ntngps's recent activity
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Comment on iOS 26 is here in ~tech
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Comment on iOS 26 is here in ~tech
ntngps Link ParentSorry, that last comment was callous. Of course it's worth discussing. I'm just tired of the news cycles driven mainly by grievance to drive clicks. Are there problems with Liquid Glass? Of...Sorry, that last comment was callous. Of course it's worth discussing. I'm just tired of the news cycles driven mainly by grievance to drive clicks. Are there problems with Liquid Glass? Of course. But there are nice things about it too. That's not my issue.
I feel like I've been reading the same article/complaints over and over for the past decade or so. Apple ships design changes and new features with obviously reproducible bugs and has consistently chosen to prioritize shipping even more new features instead of pumping the brakes for a year or two and really polishing what they've got. But hundreds, if not thousands, of online complains are clearly not going to change the way they operate.
That's what I meant by "important"; I didn't mean to compare the change to Liquid Glass to, like, the war in Ukraine. I agree that a company as large as Apple, with millions of customers, whose technology and products are virtually ubiquitous, should be held to a particularly high standard. But it's clear that our current economic system is ineffective in enforcing that standard. That is what I would like to think more about.
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Comment on iOS 26 is here in ~tech
ntngps LinkLooks fine. Some parts are uglier than others. Animation bugs abound. Will get refined back towards neutrality over time. Points toward a future of AR-first UI design. Typical Apple. Let's all...Looks fine. Some parts are uglier than others. Animation bugs abound. Will get refined back towards neutrality over time. Points toward a future of AR-first UI design. Typical Apple. Let's all find something more important to complain about, shall we?
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Comment on Paramount Skydance prepares Ellison-backed bid for Warner Bros. Discovery in ~movies
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Comment on iOS26 "Liquid Glass" - is it really such a big deal? in ~tech
ntngps Link ParentThere’s definitely good reasons why every company (including Apple) have walked back their more transparent designs over the years. And if many people enable the Reduce Transparency accessibility...There’s definitely good reasons why every company (including Apple) have walked back their more transparent designs over the years. And if many people enable the Reduce Transparency accessibility setting, why bother with Liquid Glass in the first place?
I think what will happen with Liquid Glass is the same thing that happens with all these transparent designs. I just hope it doesn’t take years for Apple to reach that conclusion. -
Comment on iOS26 "Liquid Glass" - is it really such a big deal? in ~tech
ntngps LinkLike any new UI design, many will be repulsed by Liquid Glass on sight simply because it's new and different. Many of those same people will grow used to it after some amount of time. Its most...Like any new UI design, many will be repulsed by Liquid Glass on sight simply because it's new and different. Many of those same people will grow used to it after some amount of time. Its most daring elements will be scaled back over its next few iterations until it finds some neutrality. Ultimately it's not going to change the way people actually use their devices. But MKBHD's video didn't spend much time on the most impressive parts of Liquid Glass: the physics and lighting system driving its animations. You can best see it in this part, when he slowly drags the Notification Center view down. Watch the bottom edge of the view as it slides down. The edge itself takes on different specular highlights, adjusts chromatic aberration, and refracts light according to the content behind it, all in real time at 120 fps. Watch here, too, at the top of the "Customize" button, and see how the top edge takes on a different specular highlight according to the content it's "reflecting". All this is very impressive on a technical level, and I would say that all these little touches, that might not be noticed individually, will add up to an experience that users ultimately find delightful. But will it be useful, and readable? The jury's still out.
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Comment on Are modern iPhones unusable without a case? in ~comp
ntngps LinkI always wanted to go caseless, but old iPhones just weren’t grippy enough. Then I got the 16 Pro. Something about the titanium and glass provides just the right amount of grip for me. I don’t...I always wanted to go caseless, but old iPhones just weren’t grippy enough. Then I got the 16 Pro. Something about the titanium and glass provides just the right amount of grip for me. I don’t love how the thin bezel tends to pick up phantom touches, but I love how light it is. Now I’m always caseless. YMMV, of course.
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Comment on The misogynistic, bigoted and crude US rally remarks Donald Trump hasn’t disavowed in ~society
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Comment on Kobo for a casual reader in ~books
ntngps LinkI had a similar feeling a couple months ago and ordered myself a Kobo Clara (didn't want/need the color screen) and regretted it within days. The UI was clunkier than my 2018 Kindle Paperwhite, it...I had a similar feeling a couple months ago and ordered myself a Kobo Clara (didn't want/need the color screen) and regretted it within days. The UI was clunkier than my 2018 Kindle Paperwhite, it ran way too slow, and the font options/layout customization weren't satisfying. It just wasn't worth it when my Kindle still worked fine. I returned the Kobo; maybe I'll try it again when they release a new one.
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Comment on Has anyone stopped caring about politics? in ~society
ntngps Link ParentThank you for writing this. It's so easy for Westerners (like myself) to become complacent. It's important for us to remember that complacency is exactly what the bad guys want.Thank you for writing this. It's so easy for Westerners (like myself) to become complacent. It's important for us to remember that complacency is exactly what the bad guys want.
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Comment on Hi, how are you? Mental health support and discussion thread (September 2023) in ~health.mental
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Comment on Looking for new punk rock or ska bands in ~music
ntngps LinkCheck out Lifeguard, these kids from Chicago. Better than any high school band I've heard!Check out Lifeguard, these kids from Chicago. Better than any high school band I've heard!
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Comment on Favorite podcast app? in ~tech
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Comment on Favorite podcast app? in ~tech
ntngps Link ParentA couple months now. Maybe it's time for a reinstall...A couple months now. Maybe it's time for a reinstall...
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Comment on Favorite podcast app? in ~tech
ntngps Link ParentI've loved Overcast for years, but has performance really gone downhill recently for anyone else? No other app on my iPhone is lagging like Overcast.I've loved Overcast for years, but has performance really gone downhill recently for anyone else? No other app on my iPhone is lagging like Overcast.
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Comment on What are you looking for out of artificial intelligence? in ~tech
ntngps Link ParentJust re-watched Her recently. There's a small moment near the beginning where Samantha is cleaning up Theo's storage, and comes across the hundreds of emails he's kept from his old job. She says...Just re-watched Her recently. There's a small moment near the beginning where Samantha is cleaning up Theo's storage, and comes across the hundreds of emails he's kept from his old job. She says something like, "I think there's about 83 we should keep, and we can get rid of the rest." That kind of confident understanding of my personal situation is what I want from AI.
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Why are these external SSDs so different in price?
I'm talking about this 2 TB LaCie Portable SSD and this Samsung T7 2 TB SSD. They both have the same ~1 GB/s read-write speed, the same 3-year limited warranty, and the same USB 3.2 Gen2...
I'm talking about this 2 TB LaCie Portable SSD and this Samsung T7 2 TB SSD. They both have the same ~1 GB/s read-write speed, the same 3-year limited warranty, and the same USB 3.2 Gen2 connector. But the LaCie drive is $369, while the Samsung drive is $130.
Am I missing something? Or is it just luxury tax?6 votes -
Comment on What are some of your favorite "easy reads"? in ~books
ntngps LinkMurder on the Orient Express by Agatha Christie. There's a reason it's a classic. Christie's prose is quick and matter-of-fact, but avoids stodginess with her vibrant characters. The mystery...Murder on the Orient Express by Agatha Christie. There's a reason it's a classic. Christie's prose is quick and matter-of-fact, but avoids stodginess with her vibrant characters. The mystery itself goes down like a fiery whisky--smooth with an exciting finish.
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Comment on With rising costs of just about everything, what are some frugal things you do to save some cash? in ~life
ntngps Link ParentI just started using Plex last year after years of assuming it was as shoddy and wonky as every other home streaming service I've tried. Plex is the real deal. Quality options, live transcoding,...I just started using Plex last year after years of assuming it was as shoddy and wonky as every other home streaming service I've tried. Plex is the real deal. Quality options, live transcoding, guest management... I love it so far. Wouldn't mind paying for a lifetime pass to this.
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Comment on Apple's forbidden words in ~tech
ntngps LinkIt's weird and arrogant but hey, it works. Other tech companies are far too hasty to jump on the so-called next big thing. Remember NFTs? The Metaverse? AI? Apple wisely stayed out of all that,...It's weird and arrogant but hey, it works. Other tech companies are far too hasty to jump on the so-called next big thing. Remember NFTs? The Metaverse? AI? Apple wisely stayed out of all that, allowing their opponents to wade neck deep into each topic's ethical dilemmas while they stay clean on the shore.
It'll be the same with virtual/augmented reality. No one else is really matching what Apple is proposing with XR, and by instead calling it "spatial computing," Apple gets to take the definition of XR in a new direction.
I agree it's fine to have opinions on new design languages in mobile OSs, I have plenty of them myself! See my clarification here.