Phillip Winn @pwinn@social.cleverlibre.org

This showed up on Hacker News today, and was soundly panned as well as flagged. Which shouldn’t surprise me, I guess.

12 Things to do Instead of Calling the Cops

https://theanarchistlibrary.org/library/may-day-collective-solidarity-defense-12-things-to-do-instead-of-calling-the-cops

Most of this seems like good advice, although the HN comments point out that 1500 women are killed by domestic partners every year, so the last point might seem too passive in light of that.

I once stood outside my apartment and asked an upstairs neighbor if she needed help, rather than call the cops, and it took me longer than I wish to admit to work up the nerve to even go outside. I didn’t want her to face her ex alone, but I didn’t want to bring armed police into the situation, either. Seeing me seemed to calm the guy down quickly, and he left immediately. Realizing there was a witness, I thought at the time, although now I wonder if he was thinking the same way I was: I could call the cops, and they might shoot him first and ask questions later.

#acab #blog

Apple may be allowing alternate app stores soon, at least in Europe, at the point of a metaphorical gun, but I assume they’ll do in their Apple way, meaning it won’t be easy, and it will likely still require every app to be signed by Apple at some point, like MacOS apps mostly are now.

I’m all in favor of more openness and flexibility on my devices, especially when there are guardrails and protections I have to explicitly choose to turn off. I hope that iOS allows alternative browser engines, app stores, and everything else, but that none of it is turned on by default.

That said, I'm already tired of a few arguments I see online.

It seems clear that some companies are going to push for their apps to only be available outside of the App Store. But no, people say, Android has allowed side-loading since the beginning, and that hasn't happened there! Two things: First, yes it has, Epic's Fortnite is the most notable example. Second, Google hasn't impacted Facebook's advertising to the tune of $12.8 Billion in 2022 alone. Facebook is highly motivated to get around the iOS prompt allowing people to block Facebook's highly-invasive tracking, and if side-loading will do that, it is probably worth it to them to insist on side-loading.

Of course, I don't think even side-loaded apps will be able to avoid the "do not track" prompt, so it is quite likely Epic will be alone in insisting that they should be installed in a back alley, but the argument that it won't happen because it hasn't happened is hogwash.

The other argument that has been bothering me is that "Safari doesn't support web apps," so allowing alternative browser engines will mean an explosion of web apps replacing mobile apps in the App Store anyway. I have a few issues with this one. First, Safari does support web apps, and web apps that work in Safari do exist. Some features and APIs aren't supported, though, which is really what they mean. Second, a number of companies have gone the web app route in the past and found that there was no way to get a web app to match the experience of a native app, so the've switched back. You might say that's because of Safari limitations, but thirdly, if web apps are set to supplant native apps, why aren't they doing so on Android, where browser engines presumably are not the limiting factor?

But Starbucks, you say! Yes, Starbucks has both a native app and a web app, and the web app seems to work fine in Safari. It requires iOS users to choose to "Add to Home Screen" rather than auto-installing, but I prefer that approach, personally.

But Flipboard, you say! Again, this seems to work fine on iOS after manual installation, although I note that it prompts at least once per session to install/open the native app instead.

The point remains: if web apps are where they should be--which I doubt--then why haven't they taken over the Android world yet? If we're still in the early days of web apps, then there's no rush for iOS to trip over the bumps in the road until things are more stable.

Technologists are incurable optimists, myself included. It's easy for us to see things as they could be, rather than as they are. That's how new things are created! But there's a fine line between envisioning a future we can make together, and denying reality. I look forward to a future in which open NFC, browser engines, and alternative app stores are options in iOS, but I don't think it's going to be the panacea some are expecting.

#nerdery #blog #apple #ios

One of my all-time favorite Tiny Desk Concerts is the amazing and wonderful Lizzo. Top five, for sure.

Side note, what life choices have led to me (1) having a top five list of NPR Tiny Desk Concerts, and (2) knowing what they are?

Point is, Lizzo is a simply fantastic human being, and her energy and talent and personality are all right here. Plus, the flute!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DFiLdByWIDY

She was also featured on Dave Letterman’s “My Next Guess Needs No Introduction,” and she rocked that too.

#lizzo #TinyDeskConcert #MusicVideo

It’s a cover of a mashup of a cover! It’s Pomplamoose covering the Pentatonix mashup of a Daft Punk cover, and as always, while Daft Punk uses editing to get the frenetic vocals, Nataly sings it all. Just amazing stuff.

Point of trivia: Jack, the heavily-bearded fellow on keyboards, is Nataly’s husband and co-founder of Patreon.com.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TXgF1LyUA3I

#pomplamoose #DaftPunk #Pentatonix #MusicVideo

It is surprisingly hard to buy a car right now. At least for me, it’s hard to buy a 2023 Chevrolet Bolt EUV Premier with sunroof. Been talking to four different dealers for more than a week, and today declined a “new” car that had been at the Texas State Fair, with 557 miles to show for it, in favor of one that isn’t a color I wanted but will be delivered Saturday.

Driving a car in a color I didn’t want should build character, right? More than waiting until March?

#blog #personal

This is not a commercial for Dave’s Hot Chicken! I have been enjoying their sandwiches and decor, is all.

#corporateArt #photography

I finally put up the holiday tree on Saturday, so it's starting to seem a bit more like the holiday season.

Not too much, just a bit.

The artificial tree is pre-trimmed with lights and even artificial pine cones and berries, and it looks so good just out of the box that all we've added to it is the traditional star on top. We have traditionally bought one new ornament each every year, and we'll do that again this year, but those will likely be the only four ornaments on the tree, other than the topper.

I don't think there's any "right way" to celebrate holidays, although I suppose there are plenty of wrong ways. Don't be hateful, be kind. Be gracious to others, and accept with gratitude when others are gracious to you. Be gracious to yourself. Beyond that, you can light candles or cut down a tree or pull a tabletop artificial mini-tree out of a box, and decorate your living space however you wish, and if it works for you, I think that's all that matters.

Whether you mark Christmas or Hanukkah or Festivus or some other event this time of year, I hope you can take a moment to be grateful for having survived another year on this planet.

#blog #christmas #holidays

Wow! https://www.apple.com/newsroom/2022/12/apple-advances-user-security-with-powerful-new-data-protections/

iMessage Contact Key Verification brings over a feature from Signal, and will still require *some* measure of trust in Apple, but seems like like a step forward. Given Apple, I’m sure most of the time people will use the prompt to learn when their family and friends upgrade their iPhone.

Security Keys sound great, and I want one now. Wait, they’re only $29 from Yubico? Wow!

End-to-End Encryption for iCloud Backup is huge, and while I want to say “about time,” the second-best time to plant a tree is today, so I’m glad it’s here now.

#nerdery #blog #apple #security