At Home with Tech

It’s not as complicated as it looks. Tech tips for your life.

Category: apple

July 28, 2024

Has AI Revolutionized or Shattered the Art of Photography?

I believe the answer to this question is both. And that’s not necessarily a bad thing. Here’s why.

In the not-too-distant past, being a great photographer meant you needed foundational technical skills, a great eye and a little luck. And it didn’t hurt if you had a higher-end camera with a fast lens that could properly freeze the moment and soften the background with some nice bokeh.

It was all about getting ‘the shot.’ And you knew it when you snapped it.

Today, software, AI and some nifty tech tricks have changed the entire equation. Now everyone can be a ‘great’ photographer.

The iPhone’s Powerful Camera Skills
If you’ve got a recent smartphone in your pocket, you’re off to a solid start. Today’s iPhones are amazing cameras.

  • The camera lenses on the back give you enough zoom flexibility for most framing needs.
  • The ‘live photo’ setting gives you a full 3-second moment instead of a fraction of a second. Then you can later choose the best frame from those 3 seconds.
  • The software in ‘portrait mode’ automatically blurs the background for you, and you can adjust the level of blur after the fact.

If you’re just pointing your iPhone in the right direction, you’re probably going to capture a pretty good photo. It brings a new clarity to ‘point and shoot’ photography.

Fix It in Post
Then there’s the art of editing your photos. People have been polishing and adjusting digital photos for years with tools like Adobe Photoshop. But that takes a fair amount of training and practice.

Of course, today there are a host of one-click photo-enhancement solutions and filters that you can use with your computer or smartphone.

Easy.

So, what you originally shoot is only the beginning of your photos’ journey.

AI to the Rescue
Now, AI can help us do even more by removing objects from a photo in one click.

I’ve begun to do that using Adobe Lightroom. It’s amazing with its ability to instantly backfill the environment behind a removed item.

It’s not perfect for every scenario (at least not yet), but I would have thought of it as science fiction not so long ago.

Prompt Generation
And then there’s AI’s new “text to photo” superpower. You don’t even need to pick up a camera anymore. Just type in the photo detail you want to generate.

I’ve been practicing this with Adobe Firefly, and you may have noticed that some of my recent blog headline photos are Firefly-generated (as is the photo for this blog post).

Again, it’s not a perfect technology… not yet. But you can already generate amazing imagery using a variety of software and web tools by just… typing it in.

This is indeed progress. In fact, it’s startling. It’s amazing. It’s already revolutionized the entire art of photography. I am a better photographer thanks to all this innovation.

Or am I?

New Rules
I’m certainly creating better photos (some of which never even came out of a camera).

I don’t think my on-the-ground photography skills have specifically improved (well, perhaps a little).

I’ve simply learned how to use the new tools that make my photos look better after I snap a shot. I’m building a new photography skillset that focuses more on photo enhancement and manipulation.

I’m sure a purist would call that breaking all the rules of what photography is supposed to be.

Yes, the rules are clearly being rewritten by AI. And I suppose the question is whether the dramatic disruption of this art form is such a bad thing.

It’s a Revolution
I think the answer is mostly… “No.”

Bokeh is bokeh. It doesn’t matter how you get it. If you think someone’s cheating by creating bokeh in one click instead of relying on years of practice with the right camera lenses… get over it.

Sure, maybe your skillset has just been replaced by a piece of software. That’s life. That’s evolution. You need to stay ahead of the curve. This is not a new way to live.

Fact vs. Fiction
But as we all become experts in photo manipulation, of course, we need to be careful not to cross the line of misrepresenting reality.

Maybe it’s not such a big deal whether you choose to erase someone in one of your photos. But I would say we all have a responsibility not to flagrantly warp reality. We all increasingly have access to the tools that can do exactly that.

So, I would say we should keep it real. Fact. Not fiction.

And of course, we all know that famous quote from “Spider-Man.”

“With great power comes great responsibility.”

Yes.

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June 9, 2024

Why Dark Matter is the Best Multiverse Series on Apple TV+

You don’t have to go back in time to alter your life decisions. You can simply relocate to a better Earth. That’s the premise of “Dark Matter.”

The creatives behind the streaming shows from Apple TV+ are apparently obsessed with alternate universes, or as we like to say… the multiverse. No, multiversal travel isn’t exactly a new storytelling device. (The MCU has already brought it into our mainstream consciousness.) But Apple TV+ has really been leaning into it.

In series after series, Apple TV+ has been taking us down the multiverse rabbit hole.

“For All Mankind” lays out an alternate-reality timeline of the space program. When this series premiered in 2019 with its ‘shocking’ Moon-landing twist with no explanation, I was annoyed. There was absolutely no hint regarding the ‘why’ or ‘how’ of this alternate Earth. Today, I think we’re all finally trained to immediately accept that alternate universes need no explanation.

“Constellation” (2024) spends much of its time ‘suggesting’ that astronauts can slip between alternate realities, but the writers are intent on adding as much confusion to the equation as possible. Pro tip: You really need a note pad to help keep important details straight. The frustration helps to fuel the ongoing ‘mystery’ in the story.

And now, we’ve got “Dark Matter.”

In Search of a Better Reality
“Dark Matter” is designed to explore the road not taken in one’s life. I’m mid-season (6th of 9 episodes) as I write this, and the story surrounding a main character’s mid-life crisis demonstrates that the grass is not always greener. The dark reveal carries much of the storytelling focus. While the human factor is not science-fiction centered, the sci-fi enables everything.

Without giving too much of the plot away, the series stars Joel Edgerton who is a Chicago physics professor forcibly removed from his universe. He then tries to find his way home to his Earth and his wife played by Jennifer Connelly. And yes, you can easily guess who’s tried to replace him to fix a past mistake in his life choices.

But I’m more interested in how the writers are handling the superimposition ‘box’ that powers the travel between similar ‘adjacent’ universes. Once you’re in it, you experience an endless corridor of doors that you can open.

The mystery of where you go and why is more interesting that the pedestrian ‘thriller’ plot devices surrounding whether you can really “know” the person you’re married to.

Still, I like it all. It’s working nicely together.

Similarity to “Sliders?”
The sci-fi of traveling between universes in episodic television isn’t new.

The series “Sliders” (1995-2000) immediately comes to mind. Starring Jerry O’Connell, that show brought its main characters to a different, parallel Earth each week.

The premise was great, and the show had a lot of promise, but it devolved quickly after the writers seemed to stop trying, and the main actors began leaving the series.

How Many Earths Can You Handle?
I can’t imagine that the writers of “Dark Matter” aren’t aware of “Sliders.” But where “Sliders” got hokey, “Dark Matter” couldn’t be more serious. And this is a good thing.

That said, both series rely on coming up with new twists for each new world. “Sliders” ran out of good ideas. And I think “Dark Matter” could also begin to face alternate reality fatigue. Happily, the show seems to be narrowing its focus.

“Dark Matter” is Solid
Which is all to say that I’m pleased so far with “Dark Matter.” While it is character driven, the sci-fi implementation is also interesting.

That said, the series is not without certain gaps. (Why are there boxes in every Earth, even when it’s clear that no one built it?) Plus, we all know where the plot is inevitably leading.

Still, it’s fresh and well done. The first episode takes a little too much time to get its basics in place, but after that, “Dark Matter” easily passes the bingeable-watching litmus test.

“For All Mankind” has always dragged with too much family drama. “Constellation” relishes its own confusion a bit more than I’d prefer. “Dark Matter” strikes the right balance to create a compelling storyline.

I’m happy to report that “Dark Matter” is the best multiverse show streaming on Apple TV+.

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March 24, 2024

How to Slow Down the Inevitable End for your Beautiful Tech

Yes, I immediately ruined the sleek beauty of my new Apple Watch by strapping a protective bumper over it. Was that necessary? Here’s what happened the very next day…

Design is a key element for the look of your personal tech. Sure, how your gear works is important, but it sometimes feels like style supersedes function.

So, if a piece of technology is designed to look beautiful, covering it up can be viewed as something of an insult. Or at the very least, you’re certainly not cool.

But the reality we move through every day doesn’t usually contain smooth edges and gleaming surfaces, unmarred by the brutality of existence. Wearing expensive and beautiful personal tech in an unpredictable and messy world creates inevitable danger for your devices.

Let me count the ways I’ve put my tech in harm’s way.

Projectile AirPod
During the latter part of the pandemic, I was walking to work from Grand Central Terminal wearing my Apple AirPods. When I stepped into the crowded office elevator ten minutes later, I temporarily popped on a face mask.

As I exited the elevator onto my floor, I quickly pulled off my mask. That was a mistake.

One of the mask’s ear loops caught the left AirPod, and a rubber-band effect propelled it forward into the elevator-bank hallway.

My AirPod flew towards the wall and hit it hard (with a horrible ‘ping’ impact). It ricocheted onto the floor and then skidded about like a glass marble. I chased after it in horror.

Somehow, my tiny AirPod seemed undamaged.

Apple Watch Scarface
Five years ago, I bought my first Apple Watch. Of course, I immediately bought a plastic bumper for it, which provided a protective raised edge.

I had to ruin my Apple Watch’s sleek beauty in the name of common sense. I often whack my wrist on objects. I felt the watch would simply never survive.

And for years, the bumper worked just fine. Then one day, I looked at my watch to check the time, and I saw a diagonal scratch on its face. There had been no impact that I could recall. The silent attack obviously came head on and avoided the bumper.

It would have been a more crushing moment had it occurred earlier in my Apple Watch’s life, but it was still annoying.

That said, I often spot people living with mutilated smartphones, the spider-cracks spanning entire screens. And these people act oblivious to the damage, since the screens somehow continue to function. (But I know they must be crying inside.)

My Apple Watch’s singular scratch was a laughable inconvenience by comparison.

OtterBox Bumper
I finally said goodbye to that scratch when I recently upgraded to my new Apple Watch Series 9.

And this time, I not only bought a bumper to protect my new Apple Watch’s edges, I found a model with a built-in screen protector. Yes, please!

While not exactly inexpensive, I think the OtterBox Eclipse is well worth its cost for the added screen protection.
So, I popped on the Eclipse. A warm feeling of invincibility washed over me (silly human).

A Danger at Every Corner
The very next day, I walked up to my closet to pull out my sneakers. I used my left hand, which was sporting my new Apple Watch. My hand almost imperceptibly brushed against the door frame’s edge as it moved in for my sneaks, which were jammed in the left corner.

An hour later, my heart skipped a beat when I realized there was a long horizontal scratch by the OtterBox’s lower edge.

What?! This is day 2 for my new Apple Watch! And I’ve ruined it already?!

I looked closer…

Phew. The scratch was actually on the OtterBox case… not the Apple Watch. (Yay OtterBox!)

And it wasn’t a scratch. It was a whisper-thin line of paint that had rubbed onto the case from my painted door frame as my wrist brushed by.

Was my brand-new OtterBox case now permanently scarred? Not necessarily.

Scrub Up
I quickly set up a mobile tech repair station on my dining room table with a bottle of rubbing alcohol and a folded strip of paper towel. I dabbed an edge of the paper towel into the rubbing alcohol and then very gently ran it over the line of paint on my OtterBox case.

It was critical not to overexpose the OtterBox case to the rubbing alcohol as it could ruin the case’s finish. And of course, I knew not to touch the screen protector with the rubbing alcohol. (I’m not a chemist, but I didn’t want to discover how quickly I could do even more damage.)

My light-touch strategy worked. The paint disappeared, and my OtterBox case looked like new. Life was good again.

Have a Repair Plan
One more word: AppleCare.

You can cover up your tech all you like. Sometimes that’s not going to be enough to protect it. You might say that damage is inevitable. It’s just a matter of when and how.

You can’t control everything, and that’s okay.

No, it’s not a good idea to catapult your AirPod onto a marble wall. Try not to drop your smartphone on a cement sidewalk or whack your Apple Watch onto what feels like a diamond-edged wall corner.

But when you do, having paid a little more for a repair plan certainly helps.

Bumpers for Bumps
After AI takes over the world, I expect personal tech design will no longer focus on physical beauty. I imagine the iPhone 45 may be a gruesome-looking device with sharp wires fused to our skin like a Star Trek Borg interface.

Until then, we must endure the limits of sleek and delicate design for our personal tech and do our best to protect against the bumps of daily existence.

Otherwise, your gear’s ‘End of Life’ may come sooner than you’d prefer.

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