Monthly Mini-Bytes - October 2022

 

The November Analog Challenge! So, Wendy and I were driving along and there was a mountain that we didn't know the name or height. We pulled up Google Maps and it could show us the closest Starbucks, but no info about the mountain. We launched Apple Maps and after asking for our Apple ID, shoe size, and locker combination from high school it thought we were in Toledo. Awesome.  Then we did the unthinkable. It's really hard to imagine anyone doing this in 2022, but we did, and we don't feel bad about it. We broke out the paper map, and lo and behold there was the name of the mountain, the height, and detail on roads and trails that encircled it. This then began our renewed love affair with paper maps and atlases. The amount of detail and information about routes, the size of roads, and attractions along the way was astounding after being tied to the electronically served versions for years. There are countless horror stories of mapping programs taking people down 4x4 routes in winter, right through heavy traffic, or even locations miles away from their destination. In one case a group of people were routed off Mount Lemmon in Tucson down the old control road, which is a Jeep only passage at the best of times. Maps have routed me through the 202 between Priest and Rural at 4PM on a Tuesday noting that it is the fastest route. Fastest compared to what? There's always a massive slowdown there in the PM. It is a 100% proven undeniable scientific fact that we have become overly dependent on technology. Trying to break that cycle of dependance is hard, but can be done with some small steps. And one of those steps can begin with maps. This Holiday Season as you travel about the country try bringing along an atlas or good old gas station paper map. Plan your route on the map first, and only then employ one of the Apple or Google Maps to assist with routing. And don't trust the route. Compare it to the map. Don't just drive down some darkened corridor just cuz the Googles told you to. Take back control of your routing and join with us in this November Analog Challenge!

Chrome Destroys Your Privacy Let's talk for a minute about Google's Chrome web browser. A lot of people use it. A lot of people like it, and you know who likes it the most? Yes, Google. And how does Google make their money? Is it by gathering as much information about you and your family as possible then selling it for fat stacks of cash to whoever is buying? You bet. So why use their web browser? You invested in Apple's ecosystem for a reason, and one of those is privacy and security. It's true, Apple isn't perfect in this regard, but it is 1000% better than the Googles. Using Chrome compromises that privacy and security. Apple's Safari browser is the better choice, and even though it is not perfect, because of the integration within your Mac, iPhone, and iPad it goes a long way to helping plug up some of those security and privacy issues.  "But, Mike! Some websites don't work that well with Safari." That's true, and in those cases using an alternative browser like Firefox or Chrome becomes necessary. In fact, some of the features in Firefox leans us more toward it as an alternative to Chrome, but for a Mac user, Safari should be your go-to web browser.

macOS Ventura is Out - Wait to Upgrade

Apple has a new release of macOS developed in that work-from-home incubator that brought us so many great new products and software updates. Was that sarcasm? Oh, yes. Ventura has a lot of new features, but as always it is best to wait until at least the .1 update, which will be in a month or so. The current 12.6.1 version of Monterey is very good, so if you are on that or Big Sur, then please wait until all the bugs get chased out of macOS Ventura before upgrading. For more information about Ventura, or to see pics of the developers working in their pajamas, visit: https://www.apple.com/macos/ventura/