Google Stops Reading Emails For Gmail Ad Personlisation →

June 24, 2017 · 20:21

Diane Greene:

G Suite’s Gmail is already not used as input for ads personalization, and Google has decided to follow suit later this year in our free consumer Gmail service. Consumer Gmail content will not be used or scanned for any ads personalization after this change. This decision brings Gmail ads in line with how we personalize ads for other Google products. Ads shown are based on users’ settings. Users can change those settings at any time, including disabling ads personalization. G Suite will continue to be ad free.

This is a great decision. Surprising, but great. It still doesn’t change the fact, that Gmail’s proprietary implementation makes it terrible to use with third-party email clients, but hopefully this is the beginning of a more privacy-focused Google. I doubt this, but I can be hopeful, right?


The New iPad Pro Screen Is Amazing →

June 23, 2017 · 15:32

Gabe Weatherhead:

Most of what I’ve read or heard about the new iPad Pro is close to reality but I think the effect of the new 120 Hz refresh rate of the screen is being over stated. It’s nice but it is not dramatically better. It’s not even that noticeable. Scrolling looks better, but it’s minor. From the early reviews you might expect more but I think there was a lot of pent up excitement for the iPad Pro revision.

I cannot stress how much I don’t agree with this. The new ProMotion screen is jaw-dropping. The smoothness of the animations and scrolling are fantastic, and in a few short minutes, have ruined my iPhone’s screen. If you use an iPad a lot and can afford to get one, do so.


This is a test post; please disregard this unless you are Don Melton

June 18, 2017 · 16:54

Mobile Safari seems to have an issue with my CSS. Quite frankly, it’s probably an issue with my CSS, not Safari, but I’m too stupid to find the solution.

Hello Don. It’s simply amazing to be halfway around the world and have a conversation with the guy who created Safari transcodes stuff.

I just added this paragraph, with a grey background, and a link, just to make it easier to test.

The paragraph above should have the same font size as the others. It doesn’t on iPhone’s Mobile Safari. Fine on iPad and in desktop Safari, in the responsive design tool.


My First Three Years With FastMail →

June 18, 2017 · 08:47

Exactly three years have passed since I left Gmail and started using FastMail for all my needs. I chose a plan which included a custom domain, so this allowed me to get a bit more creative, but the service itself is most important after all. So how was it?

I cannot recall having a single problem or the service not working, which is a first for me. Google would always act up from time to time, requiring my time. So did iCloud for that matter. FastMail has been exemplary, performing all my requests perfectly over these past three years, pushing emails to all my devices. Not once did it falter or even slow down.

I just renewed my account for another three years, without hesitation.


Atari CEO Confirms the Company Is Working on a New Game Console →

June 17, 2017 · 20:34

Dean Takahashi:

Last week, Atari began teasing a new product called the Ataribox. The video released on a non-Atari web site showed a picture of some kind of hardware product, but many people wondered if the teaser was fake. Others had no idea what the video was showing about a “brand new Atari product years in the making.”

After all, nobody makes a game console with wood-grain siding. But at the Electronic Entertainment Expo (E3), Chesnais told me that the rumors are true.

“We’re back in the hardware business,” he said.

Chesnais declined to describe a lot of details about the console. But he said it is based on PC technology. He said Atari is still working on the design and will reveal it at a later date.

My first console was an Atari Amigo. I still remember my Pac-Man and River Raid sessions with my friends. I’ll probably get one, purely for nostalgic reasons.


Hyper Key with Karabiner Elements →

June 16, 2017 · 12:21

A Hyper Key simulates the pressing of four modifier keys at the same time — Shift + Control + Option/Alt + Command. Brett Terpstra explained this back in 2012:

I’ve had my Caps Lock key remapped to an escape key for some time now. I’ve become quite used to it — to the point where using other people’s keyboards is inconvenient. Given that I’ve already ruined my muscle memory, I figured I’d take it a step further. The end result is that hitting my Caps Lock key once still gives me “Escape,” but holding it triggers a “Hyper” modifier key (simultaneous Control, Shift, Option and Command). I can map the Hyper key using any of an assortment of utilities to do all kinds of fun things.

Due to changes in macOS Sierra and Karabiner being rewritten as Karabiner Elements, we lost the Hyper Key, until the latest update:

Yesterday I posted excitedly about full Hyper key functionality being available in macOS 10.12+. I included a snippet of a config file that has apparently led to some confusion, so I’m elaborating here on the full configuration.

My current MacBook Pro config file, after adding Brett’s suggested changes, looks like this:

{
 "global": {
  "check_for_updates_on_startup": true,
  "show_in_menu_bar": false,
  "show_profile_name_in_menu_bar": false
 },
 "profiles": [
  {
    "complex_modifications": {
    "rules": [
     {
      "manipulators": [
       {
        "description": "Caps Lock to Hyper. Escape key on single tap.",
        "from": {
         "key_code": "caps_lock",
         "modifiers": {
          "optional": [
           "any"
          ]
         }
        },
        "to": [
         {
          "key_code": "left_shift",
          "modifiers": [
           "left_command",
           "left_control",
           "left_option"
          ]
         }
        ],
        "to_if_alone": [
         {
          "key_code": "escape",
          "modifiers": {
           "optional": [
            "any"
           ]
          }
         }
        ],
        "type": "basic"
       }
      ]
     }
    ]
   },
   "devices": [],
   "fn_function_keys": {
    "f1": "display_brightness_decrement",
    "f10": "mute",
    "f11": "volume_decrement",
    "f12": "volume_increment",
    "f2": "display_brightness_increment",
    "f3": "mission_control",
    "f4": "launchpad",
    "f5": "illumination_decrement",
    "f6": "illumination_increment",
    "f7": "rewind",
    "f8": "play_or_pause",
    "f9": "fastforward"
   },
   "name": "Default profile",
   "selected": true,
   "simple_modifications": {
    "right_command": "right_option",
    "right_option": "right_command"
   },
   "virtual_hid_keyboard": {
    "caps_lock_delay_milliseconds": 0,
    "keyboard_type": "ansi"
   }
  }
 ]
}

Everything works perfectly, but please do remember to set Caps Lock to No Action in Sierra’s System Preferences → Keyboard → Modifier Keys.

Thanks Brett!


Quick Thoughts on WWDC 2017

June 13, 2017 · 21:44

I haven’t had enough time to think about all the WWDC 2017 announcements yet — there were so many — so I’ll most likely voice my thoughts and perhaps even come to some conclusions on a future podcast episode, but in the meantime, I wanted to share some of my thoughts and worries.

Continue reading →


2017 Apple Design Award Winners

June 13, 2017 · 12:25

Apple announced its 2017 Design Award winners a few days ago and I was quite surprised — I try to keep up with the best apps and games, but I was completely unaware about some of them. Oh well — time to go spend some money.

Blackbox – iPhone – $0.00
Splitter Critters – iOS – $2.99
Mushroom 11 – iOS – $4.99
Old Man’s Journey – iOS – $4.99
Severed – iOS – $2.99
Lake – iOS – $0.00
Bear – iOS – $0.00
Bear – Mac – $0.00
Kitchen Stories – iOS – $0.00
Things 3 – iPhone – $9.99
Things 3 – iPad – $19.99
Things 3 – Mac – $49.99
Elk – iOS – $0.00
Enlight – iOS – $3.99
AirMail 3 – iOS – $4.99
AirMail 3 – Mac – $9.99


Federico Viticci on the 10.5″ iPad Pro →

June 12, 2017 · 13:30

Federico on MacStories:

I’m not even a week into my tests with the 10.5” iPad Pro, and I think scrolling on my first-gen 12.9” iPad Pro looks choppy now. I’d be surprised if 120Hz displays with ProMotion don’t expand to the iPhone later this year and other Apple computers in the future. The combination of hardware and software really is that good.

At first I just wanted the 12.9″ UI in a 10.5″ form-factor, at 326 ppi. We didn’t get that. I am however extremely curious about ProMotion — I spend 4-6 hours a day on my iPad, scrolling a lot, and this could change everything.

I was curious to see if the larger screen could make the 10.5” iPad Pro a viable alternative to multitasking on the 12.9” model, but, as I imagined, working with Split View on this iPad is the same as the 9.7” version, showing enlarged iPhone interfaces instead of two full-size iPad apps at once. If you were expecting the same Split View experience from the 12.9” iPad Pro, the 10.5” doesn’t allow it.

I admit that I had hoped for the same experience as on my 12.9″ iPad but I think I’ll be able to accept the trade-off.

Unfortunately, Federico does not directly compare the 10.5″ Smart Keyboard with the 12.9″ model, but you can find a comparison to the 9.7″ version in his review.


“Full Size” Keyboard on 10.5″ iPad Pro →

June 12, 2017 · 13:19

Dieter Bohn:

I was all set to complain that increasing the size from 9.7 to 10.5 was not a big enough jump to justify requiring people to buy new keyboards and accessories. Then I started typing on the on-screen keyboard and on the new hardware Smart Keyboard. Even though I’m dubious about Apple’s claim that the software keyboard is “full size,” I find the slight size increase makes touch typing much easier. It’s still a little cramped, but it’s much easier to bounce between this and a real keyboard now.

I currently switch between a Magic Keyboard, a MacBook Pro (late 2016), and the 12.9″ iPad Pro’s Smart Keyboard. I don’t have any major issues doing so. The curious thing is that since getting the MacBook Pro, I now find the Magic Keyboard’s key travel to be too long — I actually prefer the shorter throw now.

I have the new 10.5″ iPad Pro on order — it will replace my 12.9″ — but I’m still hesitating about getting the Smart Keyboard for it. I just don’t like cramped ones…


Evergreen — RSS and JSON Feed Reader for Mac →

June 6, 2017 · 15:47

Brent Simmons:

Evergreen is an open source, productivity-style feed reader for Macs.

It’s at a very early stage — we use it, but we don’t expect other people to use it yet.

Not for me unfortunately, since I do almost all of my RSS reading on my iPad, but I’m so interested to see the release build. Oh, and Evergreen will be free!


Jason Snell Ears On with the HomePod →

June 6, 2017 · 15:42

Jason Snell:

In general, I found the HomePod to sound quite good, with a powerful bass and great clarity in the treble. However, in a few cases—Stevie Wonder’s “Superstition” was the one that really struck me—I felt that the Sonos Play:3 more accurately reproduced the feel of the track, while the (extremely early, pre-release version of the) HomePod’s clever audio processing technology spread the bass and vocals out so much that it didn’t sound right anymore.

Of course, with the HomePod half a year away from shipping, there’s probably a lot of software tweaking yet to be done in terms of audio processing.

This sounds very promising! I’m definitely looking to get at least one. The HomePod is missing one feature that I would love to see — the ability to use two, three or five of them, to set up a 2.0, 3.0 or 5.0 surround sound system for my Apple TV. I realise that this wouldn’t be cheap, but… no wires!


Back to Using the System Font Stack in CSS

June 5, 2017 · 10:20

After looking at a variety of options from Google Fonts — Open Sans, Source Sans Pro, and a few others — I decided to go back to the system font stack for a number of reasons. Performance is definitely my main metric, but the lack of interesting options on Google Fonts is another. I could use TypeKit or Cloud.typography, but Adobe decided not to include the former in their Creative Cloud Photography Plan and the latter is just too much for my needs (in terms of price too).

font-family: -apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, "Segoe UI", Roboto, Oxygen, Ubuntu, Cantarell, "Fira Sans", "Droid Sans", "Helvetica Neue", sans-serif;

I believe I’m targeting every relevant platform. As far as I know, these are the current popular system font stacks in use:

WordPress:
font-family: -apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, "Segoe UI", Roboto, Oxygen-Sans, Ubuntu, Cantarell, "Helvetica Neue", sans-serif;

Medium:
font-family: -apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, "Segoe UI", Roboto, Oxygen, Ubuntu, Cantarell, "Open Sans", "Helvetica Neue", sans-serif;

Ghost:
font-family: -apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, "Segoe UI", Roboto, Oxygen, Ubuntu, Cantarell, "Fira Sans", "Droid Sans", "Helvetica Neue", sans-serif;

Github:
font-family: -apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, "Segoe UI", Roboto, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif, "Apple Color Emoji", /* Emojis*/ "Segoe UI Emoji", /* Emojis*/ "Segoe UI Symbol"; /* Emojis*/

I went with Ghost. Let me know if you find any bugs or anything else out of the ordinary.


JSON Feed Added

June 4, 2017 · 22:55

With all the changes I made today, I went ahead and added support for Brent Simmons’ and Manton Reece’s JSON Feed. You can find it in the footer of any page on Infinite Diaries or at https://infinitediaries.net/feed/json/. It’s simple enough for WordPress installations — all you need to do is to download the plugin from here and follow the instructions:

Adds a /feed/json URL to your WordPress site. Drop the plugin folder in /wp-content/plugins and activate under WP Admin → Plugins.

P.S. After seeing how Titillium Web renders a double slash (//), I’m going to need to look for a new font. Not a fan of its italics either.


June 4, 2017 · 22:41

I finally got around to getting rid of the Permalink ★ links from below each post and hiding them under the date, just below the titles. This small change made the layout just a bit cleaner, but it has made me a lot happier.


House of Cards Season 5 Thoughts [No Spoilers]

June 4, 2017 · 21:51

We just finished watching the fifth season of House of Cards and quite frankly I’m astounded at how stupid Claire is. I apologise for being blunt, but she’s blind and petty over the last two seasons or so. Treasonous and greedy too. The show is great — I give it a big thumbs up — make no mistake, but I don’t understand how she’s so far off Frank’s game.


June 4, 2017 · 12:29

I spent the morning tweaking the design of the site. Instead of targeting the system fonts for various operating systems, I decided to add one font instead — Titillium Web from Google. I’m not a fan of loading external fonts since they increase load times, but this does give me greater control over the look of the site.

I need to finally fix the mobile menu — not happy with the current design. One day…


June 4, 2017 · 11:12

Currently working on de-centering the titles, dates, various other items, and perhaps changing the font too. I simply got bored with the old design. Please let me know if you find any bugs.


Manton Reece and Brent Simmons Talk About JSON Feed, Micro.blog, and More →

June 3, 2017 · 14:18

Manton Reece:

Brent Simmons and I were guests on The Talk Show this week. We talk about JSON Feed, Userland Frontier, Micro.blog, and much more.

Brent also announced Evergreen for the first time on the show. Evergreen is a new open source feed reader for the Mac. I’m really looking forward to where this app could go.

Finished listening to it last night — lots of great details and tidbits I wasn’t aware of. Well worth a listen.


Apple Music Executive Bozoma Saint John Plans to Leave the Company →

June 3, 2017 · 14:11

Ina Fried:

Bozoma Saint John, the Apple executive who garnered significant attention for her demo at last year’s worldwide developer conference, plans to leave the company, Axios has learned. Saint John was head of Global Consumer Marketing for Apple Music (and predecessor Beats Music).

“Plans to leave” but “was head of”? She either left or she didn’t.


GTX 1080Ti Needs One Hour to Crack 8 Character Digit Password →

June 3, 2017 · 14:08

Jeff Atwood:

But that was 4 years ago. Exactly how secure are our password hashes in the database today? Or 4 years from now, or 10 years from now? We’re building open source software for the long haul, and we need to be sure we are making reasonable decisions that protect everyone. So in the spirit of designing for evil, it’s time to put on our Darth Helmet and play the bad guy – let’s crack our own hashes!

We’re gonna use the biggest, baddest single GPU out there at the moment, the GTX 1080 Ti. As a point of reference, for PBKDF2-HMAC-SHA256 the 1080 achieves 1180 kH/s, whereas the 1080 Ti achieves 1640 kH/s. In a single video card generation the attack hash rate has increased nearly 40 percent. Ponder that.

In the meantime, despite it being 2017, some websites and services still limit users to short passwords. Microsoft’s Outlook is limited to 16 characters as far as I remember and I know of even lower limits.

Edit

Fixed the title. Jeff pastes some examples later, using alphanumeric examples, hence my mistake.


Fuck Facebook →

June 2, 2017 · 11:28

John Gruber:

The Internet Archive is our only good defense against broken links. Blocking them from indexing Facebook content is a huge “fuck you” to anyone who cares about the longevity of the stuff they link to.

Treat Facebook as the private walled garden that it is. If you want something to be publicly accessible, post it to a real blog on any platform that embraces the real web, the open one.

Even though I have a Facebook account1, I hate what the company is doing and what it stands for. They are however so successful, that many people don’t even realise that they’re “on the internet” when “they’re on Facebook”, as noted by Leo Mirani for QZ:

[…] a closer look at the data […] shows that 11% of Indonesians who said they used Facebook also said they did not use the internet. In Nigeria, 9% of Facebook users said they do not use the internet […]

Considering the substantial percentages—about 10% of Facebook users in our surveys—the data suggest at the very least that a few million of Facebook’s 1.4 billion users suffer from the same misconceptions.

The web would actually be a better place without Facebook, even if it meant Instagram had to die in the process.

  1. Because “I have to.”

Google Sucks →

June 2, 2017 · 11:14

Google update on the Nik Collection:

The Nik Collection is free and compatible with Mac OS X 10.7 through 10.10; Windows Vista, 7, 8; and Adobe Photoshop through CC 2015. We have no plans to update the Collection or add new features over time.

I knew this would happen. This is fucking unacceptable. There’s also a petition going, if you want to try to save it.