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The Next-Steps-in-Health Edition Friday, December 1, 2017

Apple COO Jeff Williams On Apple's Next Steps In Health: Full Transcript, by Christina Farr, CNBC

What I would say is, when you start measuring the human body, it's really interesting and difficult. Engineers, we often solve difficult problems -- really challenging problems -- but at least the electrons flow the same way every time. And the human body is this constantly changing thing. And so I think there are plenty of challenges but there's still opportunity.

[...]

We think the right place for the health information to exist is with the person on their device. And we believe from a privacy standpoint, that where that information gets shared should be -- should be completely up to the individual. There's nothing more personal than your health information. And so we view that as the future. It's really unfortunate that today, uh, the pieces of your medical record and history are spread and sitting in servers of various companies around the world, and it ought to be sitting on the device that you carry every day. And so, that we view as the future.

Apple And Stanford Medicine Fire Up Heart Study To Spot Irregular Beat, Atrial Fibrillation, by Mike Wuerthele, AppleInsider

Apple, in conjunction with Stanford Health, has launched the Apple Heart Study app, a first-of-its-kind research study using the Apple Watch heart rate sensor system to collect data on irregular heart rhythms and proactively notify users who may be experiencing atrial fibrillation.

The Case Against Building An iOS Laptop—and Why It Might Happen Anyway, by Jason Snell, Macworld

I think an iOS laptop would be an appealing product for some users. It wouldn’t be for everyone, but as iOS continues to grow and evolve, it could be a pretty awesome product for people who are comfortable with the shape of a laptop, but the simplicity of iOS.

Will it happen? I feel like further Apple experimentation in iOS hardware is inevitable—but I certainly wouldn’t put money on it appearing in 2018.

Apple’s Polished Visitor Center Has A Strange Detachment, by John King, San Francisco Chronicle

It’s as plain as day: Apple Park is an enclave for a company that wants us to gape, but not get too close. We’re invited to buy its products, or ponder the shimmering aluminum model, but not to set foot within the sacred grounds.

This is Apple’s right — gated campuses are nothing new. What’s strange is to create a destination that’s little more than a tease, a vantage point from which to contemplate a sealed-off landscape for a hermetically sealed HQ.

Jeroen Domburg Miniaturizes A Mac, by Dan Maloney, Hackaday

The tiny object in front of Jeroen in the title image is, in fact, a working Macintosh Plus that he built. Recreating mid-80’s technology using 2017 parts seems like it would be easy, and while it’s obviously easier than breaking the laws of physics to go the other direction, Jeroen faced some serious challenges along the way, which he goes into some detail about in his talk.

Stuff

The iPhone Upgrade Program: A Year In Review, by Josh Centers, TidBITS

Despite some small caveats, Apple has rewarded my faith at every step. I originally signed up for the iPhone Upgrade Program with the hope that the company would allow trade-ins by mail the following year, and that came to pass. Over the next few years, I anticipate the iPhone Upgrade Program will become Apple’s preferred way to sell iPhones, and those customers will be incentivized to buy directly from Apple. For serious Apple fans who want the latest iPhone every year without a large up-front payment, it’s the best choice.

Paste By FiftyThree: Teamwork Makes The Dream Work — Beautifully, I Might Add, by Luke Filipowicz, iMore

If you ever work on projects or presentation as part of a group, the newest app by FiftyThree aims to make your experience effortless, mobile-friendly, and absolutely gorgeous. Paste by FiftyThree (hereby referred to as Paste) is a work collaboration app that allows you to create slides and share them with your team via Slack all in a matter of seconds.

Sleep Cycle Alarm Clock: Wake Up On Time Feeling More Refreshed!, by Luke Filipowicz, iMore

In short, Sleep Cycle is an alarm clock that aims to track your sleep and wake you up in a more peaceful and less abrupt manner, allowing you to feel less tired and more alert when you hear the alarm going off in the morning. How does it do this? With a little bit of science of course!

CARROT Weather Adds Powerful, Redesigned Apple Watch App, by Ryan Christoffel, MacStories

Now, CARROT Weather on the Apple Watch truly looks like a little brother to its iOS counterpart, with colorful icons, bolder fonts for important interface elements, and familiar design mechanics. The main interface of the Watch app can be customized in several useful ways.

Develop

I Tried Emailing Like Your Boss And It Made My Life Way Better, by Katie Notopoulos, BuzzFeed

Look, I know: having the takeaway about Hillary Clinton from the DNC email hack being “I’d like to emulate her email style” is supremely fucked up, but that’s where my priorities lie. I’m like a dumb dog who only cares about what’s in front of my face, and that isn’t who’s president. It’s what the red number on my mail app is.

Let’s call this “boss email”. It’s defined by nearly immediate — but short and terse — replies. The classic two-word email. For underlings, it can be inscrutable. Is that an angry “thanks” or a grateful “thanks”? Does “please update me” imply impatience with you? Boss email can be the workplace equivalent of getting a “k” text reply from a Tinder date.

Notes

DMs From Beyond The Grave Are Changing How We Grieve, by Michael Waters, Motherboard

It's a newer wrinkle in a much older question—how is technology shaping our relationship with death?—and an emerging field of scholars have already devoted themselves to studying it. Preliminary research suggests consistent posthumous communication in fact can have a positive influence on recipients coming to terms with loss.

Debra Bassett, a doctoral candidate at the University of Warwick who researches the impacts of death in the digital world, believes that posthumous messages can help their recipients return to a place of grief when they need it most. In general, “most people that I have researched are finding these things a comfort,” Bassett said.

Bottom of the Page

When I am dead, I'll stay dead. I don't want to burden anyone with any messages from the dead. I don't even want to burden anyone with any memories of me.

~

Thanks for reading.