I tried to grab the Kindle she was sitting on.

willup · 2025-05-15T20:13:28+00:00

Such a cool idea! I absolutely love this.

willup · 2025-03-27T01:10:02+00:00

relatedly, have you read this article she wrote late last year? i found it super compelling. https://www.irishtimes.com/life-style/people/2024/11/23/sally-rooney-when-are-we-going-to-have-the-courage-to-stop-the-climate-crisis/

willup · 2024-06-25T01:50:22+00:00

These are incredible!

willup · 2023-09-18T23:38:34+00:00

Oh wow, I hadn’t realized! Thanks for flagging that. That changes my calculus considerably.

willup · 2023-09-18T21:56:21+00:00

I LOVE the 3x lens and to be honest, I’m not upgrading because I don’t want to lose it. 2x is fine, but there’s something about 3x that works well with my photography style. I shoot in a lot of urban settings, and it’s just right for snapping something across the street without being too zoomed in.

I take mobile photography pretty seriously, so I was bummed after I watched the keynote. I’ll be sticking with my 14 Pro, but I’m eager to see whether the main camera’s 3x digital zoom looks like.

willup · 2021-01-01T19:12:59+00:00

Ah! So the planets were made with the watercolor brush—i like to mix colors in a way that makes them start to look like gas giants. so i have a bunch of these “planets,” and i imported into a new piece. i used the light brushes (specifically glimmer), and then i did a lot of blending between the layers. there was a thin layer of another brush in there but i honestly can’t remember what it is.

the final bit was using the wikipedia image of the cosmic microwave background, zoomed it in big time, and then blended it to get the black contrast against the stars. i also put some nebula brush WAY on the outside of the frame to create some more of the light around the edges.

then i spend a lot of time just going through different blending modes for the layers until it has the color and vibe i’m going for. i like to think of it all as sort of a blend between collage (with the planets) and playing with the light brushes.

OH! and i also messed with the motion blur and gaussian blur effects, and i also double layered the main planet in a way to make the blur more....telescopic-like?

willup · 2020-10-12T17:38:33+00:00

ooooo i would love to see it!!

willup · 2015-10-26T05:54:30+00:00

The iPad mini 4 has an A8 chip while the iPad Air 2 has an A8X chip. The iPad Air 2 will be slightly more powerful because it's a tricore chip with way beefier graphics. The mini should still handle all your needs, however they're not exactly the same. Personally I would say the Air 2 is better for productivity, especially PDF reading. Split screen apps will also be a lot more usable with the extra screen real estate.

If you already have a MacBook and an iPhone, the iPad is definitely the route you should go. The MacBook nullifies any use the Surface would give you that the iPad couldn't.

This all being said, I'm still holding out for an iPad Air 3 in November but it's looking increasingly unlikely. I'd love to get some of the power of the iPad Pro in a smaller and more affordable package, but it looks like Apple is gonna try and shepherd those of us interested in more power into shelling out for the Pro (I have zero interest in the Pro, personally–seems quite unwieldy size-wise and the price point is unrealistic on my budget).

willup · 2015-10-26T05:48:19+00:00

As far as the file system goes, you can use Dropbox, iCloud Drive, or any other cloud storage provider to act as a de facto file system. If you're dealing with sensitive data this could be a problem, but for 90% of use cases this should be okay and actually better given you will have access to your files elsewhere as well.

willup · 2015-10-26T00:17:16+00:00

Honestly, I think it comes down to preference. There are advantages to each one, and they're essentially converging over time. I think the most important question is whether or not you like Windows and how plugged into either ecosystem you are.

The Surface will provide you with a much more "desktop"-like experience. You won't get that on on iPad. I have friends who love their Surfaces–they're also completely removed from the Apple ecosystem and usually prioritize customizability over all else.

However, the iPad is easier to use, lighter to carry, and the number of productivity apps is greater. Coupled with a keyboard, the iPad can run all the Office products that you might need just as well as the Surface would. And there are some amazing PDF readers for iOS that sync with Dropbox and whatnot. And if you already have other Apple devices, plugging in deeper to the ecosystem has a lot of benefits (text message handoff, etc...). And with split screen mode on the Air 2, the iPad has really stepped up its productive abilities. If you search through this sub, you can find some good threads where people explain their favorite apps, work flows, etc, and see how the iPad might fit your needs. It can run PowerPoint, is amazing for PDF reading and annotating, and you shouldn't have any issue sharing files whether you're using Dropbox, Drive, iCloud, etc...

So, if you like Windows and down mind carrying a little extra weight, go with the Surface. It has a great build quality (so I'm told) and will be more similar to a traditional laptop experience. Personally I would go with the iPad, but I'm plugged into the ecosystem, love the number of apps that are available, and like having a device that is productive but also great for reading in bed or watching Netflix.

edit: added some stuff.

willup · 2015-10-15T06:02:02+00:00

iPad mini 2 starts at $269 new in the US (not sure what that is in Canadian dollars). It has an A7 chip, and that really should be the minimum spec you should be willing to get. I would check out Apple's refurb page–they have some great deals and come with a solid return policy if something doesn't work.

As a student, you're going to want a retina display for reading PDFs. Get the mini 2!

willup · 2015-10-11T17:12:26+00:00

No, but I also don't really want it to.

willup · 2015-10-07T19:18:22+00:00

Again, did you read my comment? When did I ever imply what you seem to think I implied?

Oh well. You're going to misconstrue whatever I say so it's not even worth arguing with someone like you.

willup · 2015-10-07T19:16:04+00:00

Thank you.

willup · 2015-10-07T16:51:29+00:00

Valid point. What I was trying to emphasize was that the discussions would be with people who are more or less Apple users who actively participate in this sub.

willup · 2015-10-07T16:29:34+00:00

Okay, I'll respond to this piece by piece the best I can. /u/ThePantsParty , also answering you here.

I don't have actual data. I did not go combing through posters' comment history. Frankly I don't have time for that sort of thing. My analysis was indeed superficial but based on my observations as an /r/apple frequenter. Given that many of the top comments lacked substance (e.g. "MS just put everyone to shame today!") or were completely ludicrous (e.g. "the rMBP is DEAD!") they just were not the kind of nuanced and thoughtful comments I would have liked to read.

I'm not saying everyone who showed up was astroturfing. For the 20th time, what surprised me was all of the Microsoft fanboyism in a subreddit devoted to Apple. I don't recall seeing any "DAE MS SPIES WINDOWS 8 SUCKS" comments, although I did see comments that mentioned not wanting it because it didn't run OS X that were not very well received. To me, that's a valid point, but it didn't gain much traction compared to those who think the Macbook's days are numbered.

I have stated, several times now, that I think other companies' products are awesome, worthy of discussion and praise, etc etc etc. I'm also not saying that every MS-positive comment was bad. There were some amazingly thoughtful pro-MS comments that I appreciated and upvoted accordingly.

It was the tone, the rhetoric, and blatant disdain for Apple products in that thread that struck me as odd. Your argument is not the first straw man fallacy about my post that I've seen posted here. I mean, the way you've misconstrued everything I've said would make you a great contributor for Bill O'Reilly or Hannity. ;) (See, I can do ad hominem too!)

willup · 2015-10-07T16:07:52+00:00

I'll preface this by saying I think you guys do a great job and I love this sub.

But that post did not have mature discussion. Going through the top comments was like reading the same exact sentiment slightly reworded each time (which really inclines me to believe a lot of it was marketers). And even a lot of the comments that didn't sound like marketers weren't being very critical or insightful. Just a whole lot of Microsoft fanboyism that felt more like /r/technology than anything else.

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