Smallish reprise of yesterday’s outing at home, before smash burgers .

Arthur Brooks on Finding Love, Traps, and Dating Sites:

Dating sites first emerged in the 1990s, and by 2020, more than 50 percent of heterosexual couples had formed after meeting this way. Sometimes, this led to good results, and people were happily and permanently partnered. Troublingly, though, scholars recently found that, on average, couples who ultimately get married to someone they met online have less stable and satisfying marriages than people who meet offline.

HOW TO REALIZE YOUR OWN LOVE SUPREME

I usually look to Vonnegut when the fan noise gets to be too much. But here’s a good explainer:

A sports team is an expression of a fan’s sense of self, as I learned from dozens of interviews and research articles I surveyed for my book “The Secret Lives of Sports Fans,” is an expansion of a fan’s sense of self. It is not an obnoxious affectation when a devotee uses the word “we”; it’s a literal confusion in the brain about what is “me” and what is “the team.” In all kinds of unconscious ways, a fan mirrors the feelings, actions and even hormones of the players. Self-esteem rides on the outcome of the game and the image of the franchise.

The psychology of why sports fans see their teams as extensions of themselves

Discouraged by the likelihood of non-regulars flooding the local wineries, Rhonda and I made a rez at the Blue Rascal in Hammonton for late afternoon cocktails.

We each had a rye Manhattan, proceeded by an old fashioned and a whisky sour. We brought our own provisions and stopped route at Baglianis for a restock. It was a short hop over to the Maplewood, so why not?

Say what you will about Reddit: I find out about a lot of cool software from there. TIL there was a bundle available and I got a few things.

File List Export

I have high expectations for this app, considering the synchrony with which it came into my life. I’m tryin to move my file system over from PARA to Johnny Dcimal and It’s a lot to think about. I’m thinking FLE will help me build a JDex. Can you imagine… a daily OPML of your files, viewable in OmniOutliner?
But we’ll see.

DisplayBuddy

I’ve been plugging my Macs into external displays since forever, and in the most convenient applications, that was an Apple Display of some kind. Apple stopped making displays for a while, and the ones they make now are nice but expensive (and generally beyond my needs). I can live very comfortably with a 4k display of just about any kind, and a 60 Hz refresh rate doesn’t bother me at all…on a Mac.

(Having recently experienced the difference between the display on the MacBook Pro and an M2 Air, however, I can attest to my preference for the Pro Display). More importantly, though, using an iPad or iPhone with ProMotion will spoil you for that display technology. But on a Mac? For my needs, 60 is fine.

One of the bugaboos about using third-party displays on the Mac, however, is that while most of them will work as a display right out of the box, many have no additional software support outside of what macOS recognizes. I grabbed a cheap display around the holidays (a 27” Samsung G5) to use at the office, and I was suspicious that not all of the resolutions capable were shown in the System Settings app for the Mac. I found DisplayBuddy and BetterDisplay via Reddit, and have tried both. So this was a good chance to get a license.

I did manage to change the resolution on my Mac Studio connected to a 32” Samsung U32J59 to something that didn’t work, and I had to go through a harrowing hour of trying to fix it. But if you’re even interested in reading at this point, you’re probably someone who has hosed your filesystem a few times or rm-ed something by accident, so carry on.

DeltaWalker Pro

I don’t need the unix Diff command very often, but when I do, I really love it. When you’re comparing long lists of data, and you find a tool like Diff that makes short work of such a boring, repetitive task, you can’t help but feel bad for someone who’s trying to accomplish something you just know could be handled by a terminal command, BBEdit, or DeltaWaker.

New sauce last night at the Double Eagle; the mix the mild and hot honey sauces. Was good.

We like to nip out for a meal often. Thursday are sometimes pizza night, because Aaron and I go to guitar lessons at 6 pm. Last night was a challenge, because one, it was the night before Valentines Day, and two, the night before the big parade in Philly to celebrate the Eagles’ winning the Super Bowl. We drove past the Double Eagle, our neighborhood pub, and it was packed. So we soldiered forth to Ikura for some sushi. The operators are Chinese (we chat), but they make good sushi.

Rhonda and I had agreed over 18 years ago that, for Aaron’s scheduled C-Section, Valentines Day would be a good birthday. We never really celebrated it all that seriously, and were more inclined to go out to dinner for it on a non-hallmark-holiday evening. I generally dislike going to even my favorite spots on holidays, because you aren’t going to get the normal experience. It will be crowded, or there will be a reduced menu, or something else that mars an otherwise normal experience.
We’ve felt bad, though, because often even casual meals on his birthday are tough to swing. Tonight’s gonna be Chinese takeout. He was good with that. Fancier non-holiday meals await!

I remain hopeful that Pixelmator will continue as a standalone app.

In the intervening 131 days since I first posted about the Beats case I’m rocking on my iPhone 16 Pro Max, I’ve gathered a bit of data to share.

It’s Slippery: I will cop to dropping my phone sometimes. But I think almost all of the blemishes here are from the phone slipping out of my pocket when I’m getting in the car. Sometimes it slips out between the seats, but often it enough it clatters to the asphalt in the parking lot when I’m not using it. When you drop your phone because you’re using it while walking or doing something else, you kind of assume responsibility for it. It happens. But in this case? You’re often doing what should be the most protective responsible thing you can and it falls anyway. This is exacerbated by nylon interior pockets, which enable a new-to-me jacket to hold my crap while I’m in transit. It’s entirely possible that other garments would hold the device better. Of course, pants pockets do a nicer job.

It Takes a Beating : As you can see, the case can take a beating. But unlike a nice leather case, which will only be more charming with a blemish, the Beats case looks like ass after a few falls. I’m going to try magic padding the blemishes to see if the shit-brown discolorations will come off. I mean, the ground… it’s dirty down there.

I have, in what I’d generously refer to as a spirit of constant iteration, and in a more critical mood ascribe to rampant consumerism and existential dread, engaged my Apple Magic Trackpad in the service of my desktop Mac for the weekend in an effort to determine if it might, in fact, be a suitable replacement for my beloved Logi MX Master 3.

iPad Pro Duty

My Magic Trackpad, and older lightning model, serves duty as the pointing interface for my iPad Pro at the office. I realized a long time ago that I like using a Magic Trackpad over a mouse with an iPad, because it very closely mimics the experience of touching the iPad itself, most notably using gestures. I’ve been a keen user of iPad gestures since they came out with the iPad 2.

On the Mac

One discovery: data detectors. Using three fingers to select an item (for example, a date in a block of text from an email) reveals as more-iOSy pop-up panel, showing your calendar at that date.) When mousing, you. Can reveal similar options, but in a contextual menu with fewer visual affordances.

Anyway, I didn’t get to spend enough time with the Trackpad this weekend, so we’ll have to see. I could order one, use it, and send it back if I don’t like it. Maybe I can sneak up to Best Buy this week and grab one. Or I’ll bring it home and go through the rigamarole of pairing and unpairing. I do find having my hand hovering over the wedge feels weird and stressful compared to using a mouse.

Here’s this week’s list of things to check out. I’m deep into cheese and aperol spritzes in anticipation of the game. I don’t really care about football but it’s a fun night!

iPad Mini 7

Apple neglects this little version of their tablet for a while, and then incrementally updates it from time to time. The most recent version is the seventh iteration, and it’s understandably criticized for having a 60 Hz refresh rate and an older chip. But like the first iPad mini, which did not compare favorably to the full-sized iPads available when it was released, it is useful and charming in ways that defy expectation. It’s a great iPad to take notes on, read, and do some light work. They are popular assistive tech devices for our students for sure. I honestly can’t say that this one I’ve been using wants for anything, although I would appreciate ProMotion.

Plagido’s Winery in Hammonton, NJ

Rhonda and I stopped by our usual haunt, Bellview Winery, yesterday for a growler fill and a bottle of rosé, but unsurprisingly, it was packed with pre-game revelers enjoying a chocolate and wine event. We usually stay away when these things are going on. Our backup plan included possibly driving to nearby Hammonton, NJ, and getting some salami and cheeses at Bagliani’s. We made a b-line for Plagido’s winery in town, which a colleague and friend described as having very good wine after a wine trail event stop there. The interior is industrial where Bellview’s more rustic and bucolic, but you do get to learn a fair bit about the wine if the owner is working. We enjoyed a bottle of Vidal Blanc and a cheese plate. We will be back for sure, and will be eager to try the outdoor seating. We tried a red blend that was finished with espresso beans, too.

Readwise: “Chat with Your Highlights” Feature

Pretty much every night, when I brush my teeth before bed, I read the five highlights that Readwise exhumes from my ever-deepening stash of quotes from ebooks and websites I’ve, at one time or another, highlighted. This is a valuable feature and the main reason I subscribe to the service. The other night, I noticed this feature and clicked in to check it out. It works on the web, as well; you can type in a prompt, and Readwise will return an answer with citations from your highlights. It’s a genius feature and approximates what many of us are bullish about using AI for: synthesizing your personal library of content across sources.

I found Antinotevia Reddit, which is often where I find interesting software these days. It reminds me of a mashup of Soulver, TaskPaper and Tot. I’m curious about the exhortation to “Embrace impermanence.”

If you, like me, are prone to going down a YouTube rat hole, you may have seen Rick Beato interviewing guitar legends. I saw his interview with Steve Lukatherlast night while brushing my teeth, and I never realized how many iconic songs from the 80s he played on. I knew he played on Michael Jackson’s Thriller , but the interview caused me to look up a playlist on Apple Music.

One of my guilty MTV-inspired pleasures from the 80s is “She’s a Beauty” by the Tubes. I remember the video vividly, but have enjoyed the song every time it comes on. Which it does, on my iPhone.

And the guitarist on that song? Steve Lukather.

What is the story that you tell yourself when you tell the story of your life?

Nietzsche on overcoming nihilism | Philosopher Babette Babich

Because no one is. This is not a new video, but it does a nice job torpedoing the “multiple intelligences” trend.