Technology | At Home with Tech

May 20, 2018

4 Reasons Why I’m Excited to See “Solo: A Star Wars Story”

“Solo” is taking advantage of its 20th century analog origins and using those original limitations to make the past look wicked cool. Here’s how…

I have to admit that I had a really bad feeling about the concept of a Han Solo prequel movie. Who could possibly do Han better than Harrison Ford? But then I got to thinking about the success of the recent “Star Trek” flicks with Chris Pine. We somehow made it through just fine in a post-Shatner alternate reality. Of course, all of the characters were recast (though we did have two Spocks). And this new ensemble worked great together… just like the original cast.

And then I saw the two movie trailers to “Solo: A Star Wars Story,” and something clicked.
I finally got it…!

Here are 4 reasons why I’m now so excited to see “Solo…”

#1 – New Ensemble
First, off… “Solo” sets itself up as a rollicking ensemble piece with appealing characters we already know (Chewbacca and Lando) and some new ones (played by well-known talent) who fill out this origin-story band of smugglers.

So, whether I really buy into Alden Ehrenreich as Solo is less critical. After watching the two trailers, I’m totally on board with this new team of renegades. Emilia Clarke? Donald Glover? Woody Harrelson? Thandie Newton?
Bring it on!

#2 – The Humor
“Solo” clearly has a much lighter tone. And who knew Chewbacca could so effectively play the straight man on a comedy team? In fact, Chewie, (Joonas Suotamo) steals all his scenes in the trailers with laugh-out-loud moments.

Let me tell you… I’m so ready for a respite from all of the depressing and tragic story developments coming out of the last three “Star Wars” movies. I just want to have fun. And this flick seems ready to deliver!

Plus, I know that Han, Lando and Chewie make it through.
(I hope that’s not a spoiler… You’ve had decades to watch the original trilogy.)

#3 – Ron Howard
As you’ve probably heard, Ron Howard was brought in more than half way through the filming to take over as director.

Problem?

No… I’m ecstatic. I love Ron Howard’s work.

He also ran the entire post production phase… so I’m confident that we’re going to get a ‘Ron Howard film.’

#4 – Creaky Switches
I’m a little giddy seeing some deliberate focus on analog technology.

Did you feel the clicking of those switches in the Millennium Falcon’s cockpit?
I mean… did you feel it?
I sure did..

The manual flicking of those little switches… rocketing the ship into overdrive. I found that moment simply thrilling… and reminiscent of the golden age of the Apollo space program.

When George Lucas made “Star Wars” back in 1977, it was, of course, about a futuristic civilization. But much of the gear reflected 1970’s hardware. So, there were plenty of physical switches that snapped and clicked.

But now, it’s four decades later. Analog is mostly dead. Yet, it’s still fueling some of the thrills in “Solo.”

I’ve always found something extremely satisfying about manually pressing a button to activate a machine. That’s entirely different than just tapping around on a touchscreen.

You can really feel the connection to your tech… that more intimate relationship between a person and the power of machinery.

While some might view those switches on the Millennium Falcon as dated or at best retro, it connects me back to that more physical experience that today’s digital world has mostly discarded as irrelevant. How ironic that digital is faster and better in every way, and yet sometimes we still yearn for our old tech…

It’s a fact that the Millennium Falcon can outrun the progress of technology over decades. That’s a testament to the enduring value of a well-made and repairable machine that can keep its edge over mass-produced, disposable 2.0 tech that’s limited by lower cost and quality.

She is indeed a survivor. And a pioneer. And I look forward to learning more about this newer Millennium Falcon in this flick…

The Future is Yesterday
It’s ironic that “Star Wars” today continues to wow us by not only channeling the elegant future possibilities of technology, but by also reminding us of our clunky technological past.

So raw, frustrating and often unpredictable… yet also so satisfying.

Even though those analog switches need to be there on the ship for continuity, they don’t have to be front and center. And yet… they are.

Clearly, the future in “Solo: A Star Wars Story” resides comfortably in yesterday. Sure, it’s taking some of its spirit from the DNA of all of those black and white westerns that launched a genre.

But in more ways than one, “Solo: A Star Wars Story” is happily time traveling… backwards.

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May 13, 2018

How to Play a Long Audio File from an Email on Your iPhone

If your audio file abruptly stops playing when your iPhone or iPad goes black, it might be time to find a home for that file. Let me explain…

Sending large attachments through email isn’t such a big deal these days. Sure, there are still limits, but emailing a 20MB audio file isn’t a crazy idea. So, when you receive one, the intuitive response is to simply tap on the file icon and listen. And that often works just fine.
(Thank you, Apple.)

But eventually, there’s a problem with the tap-and-listen approach using Apple’s native Mail app…

If the audio file runs longer than the auto-lock setting when your iPhone goes black… the file will suddenly stop playing.

And then, when you wake your iPhone to keep the file going, the file doesn’t remember where it left off. So you’ve got to manually scrub through to get to the right place to keep going.

How elegant is that?

Mrs. At Home with Tech
Someone I know (let’s just call her ‘Mrs. At Home with Tech’) created a clever workaround by simply setting her iPhone’s screen to never turn off.

And while that did the trick, and her audio file played through without a hitch, ‘Mr. At Home with Tech’ thought there had to be a better solution…

Beating ‘Tap and Go’
Of course, ‘better’ is usually a relative term. If you’re clocking speed to solution, I’ve not found a better method than my wife’s tap-and-go approach. But that trick also requires that you remember to turn off your iPhone’s screen when the audio file finishes.

Otherwise, it will shine bright throughout the night, possibly *freaking out your partner when he/she wakes the next morning bathed in an eerie iPhone glow.
*Entirely theoretical scenario… This did not happen to me. Well…

I expect that an AI-driven iPhone future isn’t that far off when your device independently pops on and off to perform certain tasks it deems appropriate. And humans will eventually get used to that just the same as all the 24/7 buzzing and pinging from our chattering smartphones.

For now though, I prefer that all the iPhones in my home at least have the appearance of following human preferences and offer the semblance of sleeping along with their human overlords/companions/pets (just future-proofing this sentence).

Save It!
For uninterrupted access and continuous playback, a more effective first step is to save the file before playing it. That way, it will continue running, even when your iPhone’s screen goes dark.

But there’s still a hiccup here… I’ve not found a way to simply save the file to my iPhone or easily move it into the iTunes ecosystem.

The solution is to move the file to a third-party app. That will do the trick!

Dropbox to the Rescue
There are many apps that can handle this need, but I’m a big fan of Dropbox.
So, here’s how you do it with Dropbox…

Tap on the audio file’s icon.
A QuickTime player window will open to begin playing the file.
On the bottom left, tap on the share icon (little square with an upward arrow).
Find your Dropbox icon.
Click on “Copy to Dropbox.”
The Dropbox app will open up.
Then, save your file to the Drobox folder of your choice.

That’s it.

5 Taps is better than 1
It takes 4 taps… maybe 5, if you move the file into a particular Dropbox folder.

That math can’t beat my wife’s ‘tap-and-go’ approach, but now that the audio file actually lives somewhere outside your Mail app, you’ll have more control of the file and be able to listen to it regardless of your iPhone’s screen status.

Still, not a perfect solution, but it gets the job done.
(If you have a better idea, please let me know!)

May 6, 2018

7 Photos and 8 Verbs for Spring

This image of a blooming tree is a classic example of spring’s arrival. But you may be surprised how springtime can subtly influence so many of your other photos…

Wherever you point your camera, it’s almost impossible to avoid both the literal and figurative influences of spring. For your consideration… 7 examples that I snapped and the energies they reflect.

EXPLORE

Here is the moment when our one-year-old cat discovered these spring tulips. You can almost see the neurons in her brain going crazy.

DISRUPT

When you find a petal from a nearby flowering tree glued to your window, you know a chaotic spring storm has recently passed by.

REPAIR

This utility project on a Manhattan street has the feel of a picnic lunch being laid out on a warm day.

GROW

The One Vanderbilt building across from Grand Central Terminal in Manhattan continues to sprout and stretches upward to its planned 1,401 foot height.

RADIATE

There’s nothing more classic than a perfect spring day in New York City at high noon.

MIGRATE

Those are really trucks traveling on your train tracks! Now, where’s the train?!

BURST

Nature has a way of sprinkling itself everywhere. I love my nature-dusted driveway!

SHARE

More specifically… share your life. (This really isn’t season-specific.) As you know, I’m a huge believer of not holding onto your photography. Do share! And let others smell the blossoms along with you…

Happy spring!

Category: Technology

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