by Christopher Paul on September 11, 2019 After Apple’s iPhone announcement, I’ve been thinking about how much I spend on micro transactions and monthly subscriptions. I because I will try the Apple Arcade and TV+ subscriptions, I feel overwhelmed by each nickel and dime I spend on technology services.
It was a post on The Loop that put things in very direct amounts on Apple’s service offerings. With a family Apple Music subscription, each household would expect to pay approximately $45 USD per month. But I already pay for Hulu, Netflix, weather, sailing, weightlifting, hiking, 3rd party data recovery, VPN, calorie tracker, and all the business software I need. I’m almost afraid to look at what that monthly spend toatals.
Before streaming took off, large cable companies would charge a large sum but give you what seemed like 1000 channels – only 20 or so you used regularly. All the money went to the cable and entertainment companies. Now, it seems, you still pay a larger sum but it’s divided among some large, some very small, and some in between companies that add up to 1000 channels (or services). The difference is that it’s not all at once and in smaller drips so it doesn’t seem as large.
I’m the end, I think Apple was right to price their TV and game subscriptions low and bundle it with hardware for a year (mostly for different reasons I’ll get into later). And with Family Sharing, it makes that estimated $45 more palatable.
But it will be hard to gain traction in an ecosystem that thousands of different $1–5 a month transactions nipping away at my bank account. Each cut adds up. Eventually, I (and other consumers), will bleedout and that won’t be good for anyone.
by Christopher Paul on July 24, 2019 It’s been more than two years since I last posted something here and, at the time, I was hardly posting at all. But 2019 has been an experiment of sorts and part of that experiment is to see if I can write more frequently. So far, I’ve maintained a 365 Photo project on Instagram and now that the year is half over, I think I can slowly start to incorporate other regular content into my publishing schedule.
Besides taking and posting photos each day, I’ve tried (with limited success) to meditate. I’ve been better about working out and eating well and spending time with the family which, when I last posted something here, was extremely difficult because of work commitments.
by Christopher Paul on June 25, 2017 by Christopher Paul on June 14, 2017 Writing for New York Magazine, Katie Heaney shines a light on how to apologize for something in response to Bill Maher’s non-apology apology:
Dr. Beth Polin, an assistant professor of management at Eastern Kentucky University and co-author of The Art of the Apology, defines an apology as a statement which includes one or more of six components:
- An expression of regret — this, usually, is the actual ‘I’m sorry.’
- An explanation (but, importantly, not a justification).
- An acknowledgment of responsibility.
- A declaration of repentance.
- An offer of repair.
- A request for forgiveness.
via Kottke
by Christopher Paul on June 12, 2017 I skimmed this article on How to Sleep and bookmarked it to read later tonight — when I’m winding down and, well, trying to sleep.
I’ve struggled with sleep since I was a teenager. It’s affected almost everything I do. My focus, memory, energy, mood, and critical reasoning are always affected when I don’t sleep and I never seem to get enough.
But I bet many Americans don’t get the right amount or type of sleep and that’s why articles like this one come out every two years or so.