News
They Fixed It!
HaHaHa…. I wrote earlier this month about Apple swapping the colors on the Finder icon in the beta for the next macOS. See here Robinette - Finder for reference.
In the most recent beta version for macOS, they switched it back. MacRumors - Finder
The Fediverse
I have gotten asked what exactly Mastodon is and I always give the very simple answer of “it’s like the old Twitter but not owned by any one company”. For most the answer is fine and the questioner goes on about their day. A few ask for more details and that is where I run into trouble, trying to explain the Fediverse in more detail can be hard for someone who has only ever use social media from the big tech companies like Meta. Recently, someone I follow on Mastodon, Elena Rossini made a video that perfectly sums up exactly what the Fediverse is and why someone should consider using it instead of Facebook, Instagram, Twitter/X, etc. Take a look and see if it might be right for you, like it is for me.
Adobe and their latest trickery.
So, like many large tech companies, Adobe has been adding on various artificial intelligence features across most of their applications. Many of them are quite useful, such as the photo cleanup tools added to Photoshop, as well as the auto generation background for InDesign. I don’t begrudge any company for wanting to continue to make profits from the software services they provide. However, Adobe is doing something that is down right scummy. If you subscribe to their Creative Cloud plan choice, you will be automatically enrolled into their higher priced Creative Cloud Pro plan, this new plan is $120 more a year when billed yearly. Again, I have no problem with the addition of a “Pro” tier plan option, if you have a use and find value in the options available there, then that is the plan for you. My problem is Adobe not notifying the plan switch in any way or at least I can not find any notification with my account. There will be 1,000’s (100’s of thousands?) of accounts that get upgraded and those users may not even know. Users have the option to resume their non “Pro” plan but you have to log in to your account page at adobe.com and manually switch to the now Creative Cloud Standard plan.
I am a Graphics Manager for a small printing company and have use Adobe applications going on 35 years, hell I was even a beta tester for InDesign. My biggest complaint with Adobe is their lack of an à la carte choice for those users who don’t need all 20+ applications that are part of the Creative Cloud plans. I really only ever use the four Acrobat, InDesign, Illustrator, and Photoshop in our production workflows and have absolutely no need for the Audio and Video applications, as nice as they may be. Now they have given me a new complaint and this is pretty scummy on their part.
Adobe is switching some Creative Cloud users to a pricier AI plan article at The Verge has more details.
Finder
Watched the Apple Keynote for this years WWDC and something struck me as odd looking at the screens of the new macOS… the Finder icon seemed off. Yep turns out they reversed the colors on the icon and my brain just keeps saying nope. This is a beta and I hope they uh, reverse course and switch it back to the correct way.
Also the text in the About windows needs to be centered not left justified.
Norm!
Of all the characters on Cheers, Norm was by far my favorite and George Wendt’s portrayal was comedy gold. Incredible talent and loved by his peers, sad to read of his passing.
President Jimmy Carter
I don’t believe there has been any President who did more good with their life than Jimmy Carter.
We Are Not the Jetsons Yet
It is an inevitability that there will come a day when all cars or at least a majority will be autonomously driven. That day is NOT today and to be honest, I hope it’s not in my lifetime. As amazing as the technology is, please do not reply upon it, keep alert and undistracted when behind the wheel. This post is not a political post per se, even though I believe Elon Musk is a con man and has gained his notority on the backs of many talented people. This video is a Wall Street Report on why Tesla’s Autonomous system in particular is not to be trusted and that Tesla as a company is also not to be trusted.
The biggest problem with these systems is they give a false since of security and lull you into thinking that you (and those around you) are being transported safely.
New Clue
Did anyone else realize that Hasbro reshuffled the Suspects in the board game Clue? The originals were: Mrs. White, Mr. Green, Mrs. Peacock, Professor Plum, Mrs. Scarlett, and Colonel Mustard Now we have a Miss Scarlett, Colonel Mustard, Professor Plum, “Mayor” Green, “Chef” White, and “Solicitor” Peacock
I am not sure how I feel about this.
Do Not Trust Elon Musk
This is NOT a Republican or Democrat thing. This is a creepy scummy and abusive thing. Do not trust your data or personal information with anything Musk is in control of. Which is a shame because I believe Twitter was an amazing news tool, I think Tesla as a car is great, and there is no denying the incredible contributions SpaceX has given to space travel.