One-handed typing isn’t fun.

Published stuff

For Stuff, I wrote about the hidden meaning behind the upcoming Apple event. I’m pretty sure it’s the only piece about Monday’s ‘Scary fast’ that includes the line “And then gets all upset later when people ask him why he was impersonating an owl”.

Also, does it feel like you’ve been working on a Word document for decades? Just imagine how Word itself feels. I did with Microsoft Word hits 40 – and Clippy is nowhere to be seen.

Meanwhile, over at TapSmart, I wrote about 30 days with the iPhone 15 Pro Max and added OmniFocus to my classic app series.

Upcoming stuff

Another retro console is on the way. Because I don’t have enough of those. And Apple is doing things on Monday, which I imagine will require me to write about them. Although not during the middle of the night when the event finishes in Europe. Tsk. (Strange that Apple’s running an event so late compared to usual. Must be something something China or something something Japan and gaming.)

Other stuff

Everything is going up in price. But companies can choose how they communicate this to customers. One of my comics went up recently, and the editorial apologised and said rising costs had forced this. Simple. Honest.

Then Netflix emailed me, with a message that said: “We’re updating our prices – here’s why: to deliver even more value for your membership – with stories that lift you up, move you or simply make your day a bit better”. This approach felt like an insult, especially when the offering is not changing. I’m just now going to pay more for what I already had.

Spotify offered similar BS language in its comments about payment changes to artists. “We’re always evaluating how we can best serve artists”, it said, while seemingly preparing to punch small indies in the face. Gnh.

Clearly, honesty isn’t the best policy or more companies would use it. Either that or those streaming services are about to learn they perhaps should.

Finally, much tech is frivolous. But today I unfortunately discovered first-hand that Apple Watch fall detection works. Fortunately, I’m not badly injured (although will be one-handed for a spell), and was aware enough to halt the emergency services countdown the watch had instigated. But it’s nice to know I’d have been in a better situation if I’d been unlucky enough to fall in a different and much worse way. And I’m now seriously considering pushing this tech on my parents more forcefully.

In short: some tech really does matter and can make a meaningful difference. It’s down to those of us who report on such things to make that clear. That’s certainly something I’ll be bearing in mind far more in future.

Also: typing one-handed isn’t fun. My brain churns out works too quickly for me to keep up. I suspect I might be exploring dictation over the coming weeks.