As of WatchOS 6, which was introduced last September, there is a new Solar watch face. This one is simply called the Solar Dial, and it is a remarkably charming thing. It has been described as a miniature sundial for the wrist, but it is rather more like having a sundial and the Sun itself on your wrist, both at the same time. Moreover, it bears a certain resemblance to some rather exotic complications found in mechanical watches, about which more later.
Curious as to why anyone would be reciting numbers at Siri, I invoked Siri on my iPhone and said, “14.” You can imagine my surprise when I was presented with an emergency call screen and a 3-second countdown. I tapped Cancel quickly, not knowing what would actually happen. (I subsequently confirmed that Siri would have called 911 here in the United States and presumably whatever your primary emergency number is wherever you live.)
Apple today has released a new “30 Creative Activities for Kids” worksheet designed specifically for those learning from home due to COVID-19. The worksheet includes 30 creative tasks for kids, ranging from photo walks to creating a comic strip and more.
According to the release notes of Apple’s COVID-19 app, the latest update allows users to choose the state in which they live for getting focused assistance from each government’s health department. Apple says it has also added more information and tips to keep people mentally healthy during the coronavirus outbreak, as the recommendation is for people to stay home indefinitely.
Whilst everyone is staying indoors, Apple has made some Apple TV+ shows free for anyone to stream. Apple says the US promotion will run for a limited time; it’s not clear if it will be available internationally.
Rather than give unlimited access to the full Apple TV+ collection, Apple has made a handful of series temporarily free. This means anyone can stream Little America, Servant, For All Mankind, Dickinson, Snoopy in Space, Helpsters, Ghostwriter and The Elephant Queen.
One of the greatest sins in the entire software industry has got to be the way developers are hired. It is irredeemably broken and needs to be torn down and completely rebuilt.
I've been a software developer now for around 15 years. In that time, I've been a day-to-day developer, run my own successful software business, was co-founder at a VC funded startup, and I've had to hire and manage developers. This experience has given me the perspective to see hiring from all angles: from the perspective of being a developer myself trying to get a job, to being on the other end of the table, trying to decipher what makes a great hire, living with 'bad hires', asking where do 'impactful' developers come from, etc. To distil what is ultimately a multitude of failures in the way developer hiring is conducted is a tough order - but there is one aspect that I want to zoom in on and talk about, and it's a big one.
The initiative, dubbed "Stream Local," is set to launch on April 11, and serves to provide a platform for South African music, including chart-toppers and newly-released titles. Some of the artists included will be Elaine, Blaq Diamond, Kabza de Small, and Ami Faku.
If anything, it has the opposite effect. The App Store becomes more tilted towards favouring the select few, with Apple at the head of the table. I fully expect that this will expand beyond so-called ‘video entertainment providers’. This is an opening of the floodgates to Apple cutting special deals across all categories of the App Store. As ever, Apple controls how the cards are dealt and the game is always stacked in Apple’s favour.
There are bigger pictures. There are more important things.
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Thanks for reading.