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Apple’s relentless launch cycle demanded the Glowtime event. It launched iPhone 16/Pro, new/updated AirPods, new Watch Series 10 and updated Ultra 2 including Hermès. Tim and Craig literally invited us to share the glow. But how much innovation did we really see?
TL:DR – Apple's latest lineup offers a few incremental upgrades wrapped in their famed reality distortion field of new materials and buzzwords, with slightly better cameras, thinner borders, more USB-C and some mildly useful software tweaks.
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To create a simple customer insight Generic Inquiry in Acumatica, follow these steps:
1. Go into Generic Inquiries in Acumatica
- Navigate to Custimisation and select 'Generic Inquiry' from the available options or alternatively type 'Generic Inquiry' or 'SM208000' or into the search box and open the Generic Inquiry (SM208000) form.
- This will open the Generic Inquiry screen where you can build custom inquiries.
TL:DR – Theres a bit of a learning curve with Acumatica. Keep going!
Read more: Create a simple customer insight Generic Inquiry in Acumatica
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In today’s data-driven business environment, harnessing deep customer insights is not just a competitive advantage—it’s a necessity. The modern customer expects personalised, efficient, and proactive service, and businesses that fail to meet these expectations risk losing ground. ERP systems like Acumatica offer powerful tools for businesses to understand their customers in ways previously unimaginable. At the heart of this capability lies Acumatica’s Generic Inquiries, a feature that empowers businesses to unlock valuable customer data and transform it into actionable insights.
TL:DR – Harnessing the full potential of Acumatica’s Generic Inquiries can help businesses unlock new opportunities for growth. By using customer insights to optimise sales strategies, enhance retention efforts, and improve operational efficiency, businesses can position themselves for long-term success in an increasingly data-driven world.
Read more: Unlock Customer Insights via Acumatica Generic Inquiries
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In a market where tech enthusiasts continuously seek high-performance devices, Apple Certified Refurbished products offer a compelling alternative to buying new at your local Apple Computer Store. With Apple’s extensive refurbishment process, consumers can access top-tier Apple products such as refurbished MacBook Pro computers, and other refurbished mac models at significantly reduced prices without sacrificing quality or warranty. Exploring these deals directly online from Apple rather than from a physical Apple Computer Store presents an opportunity to enjoy the latest technology with confidence in the product’s performance and longevity at a reduced price compared to retail.
TL:DR – While Apple Certified Refurbished offers competitive pricing and warranties, comparing prices on platforms like Amazon and CeX can sometimes reveal lower prices for new, used or third-party refurbished products, although likely without the same warranties. Sometimes, Apple Computer Stores have open box or old stock bargains too so keep an eye on them too.
Read more: Uncover Apple Certified Refurbished Bargains Direct from Apple
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In a landscape saturated with high-performance laptops, the Apple Macbook Pro M2 stands out as a remarkable yet understated contender. The Macbook Pro M2 may not dominate headlines, but it quietly revolutionizes how users experience productivity, creativity, and efficiency. It carries the legacy of Apple’s commitment to innovation while integrating groundbreaking features that make it an underappreciated powerhouse. As the tech world races forward, the Macbook Pro M2 remains a hidden gem waiting to be discovered by those who demand more from their machines.
TL:DR – The Apple MacBook Pro M2 Pro, Model A2779, identifier Mac14,9 offers incredible performance and when launched had the longest battery life ever in a Mac. Bargains are out there both new (MacBook Pro (14-inch, 2023, 18GB/512/Space Black New £1899.97 – Amazon UK 19 Aug 2024), and used (MacBook Pro 14,9/M2 Pro (10-CPU 16-GPU)/16GB Ram/512GB SSD/14"/SG/A) £1670 – CeX UK 19 Aug 2024). You can find them from time to time as refurbished models direct from Apple (Models Vary).
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Navigating the UK’s expansive rail network can be expensive, but Railcards offer a way to cut down on travel costs significantly. For many travelers, particularly regular commuters or older adults, choosing the right Railcard can save large amounts of money. If you travel in the South East, both the UK Network Railcard and the Senior Railcard offer notable savings, but they cater to distinct demographics and travel patterns. Understanding the nuances of these options is essential for making an informed decision and maximizing your travel budget. I have had a Network Railcard for years and appreciate it, but I now qualify for the Senior Railcars. Which is best?
TL:DR – It wasn't that easy to compare due to the number of different railcards and their terms. The Network Railcard is likely still the best option for me in the South East, but the Senior Railcard doesn't have the minimum £13.00 fare and is nationwide.
Read more: Choosing Between UK Network Railcard vs Senior Railcard
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Known for its microblogging format, Twitter once offered an open forum for diverse voices, real-time news, and global conversations with moderation for excess through an active team fighting disinformation and responding to content violations. However, the platform's evolution into "X" represents a significant departure from its origins. I advocated that Twitter had the potential to require regulation in 2009 when it was a company with just 35 people, but now that it is a worldwide influence on peoples behaviour it seems to me that the genie has left the bottle and the site is now a clear and present danger to our society.
The phrase "end of line" originates from the 1982 science fiction film Tron. In the movie, the Master Control Program (MCP), a powerful and authoritarian artificial intelligence, uses this phrase to signify the conclusion of its commands or communications. The MCP, which dominates the digital world inside the ENCOM mainframe, asserts control over the programs and users within it, often punctuating its directives with the ominous sounding "end of line".
This phrase underscores the finality and absolute authority of the Master Control Program, reinforcing its role as the central antagonist in Tron. Within the context of the film, it symbolizes the termination of freedom and the rigid enforcement of the MCP's will, reflecting the dystopian undertones of the digital world depicted in Tron. Over time, "end of line" has transcended its origins, becoming a popular cultural reference, especially in discussions related to technology, finality, and control. Its enduring legacy is a testament to the impact of Tron on both the science fiction genre and the broader digital culture.
Recently, concerns about user experience, privacy, and the overall value of staying connected to Twitter/X have grown. The tipping point for me was the far right protests in the UK in august 2024 and the insertion of the billionaire owner into UK politics. This crossed a line for me, although unplugging from Twitter/X has been something I've been thinking hard about for some time, so I set about removing myself from Twitter/X.
Heres how I did it. It didn't take long and it protects the account name from spammers taking over. End of line for me is about me moving off the platform I loved.
TL:DR – This article explores the reasons why leaving Twitter/X may be the right decision now, and how to go about it effectively by mothballing a twitter account. Unfollowing all. Setting to protected. Adjusting settings to limit use for AI harvesting of data, deleting profile pic and background, updating profile to say bye, deleting third party products permissions to access my account and sending a final message.
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Ever wished you could transcribe the text of an audio file easily just from the command line, without heath robinson playback and dictation software? Its easy to do now from the command line and only takes a few minutes to set up. Just remember, you're the product and nothing is for free so don't send data that might be confidential to be transcribed.
TL:DR – The whisper tool from openai does the job well, certainly for my needs, in UK English and is easy to install and use. YMMV.
Read more: Transcribing an audio file on a mac using AI in 2024
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I had a little plugin to generate my table of contents out of the headers but it never really worked properly, so I today got around to finging a better solution. It works, but its not exactly straightforward, reminding me of an old friend at Sun who triumphantly brought a sheet of paper over and said 'its taken me a week to print this but I've learned a lot about Unix'. Anyway I think my new table of contents in Joomla looks pretty nice. See for yourself, Its below the read more.
TL:DR – Thank you to Clifford E Ford who wrote the example on the Joomla site in 2019.
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Things to do with a Nokia 9500 Communicator
Q. I just got a Nokia 9500 Communicator and I want to really make some use of its capabilities. What are the top things I must master to get the most out of the device?
TL:DR – The article that follows was written in 2004 and is interesting mostly for the screenshots of defunct phones and software.
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BBEdit has been around since the 90's. Don't let that put you off. If you are a web developer in particular it is powerful and supports a great authoring workflow. BBEdit is unashmedly aimed at pro HTML and text editing by writers and software developers alike. It is fast. Expected features like syntax highlighting for multiple languages are provided as you would expect, and support for Git, SFTP open and save, scripting, and markup tools make BBEdit a worthy tool for your macOS based computer. BBEdit fully supports Mac computers with Apple silicon. I am impressed. I set up an ssh connection to my server, and an ssh config file and BBEdit can open and save my file to the server, securely, encrypted in transit via ssh key, no password.
TL:DR – BBEdit is a proprietary text and code editor. Version 15 is downloadable from the App Store, or directly from Bare Bones Software. It features a MiniMap pallette, Cheat Sheets. Minimap. ChatGPT integration and more! I never really got along with BBEdit in the past, but decided to take another look chiefly because it is now a universal binary which means it fully supports Mac computers with Apple silicon introduced in late 2020. I'm glad I did. It's good!
Just take me to the link to download BBEdit
BBEdit (App Store) Barebones Software Store
Read more: BBEdit - A powerful text and code editor for Mac computers
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yEd is a hidden treasure. It is an application for making high quality diagrams. There's a level of this you can do in PowerPoint I guess, but if you need that little bit extra for documentation using more serious diagrams then yEd is really worth your time and investigation. yEd is Java based, but includes a suitable runtime for each platform that is supported. For macOS that means its own embedded OpenJDK Java 21 JRE. Don't let that worry you - it just works!
TL:DR – If you need complex custom structured diagrams then yEd is for you! Easy to get started, powerful and free!
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Link your phone to Windows
Link to Windows has had something of a chequered history, but seems finally to be getting some attention. Last time I tried, when it was called 'Your Phone' I could not make it function at all. Lets have another look at it in a kind of 'busman's holiday'. Microsoft used to make phones but threw in the towel, so they have to embrace other manufacturers mobile devices. This has clearly been something of a journey for them, and it is still a work in progress but its starting to make sense at last.
Features of Link to Windows
- Make and receive calls from your Bluetooth capable PC
- Read and reply to text messages from your PC
- Manage your phone's notifications on your PC
- Use your PC's bigger screen, keyboard, mouse and touch screen to interact with your phone from your PC.
Features of Link to Windows only for Android
- Access the photos on your Android phone from your PC
Features of Link to Windows that require the integrated Android version provided by a device manufacturer*
- Access your favourite mobile apps on your PC
- Drag files between your PC and phone
- Copy and paste content between your PC and phone
TL:DR – The latest version of Link to Windows keeps you connected to your PC, Lets you take and make calls (requires Bluetooth), keep up with messages and notifications, and on Android devices you can share your photos. Some manufacturers provide the Android app as a system app, which enables deeper functionality, but you can get the base functionality from the version available from Google Play, and just for the photo functionality and for the ease of pasting text into messages it is worth it. The iPhone version is more limited and looks like work in progress. Switching between phones is a little but clunky too, indicating again that theres still work to do.
Read more: Microsoft 'Link to Windows' - improved in 2024 - it actually works now
- Verify your Play Console developer account now
- Save £500 on the latest MacBook Pro!
- Colour palette for a new app
- Object to your data being used for AI at Facebook, WhatsApp, Instagram and Threads
- Pixel 8a for £281, vs 7a and 6a
- First month comparison of Pixel 8a, 7a and 6a
- Passwords and security keys
- Material 3 Button theme widgets in FlutterFlow
- How much did my M1 Mac Mini cost me over three years?
- Using GNU ddrescue and GParted for hard disk imaging or recovery on Ubuntu 24.04 LTS
- Using DDRescue GUI on macOS
- App Center for Ubuntu 24.04 is made with Flutter
