Hahaha, I remember these!
My mom? A PC person.
My dad? A Mac person.
I remember going to his office on campus and he’d have one or two of those original iMac computers (the ones with the big backs and transparent color cases) in there for his grad students to use. He also had one at his condo and we had a tangerine iBook clamshell.
Lotsa Mac, is what I’m saying.
Back in…junior high?…he gave me one of the old iMacs and I would set up a little cushion fort in the living room around the coffee table (where the iMac was) and just play and type and do random stuff on that computer.
One of the things I’d do was play with the MacInTalk voices because they were fun and I was 12.
Anyone else remember these?
That “Hey you! Yeah, you! Who do you think I’m talking to, the mouse?” whispered phrase still lives in my head today.
The Digital Age
So I made my first attempt at digital art today. Behold: Pepper in neon!
(Yes, I know it sucks.)
Drawing in Procreate is very different than drawing by hand. I’m sure I could adjust the brush settings to be much more like drawing with a real pencil, but I didn’t want to mess around too much this first time.
Whatcha think?
AIRPODS TO THE MAX
A few days ago, an AirPods Max review video showed up in my vids on YouTube. So I watched it. This, of course, caused similar review videos to be recommended, so I watched those well.
And I guess I am easily persuaded, because I totally want an AirPods Max now, haha.
Let’s be clear: I am a Sennheiser girlie. I love my Senns. But the only problem with them is that they are not portable. They require an amp and that requires a USB connection to my compy to work. They’re exclusively for use at my desk at home.
But apparently the sound quality of the AirPods Max is really, really good. And they’re wireless and thus portable (though the case apparently looks like a bra?).
Also, noise cancellation. It would be nice to have a really good pair of noise cancelling headphones (I say as my poor Bose QuietComforts sit sadly on my old computer desk, collecting dust and sadness).
Also also, given how much I like my AirPods, I suspect I’d probably really like these as well.
But they are expensive ($780 up here).
And I wouldn’t know if I’d like that weird green they’ve got unless I saw it in person (which I guess I could do – Market Mall has an Apple Store).
And they’re old enough that there are rumors that a second gen might be coming out soon, possibly with more colors (PURPLE?!?!?!?!?), so it may be worth waiting.
I dunno. Maybe I’ll wait until my mom comes up here and we can go have a fun little adventure to the Apple Store and try on headphones together.
WOO!
More Colorware Stuff
Just testing out a few ideas for some colored AirPods (my present to myself if I get tenure).
Any thoughts?
So apparently this isn’t a super new iPhone feature…
…but I just discovered it today!
You can do animated stickers, too.
That’s…that’s pretty cool. Now I can spam my mom with even more Pepper pics, haha.
iPad Time!
Guys, I finally got an iPad!
Here is my swag bag:
I got an iPad Air (in purple), a Magic Keyboard, and an Apple Pencil.
Here it is all set up:
I’m super excited! This will be good for meetings and for helping students if I ever do those Engineering Calculus courses again.
Plus, it’s cool.
Woo!
BOOSHATHON
If I get tenure next year, I think I’m going to get myself a Coloware item as a celebration present.
AirPods Pro, maybe.
It’d be hard to pick the colors, haha. I might have to get some of their sample colors to see what they really look like in person.
iPad?
So I’m looking to get an iPad. I have an iPad, but it’s an old boy. Like…iPad 2 old (which was discontinued in 2014 just to give you an idea of age). He’s so old that YouTube won’t even work on him anymore because the app requires a software update in order to run and…well…2014.
I’d also like to get an Apple Pencil because DEAR GOD anytime I see a video of someone tippy-tapping with one it’s so wonderfully satisfying that I want to tippy-tappy as well.
I’m thinking an iPad Air. In purple. With Apple Pencil and a Magic Keyboard for typing.
What the hell, let’s go all out.
DankPods
I found this guy a while back and he’s great. This is one of his best ones.
Calling the manual “Manuel” and screaming about that giant AirPod speaker were fantastic.
AirPods for Me!
So when I got my phone the other day, I also decided to spring for some AirPods.
Because why not.
And dudes, they are GLORIOUS.
I didn’t think I really needed them, because a) I like my cheap-o Koss headphones well enough for outside music time, and b) I have the Bose and FREAKING SENNHEISER headphones for inside music time.
But I do like to talk to my mom sometimes when I’m out walking, and fiddling with the old wired Apple headphones was getting obnoxious (and mine are REALLY old, so they aren’t in the best shape).
So I got these.
And I love them!
They’re way more comfortable than the wired ones, infinitely more convenient, and have pretty great sound. Plus, I got mine a little silicone case, which had to be red to match my new phone.
Woo!
Well, I got a new phone
I went to Market Mall this afternoon to pick up my snazzy new phone: an iPhone 13 mini! I originally wanted an iPhone 12 mini because I wanted that beautiful lavender color, but I got the (PRODUCT)RED color of the 13 mini and I’m digging it.
I can’t take a picture of it because the only thing I own that takes pictures is my new phone, haha, so have a pic from the Apple website:
Yay!
Well, my phone’s dead
It had to happen sooner or later.
My phone, an iPhone 8, has been through it. I’ve taken it on hundreds of walks and runs, many of which have been in very cold temperatures. Because of this (most likely), I’ve had some battery issues off and on, including days where my phone would go from 100% charged to 20% charged without me even using it.
Tonight, though, it finally crapped its last crap and died completely on me. The screen is completely dead. It will turn on, but the screen is black.
I was going to wait until the new year to get a new phone, but I guess this kind of forces the issue, haha. Luckily, I was able to order a phone online through apple.ca and get it delivered to the Apple Store at Market Mall. It will be available for pickup tomorrow afternoon, which is pretty freaking cool!
Now I just have to wait.
Edit: It’s so hard not to be able to call or text my mom, even for such a short period of time, haha.
iThings?!?
Do I need one? No. Not right now. But I know I’ll need one at some point, once my current one’s battery bites it due to too many walks in freezing cold weather. I was worried that Apple would discontinue their iPods due to the fact that their phones do everything that the iPods do and more. But as this article points out, iPods are good for the demographic that can’t afford the phones and/or don’t want to deal with smart phones but still want a music player that can connect to wifi.
So yay! I’m glad there’s at least one more iteration.
ZOMG IPHONE
DUDE, the new iPhone is the best ever and I want it.
Elaboration:
I’ve wanted an iPhone for quite some time now, as you all know. However, I haven’t really enjoyed the trend of them getting larger with each new model. Like, by the time we get to the iPhone 10, it’s going to be the size of a surfboard at this rate.
BUT.
The iPhone SE is awesome. Why?
1. It’s tiny. Well, not tiny, but smaller than the iPhone 6 monstrosities.
2. It’s shaped like the iPhone 4. I LOVE THE SHAPE OF THE IPHONE 4.
3. It’s way more up to date software-wise than my iPod. Which is a pretty easy thing to be, considering my iPod is from 2012 and the software stopped updating like a year and a half ago. Yeah.
I want it. But the company I’m planning on using once I finally upgrade to a smartphone doesn’t have iPhones as options. And the phone itself, without a plan, is $700.
So that’s not happening, unfortunately.
Fitbit vs. iTreadmill
Yo, people! So as I mentioned on “Fake Christmas” day, My dad got me a Fitbit ‘cause he knows I’m obsessive about tracking stuff (also I think he got one for himself, too, ‘cause he used to have a Nike one awhile back that’s probably dead by now).
Anyway, I decided to go for a walk today and compare what Fitbit said to what my iTreadmill app said.
So here we go!
Mileage
iTreadmill: 11.00
Fitbit: 11.01
Steps
iTreadmill: 24,240
Fitbit: 23,473
Time
iTreadmill: 175 minutes
Fitbit: 207 minutes
Calories Burned
iTreadmill: 702
Fitbit: 2,420
The mileage and steps aren’t too different from one another, which is surprising, ‘cause I can’t calibrate Fitbit to my stride (but I’ve done so for the iTreadmill app). The time for the Fitbit is longer because it doesn’t shut off when I stop moving. The iTreadmill app does (which I kind of like better, ‘cause then I know how much time I actually spent moving rather than just standing at intersections, in line at the grocery store, etc.). The calories are the biggest difference, but that’s because the Fitbit tracks “resting” calories burned as well, so the 2,420 is what it thinks I’d burned up until the walk, and then on the walk itself (I don’t think I burn nearly that many calories in a day. My body doesn’t manufacture it’s own heat, dude).
But the best part about the Fitbit is that it tracks your heartrate, which is something the iTreadmill can’t do. So if I’m not going to use it as my “official” tracker for steps/mileage, I can at least use it to track my heartrate.
YAY!
Glitchin’
WELL WE BROKE THE iPAD CALENDAR AGAIN.
We went far enough back in time that Apple forgot how the year worked.
Where’s April and May, Apple? Where’s April and May? And why does February have 31 days?
In this blog: Claudia doesn’t know how to sleep properly
So I’ve been looking at my sleep graphs from that Sleep Cycle Smart Alarm app that I’ve been using. In particular, I’ve been finding pictures of the graphs of other people and seeing if they look anything like mine.
They really don’t.
Here are graphs representative of many of the ones I saw online:
Sources, in order, are here, here, here, and here.
And here are several typical ones for me:
Dafuq?
I don’t know if it’s just because I don’t sleep for very long or what, but I don’t do the whole “multiple sleep cycles” thing at night and just kind of have two or three ups and downs. Or maybe that’s why I don’t have to sleep as long as most people. I have super long REM parties rather than short ones, so I don’t need as long of a night’s sleep.
Who knows.
Haha, that September 19-20 night of mine is wild.
Sign
The only thing I really know in ASL, apart from about 5 signs, is the alphabet. This app is a cool way to practice recognizing the letter signs in a QWERTY layout, even if you don’t need to send any sign language messages. It’s also got a few word signs as well.
I’d really like to learn ASL to the point where I could have a conversation with someone using it (at least, a conversation in which I wouldn’t have to look ridiculous spelling out every single word). I CAN spell relatively quickly, though; I think that comes from the fact that when I’m walking and listening to music, I like to try and sign the first letter of every word in the song as it plays.
Because what else am I supposed to be doing with my hands when I’m walking?
In This Blog: Nate and I Break the iPad Calendar
Things we didn’t know until we played with the calendar app on my iPad:
- There is no upper limit on this thing. It will go until you get a blister on your scrolling finger.
- It will also go pretty far into the past.
- Once you get past 1 A.D., you go into B.C. mode, in which the months are all shifted and December doesn’t exist. (That’s 810 B.C. in the picture)
- B.C. Leibniz was born on a Sunday.
New idea for a webcomic: a comic about the European Enlightenment, had it occurred in B.C. times rather than A.D. times. There’s a priority dispute between B.C. Newton and B.C. Leibniz over who discovered fire.
It’s a good thing I can’t draw, or this would totally happen.
iWant
WELL, CRAP.
Guess how much a new iPhone 4 costs on Amazon nowadays?
For the 32 GB version, about $150.
That’s SUPER CHEAP, yo.
And it doesn’t make it any easier for me to try and avoid getting an iPhone.
I mean, I really don’t need one. I only ever text as far as phone-related communication goes, and I can do that with my current phone just fine. And me + constant access to the internet would be a bad thing for pretty much everyone in the world. So really…I don’t need one.
But they’re pretty.
Damn you, Apple.
(Notice I’m looking up iPhones instead of studying. That’s because I’m pretty sure I’m at the point where any further studying would just be futile.)
Apple! Y U no good at business anymore?
ALRIGHT, ITUNES, WHAT IS THIS NONSENSE.
Apparently, iTunes has stopped offering its weekly free song. I know they’ve been doing that since at least 2006, but now they’ve just decided to stop.
What the hell?
Is it just me, or is that a super dumb move? I can, off the top of my head, name at least ten artists that have gotten a lot of good publicity by having a free song of theirs offered on iTunes. Remember when Sleepyhead was the freebie of the week? I can still remember the exact date I downloaded that song because it was such a good one. And I don’t know about other people, but I know that for me and for quite a few of my friends, that was our first exposure to Passion Pit and we’ve all become pretty big Passion Pit fans since.
I echo the Apple forum poster quoted in this article: “… the free single each week got me to the Store and I usually bought a few songs. Now, there’s less reason to go.”
I pretty much always wound up buying another song or two once I got my freebie, just because I was in the iTunes store and always ended up browsing the music. I can still browse now, of course, but that tantalizing allure of the freebie is gone and I probably won’t end up buying as much as I used to*.
This hurts my music soul. I have gotten some damn good songs from the iTunes weekly freebie thing:
- Lights and Music
- Shake It
- Symphonies
- Chocolate
- Fireflies
- Buildings and Mountains
- Night Like This
- I’m going to mention Sleepyhead again, ‘cause that song was my #1 most played for like five years straight.
Good move, iTunes. Good move.
*Okay, that’s a lie; I need to be able to complete my Decade of Music project, after all. So let’s just say I’ll be less motivated to browse and more likely to buy songs I’ve already heard elsewhere, like on YouTube and such.
You Too?
Why is everyone bitching about the free iTunes U2 album?
It’s FREE MUSIC, PEOPLE.
And if you don’t like it, it takes like 3 seconds to delete it.
Anyway.
I myself am not a huge U2 fan. I don’t dislike them, they just aren’t really my type of music. However, I really do like California (There Is No End to Love) from the free album. Can’t find it on YouTube so I can’t link it, but if you have iTunes and still have the album, check it out!
Random iPod things
I guess it’s one of those days where it’s snowing upside down.
LOL LONGEST WALK EVER I’MMA GO EAT A CAKE!
(This is what happens when I just barely start my walk to the bus and my iPod battery bites it ‘cause I hadn’t charged it in forever.)
Yes, I took that picture on the 26th, not on the day I’m talking about it in my blog. Deal with it.
Anyway.
Matt, these shoes reminded me of you, so I thought I should bring them to your attention.
That’s all for today.
No, Cloud, NO!
Dammit iTunes, stop screwing with my music! I have a delicate balance of lists and playlists and playcounts and I do not appreciate your “here’s a bunch of stuff you downloaded but deleted but here it is again in case you really weren’t serious about deleting it” crap that version 11.0 introduces. Now my master and 2012 playlists are all screwed up. It’s a good thing I keep backup lists of everything.
[rant complete]
iBlog
Woohoo, I finally have money! That means only one thing: new iPod!
My new sleek white iPod Touch is 32 GB in size, which means it’ll probably last me about two more years until it’s completely full, haha. Hopefully it’ll last longer than that; my “download a new song a day” thing is bringing in about 2.3 GB of music a year. Add random videos and such that I dig up and add to my iTunes library and hopefully we’ll still be okay for a bit.
OH, and check out this badass case:
How freaking cute is that? I love it.
Eigenblogger 