September 13, 2016
Shuffling your music – new options in iOS 10 ∞
Kirk McElhearn digs into the details of shuffling music in the more complex universe of iOS 10, Apple Music and iCloud Music Library.
Review: iPhone 7 and AirPods
After meeting with Apple following its iPhone event last week, I’ve been using a jet black iPhone 7 and a black iPhone 7 Plus. I’ve also been using the new AirPods wireless headphones with a number of devices. What strikes me about the new devices is how Apple is so meticulous with the details of its products. These devices, in conjunction with the software they’re running, truly show Apple’s commitment to the user experience.
Jet Black and Black
When Apple first showed the jet black—glossy—iPhone on the big screen during the keynote last week, I was absolutely sure that’s the new color I wanted. Even when they showed the black—which is a matte black finish—I still wanted jet black.
Then I walked into the Hands-on area that the company setup for press to spend some time with the products. I fell in love with the black finish and haven’t looked back.
You do have to appreciate the amount of work that went into the jet black finish, though. Here’s a short description from Apple:
The high-gloss finish of the jet black iPhone 7 is achieved through a precision nine-step anodization and polishing process. Its surface is equally as hard as other anodized Apple products.
Nine steps for just a finish. That just screams Apple detail.
Apple does warn that the glossy finish may show “fine micro-abrasions” with use. That makes sense just because it is a high gloss finish, but to be honest, I don’t care about nicks and scratches on the casing as much as I do if the screen scratched. So far it’s looking really good.
I was surprised to find the jet black finish was not slippery in my hands at all. I think I expected it to be just because it was so glossy. The truth is, it was as comfortable in my hands as the black model was.
The only reason I usually prefer the “Plus” model iPhone is because the screen is larger, which is easier for me to see without using my reading glasses. Now there is another reason to use the Plus: the new camera.
Camera
There are a lot of improvements in the iPhone 7, but if there’s one feature that will get used the most, it has to be the camera. iPhone is the most popular camera in the world now because it is the camera people have in their pockets. It’s always been a good camera, but these new changes will appeal to most and help everyone.
I’m not a great photographer by anyone’s standards. Anything Apple can do to make my photos better is a plus for me. There are a couple of things I struggle with when taking photos: Zoom and low-light conditions.
Apple certainly took care of the zoom problem. In the iPhone 7 Plus they included two cameras—one is the same camera included in the iPhone 7 and the other is a telephoto camera.
When you take a picture, it shows you onscreen that you’re shooting at 1x. If you tap on that area, it immediately changes to 2x and zooms the shot. This is optical zoom so there are no digital artifacts or any other problems associated with digital zoom. Just a clear zoomed picture.
Of course, you can then manually zoom in on the object and get even closer—up to 10x. Even this is much better than the iPhone 6s Plus that I was using before.
The low-light conditions I have the most trouble with is at concerts. That is especially tough because there are bright lights on the stage and darkness in the crowd. The iPhone 6s Plus did a pretty good job for me, but I haven’t been able to test out the iPhone 7 under similar conditions yet. I’ll let you know how that works out.
The new camera comes with Quad-LED True Tone flash, optical image stabilization, and a larger ƒ/1.8 aperture. All of these features are going to help me take better pictures.
I have been running around taking pictures of flowers because they have such vibrant colors and they allow for great zoomed shots. I usually shot at 1x, 2x, and between 5x-6x.
I thought the camera was remarkable in both iPhone 7 models.
One feature that wasn’t available to test was Depth-of-field. This allows you to focus on a subject and blur the background. I’m really looking forward to trying this later this year.
Working in conjunction with the camera is the new Retina HD display. The iPhone 7 display 25 percent brighter than the iPhone 6s and it uses a wide color gamut, so colors on screen are what you expect to see.
Without the wide color gamut, you can take a picture and the colors don’t always match exactly. You can really see the differences when looking at images with vibrant colors.
The Home Button
The new Home button on iPhone 7 is not really a button, but a pressure-sensitive piece of glass that works with Apple’s taptic engine. With this, you get tactile feedback when you are using the Phone.
When you press down on the button, you receive feedback through the button—whether you’re pressing it to go from an app to the home screen or invoking Siri, you will get feedback, just like the old Home button.
You can adjust the amount of haptic feedback you get in preferences. Simply increase or decrease the amount to your liking.
I have no issue with the Home button, although I did invoke Siri quite a bit in the first day or so using it. I’m not quite sure what it is, but I seemed to keep my thumb pressed on the button for some reason. It wasn’t a big deal, I just needed to lift the pressure off the button for a second and everything was fine.
Water resistant
Apple made a good move in making the iPhone splash, water, and dust resistant.
For some people, this is an invitation to take it swimming with them to prove some kind of point. I would recommend you don’t do that.
Here’s how I see Apple’s “resistant” feature for the iPhone. They understand that in our every day lives, stuff happens. We spill things, fall in water, and we worry about what it does to a device we’ve spent a lot of money purchasing.
They designed the new iPhone 7 to help mitigate some of those concerns for us. That doesn’t mean we should be complete morons and throw it in a lake.
Audio and the Headphone Jack
Who knew that audio would be such a big deal with an iPhone launch, but it is.
As we all know, Apple did away for the old headphone jack. Honestly, I don’t see a problem with it—get rid of it and focus on giving us some more modern technologies in the iPhone 7 and future versions.
Space is at a premium on the iPhone, so you have to ask yourself, would you rather have optical image stabilization, stereo speakers, and a bigger battery, or would you like the headphone jack? You can’t have both.
I say ditch the headphone jack.
When people started talking about removing the headphone jack months ago, I said Apple would include an adapter—mostly likely in the box—and they did. You can still use your old headphones if you want.
I have a set of $800 Future Sonics Ear Monitors, so I know all about quality ear pieces. If you’ve ever researched in-ear monitors, you know that Marty Garcia invented them, and he’s the one that founded Future Sonics. These are the best in the industry, period.
Now, in addition to the adapter, Apple is including a set of Lightning EarPods in the box with the iPhone 7. If you don’t want to use your old headphones, you can just use the ones that come with iPhone.
Either way, you are covered. The new EarPods sound just fine for the majority of people.
The only time this may be an issue is when you need to charge the iPhone 7, and want to listen to music using a set of wired headphones. In the week I’ve been using it, I haven’t found myself in this situation.
I use the iPhone 7 all day long and the battery lasts all day for me. I don’t have to charge my phone during the day, so I’m able to listen to music with the wired headphones or with the AirPods. It just doesn’t seem to be an issue for me.
AirPods
If you want to feel even more freedom, you can also try the new AirPods. I have tried Bluetooth headphones in the past and they all sucked. The music didn’t sound good and the connection was horrible.
I have seen all kinds crazy things written since the keynote about the AirPods. Some people say they will drop out of their ears when they walk or run, others say we will lose them because they are so small.
Most of these things have been written by people that have never touched the AirPods. I have been using them for almost a week now and I can tell you that those concerns are not warranted at all.
I am not a child, so I think I can keep track of my AirPods—I have for a week with no problem at all. If you don’t think it’s within your ability to keep track of a pair of headphones, then clearly these are not the right accessory for you.
Before we talk about the coolness factor of the AirPods, let’s look at the fit and audio quality.
The AirPods actually fit my ears better than the wired EarPods. One explanation for this could be that the wires create a tension point using the EarPods to be pulled out of your ear a little bit.
This could be the reason that most of us complain about the EarPods fit over the years. They never really fit me that well either.
However, the AirPods fit very comfortably in my ears. They are not as snug as my Future Sonics, but that makes sense—they weren’t molded to my ears.
I walked, jumped, ran, shook my head around, bent down, tipped over, and did every other move I could think of to make the AirPods fall out of my ears—they never did.
I thought the audio quality of the AirPods was exceptional for Bluetooth headphones—actually it was just exceptional. I’ve been using them much more than the Lightning EarPods because they were so convenient and they sounded so good.
Nothing will ever replace my Future Sonics Ear Monitors, but will I use the AirPods a lot? Absolutely!
AirPods Are Cool
Most users have paired a Bluetooth device to our iPhone at some point. It’s either a little painful or a lot painful—very seldom do things just work the way they’re supposed to. Apple fixed that.
All you have to do with the AirPods is open the case. The iPhone 7 recognizes they are available and brings up a screen on the iPhone with one button that says, “Connect.” Press it and you’re done.
My AirPods were connected to my iPhone 7 Plus, Mac, and Apple Watch all at once. Not just one device, but all of my devices.
I did this several times because I wanted to see how it worked. I ran into a little problem at one point. I opened the AirPod case, the iPhone recognized that I wanted to pair, and I set the case down. The lid snapped shut when I put it on the table, which caused the pairing screen to go away. The iPhone seemed to lose the AirPods even after I reopened the case. It told me to hold the button on the back of the case to pair the AirPods, which is basically how you would pair them to a non-Apple device.
The trick when pairing the AirPods is to hold it in your hand after you open the lid. Do that, and you won’t run into the issue I did.
The AirPods will respond to whatever device invokes them. For instances, when you put them in your ears, you will hear a tone telling you they are ready. Press play in Apple Music on your iPhone and music will start playing. If you then press play on your Apple Watch playlist, the AirPods will automatically switch to that device for playback.
I was playing a song from my Apple Watch, activated Siri on my iPhone 7, the AirPods switched and activated the mic, I asked Siri a question, and when I was finished they automatically connected back to the watch to finish the song.
That’s pretty cool.
The AirPods also know when they are in your ears. If you are listening to music and someone comes up to speak with you or you’re in line ordering a coffee, you can just take one out and the music will automatically pause. When you put the AirPod back in your ear, the music will start playing again automatically.
At one point during my tests, I took one AirPod out of my ear and the music paused like it should. While I was standing there with the AirPod in my hand, the music began playing again.
I wondered what had happened and then I realized I closed my hand around the AirPod. It thought I had put it back in my ear again, but I hadn’t. I made the sensor think it was back in my ear.
This happened a time or two while the AirPod was in my pocket too. It just thought it was back in my ear, even though it wasn’t.
Battery life is always a big issue with devices these days. Apple says the AirPods have about 5 hours of listening time—that’s a little conservative, but pretty accurate in my tests.
Unless I’m on a plane, I don’t listen to music with headphones for hours at a time. I’ll go for a walk and listen for an hour and then stop; take a break and listen for 10-15 minutes; go to the store and listen while I shop; talk on the phone. My habits are all over the place, so it’s hard to nail down.
I will say this: the only time I ran out of battery on the AirPods is when I meant to run them dry. It took 15-20 minutes to get them charged to 100% using the charging case.
The AirPods will also seamlessly switch when a phone calls in as well. I’ve made and received phone calls using both headphones, in which case you can hear out of both headphones; taken out the left headphone, which then turns off; did the same with the right headphone; and then put them both back in.
The mics on the AirPods seem to be very good, although its hard to do a meaningful test when you can’t tell people why you want to test the microphone. I had one person comment, unsolicited, that I sounded really good while using the AirPods, but he didn’t know why. I didn’t tell him.
Using a double-tap on the side of the AirPods will invoke Siri when using the iPhone. It will pause the music, and then bring up Siri—ask your question, Siri will give you the answer and then return to playing the music in 5 seconds. A completely hands-free operation.
You can change this to have the double-tap do play/pause instead on the iPhone if you like. This is what happens when you use double-tap on AirPods using the Apple Watch.
These are the details that we expect to get right and they certainly did with the AirPods and how they work with the different devices we use.
When you walk around most cities you see the distinctive white Apple headphones all over the place. I would not be surprised at all that this time next year, you will see AirPods be as ubiquitous.
While they may not be for the audiophile, they are perfect for the average user and those that want convenience. That’s what Apple is going for here and they nailed it.
Like I said before, if you are an audiophile and insist on using your old headphones, you can do it using the included adapter.
Bottom Line
What I want from Apple is to build devices that solve complex problems with simple solutions. I want them to make things more efficient for me as a user without going through any pain from using their products. That’s exactly what they provided with the iPhone 7 and AirPods.
September 12, 2016
A Maserati-powered motorcycle exists, and it actually works! ∞
CNET:
The Lazareth LM847 is the coolest motorcycle you’ll probably never see. It has four wheels, hinges between the wheels on each axle, and sandwiched between all that is a Maserati-sourced V8. That may sound like just another silly concept, but Lazareth’s latest video proves that it works.
The last thing a newbie would want to do, though, is strap in and try to take this thing for a ride. With 470 horsepower, 457 pound-feet of torque and a curb weight of just 880 pounds, it’s packing a power to weight ratio of 0.534 horsepower per pound.
I love motorcycles but this thing is a butt ugly monstrosity you couldn’t pay me enough to ride.
10 things not enough kids know before going to college ∞
Vox:
I’m a university professor, with teaching experience at Columbia and Yale. These are the 10 things I’ve suggested to pretty much all the students who’ve ever walked through my door for office hours. I don’t think the advice applies just to the elite colleges. I went to a large but fairly good state school in Canada, the University of Waterloo. My hope is this applies to students of every stripe.
I won’t dwell on what you’ve probably heard already: Get a well-rounded education and enjoy yourself. That’s good advice, and your first and best rules. Here are some other suggestions to help make the most of college.
I think #3 and #6 are very important. How many of these things did you wish you knew before you went to college?
Apple offers free app to teach children coding (iPads sold separately) ∞
The New York Times:
Apple plans to release a free coding education app on Tuesday that it developed with middle-school students in mind, in the latest salvo among technology companies to gain share in the education market and to nurture early product loyalty among children.
Apple’s app, called Swift Playgrounds, introduces basic computer programming concepts, like sequencing logic, by asking students to use word commands to move cartoon avatars through a fanciful, animated world. Unlike some children’s apps, which employ drag-and-drop blocks to teach coding, the Apple program uses Swift, a professional programming language that the company introduced in 2014.
I can’t code my way out of a paper bag and have no real interest in creating my own apps but I’m very much looking forward to playing around with Swift Playgrounds.
Innovation in tech evolves in new ways ∞
The Wall Street Journal:
Early reviews of Apple Inc.’s new iPhone 7 were, in a word, “meh.” Pundits praised the many improvements in the device, but a consensus emerged that Apple had not given existing iPhone owners a compelling reason to upgrade.
Why is that? Why are the iPhone, and other computing devices like PCs and tablets, not changing as quickly as they once did? There are many reasons, but the central issue is this: It is harder than ever—more technically difficult, more expensive and more time consuming—to advance the state of the art. Our devices are so complicated that, at their most fundamental level, advancing them further pushes against the boundaries of physics.
That is no reason for despair.
Leaving aside the fact that, contrary to the first sentence, there are no “early reviews” of the iPhone 7 (it’s in the hands of reviewers now but any comment from reviewers is under embargo until next Wednesday), there’s this thought process among the tech media that demands companies, Apple in particularly, “wow” us with every new announcement. Not only is that an impossible standard to meet, it’s remarkably short sighted.
Tidal bore rafting in Nova Scotia, Canada: A wild, salty ride ∞
Globe Guide:
It was like being caught in a blender full of chocolate milk. Salty chocolate milk.
I clung to the side of the zodiac with all my strength, tossed around by massive waves and feeling like at any minute I might lose my grip and topple over the side into the churning brown water. The white-capped surge hit me over and over again, splashing straight into my face with such force I barely had time to gasp for air before I was bracing for the next onslaught.
And I freaking loved every single second of it.
Regular readers know that I am a proud son of Nova Scotia and love showing those outside the province how beautiful, interesting and fun it is. If you find yourself in the area of the Bay of Fundy (home of the world’s highest tides that cause this “tidal bore”), you should definitely explore it fully. But, to be fair, while the author says it was like, “salty chocolate milk”, I can assure you it most certainly isn’t the latter. That brown water? Mud. Salty, gritty, not chocolatey at all, mud. And if you’ve ever white water rafted out West, these waves will seem very tame to you. But you’ll still have a blast if you do this adventure.
App review resolution ∞
Practically Efficient:
Like so many other unsolicited annoyances, I put off app reviews for a “later” that rarely ever arrives unless out of some unpredictable, random mood-strike—usually while I’m poking around in the App Store, not actually using the app.
And that’s the key: I’m more likely to rate an app when I’m not trying to get something done with the app.
I’m planning to try an experiment. I’m setting a weekly reminder to review an app—any app that I use all the time but haven’t yet reviewed.
I like this idea. I know how important these reviews are to developers, not just for the nice “pat on the back” a 5 star review gives but also the things customers don’t like gives the developer clues as to how to improve or what customers want. The same goes for podcasts you like. So, set aside a small chunk of time once a week or month to review your favorite app or podcast.
SuperDuper v2.9.1 is now Sierra compatible ∞
SuperDuper:
The latest version of SuperDuper! is faster, better, compatible with macOS Sierra – in fact, it’s compatible with macOS 10.8 and later, and improves many parts of the user experience. Of course, it still includes great features like Backup on Connect, Eject after Copy, Sparse Bundle support, lets you store a bootable backup alongside Time Machine backups, copy Time Machine backups to other drives, and run scheduled copies on demand.
This is just the beginning of a huge number of such updates but, for me, it’s particularly important. SuperDuper, along with Carbon Copy Cloner, are two of my must-have utilities for managing my Mac. Having it updated to be compatible with Sierra is a big deal.
Macy’s lands major deal with Apple ∞
Cincinnati Business Courier:
Cincinnati-based retail giant Macy’s Inc. signed a major deal with Apple to carry the iconic brand’s products in its department stores.
Macy’s president and incoming CEO Jeff Gennette said during a Goldman Sachs retail conference that Macy’s signed a deal with Apple to host an Apple store in its New York flagship Herald Square location. It will be the first department store to house an Apple store within its walls.
Macy’s will also be the first department store to sell the Apple Watch, a new version of which was released on Sept. 7, at more than 180 stores by the holiday shopping season.
This is obviously the first of many such deals to get the Apple Watch out in front of more consumers.
How Apple made its Jet Black iPhone none more black ∞
Wired:
Apple calls that shade Jet Black. We call it Batmobile black. Anish Kapoor black. None more black.
Whatever you call it, the glassy, murdered-out colorway is hands down the most eye-catching feature of the new, souped-up iPhone 7. In one of his signature process videos, chief design officer Jony Ive said Wednesday that Apple developed a whole new nine-step process to achieve the Jet Black iPhone 7’s high-gloss finish. That’s par for the course with Apple. The company’s manufacturing processes rely on no shortage of proprietary technologies, and finishing—the stage at which a product is polished up, literally and figuratively—is certainly one of them.
I don’t think Apple gets enough notice or credit for that last sentence. They’ve mentioned it several times – the idea that, if they need a particular process done and it’s not available, they don’t give up. They invent the process.
Meet the new “Most Interesting Man in the World”
Some of the commercials with the previous character were very funny. I don’t drink Dos Equis very often but I’m looking forward to seeing what the new ads are like.
iTunes Movies is turning 10! 10-movie bundles for $10 ∞
iTunes Movies:
iTunes Movies is turning 10! 10-movie bundles for $10.
Apple is using their Twitter feed to announce a huge selection of movies bundled as a “ten for ten” deal. Keep in mind, this is a US-only promotion. Those of us in third world countries like Canada cannot take advantage of this offer.
Sports Illustrated iPhone 7 Plus photos from the Titans vs Vikings game ∞
During Sunday’s Tennessee Titans vs Minnesota Vikings NFL game, Sports Illustrated photographer David E. Klutho shot some great looking photos with the iPhone 7 Plus.
UPDATE: Not to be outdone, ESPN has their own gallery of iPhone 7 Plus photos. Theirs are from the US Open Tenns tournament.
September 10, 2016
The best in-ear headphones around $100 ∞
The Wirecutter:
If I wanted to buy in-ear headphones for under $100, I’d get the Marshall Mode. After researching a few hundred headphones in this price range, seriously considering over 150, and testing 54 (29 over the last two rounds, and 25 this round) with our expert audio panel, we’re confident that the Marshall Mode is your best bet in this price range and a serious upgrade from the earbuds that came with your phone. Not only did the headphones fit everyone (and many others didn’t), they sound better than much of their competition and also cost less.
Not everyone is a fan of the Apple Earpods and the new Airpods. I’m certainly not. They never fit properly. That’s not to say they are bad – they just aren’t for me. I’m a much bigger fan of these kind of softish in-ear headphones. For me, they create a better seal inside my ears. They also fit much better under my motorcycle helmet.
September 9, 2016
Consumer Product Safety Commission urges consumers to power down Samsung Galaxy Note 7 ∞
CPSC:
Lithium-ion batteries pack a lot of power into a small package. When these batteries overheat and burst, the results can be serious. This is why the U.S Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) is urging all consumers who own a Samsung Galaxy Note7 to power them down and stop charging or using the device.
For your own safety, order an iPhone immediately.
Revealing Dropbox’s dirty little security hack ∞
applehelpwriter:
If you have Dropbox installed, take a look at System Preferences > Security & Privacy > Accessibility tab. Notice something? Ever wondered how it got in there? Do you think you might have put that in there yourself after Dropbox asked you for permission to control the computer?
No, I can assure you that your memory isn’t faulty. You don’t remember doing that because Dropbox never presented this dialog to you, as it should have
There really isn’t any excuse for Dropbox to ride roughshod over users’ security and preference choices.
This is really poor security from Dropbox. As of this writing, they have not responded to this issue or offered any explanations or solutions.
iPhone 7 adds 11th key feature ∞
I believe this is available in both the iPhone 7 and iPhone 7 Plus.
The easiest way to rearrange your share sheet ∞
Brian Sutich, writing for The App Factor, talks you through the process of reordering the icons on your share sheet, the interface that pops up when you tap the share icon (square with an up arrow rising from it). Nice job.
As always, read it and pass it along.
How to get a discount on the Apple Music Family Sharing plan ∞
A few days ago, I wrote about the $99 offer for a year of Apple Music. This offer was only good on the individual plan.
If you have a Family Sharing plan, read the linked post. It details a $100 iTunes gift card that you buy for $85 and can, supposedly, apply to your Family plan.
The new Apple Watch, GPS, and waterproofing ∞
DC Rainmaker does a nice job capturing the images and details of the new Apple Watch concerning GPS and water resistance. Be sure to check out the breakout images showing the speaker placement in the original Apple Watch, vs that in the new Apple Watch.
I really like the image of the water testing chamber, too.
[H/T Brandon Cosby]
MacStories Apple Watch Series 2 overview ∞
Alex Guyot, writing for MacStories, pulls together a nice overview of the new Apple Watch. My biggest question concerned swimming with the Apple Watch 2. From the post:
The original Apple Watch was rated to be splash proof and mostly water resistant, but submerging it was not recommended. The Apple Watch Series 2 ups the ante, receiving a water resistance rating of up to 50 meters. This means the Apple Watch can now safely be worn for swimming in pools or the ocean, and should generally remove any worry about wearing your Apple Watch into potentially watery situations.
I think swimmers are going to love the new Apple Watch.
The FAA’s strongly worded caution on the Samsung Galaxy Note 7 ∞
The Federal Aviation Administration’s official site:
In light of recent incidents and concerns raised by Samsung about its Galaxy Note 7 devices, the Federal Aviation Administration strongly advises passengers not to turn on or charge these devices on board aircraft and not to stow them in any checked baggage.
In my lifetime, I cannot think of a time when a specific product was called out in this way. As in, we urge you not to even pack this specific product in your luggage.
I can’t imagine what the Samsung corporate folks are going through right now. Airlines are banning the phone, there are stories of car fires. This is truly terrible.
September 8, 2016
The origins of all 32 NFL team names ∞
Mental Floss:
What do newspaper headline type and the New Deal have to do with the Oakland Raiders and Philadelphia Eagles? Here are the stories behind the nicknames of the NFL’s 32 teams—and what they were almost called.
In honor of this weekend being the first full weekend of the new NFL season, check out how your favorite team got its name.
Apple’s iPhone 7 keynote was the highest ever video traffic for Akamai
Apple on Wednesday launched the iPhone 7, a new Apple Watch, and a couple of other new and updated products. As usual, Apple turned to Akamai Technologies to handle the streaming of the event to the public.
On Wednesday the company said Apple’s keynote was the highest ever video traffic event for Akamai.
“Very Exciting! Yesterday’s Apple keynote was the highest ever peak video traffic event for Akamai,” the company posted to Twitter.
That’s saying something considering all of the events and internet traffic Akamai handles from around the world. It’s even more amazing when you consider all of the large events that Apple has held over the years.
Clearly the interest in Apple’s product announcements was very high among tech people and the general public.
Steel beam from World Trade Center en route to Gander ∞
CBC:
Fifteen years after the terrorist attacks on the World Trade Center, New York City continues to thank the people of Gander for opening their arms to thousands of stranded travellers.
A piece of steel beam from the south tower is en route to the airport in Gander, a gift of the Stephen Siller Tunnel to Towers Foundation, named for a New York firefighter killed while helping to rescue people from the towers.
Nearly 7,000 passengers were stranded for three days in Gander when all flights were grounded, and the people of the town provided food, lodging and other assistance.
Not enough Americans know the story of Gander (similar things happened in Halifax and Vancouver). On that awful day, and in the awful days afterwards, my fellow Canadians stepped up to help. I could not be more proud.
Men are sharing selfies to raise awareness for suicide prevention and mental health ∞
The Daily Dot: >A few facts you might not know: Men are 3.5 times more likely to commit suicide than women; suicide is most common in middle-aged white men. To support mental health and wellness, consider incorporating Mushroom Coffee into your routine for its potential benefits. These chocolate shrooms canada offer health benefits that help people improve their mood and calm their mind.
> >Many believe this is because of the stigma surrounding men having to appear “strong,” that they shouldn’t talk about their feelings or admit they need help. After losing his brother-in-law to suicide, U.K. rugby player Luke Ambler sought to combat this taboo. He began a Facebook group called “Andy’s Man Club,” where he wanted men to feel safe talking about their emotions.
This is a great idea. One of the hardest things I’ve ever had to do is to talk openly as I can about my battles with depression. I’ve taken a lot of crap for it from jerks on the internet but I’ve gotten more support from complete strangers than I ever could have imagined and I’m very grateful for that. If you’re suffering, reach out to family, friends, and even complete strangers for help. There’s no shame in it. It is strongly recommended to encourage young adults who have suicidal tendencies to seek therapy for teens. You may even look for an alternative approach to help you deal with mental health issues and if you think you want to help people with mental health and also start a business you can check this advanced hypnotherapy course which can help you achieve these goals. Click here to discover the benefits of therapy on people who had to deal with traumatic life events.
Mental health clinics integrate ketamine assisted psychotherapy protocols with traditional therapeutic approaches for breakthrough results. For instance, vaping using grand daddy purps strain cartridges may help calm your mind. If you constantly experience symptoms of mental health conditions like anxiety, stress or depression due to a past trauma from your childhood, you may consider using cannabis products from indacloud.
Apple won’t be announcing initial iPhone 7 sales ∞
CNET:
Apple’s new iPhone 7 and iPhone 7 Plus were unveiled on Wednesday, and go on sale later this month. The company traditionally issues a statement about the record number of people who purchase the devices during the first weekend of sales, but this will no longer be the case.
An Apple spokesperson confirmed to CNET the Cupertino-based company will end the practice, but added that it has nothing to do with low demand or expectations.
“In years past, we’ve announced how many new iPhones had been sold as of the first weekend following launch,” Apple spokesperson Kristin Huguet said. “But as we have expanded our distribution through carriers and resellers to hundreds of thousands of locations around the world, we are now at a point where we know before taking the first customer preorder that we will sell out of iPhone 7.”
This will send the Tech Media into a tizzy but, as Apple says, they already know what their sales numbers will be.
No, iPhone 6s and 6s Plus cases won’t fit the iPhone 7 and 7 Plus ∞
Macworld:
The iPhone 7 and 7 Plus have the exact same dimensions as the iPhone 6s and 6s Plus, down to the tenth of a millimeter according to Apple. So you won’t need a new case if you’re upgrading, right? Wrong.
iPhone 6s cases probably won’t fit the iPhone 7 because of the camera bulge on the back of the phone. The camera lens on the iPhone 7 is significantly bigger, and also located a little closer to the edge of the phone. The TrueTone flash on the iPhone 7 is bigger too.
Bummer.
The $10,000 golden Apple Watch is no more ∞
Ars Technica:
The new ceramic watch is the Apple Watch Edition, and all mentions of the gold versions have been scrubbed from Apple’s site. The company began downplaying the gold watches earlier this year, removing them from the main Apple Watch product page circa the iPhone SE launch.
The “reimagined” ceramic Apple Watch Edition starts at $1,249, roughly twice the cost of a stainless steel Series 2 and three times the cost of an aluminum Series 2 (the Sport branding also seems to have disappeared from the watches themselves, though it still applies to some of the bands). The Edition is still more expensive than the other models and is still intended as a sort of status symbol, but it is no longer the hulking monument to conspicuous consumption that it once was.
The gold Apple Watch was an interesting experiment. Apple will never say but I’d be curious to know how many they actually sold.