@craiggrannell@mastodon.social
@craiggrannell@mastodon.social avatar

craiggrannell

@craiggrannell@mastodon.social

#Writer for hire. Mostly #tech, #Apple, #games, #retrogaming, design. Smashes out words for #Wired, #Stuff, TapSmart and others. Writes #DailyRetroGame here on Mastodon. He/him. GF/DF. Likes #Lego and Mini #Schnauzers. Email: hello at craiggrannell dot com // https://linktr.ee/craiggrannell

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craiggrannell, to random
@craiggrannell@mastodon.social avatar

I kind of wish cinemas would do double bills of Furiosa and Fury Road.

stroughtonsmith, to random
@stroughtonsmith@mastodon.social avatar

The difference in experience between Google Maps and Apple Maps, 12 years on, is kinda staggering 👀 I would never use Google Maps in Ireland except for looking up postal codes using our Eircode system (which Apple doesn’t license)

video/mp4

craiggrannell,
@craiggrannell@mastodon.social avatar

@stroughtonsmith Opposite for me. Apple Maps has too many problems with POIs and is missing a lot of public transport. So I always gravitate back to Google. (Bar in the car, where I often use Waze.)

craiggrannell, to random
@craiggrannell@mastodon.social avatar

We got solar a while back. It’s been interesting to watch bills ebb and flow and that even in a wintry UK there was some benefit. I realise solar is expensive but it still surprises me how few folks around here (north Hampshire) have gone for it.

That said, Octopus support doesn’t appear to want to inform us where our outgoing payments have gone. (They’ve not been taken off the bill, that’s for sure…)

From: @theluddite
https://assemblag.es/@theluddite/112496059286904697

craiggrannell,
@craiggrannell@mastodon.social avatar

@Workshopshed @theluddite I got a long and patronising message from support that totally ignored the figures I sent. I like having things in writing but next will be a phone call.

Tinrocket, to random
@Tinrocket@mastodon.online avatar

App Store indie business—the good and the bad:

First, I'm grateful and fortunate to currently have App Store features.

But, they haven't been updated in a long time. Example: Olli outsells Cinemin even though it's older. 🤷‍♂️ And no changes or new features in maybe 2 years.

It probably seem dumb and naive, but as a small developer my entire business strategy was to align with Apple’s "App Store eco system" (their term), do good work, and hope to go viral or get featured.

craiggrannell,
@craiggrannell@mastodon.social avatar

@kern @Tinrocket @agiletortoise As a member of the press, it’s hard to say how much what we do moves the needle. But I can say that when I’m up against a deadline, having a press kit vs not can be the difference between coverage. So do both. A press kit with presskit() or ImpressKit shouldn’t take that long to sort. (I’d also argue some kind of landing page is surely a must but it doesn’t need to be complicated or overly flashy.)

craiggrannell, to random
@craiggrannell@mastodon.social avatar

Nice reality check here re the UK joining the EU. If € is a condition (and pledging to at the very least would be), the decision flips. The UK isn’t ready yet. Maybe it never will be.

From: @ukelections
https://mastodonapp.uk/@ukelections/112498320201494860

craiggrannell,
@craiggrannell@mastodon.social avatar

@fubaroque @ukelections I’m very aware joining is not in our gift. But there’s no point even considering it if the UK en masse isn’t willing to be a normal EU member, rather than again attempting to carve out exceptions. That poll shows the UK isn’t ready to even try. (Single market might be a different case but even that will require Brits to grapple with ‘FOM: the brand’, which is taking far too long as well. (‘FOM: the reality’ polls far better.)

craiggrannell,
@craiggrannell@mastodon.social avatar

@fubaroque @ukelections I would vote to join in an instant, whatever the requirements, if I get the chance some day. As someone in my mid to late 40s, I think it’s fairly unlikely it’ll happen in my lifetime, if I live to an average age. Certainly very unlikely prior to being a pensioner.

But sometimes politics can surprise us. If there’s will, good things can happen.

craiggrannell,
@craiggrannell@mastodon.social avatar

@mattround Somewhat. There’s still the nightmare customs border though. Some kind of EEA deal would be massively preferable to what the UK currently has though. I’d take that in an instant.

craiggrannell,
@craiggrannell@mastodon.social avatar

@RolloTreadway @ukelections Yep. I’m very pro Schengen. But not enough Brits will be. And you’re right about rewind, which is why I despise the “rejoin” framing. That suggests turning the clock back, when we’d have to apply from scratch (albeit with the benefits of having been a member, in terms of existing remaining alignment and knowing what we’d need to do).

ianbetteridge, to random
@ianbetteridge@writing.exchange avatar

I haven't really been keeping up with the omnishambles that is the Tory election campaign, so I'm only just finding out that "we got you through Covid" is one of their campaign lines. Sure, you got us through it, by setting rules that you were ignoring at the time to such a degree the PM had to resign.

craiggrannell,
@craiggrannell@mastodon.social avatar

@ianbetteridge And also set fire to the apparatus that would keep us safe in an ongoing basis while simultaneously detonating the vaccine programme to the point it’s now largely gone and our population is behind even the Americans in terms of boosters.

craiggrannell,
@craiggrannell@mastodon.social avatar

@ianbetteridge And Sunak can go fuck himself over furlough, which initially omitted the self employed for no reason other than Tories being Tories.

brucelawson, to random
@brucelawson@vivaldi.net avatar

I had filed Sunak as fundamentally decent, but occasionally mouthfarting nonsense to appease the brexitty loons. I didn't expect full fat fascism. Fuck this gang. https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cpddxy9r4mdo

craiggrannell,
@craiggrannell@mastodon.social avatar

@brucelawson His voting pattern and attitude is fundamentally libertarian. He was anti boosters due to cost alone. He fought again a furlough for the self employed. So not exactly Mr Nice Guy.

marksemczyszyn, to random
@marksemczyszyn@mastodon.social avatar

Bloody iOS Mastodon app won’t update my timeline. Web browser is fine. Logged out and back in. Blank. Ideas?

craiggrannell,
@craiggrannell@mastodon.social avatar

@marksemczyszyn Are you using the first-party client? That goes weird here sometimes. I’m mostly using Ice Cubes these days.

lapcatsoftware, to random
@lapcatsoftware@mastodon.social avatar

TIL geese can hiss at you.

I was out walking and came upon families of geese with a bunch of children, so they couldn’t just fly away. The adults hissed at me like cats.

To forestall the obvious question, no, I don’t have photos or video, because believe it or not, I like to go out and walk without my smartphone.

It was a little scary to be honest but also pretty cool. That may be the closest I’ve ever gotten to geese.

craiggrannell,
@craiggrannell@mastodon.social avatar

@lapcatsoftware Our local ones rarely hiss, even with young. The mute swans are hiss central though.

snazzyq, to random

Been editing my latest video in DaVinci Resolve for iPad and WOW! First off, it’s vastly superior to Apple’s own Final Cut Pro (Resolve has feature-parity with the desktop app) and lets the entire project reside on a USB-drive. Secondly, the iPad absolutely blazes through this 6K footage like it’s nothing. ProRes is cool.

craiggrannell,
@craiggrannell@mastodon.social avatar

@snazzyq Have you used LumaFusion? How does this compare, if so?

craiggrannell, to random
@craiggrannell@mastodon.social avatar

Weeknote:

📱 Why apps might (and might not) be Apple’s next subscription service
🧘🏽‍♀️ Interactive meditative audio apps for iPhone
🍎 iPad buyer’s guide redux
✏️ Apple Pencil buyer’s guide + added snark
💤 Dealing with burnout

https://reverttosaved.com/2024/05/25/weeknote-25-may-2024-downtime-edition/

craiggrannell, to random
@craiggrannell@mastodon.social avatar

Column! Why apps could be Apple’s next subscription service – and what stands in its way • https://www.stuff.tv/features/apple-appcade-why-apps-could-be-apples-next-subscription-service-and-what-stands-in-its-way/

Not sure this is likely, but it does seem logical. Although Apple would have to repair bridges with devs that were atomised during its scrap with the EU.

glynmoody, to random
@glynmoody@mastodon.social avatar

Labour may give 16- and 17-year-olds right to vote, says Keir Starmer - https://www.theguardian.com/politics/article/2024/may/25/labour-16-17-year-olds-right-to-vote-keir-starmer "Party leader says if you can work, pay tax and serve in armed forces you should be able to vote" shrewd move, and perfectly reasonable #GeneralElection

craiggrannell,
@craiggrannell@mastodon.social avatar

@glynmoody It’s funny. Labour is fortunate in that its self-serving changes to election rules tend to be progressive and so people don’t point out so often they are also self-serving. (The Tories of course do the opposite and so it’s far more obvious.)

Note: I am in favour of this but Labour should be doing more to make our voting system more representative. Watch next as mayoral elections are again no longer FPTP under Labour but GE/locals don’t change.

craiggrannell,
@craiggrannell@mastodon.social avatar

@glynmoody No, but it will be rampantly hypocritical.

“It’s fairer and gives more people a voice.”
“So we’re also moving to PR for GEs?”
“Fuck no.”

craiggrannell, to random
@craiggrannell@mastodon.social avatar

Also now mulling how much intersection of imposter syndrome there is with OCD. (I’ve had that since I was a teen. Under control, mostly. Fairly specific too* and fortunately I don’t have eg the cleaning version. But the more I think about it, the more I suspect certain key anxieties/negative behaviours might stem from that.)

  • mostly the fear of disaster flavour. So I will lock the door, head off and then return to check. And then beat myself up about that. Usually once is enough though.
craiggrannell,
@craiggrannell@mastodon.social avatar

@tenjinuk it’s really crap. Even though I largely have it under control these days, I still have so many instances of slipping, and I beat myself up for feeling stupid when I eg go and check a light switch is definitely off because I’m having a bad day and my brain is arguing that the entire house might burn down if I don’t.

craiggrannell, to random
@craiggrannell@mastodon.social avatar

I reached this last week, for sure. Now having a relaxing weekend. Not sure what’s next. I don’t need more escapism. I do need more personal satisfaction re creative work – ie music. Changing circumstances, then? Probably quite a bit I can do there, TBH. Although much of that would require I drop my freelancer mentality where I think if I turn down work I’ll never be commissioned again. (Another aspect of imposter syndrome, I imagine.)

From: @saraislet
https://infosec.exchange/@saraislet/112491685436021576

craiggrannell,
@craiggrannell@mastodon.social avatar

@medievalist In theory, I should. Problem is how packed the days are right now. My time is mostly working and then family time. My priorities are earning a living and being with my family. So ‘me’ stuff has fallen by the wayside for years and years. But I do need to figure out how to change this.

craiggrannell,
@craiggrannell@mastodon.social avatar

@medievalist Yeah, maybe. Thing is, my soul activity is music making and so that tends to happen in the same place as my work. And then inevitably I don’t do the music. Because there’s always more work. I have been doing more outdoor walks since this winter at least.

stroughtonsmith, to random
@stroughtonsmith@mastodon.social avatar

But from what I’ve heard, this runs macOS. You know what that means, though? iPadOS couldn’t get us there, so Apple is making bets in other places — like a touch-based macOS. But why would Apple maintain two touch-based computing platforms? Do they even have that bandwidth? Is this perhaps where iPad Pro will end up in a few years time? Will macOS gain a much more SpringBoard-like layer, and then replace iPadOS entirely on the top end iPads?
https://mastodon.social/@iryantldr/112490741955327005

craiggrannell,
@craiggrannell@mastodon.social avatar

@kkolakowski @stroughtonsmith I dunno. Apple pushed back so hard against external display support and then came up with… this? And it was on Mac too? It’s all just so weird.

nighthawk, to AppleMusic
@nighthawk@aus.social avatar

Installed macOS Sonoma beta this weekend to try out the changes to #MusicKit. Can confirm that this lets me add #AppleMusic support to @longplay for the Mac. The previous way only worked through Catalyst and caused the Music app to spawn as soon as you start playing, which was hideous, but this now works independently and support AppKit. Woot woot.

craiggrannell,
@craiggrannell@mastodon.social avatar

@nighthawk Gah x infinity. Has Apple responded to you about this or is it just blanking you about the bug?

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