Numeric Citizen Blog

Wed, 26 Aug 2026 10:51:29 -0400

MacRumors’s article “Concept Video Imagines Apple’s Foldable iPhone Ultra Reveal”:

A fan-made concept video depicts Apple’s upcoming foldable “iPhone Ultra” with rumored features including a 7.8-inch display, Touch ID, mechanical hinge, and A20 chip.

I hope it produces a satisfying ‘click’ when the phone is folded, just like the AirPods case.

Wed, 26 Aug 2026 07:30:57 -0400

Our AI Stance - No AI, Ever: Cork

“Funny how when I ask AI about something I know, it’s completely wrong, But when I ask it about something I don’t know, it gives a great answer.”

Wed, 26 Aug 2026 06:52:30 -0400

I would love to find a viable alternative to the ARC Browser, the digital zombie, and again, Dia isn’t one. Why is this browser so slow compared to the former?

Tue, 25 Aug 2026 21:43:19 -0400

Powerful Macs introduced today by Apple. But expensive, too. Apple should now introduce a Mac Neo, a smaller and cheaper version of the newly introduced M6 Mac mini desktop, in the style of the Apple TV. It’s the only way to get back to the sub-$500 mark. 😱

Being manipulated

Mon, 24 Aug 2026 07:21:23 -0400

This morning, I visited Reddit to answer a question about Craft. When I noticed five notifications, I clicked the bell icon. Two of them were about engagement stimulation, which I felt was manipulative and deceptive. I dislike being tricked this way. LinkedIn is also good at this. And Meta, the master of them all. Major platforms will likely face legal challenges in the future because their product design promotes toxic engagement tactics that manipulate users for growth. Om Malik won’t be around to see this unfold, sadly.

Is the iPad still valuable for me?

Sun, 23 Aug 2026 21:56:22 -0400

This morning I had a short discussion with my wife about how she could upgrade her aging 2018 iPad Pro, a device that is not supported by iPadOS 27. I suggested taking my 2024 M4 iPad Pro instead of buying a new one. She was dubious about the suggestion even if I don’t use my iPad often and instead voiced her desire to go with the latest iPad Pro which is not a cheap option. She still think that this upgrade circus comes down to programmed obsolescence. 🤷🏻‍♂️ I was ready to get rid of my iPad, can you imagine?

Sat, 22 Aug 2026 17:30:22 -0400

Mark Carney on the U.S. Under Trump: ‘Sometimes, Its Signature Is Written in Pencil’:

Carney is rising to the moment and showing the rest of the world how to deal with the Trump administration. Trump is erratic, emotionally unstable, ignorant, and dishonest. Carney is consistent, steadfast, knowledgeable, and honest. The only correct way to deal with a con man is to cut him off and call him out for what he is.

Gruber, now you’re talking! For once, I fully agree. I’m proud of Carney; I’m proud to be Canadian. I’m proud to stand up.

Striving with X

Sat, 22 Aug 2026 10:02:37 -0400

Federico Viticci is sharing an explanation about why MacStories resumed posting on X:

We want to be absolutely clear about something: returning to X does not represent a change in our values, what MacStories or we stand for, or an endorsement of Elon Musk. We abhor Musk’s politics, his rhetoric, his careless disregard for others, and the direction he has taken X. But we also disagree that participating on X means we have aligned ourselves with any of Musk’s views or actions. We reject Musk’s worldview and will continue to treat people with the kindness and respect they deserve wherever they are on the Internet.

That’s not enough. MacStories is contributing to the bad internet, the siloed internet. They are feeding the machine. I stopped reading MacStories long ago because it became something else I don’t really care about. Here’s another reason to stay away. MacStories is giving people more reasons to return to X, too. Sad that in today’s world you cannot stand by yourself and only depend on toxic platforms to thrive. Too bad, because the original MacStories was really great.

Sat, 22 Aug 2026 09:21:51 -0400

I’m putting the final touches to an upcoming review of Quick Reads, built by @mattbirchler. Below is a work-in-progress diagram, from jotted notes to the final version. Much more detail tomorrow.

The untrustworthy partner

Sat, 22 Aug 2026 07:44:01 -0400

Well, we failed to conclude a deal with the Trump administration. A last minute change from the US smashed the only little bit of trust we had. Is it surprising? Just look at Trump’s behavior since is his in the office, this should be enough to stay away from him and his bunch of bandits to conclude that we cannot trust him, we cannot trust this administration and we cannot trust the US. The US is un untrustworthy partner.

Now, my hope is that we start talking the same language as they use with us and act accordingly. No return of American alcohol, block dairy products from entering Canada, put tariffs on energy we export, etc. Make them pay the price. Make the Trump administration look bad right before the midterms. Standing up isn’t a free ride and I’m willing to pay the price. I support Carney. 🇨🇦💪🏻👊🏻

Fri, 21 Aug 2026 09:06:21 -0400

For those braves people who are running macOS 27 beta 6, Mac App Store updates are not working. Anyone with same behaviour?

Real followers, please stand up!

Thu, 20 Aug 2026 12:35:40 -0400

In followers rot, Matt forgot to cover followers that are trying to get your attention and hoping that you will visit their profile and get hooked to them by starting to follow you and like everything you post online. They are active but don’t really care about the content. I have a few of those on Bluesky and Mastodon (and a lot on Twitter, too).

What is morally acceptable?

Thu, 20 Aug 2026 12:26:54 -0400

Yesterday I had a long and tricky discussion with some of my colleagues about the war in Ukraine. It was tricky because one of my colleagues suggested to consider Russian side before judging that it is not ok to invade Ukraine. While he wasn’t fully up-to-date with what is going on in this war as I am, he kept pressuring me to think that Ukraine might have done bad things in the past to justify Russian invasion. I find this point of view morally hard to hold and justify. Even if it is about joining NATO or not and the effects on Russian political posture and geopolitical posture, I cannot accept any justification.

Mon, 17 Aug 2026 21:24:09 -0400

Gruber, in his most recent article about Anthropic’s strategy for encoding fingerprints in generated text:

“English Is the Finest Language, and Thus, Perhaps, More Fingerprintable”

Give me a break. The finest language is French, the language of diplomacy. Period.

Mon, 17 Aug 2026 20:34:15 -0400

The new traffic light controls in macOS 27 beta 6 are 👌🏻 To me, Apple is slowly but surely correcting course here.

Testing Wavelength 2.0

Mon, 17 Aug 2026 12:31:08 -0400

I always wondering if publishing In-the-moment audio bits could be something that I could explore. Consider this the first step. 😉

Transcript

The journey should be the only reward

Sun, 16 Aug 2026 20:16:41 -0400

My sister, who discovered water painting late in life, is part of a group of artists who share the same passion for art and painting in general. She is really good. She has taken many art courses since COVID. Now, she’s part of a Facebook Group, and when she mentioned it, I suggested creating a website for her to showcase her work, separate from platforms like Meta. She inquired about discoverability. What can I say to her? Is discoverability always tied to rewards? Are likes part of a validation process? Can we be on the web without seeking discoverability or rewards (likes, reblogs, etc.)?

Sun, 16 Aug 2026 12:36:30 -0400

Vibe coding, Glaze, Lovable, etc. are these the consequence of a disconnect with traditional developers as well as with traditional digital distribution conduits? 🤔

Incogni value proposition and contradictory policy

Sun, 16 Aug 2026 09:35:41 -0400

For the second time in as many days, I’ve seen paid promotion from Incogni (one in a YouTube video and on the 9to5Mac website). According to the Incogni website:

Incogni is a personal data removal service that automatically removes your information from data broker websites, significantly reducing your digital footprint. Anyone can get instant access to personal data online—Incogni makes sure it stays private.

I was curious and headed to their website, where you can enter your email address to test the service. The problem is that, according to their ToS and privacy policy, they collect email addresses this way so they can bug you with promotions and all that. I find this against their value proposition and it weakens their credibility. People willing to pay for such a service are probably protective of their email address, and yet, this is the first thing Incogni collects. If they offered a way to test the service, albeit in a limited way, while saying they don’t collect email addresses to perform these tests, it would be quite another matter, and I would be more willing to test and maybe even subscribe! But no. Bummer. I’ll pass.

Sun, 16 Aug 2026 08:39:44 -0400

This morning, I spent some time revisiting my RSS feeds and blogroll, and I was sad to delete the RSS feed pointing to Om Malik’s website. Such a loss. 😔

Adding an MCP endpoint is...

Sat, 15 Aug 2026 16:47:54 -0400

My bookmarking web app is now mature, but one thing was missing: an MCP endpoint. I wasn’t sure whether I could add that feature while running on Vercel. Well, after less than an hour, Claude Code helped me get my MCP endpoint running smoothly and responding to all sorts of prompts! I was expecting a much more challenging journey. 😅

Mid-August

Sat, 15 Aug 2026 16:05:12 -0400

There are so many small things that differ in August and make this month one of the most enjoyable: the hours of sunlight, the angle of the shadows, the outdoor temperature at sunrise, the reduced humidity, the chirping of crickets in the evening, the air smell, the mild temperature, the vegetation gradually transforming into mature growth that begins to decline. I love everything about August.

Sat, 15 Aug 2026 07:38:58 -0400

It’s fun to go back in time and look at content I’ve previously published. Here’s an example: a Create Summary newsletter issue published two years ago. I still have a newsletter; the name is different, the content format is similar but more mature, and the motivation to put it together regularly is the same.

Fri, 14 Aug 2026 10:56:26 -0400

Tim Cook Reflects on His Legacy in Final Weeks as Apple CEO:

“In my view, your legacy is described by others, not yourself. And so, I hope that people will say that I was a good and decent man. And if they say that at the end of the day, I will feel like I have achieved something.”

This reads like a very humble take on his legacy.

Oh Quick Reads ♥️

Mon, 10 Aug 2026 21:22:38 -0400

I’m currently testing Quick Reads by @mattbirchler, and I must say that I’m impressed. From the onboarding experience to the actual product use, it’s a joy to use. The read-aloud voices are top-notch. I have small and bigger plans for this relatively new service, and I’m really looking forward to making this happen.