Apple announces biggest upgrade to App Store pricing, adding 700 new price points – Apple

Apple announces biggest upgrade to App Store pricing, adding 700 new price points – Apple:

Under the updated App Store pricing system, all developers will have the ability to select from 900 price points, which is nearly 10 times the number of price points previously available for most apps. This includes 600 new price points to choose from, with an additional 100 higher price points available upon request. To provide developers around the world with even more flexibility, price points — which will start as low as $0.29 and, upon request, go up to $10,000 — will offer an enhanced selection of price points, increasing incrementally across price ranges (for example, every $0.10 up to $10; every $0.50 between $10 and $50; etc.).

[Marketing people are a special group.]

‘Very Jewish Christmas’ salutes composers who gifted us with holiday hit parade

‘Very Jewish Christmas’ salutes composers who gifted us with holiday hit parade:

At a time when antisemitism has become unavoidable in the United States, the moment seems ripe for a reminder that Jews have profoundly shaped just about every aspect of American popular culture, including the celebration of Christmas.

More often than not, the songs that define the holiday hit parade were written by Jewish composers, from Irving Berlin’s sublimely nostalgic “White Christmas” to Joan Javits and Phil Springer’s gleefully mercenary “Santa Baby.” Celebrating this singularly American confluence of sincere sentiment and winking kitsch, the show “A Very Jewish Christmas Spectacular” tells the story of how Eastern European immigrants (and their offspring) came to create the Christmas soundtrack.

[All this by Lindsay Bonamassa and Michael Meyer. Yes *that* Bonamassa. Joe’s sister (and no, he’s not Jewish). In a year when there’s been so much hate aimed at the Jews, maybe this will remind a few people of the positive contributions. Maybe. I doubt it. Bah, humbug.]

As many times as it takes

Mastery often means doing something as many times as it takes to get it right.

Whenever possible I give people the opportunity to revise their work as many times as they want. Only the final outcome or product matters. It was the learning and the hard work that I want to reward, not getting it right the first time. One of the most important lessons is that the only thing you can control is how you react. When challenges arise what do you do? When you don’t have an answer? When your skills aren’t up to the task?

When you allow people to make their own decisions, they start to feel more engaged, confident and empowered. And once that happens, there’s no limit to what they can achieve.

The GigRig | G3 Software Updates v.512

The GigRig G3 Software Updates:

Link to Software version 512 (iOS). Also, the focus I set on my iPhone while updating.
Featuring:

  • FLIP/FLOP STOMP:  Group several StompBox mode presets together and flip/flop between them
  • SUBTRACTIVE STOMP:  StompBox mode presets now subtract as well as add
  • UP TO 20 MIDI MESSAGES:  We’ve increased the amount of MIDI messages available pre preset from 15 to 20
  • MIDI SEND ON PRESET OFF: When you turn a preset off in StompBox mode you can send a separate MIDI message
  • MIDI SEQUENCER:  Send a string of MIDI commands in sequence
  • BANK DOWN BUTTON:  Assign a button to act as ‘Bank Down’
  • G3 REMOTE/STAGE MIDI CODE:  Link 2 units together and remote access presets between them
  • NAME SONG TITLES WITHIN G3:  You can now name songs within G3 without need for the app

[I don’t know why I don’t find these easy to find, but it won’t hurt to spread them around. 🤷🏼‍♂️ Some of the features in this update are quite helpful. I dig stombox mode, and like the notion of “subtractive”, but I don’t like the notion of it being “different” from regular stomp. It should “toggle” the loop.]

The Perks of a High-Documentation, Low-Meeting Work Culture

The Perks of a High-Documentation, Low-Meeting Work Culture:

This is a culturally influential decision considering that we’re a remote-first company. We don’t see each other in passing in the office, and we don’t have lunch together. 

It may seem counterintuitive to cut down on face time if you rarely see your colleagues as it is. But it’s working for us, and there’s a few reasons why. 

Practicing meeting mindfulness allows us to free up time for other stuff that matters more. This isn’t to say that all meetings are useless — it’s just that the meetings we do have at Tremendous are meetings for a reason.

[ If you’re feeling a theme, I’m getting this right.]

Approaching hard work – by David Hoang

Approaching hard work – by David Hoang:

Purpose and ambition in life looks different for everyone, and it’s important for you to define what that means. Long hours do not equate to success. Grace Walker recently gave a talk, Small on purpose, about the life of a solopreneur and what success, looks like. Success looks different for everyone, and only you can define it.

I’ve seen many contemporaries leave the industry to never return—retired on a farm or finding a new profession. For many, it’s by choice, and for others, it’s the spark burning out. With nearly two decades in the tech industry, I need to be healthy and present enough to endure the next few. If you have ambitious goals, you’ll need to work hard but don’t let them destroy you. Play the long game and make every hour count and it invokes positive energy.

[Lots to consider, but this stuff has always guided me… despite my own “a child of refugees, and a Capricorn, hard work is in my DNA and personality” traits.]

Recovery Options on Apple Silicon Macs

Michael Tsai – Blog – Recovery Options on Apple Silicon Macs:

When pressed briefly, it starts the Mac up in normal macOS mode; when pressed and held until the Mac reports that it’s loading Recovery Options, it engages Recovery mode, where you navigate startup and other options using buttons and menus. These invariably work fully with Apple’s wireless keyboards and mice/trackpads, so there’s no need to connect them with their charging leads.

[Lots more links and info, but I’m sure I’ll be looking this stuff up if needed.]

Don’t Look Away | NextDraft

Don’t Look Away | NextDraft:

The recent acts of public antisemitism and antidemocratic leanings are examples of how this stuff spreads and movements go from the edges to the mainstream. For a great review, watch Ken Burns latest series, America and the Holocaust. Parts of it will feel remarkably familiar. And here’s a take from Michelle Goldberg in the NYT (Gift Article): Antisemitism’s March Into the Mainstream. “For most of my adult life, antisemites — with exceptions like Pat Buchanan and Mel Gibson — have lacked status in America. The most virulent antisemites tended to hate Jews from below, blaming them for their own failures and disappointments. Now, however, anti-Jewish bigotry, or at least tacit approval of anti-Jewish bigotry, is coming from people with serious power: the leader of a major political party, a famous pop star, and the world’s richest man.”

[Thee are not simple times. More than don’t look away. Be an advocate for love, tolerance, and peace.]