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There goes the Mac signal - meaning that it’s time for another thrilling newsletter!
Read on for:
• What Apple Has In Store For Us!
• How I Simplified My Home Office Desk!
• Do You Have a Hot iPhone?
• Quiz of the Moment!
- and, of course -
• The Links Everybody Loves!
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Happy September!
Wow, summer’s almost gone! (Not quite yet, though! There’s still some life left in it!)
For some reason, Labor Day has more of a vibe of a new start than New Year's Day itself. (For me, anyway…) Maybe because fall tends to be my favorite season - or perhaps it was all those years of “back to school,” meaning a new start, whether it was the public education system or the (too) many years I spent in college!
But besides that, it’s an exciting month for new Apple products, following this month’s event, as will be discussed below.
Also this month - tips on how I organize my home setup, a “hot” tip, news tidbits, fun and/or useful (hopefully) links, and my newest feature - the quiz of the moment!
Thanks for reading, enjoy the great weather. Hopefully I’ll see you in September, but if not, on October 1st, when I do this all over again!
-CC
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Here Comes Tomorrow:
What Apple Has In Store For Us!
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Apple is holding its next event (Glowtime) on Monday, September 9th, at 1 PM EST, which, of course, you can watch either live, or via a replay. If you have an Apple TV streaming media player (using the Apple TV app), you can watch it on there, or on any internet-connected device here.
There are plenty of podcasts, articles, and other news outlets with full-time tech reporters that will give you the entire rundown on what’s the latest from Cupertino; but here, I’ll distill it down to what’s new and why you would want it. The iPhone 16 will no doubt be the centerpiece of the event. What’s better about the iPhone 16?
Want to know my take on the situation? Then click here!
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Keeping My Home Setup Simple! | |
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Let’s start with the desk – the actual physical desk, not the computer desktop. Me, I have a desk that’s just under 40” wide. Glass top, no drawers. In fact, what I call my office is under the stairs, and there’s a door I can close when I’m not using it. (I keep the door open when I’m working, however!) On the desk itself, I only have the bare essentials:
· Curved display (35” with webcam mounted on it)
· Mac mini (with stand that holds it vertically, along with back up drive)
· Input devices (keyboard, mouse, trackpad)
· External microphone (stored behind display when not in use)
· Apple AirPods case (in stand)
· Desk light (which can be configured to illuminate me better for Zoom calls)
· Two non-productive legacy items that have stayed with me for years: A Movado desk clock (that was a gift) and my Alfred E. Neuman bobblehead
Behind the desk, near my feet, on a shelf close to the floor is my printer (it’s an old HP workhorse that isn’t Wi-Fi compatible, so it’s connected via Ethernet using powerline adapters), which means I must crawl down to get printouts (or scan). That also means there’s no wire from my computer to the printer. (There are plenty of power cords from the desk to the outlet, but I’m working on some kind of removable panel that will hide that unsightly mess!) But, that’s a tradeoff for keeping things simple. But then again, I don’t scan or print that many pages.
My iPhone sits on a wall mount (off the desk) and my iPad lives on a stand on the water dispenser in the kitchen (mostly used for recipes and photos of cooking instructions). My HP color printer died a couple of years ago, and I don’t really miss it, to be honest. If I do end up replacing it, I’ll have to find a place for it around here.
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September's Quick Tip: Some Like It Hot! (But Most Don't...) | |
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🔥 Do have a “hot” iPhone?
No, I’m not talking about the latest and greatest cutting-edge model, and certainly not about stolen items – I’m simply discussing a device you feel is getting physically hot.
iPhones are prone to this – particularly in the summertime, when mounted to the dash of your vehicle. You might get a message like the one below, which renders the iPhone inoperable, at least until the iPhone chills out. My trick, when this unfortunate situation occurs with my three-year-old iPhone 13 (more this past summer than in the past, but I think that’s more due to Apple’s planned obsolescence than any other factor), is to blast the A/C and hold the phone in front of the vent. Crude, but effective. (Can I get a ticket for NOT going hands-free?)
But at the same time, my battery is draining faster than it ever has, as if Apple knows I’m going to be first in line for the iPhone Pro 16 later this month. Don’t put it past them, they’re pretty smart over there!
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Happenings in the Apple and tech world that will no doubt impact you!
📈 It's up! It's down? Earnings report? What does the future hold? Those of us who invested in Nvidia have certainly been on a roller coaster lately - it's had more ups and downs than most other tech stocks in recent times. The jury is still out on AI hardware - the next dot com bubble, or the future of mankind? Read one thought here. (Remember gang - past performance is no guarantee of future results, etc. etc.)
❌ Do you live in Brazil? Or communicate with somebody who does? If so, don't count on using X, as a government order has banned citizens from using the platform. If you do, it'll cost you! Read about it here.
💸 Feel like trying to end "free trials" is like breaking out of Alcatraz? You're not alone! Check out this piece.
🚴♂️ End of season sales can produce fantastic bargains, such as bikes at Cannondale. Check out the deals here!
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February, 1984: San Francisco Examiner tech columnist John C. Dvorak famously said "The Macintosh uses an experimental pointing device called a ‘mouse’. There is no evidence that people want to use these things.” That said, the first computer mouse was introduced in what year?
• 1946
• 1962
• 1968
• 1971
• 1983
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Photographic evidence of a primordial mouse. | |
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Congrats to Mat O. of Fairfield, Andrea B. of Wilton, and John F. of Westport for being the first three readers (in that order) for supplying the correct answer to August’s quiz: What prime time television show did the Dancing Baby appear on?
The correct answer: “Ally McBeal,” a Fox series that starred Calista Flockhart which ran for five seasons (1997 - 2002). The episode "Cro-Magnon" (season one, episode 12) originally aired January 5, 1998.
Note: "Cro-Magnon" was the highest-rated episode (13.47 million viewers) in the series to date.
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But where is the question mark? | |
Nine Helpful and (Hopefully) Fun Links for September 2024! | |
🎾 This month's background picture: Arthur Ashe Stadium in the USTA Billie Jean King Tennis Center, Queens, NY - August 26, 2024 | |
What The Crystal Ball Has In Store For Next Month | |
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Next month, I’ll throw out some tips to keep your passwords and sites safe and secure; more thoughts on Apple’s "Glowtime" event; plus my Quick Tip on App Store “free” offerings, as well as the quiz and fun and fascinating links!
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Yesterday Once More: Links to My Past Six Newsletters! (So you don’t have to dig through your inbox looking for a tip you remember reading…) | | |
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Like what you're seeing here? (Or not?) Learning something new, or simply being entertained? Want to see more (or less) things here? Then send me your thoughts - the good, bad, and the ugly. And don’t forget to forward this others who might find it useful. Thank you! | |
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Chris Capelle
Macintosh Computer &
Apple Products Expert
P.O. Box 7512
Wilton, CT 06897
203.451.1377 (cell/text)
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Don't forget to follow me on social media! | | | | |
