Linode allows you to instantly deploy and manage an SSD server in the Linode Cloud. Get a server running in seconds with your choice of Linux distro, resources, and choice of 10 node locations.
They are giving all new Maccast customers a $20 credit.
I've been wanting to set up a Minecraft server and Linode offers One-click installs including gaming installs
They have Minecraft, Ark, Terraria, and more.
Also one-click installs for things like Wordpress, Drupal, GitLab, OpenVPN and more.
Plus a whole bunch of distros. If it runs on Linux, it runs on Linode.
Most Linux distributions available out of the box, but you can upload custom images or create your own
Basically you can build whatever server you want.
Featuring native SSD storage, a 40 Gbit network, with industry leading processors
Pick from any of our 10 worldwide data centers
They just opened their newest one in Toronto, Canada
Built using their most up to date hardware and their Next Generation Network backbone
Allows users to comply with in-country data protection requirements while taking advantage of all Linode's technology and tools.
Additional datacenter opening in Mumbai India by end of 2019
Pricing is simple with no surprise fees. Pay for what you use with hourly billing across all plans and add-on services
Can get what you need from a $5/month Nanodes plan to high power Dedicated CPU plans
Their dashboard makes it easy to manage your Linodes and upgrading your plan is easy.
Can add-on backups, large storage volumes, and load balancing
And if you need support they have 24x7 live customer support and a large documentation library which provides a great resource when you get stuck.
Visit: linode.com/maccast to set up your first Linode and get a $20 credit when you use promo code: maccast2019
News
AirPods Pro improved latency
You likely know about the AirPods Pro new features like noise cancellation and improved fit
But you might not know that they also deliver sound to your ear just a bit faster than the last generations too
We know this now because musician and software developer, Stephen Coyle, did some experimentation and testing.
He looked at latency, which isn't really an issue for video, but can be for "unpredictable" sounds like say typing "clicks" on a virtual keyboard or those triggered by a user in a video game.
You will notice if the sound is delayed from your action
So he tested with the iOS keyboard and the game he developed, called Tapt
What he found was that the Air Pods Pro had just 144 ms of latency vs 178 ms on the second gen AirPods and 274 ms on the first gen (no H1 chip)
It's interesting too that the Pros have improved latency even though that have the same H1 chip as the second gen AirPods.
Coyle points out that while the numbers are all pretty close that "the perceptual difference from this makes the AirPods Pro tantalizingly close to seamless."
And while this improved latency is great. A couple of podcasters, like Jason Snell and Marco Armant, have already pointed out that they still aren't good enough to be able to do precision audio edits.
Any latency is still latency.
iPhone XR best selling smartphone this year
According to Counterpoint Research
Globally Apple's iPhone XR was the best selling smartphone every quarter this year so far
In Q3 of 2019 it captured 3 percent of the marketshare
If that seems low, remember we're talking about percentage by model for ALL manufacturers globally
This is the third quarter in a row this year that the iPhone XR topped the list
The only other iPhone in the top 5 in this last quarter was the iPhone 11
Other models included a number of Samsung Galaxy models and less expensive Chinese devices.
Gives a pretty good picture of where the bulk of the smartphone market is and explains why were very likely to see an update iPhone XR this Spring.
Renders of the iPad Pro with triple lens
OnLeaks put together some renders of what they think the next gen iPad Pros might look like
It's expected that Apple could update the models this March adding in the same triple lens camera system that is currently found on the iPhone 11 Pros
though some rumors place a new feature a time-of-flight (ToF) camera on the updated iPads
I think Apple will likely wait for the iPhone to get that feature first.
The renders show a design that is the same as on the iPhone.
One interesting thing they show is an 11-inch iPad Pro with an aluminum case, but the 12.9-inch Pro with a "frosted" back glass design like the iPhone 11 Pro
They noted they only did this because they did not get any details on case materials and wanted to show both possibilities.
Glass seems risky to me in such a large device and I doubt Apple would do it.
Outside the cameras it's expected that the iPad Pro design and dimensions will remain the same as the current generation models
I would expect beyond the camera updates we'd see just a processor bump to an A13X chip
Apple could purchase Japan Display
We've discussed for a while now that one of Apple's main display suppliers, Japan Display, has been struggling
Apple has been trying to help the company stay afloat but it might not be enough
Nikkei is now reporting that Apple could wind up just buying Japan Display's main display manufacturing plant
Japan Display recently reported it's 11th consecutive quarter of financial losses
Originally it was believed that Apple was going to give Japan Display a $200 million dollar cash infusion by purchasing some of its equipment, but that no longer seems to be the case.
The report says Japan Display still owes Apple more than $800 million from when they originally helped them build the $1.5B plant four years ago.
Japan Display is believed rely on Apple for roughly 60% of its revenue.
Japan Display provides LCD displays for Apple and has been hurt by the move to OLED.
They've been working on transitioning to supply OLED panels for Apple Watch but that transition is thought to be up to two years from happening.
I doubt that Apple really wants to get into display manufacturing.
Sharp is also said to be considering a purchase of Japan Display.
Since Foxconn is their parent company that would make much more sense.
Apple could help support Sharp in the buy and then benefit indirectly.
Apple finishes Maps roll-out as promised
Apple has been working since WWDC to roll out it's improved Map experience in the US
They promised the roll out would be complete by the end of 2019 and loos like they just made it.
They began testing the expansion in the Central and Southeastern parts of the US along with Alaska this month and it's now available to all customers
The improved maps include more extensive geographical details, with updated buildings, roads, parks, sports fields, parking lots, foliage, pools, pedestrian pathways, and bodies of water.
All this new data comes from years of in-house data collection a lot of it from Apple's own mapping vehicles.
All the new mapping data is great and it has really improved the Maps experience.
They need to now get it rolled out into other countries.
The other thing i'd love to see them pick up the pace on is "Look Around"
Right now it's only available in Houston, Las Vegas, Los Angeles, New York City, Oahu, San Francisco Bay Area, and Santa Cruz
Sponsor: Masterclass
Masterclass
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One of my favorite things about Masterclass is the amazing depth and variety of the courses taught by the masters in their fields.
No place else do you have access to this kind of talent.
The quality and presentation of the courses is the best I've ever seen and they're each unique in their style which keeps them interesting.
Plus they are presented in small chunks, typically 10-15 minutes so I can easily fit then into my schedule
That's made even easier by the fact I can access them on any device iPhone, iPad, Mac, and best of all my Apple TV.
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MasterClass also makes a great gift to inspire others in your life
My daughter, who wants to be a screenwriter, comes to me every week after watching lessons from Master Class to share some new concept she's learned or explain how one of the instructors opened her mind to a new concept or idea
Recently it was the Danny Elfman Masterclass on Music for file and a lesson called Storytelling Through Music.
She was excited to learn how the music is synchronized to film to tell a narrative story.
As a father it's amazing to see the spark and excitement she gets each time she goes through a new Masterclass.
They have over 60 classes and they are constantly adding more, so I think it's a great investment in learning.
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I asked if anyone in our community who was working in industry could provide there perspective
Vicente, who works professionally as a film editor, wrote in with some of his thoughts.
He believes, "Apple hit the right note with this new machine, at least for film/video production"
While still pointing out that it would be great if there was a lower spec version with a more affordable entry price, like the "trash can" Mac Pro.
Points out that as long as Apple keep updating the iMac Pro, which is due, it can serve that portion of the market
On the high price he points out that many postproduction facilities don't buy machine, but lease them.
They also buy multiple units with custom deals through Apple Business services or others.
Apparently there are also cases, on indy projects, where machines will be purchased for a production and the resold after everything wraps.
Feels that Apple could have done a better job in telling WHO the new Mac Pro is for.
Says that's even more true for the Pro Display XDR
A display that is specifically designed for color grading and is actually competitively priced if compared in that space
Thing is, for many areas where a Mac Pro would be used you DON'T need a color graded display
So it'd also be great if Apple offers a lower end "Pro" display also
Vincente sent me a great photo of a typical editing bay setup which includes 2 regular computer screens for application windows, a large screen for reviewing, and a reference monitor (what the Pro Display would replace) to the side.
One final interesting comment was that Vincente doesn't think that new Mac Pro to become widely used among pros right away, at least for video editing.
Like many large corporations they tend to run a couple years behind the latest tech
It is pretty common to even run one or two versions behind on OS releases.
Creating easy photo slideshows
Build a quick and easy slideshow in Photos on the Mac
Go to File > Create > Slideshow > Photos
Choose New Slideshow and give it a name and click OK
Select the photos you want to add into your slideshow and click "Add"
If you were already on an album or selected set of photos you can choose the "Selected" option.
Everything will be arranged automatically, but there are a few themes you can choose
Click the "Theme Picker" (two overlapping rectangles) icon on the right.
You can switch from "Classic" to themes like Ken Burns or Origami
Click the "Preview" button to see what it will look like.
Click the Music button to change the music
Under the Music Library section you can select between "Music" (your Music Library) and "Theme" (7 built in songs)
Finally you can adjust the duration (stopwatch icon)
Fit to music or custom
On custom set the total length of time for the entire slideshow and the timing for each slide will be adjusted accordingly.
Some themes, like Classic, give additional options like transition direction
Can click the "loop" button if you want it to loop.
Click "Play" to see your slideshow full screen
Click "Export" to export it to a video file
Choose where you want to save it
The format, 480p, 720p, or 1080p
Check "Automatically Send to Music" if you want to sync to and iPhone, iPad, or iPod via the Music app.
If you want to share the exported slideshow you could
Attach it to an email, might be too big
Share via Dropbox
Upload to a service like YouTube or Vimeo
Add back to photos and then use a shared album
If you create "Public Website" you could share the link and anyone with the link could view it on the web
I had someone ask about Apps for de-duplicating photos in the photo library
I'll start this conversation by saying there are some great apps out there to help you do this, but be careful
I've personally chosen to live with some amount of duplicates in my photos library, because I feel it's less risky than accidentally deleting a photo I didn't mean to.
With the size of libraries these days it's really hard to know what's in there.
So, before you do any "cleaning' of you photo library. Backup, backup, and then backup again. Seriously
There are basically two apps that I would recommend:
