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Category: Tech in the News

September 1, 2019

Ode to iPhone XS Max and Our Brief Love Affair

It’s that time again, and before Apple’s marketing machine whips the world into another purchasing frenzy, I wanted to pen another ‘poem’ and reflect back on my past year using the iPhone XS Max…

Ode to iPhone XS Max and Our Brief Love Affair

Our time is short until the end
This year with you was dreamy
Your gifts were intoxicating
And knowing you was gleamy

Your power undeniable
Entertaining, agile, quick
I sauntered with you in my hand
Such a team, not a sidekick

I did not care what the world thought
It didn’t halt my passion
Just digging that you were all mine
My Millennium Falcon

But I know the heart is fickle
Soon you will seem unlovely
The next promises more warp speed
The age of Discovery

This short term love is created
By your nice friends from Apple
The best marketers on the Earth
Maybe just have a Snapple

Sure, I can upgrade if I choose
But that’s not how I’m wired
Fear not, I shall not abandon
You will not be retired

My passion may evaporate
I cannot feel the excess
But you’ll still be there for me
You’ll do your best to impress

Still, it was exhilarating
I will not forget this fact
To have this special time in sync
I glowed with my Tesseract

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February 3, 2019

Try This Fix to End Spam Robocalls on Your iPhone

It’s time to take more control of who gets access to you on your iPhone and when. Here’s how to set up what I call a modified “Do Not Disturb” strategy…

My 85-year-old father says to me that he’s receiving strange calls from different countries around the world. When he answers… no one’s there.

Of course, I tell my dad that these repeated annoyances are called spam robocalls that most every cell phone owner is troubled by. I explain that he should simply avoid answering them, and hopefully they will stop.

He protests that there has to be a more effective solution. But I just don’t want to go down the rabbit hole of suggesting a spam-blocker app, which I have yet to attempt for myself.

We move on to another topic of conversation, but I’m left with residual unease over the topic. I, too am enduring disruptive spam calls…

And in that moment, I resolve to attempt a dramatic solution for myself…

Do Not Disturb!
This fix to stop spam calls is admittedly overkill, because it also limits access to your iPhone for any legitimate calls trying to get through.

You simply activate your iPhone’s “Do Not Disturb” setting.

Some people call it the nuclear option, because what’s the point of having a phone if nobody can call you?!

Well, the answer lies in the details…

After checking out the different options for the “Do Not Disturb” setting, I realized there’s actually a way to let your phone still be a phone.

And instead of hiding from the world, you can end up feeling like you have a whole lot more control of it.

Here’s why…

Wean Yourself from the Buzz
Spam calls aren’t the only distraction your iPhone and Apple Watch serve up throughout your day. There are any number of other ‘notifications’ that your apps provide, which are accompanied by a ping or buzz. The cumulative result of checking these in-the-moment updates can really suck away at your productivity and distract from where you should be focusing.

But it feels so good, receiving all of those little nuggets of information, right? You’re so up to date!

If this is the baseline of your reality, taking all of that away might create something of a withdrawal response, because you’re no longer getting instantaneous access to new information, even though you’ve opted in.

So, that was me.
And that’s why I had never silenced my chatty apps or activated “Do Not Disturb” on my iPhone.

But you don’t really have to forgo all of that incoming communication from the outside world. You just need to direct its flow more intentionally…

Create Your New Rulebook
The trick is to modify the settings in your iPhone to create a new and more enlightened rulebook that says, “Do not disturb me… sometimes,” or more accurately…” do not disturb me…unless you really know who it Is.”

Here’s how you do that:

  • Tap your Settings icon
  • Tap “Do Not Disturb” (with the crescent moon)
  • Activate the “Do Not Disturb” green slider on the top
  • Under the “Silence” option, tap “While iPhone is Locked”
  • Next to the “Allow Calls From” option, select “All Contacts”


That’s it.

Now, what you’ve done is to tell your iPhone to allow calls from all of your contacts. Anyone else will have to leave a voicemail. If you’re like me, unless you know who’s calling you, you’re not going to answer the call anyway for fear it’s spam. So, all of this isn’t so big a change.

And taking this step effectively shuts down all of those horrible spam robocalls.

Learn to Look for Your Texts
What is a big change is all of your texts and app notifications also get blocked. Yes, even the text is from someone in your Contacts.

But those texts haven’t gone anywhere. They’re simply waiting for you to find them. And you can easily do that just by activating your iPhone’s screen.

The “Silence… While iPhone is Locked” subsetting means that when your device is unlocked, all of the messaging that’s waiting for you pops up.

So, functionally, you just need to check for your messages. And of course how quickly you get your texts relies on how often you check. No, you don’t want be pulling out your iPhone every two minutes. That looks a little crazy. And it is a bit crazy.

That said, if you also own an Apple Watch and you still feel compelled, you can mask your insanity by choosing the Messages icon as one of your Apple Watch’s complications. If a text comes through, the little icon will display “1 Unread.”

Looking at your Apple Watch every two minutes is slightly more socially appropriate, although you’ll look like you’re always in a rush.

If you know you’re waiting for an important text, you can also temporarily turn off “Do Not Disturb” in your iPhone’s Control Center.

Just tap the crescent moon.

Modified Do Not Disturb
This modified “Do Not Disturb” strategy will stop those evil spam calls. And you’ll have no more interruptions, unless someone in your Contacts calls you.
(You can also narrow that list of who ‘gets through’ by choosing “Favorites” or a particular “Group” as opposed to “All Contacts.”)

And if you want see what other messaging comes your way, just check every so often.
It’s not that bad, really…

I’ve just done it.

The Trade-off
No, it’s not a perfect solution. When my wife or a friend texts me, I’m not longer getting instantaneous notification. Their calls still get through, but I have to look at my Apple Watch or iPhone to see if there’s a new text waiting for me.
(And that could cause a 15-minute delay, which is an eternity for someone looking for a text response.)

If I could make a recommendation to Apple, it would be to modify “Do Not Disturb” to allow texts from people in your Contacts to get through… just like phone calls.

But again, if you know you’re waiting for an important piece of news or a text, just temporarily turn off your “Do Not Disturb” mode.

Take Control!
If you’re still thinking about my dad, yes, I suggested all of this to him, but he thought it was too draconian. Shutting out the outside world, even in a modified way can be a hard step to take. He said he’d be happier just enduring the ringing. Maybe he’ll reconsider in the future…

As for me, I’ve got to say it feels great blocking all of those spam robocalls and receiving texts and notifications ‘on demand.’

I’m no longer unnecessarily interrupted throughout my day by technology that’s designed to make my life better.

Too many want too much of my attention.

“Do Not Disturb.”

You should try it.

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January 27, 2019

Why Star Trek: Discovery is Finally Worth the Price of Admission

If you’ve previously ignored “Star Trek: Discovery,” it’s time to go back to the future. There’s been an unexpected course correction in this series’ sophomore season…

As a ‘Trekkie’ for most of my life, I’ve lived through “Star Trek’s” ongoing life cycle of failure, cult phenomenon, success, expansion, contraction and rebirth. What’s been especially frustrating of late has been watching some of its enduring core elements warped in “Star Trek: Discovery.”

In its freshman season…. hope, morality, humor and the generally positive outlook of the larger “Star Trek” universe were mostly sidelined for more flash, intensity, discomfort and darker episodes to meet the expectations of today’s HBO-trained audience.

It’s not that I didn’t enjoy the opportunity to watch the first “Star Trek” series since 2005. But this one was so different, perhaps necessarily so, because traditional “Star Trek” had become too tame and predictable for modern tastes.

Season 1 Was Not Family Friendly
“Star Trek: Discovery” was supposed to be “Star Trek”… reinvented. You can say a lot about how “Discovery” lost its way in Season 1, but you can’t say it was tame.

It was intentionally designed for an adult crowd, complete with a “TV-14” rating that included R-level violence and a few four-letter words.
(Really)

I found Season 1 a bit exhausting.

Oh yeah, and you had to pay for it (streaming on CBS All Access for $5.99/month or $9.99/month without commercials).

I think along its journey of necessary reinvention, the writers simply left out too many familiar “Star Trek” ingredients.

In the sophomore season, we’re told we’re getting a ‘course correction.’ And after watching the first two episodes, I am happy to report that it’s true!

New Captain on the Bridge!
The biggest change is our new captain… Christopher Pike. Yep… the Enterprise captain who came before the more famous Captain Kirk.

Played by Anson Mount, Pike beams onto the Discovery from his mysteriously ‘short-circuited’ Starship Enterprise which has to then be towed away… literally.

Pike immediately takes command to lead this new season-long mission.

Captain Pike’s character was first introduced in the original (and failed) “Star Trek” pilot, “The Cage,” back in 1965. Played by Jeffrey Hunter, Pike was serious and a little stiff, but certainly a model of Starfleet values and morality. The writers loosed things up a bit when they created Captain Kirk.

We saw Pike again in J.J. Abrams’ 2009 Kelvin-timeline movie reboot and 2013’s “Into Darkness” sequel. This time played by Bruce Greenwood, Pike was again the moral compass and a father figure to the young and inexperienced Jim Kirk.

“Discovery’s” Captain Pike gives us a similar leader with strong ethics, but still able to recognize inconsistencies that challenge his own beliefs. He is on his own journey of ‘discovery.’ And this mission with his new crew is clearly going to challenge his personal and professional rule book.

But compared to all of the questionable choices made by characters in Season 1, Pike has immediately become “Discovery’s” moral center. (Doug Jones’ Kelpien Saru held this responsibility in Season 1 and was briefly joined by Michelle Yeoh’s Captain Georgiou.)

Pike’s entrance is such a relief.

It may have taken decades of “Star Trek” storytelling for this to become entirely clear, but Pike… not Kirk… best reflects the essence of Gene Roddenberry’s foundational theme surrounding our destiny. In Roddenberry’s future, humanity has matured enough to avoid extinction, get it together and reach for the stars.

Pike has always been the grown up.

He’s serious and dependable, but the writers of “Discovery” have shaved the stuffy edges off of his character and given him a little dose of welcome humor. And Mount fits the role perfectly.

Be Bold. Be Brave. Be Courageous.
When Pike proclaims ahead of his first Spore-Drive jump, “Be Bold. Be Brave. Be Courageous,” First Officer Burnham cracks a small but proud smile.

I smiled.
And I think thousands of “Star Trek” fans smiled too.

That line touched a feeling in me that harkens back to when I was a kid and first heard the line “Space, the final frontier…”

Hope. Wonder. Adventure.
A little more humanity.

Yes, please.

The First Two Episodes Are On Course
At the end of Episode 1 (“Brother”), Pike turns to Burnham and says,
“Wherever our mission takes us, we’ll try to have a little fun along the way too…”

I think that’s a line clearly directed at fans to proclaim the show’s adjusted tone.

And if it’s not clear enough that “Discovery” is finally embracing its own roots, Jonathan Frakes (“Star Trek: The Next Generation”) was tapped to direct the second episode, “New Eden.”

As soon as I saw Frakes’ name pop up in the credits, I knew the space/time continuum was well on its way to resetting itself with old Commander Riker at the helm.

“New Eden” felt like the best of classic “Trek,” complete with visiting a strange, new world and questioning the Prime Directive. But it also focused on characters getting to know each other better. And of course, then we get to know them better.

Could this crew actually be developing into something of a “Star Trek” family?
Developing character connections and strong storytelling have always been the core of “Star Trek.”

“Discovery” has even demonstrated “Star Trek’s” traditional willingness to tackle big questions that really work your brain…

When Pike talked about Arthur C. Clarke’s Third Law reflecting an updated view that “any sufficiently advanced extraterrestrial intelligence is indistinguishable from God,” we know we’re solidly in the “Star Trek” universe we know and love.

The Shakedown Cruise Continues
This is all not say that “Star Trek: Discovery” is totally fixed.

The introduction of the young Spock character is a bold and yet unproven move that currently feels like a plot device taken from “The Search for Spock” movie.

And what’s up with Cadet Tilly? Played by Mary Wiseman, we really need to see her character grow this season into something beyond awkward and flustered. It’s time to show her evolution…

And as the star of the show, Sonequa Martin-Green’s Burnham still has some work to do to win over our hearts.

Discovery is No Longer Lost in Space
The good news is “Star Trek: Discovery” has passed its core Kobayashi Maru test.

Yes, Season 2 still has a long way to go, but “Discovery” has now discovered the right formula to reinvent “Star Trek” in a way that’s fresh and challenging, yet also doesn’t repel its fan base.

Strong, uplifting storytelling with heart has always been at the center of great “Star Trek.”

Keep making these types of episodes, and the audience will show up
…and pay for it.

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