Today’s Reading

Today’s Commentary

* Kamala Harris will go down in history as the face of the movement that brought logic, science and manners back to American politics. While I am an avowed one issue voter (beating Trump) for the moment, I hope she pays some attention to rural America.

** I read all of the existing Game of Thrones books, back to back, far too many years ago. I really (really) don’t give a shit at this point (a) if he ever finishes the next book, or (b) about literally anything he has to say. He should have shut up and finished his book long, long ago.

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Today’s Reading

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* I don’t know about Matter, but I know that the Apple Home experience is janky and very much not Apple-level easy or elegant. And don’t even get me started about how utterly awful Siri is.

** I had reservations about this show, but it is excellent.

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* My favorite AI tool at the moment is Kittl. Really solid platform for making signs, posters, album covers, web graphics and whatnot. The interface is not super-intuitive, but one you get into the flow you can make some really cool stuff.

** Honestly, if Apple releases a HomePod with a screen bolted-on like that butt-ugly mockup (and the similar device from Amazon), I’ll sell all my Apple stock because the golden era will be over.

*** That’s great. I generally dig my F150, but the inability to permanently disable that annoying auto start-stop is a deal stopper for me. No more Fords until that changes.

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* Siri is awful, currently. Alexa is somewhat less awful, but Amazon wants to control the screen. I want this: ChatGPT functionality on a device where I (and I alone) get to determine what appears on the screen. I’ll pay for that.

** This is huge, for those of us who are automation obsessive. Bonus hint: if you use eero routers and get the “Connect to HomeKit router error” when adding accessories, delete the eero router(s) from HomeKit in the Home app, and problem solved. That’s 5+ hours of painful research condensed into a sentence.

*** I’m already hesitant to refer to myself as a Christian because of nonsense like this. God is wonderful. He/she/they/it has been good to me. But religion, which seeks to put itself between you and God, is not particularly wonderful these days. When another person takes it upon himself (because, let’s be honest, it’s always a dude) to tell you what God wants you to do, be very skeptical.

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Today’s Reading

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* I hate to type this, as an eagle scout and someone who had some good experiences in Boy Scouts, but sometimes you need to know when to fold ’em.

** See above.

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* Words cannot describe how much I detest this auto start-stop “feature.” My F-150 has it, and it’s seemingly impossible to disable without giving up your trailer hitch, which I need. I won’t buy another vehicle that has it and makes it hard to disable. Period.

** One of the best books ever written, and includes the best passage ever written.

*** I’m not a huge crossword guy, but I love the NYT Mini. If I can finish it in under a minute, I take it as a good omen for the day.

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* I adore Crows. I have a pair at the farm that live nearby and can often be heard throughout the day going about their Crow business. I am determined to befriend them.

** Apple has pleasantly surprised me before, but why in the name of all the Elvises do you put the screen on top of a round device. Seriously. Just make a better Alexa. And while you’re at it, fix the train wreck that is Apple Home. I can’t successfully add anything to my in-town house. And more times than not it takes multiple tries at the farm. It’s a broken system that needs to be scrapped and rebuilt from the ground up.

*** Given that much of the extreme right involves maintaining the status quo, oppressing women and people of color and laundering the sort of hate-speak I thought (perhaps naively) we’d mostly left behind, I don’t find anything about this surprising. Initially, I thought the takeover of the Republican Party by literally the worst and least intelligent segments of our society was funny. Now I think it’s a real threat to our political system. Android is a bolted-together mess, but it provides healthy competition for Apple. Same with the GOP. I want it out there to keep Democrats on their toes. In sum, if I were a Republican, I’d be way more interested in reclaiming my party than flying a bunch of stupid Come and Take It flags and making fun of the other side.

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Guy Goes For A Walk And Comes Upon A Opossum And Shares Facts
byu/CantStopPoppin ininterestingasfuck

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* This is a truly amazing video. Watch to the end.

** I like Notes and use it all the time. I think with a few evolving tweaks, it could become one of the essential Mac productivity apps. Really solid. Unlike the Apple Sports app.

Today’s Cool Thing

10 day timelapse of birds moving into a very elaborate nest, making it their home and laying their eggs.
by inBeAmazed

Today’s Emotional Weather Report

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