Happy Mother’s Day to my mom and all of the moms out there! Hope you had a great day! Thanks for all you do!
Happy Mother’s Day to my mom and all of the moms out there! Hope you had a great day! Thanks for all you do!
Learned that WordPress recently announced a microblogging theme called “Blurt” that includes some features that can be found on other microblogging / social media websites, like Twitter / X, etc.
I created a new site on WordPress.com to test it out and think it’s pretty nice. You can even import your posts from Twitter / X, Mastodon, and Bluesky.
Zeba and I went down to Newport a few days ago to celebrate our 9th wedding anniversary! We had a great time!
Took the “Learn to Lead” course at Central Rock Gym today with Zeba! It was quite the challenge at times (and a bit nerve-wracking with those falls), but a lot of fun!
Apple, in a press release on their “Newsroom” website:
Apple announced that Tim Cook will become executive chairman of Apple’s board of directors and John Ternus, senior vice president of Hardware Engineering, will become Apple’s next chief executive officer effective on September 1, 2026. The transition, which was approved unanimously by the Board of Directors, follows a thoughtful, long-term succession planning process.
Cook will continue in his role as CEO through the summer as he works closely with Ternus on a smooth transition. As executive chairman, Cook will assist with certain aspects of the company, including engaging with policymakers around the world.
The transition from Cook to Ternus as Apple’s CEO has been in the rumor-mill for a while now, though it seemed as though there was some uncertainty regarding the timing of when it would actually happen.
Tim Cook has lead Apple since Steve Jobs stepped down from the CEO role back in 2011. During that time, the company has seen a great deal of success including many product launches and even becoming the first company with a $1 trillion valuation.
It will be interesting to see what happens once Ternus takes the reigns in September!
Best wishes to everyone who is running the Boston Marathon today!
Happy Easter! I hope everybody had a great day!
My brother and his fiancée took the “Intro to Climbing” class at Central Rock Gym this evening and then joined Zeba and I for some climbing after! It was a great time! My brother even made it to the top of a route I had been working on for a few sessions!
Just found out that there’s a Saturday Night Live UK version that premiered last night (also executive produced by Lorne Michaels). I had no idea that was in the works!
Manton Reece, founder of Micro.blog and creator of new RSS reader app Inkwell, announced the release of a native Inkwell app for the Mac earlier today. If you’re interested in checking it out, the app is available for download directly from the link in his blog post.
While I haven’t yet tried the Inkwell app for macOS, I did check out the web version and enjoyed using it! One of the features that sets Inkwell apart from other RSS readers is the ability to highlight text from within a post and then use that to create a new post on your own Micro.blog account.
Additionally, the “Fading” tab, which collects posts older than a few days and automatically archives them afer a week, is a nice way to ensure you don’t end up with too many unread posts to catch up on.
Apple announced the AirPods Max 2 earlier today via a press release on their “Newsroom” website:
CUPERTINO, CALIFORNIA - Apple today announced AirPods Max 2, bringing even better Active Noise Cancellation (ANC), elevated sound quality, and intelligent features to the iconic over-ear design. Powered by H2, features like Adaptive Audio, Conversation Awareness, Voice Isolation, and Live Translation come to AirPods Max for the first time. The new AirPods Max also unlock creative possibilities for podcasters, musicians, and content creators, with useful features like studio-quality audio recording and camera remote.
AirPods Max 2 will be available to order starting March 25 in midnight, starlight, orange, purple, and blue, with availability beginning early next month.
“With the incredible performance of H2, AirPods Max are upgraded with up to 1.5x more effective ANC for the ultimate all-day listening experience,” said Eric Treski, Apple’s director of Audio Product Marketing. “The sound quality is remarkably clean, rich, and acoustically detailed — and when combined with capabilities like Personalized Spatial Audio, AirPods Max 2 deliver a profoundly immersive experience.”
It looks like the AirPods Max are getting a pretty nice upgrade. I have a pair of the original AirPods Max (with the Lightning port), but would be interested in comparing audio quality as well as checking out out some of the “Intelligent Features” that have been added to the AirPods Max 2.
Zeba and I joined a local rock climbing gym today! We took both an “Intro to Climbing” and an “Intro to Ropes” class last week, did some climbing a couple of days later (after buying a day-pass), and then signed up for a membership today. There’s definitely a lot to learn, but we’ve been enjoying the challenge!
Checked out the MacBook Neo in two separate Apple Stores that I happened to be near over the past several days. Though I only used it briefly, it seems well-built and not unlike the other MacBooks in the lineup. I definitely think this could be a great option for those who are looking for a good, reasonably priced, general-purpose laptop.
Just watched the “Sebastian Maniscalco: New Lawyer” skit from yesterday’s episode of SNL. While Sebastian Maniscalco himself wasn’t in the skit, they did a great job of parodying him for the character!
Apple announced the iPhone 17e and the iPad Air M4 earlier today as part of the new product launch announcements that Tim Cook hinted at on X/Twitter last week.
Looking forward to seeing what other announcements may come this week, leading up to Wednesday’s “Special Experience” for members of the media.
Said goodbye to our family’s chihuahua, Jessie, on Tuesday.
He recently fainted and, after a trip to the emergency vet and then a follow-up appointment with the primary care vet, we learned that he had a large mass in his chest - almost certainly cancer - that was likely the cause of the health issues he was experiencing.
He eventually developed some issues with breathing and stopped eating as much as he usually did. As a result, he was no longer his usual, active, self.
We got him when I was in college and still living at home (where he stayed, with my parents, after I moved out).
He will be missed very much.
Just watched a few minutes of “Shrinking”, which Zeba was watching on Apple TV. It stars Jason Segal, Harrison Ford, Jessica Williams, and others and, while I didn’t watch all that much, it seems like a pretty good show!
For any Old School RuneScape fans out there, the OSRS team recently announced a 25th anniversary mechanical keyboard, made in collaboration with Starforge Systems, that’s currently available for pre-order. It looks pretty cool!
Interesting NYT Connections puzzle (#972) today! Took me a few tries, but I got through it!
Connections
Puzzle #972
🟩🟩🟩🟪
🟩🟩🟩🟩
🟦🟨🟨🟨
🟨🟨🟨🟨
🟪🟪🟪🟪
🟦🟦🟦🟦
Came across this video that was posted to the “Redbull Bike” YouTube channel where 9 cyclists were able to launch a glider by towing it from their bikes. Pretty cool stuff!
Realized today that, as of iOS 26.2, users can set alarms for reminders in Apple’s stock “Reminders” app. Not sure if I heard about this before and forgot, but it’s definitely good to know as someone who regularly uses the stock “Reminders” app across my Apple devices.
On Monday, January 26th, Apple announced a new version of the AirTag, which is the first update that the tracker has received since its launch in 2021.
According to a press release on the Apple Newsroom website, the new AirTag features Apple’s second-generation Ultra Wideband chip, which is the same chip that is included in Apple’s latest iPhones, including the iPhone 17, iPhone 17 Pro and iPhone 17 Pro Max, and the iPhone Air, as well as the Apple Watch Ultra 3 and Apple Watch Series 11. The AirTag also includes an updated Bluetooth chip.
As a result, users will now be able to locate their AirTags using Precision Finding on their iPhones and Apple Watches (so long as you have an Apple Watch Ultra 2 or newer or an Apple Watch Series 9 or newer) from distances up to 50% farther away than with the first-generation AirTag.
The updated AirTag retains the same look and feel as the first-generation model, though it now features a 50% louder speaker which, according to Apple, will enable users to hear it from twice as far away.
The AirTag works with Apple’s “Find My” network, including the “Share Item Location” feature, which is “an iOS feature designed to help users recover a misplaced item by temporarily and securely sharing its location with trusted third parties, such as airlines, so they can assist in recovering delayed luggage or other lost items.” Apple states that they have partnered with more than 50 airlines on this feature, enabling them to “privately and securely accept Share Item Location links”.
Pricing for the updated AirTag remains the same as it was for the first-generation - $29 for a single AirTag or $99 for a four-pack.
I know I’m a bit late on posting about this, but we got quite a bit of snow over the weekend - around 17 inches or so! Definitely thankful that we have a snowblower, that’s for sure!
Congratulations to the New England Patriots on winning the AFC Championship! On to Super Bowl LX!
Got some snow last night! Thought it made for a nice photo of our backyard!
