The New Yorker:

In 1977, Shigeru Miyamoto joined Nintendo, a company then known for selling toys, playing cards, and trivial novelties. Miyamoto was twenty-four, fresh out of art school. His employer, inspired by the success of a California company named Atari, was hoping to expand into video games. Miyamoto began tinkering with a story about a carpenter, a damsel in distress, and a giant ape. The result, Donkey Kong, débuted in 1981. Four years later, Miyamoto had turned the carpenter into a plumber; Mario, and the Super Mario Bros. franchise, had arrived. But Miyamoto wanted more. Tired of linear, side-scrolling mechanics, he yearned to conjure the open world and carefree adventures of his childhood in Sonobe, a town just west of Kyoto. In 1986, Nintendo released The Legend of Zelda.

And:

Miyamoto turned sixty-eight in November. He’s been linked to Walt Disney since the early days of his career, and those comparisons are set to continue; Miyamoto is currently overseeing the design and installation of Super Nintendo World, a half-billion-dollar theme park at Universal Studios in Osaka.

There are allegedly plans to bring a Super Nintendo World to Hollywood, Orlando, and Singapore, too.

A few days after Miyamoto’s birthday, I had a rare chance to speak to him at length, over Zoom—and he was willing to show more of the man behind the mascot than expected. In doing so, he revealed how deeply he has considered the discipline of game design and how much he has tried to move it forward. Our conversation has been edited for length and clarity.

If you are a Nintendo fan, take some time to read the interview. Miyamoto rarely speaks publicly. Great read.

Check out the images embedded in this tweet:

Extra! Extra! Pick up today's LA Times for a special section dedicated to the latest on AFC Richmond Coach's Ted Lasso & Beard, Jamie Tartt vs Roy Kent, Rebecca Welton + her new hire, and more! All written by The Independent's Trent Crimm. #FYC #TedLassohttps://t.co/RwViLXMELY pic.twitter.com/oAK7mZF6Wx

— Ralph Galvan (@ralph_goducks) December 20, 2020

It’s coming on awards season and this is part of Apple’s campaign for Ted Lasso to bring home some trophies. These appeared in the LA Times print edition over the weekend.

Clever.

ComicBook.com:

While it has not yet been widely reported, Lawrence said as much on an early December episode of Fake Doctors, Real Friends, a Scrubs rewatch podcast hosted by series stars Zach Braff and Donald Faison.

Lawrence refers to Scrubs and Ted Lasso creator Bill Lawrence.

During a conversation about the state of The Mandalorian, Lawrence was opining on the difficulty of making a second season to a show where everyone loved the first season. As the conversation shifted to how different industries handle audience expectations, the growing trend of Apple Pay casinos came up, highlighting how convenient payment methods have reshaped online gambling experiences. When asked whether he was concerned about that on Ted Lasso, he said it was less of an issue on a series that is designed as finite.

And:

“I think that ours is a little different because Jason, as he’s kind of mapping it out, it’s a three-season show,” Lawrence explained. “So…super-fans know that [The Mandalorian is] connecting tissue in the Star Wars universe, and for us, everybody knows that they get an end to this story in the third season.”

Normally, I’d put this off as rumor, take with a large grain of salt. But it’s straight from the horse’s mouth.

To me, this makes every episode that much more precious.

Juli Clover, MacRumors:

Apple recently shared a manual that outlines the steps that one should take to protect their devices and their data when personal safety is at risk. This is designed for people who need to protect themselves from being tracked by a former loved one, a stalker, or another malicious person.

From the document itself:

If you’d like to revisit what you share with other people, or restore your device’s original settings for any reason, this guide can help you understand what information you are sharing via your Apple devices, and how to make changes to protect your safety. In the same way users are becoming more aware of privacy concerns in bitcoin gambling UK platforms, it’s crucial to know how to control access to sensitive data. This guide includes step-by-step instructions on how to remove someone’s access to information you’ve previously granted: from location data on the Find My app, to meetings you’ve scheduled via Calendar.If you’re concerned that someone is accessing information you did not share from your Apple device, this guide will also help you identify risks, and walk you through the steps to help make the technology you rely on as private and secure as you want it to be.

Share this document, tuck it away with your other important bookmarks.

To whomever at Apple thought up this idea, cheers and respect.

The sound behind five decades of landmark albums, API consoles are legend for good reason. From Stevie Wonder’s Talking Book and Fleetwood Mac’s Rumours, to The Cure’s Pornography and Radiohead’s Hail to the Thief — the mid‑forward punch of API’s classic analog consoles breathe aggressive, multi‑dimensional color into your mixes.

Developed in partnership with API, exclusively for LUNA Recording System, the API Summing Extension emulates the 2520 op‑amp and custom output transformer-based summing amps found in legendary API consoles over the past 50 years — giving your LUNA mixes all the attitude and tone of API’s esteemed analog desks.

I haven’t tried API Summing yet, but I plan to over the holidays.

BBEdit is ready for macOS 11 Big Sur and the new M1 machines! Bare Bones Software is offering a BBEdit & Yojimbo holiday bundle that’s a perfect gift for a friend (or yourself) for just $59. I’ve been using BBEdit for over 20 years—it’s one of the first things I put on any computer.

Jean-Louis Gassée:

Today, an unstructured, sentimental reminiscence and acknowledgment of my debt to Apple. A company that, warts and all, was gratifying to have worked for and continues to be enjoyable to watch.

This is an interesting read, a look back by someone who was in the room when it happened, both when Steve Jobs was kicked to the curb, and as the founder of a competitor to NeXT when Steve made his triumphant return.

Ben Schoon, 9to5Google, on Samsung’s upcoming Galaxy Buds Pro:

Perhaps most notably, though, is a copy of Apple’s “Spatial Audio” feature for the Galaxy Buds Pro. That feature, which is available on AirPods Pro and AirPods Max, can creature a faux surround sound system that changes the direction of the audio based on the direction of your head and the position of the phone.

Oh Samsung, you just couldn’t resist, could you. You did skip a step, though. You forgot to mock the feature when Apple shipped it before you started your copiers.

Google Experiments:

Create your own opera inspired song with Blob Opera – no music skills required ! A machine learning experiment by David Li in collaboration with Google Arts & Culture

Follow the headline link, tap the Launch experiment button. Click and drag to create some operatic harmony.

Sound will play, so consider this before you start.

Have an M1 Mac? Use Zoom?

If both, head over to the headline-link, then click the Download Center link to get to the download page, then look for this sentence:

Or, for Macs with the M1 processor, click here to download

The word here is the link you want.

Or, avoid the back and forth and just click this download link.

The whole thing is a bit cryptic, but glad to see this update.

Load the page, use the popup menus to customize the AirPods Max to your hearts content. And no, there is no law that the left and right ear cups have to be the same color.

If you are new to ProRAW, or even RAW, take a minute to check out this post.

If you’ve got a basic sense of the value of RAW, follow the headline link for Austin Man’s photographic walkthrough of ProRAW, and check out the video embedded below for a long conversation between Austin and Rene Ritchie.

Ben Sandofsky, writing for the Halide blog, presents an excellent explainer on how digital cameras capture and produce images, on the pros and cons of traditional RAW mode and, finally, talk through Apple’s new ProRAW image format.

So well written, very easy to follow.

Side note: Did you know that one of the primary inventors of the CCD (the light capturing device that makes digital cameras possible) became the CEO of Apple for a bit?

Ben Lovejoy, 9to5Mac:

While reviewers have generally been impressed by Apple’s AirPods Max over-ear headphones, there have been two consistent complaints: the terrible design of the ‘bra’ case, and the fact that there appears to be no way to switch off AirPods Max headphones unless you put them into the case that nobody wants to carry.

And:

The bad news is that there isn’t any practical way to do it without using some kind of case. In particular, you can’t switch them off while they are slung around your neck, which is how many people carry on-ear and over-ear headphones between uses.

Love or hate of the case aside, I do think the lack of ability to switch the headphones off without a case is an issue. Follow the link for an embedded video that reverse engineers how magnets are used to switch the AirPods Max into low power mode.

This process feels ripe for home-hacking, perhaps with magnets glued to some sort of cardboard sleeve or rubber bands? I do wonder what drove Apple to this particular design decision.

Universal Audio released version 9.13 of its software supporting macOS Big Sur. It’s important to note that it’s still not qualified for use on Apple Silicon. You can read the full release notes and download the software from the company’s Web site.

If you are interested in Apple Fitness+, cycling or not, this is a great detailed look (with lots of images) at where Fitness+ excels and what’s missing, at least at the moment.

David Carnoy, CNET:

Are they worth $549? Ultimately, that’s going to be up to you to determine. All I can do is describe my experience using them and let you know that they’re excellent (though not perfect) headphones, with top-notch sound, rock-solid wireless connectivity and noise canceling that’s arguably a touch better than what you find on competing models at the high end.

This is a great read. Anecdotal, but very up front about what’s fact and what’s opinion.

A few details:

This review is based on several days with the headphones. I’m still evaluating battery life and wired audio performance (among other things), which may or may not alter the final rating.

And:

The first thing you notice when you open the box is that their build quality is like nothing that’s out there in the $300 to $400 range. OK, there’s some stuff that’s close: The Bowers and Wilkins PX7 (down to $340 from its list price of $400) is sturdily built with an eye-catching design. I also like Sennheiser’s Momentum 3 for its build quality (down to $280 from its list price of $400). Master & Dynamic’s MW65, currently on sale for $400 (it lists for $500), is also unique-looking and made of premium materials. All those models feature strong sound quality but fall a little short on noise-canceling performance.

The Sony WH-1000XM4 get a lot of love for their noise cancellation and sound, and they are much cheaper (under $300). But the build quality is night and day different, the Sony’s made of mostly plastic and the AirPods Max made of high grade metals and soft fabrics and meshes. I’ll post a few videos a bit later this morning that will drive this point home.

Side-by-side, the Sony WH-1000XM4 are workmanlike in terms of build and the AirPods Max are luxury goods.

For heavy headphones they’re surprisingly comfortable, but I don’t expect that they’ll be super comfy for everyone, particularly those with neck problems. Personally, I thought It’d be nice if they were 20% lighter, but the way the headband is designed, with its mesh canopy, it takes a good amount of pressure off the top of your head.

The weight is a thing, so think about this before you buy. But if the weight is an issue for you, Apple does make it very easy to return any of their products, the AirPods Max included.

Their almost gel-like memory-foam earpads also stand out. They adhere magnetically to cover Apple’s 40mm custom drivers and have a fabric covering, which makes them more breathable than your typical leather or faux leather earpads like those found on the Sony WH-1000XM4. As a result, your ears steam up less in warmer environments.

Luxury goods.

The AirPods Max do sound impressive, like high-end headphones, with tight bass, natural mids, crisp highs and a wide soundstage for a closed-back headphone.

And:

Apple’s intention with the AirPods Max is to serve up a “high-end” audio experience or at least an approximation of one. The problem, of course, is serious audiophiles tend not to bother with wireless Bluetooth headphones or noise-canceling headphones. Bluetooth streaming has gotten better and better over the years and noise canceling doesn’t impact the sound nearly as much as it once did. But to get the most accurate, pure sound, which is what high-end headphones are all ultimately about, wired headphones coupled with a properly amplified source that plays lossless audio is going to get you to the real promised land.

I’m looking forward to reviews that take the time to use these wired with lossless audio. Those reviews are surely coming.

What you get with the AirPods Max is just clearer, more refined sound and basically no distortion at higher volumes — note that while they play loud, they don’t play incredibly loud. I’m not ready to say that the sound quite measures up to what you get from a pair of very high-end wired headphones, say something with a planar magnetic driver (one of Hifiman’s cans, for instance, the best of which are open back and leak sound). But it’s certainly a level up in terms of clarity from the Sony and Bose.

If the high price hasn’t turned you away, as I said before, you can order a pair to audition. If they don’t live up to the price, return them.

The Verge:

Facebook is publicly criticizing Apple’s upcoming iOS privacy changes in full-page newspaper ads today. “We’re standing up to Apple for small businesses everywhere,” reads the headline on an ad inside the New York Times, the Washington Post, and the Wall Street Journal today. Bloomberg News reports that the ads are related to Apple’s iOS 14 privacy changes that will make it more difficult for companies like Facebook to target users with ads.

Anyone buying this stance from Facebook? That Facebook is standing up for small business owners and not actually (and only) concerned about an existential threat to their ad revenue stream?

Developers will need to ask iOS 14 users for permission to gather data and track them across mobile apps and websites on an iPhone and iPad soon. Apple had planned to implement these changes with the initial iOS 14 release in September, but delayed enforcing them until early next year. These changes will impact Facebook’s ad business, and in particular its ad network for developers and businesses, as end users are more likely to opt out of tracking prompts.

Transparency is a good business model. If you have a problem with people knowing that you are using their data and giving them the option to opt out, there’s something wrong with your business model.

Emily Abbate, GQ:

After nine months of pandemic life, I’ve tried what feels like every streaming workout and app there is, and I’ve gotten picky. But as you would expect from the company, Fitness+ is an incredibly slick app, where users can choose workouts from nine different categories: HIIT, yoga, core, strength, treadmill, cycling, rowing, dance, and “mindful cooldown.” The studio used for filming is gorgeous, and the quality of the videos is top notch.

And:

Whether you’re using the app at the gym on an iPhone or in your living room with an Apple TV, you’ll get cues and vibrations on your wrist that synch up with the workout, and the watch will beam biometric stats like heart rate and calories burned to the screen.

This last bit is a critical feature of Fitness+, that tight integration between Apple Watch and Fitness+. And you can add Apple TV to that mix as well. If you are brand new to Fitness+, you can register yourself by just holding your Apple Watch near your Apple TV and your Apple TV will add you to its list of Fitness+ users. All this interaction works really well, seamlessly.

One morning, as I went to go scroll through the service to see what class I should take on later that day, I hit an “unavailable” screen just because my watch was turned off on the charger. (Apple says subscribers will get a workaround for this in case they—for example—head off on a business trip and forget their watch behind.)

The Apple Watch is a critical part of this infrastructure.

As to the instructors:

The surest sign that Apple is taking direct aim at Peloton’s business, though, is the lineup of 21 trainers you can take on-demand classes with. It’s a compelling and diverse bunch, many whom you might recognize from Instagram or other fitness platforms. Anyone who’s spent time with a Peloton knows that service is not really about the bike, or hitting your numbers—what keeps you coming back about developing a relationship with your favorite trainers. Apple clearly hopes they can replicate that parasocial magic. It’s obviously early, but they have some work to do before that happens. There will presumably be room for each trainer to develop their own personalities and show a little more vulnerability as the platform matures, but right now it’s a little upbeat motivation—it can feel a little robotic.

Agreed. Early days still. It takes time to build those relationships and for instructors to develop their on-screen personalities. Peloton has this down to a science.

Beyond music, the cueing across the classes is just excellent. You can expect smart, well-timed recommendations for exactly how to move your body—bracing your core to safely execute a movement or relaxing your shoulders in chair pose. These guys know their shit. They have obviously also taken pains to make things extremely accessible. Whether you’re tackling a 30-minute run or a 10-minute yoga session, there’s always one person off to the side scaling the workout, modifying the moves for different skill levels.

This is a huge benefit. Peloton handles this by grading all of their workouts. So I can filter Peloton workouts to only show me those at my level. Apple is trying a more universal approach here, making every workout for every fitness level. A tricky thing to make work.

One thing I’d like to see Fitness+ add is a stretching category. Peloton has that category and I find it very helpful, but as warmup for specific exercise types (running or lifting, say) or as a cooldown after a specific exercise type (post running and lifting stretches can be very different for me).

Another issue is an apparent incompatibility with AirPlay. If I’m traveling and I have access to a TV that supports AirPlay, I’d love to be able to beam my fitness workout to the TV without an Apple TV connected. If this is true, will this change over time? Is this Apple ensuring tight control over the experience? Or purely early days experience.

As is, Fitness+ has a pretty great rollout experience.

Kif Leswing, CNBC:

Apple’s Siri assistant can now quack like a duck if you ask it nicely.

To try it out, users have to update to iOS 14.3, the newest version of the iPhone operating system, and say, “Hey Siri, what does a duck sound like?” In response, Siri will play the natural call of a ruddy duck.

On Monday, Siri started to play short audio clips in response to questions about what something sounds like. Sounds now built into the system include animals, instruments, and vehicles, and Apple says there are hundreds of options. On an iPhone or iPad, Siri also brings up a picture of the animal and a link to more information from Wikipedia.

As of this writing, I’ve not been able to reproduce this behavior and, searching Twitter/web, have not encountered other mentions of folks getting this to work. I asked Kif about this and he said:

It should be rolled out to everyone in the US and most other countries today.

So keep checking.

This is Apple’s official Fitness+ press release. There is a lot of detail, worth making your way through if you are interested in the service.

A few things that stand out:

Customers who have purchased an Apple Watch Series 3 or later from Best Buy since September 15, 2020, will get an additional three months of Fitness+ for a total of six months free. Best Buy customers who already owned an Apple Watch Series 3 or later before September 15, 2020, and are My Best Buy members will get an additional month of Fitness+ for a total of two months free.

And:

As part of its overall membership offering, both digitally and at its athletic resorts nationwide, premier health and wellness brand Life Time will be the first health and fitness club company in the US to offer Apple Fitness+.

And:

Starting January 1, 2021, UnitedHealthcare will offer five additional months of Fitness+ at no additional cost for UnitedHealthcare Motion enrollees with Apple Watch, to help empower eligible program participants on their path to a healthier lifestyle. Following the extended trial, UnitedHealthcare Motion enrollees may be able to apply program incentives to cover the Fitness+ monthly subscription cost.

It’ll be interesting to see if other healthcare providers will jump on the Fitness+ bandwagon, a bit of preventative maintenance that might lower long term healthcare costs.

Apple:

“The Snoopy Show” is a new animated series for kids and families that stars the internationally beloved beagle and his feathered best friend Woodstock as they tackle all-new adventures. Snoopy may seem like just a happy-dancin’, bone-lovin’, doghouse-sittin’ pup, but he’s much more than that. He’s Joe Cool: hippest kid in school. He’s surfer king and famed arm wrestler Masked Marvel. He’s a World War I flying ace who battles the Red Baron. All of his bold, beloved personas are on full display in this brand-new animated comedy.

For just a brief, shining moment, I envisioned this as a talk show, a la Space Ghost Coast to Coast.

Still gonna check it out though. Coming Feb 5.

Apple:

With iOS 14.3 and watchOS 7.2, Apple Watch users can view their cardio fitness level in the Health app on iPhone, and receive a notification on Apple Watch if it falls within the low range. Breakthrough technology released in watchOS 7 allows Apple Watch to easily measure low cardio fitness, and today cardio fitness notifications empower users to be more active for dramatic long-term health benefits.

Cardiorespiratory fitness, as measured by VO2 max, is the maximum amount of oxygen the body can use during exercise, and it can be increased through physical activity. Apple Watch already estimates average and higher levels of VO2 max during vigorous outdoor walks, runs, or hikes, which many runners and other athletes monitor to improve performance.

Now, with watchOS 7, Apple Watch uses multiple sensors, including the optical heart sensor, GPS, and the accelerometer, to estimate lower levels, too. This is significant because direct measurement of VO2 max typically requires a rigorous clinical test with specialized equipment that is not readily accessible to most people. watchOS 7 also allows Apple Watch to take cardio fitness measurements as users walk throughout the day, whether or not they are tracking a workout. With this innovation, Apple Watch is better able to measure VO2 max for users with low cardio fitness, who may not complete high-intensity workouts.

This announcement coincides with today’s launch of Apple Fitness+.

Credit: https://www.healtharty.com/