book 1. Since it’s an easy read I went through a few chapters each night with the kids.  Last week we watched the new movie together as a family, and my wife and I were blown away. It’s one of the…

A reminder to anyone in the path of adverse weather, if you have an iPhone 14 or later, you can upgrade to iOS 18 and text loved ones for free via Satellite. I’ve tested this with my wife on the tallest peak in Idaho and it works amazingly. You just need to give it a…

Those of us still rocking AirPods with Lightning ports finally have a way to upgrade them to USB-C that doesn’t require complicated modifications or the cost of completely replacing the case.  I threw this weird looking case on my list and thought about buying it. But really it’s a solution in need of a problem.…

Code analysis firm sees no major benefits from AI dev tool when measuring key programming metrics, though others report incremental gains from coding copilots with emphasis on code review. I’ve tried ChatGPT and its variants with development tasks. For someone who is still relatively knew at coing, I’ve found it helpful to move me further…

Sleep is tricky for me, I’m highly alert to any environmental sounds.  For over a decade I’ve used a noise maker to sleep. Before that I slept with a fan on. Nowadays I generally prop an iPad or iPhone near my pillow and turn on a white noise app. I love Dark Noise and highly recommend…

We’re introducing canvas, a new interface for working with ChatGPT on writing and coding projects that go beyond simple chat. Canvas opens in a separate window, allowing you and ChatGPT to collaborate on a project. This early beta introduces a new way of working together—not just through conversation, but by creating and refining ideas side…

I’ve got an iPhone 14 Pro that I no longer use daily, thanks to upgrading to the iPhone 16 Pro Max.  I’ve been debating whether to sell it, or find some other use. At some point I’d like to get into video podcasting (or YouTube, as the kids call it), and have been trying to…

I’ve heard a lot of passionate takes on the whole WordPress fiasco the last few weeks. But I think I resonate the most with Manton’s post earlier today.  Automattic offered a severance package to anyone who took it, and 8% of the company accepted.  This is indeed very generous. It’s not often you get a…

Few things in life elicit the depths and joys and emotions of a good book (outside of connection with other people of course).  There’s something about going on a journey with an author, following a character, living in a different world, being part of something different that evokes a sense of imagination an wonder not…

I don’t have a full fledged review of the iPhone 16. Many others have done a fantastic job at that. But I do want to share a few quick thoughts on how the new camera fits into my life in a very practical way.  I’ve been using the device, an iPhone 16 Pro Max in Natural…

Hope has been something that has kept me going lately, I have learnt how true the saying is about hope that dies last. But hope needs something to catch, hope isn’t given, it has to be found. But it is difficult to search for something so ephemeral on your own. I tried, I failed, I…

Chip giant Qualcomm made a takeover approach to rival Intel in recent days, according to people familiar with the matter, in what would be one of the largest and most consequential deals in recent years. I don’t know what this means, but everything I’ve heard about Qualcomm suggests they’re a relentless organization focused on doing…

Dieter Rams and his friends (Dietrich Lubs and Ludwig Littman) designed many great looking alarm clocks. This is amazing. Fatih goes through the process of designing an iPhone dock, heavily inspired by Rams, and shares the 3D model to print it yourself. I’ve never wanted a 3D printer more. 

Throughout this Summer I’ve been enduring the notification harassaments from Apple asking me if I’m really reallllllly certain that I do in fact want the app that I’ve used for nearly a decade to absolutely for sure function the way I want it to.  I know everyone in tech ridiculed them for this, but maybe…

One one of the many tech podcasts I listened to, one of the hosts opined about wanting an app that allowed for browsing the most frequent websites he reads he day, but which would limit him to just those. The idea was to allow him access to the writers he wanted, but limit distraction from…

Years ago I attempted to bike into work as part of my commute. Headed from home to the office was a slight decline or flat all the way there. The distance was about three miles. Depending on the time of year I could arrive relatively unsweaty, in about 18 minutes. Roughly 50% more than my…

Everyone knows me as the Apple guy, someone who has always used an iPhone. But for years I have been dual-wielding two phones, yes, whatever the current generation iPhone is, but also an Android device of some kind. … I love the design of this phone. It feels very similar to the iPhone 15 family.…