Hi Friend, I recently took a flight and following touchdown, a crew member made a surprise announcement: this landing marked our captain’s final flight after 30 years piloting aircraft. We all applauded. As we disembarked, the captain stood in the aisle, offering each passenger a farewell. When it was my turn, I congratulated him. I actually thought about what I’d say. “I hope your next adventure is as exciting as this one was.” His eyes met mine, serious and somber, as he quietly replied,...
13 days ago • 2 min read
Hi Friend, If you listened to the most recent episode of Mac Power Users, you heard me struggling with a decision: should I upgrade my Mac? As you may know, I've been happily using an M2 Mac Studio with 8TB of internal storage. It's a powerhouse, and it fits perfectly in Endor Studios (my home studio). I'm a big believer in contextual work, and when I sit at my desk, I'm instantly in production mode. My workflow is optimized for this machine, and until recently, I hadn't seriously considered...
20 days ago • 2 min read
Hi friend, One of the best features Apple has added in recent years is Focus Modes. I use them every day across all my devices, and they have become an essential part of how I manage my attention, my work, and even my personal life. At its core, a Focus Mode is a filter between you and the rest of the world. Instead of being bombarded with every notification, email, or message the moment it arrives, Focus Modes let you decide what gets through based on what you're doing. They are powerful and...
27 days ago • 2 min read
Hi Friend, For years now I’ve been writing and talking about the trouble with Siri. This problem became even more acute for Apple with the rise of large language models (LLMs) and the world’s collective realization at just how useful a smart artificial intelligence can be. Last June, it seemed as if Apple finally found religion about making Siri better. At WWDC 2024 they outlined the “Apple Intelligence” strategy that made a lot of sense. While I never expected Apple to build something on par...
about 1 month ago • 1 min read
Hi Friend, This week, Apple unveiled a bunch of new hardware, including the M4 Mac Studio, M4 MacBook Air, and the latest iPad Air. There’s a lot to discuss: M4 Mac Studio Apple’s new Mac Studio has two primary configurations: one with the M4 Max chip and another with the M3 Ultra chip. The M4 Max variant boasts a 16-core CPU and up to 40 GPU cores, delivering substantial performance enhancements over its predecessors. Notably, this model introduces Apple’s latest-generation graphics...
about 1 month ago • 2 min read
Hi Friend, I've been spending a lot of time with Claude 3.7 Sonnet lately, and I wanted to share some thoughts on the new "Gen3" AI models. Claude 3.7 is trained with a massive leap in computing power compared to its predecessors. What's Different About These New Models? These new AI models aren't just incrementally better; they represent a significant jump in capabilities. There are two reasons for this: Training Scale: These models use 10x more computing power in training than GPT-4 did....
about 2 months ago • 1 min read
Hi Friend, At a recent MacSparky Labs event, a few folks started asking about career change—how to do it, when to think about it, and what it feels like to make a big shift. The questions hit home for me because, as many of you know, I spent thirty years as a lawyer before going full time with MacSparky. And when I made that change, I realized something important: if you ever think you might need a parachute, you'd better start knitting it early. I didn't set out to build a parachute. I...
about 2 months ago • 1 min read
Hi Friend, Over the past several years, I’ve spent a lot of time reading classic Hellenistic philosophy. I find those thinkers’ willingness to take on the big questions interesting. Because when it comes to thinking about philosophy, I’m practical. I couldn't care less whether or not I’m living in a simulation. I am very interested, however, in finding and sharing happiness. And the Greeks thought about that question a lot. Maybe Aristotle said it best: Happiness is an activity of the soul in...
3 months ago • 1 min read
Hi friend, I’ve been wearing Apple Watches since day one, and the 2024 lineup is the most impressive yet. They make great holiday gifts, but here’s the thing: You don’t need to buy the most expensive model to get a great Apple Watch experience. Let’s break this down into plain English and figure out which watch belongs on your wrist. The Three Flavors of Apple Watch Series 10: The Sweet Spot This is the Goldilocks watch — not too much, not too little, but just right for most users. This year...
4 months ago • 3 min read