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The Still-be-There Edition Thursday, April 6, 2023

Your Phone Is Ruining Your Vacation, by Emily Stewart, Vox

For all the ways modern technology can improve our vacations, it can also make them worse. It’s an obvious point that checking your work emails when you’re supposed to be off sucks. What’s perhaps not so obvious is that posting to Instagram when you’re on a boat floating by a glacier in Patagonia kind of does, too. When you’re back at the hotel, Instagram and the picture you just took will still be there for the posting, but the glacier won’t (not only because you left, but also, eventually, because of climate change).

Apple Directs Users Not To Hang Up On Operators In Accidental Crash Detection Calls, by Juli Clover, MacRumors

The Crash Detection support site continues to suggest that users should dismiss an alert if they are able to do so, but Apple appears to want to put a stop to iPhone users canceling or hanging up on an already-started emergency call and leaving emergency responders wondering what happened.

WWDC 2023 In-person Event: Apple Begins Notifying Developers And Students Selected To Attend, by Chance Miller, 9to5Mac

Apple is notifying developers and students chosen to attend WWDC 2023 via email. You can also check your status and RSVP if chosen via your account on Apple’s website. Apple says that everyone will be notified of their status by April 5 at 6:00 p.m. PDT.

Stuff

Apple’s New Classical Platform Offers Easier Points Of Entry For Both Hardcore Listeners And The Merely Middlebrow: App Review, by Tim Greiving, Variety

The mere act of sifting through the proverbial crates of classical music is an overwhelming and confusing exercise, partly because it is such a catch-all net for multiple centuries’ worth of composers and compositions and a multitude of repeat interpretations of the same pieces. It also doesn’t help that all classical pieces are saddled with the same uselessly foggy names like “Symphony no. 6” and “Opus 53” and “Movement IV: Andante.”

The app goes a long way in its role as a guide through this mess. For total newbies — or middlebrow morons like myself — the ability to browse by that host of categories above is helpful. There are also loads of curated playlists and “Essential Albums” that let the app take the wheel.

OWC miniStack STX Review: Big Storage And Expandability In A Tiny Package, by Simon Jary, Macworld

Save money on Apple’s expensive custom-built internal storage options with this smart hub that boasts both a hard-drive bay and fast SSD enclosure, plus four Thunderbolt 4 ports.

Klack App Brings Delightful Mechanical Keyboard Sound Effects To Your Mac, by Michael, 9to5Mac

Do you like the sound of a mechanical keyboard but don’t necessarily want to use one? Or maybe you’d prefer to use one but can’t when you’re traveling with your MacBook? A polished new app called Klack brings satisfying and realistic mechanical keyboard sound effects to your Mac.

Notes

The Bitcoin Whitepaper Is Hidden In Every Modern Copy Of macOS, by Andy Baio, Waxy

Of all the documents in the world, why was the Bitcoin whitepaper chosen? Is there a secret Bitcoin maxi working at Apple? The filename is “simpledoc.pdf,” and it’s only 184 KB. Maybe it was just a convenient, lightweight multipage PDF for testing purposes, never meant to be seen by end users.

Apple Music Trademark Application Blocked By U.S. Appeals Court, by Blake Brittain, Reuters

Both sides agreed that Apple's mark would likely confuse consumers. But a U.S. Trademark Office tribunal ruled for Apple in 2021, finding it had earlier rights to the name based on a 1968 "Apple" trademark for sound recordings it purchased from Apple Corps in 2007.

A unanimous Federal Circuit panel reversed the decision to dismiss Bertini's opposition Tuesday. It said Apple could not "tack" its trademark rights for live performances to the Apple Corps trademark for sound recordings, a different category of goods.

Apple And Global Suppliers Expand Renewable Energy To 13.7 Gigawatts, by Apple

Apple today announced its manufacturing partners now support over 13 gigawatts of renewable electricity around the world, a nearly 30 percent increase in the last year. In total, more than 250 suppliers operating across 28 countries are committed to using renewable energy for all Apple production by 2030. This represents more than 85 percent of the company’s direct manufacturing spend and more than 20 gigawatts in commitments.

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I've just watched the first episode of the new season of Schmigadoon! (over at Apple TV+), and all I have to say: wow! If this is of any indication of the rest of the season, then I'd have to say this is even better than the first season.

(And if you have not watched this show before, I'd suggest start at season 1. Don't skip.)

~

Thanks for reading.