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The Larger-Healthcare-Issues Edition Wednesday, December 1, 2021

Community Caregivers Spread Hope In Ghana Amid Two Pandemics, With Support From Apple, by Apple

“Had the groundwork not been laid for fighting HIV over the last two decades by the Global Fund and contributing partners like Apple, so much of what we’re doing today to address larger healthcare issues, including COVID-19, would not be possible,” says Luisa Engel, (RED)’s Chief Impact Officer. “The healthcare worker that was trained to fight the spread of HIV is also going to be able to diagnose your child with malaria, to make sure your blood sugar looks right if you have diabetes, and put a COVID-19 vaccine in your arm. So there’s a much bigger health impact that comes from the community infrastructure built by the Global Fund and supported by companies like Apple.”

Apple Supports World AIDS Day With Red Logo At Stores And Apple Pay Promotion, by Joe Rossignol, MacRumors

Apple has also announced that, now through December 6, it will donate $1 for every purchase made with Apple Pay on Apple.com, through the Apple Store app, or at an Apple Store in the U.S. to The Global Fund to support the fight against AIDS and COVID‑19. Apple said it will donate a maximum of $1 million through this initiative.

Apple Celebrates 15 Years Fighting AIDS With (RED), Brings New Faces For The Watch, by José Adorno, 9to5Mac

Not only that but Apple Watch users can show their support for (RED) directly from their wrist with a selection of six Apple Watch faces in red available for download.

Stuff

Apple Announces New Limited-Edition Beats Studio Buds, by Joe Rossignol, MacRumors

The limited-edition Beats Studio Buds feature a red, black, and green design, which draws inspiration from the Pan-African flag and pays tribute to Union’s roots as a Black-owned business, according to Apple. The charging case also features Union’s logo.

YMCA Program Uses Robots To Help Older Adults Improve Cognitive Skills, by Alanna Quillen, NBCDFW

Studies show that technology -- digital devices like smartphones and tablets -- and learning new things can help minimize the chances for older adults to develop dementia and Alzheimer's.

Dr. Tonjia Grimble, senior project manager for the YMCA of Metropolitan Dallas, took that up a notch by adding robots to it.

How To Carry Your Covid Health Data On A Smartphone, by Brian X. Chen, New York Times

So to help you plan for safe escapes this holiday season, I’ll go over some of the simplest ways to carry your Covid-related health data, including vaccine passports and test results.

Thought Management App Coppice Gains Faster Navigation, Link Improvements, by Oliver Haslam, iMore

Coppice, a thought management app that is designed to help people collect their ideas and then explore the links between them, has a new update out that adds features and fixes bugs. Those features include a new Link Inspector, redesigned Page Selector, and more.

Pomodoreau Provides An Easy-to-Use Focus Timer For Apple Watch, by Brent Dirks, AppAdvice

Notifications and vibrations will tell you when it’s time to pause or get back to work.

Twitch Adds SharePlay Integration For iPad And iPhone Users, by Amber Neely, AppleInsider

Twitch has now added support for SharePlay features, allowing users to watch a Twitch stream, or any videos on demand, together as a group.

Native Union Curve Strap Review: A Lightweight Silicone Band For Apple Watch, by Andrew O'Hara, AppleInsider

The Native Union Curve Strap for Apple Watch is an absurdly comfortable silicone strap that is both durable and lightweight.

Develop

Being Vs. Doing, by David Sparks, MacSparky

By focusing on my actions as the craftsman, I stop making assumptions about my abilities or purported entitlements.

Notes

Different Think: Why We Mourn The iPhone Mini, by Samuel Nyberg, Macworld

Perhaps the most sensible iPhone model in a long time will thus become a nostalgic blip in history. Too bad that we'll have to wave goodbye to a phone that was actually designed with the human body in mind.

The Prince Symbol Has Been Salvaged From A 1992 Floppy Disk, by Peter Kirn, CDM

Prince was way ahead of non-fungible tokens – with a symbol that was intended to make life a pain-in-the-a** for the record label. (Non-f***able totem?) And now Anil Dash and Limor Fried/Adafruit have brought back that image from a floppy.

Bottom of the Page

I've just purchased the book Tinderbox: HBO's Ruthless Pursuit of New Frontiers by James Andrew Miller. The business of television fascinates me, and I've read so many good reviews of this book that I have to get it. As an e-book.

I've just checked: the hardcover version of this book comes in at 1,024 pages, and, more importantly, weighs in at 2.55 pounds (1.1 kg). The e-book is not weightless, but it will be housed inside my iPhone mini that fits in my pockets, and weighs a mere 4.76 ounce (133g).

I cannot imagine carrying a one-kilogram book out and about just to squeeze in some extra reading time while queing to buy food, or waiting for the food to be ready.

Hooray for e-books.

(And still waiting for getting out and about.)

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I am not planning to upgrade my iPhone 12 mini to anything new for quite a while. In fact, my target is to wait until at least iPhone 16, so who knows what will happen by then. (I seriously doubt even Apple have detailed plans that far ahead.) But I will be sad if my next iPhone will be significantly bigger and heavier than the iPhone 12 mini in my pocket right now.

(On the other hand: iPhone SE 4?)

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Thanks for reading.