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Kindle Highlights

Amazon Kindle: Your Highlights. Gotta remember this page. Duh.

P.S. They're supposed to sync to my Mac application, right? That's never seemed to work for some reason.

Thoughts on Privacy

Apple - Privacy.

They should have called it that, following Thoughts on Music and Thoughts on Flash.

App-Specific Passwords for iCloud

Using app-specific passwords:

If you use iCloud with any third party apps (such as Microsoft Outlook, Mozilla Thunderbird, or BusyCal) you can generate app-specific passwords that allow you to sign in securely, even if the app you're using doesn't support two-step verification. Using an app-specific password also ensures that your primary Apple ID password isn't collected or stored by any third party apps you might use. Starting on October 1, 2014, app-specific passwords will be required to sign in to iCloud using any third party apps.

Kill the Penny Already

It costs 1.6 cents to make one penny because of the rising price of zinc.

Previously on NSLog();…
Canada Kills the Penny (Again) | NSLog();, Kill the Penny!!! | NSLog();, and Get Rid of the Penny | NSLog();.

iMessage Group Threads; New Threads Created

iMessages are great. I like that you can name group conversations in iOS 8.

Leaving them doesn't always seem to work (perhaps everyone has to have iOS 8? Currently if I leave a group I still often get messages from that group).

But the troubling issue is that, a few times a day, a group conversation will suddenly spring up in a new thread. Someone will respond, and for some reason or another, that will be the first post in a new thread. Often the thread is unnamed, but sometimes it is.

My working theory is that this occurs when someone in the group is "unavailable" for data for some time, even briefly.

Deleting the "new" threads seems to work to let everyone get back to the existing thread, but even that doesn't always work.

iPhone 6 Cases and Keyboards

I picked up the Apple Silicone case in bright green, but am eagerly awaiting the Tech21 case. My wife and kid both have one for their iPhone 5S and 5, and they're just the right blend of size versus protection (actually they seem to have an abundance of protection), and the right blend of grippy and sticky.

The silicone case is nice, and bright, but sometimes sticks when pulling it out of pockets, which makes it prime for catching at the right time and falling out of my hands.

iOS 8 has some bugs. None are show-stoppers for me. But one is annoying: I can't see all of my photos when I'm trying to change the wallpaper. What's up with that?

Also… I am trying out SwiftKey. It was free. I'd pay for another keyboard of I knew it would work well and I'd like it. SwiftKey is a foray into it. I like it, except that it's quite annoying when it gets a longer word wrong.

iOS 8 Location Settings – Some Don’t Have “When Using…”?

From this post the other day comes this article about the privacy settings you should change.

Like many people, I've been getting notifications about applications using my location data in the background. I thought I was supposed to be able to choose "While Using the App" but many of the apps only have two options:

  • Never
  • Always

For example, CardStar. I use it to keep a few cards (Lowe's, Wegmans, etc.) so I don't have to keep them on my keychain. I only want it to have my location when I'm using it, not Always.

But there's no "When Using" option. I'm only given the two choices.

What's up with that?

P.S. None of my apps have all three settings, as seen in the image below. Just two: Never/Always or Never/When Using:

Location Background

Tim Cook on Charlie Rose Part 2

Part 1 is here.

Another Day, Another Visit to USPS

Lowest Score Wins continues to do well. Here's a video Dave shot that can work with your 3-15 foot putts (an SV② skill).

iOS 8 Stuff (and a new Kindle?)

Just a bunch of stuff…

My iPhone 6 arrives in two days. Meanwhile, iOS 8 is on my 5S today… 😀

Maps still crappy for you? Apple bolstering 'Report A Problem' Maps options in iOS 8

iOS 8 Features: Hidden New Features - How "hidden" they are depends on how large the rock under which you've been living is, I suppose. Most are pretty good though.

Get to know iOS 8: Changes in the Settings app - A good run-down.

Seven privacy settings you should change immediately in iOS 8 - Meh. I also don't have an "Only when Using" setting in most of my apps. And most of these settings are not new.

How To Fix iOS 8's Biggest Annoyances - Of course, not all of these are annoyances to all. Predictive text you can turn on and off with the little nub, for example.

18 hidden iOS 8 features you probably didn't know about - If you haven't set up your emergency contact card yet, please do so now. For your sake.

The iPhone 6 (Plus) Camera was reviewed really well. I think the cameras are identical in the iPhone 6 and 6 Plus except for optical image stabilization (6 Plus only).

A new Kindle? I want it.

Unlocked the iPhones

Unlocked iPhone

That was easy. I unlocked the three iPhones we have in our family just like that.

I filed a request (at Customer Device Unlock- Request). I waited at least 24 hours (though I probably didn't need to). I backed up and restored each phone.

Just like that, unlocked.

P.S. The iPhone 4S will be going to Gazelle, I believe.

8 Water Tricks

Each are relatively easily explained. The coolest ones, though, are the the ones with water at the freezing point… And it's easier to get water at that point than you may think: it stays 32° until it all turns to ice.

I did notice too how the "screen/toothpicks" one, the top of the jar is out of the bottom of the frame. 🙂

Tim Cook on Charlie Rose (Post-iPhone 6)

Watch Charlie Rose Online - Tim Cook

iPhone 6 and Watch Miscellany

Details on Apple Pay revealed: 'safer' system, Apple gets 0.15 percent - Takeaway? It's pretty safe. I look forward to using Apple Pay.

AT&T To Get iPhone 6-Friendly WiFi Calling In 2015 - Cool. I get reasonable signal inside already, but I know some people who could use better service in their homes or offices.

The video below is pretty funny. He's wrong about the security part, but the rest is spot on.

xkcd: Watches nails it. So does Alex. And of course Ellen does too:

If you don't like U2, you can hide their album from your iTunes Library.

Last, but not least, I want to read this soon: A Watch Guy's Thoughts On The Apple Watch After Seeing It In The Metal

P.S. I still have zero interest in getting an Apple Watch. None whatsoever.

P.P.S. I'm sad that the iPod Classic is gone. I watched this initial iPod presentation. For some reason I'm too lazy to look up now, I could swear Steve introduced it in Japan or something.

Ordering an iPhone 6

We'll Be BackI first tried reloading the http://store.apple.com/us/buy-iphone/iphone6 URL a few times throughout yesterday evening. After all, Apple said they'd go on sale at midnight, and midnight occurs east of here at about 7pm.

Unsuccessfully, I stayed up until about 12:20pm, thinking that maybe - just maybe - Apple would start selling things when the east coast of the U.S. hit midnight. I figured there was about a 0.1% chance, but it's not like I go to bed very early anyway.

At 2:36am, my alarm went off.

I walked into my office, and reloaded the page. As expected, "We'll be back." I checked in on Twitter to see who else was awake at that time. I texted a friend to make sure he was awake.

And then we waited.

And waited.

And waited.