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Tag: iPhone

March 29, 2026

Capturing Spring’s Early Flow with My Microscope Lens

This is a tight shot I snapped of a spring vinca flower that reveals the pent-up energy about to blossom over the landscape. Below are a few more spring pics I captured with my microscope lens mounted to my iPhone.

That anything living can break through the barren, winter-scarred ground always seems like a miracle. Yet, of course as the fading winter releases its brutal grip and the temperatures begin to rise, early spring begins this annual rebirth.

I’m always delighted during these first days before spring really kicks in. That’s when you need to make an effort to spot the signs. Though tiny, they’re everywhere. The trees are still barren, but the first flower buds are already starting to make their move.

Look Closer

I think we’re likely a week or two away from ‘opening day’ here in southern Connecticut. (That’s when you look out the window and almost fall over from the impact of spring’s stunning return.) 

I took my Panasonic Lumix mirrorless camera outside this week to take a few early-spring test shots but found my results underwhelming. Maybe it was too soon. 

Then, I thought for a moment and realized I just needed to get a little closer to nature’s magic. So, I pulled out my SANDMARC microscope lens for my iPhone and screwed it onto my iPhone case (also made by SANDMARC).

When I bought this lens system last summer, I wasn’t sure how often I would use it. Well, this was clearly one of those moments.

So, I set out to try again.

Early Days

The images I captured were not your typical bright and colorful spring collection. The shots were necessarily darker with my microscope lens pressed close to the flower buds. 

But this framing style also created a more intimate result, revealing a view of a young spring not yet fully formed.

Time to Expand the View

My microscope lens provides an especially narrow depth of field. Much of each image blurs away from the tight focal point. As a result, I think I’ve captured more of nature’s organic flow in action. 

And this flow will soon burst onto the landscape. Then, it will be easy to expand the view.

I couldn’t be happier being able to see this preview.

Hello, spring!

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March 15, 2026

Why the Manhattan Skyline Means More to Me than the View

Snapping a series of iconic skyline pictures around Manhattan became more than a photography exercise. It reminded me about my own identity.

When I was a boy growing up in New York City, I remember taking the Circle Line cruise around Manhattan with my mother. I was delighted by the incredible views of the iconic skyline, but it was a blip in my larger experience living in the Big Apple. 

Like many New Yorkers, doing touristy activities was usually something left for… tourists.

A Tourist Comes Home

Today I find that ironic and even a bit sad. Even though I live in Connecticut today, I still commute into the city. So, I’ve tried to pay a little more attention to this beautiful metropolis that I permanently identify with and am always connected to. 

I’ve recently had a couple opportunities to spend time on the water around Manhattan at dusk. And I was excited to see what photos I could capture from the Hudson and East Rivers as the sun set and the skyline lit up.

The Power of iPhone and Adobe Lightroom

I used my iPhone 15 Pro Max to capture these shots. Even in the dark, its software-driven computational photography was able to capture decent images and brighten up the sky and darker regions. It’s actually quite impressive.

Then, I pushed the limits of these images even further using the power of Adobe Lightroom. While the focus of all these shots is all about the Manhattan skyline and bridges, the river and sky occupy half the frame. So, I made the creative choice to make these portions pop a little more than reality offered me.

My Origin Story

So yes, I’m straddling the line a bit between photographer and digital painter. But I don’t think it’s a problem to enhance the glow of the city I love and often define myself by.

It simply represents how I feel about this complex place. And this little photography exercise warmly reminded me that I am forever part of it.

My father used to say New York City is the greatest city in the world. While I know that’s a bit arrogant and certainly invites discussion, you can’t debate the pride that most New Yorkers feel about their hometown.

It is my origin story, and I continue to circle it.

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November 2, 2025

How to Delete a Retired Nest Device from Your Google Home App

When you junk an old Nest Learning Thermostat, like I just did, your Google Home app may not get the memo. Here’s how to manually remove your obsolete device from your smartphone app.

I really had no choice but to retire my old Nest Learning Thermostat. It’s an aging 2nd generation model, and Google finally stopped supporting it. So, I recently upgraded to the current gen 4 model and successfully installed that one. Problem solved, right? 

Well, not entirely.

The final step was to delete the old unit from my Google Home App on my iPhone. (Who wants to see a deactivated device lingering on your app’s interface as ‘Offline?’) 

According to an email I received from Google, the gen 2 model was supposed to automatically evaporate from the app. But it defied that directive and remained in place… stubbornly so.

When I tried to remove it manually, there was no obvious way to do that. So, I had to dig deeper. 

If you’ve been trying to crack the same code, here’s how to delete your decommissioned Google Nest Learning Thermostat from your Google Home app:

4 Steps to Remove a Device from the Google Home App


#1 – First, tap on the circular icon with your initial on the top right of the Google Home app.

#2 – Then, tap on “Home settings.”

#3 – Under “Device, groups & rooms,” find and tap on your old device.

#4 – At the very bottom of the next page, tap “Remove device.”

So Simple…
That should do the trick! It’s super simple for any of your Nest devices, but you need to know where to look in the app.

After this tweak, you’re back to where you started… with remote and clutter-free access to a sleek Google Nest Learning Thermostat at the center of your smart home experience.

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