mathowie

mathowie, 7 months ago to random

the funniest thing about Apple is the last version of MacOS features "video reactions" where if your camera sees you do a thumbs up or heart symbol with your hands, stuff happens behind you like fireworks in ANY video app you are using BY DEFAULT.

A friend was in an online therapy session, describing his trauma so the therapist asked if he was alright and he did a thumbs up and then HUGE FIREWORKS BEHIND HIS HEAD.

It's so bad that online therapy sessions now start with a warning dialog!

mathowie, 11 months ago to random

American healthcare is the best in the world!

1. it's tied to your job
2. how much you pay depends on each employer
3. it costs anywhere from $0 to $25,000 annually to insure your family
4. you get TONS of mail after each and every visit and you learn how to ignore the first three "bills" that arrive until the "real" bill shows up of what you actually pay
5. yes you pay for things beyond the money you pay for healthcare in general
6. keeping your prescriptions current is now your half-time job

mathowie, 11 months ago to random

saw a tweet screenshot today that said "you're not a jack of all trades, you just have ADHD" and it cut me to the bone

mathowie, 1 year ago to random

I’m sorry—I can’t talk right now—I’m busy updating the seat post firmware on my bike

mathowie, 7 months ago to random

Portland Japanese Garden almost at peak color + sunny blue sky

Japanese maple tree
Japanese maple tree
Japanese maple tree

mathowie, 8 months ago to random

me in my head while reading job descriptions over the years

2015: please don't say fintech anywhere please no fintech
2017: please don't say crypto anywhere please no crypto
2019: please don't say chatbot anywhere please no chatbot
2021: please don't say nft please no nft
2023: please don't say ai anywhere please no ai

mathowie, 1 year ago to random

A few months ago, we used 911 for a quick emergency (everyone's better now) that resulted in a 5 mile ambulance ride to the local ER. The city charges $2,500 for this. We have full family employer-provided medical coverage, which covered $700, taking the price down to $1,800.

Eighteen hundred dollars for a ten minute ride in an ambulance.

This is the best America can do with regards to healthcare and emergency services.

mathowie, 7 months ago to random

you might think I’m a shill for Big Leaf, but autumn in Oregon really does look this amazing

Multnomah Falls in full Fall color
Multnomah Falls in full Fall color
Multnomah Falls in full Fall color

mathowie, 1 year ago to random

Once again I’m getting a lot of questions about my tote bag that are already answered by my tote bag

mathowie, 7 months ago (edited 7 months ago) to random

the obvious answer is unfettered access to weapons capable of mass murder for any american because of a bad faith reading of a 250yo law about muskets from a new country without a standing army

mathowie, 11 months ago to random

I saw a clickbait YouTube video titled "Wait, is Apple Maps good now?!" with a thumbnail of the author having a shocked face so I spent the last week using it over Google's Maps and I hate to say it but it might be true. Will blog about this once I gather up enough data points.

mathowie, 9 months ago to random

I would literally buy a plane ticket for any employee working on the app Plex if they agree to try downloading a movie off a server and successfully playing it back on a plane with no internet connection.

Plex is great at so many things it’s shocking how bad the offline experience can be (and has been for years).

mathowie, 11 months ago to random

we live in the stupidest fucking timeline

mathowie, 8 months ago to random

I took this shot of a monorail dashboard in Disneyland’s monorail station and now I want to figure out what every stat means

mathowie, 9 months ago to random

I hate it when you follow a link to a really great blog post and you're two paragraphs in thinking oh my god this is really good but then a modal popup window from substack asks you to subscribe to this newsletter and you have to hit "continue reading" to finish and then you wonder if this great blog entry will last on someone else's service that may not be around in a few years

mathowie, 8 months ago (edited 8 months ago) to random

the weirdest part of the new iPhone Standby mode is I don't know if it's worth getting a whole new bedside stand/charger for it, but I can't answer that unless I someday bought one and lived with it for a few weeks.

Is anyone out there already using Standby and is it nice/useful/fun to have next to your bed?

mathowie, 7 months ago to random

The public is skeptical of tech and its potential dangers to humanity—but to assuage that—let’s have our Apple guy explain new chips by tenting his fingers in Dr. Frankenstein’s murder laboratory situated on a volcanic island only accessible by helicopter

mathowie, 11 months ago to random

My favorite memory of once giving a small talk at the Google campus in 2012 was at the end someone asked me what my favorite Google product was and I said Reader, by leaps and bounds that it was a key part of my day on par with Gmail.

Everyone’s face dropped in the room and then my host said “Have you tried Google+? Anything you like about that?”

https://www.theverge.com/23778253/google-reader-death-2013-rss-social

mathowie, 1 year ago to random

I played Zelda breath of the wild incessantly for 2-3 months when it came out, even getting every korok and finishing every quest. Then I got a Playstation 5 and the Switch gathered dust for a few years.

I started playing Tears of the kingdom last week and I dislike the button layout and controls so much I haven't played it for more than an hour. The PS5 spoiled me with better hardware and controllers.

mathowie, 1 year ago to random

I’ve been buying these salad kits at supermarkets lately and they’re delicious but I can tell since the majority of the salad is bits of cabbage and carrots that a brilliant person figured out how to turn large scale agriculture food waste into a product

mathowie, 9 months ago to random

I love nothing more than to read blog posts written by nerds fueled by stubbornness and spite. Reading this glorious post on why a pedestrian bridge to seemingly nowhere exists is like listening to a full season of a true-crime podcast. No spoilers, but there is definitely a satisfying conclusion. https://tylervigen.com/the-mystery-of-the-bloomfield-bridge

mathowie, 9 months ago to random

Last week I got an alert that Disney+ went from $79/yr to $109/yr so I cancelled but it seems like networks know they’re gonna lose the strike and are jacking up prices to keep their executive profits high. Today I got another, this time for Peacock. Two’s a trend!

Also, a bold strategy for TV execs: “Hi, we have no new shows due to a strike we caused, so what better time to demand more money from our customers!”

mathowie, 8 months ago to random

Found this old screenshot of the Find My Friends on my iPad and it’s really remarkable how far Apple design has moved in 10+ years

mathowie, 1 year ago to random

One thing I don't get in these apple presentations is all the SharePlay features. I've never watched a movie with a friend thousands of miles away. I thought about it and could only predict I'd ask them to be quiet so I don't miss any movie/show/jokes/spoilers/etc so I haven't tried it before. Also, I don't know how into a movie I could be with three friend's faces on FaceTime staring back at me on the side of the movie.

I'm curious what user uptake is like for SharePlay.

mathowie, 5 months ago to random

When you visit a foreign country, always take time to check out a grocery store. I guarantee you will see at least one thing that blows your mind compared to your home country.

Belgium: an entire wall of sprinkles for buttered toast in the morning, also the huge aisle of mayonnaise flavors to put on your fries, like hundreds of options

Western EU: eggs out in aisles unrefrigerated

Italy: unbelievably fresh and tasty fruit even in bodegas

Australia: TimTams come in a bazillion flavors