Ian Robinson

Writer, walker, atheist, Apple enthusiast, cinema lover, hobby musician, science junkie, perpetual maths student, cricket fan, chess patzer.

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ianRobinson_at_mastodon.social@mostr.pub

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Last Notes

2025-05-28 23:09:57

Autocomplete on my iPhone has been awful recently.
I’ve just reset the Keyboard Dictionary to factory defaults to see if it sorts it out.

2024-12-27 19:55:35

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@nprofile…l326 Friday at 2pm slot if my favourite. I’ve been in multiple films at that time with nobody else 😊
I’m rebooting One Film Per Week next week. Hopefully 52 cinema trips in 2025.

2024-11-15 12:35:45

Twitter is dead. Long live BlueSky.
The exodus is real. - Ian Dunt
“To get the words coming out on the page - or screen or whatever - as close as dammit to the voice that you use when you are speaking. To finesse daily until you can write almost exactly as you speak. This really is the key to good writing. Twitter trained me in it even when I didn't realise I was doing it.”
Substack link: https://iandunt.substack.com/p/twitter-is-dead-long-live-blue-sky

2024-09-20 13:58:16

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@npub1ahq…wjwd Hopefully, everyone votes early if they can.

2024-09-17 13:43:38

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@npub1ahq…wjwd About 20°C here. 68°F ish.

2024-09-17 13:35:05

Sunny September ☀️
https://files.mastodon.social/media_attachments/files/113/153/153/528/832/370/original/e4667cd5a62cf8a4.jpeg

2024-09-12 21:31:17

Audio playback in the iPhone Instagram app gets broken in new and novel ways with almost every app update. On my iPhone anyway.
It’s almost impressive.
It is certainly infuriating.

2024-09-05 16:03:15

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@npub1ahq…wjwd That's a brill picture. It could be a Toy Story short film scene ☺️

2024-09-01 18:08:42

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@npub1mqx…xqll Transylvania by Iron Maiden.
#Music

2024-09-01 08:14:11

An excellent opinion piece by Ted Chiang in The New Yorker.
#GenAI #AI
https://www.newyorker.com/culture/the-weekend-essay/why-ai-isnt-going-to-make-art

2024-08-30 19:22:20

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@npub1ahq…wjwd Ta. I’ve a weekly Monday teams call with several people in the US (and India, central Europe, and Ireland).
Should be a shorter meeting this week.

2024-08-30 18:59:03

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@npub1ahq…wjwd Is it a holiday in the USA on Monday?

2024-08-29 12:57:20

Worth a read. https://www.drownedinsound.org/fear-scrolling-journalisms-creator-replacement-theory/

2024-08-28 13:33:59

My HomePods are doing weird shit. I suspect it’s iCloud backend bollocks prior to the event next week.

2024-08-27 12:55:39

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@npub1ahq…wjwd 🥳 Congratulations!

2024-08-19 22:13:27

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@npub1ahq…wjwd Hopefully a sizeable contingent of alt-right weirdos will take up the option.
Though I doubt they have the balls.

2024-08-14 22:10:26

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@npub1ahq…wjwd I take it you’re not in a drought that’s causing it?

2024-08-13 13:28:50

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@npub1ahq…wjwd Not if they use it for profile building and future targeted phishing and other social engineering attacks.

2024-08-05 20:41:44

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@npub1ahq…wjwd Ta.

2024-08-05 20:34:06

Surely the Google antitrust case will be in the appeals process for years?
#Google #AntiTrust

2024-07-31 17:18:37

Here. That band called Queen are alright. They should go far…
Queen - In The Lap of The Gods ( Live at The Rainbow)
🥰😊👍🏻
https://youtu.be/DSxDPn3AT7A
3.5 minute video.
#Music #Queen

2024-07-31 12:21:59

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@npub16mh…ednf yep, read the article. It’s for specific types of AI.

2024-07-31 08:29:31

“The EU's flagship AI Act will come into force on 1st August. Two years after that date, virtually all producers, suppliers and deployers of AI systems in its scope will need to be compliant.”
The act only applies to "prohibited", "high-risk”, and "limited-risk" AI systems, so it may not apply to the GenAI and similar tools that have exploded in popularity recently.
Long read at Computing magazine. Free registration is required to read it.
https://www.computing.co.uk/feature/4337122/long-reads-eu-ai-act
#AI #EU

2024-07-22 15:30:36

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@npub1ahq…wjwd Nice one. Congratulations ☺️

2024-07-19 21:12:10

Ed Zitron newsletter about today’s Crowdstrike calamity. #Crowdstrike https://www.wheresyoured.at/crowdstruck-2/

2024-07-18 20:15:35

Last four overs of the Surrey - Hampshire match live on YouTube now.
https://www.youtube.com/live/5TeJRgypr9A
#Cricket

2024-07-18 16:45:06

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@npub1ahq…wjwd
Happy Orbit Day!
🚀🌎➖➖➖➖➖☀️

2024-07-17 13:26:48

Text editing on iOS is awful.

2024-07-15 16:59:48

Hell in a hand cart. An expression a lot of the news recently engenders.
My solution is to avoid the news as much as possible. It’s worked before. Nothing I can do will influence the fuckwittery that is the news from around d the world.

2024-07-08 15:18:19

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@npub1ahq…wjwd Still, progress! 🥳
Hopefully they stay on it and don't get bored.

2024-07-08 09:31:07

At least 20 dead in Russian attack on Ukraine cities.
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cl4y1pjk2dzo
#News #Ukraine

2024-07-06 12:48:28

That was refreshing.
Competent people back in charge. 😌
#UKPolitics https://mastodon.social/@ianRobinson/112739438956114725

2024-07-05 12:54:31

Sunak axed, the cast eviscerated: at last, it’s the Tories’ season finale - Marina Hyde
It was worthy of a TV special. Truss, Rees-Mogg, Shapps, Liam Fox: so many erased after 14 years of dystopian soap opera. And not a moist eye in the house.
https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/article/2024/jul/05/rishi-sunak-tories-truss-rees-mogg-shapps-liam-fox
#Election2024 #UKPolitics

2024-07-04 06:30:14

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@npub1ahq…wjwd I think in France the media blackout starts the day before polling. I may be wrong. It’s just the day of polling here, and ends when the polls close. We’ve only one timezone, which makes it easier.

2024-07-03 13:15:39

2024 Election Specials. 4. The Conservatives - Jonathan Pie
Not safe for work. But then, any realistic assessment of the last 14 years wouldn't be!
A 5-minute diatribe video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cKAeO-5saqQ
#Comedy #UKPolitcs #Election2024

2024-07-01 13:22:39

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@npub1ahq…wjwd They’ll punt it back to the lower court for more delay.

2024-06-30 15:13:01

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@npub1ahq…wjwd Plenty of room on the continent for separate countries…

2024-06-28 13:23:46

To paraphrase Abraham Maslow’s now famous maxim, ‘If all you have is an LLM, everything looks like a GenAI problem!’
I wonder if that will survive the editing process on this article ☺️

2024-06-24 18:42:11

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@npub1437…ranm So do I. But I don’t understand the errors they are making.

2024-06-24 18:38:26

I can’t believe the Conservatives are still beating the “we’ll bring taxes down” drum.
Maybe I’m in a bubble but it seems to me that people want more investment in public services and infrastructure.
At a minimum they should say they’ll maintain current levels of taxation across all taxation methods and invest more.
#UKElection

2024-06-09 11:39:59

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@npub1ahq…wjwd I think you will be able to repost that essay in June 2025. Sadly.

2024-06-09 09:57:42

Things that use Apple cloud services feel a bit slower today. Music and Siri specifically.
Maybe related to what’s to be announced and released to developers tomorrow.

2024-06-07 13:16:00

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@npub1ahq…wjwd 😕

2024-06-06 19:50:05

USA beat Pakistan via a super over.
If cricket isn’t your thing, I’m here to tell you this is huge.
Pakistan are one of the top teams in cricket.
#Cricket #T20WorldCup

2024-05-31 12:38:16

The US election is going to be so close that even if about 2% of likely voters don't vote for Trump now, he’s a convicted felon, that'll be enough to swing close States to Biden.
I'm not the originator of this idea. It's articulated by several commentators with way more insight and knowledge than me.
But they all also say that in November, the non-MAGA US populace has to get out and vote in such numbers that the MAGAs can’t prevent their loss via vote suppression measures.

2024-05-30 12:03:07

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@npub1ahq…wjwd Sorry. Note the hashtags. I was being sarcastic.

2024-05-30 11:33:25

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@npub1ahq…wjwd Agree. Not the hashtags 😊

2024-05-30 11:25:19

It’s handy that TicketMaster built up all that goodwill with their customers (both artists and fans) over the years.
Now they get to cash it in in relation to the antitrust investigation and the new massive data breach.
#Sarcasm #Schadenfreude #TicketMaster

2024-05-29 18:35:57

The cone from the last eruption got engulfed by the new eruption!
https://youtu.be/WNtCyLZcUFQ
5.5 minute video.
#Volcano #Reykjanes #Iceland #Geology

2024-05-26 10:21:35

That national service idea is a dead cat on the table.
Spend a week talking about that rather than how shit the Conservatives have been in Government.
#Election2024

2024-05-25 14:23:23

Sadly I think much of the progress in DEI and civil rights that happened after the murder of George Floyd has been eroded recently. 🙁

2024-05-23 20:14:57

@npub1yyx…qa5g Could I ask what plugin or other method you use to send your Wordpress based email newsletter?
I want to add the functionality to my 3rd-party hosted Wordpress site.

2024-05-23 18:11:30

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@npub1ahq…wjwd It was added to my new What I've Been Reading page. An idea I stole from Molly White!
https://canicula.com/wp/what-ive-been-reading/

2024-05-23 15:37:06

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@npub1ahq…wjwd Good article.

2024-05-22 21:26:39

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@npub1ahq…wjwd ☺️

2024-05-22 21:08:17

One Film Per Week is not going well this year. This is the 21st week of the year, and I've only watched 13 new film releases.
Hopefully I'll pick up the pace over the next seven months.
https://canicula.com/wp/new-film-releases-seen-in-2024/
#Film

2024-05-22 15:15:16

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@npub1ahq…wjwd 🤢🤢🤮

2024-05-21 17:23:18

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@npub1437…ranm 😂😂😂

2024-05-21 17:17:07

Get the kettle on!
Sam Altman Is Full Of Shit by Edward Zitron,
https://www.wheresyoured.at/sam-altman-is-full-of-shit/
#OpenAI #SamAltman

2024-05-20 12:24:35

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@npub1ahq…wjwd Fingers crossed the neighbours as good etc.

2024-05-20 12:21:26

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@npub1ahq…wjwd Is the new place nearby? Will there be any silver linings from the forced move?

2024-05-18 12:15:04

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@npub1ahq…wjwd Good luck!

2024-05-15 13:03:36

I’m not sure autocomplete fixes more writing issues than it solves.
I’m shit at catching the subtle errors it introduces, such as Ireland in place of Iceland. Or fixed in place of fixes, as was the case in the previous paragraph. I caught that one.
In my longer writing, I catch them via the text-to-speech step in my editing process. Hearing the text spoken highlights mistakes like that.

2024-05-10 11:21:08

I'm now using https://kagi.com/ as the default search engine across all my devices via their Safari Extension that redirects search queries to Kagi.
hat tip to @npub1rkh…jur7 for letting me know this existed.

2024-05-10 09:16:38

Some Apple punditry is exhausting.
The same is true in many other fields as well I expect.
But the Apple bollocksphere is particularly grating just after Apple product events.

2024-05-08 14:03:07

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@npub1ahq…wjwd The latest Better Offline podcast is about Tesla autopilot and FSD. https://linktr.ee/betteroffline

2024-05-07 16:08:27

The session players addition to Logic Pro is also available on Mac version. Ships on Monday.
https://www.apple.com/newsroom/2024/05/logic-pro-takes-music-making-to-the-next-level-with-new-ai-features/
#LogicPro https://mastodon.social/@ianRobinson/112400276417868620

2024-05-05 10:32:25

“What started the downfall Grandpa?”
“It was the apostrophes Billy. It started with removing the apostrophes.”
🤦🏻‍♂️Residents spoken to by the BBC urged the authority to retain apostrophes or risk "everything going downhill".
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-york-north-yorkshire-68942321
For the record. I’m not agreeing with the "everything going downhill" contingent.

2024-05-02 21:39:36

Apple reports second quarter results - Apple
iPhone sales down 10%. Revenue down 4% overall. Share price up in aftermarket trading 🤷🏻‍♂️
Profits about $20 Billion for the quarter.
https://www.apple.com/newsroom/2024/05/apple-reports-second-quarter-results/

2024-04-29 14:48:23

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@npub1ahq…wjwd I want to watch The Piano by Laurel & Hardy now. I think I have it on DVD somewhere.

2024-04-27 13:21:39

Listening to The Ezra Klein Show (What if Dario Amodei Is Right About A.I.?): https://nytimes.com/2024/04/12/opinion/ezra-klein-podcast-dario-amodei.html
Back in 2018, Dario Amodei worked at OpenAI. And looking at one of its first A.I. models, he wondered: What would happen as you fed an artificial intelligence more and more data? He and his colleagues decided to study it, and they found that the A.I. didn’t just get better with more data; it got better exponentially.
#Podcast #LLM #AI

2024-04-23 13:55:13

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@npub1ggh…ykhp Yep. The periodical approach via paid and Pay what you can newsletters is attractive as well. The Martian started that way IIRC, as did the Wool/Silo books. And probably many others I don’t know about.

2024-04-23 07:19:43

This is depressing.
No one buys books - by Elle Griffin - The Elysian
#Writing #Books https://www.elysian.press/p/no-one-buys-books

2024-04-18 12:00:37

This a worth a read. https://mastodon.social/@sandofsky/112276796369218483

2024-04-12 11:38:30

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@npub1ahq…wjwd I loved the first one.

2024-04-12 11:31:24

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@npub1ahq…wjwd It’s available on the VOD sites to purchase from Monday.

2024-04-12 11:28:06

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@npub1ahq…wjwd I’ll revisit Dune Part Two in 2034! 😊

2024-04-12 11:23:32

I hated Interstellar. It has a terrible story. I’ve never rewatched it. For that reason.
If it hits my local Omniplex MAXX I might go again to see if I still hate it.
'Interstellar' Re-Release in Imax 70mm Set for Fall 2024
https://variety.com/2024/film/news/interstellar-imax-70-mm-rerelease-fall-2024-christopher-nolan-1235967907/

2024-04-09 18:27:07

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@npub1ahq…wjwd Good. It sounds like a horrible idea. Apple is meant to be good at saying no to products that don't cut the mustard. Hopefully this is an idea that's in the idea dustbin!

2024-04-09 18:25:16

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@npub1ahq…wjwd Someone needs to make a new Social Media app that only does this. That allows you to post one picture per day only. Within a 30-minute window around noon in your local timezone.

2024-04-09 17:30:25

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@npub1ahq…wjwd 😳

2024-04-09 14:30:26

Treat anyone who claims to speak for most people in any group with suspicion. Occasionally, someone doing this might have the evidence and support to back it up (a union leader after a comprehensive strike vote, for example), but it'll be rare.
In this case, it's BS I suspect.
https://mastodon.social/@GottaLaff/112241669773907249

2024-04-08 22:59:56

Buying all 4 seasons of Star Trek Lower Decks on Apple Store costs about the same as subscribing to Paramount+ for 8 months. Buying means I can watch whenever I want (yes I know digital purchases aren’t really buying, just licensing).
I couldn’t be bothered with DVDs.

2024-03-29 16:18:32

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@npub1ahq…wjwd Thanks Warner 😊

2024-03-26 10:44:13

Here’s the current live stream https://www.youtube.com/live/83a7h3kkgPg
#Baltimore https://mastodon.social/@ianRobinson/112161568234316853

2024-03-26 09:38:55

A yellow warning for heavy rain has been issued for Northern Ireland from 18:00 to 06:00 tomorrow.
#Weather

2024-03-21 18:04:37

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@npub1ahq…wjwd I won't be joining them as I don't know enough about US anti-trust law to comment.

2024-03-21 17:59:40

Now we will get to see how the USA-based Apple commentators report on Apple being hit with a US government anti-trust lawsuit.
https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2024/mar/21/us-antitrust-lawsuit-apple

2024-03-20 11:08:59

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@npub1ahq…wjwd ta 👍🏻

2024-03-20 11:07:51

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@npub1ahq…wjwd Does Mistral sync automatically?

2024-03-20 11:02:05

How does Dropbox perform and behave on Apple Silicon Macs these days?

2024-03-14 18:34:53

When the Spotify and Apple fight is sorted, I hope that the next thing the EU looks at is how Spotify treats independent music labels and artists.

2024-03-12 22:10:16

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@npub1ahq…wjwd Sure they are. How else could that evidence stash disappear…
😂🥴😂

2024-03-07 20:36:10

Hell yes! 🥳
Inside Out 2 | Official Trailer
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LEjhY15eCx0
#Film #Pixar #InsideOut

2024-03-03 15:46:09

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@npub1ahq…wjwd I hope you’re feeling better soon!

2024-02-27 17:37:20

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@npub1ahq…wjwd Same.

2024-02-27 17:34:20

I’m going to do an iPad app cull.
I bet you all wished you had the exciting life I have.

2024-02-15 20:28:57

“Last year in the UK 669m physical books were sold, the highest overall level ever recorded.”
This surprised me. Have to admit.
https://www.theguardian.com/books/2024/feb/09/reading-is-so-sexy-gen-z-turns-to-physical-books-and-libraries
#Books

2024-02-13 18:05:22

I’d vote for a hyena in an Aran jumper if it was running against Trump in the USA or the Tories in the UK.
Complaining about Biden or Starmer because they are not your ideal candidate given the alternatives, just baffles me.
Either will be better than Trump or the Tories for another 4 years.

2024-02-11 14:33:58

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@npub1ahq…wjwd That news media extinction level event article in The New Yorker is grim. I read it in Apple News after hitting their paywall from your link. Which says a lot about the problem.
I wish 99c micropayments for an article where a thing. With about the first third free. Of course that would likely lead to structural changes that put interesting facts and opinions below this digital paywall fold.