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Publish Date
Oct 28, 2022
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friday-techbytes-3
Tech News I’m Following
Happy Friday, everyone! The fall weather is finally arriving here in Okinawa, one of my favorite times of the year. Techtober is also part of the fall, and I’ve enjoyed all the shiny new tech gadgets from Google, Apple, and many others. This week was Apple OS release week with new updates for MacOS and iPadOS, and I’m one of those early adopters who usually updates on day one or within a few days of release.
MacOS Ventura
Apple list 170 + new features on its website but a few of my favorites are:
- Enhanced Spotlight Search
- Unsend Messages and Mark Message Unread (only works if both people are using latest OS)
- New iOS/iPadOS Style System Settings Layout.
There are so many little changes, and so far, I’m pretty happy with the update on my 14” MacBook Pro; that’s my daily driver. The link below for more information.
iPadOS 16
Apple released iPadOS 16 this week with the new Stage Manager feature enabled on non-M1 iPads. I was presently surprised. The original announcement said the feature required an iPad with an M1 chip or better inside. Glad they reversed course on this.
I don’t find it that usable on the smaller iPad Pro 11”, but on my 12.9”, it’s useful. Time will tell how much I use it or if I go back to the single window, single task approach.
Update: I wasn’t aware they had decided to enable this on older iPads, but MacRumors reported on it (link below) in late September, and I missed it.
Explainpaper.com
This is an interesting use of the OpenAI API that takes the text in, breaks it down, and then offers a more reader-friendly recap version of a topic.
Possible use case: I think this concept could streamline breaking down complicated subjects for bloggers or Twitter threads. Explain it like I’m a 7-year-old kind of thing. Maybe there’s already a product out there that does this, and I haven’t seen it yet. Interesting…
Books I’m Reading
Canned Coffee and Kimonos
A Memoir of Four years Living and Teaching in Japan by Tom Fitzmaurice
A story of a young man, far from home, coming of age in the world's largest, coolest, craziest city, navigating the complexities of Japanese society and culture.
Canned Coffee and Kimonos feel like you're having a beer with the author listening to his adventures from Tokyo. While I was never an English teacher, I’ve lived in Japan for many years (twice, in separate decades) and worked in Tokyo for a few years so that I can picture and relate to many of the stories in the book.
I’m no longer that young man and have changed with age, yet so much of the essence of Tokyo and the country has not. I still feel like there’s an adventure around every corner. I love living the island life on Okinawa, but there will always be a special place in my heart for Tokyo.
This book is for you if you have ever wondered or fantasized about living in Tokyo.
Cheers to you, Tom.
Click here to view it on Amazon
YouTube Videos I'm Watching
Bubble.io Masterclass: How to Build a Custom App on Bubble
The humble beginnings of an app using Bubble.io A simple functioning login page, along with the workflow to connect and store information in the database. I know Bubble has a pre-build template for this, but it was a good exercise to build it from scratch.
It’s a super beginner exercise, but from my limited experience with Bubble so far, login forms encompass many of the platform's basics, so the skills learned can be applied to many aspects of Bubble app development.
I still haven't decided where I’m going with Bubble, but it’s fun learning.
Creativity: The science behind the madness | Big Think
Creativity: The science behind the madness | Rainn Wilson, David Eagleman, and more | Big Think
A short video on left-brain/right-brain myths and how creativity works.
Today’s Quote
On the superpower of imagination.
You need to be a little bit crazy. Crazy is the price you pay for having an imagination. It’s your superpower. Tapping into the dream. It’s a good thing, not a bad thing. ~Ruth Ozeki
Thanks for reading. ✌️
Written by
Coffee & Curiosity | Creative Technologist | Photographer | Mixing decades of business insight and tacit knowledge with philosophy and the latest in tech. Ever an early adopter, forever a student.