Two free FDA provided COVID tests.

    I got my free COVID tests in the mail today! I’m thrilled to have them on hand.

    Getting them couldn’t have been simpler and took me all of a minute to do. U.S. residents can order four free tests for their household at COVIDtests.gov.

    Apple will charge 27% commission for app purchases made using alternative payment systems in the Netherlands ↗

    Astonishing.

    A quick sampling of the most egregious aspects of this new entitlement:

    • This meager dip in commission is a complete negation of the benefits of sending out potential payers/subscribers to external destinations for purchase.
    • There is no ability to also support In-App Purchases using Apple’s payment system.
    • Developers must provide a report to Apple recording each sale facilitated through the App Store within 15 calendar days following the end of their fiscal month.

    This all feels childish and despicable, but there’s a clear reason why they’re doing it. Let’s couple this story with a look at the Services revenue from the financial results they published on January 27.

    A bar graph of Apple's Services revenue over the last thirteen quarters.

    (Image from Apple Q1 2022 Results - $123.95 Billion Revenue by John Voorhees at MacStories.)

    Notice how Apple’s Services revenue has only ever gone up, save for the most minor of dips in Q3 2020.1 This is a 26% increase year-over-year. It’s the largest growing part of the company and a booming business all on its own!

    Q1 2022 has been their most successful quarter ever. Quite a feat when the world is still stuck in a COVID mess.

    I see the motivations behind Apple’s reaction to the order by the Netherlands Authority for Consumers and Markets (ACM) in two ways:

    1. They’re trying to see what they can get away with in the face of mounting regulatory pressure to change how they run their business.
    2. They’re terrified of seeing those bars in their Services revenue start to go down.

    A bonus third motivation:

    1. When the chips are down, their money is vastly more important than the developers that helped those bars go up in the first place.

    Talk about short-sighted and hostile, but then, no company has ever been accused of being sensible, generous, and kind when they’re working with the sort of money Apple makes. This isn’t surprising—Apple’s long been dragging their feet and expending massive amounts of resources to avoid doing anything that will get regulators off their backs. However, it is a disappointing development.

    I’m not interested in sideloading apps onto my phone or any of the other potential demands that regulators may make. I’m on Apple’s side when they say those changes will make their devices less secure. There’s a line in the sand to be drawn somewhere.

    On the other hand, it’ll be less painful for all of us if they would extend an olive branch and allow apps to link out to sites where payments can be made, sans required commission. I feel confident that would do wonders to help alleviate their increasing and well-earned problems with world governments, even if it may hurt their bottom line.2

    But I guess developers of their apps and users of their products aren’t the most important thing to them, and that’s coming from someone who otherwise values this company.


    1. But wasn’t everything crazy and unusual during the middle of 2020? Regardless, they made up their losses in the next quarter by an impressive amount. ↩︎

    2. But perhaps not as much as they fear? Their In-App Purchase system is well-designed and trusted. It’s far easier to use than any alternative. Maybe they should believe in themselves more. ↩︎

    Title Card: There Will Be Blood (2007)

    The title card for the film, There Will Be Blood.

    There Will Be Blood was written and directed by Paul Thomas Anderson. It was released in 2007. The titles were done by Pacific Title and Art Studio.

    The film was produced by Paul Thomas Anderson, Daniel Lupi, and JoAnne Sellar, along with Ghoulardi Film Company. 🎞

    For Monroe, with love

    A small white dog sleeping on a pillow.

    My family got her on January 10, 2018, after my dad’s friend could no longer look after her. She looked bedraggled and was unsure of her new surroundings. She cleaned up nicely, though, and quickly made herself at home. After all, there has never been a shortage of comfy beds for dogs to lie on in our house.

    My dad was thrilled to have her here; they were quick buddies. I still feel sad that he only got to spend sixteen days with her before he was admitted into the hospital in which he died. They should have had more time together.

    When the rest of us got used to this fluffy new presence, we fell in love hard.

    My other dog, Ruby, was not as thrilled. She can be a grump sometimes. They were always okay together, though, and that was enough. I suspect Monroe actually helped Ruby be an even better dog. For instance, Ruby sometimes has to be persuaded to eat food. Monroe’s excitement for dinner made Ruby excited about dinner.

    I loved how she would greet me at the door whenever I arrived home. She was always curious to know who it was and always excited to see me return.

    I loved how her tail wagged constantly. Whenever she was around someone who paid her the least bit of attention, it started swishing through the air like mad.

    I loved how she would give a little hop when I slipped my hands under her tummy to pick her up, as if to say, “Oh yay, you’re going to hold me now? Let me help you with that!”

    I loved how she would get random bursts of playful energy. We would throw her stuffed toys across the room and she would gallop with determination and glee to retrieve them. She would shake it all around, sometimes flinging it up in the air, while bringing it back.

    A small white dog chomping on a stuffed tiger toy and looking into the camera with large, sweet eyes.

    I loved the way she would twirl in endless circles when it was treat time. Like a tiny whirling dervish, she would spin a path to her snack spot.

    I loved how she had the snore of a dog five times her size.

    I loved how she would paw at your arm whenever you were nearby and not scritching her back. It was the duty of the house to never stop petting her.

    I loved how she had the loudest feet for such a tiny dog. They looked like the feet of a character from a Dr. Seuss book and they would PAT-PAT-PAT wherever she went.

    I loved the sound of her tiny slurps when she drank water late at night. She would get her fill and then amble her way back to the end of the house to sleep.

    I loved how she would incessantly lick every finger, hand, or paw within reach. She would have licked her tongue down to nothing if she could.

    I loved how fiercely loyal she was to her home and family. Spotting a person or other animal through the kitchen windows would always elicit a flurry of (admittedly cute) growls or barks at whoever dared trespass on her turf. She kept us all safe.

    I loved how she would flop her head into my hand with such force whenever I rubbed around the base of her ears. And I loved how those ears flopped up whenever she quickly raised her head.

    A small white dog lying in a bed who has just flipped up one of her ears in a cute way.

    I loved how she could always find the warmest and softest spot in the house.

    I loved how interested she was in the world around her. She wanted to inspect anything within reach of her nose—cardboard boxes, food containers, bushes. I would have her check out anything I had in my hands, waiting for her approval.

    I loved how she would frequently cross her paws when she lied down. It was rarely accidental. She looked like a fancy pup that way.

    I loved how she was always happy to just sit with us. She liked being with people, even if nothing was happening. She would lie in one of her many beds and watch us work or make dinner (when she didn’t quickly fall asleep, that is).

    I loved the way she would let us know that it was about dang time whenever we fed her. She would lift her furry, impatient face into the air and say, “RARF RARF RARF RARF!” She would then vacuum up her food with exuberant abandon.

    I loved how everyone loved her. She brightened the lives of anyone she met.

    She left us on January 17, 2022. She was the sweetest dog and made my world immeasurably better. I’m grateful we had the opportunity to make her a special part of our family, as well as give her the most comfortable and loving home a dog could ever have.

    I love and miss you, Monroe. So much. ❤️

    A small white dog lying on her bed underneath an end table and looking at the camera.

    In this entry of Why the Hell Is the Weather So Crazy and Torturous, it’s 77° F1 in the middle of January.

    I’d like to get off this crazy weather train now, please.


    1. Or 25° C for all of you other people in the world. ↩︎

    A cozy, rainy day is nearly impossible to beat (and it’s especially welcome after the hot year we had)!

    An image of a wet backyard, complete with green grass, a brick walkway, and a large gazebo. Rain fall from above.

    I will never not love that this image exists. Even if it’s (probably) fake, it’s still glorious. May it bring you a smile, as well. 🐱

    Billy Corgan, of Smashing Pumpkins, holding two black cats on the cover of Paws Chicago magazine.

    A listing of sponsored podcasts and categories shown in the Gluon app for Micro.blog.

    Hey, that’s my podcast being featured on @gluon! If this isn’t the best thing ever, then I don’t know what is.

    Thanks so much for doing this, @vincent. You continue to be one of the most thoughtful and giving developers working today. 🥳

    A large clock shaped to look like a face in Kaunus, Lithuania.

    Kaunus, Lithuania. July, 2010. 📷🗺

    Snowy hills in Corona.

    Corona, CA. February, 2019. 📷🗺

    A picture of an ornate skylight at the Santa Ana train station.

    Santa Ana Regional Transportation Center. Santa Ana, CA. December, 2016. 📷🗺

    A UFO resting on top of a building in Utrecht, Netherlands.

    De Inktpot building. Utrecht, Netherlands. June, 2010. 📷🗺

    They’ve landed.

    The impression of Charlie Chaplin's feet and his signature set in cement.

    Los Angeles, CA. January, 2010.

    I was taken on a breezy tour of the Jim Henson Company Lot several years ago. Along the way, I spotted a curious impression in the cement. Turns out the location I was standing in used to be the film studio that Charlie Chaplin completed in 1919. Many of his most famous films were shot there.

    (I also inadvertently stole Paul F. Tompkins’s parking spot that day, too.) 📷🗺

    A large tower in front of a church in Vilnius, Lithuania.

    Vilnius, Lithuania. January, 2010. 📷🗺

    A beach trip for a job turned into an opportunity to get a lovely picture of fun bikes on a sunny day. I love this one because it feels like an embodiment of youthful summers. This made the trip out to Malibu, CA more than worth it. 📷

    Bicycles resting on a sunny beach.

    Ruby’s been great company for me today, so I wanted to recognize how cute, fun, and delightful she is, even while sleeping. She’s got the stinkiest toots in all the land, but I won’t hold that against her. She’s been a wonderful part of my life for going on eleven years. 🐶

    A large dog sleeping on a couch.

← Newer Posts