Mandaris"Djobi Djoba" by Gipsy Kings
A song in a language that you don't know.
This is my favorite Gipsy Kings song. It's fast and seems fun and I have know idea what they are saying.
iPhone Air A light touch of sadness in my hand
I went to the Apple Store1 to check out the new iPhone Air Saturday. The mall parking lot was horribly crowded and I got to experience the insanity convenience of car culture in America. After driving around and avoiding getting hit by people who follow different rules of the road than I do, I finally parked across the street in the overflow
parking. I walked into the mall and saw that the line to purchase new phones only had a couple people in it. Maybe most people had already bought theirs online?
I went inside and picked up the new phone.
And just felt a little sad.
It confirmed that the issues that I was seeing when running iOS26 on my phone were there by intention.
Photo libraries that cut off the top row of options show up with plenty of space on the new phone.
Menus at the top have plenty of room for options.
Animations are fluid - almost like flowing liquid - and not sporadic or slow.
Is it unfair to complain that the newest os doesn’t run that great on my 5 year old iPhone SE?
Maybe.
I remember a report that engineers would be required to use older phones to test these things out. Feeling my phone get warm as I navigate between different apps, makes me think that it didn’t happen as much. Trying to get my phone to take a picture and having to wait for the last picture to load or trying to find where they placed options has decreased the amount of times that I want to do something with it.
Holding the new phone brought up all the joy that I’ve been missing about being someone who identifies as an Apple Enthusiast. The thrill of new possibilities from exciting applications is tarnished by drama with the App Store. Services that only increase in price but not functionality. The community that I used to share my enthusiasm is shrinking as people move to other platforms.
All in all, I’m actually a little discouraged from spending money on something like this.
I put the phone down and it zips back into place due to the antitheft tether.
And, I think that’s where I’m at.
I’m not tethered to the idea of getting one.
-
It’s kind of funny that the autocorrect will capitalize the
s
in store. ↩︎
Crucial Track for September 22, 2025
"Skid Row (Downtown)" by Michelle Weeks, Tisha Campbell, Tichina Arnold, Ellen Greene & Rick Moranis
If today were a genre, what would it be? Pick a matching song.
I'm just being cheeky this morning.
Crucial Track for September 21, 2025
"Tainted Love" by Soft Cell
What’s a remix or cover you like more than the original?
This is one of those songs that you see in a compilations of Songs you didn't know were covers
. This one is special to me because it was the first time that I knew of it happening. Before I knew about Motown or any of the music I was popular in the 90s that was associated with Puff Daddy.
Crucial Track for September 20, 2025
"N.T. (feat. Busta Rhymes)" by Q-Tip
What’s a hidden gem or underrated song you love?
Q-Tip had a great album and I really enjoy the piano on this track. I've got a playlist I'm creating on songs that I haven't heard in a while and this one is going on it.
I also really enjoy Busta Rhymes crashing out
on the track.
Crucial Track for September 19, 2025
"This Is the Song That Never Ends" by ABC Kids
What’s a song that grew on you over time?
It's a very catchy song. It's got energy and lyrics that are easy to pick up.
It will outlive us all.
Crucial Track for September 18, 2025
"Controversy" by Prince
What’s your favorite deep cut from an album?
I'm not good at identifying deep cuts
, but the first song that comes to mind is Prince's Controversy. I first heard it on a compilation of B-Sides from Prince. You could argue that Prince's B-sides are better than some other artist A-sides... and that's not a diss in any since of the word.
Crucial Track for September 17, 2025
"My Humps" by Black Eyed Peas
Share a song you feel was ahead of its time.
I'm only considering this ahead of its time because I heard it on the album before it was on all the top 40 radio stations. I remember putting it in my cd player and then calling my wife - then girlfriend- on the portable phone about this new song.
She didn't like it at first, as she heard the line:
She's got me spending! Spending all his money on me And all his time on me
Still, the hook and beat are now very recognizable for people my age.
Crucial Track for September 16, 2025
"Cold Heart (PNAU Remix)" by Elton John & Dua Lipa
What’s the last song you discovered and loved instantly?
I wouldn't use the word love
, but I wanted to hear this song immediately after listening to it. Since then it has been in a semi regular rotation of playlists.
Rick and Morty Season 8 - ★★★☆☆
This season is better than the last.
I started watching this because I needed a break from watching Love After Lockup.
The one thing I noticed about this season is that it doesn’t focus as much on how much of a Jerk Rick Sanchez is. You get more of the family being fleshed out and seeing what adventures that they are up to.
Overall, I didn’t end the season feeling that I had wasted my time on this. I’d be interested in another season if it was to have one, but I’m ok if this is the last one.
Overview
Rick and Morty are back for Season Eight! Life has meaning again! Anything is possible! Look out for adventures with Summer, Jerry, Beth, and the other Beth. Maybe Butter Bot will get a new task? Whatever happens, you can't keep Rick and Morty down for long. People have tried!