This time on Flashback, Quinn Nelson and I jump into the world of Aero and UAC:
The story of Windows Vista is a complicated one. Born from a long and troubled development cycle, it wasn’t free of problems at launch, but hardware OEMs and others didn’t do much to help its reputation.
Sigh.
The tech giant said Thursday it’s begun sending out updates to its AirTags, changing the window of time they’ll make noises when potentially being used to track another person. Initially, the Apple device would play in three days. Now it’ll begin to play at a random time inside a window that lasts between 8 and 24 hours.
To further reassure people about its AirTags, Apple said it’s developing an app for Android devices that will help people “detect” an AirTag or Find My network-enabled device that may also be unsuspectedly “traveling” with them. Apple iPhones already have a similar alert system built into their devices. The Android app will be released later this year.
“The recent introduction of AirTag included industry-first proactive features that discourage unwanted tracking,” Apple said in a statement. The company added that its moves, which come a week before its online Worldwide Developers Conference event, represent a continued commitment to improve AirTags privacy and security.
I think these are great changes that will make people more willing to trust these things.
I was recently idly scrolling through the vintage Apple listings on eBay and came across something I’d never seen before: the Microloop 1100 Spirometer.
According to the listing, this beast hails from 1987 and is built around an Apple IIe and a 9-inch CRT, with some extra goodies:
This machine was crammed into a custom case and was hooked up to a spirometer, which is used to measure the volume and movement of air into and out of the lungs. This medical instrument interfaced with the Apple IIe via that 16-channel Interactive Structures A113-A card, which operated as an analog-to-digital converter for incoming data.
(These days, spirometers way, way more portable.)
Finding more information about this machine online proved futile. I ran across this thread about it, but that was about it. At an asking price of $4,999.95, this blog post is as close as I’ll get to the Microloop System 1100 Spirometer.
Parker Ortolani has put together an amazing list of some of the most memorable moments from WWDC’s three decades of history.
Lens-position sensors respond to magnetic fields. If you place a magnet near these sensors, the magnetic field will interfere with or temporarily disable the sensors. This can degrade the sensors’ accuracy and limit the range of movement available to the lenses. The camera will continue to take photos with other means of stabilization but without the benefit of OIS and closed-loop AF.
Third-party manufacturers make some accessories with strong magnets or magnetizable metal plates that are near the iPhone rear camera (or cameras). These magnets and plates can latch folio covers, join separable cases, or attach to rigid mounts—for example, car mounts. For best camera performance, avoid accessories that use magnets or magnetic metal near the iPhone rear camera (or cameras).
This week on a chaotic episode of Connected:
WWDC is next week, so the boys have gathered their picks for The Rickies, which are now tracked on some amazing websites. As for the picks themselves … well, buckle up, because things get passionate.
My thanks to our members and sponsors for making it possible:
I can’t wait for next week.
System Preferences is a pretty old part of macOS, and while we can’t fix some its more troublesome characteristics, customizing its main user interface is pretty easy:
HomeControl is a powerful HomeKit menu bar app: check the state of your home at a glance, trigger scenes or switch the status of any device directly from your Mac menu bar!
HomeControl supports all standard HomeKit devices and sensors and includes advanced features like changing device properties (lightbulb brightness or color, thermostat temperature), global keyboard shortcuts and Smart Groups to quickly control all devices in a room at once.
Finally, HomeControl has a powerful automation engine that supports x-callback-compatible URLs which can be easily invoked from AppleScript, Terminal, custom scripts and other apps. You can check out this great post from Jason Snell at Six Colors with more information about HomeControl automation support.
Download HomeControl Menu for HomeKit from the Mac App Store!
David and I are both working on more video than ever, so on this week’s show, we compare notes on their processes, gear and editing tools.
For MPU members, I reviewed the 24-inch M1 iMac.
My thanks to our sponsors this week:
Howard Oakley at The Eclectic Light Company:
I’m delighted to report that five months after I wrote that M1 Macs had problems starting up from external disks, Apple has finally fixed Big Sur 11.4 so that they now work fully.
If you have an M1 Mac, you should now be able to connect supported storage, such as an SSD, install on it any version of Big Sur from 11.2 onwards, select that in the Startup Disk pane, and boot your Mac from that external disk.
My thanks to Unite 4 for macOS for sponsoring 512 Pixels this week. It’s a great way to turn a webpage into an app on your Mac — including support for native notifications, new customization options, and much more. Go check it out.
Federico got a chance to check out Rome’s new flagship Apple Store and it is stunning.