Eurobloat #0116 • December 2019
A new Commission moved in, a new continent-sized spending plan was unveiled, and a new ECB chief discovered she was on a bus she could not steer. December 2019: more Europe, just in time for Christmas.
Eurobloat
2019
142 posts
Reflecting on the year 2019
Reflection on the year 2019, checking progress of the goals, and some numbers.
Journal
Eurobloat #0115 • November 2019
The month Brussels crowned a new Commission, declared an emergency it has no power to fix, lectured Warsaw twice from the bench, and decided that government should spend more of your money.
Eurobloat
Merry Christmas
The meaning of Christmas stays vital in adulthood. The birth of Christ marks the start of our salvation.
Christianity
Tesseract
The day-night cycle and the cycle of the seasons have been an important part of human civilization for millennia.
Gems
Useful macOS defaults: Network Browser
Handy defaults write commands for com.apple.NetworkBrowser, controlling how your Mac discovers network devices.
Mac
AVSpeechSynthesizer
The article highlights the role of Swift’s AVSpeechSynthesizer, introduced in iOS 7 and macOS 10.14, in enabling speech synthesis for computer-assisted communication across languages, supporting over 30 languages with voices selected via IETF Language Tags.
Development
Privacy Roundup #0160 • November 2019
November 2019 showed how casually our most intimate records change hands, as health files, DNA profiles, browsing trails and home camera footage all slipped beyond the reach of the people they describe.
Privacy
Revolutions by Jean-Michel Jarre
A late discovery of Jean-Michel Jarre's 1988 album, electronic music that folds machines and world sounds together.
Music
Monthly update #0355 • November 2019
Monthly update 355 • November 2019 • 2019-11-01 - 2019-11-30
Monthly Updates
Blue Moon by Lee Child
Blue Moon pits Reacher against rival Albanian and Ukrainian gangs in a city turf war after he helps an elderly man robbed for loan shark debts.
Books
Eurobloat #0114 • October 2019
The month Brussels blessed Britain's exit, ordered Facebook to police the planet, decreed the correct way to tick a box, and discovered that unanimity is a problem when France actually uses it.
Eurobloat
What is installcoordinationd?
If you see installcoordinationd running on your Mac, here is what this installation coordination process does.
Mac
Everyday Life by Coldplay
Coldplay's 2019 double album wanders far from arena pop into gospel, protest, and prayer for ordinary days.
Music
Asterix and the Chieftain's Daughter by Jean-Yves Ferri
It is the thirty-eighth book in the Asterix series. A teenage girl named Adrenaline arrives in the village. She is the daughter of a famous Gaulish chief.
Books
All Things Are Possible by Hillsong Worship
Hillsong's 1997 live album led by Darlene Zschech, a foundational worship record I came to much later.
Music
Swift Numerics
The Swift Numerics open-source project introduces a modular Swift package for numerical computing, filling gaps in the Standard Library with modules like Real and Complex.
Development
Privacy Roundup #0159 • October 2019
October 2019 saw European courts redraw the limits of consent and content removal while a steady run of exposed databases, smart-speaker tricks and surveillance fights showed how much personal data still leaks by default.
Privacy
Monthly update #0354 • October 2019
Monthly update 354 • October 2019 • 2019-10-01 - 2019-10-31
Monthly Updates
SSWG Annual Update '19
The Swift Server Work Group (SSWG) has made significant progress in its first year, establishing an incubation process for defining high-quality Swift packages through community pitches, reviews, and acceptance.
Development
What is findmydeviced?
If you see findmydeviced running on your Mac, here is what this Find My device tracking process does.
Mac
Eurobloat #0113 • September 2019
The month Brussels decided where the world may read, printed a fresh box of vice-presidents, lectured the continent on history, and broke online shopping in the name of safety.
Eurobloat
Earth and Sun
The day-night cycle and the cycle of the seasons have been an important part of human civilization for millennia.
Gems
New Diagnostic Architecture Overview
Swift 5.2 enhances compiler diagnostics through a new infrastructure that uses 'constraint fixes' to pinpoint type errors more accurately, allowing the type checker to continue solving and report multiple issues with actionable guidance, unlike the old system's vague guesses.
Development
What is CoreAuthentication.daemon?
If you see CoreAuthentication.daemon running on your Mac, here is what this authentication process does.
Mac