Just sent Martin his birthday gift to the Netherlands, for which we paid $85.20 on postage. Not too bad. The real surprise, though, came to be the extra fee he will need to pay upon delivery: $40. When I asked why, and if I could pay for it in advance here, I was told that it was Netherlands-specific charge, and that there was nothing I could do about it. Ugh, TIL.
friends martin rantsIt’s Claudine’s birthday again, happy birthday, Claud 🎂🥳🎁🎈! I first wished her a happy birthday in 2022, and every year since. Time sure flies, yes? Cheers to many more to come!
birthdays claudine friends
This mug (made in Japan) is only available for purchase at Apple’s Apple Park Visitor Centre. You can find it on eBay, and other second hand places, at exorbitant prices. Alex, a friend of mine, got me this one by driving 30 minutes from his house to the store—I wish I was as lucky as him, living so close to “The Mothership”! I have wanted this mug for a long time, and I love it! Thank you Alex!
apple friendsThanks to Claudine I learned about, yet another, Japanese phrase—and concept—embodying cultural and philosophical meaning. The word, mottainai, means “what a waste”, as in “don’t throw that away yet; it can still be useful.” I wonder how long is the list of Japanese’s concepts/philosophies, but I am in love with each I have come across with!
claudine friends japan philosophyThe biggest problem I see with Instagram (same pretty much with all Meta apps) is that without an account one can’t do much, if anything at all. I agree that to participate it is often recommended—though shouldn’t be required—having an account. But having to create an account, and login, just to view? Now, that’s meta! (no pun intended 🤭)
claudine friends reAfter sharing with a friend my step count for the last two weeks, and telling him that “the heat here has been excruciatingly punishing”, and because of it my daily step count has decreased to a laughable number, and that I was trying to compensate by working standing up for hours to no end, but still felt guilty about it, he replied:
“It’s a bit slack but with the heat, what can you do!?”
😂 Isn’t he the best friend?
friends martin
Tesla launched its Robotaxi—which isn’t the Robotaxi, but a Tesla with a Robotaxi logo—service in Texas. There are just a few, all operating in a small section of the city, and with “a human safety operator in the passenger seat”. LOL. So, just a taxi.
“As expected, only a handful of vehicles are available right now, they only operate in a small part of the city and there’s a safety driver in the vehicle in case it encounters situations it cannot handle autonomously.”
A real Robotaxi should have no glass windshield, and a blocking divider between the passenger area and the “driver”. After all, it is best not to see what’s coming your way. Surprise! 😅
friends tech teslaOne hundred percent, Claudine! In my head, and in my actions, I am more often than not the same kid I remember myself to be. “Youthfulness” is a construct of our minds. Yes, we age mechanically, but that shouldn’t change anything else. Specially because society expects us to behave in a “certain way”, due to age. Pfff!
claudine friends thoughtsI recently got a taste of it, again. A taste of walking in a walkable town, that’s. I wish I lived in a place where I could walk to places. I envy you, Claudine!
claudine friends meApple Worldwide Developers Conference (WWDC) is coming up once more and, as always, I feel like kid before Christmas. The rumours I allowed myself to read tell something about Tahoe, and version 26, to match with year. Let’s see.
It is here, now! “Tune” in! Liquid Glass, oh my! Absolutely loving the upcoming updates for all versions 26s. With iPadOS 26, the iPad becomes one step closer (but not quite, since “macOS is superior”, as George pointed out) to becoming a “lite” laptop.
apple friends wwdcIt is hot, so hot, and humid. Rain might come too, though sun shines right now. I want to stay indoors, but she is dragging me out! 😩 Please, send help! 😅 Also, weekend may as well be over. Dear, oh dear!
Update: 30 Nov 2025 @ 11:12:34
We had a really good time with friends that stopped by at the Cape while cruising with the “Symphony of the Seas”. Just got home, really tired of driving. I am calling it a day now, for sure.
me friendsClaudine wrote today, “Laughing is the best thing. My jaw is numb and that’s ok”. I couldn’t agree more! Dance too, Claudine, dance!
claudine friendsI hope you never lose your sense of wonder. You get your fill to eat, but always keep that hunger. May you never take one single breath for granted. God forbid love ever leave you empty-handed.
🎶
I hope you still feel small when you stand beside the ocean. Whenever one door closes, I hope one more opens. Promise me that you’ll give faith a fighting chance. And when you get the choice to sit it out or dance.
🎶
I hope you dance
I hope you dance
George shared something attributed to Anthropic researchers:
“Even if AI progress completely stalls today and we don’t reach AGI… the current systems are already capable of automating ALL white-collar jobs within the next 5 five years.”
To which the AI itself replied:
“While AI is transforming the workplace, it’s not realistic to assume that all white-collar jobs will be automated in five years, even without further AI advancements. The claim is overly simplified and doesn’t fully account for the complexity of human work, the ongoing evolution of AI, and the potential ethical and social implications of such widespread automation.”
Such humble, and kind masters are forthcoming! 😅
friends llmHad luch at the Korean House restaurant with George. The food was really good, and I had a good time catching up with him. The waitress was very nice, and now I feel bad for having left that 15% tip. She sure deserved a 20%. Wife and I go there often, so I shall look for her in the future, and pay back what I believe I owe.
food friendsFollowing a strong recommendation from George, I started to watch “Solo Leveling” (★★★★★) last night with the kid. We finished the first four episodes. It is quite entertaining, and relatable—we have played plenty of RPGs in the past.
friends manga seriesGeorge’s blog Terms of Service always makes me smile. The latest revision has a subtle, but ever-present, touch of AI to it.
friends humourFrom Claudine’s last entry (as I type this):
“Today in thoughts triggered by doing laundry: I have enough. I have what it takes to live an operable life that I actually enjoy.”
Such a wonderful, liberating though: “I have enough”. Wow, that ought to make my Sunday better. No, really. Because that’s the thing: I, too, have more than enough. And it’s not just socks!
claudine friendsYesterday was Claudine birthday and, even though I reached out to congratulate her, I didn’t make a note here as I have done on previous years. But never too late!
Happy birthday, Claud! 🎂🥳🎁 May you celebrate many more in good health, and happiness, surrounded by your loved ones! I also wish you a quick recovery from what ails you now. ❤️🌹
birthdays claudine friendsThank you, George, for spoiling a few shows and movies for me. This is something I hadn’t correlated, but now cannot miss. Ha!
apple friends interestingFilm director Rian Johnson has lifted the lid on a secret in the world of product placement – Apple will not allow its kit to be used by a villainous character on screen.
“Apple, they let you use iPhones in movies, but – and this is very pivotal – if you’re ever watching a mystery movie, bad guys cannot have iPhones on camera,” Johnson, whose credits include Star Wars: The Last Jedi, Looper and Knives Out, revealed in a video recorded for Vanity Fair.
About iOS 17 relase on 18 September, make sure to turn off the betas (thanks George!) if you participated. Simply go to “Settings → General → Software Update → Beta Updates”. and turn it off.
apple friends techI was skeptical, but thanks to George—and after watching the hearing—I am more willing to believe, and agree that there needs to be more transparency on the findings on UAP (formerly UFO) phenomena. Let’s hope something substancial comes out of this.
If you decide to watch the hearing video, be aware it is 2 hours 18 minutes long. I found that seeing/listening it at 1.5x, or 2x worked best for me.
friends interestingI am so tempted to install iOS 17 public beta! If anything for that Journal app, because I will use the heck out of it. Also because George told me “this is the only way we can test”. The fact that he already jumped in isn’t helping. 😅
Ugh, need to learn how to read the fine print. On the Journal app, from Apple, “Coming later this year”. Cry, cry, cry! Still, I think I will jump in.
apple friends tech