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Ponderings

Welcome to Ponderings, a new page 'bout stuff 'bout life.

How to prounounce "gif" - the objecively correct method

  • Start by saying the word "gift" out loud
  • Drop the "t" when saying it
  • You're done! Was that so hard?

Apple CarPlay

Things Apple CarPlay does well

  • Display multiple things in a dashboard view
  • Provide a portable customized software interface in a car
  • Control audio
  • Provide a unified and variable voice control mechanism

Things Apple CarPlay doesn't do well

  • Handling multiple notifications in succession, i.e. when someone sends you rapid-fire messages in succession
  • Reviewing existing notifications
  • Showing all notifications (CarPlay doesn't support displaying all apps' notifications by default unless it is done via Siri, sequentially)
  • Showing messages in any form aside from audio
  • Speed. Siri is not easily interruptable and cannot quickly shift context
  • Vocal access. Not all UI elements are fully controllable via voice commands
  • Touch. Most CarPlay screens are single-touch and rather unresponsive compared to a phone's touch screen.

Started on 8/24/23:

Opinions

  • The iPad needs the option to run macOS, or the iPad should be retired in favor of putting touch screens on Macs. iPadOS is never going to be good enough for productive computing.
  • "AI" is a fad.
  • NFTs are a fad.
  • All-cloud computing is a fad.
  • macOS does a lot of things differently for the sake of being different/contrarian. One example being the "natural scrolling" setting in which the default scrolling direction is reversed (which is wrong). Windows and Linux are generally the standard for computing.
  • Twitter never made any sense. It was a redundant website that even from its conception, duplicated one function of Facebook's news feed, poorly and without purpose. It was so restrictive and limited that nobody could ever coherently explain what they were talking about. There was never any adequate context, and trying to trace the thesis of one's tweet was overly arduous. And of course, it only got worse over time.

Added on 11/4/2022:

Old, Good Internet - Days that are Gone

  • Almost everybody you knew was on AIM. If they weren't, there was Skype.
  • Websites were simple, loaded fast, and were coded in a way that everyone could understand with no obfuscation
  • Late nights spent playing Counter-Strike, Team Fortress 2, and others
  • The most prominent discourse was the latest Homestar Runner toon
  • Not having to think about security all the time
  • Discovering independent websites, communities, and fun corners that weren't all part of a central hub
  • 1998(?)-2012

Started on 8/31/22:

A brief list of things that are stupid with little to no elaboration

  • Writing out "Game Boy" as "gameboy." It was never called "gameboy." it is "Game Boy." Two words. Not one.
  • Vertical video, especially on YouTube or broadcast TV where the primary display type for viewing audiences is in a horizontal 16:9 aspect ratio.
  • Any use of the phrase "on accident."
  • Articles that scream about updating your iPhone/iPad but don't specifically explain why you should or why it's important other than vague platitudes.
  • Any hardware made by Snapchat. It's way too niche and e-waste fodder.

Added 2/12/11:

"Typing from an iPhone is actually really refrigerator."

Added 10/12/10:

Wilson: I need a change of scenery.

House: Buy a plant!

Added 9/9/10:

*in response to "A Strong Password isn't the strongest security"*
"This is like saying seatbelts are not important because you might get hit by a plane."

Added 5/10/10:

"Oh yeah? Well Windows 95 was MY idea!"

Added 4/18/10:

Zeroy - To staple another person's face to a wall. "J. Marv zeroyed H. Roh's face. It was quite painful." --Urban Dictionary

Added 4/8/10:

If a picture was worth a thousand words, I'd be writing essays with JPEGs.
A picture is worth a thousand words, a drawing is worth about ten.

Added 10/27/09:

Funny Counter-Strike Moments:
Guy 1: It would be great if you could SHUT THE F**K UP!
Guy 2: Wow.....you must have to live alone to be able to scream like that
Guy 1: Nope, I live in an apartment
Guy 2: hahaha, so who did you wake up?
Guy 1: I woke up my neighbors, and the people living next to them.

Added 10/25/09:

"Turn down your speakers? It's a .gif image."