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The Unsettled-Atmosphere Edition Monday, July 17, 2023

‘We Used To Check Every Day, Now It’s Every Minute’: How We Got Addicted To Weather Apps, by Hannah Marriott, The Guardian

Preoccupation with weather apps is commonplace in our current unsettled atmosphere. On social media there is almost as much chat about weather apps as there is about the weather: much of it is ire about inaccurate forecasts; some of it is from users who admit checking weather apps more than seems logical. There is still palpable grief, in the wake of the closure of the short-term weather prediction app Dark Sky, late last year, after its acquisition by Apple. In April, when Apple’s weather app went down, there was such outrage that the temporary glitch became an international news story.

[...]

After three years of lockdowns and canceled plans, wildfires, storms and heatwaves no wonder many of us are frequently checking weather apps, out of fear, out of hope, acutely aware of the rarity of perfect conditions. Perhaps it’s no bad thing. “I think people are more in tune,” says Floehr. “They see that the weather is becoming more extreme. Hopefully that will result in action. But for now, at least, it’s resulting in interest.”

How Long Will The Last Intel Macs Be Supported? macOS Sonoma Gives Us Some Hints, by Andrew Cunningham, Ars Technica

The best predictor of Apple's future behavior in matters like these is usually its past behavior, and each of the last four macOS releases has moved the compatibility cutoff forward by a year or so. The macOS 13 update mostly cut off pre-2017 Macs, the macOS 14 update is cutting off pre-2018 Macs, and macOS 15 could cut off pre-2019 Macs. (The last of the Intel Macs came out in early-to-mid 2020; I think it's slightly more likely that they will get lumped in with the 2019 models when Apple decides to cut those off).

Apple’s New Vision Group Reflects Shift Away From Steve Jobs Approach, by Mark Gurman, Bloomberg

When Steve Jobs returned to Apple in the late 1990s, he threw away the company’s product-development playbook and shifted to a “functional” management structure.

[...]

But Apple’s most recent new product categories, including the Vision Pro headset, show that its strategy is evolving.

The Vision Pro has its own dedicated division inside of the company. The unit, run by Mike Rockwell, was dubbed the Technology Development Group, or TDG, from its inception around 2015 until the name changed in recent weeks. It’s now internally known as the Vision Products Group, or VPG.

Stuff

My Mac Studio Is A Blank Canvas For Self-expression, by Wes Davis, The Verge

Not to be all Marie Kondo about it, but my Mac Studio sparks joy in me every day, and it’s not because it’s the fastest computer I’ve ever owned. It’s also not strictly about the front-facing ports Apple gave it, nor is it the village of ports that live in the back.

It’s the mustache.

Develop

It Takes 6 Days To Change 1 Line Of Code, by Ed Weissman

Total elapsed time: 6 days.
Lines of mission critical code changed: 1.
Bytes of mission critical code changed: 1.
Excedrin eaten: 24
Pissed off hours spent on Hacker News: 14.

Notes

Apple TV Botches Lionel Messi Unveiling As Inter Miami Viewers Fume At Spectacle, by Rich Jones, Mirror

Thousands more were watching the event around the globe with huge interest in his arrival in Major League Soccer. But coverage on Apple TV was struck be major technical problems, with audio unclear and hard to make out for those watching.

Content Overload: Are Too Many Songs Impacting The Music Industry?, by Tom Taylor, Far Out

The data shows that more music is being released currently than ever before. We have streamlined every element of the music-making and releasing process to such an extent that usual boundaries are being removed. But does this also mean that we’re now inundated, and it is making it harder for artists to reach the number of ears significant enough to turn a profit in the Spotify age?

Bottom of the Page

I live near the equator. Where I am, there is no weather. There is only rain and no rain.

But still, I still check the rain map every so often.

~

Thanks for reading.