If anyone was interested here is a link to my Letterboxd M. Night Shyamalan list. From favorite to least. By the way, if you love films and haven’t check out Letterboxd, what are you doing?
Month: June 2016
How different people arrange their iPhone Home screen has always been of natural curiosity for me.
The iPhone has become an integral part of our lives, and seeing the apps that different people elevate to their Home screen provides insights into how they work and live their lives. But it also gives us the opportunity to discover new apps, find a new wallpaper, or re-think the layout and structure of how we organize the apps on our own Home screens.
If you find yourself curious about the iPhone Home screens of others, the relaunch of the Homescreen.me website might interest you. The basic pitch is that it allows anyone to upload and share their iPhone Home screen and Apple Watch watch face. The team behind Homescreen.me is also featuring the Home screens of different users, giving you the opportunity to get inspired and discover new apps.
Personally, I’m really am enjoying the new Homescreen.me. Check it out:
A few days ago my brother-in-law texted me with a film recommendation. His taste usually aligns with mine so my interest was piqued. I was devastated to see what he sent. As my eyes swept the letters, D-E-A-R Z-A-C…..I stopped. I got the washing machine feeling in my stomach. I was very familiar with Dear Zachary. Lindsey and I watched it on YouTube about a year ago.
I informed him that I indeed already watched the film and sent him a couple of remarks. But after Clayton texted me, I couldn’t and can’t stop thinking about it. I was inspired to write some quick thoughts about Dear Zachery. Because the possibility of others being unaware of this Documentary made me very sad.
You see, Dear Zachary isn’t a film you just write about. It demands reflection and attention. I was left blank. I certainly didn’t want to re-watch, and then it hit me. A perfect first line:
I will never forget Dear Zachary, but I never want to see it again.
I guess anyone that has seen this film will agree with me that going in blind is the only way to fully appreciate the full extent of what director Kuenne has created here. Purely on a cinematic, storytelling level, this film is astounding. It is edited, narrated and structured perfectly. It manages to slowly suck you in and unfolds its story and eventual sentiment behind it so beautifully that you hardly even notice it is happening. It has that rare quality of making time disappear, leaving only you and a story and what it does to you. That, in itself, is a unique and powerful thing. A lost art nowadays.
And then there is the actual story. The reason why this film was made alone is an inspiring sentiment, but the road it leads you down will probably make you feel the broadest spectrum of emotions imaginable. There were pieces where I smiled as if I remembered a dear friend, pieces where I actually wanted to shout at the screen in rage, pieces that made my jaw drop to the floor. And there were pieces where the grief, sadness and emotional despair beat down upon me so relentlessly I could do nothing but cringe and shed a tear with all involved. And the most important reason for all that happening was that it was real, heartfelt and honest. None of what I just typed is an exaggeration.
As sad and angering as most of it was, this is, in the end, one of the most life affirming films I’ve seen in a while. It shows something we often forget we need, that connection to others. I have a personal belief that a worthwhile life and joyful soul resides in the connections we have to other people, to our families and random acts of kindness. And that is something this documentary, through tears of pain and anger, manages to capture with utmost sincerity.
To say Dear Zachary is a must-see would be an understatement. Tragic is a great word to describe Dear Zachary for many reasons. But the greatest misfortune of all would be to miss such a heart wrenching, honest look into the humanity in which we live in. Not to exhaust ourselves over the bad, but to learn to see the good through tragedy.
I don’t usually write about the political world. I try to avoid it, truth be told. But if you want a good, accurate, no agenda recap of the tragedies of Orlando below is link that is worth your time. My prayers go out to all the families touched by this cowardly act.
It’s that time of year again! I genuinely like to ponder and predict results of WWDC. I kind of feel its the result of my podcast listening. Im not always accurate except one year in particular but I always enjoy the whole experience.
A little background for those who don’t know what WWDC is. Once a year, Apple does what they like to call WWDC or “World Wide Developer Conference”. Basically the gist is all the Apple developers around the world can come to a week long conference where Apple employees can give classes and help them with their apps. In the beginning of the week Apple does what they call a “Keynote”. This is significant to us. The keynote is when Apple will present what they have been working on for future builds of iOS and (soon to be called) Mac OS.
Below are some predictions that I have gathered over the past couple months:
Lets talk hardware first. This will be quick enough. NO HARDWARE! There, that was easy. While many people will be disappointed, to my knowledge Apple views WWDC as a software conference and while sometimes they release hardware, it won’t be this year.
Apple Music
First up, Apple Music. Debuting to much criticism and rightly so, Apple Music is the result of Apple’s 3 billion dollar acquisition of Beats Audio. The service was unveiled at last year’s WWDC with arguably the worst presentation Apple has ever rolled out. The presentation itself mirrored the finished product. Confusing and bloated. My prediction is Apple will uncharacteristically revamp Apple Music just a year in. While it won’t be a complete overhaul. It will be a repainting, per say. Agree with it or not, music has always been super important to Apple. They know the shortcomings of Apple Music and it doesn’t sit well with them.
iOS 10
Taking a look around the tech landscape will simply tell you Apple has fallen a bit behind in the Artificial Intelligence category. Amazon bravely is paving the way with the Echo and Google just recently announced Google Home. Both products are amazing and both quite honestly trump Siri in it’s current form. So one prediction for iOS 10 is finally Siri 2.0 with a Siri API. They simply can’t afford to not have this now.
Another tent pole feature and one I have been waaaaaiting for is dark mode. OS X got this two years ago and I have been hoping this would come to my iPhone ever since. That’s more of a hope than a prediction, but lets get it done Apple!
watch OS 3
It’s a given right? This has to be a rethinking of the watch software. No one could or would complain of its physical design, but Apple Watch’s software needs some help. Personally, get rid of the app icon grid and please let third party developers make watch faces. I know Jony Ive is cringing somewhere , but this is a much needed feature. Much like the success of the iPhone, developers could bring fresh air into this product.
I would also love to see the exercise and workout features get a little smarter. There is no good reason why I should have to manually tell my watch to activate a workout. It should just simply be able to tell my heart rate is elevated and automatically put me in a workout.
Also it goes without saying that the watch is in need to “feel” faster. While i enjoy mine, it certainly lags at times. I know this is more of a hardware issue then anything. But a little software work would help.
Mac OS
That’s right! A new name! Finally Apple can shed the long numbers, cat naming schemes and California names and just make this a whole bunch simpler. Also, i think the biggest announcement here is going to be SIRI integration. It really seems odd to me the Macs are really the lone Apple devices with the absence of SIRI. Rumors have pointed to this and i’m really hoping it pans out.
Another Application Apple may be readying is a new, slimmer iTunes. iTunes is really tough for Apple. It’s really the only true legacy software Apple currently supports. They have to provide support for so many older devices, it’s extremely tough for them to push it forward in a drastic way. A lot of people love to harp on how Apple is falling behind and the current state of iTunes is enough proof. Personally, I think it’s a really hard problem to fix. That doesn’t mean they shouldn’t, It means more concentration belongs there.
Whatever happens on June 13th its important to remember Apple is a company and not a magical entity that can spawn whimsical products when they like. Always keep your expectations low and you will be the much more delighted when they announce whatever they announce! Happy WWDC!
P.S. Lets work on that Dark Mode :)
Many of you have all had the same 2 requests for a while now: 1. Put the “categories” tab into a page. 2. Make a “best of” tab.
I’m happy to say I finally did these things! The “Categories”page was actually really simple. Although the “best of” tab and page was a little difficult. I wanted a living list that would change based on clicks without me tending to it. Time will tell if this works. But the idea in principle seemed good. As far as a number goes; I settled on top 10. 5 seemed too little and anything over 10 seemed too much.
Anyways, If you want to check these revolutionary (joke) new features out. Go to the sidebar. Or if your on mobile device, tap menu. enjoy!
Also, to answer some emails, yes I will be posting WWDC predictions soon.
-danny
Ken Segall, the former Apple ad consultant who coined the iMac name, wrote the copy for the famous ‘Think different’ campaign and authored the book Insanely Simple, says that Apple is beginning to lose touch with its heritage of simplicity. He gave his assessment of Apple’s ‘state of simplicity’ in a piece for the Guardian.
Though Apple’s customers remain fiercely loyal, the natives are getting restless. A growing number of people are sensing that Tim Cook’s Apple isn’t as simple as Steve’s Apple. They see complexity in expanding product lines, confusing product names, and the products themselves.
While the Guardian‘s headline makes the piece seem entire critical, it’s actually very balanced …
He points out that Tim Cook may be a very different person to Steve Jobs, but was hand-picked by Steve to take on the job and is fully aware of his own strengths and weaknesses. Segall also looks at both sides of the product line-up debate.
Apple now sells three different iPhones, four different iPads and three different MacBooks. The Apple Watch comes in seemingly infinite combinations of sizes and bands. The Apple universe is exploding with complexity! Or is it?
One could easily argue that a watch is a fashion product, so the decision here makes sense. And there is ample precedent for Apple expanding existing product lines. The original iPod, for example, successfully grew into a family of products.
Markets mature. A bigger audience has more diverse needs. If Apple were to ignore those needs, they would only force customers to go elsewhere. (As they did for several years by not making a big-screen iPhone.)
So, yes, Apple’s product lines have become more complicated. But really, are they that complicated? The company’s entire selection of products can easily fit on an average-size table.
Im not sure if I agree with Ken on everything he’s bringing to the table. But I have a lot of respect for his opinion. The truth is; if so many really intelligent Apple analysts are saying “something” is changing, are any of them right? Hard to say no.
Whatever your opinion is on Elon Musk, you can’t deny his similarities to Steve Jobs and his relentless drive at challenging the ordinary.
“If you’re going to choose a place to die, then Mars is not a bad choice,” he said.
Musk wants to send humans to Mars in 2018, then human cargo in 2024. Interesting. Even more so when you look at his financial backing and Space X’s unbelievable progress thus far
ddileo 