Tidbits 2023-W14
I mean...a toe? Really? Of all the seemingly benign incidents...
It's been a week now and I still can't wear boots, or shoes—or sandals or flip flops, for that matter. Which means I'm stuck. I can't walk outside, can't drive the car. Can't go out to shoot either.
All because of the big toe on my right foot.
Anyhoo, here are a couple of fleeting thoughts—a dispatch from a couch, overlooking a yard.
Classical - the app
Work+recordings. Note: this is the app on iPad with Stage Manager.
I'd been waiting for it. I'm fully on board with a dedicated app for classical music. But what an odd duck this is. How can Apple release Classical as iPhone-only—in 2023—without even mentioning a timeline for an iPad or Mac version? It's a terrible signal to send to developers, it diminishes the other platforms, and it looks plain lazy. But does a mobile app even reach the intended target audience for this product? Classical lovers on the go? Oh, it only streams too—no downloads, no offline listening.
Apple's official solution—to download or listen from other devices—is to save any content from Classical... So it can then sync to Music... Where you'll download or listen from other devices. So basically, Classical is a standalone search engine. [1]
It's always possible to use Airplay or Bluetooth...but forget lossless audio.
I can only make sense of this release—in its current shape—as a stopgap measure until the functionalities it offers are folded into the main Music app. Which might be fine, or not: the company isn't hitting high marks on app design lately.
All of that aside, is it worth it? Yes. I would've loved a more refined interface (as opposed to a Music clone), but at least the music finally gets the organization it deserves: movements, recordings, conductors, and orchestras. This makes exploration easier, and much more pleasant. The Browse section offers worthwhile options as well, and frankly, it's a breath of fresh air to not be bombarded by Ed Sheeran or Taylor Swift on every single click, regardless of our musical preferences. [2]
There's even an extensive 9-hour series on the history of classical music, which is a nice addition and looks like a well-produced primer (I've only listened to part I).
M.G. Siegler wrote a post about the app that I mostly agree with—there is a lot of strangeness surrounding this release. But there's no question in my mind RE the relevance of the project: classical music in the main app was/is a mess beyond belief, and it's good to see Apple addressing the problem in some form.
Update: Kirk McElhearn has an excellent in-depth post if you’re interested to learn more.
Streaks
David Sparks, a few days ago:
In the case of Readwise, I found myself tempted on busy days to click through the daily quotes without really meditating on them because I didn’t have much time, but I didn’t want to break my streak.
I've written about this over and over...and yet here I was, stuck in that loop again. I love Readwise, and I've even started using their Reader app as well (it didn't grab me in its early incarnations), but those sentiments echo mine perfectly. Streaks are tyranny. They're failure on standby—regardless of the scenario. But with Readwise it's worse, because the focus on a streak negates the very purpose of the service: to reflect on quotes. It shouldn't be about quantity, and it certainly shouldn't be about mindlessly checking off a task. The Daily Review is just that: daily.
Every. Single. Day. [3]
After reading David's post I turned the feature off. My streak is still alive for now but it's about to meet a well deserved demise. The fact that this is causing a mild whisper of anxiety is proof that I'm making the right call.
My two cent: Readwise should call it The Review, allow for a completely customized user schedule (for those who want one), and get rid of streaks.
A few pics below, just for show.
Later
………………..
The app works on iPad as an iPhone app... but not on Apple Silicon Macs (??)
I don't understand why we can't customize the Browse section in Music with content we actually want to see. Let us pick the genres in this section. Anything outside of Listen Now looks like a shopping mall.
The app provides a "grace period" by making missed days recoverable: but this can entail going through multiple reviews in one go, which is even more mindless.
