Apple Advises Customers of Two-Port 13-inch MacBook Pro on Random Shutdowns ⇢

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Apple Support:

If your MacBook Pro (13-inch, 2019, Two Thunderbolt 3 ports) randomly turns off when it still has a charge, these steps might help:

  1. If your MacBook Pro’s battery is less than 90 percent charged, continue to step 2. If your battery is more than 90 percent charged, use your computer until the percentage drops below 90 percent, then continue to step 2.
  2. Connect your Mac to its power adapter.
  3. Quit all open applications.
  4. Close your computer’s lid, which puts your Mac in to sleep mode.
  5. Let your Mac charge for at least 8 hours.
  6. After 8 hours, update to the latest version of macOS.

This is a weird problem with an unusual fix. I’m not sure what these steps accomplish that something like an NVRAM reset would fix, outside of some sort of issue with the battery controller, maybe. I wonder if a firmware update will be coming at some point…

Liftoff #113: Barbecue Freezer ⇢

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This time on Liftoff:

Commercial Crew is moving forward, Vikram’s crash site has been found, and there’s a big black hole in the news. There are also claims of a new particle, but questions surround the announcement.

My thanks to our sponsors:

  • ExpressVPN: High-Speed, Secure & Anonymous VPN Service. Get 3 months free with a 1-year package.
  • eero: Get your WiFi fixed as soon as tomorrow! Free overnight shipping.

Pictorial ⇢

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Me, on the Relay FM blog:

Today, we are proud to announce Pictorial, a new Relay FM podcast about art history and culture.

It is hosted by Quinn Rose and Betty Chen. Quinn is a podcaster and producer, and Betty is host of the ARTiculations channel on YouTube. They are both non-professional art enthusiasts who love to share about anything and everything that can be remotely considered as art.

I am excited to have this show on Relay, and working with Betty and Quinn on it has been a real joy.

Mac Power Users #512: Ask the Genius ⇢

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This week on MPU, I put on an old Apple Store t-shirt, strapped on a static-safe wristband and got to work:

Stephen steps behind the Genius Bar — or into the Genius Grove, as it were — to provide tips for troubleshooting Macs, iOS device and iCloud. Then, he and David talk about the new 16-inch MacBook Pro and how someone should prioritize features when buying a new computer.

My thanks to our sponsors this week:

  • Sanebox: Stop drowning in email!
  • The Omni Group: We’re passionate about productivity for Mac, iPhone and iPad.
  • Away: Thoughtful luggage for modern travel. Get $20 off a suitcase with promo code mpu.
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Connected #271: You Have a Police Record ⇢

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This week, on our Thanksgiving holiday special:

There are a lot of iPhone cases to talk about, as well as new information about HomeKit Secure Video and Deep Fusion. One of us bought a TV, but no one here is ordering a Cybertruck.

Enjoy the aftershow; it was a lot of fun to talk about Tesla’s new truck.

My thanks to our sponsors:

  • Squarespace: Make your next move. Enter offer code CONNECTED at checkout to get 10% off your first purchase.
  • ExpressVPN: High-Speed, Secure & Anonymous VPN Service. Get 3 months free with a 1-year package.
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Twitter Has Realized That Sometimes, People Die ⇢

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Chris Welch, The Verge:

Twitter has followed up with more details surrounding its plan to remove inactive accounts over the coming months. First, the company says the process “impacts accounts in the EU only, for now.” That important tidbit wasn’t made clear when the news broke on November 26th. But far more important is that Twitter has recognized that it can’t go around deleting accounts until it finds a way to preserve the accounts of people who’ve died.

“We’ve heard you on the impact that this would have on the accounts of the deceased. This was a miss on our part,” the company tweeted today. “We will not be removing any inactive accounts until we create a new way for people to memorize accounts.” Emails sent by Twitter on Tuesday warned that any account that’s gone inactive for more than six months could be subject to removal if customers fail to log in by December 11th. Now, presumably that deadline will shift.

Sadly, I’m not even a little surprised this wasn’t thought of by whoever was in charge of it. Twitter leadership continues to prove it’s unable to really understand how people use their service, and how it should evolve.

Mac Power Users #511: 2019 Developer Roundtable ⇢

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This week, on a special episode of MPU:

Ken Case of the Omni Group, Greg Scown of Smile and Dave Teare of AgileBits join David and Stephen to talk through Apple’s year and the changes it brought for developers. Then, a conversation about app subscriptions, VC funding and more.

My thanks to our sponsors:

  • 1Password: Have you ever forgotten a password? You don’t have to worry about that anymore.
  • TextExpander from Smile: Get 20% off with this link and type more with less effort! Expand short abbreviations into longer bits of text, even fill-ins, with TextExpander from Smile.
  • Linode: High performance SSD Linux servers for all of your infrastructure needs. Get a $20 credit.
  • Freshbooks: Online invoicing made easy.