Got into a nice Twitter discussion this morning about screen shot technique. Make your way through the responses for some solid tips.

The linked Tidbits article (from 2015 but still fresh) covers two important points: How to disable drop shadows for all screen shots as well as a really nice technique to add a border to a screenshot. Good stuff, worth a look.

UPDATE: This Useful Mac post is a great article that offers a bit more detail on screen shooting. Includes this super helpful hint when using ⌘⇧4 to take your screenshot. Press the spacebar to take a screenshot of a specific window, then hold option before clicking a window to eliminate the drop-shadow. [H/T Mark Boszko]

Nice set of tips from The App Factor.

OS X Daily:

Did you know you can download a Windows 10 disc image free from Microsoft? This is seemingly little known, but yes you can download a complete legitimate Windows 10 ISO without registering or even having a product key, and you can install and run the entirety of Windows 10 using the image too.

I have not done this, but good to know, especially if you want to do a Boot Camp install to run a single application or test. Bookmark and pass along.

NASA:

Social media users are invited to apply for credentials to attend the launch of the Space Exploration Technologies (SpaceX) Falcon 9 rocket carrying the Dragon cargo spacecraft with to the International Space Station. The launch from Complex 39A at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida is currently targeted for no earlier than February 2017. The exact launch date and time still are under review. This will be the first cargo mission launched from Kennedy’s historic Launch Complex 39A, where numerous Apollo and space shuttle missions lifted off.

If your passion is to communicate and engage the world via social media, then this is the event for you! Seize the opportunity to be on the front line to blog, tweet or Instagram everything about SpaceX’s tenth commercial resupply mission to the space station. The rocket will deliver several tons of supplies, including new science experiments and technology research.

A maximum of 50 social media users will be selected to attend this two-day event.

Yes, please!

Dan Aykroyd, writing about his romantic relationship with Carrie Fisher:

While in Chicago we obtained blood tests for compatibility from an East Indian female doctor. Contemplating marriage, I gave Carrie a sapphire ring and subsequently in the romance she gave me a Donald Roller Wilson oil painting of a monkey in a blue dress next to a tiny floating pencil, which I kept for years until it began to frighten my children.

The writeup is a bit bizarre, but really captures something of Carrie’s spirit.

From the partnership page:

In support of the mission to benefit people and society, the Partnership on AI intends to conduct research, organize discussions, share insights, provide thought leadership, consult with relevant third parties, respond to questions from the public and media, and create educational material that advance the understanding of AI technologies including machine perception, learning, and automated reasoning.

As much as we’ve learned about artificial intelligence, we’re still on the steepest part of the learning curve. We’re still working out the mechanics, just barely touching on the important philosophical issues.

Glad to hear news that Apple looks to be joining this group. Keep an eye on the partner page. You’ll know this is a done deal when Apple’s name joins the list.

A new app for the iPad just launched that allows anyone to easily create and share interactive presentations, portfolios, real estate listings, product catalogs and more, without needing a designer or developer. It was built by digital publishing pioneer Scrollmotion to help anyone create a stronger connection with customers by using content that really stands out.

Simply drag and drop photos and videos into Ingage’s interactive page templates to bring your content to life. It’s really that easy to create a touchable video called a “scrollmotion,” or use two pictures to create an awesome before-and-after effect with a slider.

When you want to share your presentation with the world, you can do so via text message, email or social media. Ingage automatically creates a responsive HTML webpage of your interactive presentation that can be viewed by anyone, on any device. And when you need to update your presentation, it automatically pushes everywhere it’s being shared. Your content is always up-to-date.

Download the app for free to try it out.

Introducing Ingage from ScrollMotion on Vimeo.

An Apple spokesperson confirmed that Duffy has been hired by Apple, but didn’t share details on his role at the company.

As I said before: people come, people go.

NV Energy and Apple announced today they have reached an agreement to build 200 megawatts of additional solar energy in Nevada by early 2019. The projects will support Apple’s renewable energy needs for its Reno data center.

We always talk about Apple products, but the company’s commitment to renewable resources is commendable.

It’s an age old question for guitarists. My answer is that it depends on what sound you’re looking for, and what feels good in your hands.

The Charvel Custom Shop unveiled some magnificent beauties during the 2017 NAMM Show in Anaheim, Calif. Here’s a look at 7 by Master Builder “Red” Dave Nichols.

Charvel to me is one of the most classic metal guitars ever made. I would love to have the first one on the list.

Apple Inc filed a lawsuit against Qualcomm Inc in Beijing, alleging the chip supplier abused its clout in the chip industry and seeking 1 billion yuan ($145.32 million) in damages, Beijing’s Intellectual Property Court said in a statement on Wednesday.

Apple also filed a second lawsuit against Qualcomm which accused it of failing to live up to promises made to license “standard essential patents” broadly and inexpensively.

Apple isn’t messing around with Qualcomm.

Robservatory:

macOS ships with ⌘O (Open) and ⌘P (Print) as pre-assigned keyboard shortcuts in Finder. Select a bunch of files to open, reach for the O and miss by just a touch, and you’ve started a dozen print jobs. Whoops!

Years ago on macosxhints.com, there was one of those “duh!” tips with an easy solution to this (and other similar) issues: Reassign the stock keyboard shortcuts.

I was constantly hitting Command-Q instead of Command-W in Safari until I reassigned the shortcut.

iMore:

MacPaw’s new app subscription service, Setapp, is finally out of beta and anyone can join. The company is calling it the “Unstore” alternative to the Mac App Store. I’m calling it the Netflix of Mac apps. It is bursting at the seams with more than 60 apps of all different categories. I’ve been beta testing it for a few months and I love it.

I’ve also been a beta tester of Setapp. I’ll reserve my opinion for my podcast but it’s an interesting idea. It kind of brings back memories of the “good old days” of Mac Shareware back in the day.

John Gruber’s take on the care of something easily losable. Some great anecdotes.

I absolutely agree with this take. I am much more careful about my iPhone, much more aware that I take it with me, treat it more gingerly and safely, than I do just about anything else I carry.

Mac King Fu:

Knowing how much a Mac has actually been used by its owner can be very useful if you’re buying pre-owned. A Mac three years old that’s been used very infrequently could be a better purchase than a two-year old Mac that’s been left running 24/7, for example.

While physical condition of the Mac gives a clue, you can garner some further clues by a little software probing. It’s not entirely accurate, and comes with substantial caveats, but could be worth a try.

Very interesting read. I definitely learned a few things about the myriad of data in the System Profile app. Useful if you are buying, also useful if you are selling.

Note that option-clicking on Apple > System Information… is a shortcut, bypassing the more traditional Apple > About This Mac menu item.

I find it jarring, but I suspect I’d say that about any design change, especially about one so foundational.

Automotive News:

Ford Motor Co. has hired a former Apple marketing official to be vice president and chief brand officer, a new position created as the company focuses on new mobility services.

Musa Tariq, 34, will begin his role Jan. 30. As Ford’s brand officer, he’ll work with marketing, communications and company leaders across the globe to build the brand.

Some high profile poaching, first from Tesla, now from Ford. Sign of corporate stress, or normal pendulum swing?

The Memo:

Today Apple’s store design is so iconic that saying somewhere is “like an Apple store” is universal shorthand for somewhere with a minimalistic design, with materials like aluminium, glass and wood.

Eight Inc was the design studio Steve Jobs approached with the challenge to create a new concept of how we shop. Wilhelm Oehl led the team behind it.

While the interview is a bit fluffy, it’s always interesting to hear anyone talk about the design of the Apple Retail Stores.

Pixelmator:

Pixelmator for iOS is a full-featured image editor that gives you everything you need to create, edit, and enhance images on the go. It lets you work seamlessly between your Mac, iPad, and iPhone and even work effortlessly with people who use Adobe Photoshop.

I love Pixelmator and this is such a great deal, I tried buying it before I realized I already own it. No word on when this deal is up so grab it while you can.

Ars Technica:

Weeks ago, Apple was sued on accusations that its FaceTime app contributed to the highway death of a young girl in Texas. The girl’s family claims that the iPhone maker should have deployed technology to prohibit motorists from using the app.

Now there’s another lawsuit targeting Apple’s decision not to deploy a lock-out mechanism. This one—from an injured Southern California motorist—concerns locking out drivers from texting.

This lawsuit from accident victim Julio Ceja, who was rear-ended by a texting driver, does not seek any monetary damages. Instead, it demands that a Los Angeles Superior Court judge block Apple from selling iPhones in the Golden State until the devices are updated to include Apple’s patented technology to lock drivers out of their phones while driving.

I feel for the victims of these accidents but Apple can’t be held responsible for the actions of other drivers who ignore common sense and the law.

Vox:

The 89th annual Academy Award nominations were announced Tuesday, January 24, honoring the best films of 2016 as chosen by members of the film industry. The awards themselves will be held Sunday, February 26. The broadcast airs on ABC at 8:30 pm Eastern.

This year’s nominations are led by the musical La La Land, whose 14 nominations tie it for the record for most nominations for a single film, currently held by 1997’s Titanic and 1950’s All About Eve. It’s followed by sci-fi drama Arrival and the sensitive coming-of-age story Moonlight, both with eight nominations. War film Hacksaw Ridge, “based on a true story” drama Lion, and the grief-stricken Manchester by the Sea have six nominations apiece.

I know all the arguments (many of them valid) against the Oscars but I still like the pomp and circumstance of the show and the discussions about the movies.

The U.S. International Trade Commission said on Tuesday it will investigate a complaint by Nokia Technologies alleging that Apple Inc has imported smart phones, tablet computers and other electronics that infringe upon its patents.

It’s important to note that they haven’t even made a decision on the merits of the case yet.

This is one of those posts that you file away, bookmark with future reference in mind. Nice job by Rob Griffiths.

Amazing find. Take a look at both the image at the beginning of the post, as well as the zoomed in image towards the middle. The latter gives a better sense of the surface of the meteorite. Very cool.