I still don’t fully understand how iOS apps will run on the Mac without a touchscreen. I am very familiar with the iOS Simulator, so I get the basic idea. What I don’t get is how multitouch would work, or how scrolling will be handled (without a touchpad or mouse wheel).
I updated my late 2013 MacBook Pro to the Big Sur release candidate this afternoon. It was an uneventful upgrade, which is a best-case scenario, I think. The new UI will take some getting used to, but all my software appears to be working so far.
I very much enjoyed the “His Dark Materials” season 2 premiere last night. I also hope that the producers didn’t blow their entire visual effects budget on that one episode, because it looked absolutely amazing.
Pfizer’s Early Data Shows Vaccine Is More Than 90% Effective
As reported in the New York Times (and elsewhere):
The company said that the analysis found that the vaccine was more than 90 percent effective in preventing the disease among trial volunteers who had no evidence of prior coronavirus infection. If the results hold up, that level of protection would put it on par with highly effective childhood vaccines for diseases such as measles. No serious safety concerns have been observed, the company said.
This is the best news I’ve heard about the pandemic in quite some time, and it seems legit this time. (I may be biased in favor of Pfizer, though.) We are all hopeful that a safe and effective vaccine will be found, and distributed widely and equitably, as soon as possible.
Alex Trebek has died. It certainly is the end of an era.
My wife and I watched the Biden-Harris acceptance speeches with our daughter, who has never seen anything like it before. We are feeling excited and hopeful. I am especially eager to follow Kamala Harris’s work as Vice President in the hopes that she will be a transformative figure in the office.
I was at first surprised that Trump gained voters across the board since 2016. But then I recalled that he went from joke candidate in 2016 to the actual President of the United States (who haunts our every waking thought and nightmare) in 2020. The incumbent always has many advantages, but legitimacy may be the most important one.
I wonder if Apple silicon Macs will have good/better/best processor options like the Intel ones always had.
I can’t believe that the Red Sox re-hired Alex Cora.
If I were more of a gamer, I would be more excited about the new Xbox and PlayStation reviews published today. It’s weird and wonderful that the two systems are coming out at the same time. I’m happy with my Nintendo Switch.
News outlets started calling the presidential race for Joe Biden this morning. In no sense should it have been a close call. It is deeply embarrassing. I consider the USA a failed state in the midst of a slow moving fascist coup that began with Nixon, found its footing with Reagan, and found its most effective bomb-thrower and wrecking ball (because he is the most shameless) in Trump. I am not sure reform is possible at this point, but if it is (and I hope it is), it will take a long, long time.
I am wondering if a new, faster Mac would make me more excited about coding in Xcode again. Xcode has been a dog for me lately, and I think my current (super old!) MacBook Pro is too old for Swift UI development (at least for live previews). I’m looking forward to seeing what Apple announces.
🎵 Today’s listen: “All Mirrors” by Angel Olsen. I love this album. It has the sort of sound that transports you to other, weird, wonderful places. The opening track reminds me, oddly, of early Björk and The Velvet Underground, and is yet completely its own thing.
iOS 14.2 is here. I’m still hoping Apple will fix some of the glitches I’ve been experience on my 2017 iPad Pro. If they don’t, maybe its a hardware problem and I need to replace it (sigh).
I hope the orthopedic I’m going to today helps me fix the stoop in my back after I stand up. (I don’t know what I did to my back, but…ouch!)
A pot of chicken soup is bubbling on the stove, and some bread is in the oven. I’m looking forward to a relaxing lunch.
I’m trying to get back into the swing of things this morning. I’ve been working at night to make up for time I am missing due to appointments during the workday. Now it feels like I never left my desk since before bedtime last night, which isn’t a good thing.
My mood improves when I am near my headphones and my music collection. They have gotten me through this evening and last.
New Jersey made it easy for me to vote by mail this year, but I usually visit Vote Save America for the details I need.
I am trying to think of what to do tomorrow night, instead of watching (incomplete) election night results trickle in. I don’t expect the “election” to “end” (I’m not even sure where the scare quotes belong) for weeks.
Raspberry Pi 400
The always interesting Raspberry Pi Foundation has announced a new “desktop PC” form factor that integrates its latest board into a keyboard:
We’ve never been shy about borrowing a good idea. Which brings us to Raspberry Pi 400: it’s a faster, cooler 4GB Raspberry Pi 4, integrated into a compact keyboard. Priced at just $70 for the computer on its own, or $100 for a ready-to-go kit, if you’re looking for an affordable PC for day-to-day use this is the Raspberry Pi for you.
If the keyboard is decent enough for you, and your computing needs are pretty basic, this is fantastic deal.
My favorite part of the new design is that all the ports are on one side. My biggest beef with the Raspberry Pi (I own 3 of them!) is that the ports are on all four sides, and I always need to plug cables into two or three of them, which makes for a mess of wires surrounding a nice, small box.