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The Research-and-Writing Edition Monday, April 22, 2019

An Alternative Way To Capture Childhood On Your Phone, by Dougal Shaw, BBC

There is something more evocative about it, particularly the voice. To hear again a deceased relative, for example, is more arresting to me than to see a picture or silent video.

However, what I've actually found since becoming a parent is that there is another way of recording the fleeting moments of childhood, the results of which are more precious to me than either video or sound.

My preferred method still involves the smartphone, but it is focused on the power of words.

Apple Employs An In-house Philosopher But Won’t Let Him Talk To The Press, by Olivia Goldhill, Quartz

In its bid to create the very best technology, Apple decided, in 2014, to employ a full-time philosopher. The company hired Joshua Cohen, formerly a political philosophy professor at Stanford University to work at Apple University, an institution created by Steve Jobs in 2008 to offer employees the kind of training typically available at university programs. The specifics of this university are kept tightly under wraps; Apple specifically prohibited Cohen from talking about his work with Quartz.

[...]

Cohen, whose research and writing focuses on political philosophy and the nature of democracy, is also co-editor of and contributing writer to the Boston Review, a quarterly political and literary magazine. In 2017, he wrote on how New York City’s Central Park is an example of a beautiful public good that allows democracy to flourish. “Central Park thus needed to be a place for the people, and not simply for persons, and thus help to shape a sense of a we,” he wrote.

Knowledge, just like parks, is a public good. From that perspective, censoring a philosopher from speaking to the press is limiting access to public goods, and so limits democratic discourse.

Stuff

The iPad Mini Resurrected, by M.G. Siegler, 500ish Words

This new iPad mini is decidedly retro and decidedly perfect in my view and in my hands. I would have no problem recommending it ahead of the iPad Pro for most people, which I view as overkill and again, over-engineered. The caveat being the screen size, of course. But even then, maybe the also just updated iPad Air would be a better choice for many folks?

Anyway, thanks for not overthinking and overdoing this, Apple. Next up, how about that iPhone mini?

If You Value Your Privacy, Switch To Signal As Your Messaging App Now, by Michael Grothaus, Fast Company

So why jump ship from Facebook Messenger and WhatsApp to Signal and not some other messaging platform? Because Signal is the only major messenger that runs on multiple platforms (iOS, Android, desktop) and steers clear of tracking you and your connections to other people. All the other cross-platform apps track you. And while Apple’s Messages doesn’t, it’s only available on iOS and MacOS devices. Android and Windows users are out of luck.

For Summer Road Trips, A New App Turns Insect Splats Into A Detective Game, by Andrea Sachs, The Inquirer

For this summer’s road trips, skip the license plate game and auto bingo and try a new diversion we’ll call Name That Splat.

All you need is a windshield, some unlucky bugs, and the app created by University of Florida professor Mark Hostetler and his son, Bryce, a college student.

Develop

Why ‘Find Your Passion’ Is Such Terrible Advice, by Stephanie Lee, New York Times

The researchers found that people who hold a fixed theory had less interest in things outside of their current interests, were less likely to anticipate difficulties when pursuing new interests, and lost interest in new things much quicker than people who hold a growth theory. In essence, people with a growth mind-set of interest tend to believe that interests and passions are capable of developing with enough time, effort and investment.

“This comes down to the expectations people have when pursuing a passion,” Dr. O’Keefe said. “Someone with a fixed mind-set of interest might begin their pursuit with lots of enthusiasm, but it might diminish once things get too challenging or tedious.”

Passion alone won’t carry you through in the face of difficulty, he said, when overcoming those challenges actually counts.

Notes

Conservation International & Apple Have Teamed To Protect Mangrove Forests, by Malcolm Owen, AppleInsider

Apple is working with Conservation International to protect and restore a 27,000-acre mangrove forest in Cispata Bay, Colombia, in a bid to preserve a slowly disappearing part of the ecosystem.

Part of Apple's Give Back campaign for Earth Day 2018, the project has Apple providing Conservation International with resources to try and rebuild parts of the mangrove forest. Working with local communities, the project intends to to create a carbon financing model to incentivize conservation and restoration of mangroves in the region.

Apple Spends More Than $30 Million On Amazon's Cloud Every Month, Making It A Top AWS Customer, by Jordan Novet, CNBC

As Apple and Amazon compete for a greater share of consumer dollars and attention, they also have a particularly intimate business relationship: Apple is spending more than $30 million a month on Amazon's cloud, according to people familiar with the arrangement.

Apple's cloud expenditure reflects the company's determination to deliver online services like iCloud quickly and reliably, even if it must depend on a rival to do so.

Bottom of the Page

One of the system I'm using at work forced me to change password today. On a Monday. When I am feeling not so happy.

So I chose a password that reflects my sadness. And I will now be sad every time I log in to the system for the next three months.

~

Thanks for reading.