Welcome to my personal blog — JAS🙂N
gen.x • geek • husband • dad • believer
From the sudden increase in high prices for technology, thanks to AI, to the push of storage-consuming LL models, thanks to AI, and with the general over-hype and fear-mongering of AI companies, there’s never been a better time to NOT upgrade your tech devices. People are holding off and pushing back, voting with their dollars. I’m glad that my 128GB iPad with 6GB RAM can’t receive Apple Intelligence.
Do not want AI.
On my iPhone and iPad, I tried the new Liquid Glass fully clear mode for a week. Then I tried fully tinted, and it’s been over a week. As much as I like the cool effect of the clear glass, I don’t miss the obscure text it causes. And I really like how easy it is to see fully-tinted buttons floating over content. I now even wish those buttons could be custom tinted with a color, like the app icons, to make them stand out more. Maybe I’ll try the default middle setting — half-glass and half-tinted. Clear glass looks good, but tinted glass works better.
Lately I’ve been enjoying the iPad as my main device (again); it’s working like a charm. Yet it’s oh-so-easy to think about the next upgrade — MOAR IPAD! Safely assuming that I’ll stay within the Apple-verse: will I wait for the next base iPad? Will I instead switch back to a MacBook? Will I use both?? Or will I simply stick with what I’ve got (until it’s no longer working well for me)?
Earlier this week, after many months of being shelved, I set up my 32” curved gaming display in my man-cave closet. Then I took my Switch OLED out of a storage bin and connected it. Next, paired up my bluetooth speaker and controller. After a long while recharging and updating the console, I had to pick one of my unfinished games to play. So now I’m back into Tears of the Kingdom. I’d only completed about half the story; already I’ve found new places in Hyrule! Fun times.
Good news — I finally have a scheduled surgery date on the calendar. It’s official. After switching gears last week from a traditional hospital to a surgery center, things have been clicking along steadily. I’ve been surprised by the quick and easy steps down this new path. Now I just have to…wait again. No worries. It’ll all be over soon. Right?
There’s been some chatter on the webs that the next base iPad update could adopt the new “Neo” branding like the MacBook released earlier this year. But that’s folly. Spec bumps do not a Neo make; they’re nothing new. The MacBook Neo created a whole new class or tier of MacBook; the next base iPad is rumored to be…wait for it…a base iPad. I’ll explain and toss in fun speculation.
I’ve been seeking medical help for the past two months. This week, things suddenly took a big turn. I finally saw the surgeon early last week; he agreed to fix me up. But the local hospital would not cooperate with me financially. Then I discovered a simpler path that looks promising — a bottle of liquor, a serrated knife, and…uh, yeah, totally kidding on that last part.
At the start of August, after watching, waiting, and resisting, I dutifully started to seek medical help for my condition. Naturally, I was ready to be done as soon as possible. Not so fast! I had to wait. Six weeks. There were necessary appointments in the meantime. Then, a few days ago, I finally saw the surgeon. More progress, but not done yet.
After using iOS 27 and iPadOS 27 for a few days, I can easily say that, indeed, everything runs snappier and smoother (especially on the A16 iPad sporting only 6GB RAM). The liquid glass is noticeably far more fluid as it morphs around and animates dynamically — no more slight hesitation, glitches, or flickers. It’s delightful.
That’s how things are working. As for how things are looking, the glass is even more clear and glassy, which I’ve set to max-clear for a week. Then I’ll try max-frosted for a week and see where I end up afterward. I suspect it might be at the default middle. And…sidebars are edge-to-edge again. Nice!
I’m thankful that Apple put the polishing cloth on every part of the system; it really shines now.
Last week I avoided the annual Apple advernouncement with its newest iPhones and related gadgets. But I did skim Apple’s website and caught a bit of news to glean the highlights. Of course, the big focus is on the iPhone Duo, a new hybrid smartphone/tablet…okay, a folding phone. Yes it’s cool, yes it’s expensive, but what else?
It was time to tinker. This summer I went rogue; the analog bug bit me hard; pen and paper took over. Later, some digital came back online for me — using Google stuff. Now, like a well worn comfy glove, Apple has revitalized my tech stack (my wife is very glad I’m using FindMy on iPhone again). My PC laptop is still in the mix when needed as a supplement. Otherwise, I’m leaning back into the iPad. Combined with my iPhone and AirPods, I’m rediscovering this setup to be the better tech stack. But…how long will it last?
My friend dropped episode two for his new podcast, Nintendo Game Chat. It’s a good one; lots of info in a short time.
I agree; the Ocarina of Time remake looks amazing! The fully-free 3D camera, total jump control, and the lush, atmospheric, detailed environments look outstanding. While it’s faithful to the original game world, it looks (and maybe feels) like a whole new game at the same time. Also: traditional dungeons!
Makes me want to buy a Switch 2.
Last night’s sunset and some rain.
I got to visit with my brother who was in town from overseas during the holiday weekend. Dropped him off at the airport, about six minutes from my in-laws’ house where we were visiting. So when my brother’s jet flew over the house, I got video and snapped some still shots! He safely landed at his destination, thanks be to God.
The four entry types of the Bullet Journal method — thoughts, actions, moods, events — each correspond to an “app for that” on iPhone: Apple Notes, Reminders, Journal, and Calendar.
Respecting readers’ or listeners’ time is a good thing, right? Keep it short, simple, and to the point. That’s the idea behind a new podcast just launched, Nintendo Game Chat. Releasing new episodes weekly, it aims to share news and info about Nintendo, focusing on its games, and keeping it all under thirty minutes.
The first episode is now out on your podcast player of choice. I’m trying it on Pocket Casts. So far, I like it. It’s a project by one guy, Brandon McMullen, who happens to also be a blogging friend of mine (okay, so I may be a little biased here). But as objectively as I can muster, I’m impressed with the good audio quality. And I appreciate the brief yet informative highlights with a little bit more depth on one or two items. There are also fun predictions; you can hear the genuine passion for Nintendo gaming.
If you value your time and enjoy Nintendo gaming, check out Nintendo Game Chat.
On August 1st, I stashed my AirPods Pro 2 and JBL Tune wireless over-earphones in a drawer. I challenged myself to only use my $12 wired Panasonic buds for a week. I ended up easily going a whole month. Today, I happened to forget to bring them to my job for the day. So I considered grabbing another $10 pair at the store during lunch. Then I noticed Best Buy has wireless buds on a Labor Day sale at surprisingly low prices. Should I grab a pair? Then I remembered I already own some of the best there are. So after returning home from work today, I dug out my AirPods Pro 2 and bluetoothed them with my Moto Razr.
