Techuisite Digest
04.19.2024: Delta, iPad Criticisms by Apple Pundits, and a New Notebook.
Before I get into the newsletter, I do want to discuss a few changes to how I want to run Techuisite. First off, I think the idea of paywalling things here to match the posts that are paywalled on Medium is not something I want to continue doing. Since I want Techuisite to be my blog, I want all of my posts to be available at techuisite.com.
For people who want to subscribe as a Member here, I will still continue to do a member-only Techuisite Digest once a month as a benefit in supporting me. Depending on how many members I eventually get, I may do more of these a month. As of right now, I sometimes struggle to get two out a month, let alone a few blog posts a week.
So for most, nothing should change. If anything, you are going to get more full posts from me via email as I continue to post more here. If you want to support me in other ways, I do have a link at the top of my website titled "Support Techuisite" where you can find other ways to throw me a few bucks to pay for Ghost.org and other expenses that come along with writing online.
Either way, money or not, I enjoy this and really appreciate you all reading what I write here. I love technology and found that writing about it is as enjoyable. So thank you for being here and let’s get on with the newsletter.
Delta
I never expected Apple to allow emulators and many think that it is thanks to the DMA by the European Union that they have done so. Whatever reason it has been pretty cool to play Pokémon and Donkey Kong on my iPhone 11 Pro.
Not only is it more convenient than pulling out my Anbernic RG35XX, but I have never seen Pokémon Fire Red on an OLED screen before and WOW does it look fantastic! The colors and crispness on my iPhone elevate the quality of the game so much.
I also like that Delta adds haptic feedback to the buttons. Like with Apple adding the ability to use haptic feedback to the keyboard on the iPhone, being able to feel any kind of feedback on the game controller adds some tactility that you don’t usually get from a flat glass touchscreen.
One area that I find hard to use is the joystick. I downloaded Starfox for Nintendo 64, a console that is actually not supported on the RG35XX, and trying to use the joystick to maneuver around was very difficult. Maybe over time I will get used to it but as of right now, it was very difficult.
Since getting the iPhone 11 Pro, I started playing Alto’s Adventure again, a game I was reminded of when I was looking at the iPhone 15 Pros at the Apple Store recently, and have been playing that more to avoid the endless scrolling that I find myself doing in certain apps.
So casual gaming on my phone has already been something I started doing more, and now that I have the ability to play any retro game with an emulator elevates that ability so much more.
I have been struggling to continue playing Pokémon on the RG35XX after getting rid of my Gameboy Pocket due to the complexities at home and not wanting to pull it out when I am hanging out on the couch with my family.
But now that I have the ability to play Pokémon on my phone for brief periods at a time is huge. I can even play with one hand using the iPhone 11 Pro which is great when I am laying in bed listening to Future’s new album, or Taylor Swift’snew album when I am trying to wind down before sleeping.
iPad Criticisms by Apple Pundits
I recently started reading The Brooks Review again. I have been tired of some of the more popular tech websites and blogs recently and after my whole disappointment with YouTube Tech Reviewers, I have been in need of more indie tech bloggers.
Paul Alvarez
People who are sharing real-world experiences and talking about tech not at a news level but at a more personal level. As it usually happens, as I was reading some of Ben’s older posts I stumbled on his post titled A Baby Computer, or a Computer for Babies which introduced me to Denny Henke on Beardy Guy Musings.
Denny probably touches on politics a little more than I want recently, but his view on Apple Pundits and their disregard towards iPads is on point. It is the same sentiment I attempted to portray in many of my posts about iPad Power Users having poor feelings toward the iPad. Those feelings I felt were unwarranted and just an excuse to use a Mac, which many started realizing Apple was taking seriously again.
Ultimately I think many iPad Power Users were being petty and jealous of all the attention that the Mac was getting and because many created identities on being iPad-Only users had to find a way to rationalize their want to use a Mac instead of an iPad. So shitting on the iPad was the strategy.
This continues to this day and is what Ben was ultimately alluding to in John Gruber calling the iPad a baby computer. The great thing that Denny did, and I really recommend you read his previous posts about this, was point out that all of these Apple Pundits are shitting on the iPad and not really knowing that they can do exactly what they are complaining about; they just aren’t using it enough to know.
All of these comparisons between how a Mac does something and how an iPad should do it or that Apple is purposely restricting its abilities are not only untrue but unhelpful to many who use these products and seek guidance from these so-called experts.
The point I didn’t make in my previous points, which has really resonated with me after reading Ben and Denny, and is the reason why this topic bothers me so much is that these Apple Pundits are supposed to be experts. They are supposed to be the power users to share and show us how these tools work and if they can do what they say they can do.
Instead, it has turned into a club of owning and using cool things and having personal grievances about products that only pertain to themselves. Pretty much shutting down any opportunity that this tool might provide to others outside of their club, they instead harp on all the things they aren’t getting and recommend just not using it unless Apple changes it.
Baronfig and Mark One: a Perfect Match.
After many attempts to journal on the iPad Mini, I finally spent the sub-20 dollars and got myself a Baronfig notebook. The Confidant Flagship notebook is something I have been wanting for a while, but I have resisted thinking I didn’t need it.
Since buying the notebook and journaling for over a week now, I realized how much I was missing out. Especially when I pair it with the fantastic Mark One pen, it is definitely a match made in heaven. The ink is dark and easy to write and with the thin paper in the notebook, I never worry about bleeding.
I also love the tassel for keeping my last page and the color of the notebook. I got the gray version and love the light-colored fabric. So far I have only been journaling and writing personal thoughts in it. It may also become a thinking journal where I can flesh out some thoughts but so far it has strictly been my journal.
Journaling again has definitely reminded me how important it is to get certain thoughts out of my head. It also helps me contextualize why I may feel a certain way. I used to journal a lot, especially during COVID, and found some old notebooks recently that were filled with previous journaling that I did.
Using a pen and paper I think really adds a sense of dedication to journaling since you can’t erase and it feels more permanent. I have tons of scribbled words and rewrites that really reflect my need to rush things and to slow down. I also leave a lot of misspelled words since I know what I was trying to say and it is purely for me.
The Baronfig notebook and Mark One are really great for this practice that I am starting up again. I love the iPad Mini, but I think switching between certain modes requires different tools and this new notebook and my favorite trusty pen has really provided me that spark to get back into a good routine.