Can we Have Some Modern Software as Well?

Riccardo Mori really nailed it with his latest post, Raw power alone is not enough where he talks about how Apple has left its software to wither, while it has been busy beefing up its hardware offering. The article is full of juicy content, but I’ve pulled out the parts that resonated with me:

Without innovation in software, all we’re doing with these new powerful machines is essentially the same we were doing 20 years ago on PowerPC G4 and G5 computers, but faster and more conveniently.

So, again, we have absurdly powerful machines like the Mac Studio and soon we’ll have the even more mind-boggling Apple silicon Mac Pro, and what kind of software will they run? A handful of professional apps which hopefully will take advantage of these machines’ capabilities to make the same things professional Macs did twenty years ago, ten years ago, but better and faster.

This is the personal beef I have with tech innovation today, which I feel still revolving around the concept of ‘reinventing the wheel and making it spin faster’.

I’ve had a number of generations of Apple hardware pass through my hands, but I essentially work in the same way, with a few small workflow changes around the edges. I don’t do video, but I would love some revolutionary ways to leverage all the power of the M-series chips.

Software today still comes with much more friction than it should have, given the context of general technological advancement that has happened for the past 40 years or so.

Without innovation in software, all we’re doing with these new powerful machines is essentially the same we were doing 20 years ago on PowerPC G4 and G5 computers, but faster and more conveniently.

None of Apple’s software (or much software across the industry) has become easier. Actually, much of it has become harder as a result of either feature-bloat leading to design complexity, or fashionable UI changes making things less discernible, HIG be damned.

I would love for their to be some great workflow/project-management software that was integral with macOS. I don’t want to have to jump out to some third-party web service, or use a mishmash of Hook, OmniFocus, Finder and Devonthink to manage project files. Finder is too small-minded with the combination of apps and services and files. But Apple doesn’t seem to care about innovating in any of the hard spaces, or creating new interaction models for existing hardware.

I don’t make video, but I’m a professional user of a Mac. I’d like some thought given to my workflows too.

Sonic the Hedgehog 2, 2022 - ★★

Jim Carrey is fun for the adults and the characters are fun for the kids. I was disappointed with the soundtrack after really enjoying that of the first movie.

Autism & Adults

Hannah Gadsby on her autism diagnosis: ‘I’ve always been plagued by a sense that I was a little out of whack’ | The Guardian

I leave crowded spaces. I switch off discordant music. I wear headphones at restaurants. I openly express my hatred of the saxophone and electric guitar solos. I don’t allow important emotional conversations to take place in cafes with polished concrete floors.

My son has an autism diagnosis. I do not. Yet the more I learn about ASD and witness the lived experience of my boy, the more convinced I am that I have undiagnosed autism.

There is too much about my childhood - and my adulthood - that ticks too many boxes for me not to be open to the idea that I’m “on the spectrum”.

This is completely fine; I only wish I had been able to give it a name earlier in life.

I’ve bought Disco Elysium - The Final Cut because it was on sale on the Steam Store. Friends tell me it’s good. 🕹

The Adam Project, 2022 - ★½

Wow, this was boring. An hour in felt like 2 hours. Not even the Ryan Reynolds charm could save this script.

I’ve got a new domain: canion.au

I’ve re-upped my subscription to TextExpander. While my self-built Keyboard Maestro system was okay, it was rickety enough to create annoyances. @burk will approve.

Kings Park calm.

I can’t figure out why Flickr has two different types of Pro badge. One is black with a square surrounding the word Pro, and the other is blue with a pink underline.

I’ve been exploring Flickr again. I’m still a Pro, so I should try to get my money’s worth.

Finished reading: Everybody Lies by Seth Stephens-Davidowitz 📚 An enjoyable read that is let down by its extreme US-centricity.

Today @burk, @martinfeld and I hosted a @hemisphericviews Members Trivia Event. Hosted on Zoom with a quiz platform provided by Crowdpurr, it was a great way to spend an hour with people who dedicate time to listen and support our podcast.

Turning Red, 2022 - ★★

Watched on Friday March 18, 2022.

As fun as getting back onto a basketball court is, at what point do I accept it’s no longer something I should do? Especially after possibly breaking a toe earlier in the day. Now my knee joins the injury party, not to mention the generalised leg soreness. 🏀

If one smashes one’s toe into a door frame, one might worry they’ve broken said toe.

It was fantastic to finally meet my NBL Pocket Podcast co-host in real life. Joe does exist! And so does Nick Tan!

Hi micro.blog gang! I wasn’t able to join the Town Hall live, but I’m watching the replay.

Uncharted, 2022 - ★★

An absolutely ridiculous movie that made me laugh because of just how preposterous it was.

CODA, 2021 - ★★★★★

It for me right in the feels. Amazing singing and acting. The treatment given to the school duet was incredible.

In Episode 51 of @hemisphericviews we talk Severance. Thanks @neatnik for making a Lumon Industries business card generator.