is one of those things I somehow always manage to forget before I ever need it, again, and - naturally - is somehow not fucking documented anywhere but this support page, that I’ve ever been able to find.
Open Things 3.
Go to Settings.
Tap General → Diagnostics → Enter Code.
Enter the code `491348`
Tap Send Things Database.
The file you’re getting is called `Things Database.aar`. We recommend that you save the file into iCloud Drive, or, if you own a Mac, we suggest you select to AirDrop it to your Mac as it is the most secure way of transmitting the data.
If you do not own a Mac, you can only unpack the `.aar` file on your iPhone or iPad. Locate it where you saved it in iCloud Drive and tap it once. That will produce `Things Database.thingsdatabase` which contains the actual database file.
<p class="fineprint">If you are on iOS 13 or older, the file you’re getting is called Things.sqlite3 and it can be viewed in a separate app as explained below.</p>
There's a tedious way to do it, but it worked for me:
•Open the podcast using the Apple Podcast app (I used an iPhone with the latest iOS, didn’t try earlier versions or desktop app)
•Play the podcast and click the circle with three dots inside it, select “View Transcript”
•Now the entire transcript displays on your iPhone. Select and copy a large chunk of text. It has a limit of how much it copies, so just select a random larger amount after you get an idea how much text it copies.
•Open the Notes app and make a new note. Paste the copied text into the note
•Since it won’t copy everything you selected it will paste to its limit and add some characters at the end and copyright info from the podcast. Delete this text back to the actual content then go back to the podcast transcript and copy the next section and do the process again.
•Tips to make it go faster:
•It is easier to edit the Note on the desktop Notes app…after pasting it syncs in about 5 seconds, and you can just select and delete what you don’t want. This then syncs back to your iPhone Notes app by the time you are ready to paste the next section.
•In the podcast app when looking for the next section I needed, I used the search function to find my place in the transcript. Look for a unique word near the end of the previous section to dial it in the part you need.
Like I said, tedious and time consuming but it worked for me.
Having just experienced the text selection limitation myself, I am actually and absolutely offended by this.
Apple, Inc. - wealthiest company in the history of the world, often celebrated for their pro-accessibility effort in consumer technology - went through the trouble of developing and implementing an intentional limitation like this.
What the fuck do you think I’m going to do… sell your auto-generated transcription???
What today’s tech journalism must learn again from the legendary computer publication.
This is a very much unfinished bit I began writing in November 2020 and just found in my Dropbox Paper archive.
Long-dead BYTE Magazine gained some exposure this time last year when some of its gorgeous retro-futurist cover art - of Robert Tinney’s hand - circulated about Tumblr and Pinterest. It is fucking beautiful, yes, but I was then quite disappointed to find little in the way of the publication’s actual content available on the web.
Last week, I was elated to find this exceptional archive on archive.org with its exceptionally-scanned, ultra-high res PDFs of every issue, created by the archivist Jason Scott. The notables of its legacy are fairly well-documented - and it’s still occasionally cited by the likes of Wired and TIME, but its story and mission have been ashamedly disregarded as infeasible relics; the naivete of the originator.
In Vol. 1, Issue 1 for September 1975, Carl Helmers’ first editorial - “What is BYTE?” - is a charming introduction, full of techno-idealism and the quaint jargon of the then-obscure computing niche. The Home Brew Computing Triology is an ingenius summation of the technological conversation: HARDWARE, SOFTWARE, and APPLICATIONS - the “interrelated themes.” Helmers notes that the publication was founded to bridge the divide between the respective hardware and software cultures and get them talking about applications. Later in the issue, publisher Wayne Green explains how his encounters with the community amidst a journey to modernize 73 - his amateur radio magazine - led to this prompt.
“I discovered an interesting thing - few of the hardware chaps could talk software - and vice versa.”
A sensical and exciting pitch, to be sure, but disappointing when one considers the remaining vastness of this gulf over 40 years later. The successors to BYTE - when compared to any of its trade magazine contemporaries - aren’t technology news at all. Mastheads like The Verge, Engadget, and CNET have become something else, entirely in the pursuit of the end user click, and a good lot of them simply look like shit. Reading up on tech hasn’t been a respectful or aesthetically-pleasant endeavor for as long as I’ve been literate, and BYTE’s experience would suggest that it’s been without much worthy cause, whatsoever.
Typographically, its pages are a bit dense, but it’s in an otherworldy mysticism regarding the pioneers of digital that one longs to reanimate, somehow.
I was so charmed by this film that I made myself wait two days after watching it at 2AM to write this so as to make sure all that I felt wasn’t just due to … the hour.
As someone who has participated in and thought a lot about my country’s relationship with firearms, this film’s thematic composition hit me hard. Its truth (for me): guns are just this bizarre, fundamentally anti-social, and dangerous obsession that have no place in civilization.
Also, re: my 20-year-long, extremely complex crush on Sienna Guillory: staaaahhhhpp
And how do you do all of that on top of migrating the entire Onion website to WordPress?
If you, too, immediately thought “well what the hell was it, then, if not The ‘Press???,” the answer is… fucking Kinja.
The Editorial Process
Ben Collins: …I just want to walk through their daily process for writing headlines. They come in every day. There’s either one or two meetings depending on the day, and then they write — usually, it’s around 190 headlines. They are put into a Google form and completely anonymized. Then, from there, it’s trimmed down a little bit by one of the editors per day. Then, they go in the room, and they read them out loud, all of them, and if it gets a laugh or if it’s like that’s something that’s a character we’re going to bring back or they got to talk through it, they check it off, and then they whittle those down over and over and over again. And by the end of the meeting, there’s usually — what, Danielle? — like 10 max, 5 to 10?
Danielle Strle: Yeah, tops.
BC: Around there. And then, those get written out, and if the copy’s not good or if it’s just a nib or something, that gets whittled down to three or four per day. And that comes from that contributor network that has legit famous people in it, or it comes from the people in the room. And then only after all that did they go back, and they’re like, “That guy wrote that thing.” That’s how meritocratic this is.
All right folks, it’s your favorite thing, favorite time.
It’s time to play around with the changes to audio capture specifically, an iPadOS 18.1 beta 2.
I don’t actually, I don’t know if this is as a beta 2.
Two things I noticed, the thing that they introduced in 16 I believe, which is called mic modes, where you could switch between standard wide spectrum and voice isolation.
I say you could switch.
This was in control center, it’s still in control center, they redesigned where it is, and the interface is very pretty, but they didn’t fucking fix it, and by fix that I just mean have it, I don’t know, it’s an API thing I guess.
I really just need to put on a list of things that I go down and make a mock-up fucking app so that I can see what the actual control is, the actual fucking backend code.
Not that I’m capable of this, or at least it doesn’t come easily, because um, in order to switch mic modes, and I don’t know if I’m recording in voice isolation or standard or wide spectrum right now, this is in voice memos, which is a native app which has transcription now, which is very cool, except even as I’m recording right now I don’t have access to that mic modes menu.
I had to start a live stream on Telegram.
Telegram, of course, is the one app that semi-reliably gives me access to the mic modes thing, but it still sticks as in you make a selection.
There was no selection at first.
Anyway, this is voice memos recording in lossless.
I don’t know if stereo voice memos is a new capability, but if you go to the app specific menu for voice memos in iPadOS 18, there was a toggle that was default off, just called stereo, and it’s on now.
Good morning.
All right, same device, same setting, but this is ferrite.
Ferrite being, well, the closest that we’ve ever come, really, to a professional audio capture app on this device.
Um, let’s see, do I have access to mic modes?
Nope, that’s okay.
Um, but uh, yeah, I, notably, one thing that ferrite recently added, and I know it’s silly, but uh, when I was in high school growing up around musicians and audio stuff, uh, FLAC files were basically a fucking meme because, um, you know, I explored all the drywall stuff in FLAC, which is, which is, if you know what I’m talking about, kind of funny.
Anyway, you can export it to FLAC now in ferrite.
And finally, recording in 96 kilohertz directly into Logic Pro for iPad.
Same microphone array, I think.
Um, yeah.
Oh, I guess it’d be very weird if I had access to mic modes here.
But I, so I listened back to, um, at least the voice memos recording, uh, and I’m almost positive that that was indeed in voice isolation.
Um, I guess the last subject would be, uh, I’m gonna see if I can, I’ll have a go at putting this together in fucking Logic Pro. Oh wait, actually, no, I’ll put it in, I’ll put it in ferrite and export it to WIP because WIP does 320 playback.
Uh, transcription.
I, um, think that on-device transcription is really cool, you know, native.
Uh, I would just like to mention that Cinder’s sword, his sword, who’s, wow, I actually know how to pronounce his name, but I’m not going to continue to fail.
Uh, his app, ICO, which is free, A-I-K-O, um, at least for my recordings so far, it’s just fucking better.
And you can import anything, video files.
Uh, I try to, the weirdest fucking file format, I think I did a WebM and it was fine and allows you to immediately copy, uh, and also export into all, uh, a bunch of different text formats and it’s free.
And it is also on-device and it’s bizarrely fast, but, uh, you know, I’ve got the newest chips.
Yeah.
Just buy a Shure SM57 and a Sema and a used, buy a used Shure SM57, uh, and a USB audio interface, a relatively good quality one.
Back in July, 2021, I posted a thread on the Apple Developer forums asking for clarification on the differences between hardware keyboard support on iPad and iPhone.
The response… blew my mind, suffice it to say, but I would like to take a moment to champion ChatGPT, of all fucking things, for its reply when given the same request and asked to respond:
Hi David,
Thank you for your detailed question and the context provided. Your observations about the state of Bluetooth keyboard support and documentation for iPhones are insightful and highlight a gap in current resources.
Current State of Documentation and Support
Bluetooth Keyboard Support on iPhone:
As you’ve noted, iPhones do support Bluetooth keyboards, and there is ongoing development in this area. However, the documentation has not kept pace with these developments, particularly since the split of iPadOS from iOS.
Discrepancy in Documentation:
The documentation for iPad keyboard shortcuts is comprehensive (Learn iPad keyboard shortcuts), but there is no equivalent for iPhones. The iPhone User Guide focuses primarily on basic setup and pairing (iPhone Magic Keyboard pairing).
Developer Awareness:
Your experience with developers unaware of their apps' Bluetooth keyboard shortcuts on iPhones indicates a need for better communication and documentation from Apple to bridge this knowledge gap.
Answer to Your Question
Where can I find complete documentation of both keyboard shortcuts support in native apps/the OS and UIKeyCommand’s uniquely-iPhone considerations?
Unfortunately, there isn’t a single comprehensive source that documents all the keyboard shortcuts supported on iPhones across native apps and the OS. However, here are some steps and resources that might help:
UIKeyCommand Documentation:
The UIKeyCommand class is the primary resource for developers to implement and understand keyboard shortcuts in their apps. While this documentation doesn’t differentiate between iPhone and iPad, the principles apply to both.
Accessibility Features:
Apple’s support pages on accessibility features can provide some insight into keyboard usage on iPhones, particularly for those who use keyboards for accessibility reasons. For example, Full Keyboard Access is a feature available on both iPhones and iPads.
Developer Forums and WWDC Sessions:
Engaging in Apple Developer Forums and watching relevant WWDC sessions can provide additional insights and updates. Sessions such as this one from WWDC 2021 cover many topics related to keyboard navigation and accessibility.
Recommendations and Next Steps
Feedback to Apple:
Given your detailed observations and the gaps in documentation, I recommend submitting feedback to Apple through the Feedback Assistant. Your input could help prioritize better documentation and resources for iPhone keyboard support.
Community Collaboration:
Consider collaborating with other users and developers to compile a comprehensive list of keyboard shortcuts for iPhones. This could be shared on platforms like GitHub or a dedicated website, providing a valuable resource for the community.
Sharing Your Findings:
If you have already documented some keyboard shortcuts through your testing, sharing these findings on forums or community platforms could benefit other users facing similar challenges.
Thank you again for your question and your efforts in highlighting this important issue. Your initiative is greatly appreciated, and I hope these suggestions help you find the information you need.
Some time in late Summer 2021, I stumbled into another of the handful of nigh-inconceivable conversation opportunities which Twitter Spaces would offer me.
Marquis Trill - someone I’m still not 100% convinced I actually remembered from the ~2012 Twitter Epoch - decided to just fuckin go on Spaces one day for the first time. And - as per the nature of Spaces - I guess I just hopped in the mf too.
Eventually in this recording, you’ll hear me pipe in… and continue to intermittently throughout its duration. I remember being genuinely fascinated with the experience in the moment, but it’s not exactly easy listening (shame) in retrospect lol.
Here’s the metadata from the Space I retained, though I doubt it will ever be actionable again:
Title: “Financial Freedom and Success! Let’s talk about it. Come ready”
Original Spaces URL - [https://twitter.com/i/spaces/1OdKrVzWDvlKXAnnouncement](https://twitter.com/i/spaces/1OdKrVzWDvlKXAnnouncement)
Original Tweet URL - [https://twitter.com/6BillionPeople/status/1422696022220886016](https://twitter.com/6BillionPeople/status/1422696022220886016)
Sorry about the narrative - I found the experience about to recount oddly significant.
Its gist:
Digital payments on-site do not appear to be functioning as of late June 2023.
I was able to use cash successfully.
Though it’d obviously been long-abandoned, the water that came out during the rinse cycle, at least, was free of debris and did not smell of poo poo.
The employee of the Break Time told me that:
The store had been able to sell working car wash codes for as long as she’d worked there.
It had been a notably long time since “anybody” had been able to get in contact with the owners of the car wash.
I was visiting my sister’s lake house this past June (the 18th I believe) having just taken my first road trip in 4 years in my (new to me) Golf. I had gotten the car fairly dirty on my way there - having driven the longest route I could from Columbia, basically. I asked my brother-in-law about car washes in the area and he mentioned “the one behind Break Time,” though couldn’t tell me whether or not it was still opened.
With post-COVID hours, I was pushing it when I arrived at ~10:40PM with like 3 quarters to my name. So freakin thankful, immediately, that no music was being played (the last do-it-yourself washes in Columbia - Lighthouse Car Wash - play pop radio so loud it’s actually hard to concentrate.) I was curious about the prospect of using my debit card as soon as I saw the sign indicating that it had to be done in a singular location, where I found an (absolutely adorable, apparently locally made?) interface that appeared to be stuck on the authorization screen for a prior transaction.
Before I proceeded - and perhaps actually relevant to purpose of such a review (sorry) - I walked up to the Break Time, where the last shift was closing solo. I brought up the car wash and she immediately noted that they “hadn’t heard from them in months,” and that the store ⇨ wash payment processing hadn’t been working since she’d started there.
…so!
I decided to at least try rebooting the on-site payment terminal with the master breaker switch (which is very large and very visibly placed, I should say,) if only because I thought it’d be interesting to watch such a legacy, time-worn piece of automation come back to life.
…and it was! I got to see the terminal boot from a quite sophisticated script and the sound of everything settling into place was enchanting, pitifully.
Unfortunately, though this did clear the error, it landed on (and got stuck) the exact same error when I tried my card lol
I had enough cash to rinse my car off, which was all I really needed in the end. That evening was one I’ll never forget (for other reasons too,) and I would encourage the owners of that car wash - if they happen to see this - to contact MFA Corporate (my employers) at their main phone number. Ya never know - they’ve expanded stores a lot and they might be interested in the property.
Having broken my beloved Varmilo VA108M (which I absolutely intend to fix one day in the near future, FYI,) months ago and just last week completely totaled the period (.) key on my Absurdly Overpriced Toilet Professional iPad Keyboarding Apparatus, I decided to buy an on-sale variant of Keychron’s K2 with the loudest switches (the blue ones) available, assuming that surely no keyboard could be truly, disruptively loud.
I was very wrong.
I do love that one can connect it via USB-C (not that it makes sense in any situation I can imagine) and that there’s a dedicated screenshot key!
