I wish my 3D printer was big enough to pull this off:
Sponsor: Magic Lasso Adblock: YouTube Ad Blocker for Safari ⇢
Do you want to block all YouTube ads in Safari on your iPhone, iPad and Mac?
Then download Magic Lasso Adblock – the ad blocker designed for you.
As an efficient, high performance and native Safari ad blocker, Magic Lasso blocks all intrusive ads, trackers and annoyances – delivering a faster, cleaner and more secure web browsing experience.
Magic Lasso Adblock is easy to setup, doubles the speed at which Safari loads and also blocks all YouTube ads; including all:
- video ads
- pop up banner ads
- search ads
- plus many more
With over 5,000 five star reviews; it’s simply the best ad blocker for your iPhone, iPad and Mac.
And unlike some other ad blockers, Magic Lasso Adblock respects your privacy, doesn’t accept payment from advertisers and is 100% supported by its community of users.
So, join over 350,000 users and download Magic Lasso Adblock from the App Store, Mac App Store or via the Magic Lasso website.
Mac Power Users 802: The Ubiquiti Universe ⇢
Stephen leads David through the maze of Ubiquiti’s Unifi networking offerings. The company offers a wide range of equipment for home and business users, including routers, switches, access points, cameras, and more, but it can be confusing to navigate.
xAI Gathering Turbines for Second Memphis Site, One Mile Outside of City ⇢
In May, it was reported that xAI was looking to use gas turbines to power its second Memphis location, in part through a partnership named Stateline Power Solutions. Part of the deal was some property just south of the Tennessee/Mississippi state line, which was being used to store the gas turbines that xAI will rely on to help power the new data center. According to Samuel Hardiman, the rate at which equipment is being delivered to the site has picked up steam:
On Wednesday, June 18, a Daily Memphian reporter observed dozens of natural gas turbines and energy equipment stockpiled in a field at 2979 Stateline Road West in Southaven [Mississippi]. None of the equipment appeared to be running, but it does seem to be multiplying. Two weeks ago, the reporter saw only six or seven turbines on the same lot.
According to filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission, the equipment in the field was delivered as part of a joint venture between Elon Musk’s xAI and Solaris Energy Infrastructure LLC, in line with the venture’s plans to build up to 900 megawatts of off-site capacity for xAI’s second Memphis data center.
The company is building that data center about a mile to the north at 5420 Tulane Road in Memphis.
Hardiman continues:
About a half-mile south of the field where the equipment is stationed is a 100-plus-acre Southaven site that was once a Duke Energy natural gas plant. For more than two months, The Daily Memphian has observed workers move between xAI’s 5420 Tulane Road property and the former plant at 2875 Stanton Road, raising the question of whether that site is where xAI will generate the power needed for its second Memphis data center.
Both of those Mississippi addresses are linked to Solaris Energy Infrastructure, Inc., the company who sourced the turbines in use at xAI’s first Memphis site.
This map shows how close these locations are to the new data center:
This reporting comes the same week where the NAACP and the Southern Environmental Law Center announced their intent to sue xAI over their use of gas turbines at the company’s first Memphis site. In my article covering that development, I quoted from a recent editorial written by Memphis Mayor Paul Young. I’m going to quote the exact same section of that article today:
Claim #1: xAI plans to install 45 to 90 turbines in Memphis
False. Their permit outlines 15 temporary-use turbines for their first facility. That’s it. There’s no plan, permit or proposal for anything more. The power solution for their second site hasn’t been determined.
Young would be proven right if the turbines that are being delivered are technically run in Southaven and not Memphis, but air pollution doesn’t care about state lines.
Tahoe Seems to Drop FireWire Support ⇢
The first macOS Tahoe developer beta does not support the legacy FireWire 400 and FireWire 800 data-transfer standards, according to @NekoMichi on X, and a Reddit post. As a result, the first few iPod models and old external storage drives that rely on FireWire cannot be synced with or mounted on a Mac running the macOS Tahoe beta.
Unlike on macOS Sequoia and earlier versions, the first macOS Tahoe beta does not include a FireWire section in the System Settings app.
xAI Looking to Raise Billions ⇢
Amanda Silberling at TechCrunch:
Elon Musk’s startup xAI is trying to raise a $4.3 billion equity investment, according to a report from Bloomberg. This equity funding would be in addition to the $5 billion that Musk is allegedly trying to raise in debt funding for the combined entity of X and xAI.
The company appears to be raising money again after landing a $6 billion cash infusion in December, because it has already spent much of its money.
Connected 557: From a Place of Passion ⇢
This week on the show: Federico interviewed Craig Federighi about the past, present, and future of the iPad. Myke started a blog, and I am hoping for change.
Federico Interviewed Craig Federighi ⇢
Federico Viticci, writing at MacStories:
It’s a cool, sunny morning at Apple Park as I’m walking my way along the iconic glass ring to meet with Apple’s SVP of Software Engineering, Craig Federighi, for a conversation about the iPad.
It’s the Wednesday after WWDC, and although there are still some developers and members of the press around Apple’s campus, it seems like employees have returned to their regular routines. Peek through the glass, and you’ll see engineers working at their stations, half-erased whiteboards, and an infinite supply of Studio Displays on wooden desks with rounded corners. Some guests are still taking pictures by the WWDC sign. There are fewer security dogs, but they’re obviously all good.
Despite the list of elaborate questions on my mind about iPadOS 26 and its new multitasking, the long history of iPad criticisms (including mine) over the years, and what makes an iPad different from a Mac, I can’t stop thinking about the simplest, most obvious question I could ask – one that harkens back to an old commercial about the company’s modular tablet:
In 2025, what even is an iPad according to Federighi?
This entire thing is gold. Take some time and enjoy it.
With Liquid Glass, Less is More ⇢
I was fortunate enough to get one of the Design Labs late last week, which meant that I spent Friday morning frantically doing as many first-pass updates to the new design as I could. I then was able to discuss many of them during the lab and learned a bunch.
Like David, I was thinking that Liquid Glass should be applied in a bunch of places, but as he writes, that’s not quite the case:
Something my design lab consultant said, which was really clarifying for me, was that Liquid Glass should generally be used to highlight content underneath the button. So if that content is plain/flat, then it is likely not appropriate. In this case, if the button was over the map preview, then it might be appropriate, but since the whole section is tappable, then I’d have two levels of interactivity, which is generally not great.
Be sure to check out the examples from his early work on the iOS 26 update for Pedometer++.
NAACP Looks to Sue xAI Over Clean Air Act as Turbines Spin in Memphis ⇢
Samuel Hardiman writing, for The Daily Memphian reporting that the NAACP plans to sue xAI for alleged violations of the federal Clean Air Act:
The notice of intent provides the entity that could be sued with 60 days’ notice of the lawsuit, allowing it or the regulator (the Environmental Protection Agency or another government entity) to correct the actions outlined in the notice.
“By installing and operating 35 combustion turbines and other sources of air pollution, xAI has illegally constructed and continues to operate a major source without obtaining a preconstruction PSD permit. In addition to failing to obtain a PSD permit, xAI has operated and continues to operate these turbines without utilizing Best Available Control Technology, a distinct and ongoing violation of Section 165 of the Act,” the notice of intent to sue states.
The lawsuit is in conjunction with the Southern Environmental Law Center. In a press release, the group said:
“xAI’s decision to install and operate dozens of polluting gas turbines without any permits or public oversight is a clear violation of the Clean Air Act,” SELC Senior Attorney Patrick Anderson said. “Over the last year, these turbines have pumped out pollution that threatens the health of Memphis families. This notice paves the way for a lawsuit that can hold xAI accountable for its unlawful refusal to get permits for its gas turbines.”
xAI began operations at its South Memphis data center in June of 2024. To meet the facility’s massive power demands, the company began installing dozens of polluting methane gas turbines without any permits. Aerial images obtained by SELC revealed 35 turbines at the site in March, and follow-up thermal images obtained in April showed that nearly all of the turbines were emitting significant amounts of heat, indicating they were running. New satellite images show that, while the company has removed some smaller-sized turbines, it has recently installed three larger turbines.
The full notice can be read here. A lot of the disagreement hinges on how many turbines are in use. As recently as last week, Memphis Mayor Paul Young claimed the turbines in use are legal, saying that 21 are now in use.
There’s been a lot of noise about the xAI project. A lot of shouting. A lot of misinformation. What there hasn’t been enough of is truth.
Let’s be clear, this isn’t a debate between the environment and economics. It’s about putting people before politics. It’s about building something better for communities that have waited far too long for real investment.
On behalf of our city, I’m choosing Memphis. I’m choosing facts over fear, solutions over soundbites, and progress over performative outrage.
I’m all for choosing Memphis, but that means caring for all of our citizens, especially the most vulnerable. Young seems like a guy who understands that, which makes this all the more frustrating as a Memphian who voted for the guy.1
He goes on:
Claim #1: xAI plans to install 45 to 90 turbines in Memphis
False. Their permit outlines 15 temporary-use turbines for their first facility. That’s it. There’s no plan, permit or proposal for anything more. The power solution for their second site hasn’t been determined.
He is not wrong that there is no permit for more turbines, but it’s clear that xAI and its partners plan more turbines in Memphis, as reported last month. Construction is already underway at the second site, and it’s clear that our utility company is not going to be ready in time.
-
I really like part of his editorial from June 12:
“We’re introducing Memphis’ first-ever Community Benefit Ordinance, which mandates that 25% of xAI’s city property tax revenue be reinvested directly into neighborhoods within five miles of the facility. That means more than $3 million this year alone. Over the next decade, as additional project phases come online, this could total more than $100 million for infrastructure upgrades, home repairs and quality-of-life improvements in communities that too often get talked about, but not truly invested in.”
I just wish he — and our other local leaders — would be more honest about what’s going on here. ↩
Apple’s Service Program for M2 Mac minis with Power Issues ⇢
Apple has determined that a very small percentage of Mac mini (2023) devices with the M2 chip may no longer power on. Affected devices were manufactured between June 16, 2024 to November 23, 2024.
If your Mac mini has exhibited this issue, please use the Serial Number checker below to see if your device is eligible for this program. If so, Apple or an Apple Authorized Service Provider will provide service, free of charge.
I had not heard of this issue before the service program opened, but I’m glad the company is taking care of these machines for folks. My mother-in-law has a Mac mini that falls into this range, so we’ll see how that plays out.
Windows 11 Test Builds Include Vista Startup Sound ⇢
Tom Warren, writing about the mistake:
Microsoft quickly acknowledged the mistake,1 and added a line to its release notes for the latest Dev Channel build. “This week’s flight comes with a delightful blast from the past and will play the Windows Vista boot sound instead of the Windows 11 boot sound,” says the Windows Insider team. “We’re working on a fix.”
I kinda like it.
- Part of me likes to think that this was not accidental, but another subtle jab at Liquid Glass. In a world of regulation and law suits, tech companies poking fun of each other is the energy I need. ↩