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Feeling Like Fall In These Parts
Just a quick snap from a Fall like setting I ran across. Certainly feels autumnal.
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Change The No Kings Day Protests Into Something Larger
Forgive me. I’m dreaming again.
October 18 is shaping up as another crazy day in America. The organizations behind “No Kings” protests have targeted that day for another nationwide series of protests against the policies and ineptitude of the Trump regime. For brand recognition and a lack of creativity this one is called “No Kings Day 2.”
That said, the Trump regime and its cronies are trying to brand these efforts as a “Day of Hate.” So I imagine we’ll see all kinds of mischief.
That’s all well and good and I’m glad to see this kind of organizing from the “No Kings” movement. But as I’ve said before, these efforts need to extend far beyond a day of protests. Until they extend into the week and keep going I don’t believe they’ll change the dynamic.
Of course I could be wrong, depending on what happens with the government shut down that’s now in effect and if Congress ever chooses to come back in session again.
I still think folks should think bigger. Why not encourage people to just shut down and stay in for the weekend or longer. Turn off the TVs and the computers. Do no shopping. Do no traveling. Make it a “No Kings Blackout.”
Just like with protests in the street you’ll never mobilize everyone, but if enough people turned off and tuned out for a period of time there might be a chance for a larger impact than expecting large turnouts. Encourage folks to stay home and read a book or rake some leaves.
Of course, that takes away one of the motivations behind any protest, which is to seek and draw attention. So, as I said, it’s just a dream on my part.
You can also find more of my writings on a variety of topics on Medium at this link, including in the publications Ellemeno and Rome. I can also be found on social media under my name as above.
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Apple’s Freezing Out Another ICE Related App: DeICER
I’ve linked to coverage about Apple purging apps that are designed to help those looking to protect themselves from the Trump regime’s ICE actions including ICEBlock and Eyes Up. Add another one to the list, this time the app is called DeICER.
According to Pablo Manríquez of Migrant Insider, DeICER is a “civic-reporting app used to log immigration enforcement activity.”
Manríquez goes on to suggest that Apple effectively is treating federal immigration agents as a protected class of individuals. HIs article also includes an account of an interview with the app’s developer Rafel Concepcion over Apple pulling the app and the app’s intended purpose. It is worth a read.
In Chicago, these are dangerous and confusing times, even more so depending on who you are, what you look like and where you live. With a largely unhelpful media, it is challenging for anyone concerned to find accurate info or, as in the case of Eyes Up, preserve what they may have seen or recorded. Do note that recording info with smartphones is one of the methods of resistance Illinois and Chicago officials are encouraging citizens to perform in the face of these actions.
Even so, there are areas of Chicago wherein you would never know this kind of thing is happening. Local independent media is stepping up its game, but unfortunately doesn’t have the reach that large outlets do.
Apple isn’t alone in their cowardly actions. Google is also pulling apps of similar ilk. Both companies are referring to their respective App Store guidelines in their defense of their actions with Apple telling Concepcion,
Information provided to Apple by law enforcement shows that your app violates Guideline 1.1.1 … because its purpose is to provide location information about law enforcement officers that can be used to harm such officers individually or as a group.
These ICE enforcement actions want to project toughness in their aim to intimidate and harass, but by and large each of these maneuvers to hide what they are doing only serves to show how afraid those responsible for these actions actually are of the chaos, fear, and harm they are causing, regardless of the chest-thumping content they are creating on their raids.
The only ones who appear more afraid are Apple and the other big tech and media companies that keep going along to get along.
You can also find more of my writings on a variety of topics on Medium at this link, including in the publications Ellemeno and Rome. I can also be found on social media under my name as above.
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Apple Bans “Eyes Up” A Video Archival App For Perserving Video of ICE Actions
Apple is at it again as it works hard to keep in the evil regime’s favor, banning yet another app. The latest target, Eyes Up is “dedicated to preserving video evidence of ICE abuses until it can be used in court.”
According to the report from 404 Media, the developers of Eyes Up state that unlock ICEBlock, an app Apple banned last week that allows uses to track ICE actions, Eyes Up does not do real-time tracking of ICE Actions.
The Eyes Up website is still up and can be used for the same video archiving purposes with content uploaded from TikTok, Instagram or X and include “a mix of professional media reports and user-generated clips of ICE arrests.”
Apple’s cowardly capitulations and its own plenary actions here are bad enough. As wrong as they are, they seem beyond odd, given that ICE itself has camera crews filming their actions and creating content about their actions to broadcast as it seems fit in its own promotional videos. Talk about a disconnect.
You can also find more of my writings on a variety of topics on Medium at this link, including in the publications Ellemeno and Rome. I can also be found on social media under my name as above.
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Zach Bryan’s Bad News Gets Under MAGA’s Thin Skin
Country singer Zach Bryan is teasing the MAGAts as he teases his new song, Bad News.
The teaser of the song swipes at ICE and ends with a powerful lyric that I imagine is the full song’s hook:
Got some bad news
The fading of the red, white, and blue
If he included that in the teaser, his target is no secret. You can check out the teaser of the song below.
Bryan is no slouch of a Country singer, filling stadiums, selling lots of his music to a large following. Here’s hoping his instincts reach some in that large audience with this song of protest, beyond the MAGAt reactionary force that’s already all over this effort.
You can also find more of my writings on a variety of topics on Medium at this link, including in the publications Ellemeno and Rome. I can also be found on social media under my name as above.
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AirPods Pro 3 Review: Hits and Misses
In showbiz you know you can never please everybody no matter how hard you try. The same is actually true when it comes to any product, including tech. Especially hardware. Especially hardware you stick in your ears. Add that layer and the odds of pleasing everyone decrease substantially, even if you do create a hit.
Apple’s AirPods have generally been perceived as a hit product since their debut even though the first version was made fun of for its initial appearance. Each iteration gained more fans along the way with the AirPods Pro 2 being more than generally regarded as quite a hit.
The AirPods Pro 3 got early overwhelming raves but as more folks have tried them in more ears some of those first blush raves have been joined with more tempered opinions. Apple made a big deal about improvements in both the sound AirPods Pro 3 deliver and also how much testing they did to find the best fit for the most people. In my experience Apple scored a hit when it comes to sound and noise cancelation, but a more of a miss when it comes to fit.
First the hits
I’m a long time AirPods user and have long considered the AirPods one of Apple’s best products. They are not perfect, but they are good products I rely on. That said, I’ve never quite bought in to what I consider the myth about how good Apple’s active noise cancellation is with previous models. It has improved along the way. But to my ears it was never quite as good for me as it was promised and as it was ballyhooed by so many. It was fine and certainly better than not having it when mowing the yard, flying on a plane, or washing the dishes, but not quite as promising as Apple and others described.
That said, in my ears the active noise cancellation for the AirPods Pro 3 takes a substantive leap. The first time I noticed the improvement was in my kitchen. I had been listening to a podcast while washing the dishes. My wife came in to ask me a question. I paused the podcast, answered the question but I didn’t turn the podcast back on as I was finishing up.
I left the AirPods in as I was doing the usual clean up of kitchen counters and my wife came in again to help. We chatted a bit and then I went in the other room. This entire time we had been running our window air conditioner as temperatures had been running warmer than usual for this time of year. As I passed back and forth through the kitchen my wife and I chatted. On one of those trips I noticed that I didn’t hear the sound of the window air conditioner and I asked her if she had turned it off. With her verbal reply that she hadn’t, the sound of the AC returned. Again I was not playing any audio at the moment.
When she finished talking the noise of the air conditioner just stopped. I told her what I was hearing and it returned with my voice. It was literally as if we were using an on/off switch.
This morning as I was mowing the lawn for what I hope is the last time this season, I did some A/B testing between the AirPods Pro 2 and Pro 3 models. There was a decided difference with the lawn mower with the AirPods Pro 3 being much better at muffling the sound of the mower. It didn’t kill it completely, but it did muffle it more.
So in terms of improving noise cancellation I would say Apple certainly set a new mark.
I’m not an audiophile by any stretch of the imagination and I use my AirPods to primarily listen to podcast and audio books much more than I do music and other entertainment. In that A/B testing during my lawn mowing chores and afterwards I’ll say I didn’t notice that much of, if any difference in the audio quality of the podcasts I was listening to, but adding in the better noise cancellation I’d say I heard better over the more muffled mower.
Continuing to listen after my yard work in quieter indoor environs, I was quite pleased with the quality of the sound, but no more so than with the AirPods Pro 2. So, in my listening I’d call it a wash as far as audio quality is concerned.
The Misses
In the two experiences above I was using the AirPods with noise cancellation turned on. Apple’s AirPods feature three different listening modes, Noise Cancellation, Adaptive, and Transparency. Noise Cancellation seeks to cancel outside noise, Transparency lets outside noise in but still focuses the audio you’re listening to, Adaptive is somewhere in between, supposedly adapting to external noise to raise the signal you’re listening in balancing against outside noise as it may come and go.
When I’m walking and listening I’ll use the Adaptive mode to have awareness of what’s around me. I walk on city streets and in city parks and I’ve never felt satisfied with the myth of the Adaptive listening mode. I still don’t with the AirPods 3. When introduced Apple trumpeted “a new listening mode that dynamically blends Transparency mode and Active Noise Cancellation together based on the conditions of a user’s environment to deliver the best experience in the moment.”
In theory, the Adaptive mode should help decrease louder external sounds (leaf blowers, lawn blowers, city buses, etc…) but that’s never really worked well for me in practice. My experience with AirPods Pro 2 was there might or might not be an adjustment. It was always inconsistent, and if there was an adjustment it was quite slow in reacting to external sound, often doing so after a loud vehicle and its noise had passed.
I haven’t really given this much time with the AirPods Pro 3 but in the brief time I have, I’ll say that when there is an adjustment the response seems a bit quicker. But again, it’s inconsistent when that happens. Overall I’d rate this as about the same as the AirPods Pro 2 in that it is not really a feature that works for me.
The biggest miss for me with the AirPods Pro 3 is the fit. But there’s somewhat of a caveat that goes along with that statement. I can’t say I’ve ever been satisfied with the fit of any of the AirPods that I’ve owned. The AirPods Pro 2 came the closest. But even then I’d occasionally have difficulty keeping them in my ears or wearing them too long.
This year Apple worked hard on creating a physical design for this new generation to try and find the best fit for the most ears. The ear tips are foam-infused to create a better seal in the ear, which along with the computational audio contributes to the better noise cancellation I spoke of earlier. That said, these ear-tips constantly remind me of their presence more than the others did and after a while feel uncomfortable.
Apple also included more sizes of ear tips, again aiming for a better fit for more ears. If you run the Acoustic Seal test it can theoretically guide you to the best fit. Here’s an interesting personal tidbit. I have achieved a good seal with both the Medium sized ear tips and the Extra Small sizes, but not the Small. I’m not sure what that means.
I credit Apple with continuing to try and find ways to accommodate customers, but I think Apple’s challenge speaks more to the size and variable anatomy of its potential market than it does to any failure. Certainly ears come in all shapes and sizes. Apple claims it scanned 10,000 ears. I’m betting if it scanned another 10,000 there would still be fit issues for some customers. After all, we’re told since childhood not to stick anything smaller than our elbow in our ears.
Other Features
Apple continues to add and improve Health related features to the AirPods Pro lineup this year adding a custom-built heart rate sensor. Apple has also added Live Translation as a feature that’s currently in beta. For the former I haven’t used the AirPods Pro 3 long enough to test the feature, and I haven’t even attempted the latter.
Summary
All in all, even with some misses, the new AirPods Pro 3 leave me in the same place previous editions have. It’s a very good Apple product that’s not perfect by any means, but it is good enough for me to want to keep using it even if it’s not a perfect fit. As I’ve previously gotten just under two years of good life out of earlier models before I notice battery life degrading, I imagine I’ll be using these for the next two.
You can also find more of my writings on a variety of topics on Medium at this link, including in the publications Ellemeno and Rome. I can also be found on social media under my name as above.
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Sunday Morning Reading
It’s a Sunday and that means it’s time for Sunday Morning Reading. Fall is beginning its march towards Winter, but the chill in the unusually warm Chicago temperatures this weekend aren’t weather related. Some of that is reflected in today’s selections as well as other topics, some that feed the soul, while others fuel the fires.
It’s tough to watch what’s going on in the streets of some of our cities and towns, and there’s no denying what Ian F. Blair points out That The United Police State of America Has Arrived.
Another Ian, this time Ian Dunt, discusses The Politics of Drawing a Moral Line, sketching a parallel between events in Britain and the Ezra Klein interview with Ta-Nehisi Coates. By the way, I encourage you to listen to that interview. It’s not easy, but nothing is these days.
Chicago’s Neil Steinberg comments that Next, Dyeing the River Green Will Be Cast As A Terrorist Act. I don’t think he’s far off.
On the Artificial Intelligence front, what was bound to happen happened when OpenAI released Sora, its tool for creating short movies, or better yet (worse yet?) putting yourself into one. That followed quickly on the heels of the uproar over the creation of Tilly Norwood, an AI actress created out of bits and bytes, and her creator seeking talent agent representation. Hollywood producers and bean counters are thirsting over better bottom lines ahead. Maureen Dowd has an interesting look at When A.I. Came For Hollywood.
Meanwhile one of the tech overlords, Peter Thiel, is obsessed with the antichrist and thinks tech is the only way to keep whatever that is from destroying us all. Laura Bullard takes a look at what’s behind Thiel’s obsession. Don’t be surprised at where Thiel drew some of his inspiration in The Real States, and Real Story, of Peter Thiel’s Antichrist Obsession.
Continuing on the Artificial Intelligence beat, Bullsh*t Warning from John Warner, examines how to think about writing in the age of AI.
Mathew Ingram asks So What’s So Great About Reading Books?
And to wrap things up this week, take a look at Christopher Michael Hefner’s On Letting Go Of The Idea Of The Tortured Artist.
I included the image above from Fotgraf Petrova Olga on Shutterstock of an empty playground because I noticed this week that Chicago’s parks and playgrounds are empty of the laughter and life we usually experience due to ICE activity throughout the city before Winter begins to set in. There’s a different chill in the air this Fall.
If you’re interested in just what the heck Sunday Morning Reading is all about you can read more about the origins of Sunday Morning Reading here. If you’d like more click on the Sunday Morning Reading link in the category column to check out what’s been shared on Sunday’s past. You can also find more of my writings on Medium at this link, including in the publications Ellemeno and Rome.
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Empty Parks In Chicago Thanks to ICE
One of the effects of the ICE occupation in Chicago is seeing empty parks. Parks that used to be filled on beautiful weekend mornings with soccer games, flag football games, families with kids in strollers, folks on bikes, and folks just out for a walk or a beautiful day in the park,.
That’s not the case this Fall in my neighborhood. Which isn’t surprising given what we’re hearing from other neighborhoods.
You can also find more of my writings on a variety of topics on Medium at this link, including in the publications Ellemeno and Rome. I can also be found on social media under my name as above.
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Apple Ices Ice Tracking App
Apple gave itself another public relations black eye last night by agreeing with U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi and pulling the ICEBlock app from the App Store. 404 Media has more on the story here.
ICEBlock has proven to be a popular, and much needed app in these days when ICE agents are working to fulfill Donald’s Trump mass deportation fantasies with too large of the population cheering him on. It allows users to pinpoint ICE activity on the app for others to see and possibly avoid the area and take precautions.
The developers of ICEBlock are saying they will fight the expulsion, sharing the following email from Apple with 404 Media:
Hello,
We are writing to let you know about new information regarding the latest approved version of your app, which could impact its availability on the App Store.
Upon re-evaluation, we found that your app is not in compliance with the App Review Guidelines. Specifically, we found your app is in violation of the following:
1.1 Objectionable Content
Apps should not include content that is offensive, insensitive, upsetting, intended to disgust, in exceptionally poor taste, or just plain creepy. Examples of such content include:1.1.1 Defamatory, discriminatory, or mean-spirited content, including references or commentary about religion, race, sexual orientation, gender, national/ethnic origin, or other targeted groups, particularly if the app is likely to humiliate, intimidate, or harm a targeted individual or group. Professional political satirists and humorists are generally exempt from this requirement.
Information provided to Apple by law enforcement shows that your app violates Guideline 1.1.1 because its purpose is to provide location information about law enforcement officers that can be used to harm such officers individually or as a group.
For this reason, your app will be removed from the App Store. Customers who have previously downloaded this app will continue to have access to it on their devices, but they will be unable to re-download this app from the App Store or restore this app from a backup if they delete it from their device. Additionally, customers will be unable to purchase in-app purchase products and any auto-renewable subscriptions will be canceled. The TestFlight version of this app will also be unavailable for external and internal testing and all public TestFlight links will no longer be functional.
Best regards,
App ReviewIn a statement to CNBC Apple said:
We created the App Store to be a safe and trusted place to discover apps. Based on information we’ve received from law enforcement about the safety risks associated with ICEBlock, we have removed it and similar apps from the App Store.
Apple has in the past pulled other apps from App Stores after government pressure from other countries, always stating that they have to follow the laws of the countries that they operate within. To my knowledge this is the first time this has happened in the U.S.
Apple and its CEO Tim Cook remain under intense scrutiny for blatantly undisguised subservience to the Trump administration on a number of fronts to avoid tariffs and other threats wielded against the company. But they are not bending their knees alone. AG Bondi pointed out other apps available on Google’s App Store that provide similar services saying “Your move, Google.”
Let’s face it. Both Apple and Google, as well as other big tech and media companies, have proven to be easy (too easy) marks for this criminal regime’s bully boys and girls. Their capitulation has taken the wind out of any progressive sails that these companies previously used to cultivate and build brand loyalty, creating new legacies that will last longer than any zig-zagging line on a profit-loss chart. This latest capitulation certainly continues to put a chill on any good will sympathies users have for these companies and their products.
That said, Apple and Google know well their dominance of the mobile operating system market leaves the vast majority of consumers with little choice in this topsy-turvy new world bound by the inertia of every day life as much as gravity. Certainly there are other options out there, but the number of users willing to jump through the hoops to get away from this capitulating corporate behavior is small, and at the moment I dare say insignificant. That will remain the case because there certainly doesn’t appear to be an opportunity for alternative mobile operating systems to surface, capture attention, and take hold, given the current environment.
Chilling times indeed.
You can also find more of my writings on a variety of topics on Medium at this link, including in the publications Ellemeno and Rome. I can also be found on social media under my name as above.
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Hollywood Stars Relaunch The Committee For The First Amendment
In the tumult that is the debate over freedom of speech and the First Amendment, a large group of Hollywood celebrities, led in this effort by Jane Fonda, have relaunched The Committee for the First Amendment. I’m glad to see it.
First created during the McCarthy ‘Red Scare’ era after government repression of American citizens for their political beliefs, the original Committee for the First Amendment was also a group of Hollywood actors, producers, directors, writers and more attempting to fight the repression led by Joe McCarthy’s efforts to purge communists from all walks of life. That repression led to black lists, the end of careers, and a black stain on the freedoms American’s cherish. Sadly, we’re back there again.
Some in today’s world of complicit media like to call this current mess a debate over freedom of speech. That’s bullshit in my opinion. There’s no debate in the attempts to label what speech, what entertainment, what ideas are allowed or not, certainly to when you have many Hollywood and media executives willing to bend the knee to the fascist regime we now have in place.
Here’s an excerpt from the webpage:
The federal government is once again engaged in a coordinated campaign to silence critics in the government, the media, the judiciary, academia, and the entertainment industry.
We refuse to stand by and let that happen. Free speech and free expression are the inalienable rights of every American of all backgrounds and political beliefs – no matter how liberal or conservative you may be. The ability to criticize, question, protest, and even mock those in power is foundational to what America has always aspired to be.
We understand that this is a frightening and confusing moment for many people. We recognize that we represent just one group of many who are under threat right now. Across classrooms, libraries, factories, companies and workplaces of all kinds, Americans of every walk of life are facing intimidation and censorship too — and we stand with them.
We know there is power in solidarity and strength in numbers. We will stand together—fiercely united—to defend free speech and expression from this assault. This is not a partisan issue. That is why we urge every American who cares about the First Amendment—the cornerstone of our democracy—and every artist around the globe who looks to the United States as a beacon of freedom to join us.
The list of those signing on is long. Here’s hoping we see more join in for what appears at the moment to be a long fight. And not just from Hollywood. It’s going to take this kind of action in all sectors of our society.
You can also find more of my writings on a variety of topics on Medium at this link, including in the publications Ellemeno and Rome. I can also be found on social media under my name as above.
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Life on the Wicked Stage: Act 3
Musings on life, the theatre, technology, culture and the occasional emu sighting
Life on the Wicked Stage: Act 3 