(Here's what I'm up to around the web…)
Published by my web software company Whitefusion, INTERSECT features articles about supporting the open web, security & privacy, UI/UX, and Ruby programming.
A blog & resource site + YouTube vlog for independent workers. Here I teach people how to embrace the free agent lifestyle and flourish as creators.
My alter ego as a producer of synthwave, chillout, and thematic electronica. Yarred combines cutting-edge DJ-style live groove production with classic keyboard playing on analog and digital synthesizers.
(The latest from The Jared White Show…)
In this episode, Jared talks about his first experience using Apple laptops in the early days of Mac OS X, and what Apple needs to do now to simplify its consumer laptop product line and offer a "Mac for the masses" just like the original iBook. Also, Star Trek's Captain Jean-Luc Picard will return, Patreon buys a Memberful, and the origin of the hashtag. All this and more on The Jared White Show.
Trailer for Free Solo: in Theaters This Fall
“Alex Honnold’s Free Solo climb should be celebrated as one of the great athletic feats of any kind, ever.” —The New York Times
Sometimes I find it intriguing to take a serene, pastural image of a corporate park landscape and grunge it up big time. Gives it some edge… #Hillsboro
Megan Westra recently asked an interesting question on Twitter: “what have you done in the last year to decenter and/or deconstruct whiteness in your life?” I appreciated her question and answered it thusly:
I’ve come to admit my white privilege. I used to recoil at the idea, thinking if I hadn’t personally committed any overt racist acts, I was not a racist and thus not to blame for anything. I’ve since come to realize I have a reponsibility to fight back against systemic racism.
If I’d had more room in my tweet, I would have admitted I’m not sure what the most effective way is for me fight against racism and #bigotry, but I do know I’ve started by examining my own actions. I intentionally try to go out of my way to listen to and respect the voices and art of people of color, and I encourage their promotion in all fields of endeavor. And if I’m ever given any authority to recommend candidates for a team, panel, conference, whatever…I intend to put in a lot of effort to find people from the margins to make sure they get first dibs. This doesn’t make me a great person. It just means I’ve grown a little bit more aware than some of my white peers, for which I am grateful.
There’s something magical about summer twilight in #portland.
I needed to take some time off work to think, to dream. Instead I listened to the advice of family and friends and charged into a new business opportunity. Was it successful? Was it an utter disaster? Read my story to find out.
I Wasn't Bullied as a Child, But I Got Made Fun Of a Lot
I know everybody has some type of complex that they deal with internally. And many people would probably say that while I may be short, at least I’m Intelligent, or have good hair or cool tattoos. I am definitely thankful for the things that I have in my life, but I have always had an issue with being short. It started in middle school when boys used to call me “small fry” or “bug,” etc. Throughout high school, many of my good friends were really tall, and even one of my best friends would call out about how small my hands were.
Fast forward almost 20 years later, and (as I mentioned earlier) people still comment on how short I am. I never really put that much thought into why I hated it so much. I would just try to push it out of my mind as quickly as possible and leave the conversation. It wasn’t until a recent bachelorette party with friends from high school that I realized how much I was bothered by it. Not by the fact that I’m short, but by having been picked on because of it my entire life.
I appreciated reading this article by Shana Bull because I can relate—not that I’m short, but because I got made fun of when I was young too. I was a really chubby kid and a bit of a klutz, and so I grew up thinking of myself as being just hopelessly nerdy and out of shape. Not athletic in the least. Certainly not “cool” in any sense.
It’s taken many years for me to get the point where I feel good about my body. Loosing weight, going to the gym, walking and running a lot…all things that have helped my mindset change. I’m not saying I’m ready to join a sports league now 😜, but I definitely no longer feel like the fat klutz of my youth.
It’d hard to shake off the labels people place on us. One of my primary goals as a parent is to help my kids feel confident in who they are and how they were created; to know that they have the power to define for themselves what they want out of life and to ignore the external voices of ignorance. I realize I can’t stop people from making fun of them, but I can help them resist the temptation to take it to heart.
Lan Su Sunset. #portland
BELIEVE THE HYPE. I just got out of seeing Mission: Impossible - Fallout and it’s as good as everyone’s saying. I was on the edge of my seat the entire time. It’s an incredibly well-constructed movie…every little detail. A+ acting. Luscious visuals. Score was jaw-dropping. I don’t often say this but I’ll say it now: I give M:I-F 5 out of 5 stars! Without a doubt one of the best #movies of 2018.
Now that Bird e-scooters have come to #portland, I was finally able to see what all the fuss is about. Infrastrucure and safety issues aside…wow, these are fun to ride! I got the same thrill of excitement when accelerating as I did when I first tried an e-assist bike a couple of years ago. I didn’t go very far because I forgot to bring a helmet and didn’t want to tempt fate, but I can definitely imagine using these a lot whenever I come into town (as long as I remember to bring my helmet!).
Oh, and here’s phrase I never thought I’d hear uttered: The Portland Scooter War.
Tested: Apple's patch fixes the thermal slowdowns in the 2018 i9 MacBook Pro
Apple’s patch on Tuesday seems to fix most —if not all —of the clock speed excursions that the 15-inch MacBook Pro was experiencing when under load. AppleInsider delves into the situation, runs the numbers in some real-world applications, and talks about what led us to this point.
I’ve been following the news of odd performance glitches with the top-of-the-line (Intel i9-based) MacBook Pros from #Apple, and (like everyone) speculating what might be going on. I certainly hoped there was some kind of software issue at play here and not a faulty hardware design. But I assumed if that were the case, it would be at the OS level…maybe Apple would release an update to macOS to improve performance on these particular models. Instead, Apple released a firmware update to supply a “missing digital key” — the lack of which had a negative effect on “the thermal management system”. It’s definitely not good PR for Apple to have this sort of QA oversight result in a news cycle of pointed commentary on the slow performance of its flagship laptops. But I’m glad the fix appears to be a relatively simple one.
Jared White: Internet Author
Not everyone finds it easy to put pen to paper (so to speak). Perhaps your plate is so full you’re ready to delegate your writing tasks to a dedicated producer.
Whatever situation you’re in, I’m here to help. I can take your raw ideas, the inception stages of your content pipeline, and transform them into professional, polished work.
An essay. A short post. A social media quiz. An inspirational quote. An in-depth tutorial. No matter what the need is, whether it’s 1500 words or 15, I’m up for the challenge.
You’ll be proud to take the original content I provide and share it with your growing audience.
I realize how terribly self-indulgent it is to link to myself on the blog here, but I’m starting to get the word out that I’m now available for hire as a freelance writer. If you’re looking for original content production, I’d greatly appreciate your review of my services and portfolio.
On my recent podcast episode, I talked about the importance of TrueTone on the new MacBook Pros from #Apple, but it’s hard to convey in words just what a difference this makes. It’s also hard to capture the subtlety of TrueTone with a camera because of the white balance auto-adjustment that occurs. But I managed to get a couple of shots that really show in a side-by-side camparison just how much of a big deal this is. With TrueTone, the computer display looks like it belongs in the environment around it, because the screen picks up the white balance of the ambient lighting in the room. Without TrueTone, it just looks like any old computer monitor (often with a blue-ish cast).
Big news! I purchased the domain name openweb.social, which I’m simply thrilled was still available. I’m mulling over a few ideas of what to do with it. One possibility is that I’ll install Mastodon to power a new #openweb themed social network where people can discuss building a better community of content publishing and engagement via open protocols.
Another possibility that I’m just starting to tinker with is starting a what-if #website that deep-dives into the question of what it would take for #Facebook to adopt open protocols. What if you could take your “social graph” to another service (even one you built yourself!) and post content there, and your Facebook friends could still see your posts? And you’d still see your friends’ Facebook posts and even reply to them? It would make social networking more akin to email, where all email clients and servers are compatible even though they’re run by different companies and on different infrastructure.
Got any thoughts? Just click Message above (or reply to this email if you’re reading my newsletter) and let me know what you think I should do with openweb.social!
A History of the Classical Guitar
During the five centuries of the classical guitar’s existence, the instrument has completely changed in physical dimensions, shape, stringing, and tuning.
While a guitarist of the Renaissance may have played their way through delightful court music on a tiny instrument designed for strumming, by the time the 20th century rolled around the guitar had increased drastically in size and totally changed construction. You’d be more likely to hear an avant-garde sonata than courtly trifles. Somehow, these incredibly dissimilar instruments both come under the category of “classical guitar.”
I’ve known the basic contours of the guitar’s history for a long time, but this helped fill in a lot of the gaps in my knowledge and was very enjoyable to read. The YouTube video examples are fantastic as well.
Self-reflection may be good for the soul, but not when the issue is forced by a constant barrage of the opinions of others.
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So this guy climbed up the side of El Capitan in Yosemite National Park. By himself. Without a rope. If you’re already getting queasy and feeling a touch of vertigo just thinking about that prospect, you’re not alone! I definitely look forward to seeing this documentary film—the subject matter is truly astounding—but I’m not so sure my stomach is ready for the ride…