TIL if you enable “Offload unused apps” in iOS settings, an app will eventually be deleted, even if you use its functions via a shortcut every day. This will of course break the latter. 🤷♂️
Tech I Don’t Need (But Want)
There are a few tech items I’ve been eyeing for a long time1, which I’d love to have, but the rational part of my brain forbids me from buying—at least for now, thankfully.
First on the list is a drone. Long before insurance requirements and discussions about drone safety became prevalent, I owned a DJI drone2. It was incredibly large and loud but fascinating and took beautiful pictures for its time. Previously, I flew 3D aerobatics with RC helicopters, but I couldn’t afford or justify the constant repairs anymore—almost every flight resulted in something breaking. Anyways, drones are quite different now, practically indestructible if you know what you’re doing. Currently, you can get a DJI Neo for about €160 on sale. I wonder how much has changed in the last ten years. But I don’t really need it. While it’s small enough to be carried easily, I’m not an Instagram influencer needing a vlog drone. I’m more interested in aerial photography, which would require larger models, registration, a license, and insurance. Plus, you can’t just carry them around casually. Therefore, I really should resist my curiosity.
Next are AR glasses. The XReal One seems quite awesome. I’d like to try one and see if such devices could replace a TV. However, the cable setup is still quite extensive, requiring a battery pack, adapters, and a game console or other input device, leaving you tethered to the living room sofa. Also, while you might not look quite as strange wearing them as you would sitting in the living room with ski goggles, sunglasses aren’t much better either, I guess. And is the whole experience really better than just holding a handheld or iPad? For the best experience, I sit in front of my PlayStation connected to a 4K OLED monitor in my “home office” anyways. The chair there isn’t that uncomfortable either. Ultimately, I haven’t used a VR headset since the PlayStation VR for the PS4, eight years ago. How much better are they nowadays? Again, I’m very curious but think it’s not worth buying or owning one—and unfortunately, I don’t know anyone who owns one.
I don’t know why, but I would really love to own a Flipper. I’m fascinated by the idea and versatility of this device, and it looks so awesome. But even after watching tutorials on YouTube, I still don’t know what I’d actually achieve with one. I think I’m just not a hacker and therefore not the target group. 😅
Lastly, there are always new gaming consoles and handhelds in various form factors. I’d love to have an original Game Boy Advance SP with an IPS panel or an Anbernic RG35XXSP, or their recently announced RG34XX, and so many others. But I already own a bunch and must stop buying even more—I should start playing some games instead! Speaking of handhelds, I’d really love to own a MiSTER. Although I have devices that can connect to a TV, including a Raspberry Pi running Batocera and an Analogue Pocket, there’s still a MiSTER missing from my collection to tinker with.3 I must not order one!
By the way, this Fujifilm X100VI is so awesome. And what about the X-T5? 😇
Update 2024-12-08
And how could I forget the Oura Ring 4—another category of devices I find very tempting?
Apps that make me smile
There are those apps that really do nothing productive but just make you smile while using your computer. One I really love is BananaBin a “playful reminder that it’s time to take out the trash”. Today Simon B. Støvring released another one of this kind: Festivitas, which “brings the holiday spirit to your Mac with festive lights for the dock and menu bar 🎄”. You can’t invest your money any better I think.
Update 2024-12-07: laptopllama mentioned “Typibara (a capybara pal that types with you) and Ball (a crucial app for the times where it’s important for you to bounce a ball out of your Dock)”. I instabought Typibara and Ball is also awesome.
State of App and Services Subscriptions 2024 Edition
I use a variety of apps and services across iOS, macOS, and the web. Most operate on subscription models, and although I aim to keep each subscription under € 5 per month, the total monthly cost can quickly become significant.
At the end of 2023, I reviewed all the apps and services I was subscribed to and decided to cancel some of them.
Now, one year later, it’s time to revisit my list of subscriptions. Some are new (➕), some I will definitely keep (🟢), others I need to (re)consider (🟡), some I won’t renew once their subscription period ends (🔴)1, others I already discontinued and no longer use (⛔), and for a few I bought a lifetime license (LT).
Here’s my current list2 of all the apps and services I’m subscribed to:
| App or Service | Cost / Month | Type | State |
|---|---|---|---|
| Apple One Premium | 31.95 € | m | 🟢 |
| MS Office 365 | 8.25 € | y | 🟢 |
| YNAB | 8.19 € | y | 🟢 |
| PlayStationPlus | 6.00 € | y | 🟢 |
| Nintendo Switch Online+ (Family) | 5.83 € | y | 🟢 |
| Setapp | 5.50 € | y | 🟢 |
| Feedbin ➕ | 5.00 € | m | 🟢 |
| Micro.blog | 4.63 € | m | 🟢 |
| Obsidian Sync | 4.45 € | y | 🟢 |
| NordVPN | 3.80 € | y | 🟢 |
| Readwise | 3.71 € | y | 🟢 |
| Arq | 3.22 € | y | 🟢 |
| omg.lol (2x) | 3.18 € | y | 🟢 |
| trakt.tv | 2.32 € | y | 🟢 |
| Play | 1.92 € | y | 🟢 |
| Hemispheric Views | 1.86 € | m | 🟢 |
| Mastodon | 1.79 € | m | 🟢 |
| Drafts | 1.71 € | y | 🟢 |
| Mercury Weather | 1.67 € | y | 🟢 |
| EchoFeed ➕ | 1.59 € | y | 🟢 |
| Chronicling | 0.83 € | y | 🟢 |
| TV Forecast | 0.83 € | y | 🟢 |
| Epic Weather Ride | 0.71 € | y | 🟢 |
| HealthFit | 0.50 € | y | 🟢 |
| TrainerRoad ➕ | 21.01 € | m | 🟡 |
| Disney+ (Standard) | 8.33 € | y | 🟡 |
| 1Password | 5.50 € | y | 🟡 |
| Kagi | 4.78 € | m | 🟡 |
| FDDB | 3.33 € | y | 🟡 |
| Ivory | 2.50 € | y | 🟡 |
| iConnectHue | 1.67 € | y | 🟡 |
| SwitchBuddy ➕ | 1.50 € | y | 🟡 |
| Looks Like Rain ➕ | 0.83 € | y | 🟡 |
| tinylytics ➕ | 4.17 € | y | 🔴 |
| Frame Screenshots ➕ | 1.50 € | y | 🔴 |
| Callsheet ➕ | 0.83 € | y | 🔴 |
| Reeder ➕ | 0.83 € | y | 🔴 |
| DayOne | ⛔ | ||
| ifttt | ⛔ | ||
| Neptunes | ⛔ | ||
| Overcast Premium | ⛔ | ||
| Personal Best | ⛔ | ||
| Söka | ⛔ | ||
| Timery | ⛔ | ||
| Training Today | ⛔ | ||
| Up Ahead | ⛔ | ||
| Wahoo Systm | ⛔ | ||
| Zenitizer | ⛔ | ||
| Anybox | LT | ||
| Photomator | LT | ||
| Waterllama | LT | ||
| Total: | 166.22 € |
In total, they cost 166 € a month and almost 25 € more than last year 🤔.
Actually, my goal was to spend less money on software subscriptions, not more. It didn’t really work out. Let’s see how it will be in a year.
As last year this list only covers tech related stuff. Charity and other related expenses are not listed here.
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If anyone reading here happens to have anything to do with any of the apps mentioned, please don’t misunderstand: Those are all awesome apps, otherwise I would never have subscribed to them before! 😄 ↩︎
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All subscriptions have been converted to Euros and annual subscriptions divided by 12. Some are family subscriptions, some are subscriptions with an education discount. ↩︎
My Top 10 Obsidian Plugins
I know there are now over two thousand plugins for Obsidian, and everyone uses a different combination. There are also countless lists suggesting various plugins. But that’s the great thing: The individual combination of plugins makes Obsidian exactly the (power) tool that each user wants it to be. So, here are my ten most important plugins1:
- Dataview: If the Dataview plugin didn’t exist, I might not use Obsidian but something else.
- Actions URI: Essential for Actions for Obsidian, which I’ve already used over 20,000 times on my Macs and iPhone.
- Paste URL into Selection: I am always confused when an app does not support this feature.
- Calendar: It’s a calendar in your sidebar to access daily and weekly notes.
- Image Converter: Love this plugin; it automatically resizes images that you paste into a note.
- Templater: A combination of Templater and Dataview brings my new notes to life.
- Linter: Sometimes I paste something into a note which has a bad MD format; Linter fixes that.
- Update Modified Date: Does exactly this.
- Tag Wrangler: A handy plugin for managing large task lists; you can easily rename and join tags.
- Plugin Update Tracker: Again a plugin that makes things easier. Check for updates, read release notes and update plugins from within a single view.
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I actually use a few more. ↩︎
Discounted macOS / iOS Apps
I think by now everyone has noticed that there’s another Indie App Sale going on. Take a look and see if there are any software bargains you don’t own yet but would like to have. Additionally, the Space/Time sale is also happening, where you can get some really good apps1 at a 50% discount.
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And at least one application that has been the subject of controversial discussions 😇. ↩︎
TIL that, in addition to hitting esc - which I already knew and use all the time - you can cancel a drag of a Finder item by dragging it onto the menu bar. Also, you can drag an item to the header of a Finder’s list view and don’t have to find an empty, safe spot to release it.
App Defaults - 2024 Edition
It has now been over a year since Andrew, Martin, and Jason of Hemispheric Views listed their app defaults, causing probably the biggest internet movement of 2023, documented with meticulous detail by Robb.
Time to update my list. Indicated are unchanged entries (🔒) and updated entries (✨). I still use the various categories as written by Andrew:
- 🔒 Mail Client: Mail.app
- 🔒 Mail Server: iCloud with custom domain and posteo.net
- 🔒 Notes: Obsidian and some stuff left in Notes
- 🔒 To-Do: Reminders (and Things at work)
- 🔒 iPhone Photo Shooting: iOS Camera
- ✨ Photo Management: Photos, supplemented by Photomator and PowerPhotos
- 🔒 Calendar: Calendar
- 🔒 Cloud file storage: iCloud Drive
- ✨ RSS: Classic Reeder (macOS) and Lire (iOS) in conjunction with Feedbin 1
- 🔒 Contacts: Contacts
- 🔒 Browser: Safari
- 🔒 Chat: iMessage, Threema, WhatsApp
- 🔒 Bookmarks: Anybox
- 🔒 Read It Later: Readwise Reader
- 🔒 Word Processing: Pages (MS Word at work)
- 🔒 Spreadsheets: Numbers (MS Excel at work)
- 🔒 Presentations: Keynote
- 🔒 Shopping Lists: Pons
- 🔒 Meal Planning: Mela
- 🔒 Budgeting & Personal Finance: YNAB
- 🔒 News: Mastodon, tagesschau.de
- 🔒 Music: Apple Music
- ✨ Podcasts: Apple Podcasts
- ✨ Password Management: Apple iCloud Keychain with 1Password as backup
Sindre's New App: Supercharge
I purchased Sindre Sorhus' Mac app Supercharge, not because I’ve tested the demo version extensively or think I really need it or will even use it, but because Sindre has released so many different, really great software for free so far. I wanted to take this opportunity to reward him for his wonderful apps. For now though, I’m going to install Supercharge and see what it has to offer. I am sure I’ll enjoy using this one, too.
The first cold days with hoarfrost. Everything silver and gray, only the fallen leaves of a tree added a touch of color to the scene.
Unrealistic Wishes for Switch 2
If I could wish for something completely unrealistic for the Switch 2, it would be Nintendo allowing users to legally digitize old game packs and cartridges on the device, and play them via emulation.
Imagine a Switch Online Plus subscription that permits connecting Nintendo-provided cartridge readers to your Switch. This reader (or readers) would support Game Boy, Game Boy Advance, NES, SNES, N64, Nintendo DS, and 3DS systems. Nintendo could sell them separately, potentially at premium prices.
Games would be copied to the Switch as virtual cards, playable only with a valid subscription linked to your account.
For DS and 3DS games, you could rotate the Switch 2 into portrait mode, attaching the rumored magnetic Joy-Cons (maybe with an optional adaptor) on the sides.
What’s there to lose? Nothing! Users still need an online subscription, and Nintendo could sell additional hardware. It’s a win-win situation, isn’t it?
I have recently started collecting again
I’ve recently started collecting something new again. I don’t mean video games, LEGO minifigures, retro handheld consoles, SAKs, or virtual Pokémon trading cards 1.
This time it’s crown caps.
I did this already as a kid, and at a certain stage, my own kids started doing so too. But, the collection needs physical space and always looks a little messy. I have never found a nice way to store or display them.
A few weeks ago, I just decided to do it virtually. I use the app Collections together with a Apple Shortcut I set up. I can take a picture, use my shortcut to enter the name of the company, the beverage type and the shortcut extracts the location of the photo, the date, removes the background of the picture, and exports everything into my Collections database.
There, I have a nice list or grid view of all the crown caps I’ve collected. I can open a map and see where I found them, and I really do enjoy this kind of virtual collection so far.
Who knows, maybe you’ll find something you’d like to collect in the form of virtual memories too? If so, I can recommend the app Collections.
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BTW my ID is 3136836414506186 😎 ↩︎
Switching to lire
I was using the new Reeder app for the last couple of months, but today I quit. For my number of subscribed feeds, it simply takes far too long to refresh. There are bugs, there is no support, and there is not even an OPML export feature. So, I purchased lire and set it up with Feedbin, a service I was not using before either. I’m curious to see what will come of this.
Fly
Broken Daily Notes Workflow thanks to iOS 18
As an enthusiastic Obsidian user, over time I’ve built a rather complex system consisting of about 15 different shortcuts that are triggered sequentially by a master shortcut. At the end of each day, these shortcuts collect data from various apps and add them to my daily notes in Obsidian. It was undoubtedly a challenge to develop this system, and without the Actions for Obsidian plugin, it would have been impossible. It’s definitely not elegant, but rather a bit of a hack, though it worked wonderfully for the past six months or so.
Despite my love for Obsidian, I must admit that the difficulty of importing data into the app, along with the non-native user interface, represents its biggest drawback. Nevertheless, I was extremely satisfied with my solution—until iOS 18 came along.
With the update to iOS 18, my carefully crafted system broke down. About half to a third of my shortcuts stopped working correctly. The errors occur mainly with internal iOS functions but also in conjunction with integrated actions from third-party apps like Chronicling. But it’s obviously Apple who broke it and there is nothing the developers can do about it at the moment. Every error causes the shortcut to stop entirely. Rien ne va plus—nothing works anymore. Over the past few weeks, I’ve spent a lot of time looking for workarounds, disabled certain functions but at the end I came to the conclusion that running the shortcuts on my Mac, which I haven’t updated yet, worked the most reliably—even though this introduced new challenges to my workflow, as certain apps just aren’t available there. (Looking at you, Apple Health.)
This situation has made me reflect. I even considered switching back to the native Notes app from Obsidian. Partly because I also wanted to take a look at Forever ✱ Notes, which has made the rounds through the Fediverse in recent days. It’s paradoxical: Apple’s poor software quality is driving me to avoid third-party software and return to Apple’s own apps?! No, that can’t be the solution. 🤷♂️
For now, I’ve given up and am hoping for iOS 18.1. Next year, I’ll probably hold off on updating not just my Mac but also my phone to the new release.
PSA: No More macOS 15 Sequoia Monthly Screen Recording Permission Reminders - I haven’t tried it yet because I haven’t updated to macOS Sequoia myself, but I’ll definitely keep that in mind for that day in the future.
TIL that you can open the current macOS Finder window in Terminal by right clicking in the Path Bar in the bottom of the Finder window. So far I only used to drag the proxy icon on the Terminal icon in the dock.
Latest Tech Temptations
In recent days, a lot of new hardware has been introduced, and for all these great new devices and gadgets, I consider myself part of the potential target audience. Apple has presented new iPhones, Apple Watches, and AirPods. Thanks to Apple’s decision to slowly and gradually roll out the promised AI features and not at all in Germany in the long run, the innovations of the iPhone 16 are limited for me. Therefore, I have decided to use my iPhone 14 Pro for another year, especially since I was recently able to replace the battery thanks to Apple Care. So far, I always had the Pro model, but this year, for the first time, I had the impression that it is actually aimed at professional photographers/videographers, and I no longer belong to the target audience. If I were to order a new device today, I would choose the regular iPhone, and who knows, maybe I’ll get lucky, and next year the iPhone 17 will even have Always On. That would probably be the only feature I would really miss. (120 Hz is guaranteed to be great, but I actually don’t see the difference in daily use; which in my case is an advantage.) It’s similar with my Apple Watch. Although I could justify a new one, since my Series 7 is now almost three years old, I recently got to replace the battery and see no urgent need for an upgrade. I’m already eyeing the Ultra anyway, and this time it hasn’t received any technical improvements. And since I already own AirPods Pro Gen 2, I followed the announcement of the AirPods 4 with interest, but there is no risk of FOMO 🥳.
Apart from Apple, the new Retroid Pocket 5 and Retroid Pocket Mini have been announced. Despite my interest in a dedicated retro handheld with an OLED display, my Steam Deck OLED and the other devices I already own are enough for now. The constant new hardware releases in this area are increasingly annoying me. When ordering, you already know that you’ll be presented with a slightly improved device in a couple of weeks. The manufacturers don’t allow you to have the feeling of truly owning the perfect device for even a minute, and it gives the impression that they are deliberately putting imperfect handhelds on the market 😡.
Speaking of retro and must-have: Analog Pocket has announced a new special edition. This time, there are beautiful GBC colors at the usual prices and not totally overpriced aluminium models. Although it tempts me, I try to curb my collector’s instinct 😅.
The announcement of the PlayStation 5 Pro initially triggered me as well, but I came to the conclusion that my current PS5 in combination with my 4K OLED gaming monitor is completely sufficient. Spending €800 for slightly better graphics is something I actually can’t justify to myself.
It’s different with the Switch 2. I’m curious and will probably buy it, provided Nintendo doesn’t make any major mistakes 🤞.
Finished reading: Mr. Mercedes by Stephen King 📚
