Jon Lefkovitz:

This feature-length documentary, viewed and enjoyed by legendary film editor and sound designer Walter Murch himself (“The Conversation”, “Apocalypse Now”), was culled by Jon Lefkovitz from over 50 hours of Murch’s lectures, interviews, and commentaries.

I interviewed Murch many years ago at a Macworld Expo and he was a fascinating guy to talk to.

512Pixels:

Every major version of Mac OS X macOS has come with a new default wallpaper. As you can see, I have collected them all here.

While great in their day, the early wallpapers are now quite small in the world of 5K displays.

I only really started to care about the wallpapers in Mavericks. Nowadays, I don’t even see them, preferring to use the Irvue app for multiple, changing desktop wallpapers.

Apple:

This tool can help you understand what to do next about COVID-19. Let’s all look out for each other by knowing our status, trying not to infect others, and reserving care for those in need. This site was developed in partnership with The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

The site will also have an app to download. There’s not a lot here that isn’t already known but it might be a good resource to have some of this information handy.

CTV News:

Kraft Dinner production lines at the Montreal plant responsible for supplying all of Canada’s mac-and-cheese supply are now working non-stop to produce 1 million extra boxes to meet an unprecedented demand during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Since COVID-19 was declared a pandemic last week, panic buying has prompted shoppers to stockpile their pantries. Kraft Heinz, which produces Kraft Dinner, has seen a 35 per cent increase in demand for the pasta product and a 41 per cent spike in demand for peanut butter.

For Canadians, this is actually a big deal. According to Wikipedia, seven million boxes of Kraft Dinner are sold each week around the world. Canadians consume 1.7 million of those. For a population of only 37 million people, that’s a lot of KD. Pundit Rex Murphy wrote “Kraft Dinner revolves in that all-but-unobtainable orbit of the Tim Hortons doughnut and the A&W Teen Burger. It is one of that great trinity of quick digestibles that have been enrolled as genuine Canadian cultural icons.”

As an aside, I find it hilarious that our American friends can’t get Kraft Peanut Butter in the US.

Automobile Mag:

…and some of them don’t even have good personalities.

Sure they missed some – why isn’t the Pontiac Aztek on this list!? – but overall, it’s fun to look at some of these truly unsightly automobiles.

This is a pretty cool story, as told by Jon Lott on Reddit (via BoingBoing):

> At the Raynham flea market 2 years ago I found a DVD with 80 minutes of previously unseen Seinfeld bloopers. These are different from the official DVD bloopers, which are already on YouTube. This DVD was in a bootleg case with a bootleg design, and a simple unvarnished disc inside. I ripped the footage from the DVD and uploaded it raw to YouTube. Forgive the video quality; the DVD has low-grade video. So if your priority is high-quality video, your best bet would be those Classic Movies on DVD. These films are often remastered and presented in pristine condition, offering viewers an unparalleled visual experience. With the superior picture and sound quality of DVDs, you can immerse yourself fully in the cinematic world of timeless classics. Whether you’re a film enthusiast or simply enjoy watching movies in the best possible quality, opting for classic DVDs ensures that you won’t be disappointed. From iconic black-and-white films to beloved classics of the golden age of cinema, the DVD format preserves the integrity of these cinematic treasures for generations to come, providing an unparalleled viewing experience for all audiences. And if you are looking for the best streaming platform to watch your favorite movies, you may check out 123movieshd.

> The DVD was produced in 2000, which makes me think it’s a bootleg of a blooper DVD made for the cast and crew of Seinfeld in 1998 or 1999, to be shared in the days before internet. There is nothing else on the disc.

Fan of Seinfeld? Got some time on your hands? Enjoy…

Start off with this 9to5Mac post from Chance Miller, “Report claims new iPad Pro’s A12Z Bionic chip is just a ‘renamed A12X with an enabled GPU core’”:

In its press release for the new iPad Pro, Apple said that one of the changes with the A12Z Bionic processor was the addition of an eighth GPU core. Notebook Check, however, claims that it has confirmed the A12X Bionic processor from 2018 actually features 8 GPU cores, but that one is disabled. This would imply that Apple has simply enabled that eighth GPU core and changed the marketing name of the processor.

While this may be true, it’s worth reading this thread from Quinn Nelson:

I see a lot of people getting irrationally frustrated that the A12Z is just an A12X with an extra GPU core unlocked. This might seem weird those who don't know how manufacturing ICs works, but Apple is doing what literally every silicon manufacturer does. Lemme explain:

— Quinn Nelson (@SnazzyQ) March 27, 2020

In a nutshell, Quinn explains that this practice is longstanding and widespread in the industry and, likely, nothing new for Apple. And, more importantly, nothing sinister.

Another take on the so-called practice of “chip binning”:

Chip binning is a common practice in the silicon industry, and the theory goes like this: For repeatable structures like a GPU core, each added core adds to a potential defect rate. By disabling one core by design, you can ship more viable dies at a given target performance.

Joe Rossignol, MacRumors:

Apple this week acknowledged that MacBook Air models with Retina displays can exhibit anti-reflective coating issues, as indicated in a memo shared with Apple Authorized Service Providers and obtained by MacRumors.

“Retina displays on some MacBook, MacBook Air, and MacBook Pro computers can exhibit anti-reflective (AR) coating issues,” the memo states.

And:

Apple has a free repair program for the anti-reflective coating issue in place internally, but it has yet to add any MacBook Air models to its list of eligible models, despite mentioning it elsewhere in the documentation. However, with Apple at least acknowledging that the MacBook Air can exhibit the issue, customers may have a valid argument for at least a free in-warranty repair.

Follow the headline link for a picture that tells the story, shows what this “staining” looks like.

Also, this from John Gruber:

I have it on good authority that the MacBook Air, retina display or otherwise, is not covered by the repair program. Unclear to me is how widespread the problem is with Airs.

Also, also, this MacBook Air “Staingate” rollup page from Michael Tsai is worth a visit.

Few people will need this, but cool to know that optical is becoming an option for Thunderbolt 3. If you need the extra cable length, optical is the path.

Ever since I was a kid, I found fiber optic cable’s ability to transmit signals over vast distances with zero degradation to be fascinating. If this interests you at all, check out this physics demo where water acts as a fiber optic “cable”.

Apple:

To get a free trial of Final Cut Pro version 10.4.8 for your Mac, enter your name and email address in the box, then click Download.

Be forewarned – FCP X is not an easy program to wrap your head around. But with so much information on Apple’s website and the internet in general, you can get up to speed fairly quickly. Rumour has it that Apple will soon also offer a 90 day trial of Logic Pro X as well.

Sage Boggs:

Several years ago I was at a party (BRAG!), and I spotted a box of Triscuits. I asked everyone, “What does the word ‘Triscuit’ mean? It’s clearly based on the word “BISCUIT,” but what does the “TRI” mean?” (I’m great at parties.)

The consensus was that “TRI” means three. Maybe “three layers” or “three ingredients.” No one knew for sure, though, so I Googled it. But here’s the thing — Google didn’t seem to have an official answer, either. Just more guesses.

So we went straight to the source. We emailed Nabisco. And the response we got a few days later shook us to the core.

This is one of the silliest, most delightful things I’ve seen on Twitter.

Fast Company:

Long shipping times got you down? Everything seems to be out of stock? Just don’t want to be utterly dependent on one monolithic company for all your shopping needs? Here are online retailers—some old, some new—that you can use to get what you need while we all ride the current crisis out together.

There are a lot of reasons to not use Amazon and these sites might help.

Vice:

As people work and socialize from home, video conferencing software Zoom has exploded in popularity. What the company and its privacy policy don’t make clear is that the iOS version of the Zoom app is sending some analytics data to Facebook, even if Zoom users don’t have a Facebook account, according to a Motherboard analysis of the app.

“That’s shocking. There is nothing in the privacy policy that addresses that,” Pat Walshe, an activist from Privacy Matters who has analyzed Zoom’s privacy policy, said in a Twitter direct message.

Upon downloading and opening the app, Zoom connects to Facebook’s Graph API, according to Motherboard’s analysis of the app’s network activity. The Graph API is the main way developers get data in or out of Facebook.

It’s like the people at Zoom just can’t help shooting themselves in the feet.

Eater:

An ever-increasing number of Americans are staying at home to help slow the spread of COVID-19 through their communities, and they need something to do.

Anyone without a sewing machine for making homemade masks to shore up our government’s shamefully low stockpile appears to be baking bread. It makes sense: Using the no-knead and sourdough recipes that have become popular over the past decade, baking bread at home works best when you’re there for hours on end, with time to tend to dough between its long rests and rises. It’s not an accident that bread baking caught on with work-from-home professions like writing and tech. Few other people voluntarily stayed in their houses that often for that long. No longer.

Our local grocery store hasn’t had yeast on hand for 10 days. Luckily, we have lots and my wife loves making “Italian Bread” and I make a delicious “Japanese Milk Bread.” We’re also going to get into making sourdough bread because it doesn’t require store bought yeast.

This is one of the most enjoyable-to-read teardowns I’ve made my way through in a long time. But that aside, Apple has clearly made some headway in Mac repairability.

One nugget in particular leapt out at me:

That new trackpad cable configuration pays dividends! Where last year the trackpad cables were trapped under the logic board, they are now free to be disconnected anytime—meaning trackpad removal can happen as soon as the back cover comes off. And since the battery rests under these same cables, this new configuration also greatly speeds up battery removal by leaving the logic board in place.

This alone makes the MacBook Air a big leap forward for me. Glad to see it.

Jon Porter, The Verge:

If you’re an iPhone user with a modern Dell computer, you can now mirror your phone’s screen to your PC and control it using Dell’s Mobile Connect app. Version 3 of the iOS app lets you control your phone using your PC’s keyboard and mouse, and you can also drag and drop photo and video files to transfer them between the two devices. You can also now send SMS messages without needing to keep the iPhone app open in the foreground.

No easy thing, breaching those ecosystem walls!

As our economies grind to a crawl, some companies experience an overwhelming surge in demand. Health care and Amazon leap to mind. But as more and more of us are forced to work from home, add apps like Skype, Zoom, and Slack to that list.

Follow the headline link to read Slack CEO Stewart Butterfield’s diary of demand buildup as coronavirus became more and more real.

Matt Patches, writing for Polygon, opens with this sentence:

Last February, one of the most enjoyable sitcoms of the last few years slipped onto Apple TV Plus.

Couldn’t agree more. And clearly one of the biggest reasons for Mythic Quest’s success is Charlotte Nicdao. To me, she is the beating heart of a top-notch ensemble cast.

If you are a fan of the show, follow the link and read on. And if you’ve not yet watched, now would be an excellent opportunity to dig in.

Brad Nash, GQ:

First built as prototypes for Apple employees in the early ’90s, they obviously drew on the most prolific training shoe styles of the time, and have such become a cult relic from the sneaker scene of that time.

Follow the link, check out the pic. These kicks scream ’90s, early Apple. Paging Matthew Panzarino.

UPDATE: Here’s a link to the auction itself. Looks like the sale was in AUD, not USD. Headline updated. [H/T AppleInsider’s Mike Wuerthele]

Tim Cook:

Proud to share we’ve been able to source 10M masks for the US and millions more for the hardest hit regions in Europe. Our ops teams are helping to find and purchase masks from our supply chain in coordination with governments around the world. pic.twitter.com/uTsA6eA5ks

— Tim Cook (@tim_cook) March 25, 2020

Apple stepping up.

Entertainment Weekly:

More entertainment fodder for your shelter-in-place: Star Trek: Picard is now free to non-subscribers to CBS All Access.

Or, put more accurately: Non-paid subscribers. You’ll still have to sign up for the CBS streaming service to watch the show, but now there’s a coupon code that unlocks Picard: “GIFT.” The will unlock a one month free trial which includes all shows on the service (so if you want to check out Star Trek: Discovery or old episodes of Next Generation, you can do that too).

There are nine episodes from the show’s first season available now, and the season finale drops on Thursday.

As noted in the comments section:

There’s no way to sign up without giving them your credit card info and having to manually cancel the subscription in the future. It’s no different than any other free trial.

Engadget:

Office workers aren’t the only ones who can work from home during the coronavirus pandemic — radio DJs can do so, too. Show hosts on Beats 1, Apple Music’s internet radio station, will be broadcasting from the safety of their homes starting today. According to Apple, they will use FaceTime on their iPhones to conduct interviews with popular musicians like Elton John and Hayley Williams.

The fact that internet radio shows can more or less continue as normal could be seen as a testament to the technology and infrastructure in place.

FYI Engadget that technology has been in place for over 26 years.