I just discovered “A tiny Mac app that converts song links between Spotify, Apple Music, YouTube Music, and more.” The app, Relinq, has one of the best icons I’ve seen in a while.
What I Wish I’d Known When My Kids Were Infants
All my kids were introduced to peanut butter slowly after they were at least one year old. Back then, that was the guideline. You don’t give your kids peanuts because they might be allergic to them. Once they were in elementary school all four loved eating peanut butter sandwiches and never had any adverse effects from eating so much peanut butter. In this NY Times article, studies have shown a drop in peanut butter allergies due to new guidance stating to introduce peanuts and other foods early to build up tolerance.
It’s Now Easy to Be Stupid
This was an interesting read that I have seen in myself and my kids. We are living in a world with the best healthcare, food, training, intelligence, etc. but what is it doing to us? We live in a world that our grandparents couldn't fathom the things we do in the first thirty minutes of waking up and yet we go about our day complaining. Relatively speaking, these are nice problems to have.
Hate Reading in iOS 26? Here’s the Fix
To anyone that has updated to iOS 26 and loves the new look, but hates the legibility of the text. I recommend doing the following with your iPhone. On your iPhone, follow these simple steps in iOS 26: Open the Settings app Go to Accessibility Tap Display & Text Size Then toggle on Reduce Transparency
Are You Human Enough for This Game?
New site over at neal.fun by Neal Agarwal, the creator behind many playful internet experiments. So what's it about? Instead of the usual frustrating CAPTCHA checks you see online, this is a game where the challenge itself is the fun. You'll solve quirky, puzzle-like captchas that feel more like a brain teaser than a security test. It's not a real CAPTCHA to prove you are not a robot but gives off impossible quiz vibes from back in my day.
I'm Bored
I just watched You Need to Be Bored by Harvard Business Review and it has sparked some thoughts! When my kids tell me that they are bored, I typically respond with a Great! or that's not a bad thing, congratulations. I tell them that I was bored once and look how I turned out! Recently, my son told me he was bored so I told him to get his shoes on and we went for a walk around the neighborhood.
Memory: Why We Forget and What Actually Helps
Introduction We all experience memory lapses, from misplacing keys to walking into a room and forgetting why we’re there. It can feel frustrating, even alarming. But according to neuroscientist Charan Ranganath, forgetting is the brain’s default behavior and it's entirely normal. The human brain doesn’t have boundless storage, so forgetting helps prioritize what's truly meaningful. 1. Forgetting Is Not a Bug - It’s a Feature ,Our brains constantly encounter a flood of information.
Spark’s X Button
I really hate that Spark has a post to X button about my email being at inbox zero. My personal email pretty much stays at zero and it annoys me every time to see that button that I occasionally accidentally press when going to swipe down to refresh. I will NEVER post to X that I don’t have any emails currently. I love having all my different emails together in Spark so I want to continue using the app, but a setting to turn that off would be ideal!
In the MacStories Weekly: Issue 478, John and Federico are taking a couple weeks off to recharge before the new OS and iPhone releases are announced this fall.
As much as we dislike pausing our regular publication schedule, years of doing this have taught us that a well-timed break keeps us from burning out and makes for a better fall season when we return.
I am so happy that these guys are publicly stating this. I think that it is so important to take a break and not go 100% all the time. Makes me even more proud to be a member!
Breathing
I learned this awesome breathing technique from the Focused and Bookworm podcast about the 4-7-8 breathing method. It’s basically breathing in for four seconds, holding for seven, and exhaling for eight. Dr. Dula discussed a different breathing method that stuck with me in my college days. Think of taking a deep breath as filling up your stomach with air, then completely emptying your stomach of all the air. With both methods, the key is to focus on your breath, imagining your lungs expanding and contracting.
Following Myke Hurley’s Lead
Casey Neistat inspired me to start editing videos after watching his daily vlogs every day. It’s a weird type of inspiration, as I don’t want to be that person, but what they are doing makes me want to do something. Myke Hurley is doing that for me now and is absolutely creating masterful content. I do not know how in the world he is able to do all that he does while raising a newborn.
MacBook Choices
I’m trying to figure out the right laptop for my daughter that is a sophomore in high school before she heads to college. She’s used Chromebooks all through school, but since she’s into design, I’m thinking a MacBook might be a good fit. I’m torn between getting her something basic or waiting to see if that rumored lower-end MacBook with the A18 chip comes out. The last thing I want is to drop a ton of cash on a maxed-out MacBook Pro if she ends up not liking the Mac ecosystem.
So Evan and Achol died
This NYT Opinion piece puts a few faces and names to kids that have died due to USAID being shut off. I know the US can’t be the world’s savior and help others when so many need help within our borders, but seeing these kids and knowing they died because of greed really struck a nerve with me this morning. I had no idea about USAID before all the DOGE happenings and I’m sure there will be more political and government organizations that I will learn about in the coming years, but cutting off aid to save some money just seems like a terrible idea to me.
Why is there no Mohawk rocker emoji?
I’ve never skipped back to try and figure out how a transition happened more than when I am watching The Studio.
The Lego 3-in-1 boxes are genius. Bought my kid one and went back to get two more because they wanted all three.
Had a weird conversation with ChatGPT, but wow it hit the feels with this response about my kids!
“You don’t want perfection, you don’t want control—you just want connection. You want to be the dad they want to talk to, even when they’re grown, even when life gets messy.”
All I want for iOS 19 is Reminders syncing inside Notes. If Apple gives me that, they can make the icons any shape they want.
I keep panicking thinking it’s not Wednesday because Connected isn’t in my podcast feed.
I need a Little Debbie double stuffed Oatmeal Creme Pie.
No, not the double decker, like a double stuffed Oreo but Oatmeal Creme Pie.