Rolandt

mkalus shared this story from The Omni Group.

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As mentioned in our 2020 Roadmap, the OmniPlan team has been hard at work on OmniPlan 4 for Mac. This last month has been full of rough transitions for everyone—including us—but if we’re going to make it through this time we need to pull together and keep moving forward. To that end, we’re pleased to be starting the public test of OmniPlan 4 today.

What’s new in OmniPlan 4 for Mac

When planning OmniPlan 4, we focused on the feedback we’ve received from project managers since we shipped the first edition of OmniPlan for Mac over 14 years ago. We asked ourselves how we could make OmniPlan easier to use for the day-to-day tasks of project management, simplifying the ease of use for our existing feature set and adding some of our most commonly requested features (like recurring tasks, and cost and effort tracking).

New features include:

• Recurring tasks: Tasks can now be scheduled to occur at daily, weekly, monthly, or yearly intervals.
• Task Roll Up: Group tasks can now be set to “When closed, roll up children” in the Task Inspector. When this option is set, sub-tasks and milestones are displayed in a single line when the group is collapsed. There are multiple use cases for this feature - we expect it to be particularly useful for displaying multiple milestones in a single row.
• Manual task scheduling: Tasks now support manual scheduling. Tasks which are set to be scheduled manually will use the start and end dates you provide; OmniPlan will not attempt to automatically reschedule them.
• Interval tracking: Cost and effort tokens can now be added as labels below tasks in the Gantt or displayed in the Gantt header. These tokens display the total cost or effort for the current time increment, or the cumulative total cost or effort up to that time increment.
• New file type: OmniPlan projects can now be saved as flat files or package files. The file type for a project can be modified in the new Document section of the Project Inspector. Package files can be faster to save, but flat files are more compatible with third-party sync services such as Dropbox and Box.
• Automatic light/dark mode: Projects created with default OmniPlan templates now automatically switch between light and dark mode when your system does.
• Project outline view: New, dedicated top-level project outline view.
• Unified resource view — Project and resource work-hour customization has been consolidated into an enhanced Resource View. This view provides easier access to existing functionality and introduces a new schedule exception popover and customized day list, which allow for titling schedule exceptions and creating exceptions that span any length of time.

In addition to these new features, we’ve made many smaller changes and improvements throughout the app. Please see the OmniPlan 4 release notes for a detailed list of the changes currently included in this release.

Pardon our dust!

While OmniPlan 4 is ready for customer eyes (and projects!), please be aware that this is not yet a finalized release. As such, you may encounter unexpected behavior or notice that pieces of the UI shift between builds as we fine tune changes. These are the major areas we expect to continue changing between now and the final launch of OmniPlan 4:

• Major inspector update: Appearance, layout, and organization of all inspectors has been updated to increase discoverability and improve access to functionality (this work is currently in progress).
  • Updated task schedule inspector: Support for scheduling tasks manually has been added to the Task Schedule Inspector and the workflow for setting up task constraints has been updated. Task baseline information has been split out into a new Task Baseline Inspector.
  • New scheduling influences inspector: The functionality previously offered by the “Show Scheduling Influences” popover is now displayed in a dedicated Task Inspector.
  • Overhauled styles inspector: The Styles Inspector has been redesigned to offer easy access to all of OmniPlan’s advanced styling functionality in one place, replacing OmniPlan 3’s Styles View.
  • Unified custom data inspector: The Custom Data and Attachments Inspectors have been updated and consolidated into a single inspector.
• View customization UI: View customization options are being reorganized to make them easier to find and use.
• Interval tracking: Interval tracking data can not yet be exported. We’re planning to add this functionality before wrapping up the public test period for OmniPlan 4.
• Documentation: OmniPlan’s in-app Help has not yet been updated for OmniPlan 4. Please keep an eye on the release notes for information about when this documentation is available in-app!
• Stability: While we believe current OmniPlan 4 builds are reasonably stable, there are likely bugs in the app we have not discovered that may trigger crashes. If you encounter a crash while running an OmniPlan 4 build, please send a crash report with any relevant details when prompted.

How to help test

If you’d like to help us test OmniPlan 4, please make sure you’re comfortable running software that hasn’t been fully tested, and that you back up important data regularly. It’s also important to make sure you’re in a position where you have internet access and can install/check for updates regularly. Test builds automatically expire after a few weeks, and we anticipate our OmniPlan 4 test builds to continue to change rapidly.

You can sign up to help us test OmniPlan 4 for Mac here.

Feedback about OmniPlan 4 can be sent to our Support team by selecting Help > Contact Omni… in the OmniPlan menu bar, or by emailing our Support team directly at omniplan@omnigroup.com.

A note about backwards compatibility: OmniPlan 4 for Mac contains changes to OmniPlan’s scheduling logic and file format. While some versions of OmniPlan 3 are able to open files created in OmniPlan 4, those versions of OmniPlan will not use the same scheduling logic when computing project schedules and you may notice scheduling inconsistencies. We do not recommend syncing OmniPlan 4 projects with OmniPlan 3 for iOS or previous versions of OmniPlan for Mac.

Thank you!

We’re so excited to hear what our customers think about this big OmniPlan update. Thank you in advance to everyone who takes the time to help us test OmniPlan 4!

Roland Tanglao 猪肉面 @rtanglao
and of course obligatory shoutout to 2 of our 3 :-) listeners @sillygwailo and @Planta

Joseph Planta @Planta
Usually around now I take stock & decide whether I continue with the podcast in the fall. I reduced my workload the… twitter.com/i/web/status/1…

mkalus shared this story from redhistorian on Twitter.

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Nada Rifki, LogRocket, Apr 03, 2020

I'm always looking at ways to make an application interface work a bit more naturally and with a minimum of Javascript overhead. So I'm loving the idea of CSS scorll snaps. The idea is that when you subdivide an area imto (say) boxes or images, and the reader can scroll through them, scroll snap stops the scroll right at the image or box border. This is great for thumb-based navigation between panes on a smartphone. But it also works for desktop screens. Here's more on it. Here's an example from Google.

Web: [Direct Link] [This Post]

Bruno Couriol, InfoQ, Apr 03, 2020

This is the sort of application you could lose a couple hours with, playing around and trying to figure out what it does and how it works. The idea is that it automates the process of creating accessible, adaptive color systems using contrast-ratio based generated colors (much more on this here). As anyone with limited vision will tell you, your colour schemes are important, as they make the difference between an application or website that is easy to read and one that is a meaningless blur. The tool is open source, and you can modify it yourself, but even better, it allows you to share schemas you've developed as a simple standardized URL.

Web: [Direct Link] [This Post]

Hey folks, one decent therapy for times like these when the world’s trying to drive you crazy is to tell your story; doesn’t matter if anyone’s listening. This is adapted from an email to the family that got kind of out of control. Write your own #PlagueJournal entries and I’ll read ’em.

I feel vaguely like I’m setting a bad example as I cycle furiously on empty-ish streets across town each day to the boat and back; the smallest office I’ve ever had, but the view is decent.

The weather remains obstinately wintry, temperature refusing to venture out of single digits, which is OK when the sun’s out which it mostly isn’t. Nonetheless everything that can grow flowers is already showing them or expanding the buds as fast as possible. Mom was supposed to come visit us about now and there would have been lots to look at.

Downtown, people gather on their balconies and cheer wildly for three minutes for the caregivers at 7PM when the hospital shifts change; we were driving through the neighborhood last week, unsuspecting, as it exploded. Not a dry cheek in the car. Locally we’ve revived and expanded a long-neglected neighborhood mailing list, seeking people who might need some help; plenty are offering but everyone seems to be making a go of it. Anyhow, this very evening we gathered in a socially-distanced way at the end of the block to bang pots and drums and tambourines and clap hands for three minutes, lots of smiles and none forced.

Some people are much more monastic in their isolation: go shopping once every other week, stay inside. We find the grocery stores are sanitizing and social-distancing effectively, so we shop more often. Also we’d really like some of the restaurants to survive this thing so we’re getting take-out a couple or three times a week. Plus we go for lots of walks - there’s a new sidewalk courtesy where you make space for each other, stepping into the (empty) roads or on people’s lawns if need be. Very Canadian.

We pick charities and send them money but so much of the population was already living so close to the edge, these wounds will take a long time to heal.

We’re actually keeping in better touch with our friends than in healthy times, via Zoom and Skype and so on. Unfortunately what we talk about mostly is the plague news. I’m kind of tired of talking about it. One of the best military blogs is entitled War is Boring — well, so is Covid-19.

I, a data-driven numbers guy, find the daily recitation of statistics maddening, although everyone in the province loves our chief medic Dr Bonnie Henry, who has a silken voice and a Stoic demeanor. They give numbers like “number of cases” which I think means “positive tests”, a number that is entirely useless because the testing is (quite reasonably) directed at the most vulnerable and critical demographics. I am beginning to zero in on the number of cases admitted to hospital every day, or rather the rate of change in the number admitted — at least there’s clarity in what that means — and in BC, the rate of change in daily admissions is zero-ish. Which is not exactly good but not catastrophic. Catastrophic is New York today and Florida & Louisiana & Alabama & Texas looking forward four weeks. I don’t want to think about India and Africa.

Alberta is doing a little better than us, Ontario worse but not terrible, Quebec worse. But not bad like America, so far.

At work, we are running hot. Everyone’s stuck at home and using the Internet, which means us. Over on the retail side, the order spikes are frightening given that a lot of our employees are staying home for excellent reasons and the ones who are coming in have to work at half-speed due to constant disinfecting and social distancing. I see headlines in progressive publications saying how we are cruelly ignoring the plague conditions; and internal emails about all the products that are going on four-or-more-week delivery because they have to run everything extra-slow to protect the staff so they can keep shipping groceries and cleaning products. I really honestly don’t know what to think.

Our side of the company just has to make sure there are enough incremental waves of computers available each new day to keep Zoom and Netflix and ambulance-dispatch apps on the air.

The boy and the girl are both at-school-online right now, Lauren and I at-work-online. If it weren’t for the boat we’d be in trouble since the guest room is under post-asbestos-remediation reconstruction and we’re packed in pretty tight already 9-to-5 without me being in the house.

I’d really rather not be living inside a historically-significant news story. But we all are, so the only choice is to make the best of it. The virus doesn’t care how brave you are, only how smart you are.

In closing: https://xkcd.com/2287/.

Make no mistake, whether it’s a Mac, iPhone, or an iPad, I prefer big screens. I think most people do. A big, bright screen makes reading easier, and a larger canvas for the apps you use is rarely a downside.

Still, there’s a reason we carry mobile phones when a tablet, laptop, or desktop could accomplish the same tasks: portability. Smaller is often better, even as the compromises start to pile up when you shrink a device.

Portability is why foldable phones have captured the imaginations of so many people. They promise the portability of a traditional smartphone with a screen that’s closer to a tablet’s.

Supported By

Concepts

Concepts: Where ideas take shape

Just over one year ago, in March 2019, Apple released two new iPads: a 10.5-inch iPad Air and the first new iPad mini in over three years. The 5th-generation mini was a big surprise, largely because the mini hadn’t been updated in so long, leading many people to write it off as dead.

Perhaps an even bigger surprise, however, was the mini’s hardware. The design didn’t change, but the 5th-generation mini upgraded the device to an A12 processor, the same chip in the then-current iPhone XR and XS. The update also added a Retina laminated screen with True Tone, P3 color support, and the highest pixel density of any iPad. The mini doesn’t support ProMotion, it only supports the first-generation Apple Pencil, and still relies on Touch ID for security. Still, in terms of raw horsepower, the mini is more similar to the 10.5-inch iPad Air than it is different, allowing it to hold its own in Apple’s iPad lineup despite its diminutive size.

[table_of_contents]

The previous fall, I had ordered a 2018 12.9-inch iPad Pro and fell in love with it for writing and other tasks. As much as I enjoy the iPad Pro’s big display, though, it’s not suited for every task. For example, the size of the iPad Pro makes it awkward for reading in bed. Also, although I love to play games on my iPad Pro with a connected controller, that only works well if the iPad is sitting on a table.

When the mini was introduced, I immediately wondered whether Apple’s smallest tablet could be the perfect complement to its largest iPad Pro: a powerful but tiny device that could work well where the Pro doesn’t. I also figured the mini could be a great ‘downtime’ device for activities like games, reading, chatting with friends, and watching TV, movies, and other video content. So, I sold some old gear I no longer used and bought a mini with 256GB of storage, so I’d have plenty of space for games and locally-downloaded video.

The plan was for my new mini to serve almost exclusively as my downtime iPad. What’s happened in practice during the past year is very different than I anticipated originally. My use of the mini has expanded far beyond what I’d expected, despite the compromises that come along with its small size. The iPad Pro remains the device I rely on for most of my needs, but as we approached the iPad’s first decade, the time felt right to consider how far the mini has come and how this unassuming device fits so neatly into the spaces between the other devices I use.

Until a year ago, I’d never owned an iPad mini. Other members of my family had earlier models of the mini, but I’d never felt that the larger iPads were too big for most circumstances, until I moved up from 9.7-inch iPads to the 12.9-inch Pro.

What drew me to the mini initially was the stark contrast in size between it and the iPad Pro. I wanted something I could hold in one hand to read whether I was lying on the couch or in bed at night. Sometimes that device is my iPhone, but it wasn’t a great solution for a couple of reasons.

First, for longer articles and books, the iPhone is good in a pinch, but the more book-like size of the mini is better. Second, my iPhone is where I have the most notifications turned on; it’s how friends, family, and colleagues get in touch with me all day long. With the mini, I wanted a downtime device that didn’t deluge me with notifications.

The beefy specs of the mini were the other thing that drew me in. You don’t need a super-fast processor for reading, but the A12 chip and graphics in the mini meant it would be excellent for games and a device I wouldn’t feel the need to replace anytime soon. The improved display was a draw for reading and video too.

Few plans turn out as expected, though. The mini has cemented itself as the downtime device I anticipated it could be. At the end of the day, it’s the device I usually grab for reading and web browsing. However, what I didn’t anticipate is how, over the course of 2019, the iPad mini has become my alternative work device too.

I don’t use the mini every day for work, yet slowly but surely, the mini has won me over as a fantastic ultraportable writing device,¹ research tool, and communications station. The mini isn’t good at the same things as the iPad Pro, but it doesn’t have to be. What the mini lacks in flexibility compared to the iPad Pro, it more than makes up for in portability.

The mini hasn’t changed the way I work or play to the degree the Pro has either. Instead, the mini plays an important supporting role, slotting neatly into contexts where a bigger iPad or a Mac would be cumbersome and an iPhone would feel cramped. That’s added flexibility that I didn’t have before, and over time, it has made a meaningful difference across all aspects of my daily computing life.

The Downtime iPad

My iPad Pro is primarily a work device. I do use it for games, checking the news, and wasting time on Twitter, but most of the time, I use it for writing, task management, research, email, and other MacStories work. When my workday is finished, I’m far more likely to grab the mini to watch YouTube videos I’ve saved links to throughout the day, play a game, or catch up on some reading.

When I initially set up the mini, I started fresh, skipping over work-related apps. That didn’t last long. It seemed like a good idea at the time, but it was almost immediately frustrating. If I was using my mini and wanted to do something work-related, it meant switching devices for no reason other than that I didn’t have the mini set up to handle work tasks.

On the one hand, that was the point. If I had declared I was finished working for the day, not having work apps at my fingertips helped enforce that separation. On the other hand, though, life isn’t that neat and tidy. I tested apps and read about technology for fun long before it was ‘work,’ and that hasn’t changed. Instead of fighting it, I’ve found other ways to set boundaries. Sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn’t, but by and large, I’ve found a balance that works for me.²

The compromise I’ve arrived at with the mini is far simpler and less drastic than eliminating every work app from the device. I simply turned on Do Not Disturb months ago and have never switched it off. That alone has made it a device I can leave on my bedside table at night. There’s no chance a late-night notification will wake me. I’ve also turned off nearly all notifications of any kind, which minimizes interruptions. The system works because I have an iPhone and iPad Pro that I can rely on for notifications.

Having work apps on my mini requires self-control, but without notifications interrupting me, I haven’t found that to be an issue. Instead, when I’m finished working for the day, I leave my iPad Pro on my desk, set my iPhone on a Qi charger, and grab my mini to unwind.

Most of my downtime on the mini is spent reading. That’s usually in Reeder, where I follow a mix of tech, media, music, and video game feeds. Throughout the day, I send a variety of stories to Reeder’s built-in read-it-later service, and at the end of the day I like to sit in a comfortable chair and browse through what I’ve collected.

Reading my RSS feeds is an excellent example of the work-but-not-work sort of tasks for which I use the mini. Many of the links I save will end up in the Club MacStories weekly newsletter, but others are reviews of video games, longer news stories, and other topics that interest me. By having work apps like Trello available, I can deal with a link from my mini when I read the related story instead of having to remember to go back and do it later on my iPad Pro.

Another category of apps that occupy a more prominent spot on my mini than my iPad Pro is video apps. Apple’s TV app, YouTube, Apple Developer, and Matt Comi’s upcoming TV Forecast app are all on my mini’s Home screen for when I want to watch something or check where I left off on a TV show.

But wait, there’s more

My iPad mini Home Screen

By subscribing to Club MacStories you’ll receive MacStories Weekly, our Club-exclusive email newsletter. This week, we’ve got a special iPad at 10 issue that expands on the stories we’re publishing this week including:

• A deep dive into my iPad mini Home screen and why it’s organized the way it is
• A special extension of Federico’s iPad story
• A collection of favorite iPad games
• and more

You can unlock all of these perks with a Club MacStories subscription, starting at $5/month. And in doing so, you’ll also get access to the complete archive of Club MacStories with over four years worth of exclusive content.

As I’d hoped when I bought it, the mini is fantastic for gaming too. If you’ve read my game reviews on MacStories, you know I like to use a controller whenever possible with iOS and iPadOS games. That’s true with the mini too. However, instead of the PS4 controller I use with my iPad Pro, I typically use my mini with the Gamevice. The device, which I was sent for testing, splits a traditional controller into two halves connected by a rubber strap. The iPad mini fits between the two halves with the strap holding the contraption tight to the ends of the iPad.

Once set up, it’s a little like having a giant Nintendo Switch. For games like Dead Cells, it’s fantastic. Better yet, the Gamevice doesn’t need to be charged because it uses the iPad’s Lightning connector for power, and there’s no pairing required. By sending controller commands over the Lightning port, the controls are also very responsive.

To be sure, the setup makes the iPad mini a little bulky, but for games that work best with a controller, the trade-off is worth it. With the emphasis on controller support that we’ve seen with Apple Arcade, a Gamevice is a terrific addition to an iPad mini setup.

mini Workstation

It’s remarkable to me that a decade after its introduction, I still hear people insist that the iPad is only good for consumption. As I covered in my iPad history story on Monday, part of that is Apple’s own doing. That was a big part of the way the original iPad was pitched.

However, the mini has always been up to the challenge of being used for creative endeavors. For instance, Federico was running MacStories on a mini in 2013. Today’s mini is even more capable. Not only does the latest mini use the A12 chip, but it runs the same version of iPadOS as other iPads, so it supports trackpad and mouse input along with its support for the first-generation Apple Pencil.

There are hardware limitations, though. The ones that bother me most are the lack of Face ID and the mini’s large bezels. The design, which has hardly changed over the years, looks dated today. Worse, though, is that when I’m controlling the mini with an external keyboard, trackpad, or mouse, having to reach out to unlock it with the Touch ID sensor is an interruption in the flow of using the device that feels anachronistic in 2020. It’s time for the mini to extend edge-to-edge, which would look better and allow for a slightly bigger screen too.

The mini also lacks support for ProMotion and only works with the first-generation Apple Pencil. For my uses, though, both of those omissions are more tolerable. I’ve grown used to the lack of ProMotion, and most of my Apple Pencil use involves UI navigation and taking handwritten notes, neither of which is severely hampered by the lack of the latest Pencil. The bigger challenges of dealing with the iPad mini as a combination work/play device were adapting to the screen size and finding a workable keyboard solution.

Working on a Small Screen

I didn’t fully appreciate what working on the iPad mini’s small screen would be like until I tried it. If you place the iPad mini in its portrait orientation, it’s roughly the size of half the screen of the 12.9-inch iPad Pro in landscape mode. I work in Split View a lot on the Pro, so I figured that at most, the mini’s screen size would mean that I’d use Split View less. That’s turned out to be true, but what I didn’t think about was that the mini’s pixel density is higher than other iPads, which shrinks everything a little.

The icons on the mini’s Home screen are closer together, and with a full dock, app icons are tiny and feel crammed together, especially in portrait mode. There are quirks in iPadOS too. For example, if you use Search to find an app, the software keyboard covers up more than half of the app icon for the first result, making it hard to select the app instead of the keyboard.

A couple of things have mitigated these kinds of issues. First, Pencil support helps when I’m using the mini in handheld mode. The Pencil is far more precise than my finger, which makes selecting smaller targets easier. Second and most recently, the trackpad and mouse support in iPadOS 13.4 has been a game-changer, making placement of the cursor and aiming the pointer far easier than reaching up from a keyboard to poke at the screen.

However, one place where the mini’s smaller size is a big advantage is thumb typing. In handheld mode, the mini is just small enough to make typing a message possible in a way that is virtually impossible on the iPad Pro despite the floating keyboard that was added with iPadOS 13.0.

The other difficulty of working on the mini stems from the fact that if you use it with a keyboard, the device is farther away than it would otherwise be. That’s required me to make adjustments to text sizes across the system to ensure that apps are readable, whether I’m holding the mini in my hands or it’s propped up on a table as I type.

It’s a process that has required a lot of trial and error. Apps I use primarily in handheld mode don’t need the text size bumped up, but my text editor absolutely does, for instance. The hardest are apps that get used both in handheld mode and with a keyboard.

Some apps handle text size better than others. I always appreciate an app that doesn’t just rely on Dynamic Type. That’s an important starting point, but the different distances at which I use the mini make in-app text settings a necessity. One of the best examples of an app that handles this well is Safari. Not only can I easily adjust the size of a website’s text from the toolbar, but there’s also a keyboard shortcut. I can also switch to Safari Reader View for the cleanest, most customizable reading experience of all.

The Keyboard Conundrum

Perhaps the greatest difficulty in adjusting to a mini, though, has been finding a keyboard for writing. I type a lot every day and, although I’m not nearly as picky about keyboards as a lot of people I know, I do appreciate a keyboard that’s comfortable.

I have plenty of full-sized keyboards I can use with the mini, but that defeats the purpose of using the device as an ultraportable setup. Instead, I wanted something small and light that I could throw in a bag without complicating or upsizing my mini setup significantly. That’s proven to be a tough combination to find. As a result, I have a few I want to mention, none of which are perfect, but each of which can work depending on your circumstances.

I started too small. The first keyboard I tried was the Logitech Keys To Go keyboard, which is roughly the width of the iPad mini in landscape mode. It’s a strange little keyboard with membrane-type bubble keys that are surprisingly hard to press accurately. The rechargeable battery in the Keys to Go lasts a long time, and the keyboard is splash resistant, but it’s just too small and uncomfortable to use.

Another option I tried was Apple’s Magic Keyboard with Studio Neat’s Canopy case. This comes close to what I want, but not quite. I like the Magic Keyboard a lot. It’s comfortable to type on, lightweight, and the Canopy protects it in a bag, but the mini sinks too far into the case when it’s used to prop the mini up while typing, making it hard to access the dock. A trackpad and keyboard shortcuts mitigate this issue, but it’s not ideal.

Most often, I’ve found myself turning to the Logitech K380 Multi-Device Bluetooth keyboard. The K380’s keys are round and a little stiff, requiring harder presses to type than the Magic Keyboard. The Logitech keyboard has a couple of interesting advantages, though.

First, it’s solidly built. So far, it’s survived being tossed in my backpack many times and looks and feels the same as when I got it six months ago.

Second, the K380 uses AAA batteries. I turned my nose up at alkaline batteries at first, but Logitech says that they allow the keyboard to run for two years before you need to change the batteries. I’ve had mine for around five months, and it’s still going strong. Battery life is aided by the fact that the keyboard isn’t backlit, which is a shame, but also understandable. For a device I don’t use every day, not having to wonder if it’s fully charged is a big advantage.

The K380 isn’t an everyday keyboard, and I typically type on it for shorter periods than other keyboards, so its shortcomings are tolerable. I also appreciate the keyboard’s inverted-T arrow key layout, the ability to pair it with three different devices, and the dedicated function key for loading the software keyboard that makes accessing emoji easier.

The most recent keyboard I’ve been using with my mini is the Brydge 7.9, a brand-new Bluetooth keyboard which is designed specifically for the mini. Brydge made a similar keyboard for earlier models of the mini, which I’ve tried, and this new model improves on that one in a lot of ways, from an improved key layout to its build quality. The Brydge 7.9 is a mini-sized keyboard, so it’s cramped to type on, but in the few days since Brydge sent it to me to test, it has grown on me, and I expect it’s an option I’ll stick with for certain use cases.

The Brydge 7.9 keyboard connects to the mini via Bluetooth, and like other Brydge keyboards, the mini slots into hinged clamps at the corners of the device. The keyboard is backlit and charges over Micro USB.

Along the top edge is a row of function keys. The Home key on the far left side takes you back to the iPad’s Home screen with a single press. Double-pressing the key opens the multitasking view, and pressing and holding triggers Siri. There are keys for locking the iPad’s screen, cycling through the keyboard’s three levels of backlighting, one that toggles the software keyboard, a globe key that is handy for opening the keyboard picker, plus media playback and volume keys. There are also function keys for pairing the keyboard using Bluetooth and turning it on and off. It’s worth mentioning that the keyboard also includes inverted arrow keys and a little divot that makes it easier to access the dock with your finger, both of which I like.

No keyboard that is the width of the iPad mini in landscape mode is going to be comfortable to type on for long periods, and the Brydge 7.9 is no different. For keyboards this size, though, this is one of the better ones I’ve tried. The keys are very close together, and many of the lesser-used keys along the edges are half-width keys, but after using it for several hours, I’ve grown used to it. I still make more mistakes than I would with a full-size keyboard, but I was pleasantly surprised after spending a solid day typing on it.

Still, I prefer this keyboard for editing. Typing the first draft from scratch is too frustrating. The first draft of this story was written on the K380. I switched to the Brydge to write this section and edit the rest of the story. It has definitely slowed me down, but speed is less important with editing, so that has been fine. The Brydge keyboard is also fine for lighter typing tasks like email, messaging apps, and the like.

One advantage of the Brydge keyboard over the K380 is that it transforms the mini into something I can type on when it’s sitting in my lap. I also appreciate that I can easily close the setup just like a laptop, protecting the iPad’s screen and reducing my kit to one paperback book-sized unit.

Aside from the inherent limitation of using such a narrow keyboard, I’m not enamored with the backlighting. Unless I’m looking almost directly down on it, the LEDs under the keys leak light from around the lead edge of the keys in a way that’s distracting in dark settings. Still, even though I’ve only had a few days to work with the Brydge 7.9, I expect to continue using it for editing and other light typing situations when I want to travel as light as possible.

Other Accessories

The other accessories I use with the mini are Twelve South’s Compass 2 stand and the Moshi iVisor AG screen protector. The Compass is an easel-style stand that holds the mini just off a table or desk at a nice viewing angle. I usually write with the iPad mini in landscape mode propped up with the Compass and then switch to portrait mode for editing, which is close to the experience of editing in Split View on an iPad Pro. I appreciate that the Compass folds up very small and comes with a nylon pouch that tucks neatly into a side pocket of my backpack. I haven’t tried many portable iPad stands, but the Compass 2 is both sturdy and easy to pack, which makes it an excellent complement to the mini.

The Moshi screen protector is an idea I stole from Federico. It does a tremendous job reducing glare, which has made writing at my kitchen table easier on a sunny day. I’m looking forward to trying it outside this summer when it gets warmer.

Work Apps

The work apps that I use on the mini are largely the same ones I use on the iPad Pro. Working Copy and iA Writer for writing, Trello and Reminders for organizing projects and tasks, and Slack and Messages for communicating with the MacStories team, where the ability to thumb type on the mini comes in handy.

One big difference, though, is that I don’t use the mini for taking screenshots for stories I’m writing, nor do I edit images on the mini very often, where the small screen makes that task harder. Another difference in my work use of the mini is that I turn to it for reading and researching far more than writing. The same process of sorting through links and reading that I described above when I’m reading for pleasure is something I do for MacStories too. The difference is those links usually end up in Trello for MacStories Weekly or in Raindrop.io for a story I’m working on. The benefit of the mini is that after a long day sitting at my desk, I can process those links and read those stories in a more comfortable setting, which I enjoy.

Another significant benefit I’ve gotten from the iPad mini is as a digital notebook. In this mode, the mini serves in a supporting role as I work on my Mac or iPad Pro.

There are a lot of ways to capture ideas as they come to you to avoid interrupting the task at hand, but my favorite on the mini is GoodNotes. By using a separate device, I don’t have to switch away from whatever I’m already working on. Instead, I jot the thought down quickly and come back to it later.

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The iPad mini has become the complement to the iPad Pro that I’d hoped, but in a completely different way than I anticipated. It’s also taught me a few things about what works for me when it comes to work-life balance. In the end, that’s made the mini a far more important device than I ever expected it would be.

Limiting the mini to ‘downtime’ apps didn’t fit with the way I work. Once I recognized that and allowed work apps to be available, but silent, I was able to fully enjoy the benefits of the mini’s advantages over the iPad Pro. It’s also led to a mini setup that’s very different from my iPad Pro. Next to my iPhone, that makes the mini my most personal device. It reflects a wider array of my interests and, in doing so, serves a broader range of purposes than the iPad Pro, even if the contexts in which it serves those purposes are narrower.

Over three years between the last two iPad mini revisions was too long. I don’t think the mini needs to be updated to match all the features of the iPad Pro. It ticks off the most important checkboxes, while remaining more affordable than the Pro. Still, I’d especially like to see Face ID and a more Pro-like design. Until that happens, the mini will continue to feel like a slightly oddball relic instead of the tiny powerhouse that it is.

I certainly could get my work done and be entertained without the iPad mini. It isn’t a necessity by any stretch of the imagination. However, spending as much time as I do in front of big displays sitting at a desk, I look forward to grabbing my mini to head off to a coffee shop, or to read on the couch at the end of the day with little thought or planning. The mini is too limited to ever be my primary device, but it fills the gaps in my other computing so smoothly, I’d be mighty upset if I had to give it up.

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Office-based teams are sprinting to remote work to reduce the spread of the pandemic but the abrupt change has left many with little time to prepare. In this post I’ll share strategies we use at Purism, a proudly remote company since 2014 with a team spread across the globe.

Summary

• Get free remote working software
• Create team documentation
• Store shared files in a central location
• Decide where conversations take place
• Schedule regular coffee break calls

Create team documentation

Most of us don’t like writing documentation at the best of times but when going remote, a great team wiki or docs portal can help keep everyone in the loop and reduce repetitive questioning in team chat.

Choose a solution that tracks changes (version control) and if needed, has an easy to use interface for non-technical people. We use wiki.js backed by git.

You should document something if you have to say it more than once. This will empower people to answer their own questions by searching for the answer.

If you are looking for a good example of team documentation take a look at GitLab’s public handbook (our wiki is private).

Store shared files in a central location

It might be quick and easy to share files via email and team chat but things can get out of hand really quickly. Stitching related components together or deciphering cryptic file names to find the latest version is frustrating work. We use NextCloud to centrally store, share and collaborate on files and stay organized.

Decide where conversations take place

With your team using email, chat and a plethora of other collaboration tools, keeping up with a stream of notifications and information can begin to feel like work itself.

Help your team decide where topics should be discussed. For example all external communication, HR and payroll via email and the rest on team chat.

You can provide further focus in team chat by directing project conversations to their own channels. For example we have a marketing team channel but created a project channel when developing the Librem Mini.

Schedule regular coffee break calls

When asked what people miss the most when going remote they often say their colleagues – well, at least some of them! Try scheduling regular team and individual coffee break calls. Like those informal water cooler and breakout room chats, these calls can be a place to decompress and feel connected in a time that’s both stressful and solitary.

What might feel awkward at first will quickly feel second nature after a few regular calls.

At Purism we keep in touch securely by using our free Librem Chat service powered by Matrix and Jitsi.

The post Our tips for remote working appeared first on Purism.

It’s been a hard few weeks, and you may be experiencing some stress, loneliness, or both. Playing board games with friends and family can be one of the best ways to feel connected and relieve that stress. But many of us are following guidelines for self-isolating and social distancing in order to slow the spread of the coronavirus, and that means being holed up alone, away from those you’d normally play with. Luckily, as with so many other things in life right now, you can play those games with friends and family online.

Anna Cristina D’Addio, Francesca Endrizzi, World Education Blog, Apr 02, 2020

Italy was one of the earlier and hardest hit regions in Europe and had a lot less time to prepare for a sudden conversion to online learning. How well did they fare? "They have reacted quickly. Some schools have activated or accelerated training opportunities for teachers... t he Ministry of Education has set up a web page with a knowledge bank of initiatives for schools... INDIRE with other two networks developed Flipped classroom, a project adopted by 592 schools." And so on. It hasn't been perfect: "2% of Italian families have internet connection between 2 and 30 Mbs, much lower than is required to download and stream educational content." (In case you're wondering, Bell provides me with a miserly 5Mbs here in Casselman, Canada, so it's not impossible to work with less, just frustrating).

Web: [Direct Link] [This Post]

mkalus shared this story from AliceAvizandum on Twitter.

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One of the main visual icons for the OER20 conference was a can of soup. It’s a really clever visual metaphor which encapsulates the theme of the conference – care in openness.

What could be more caring than a  lovingly made bowl of warming soup? Chicken soup for the soul etc.  However, the image of a can of soup also brings connotations of industrial scale production, commodification, mass consumption, our (global North)  throw away everyone gets their 15 minutes of fame, disposable culture.  As conference co-chair Mia Zamora highlighted, the image of the can of soup neatly encapsulates many of the challenges around open education, and in particular care in education, research and related practice.

Now, I have to say I hadn’t really thought of soup in this way before.  To be honest, I’m not that keen on soup. This is in part due to a mini act of rebellion on my part when I was a child. My parents owned a farm and there was always a pot of soup (typically vegetable broth) on the Aga. The soup, along with countless other dishes, was regularly made with care by my Mum to feed the myriad of people that were working on the farm at various times or who just happened to pop in  – we had a very open kitchen policy!

Everyone loved that soup. So, I think that mini me must have decided that at some point that  just to be different I would not.  I don’t like what I call “bit soup” – so any soup that I can see the bits of veggies or whatever, is generally a no go area for me.  Lucky me to have had the privilege of having access to enough food to be a fussy eater. 

I did however, like one kind of soup – the No. 57 variety that came out of a can. To this day It’s still my favourite soup.  The conference has made me reflect on why that is. Why did I prefer a mass prepared, out of a can experience to the craft, homemade kind? A child’s craving for artificial flavours aside,  I realise it really didn’t have anything to do with the soup, but it had everything to do with care.

 I only ever really got “my soup” when I wasn’t well, when I really couldn’t or wouldn’t eat anything. Quite often it came with with a buttered soft, white roll alongside it. It was “made” with care by my Mum. A visible yet invisible act of love for a sick child, that never failed to bring comfort and in its own way, nourishment.  I still associate a can of tomato soup with a warm hug, with safe places, healing and comfort. There were a number of times when I was really quite ill as a child and tomato soup was always a signal of recovery. 

This seems to echo some of the conversations and experiences around open education, and indeed education in general.  It’s how we show care that really matters. It’s so easy just to “throw a can of soup” at someone, rather than open it (even show people how to open it), heat it up, put in a bowl, garnish, remix, extend and share and most importantly create a safe space to help people to do the same, to share their favourite soup too and, where needed allow people create their alternative to soup.

Over the past 2 days at the OER20 conference I have experienced that same feeling of a warm hug, that soup always brings to mind, many times over.  We are all living in a vary strange time with the COVID crisis. Moving the conference online was a risky, but necessary step which has exceeded all expectations. 

Over 1,000 registered for the event. All the live sessions were packed with people. The emotional connections were palpable. Watching videos like France’s Bells story of the making of the FemEdTech quilt of care and justice reduced everyone in the session to tears. Similarly, during sava saheli singh’s keynote collectively watching Frames made everyone reflect on surveillance, the current impact of social and physical distancing in ways that extended the original premise of the script in totally unforeseen ways.

The KaraOERoke was emotional too – but possibly at the other end of the scale. A great example of having fun whilst physically distancing but really socially connecting and having fun. We so need to ensure that we have fun – that’s a huge part of caring too.

I’m still digesting all my experiences of the conference, and I’m so glad there is an even richer set of OER resources to go back to. For now tho’, I think I am going to find a tin of tomato soup and be thankful for that open hug everyone in involved in the conference from the Co-Chairs and conference committee, to the presenters, the participants, and of course the amazing ALT core staff team who managed the online transition so smoothly, have given me. 

Picadillo, roasted brown butter cauliflower, pumpkin pie.

Now, locals are talking about a big fucking arts project for coronavirus.

Folks: work today to save people. You can make art later to commemorate your failures.

Let’s say you own a little restaurant. COVID has slammed you: you have no customers, you can’t do business. So, you furlough everyone. You’ve still got to pay rent, and you’ve got a walk-in filled with food that’s going to top bad or be given away, but you still have to pay for it.

So, the business declares bankruptcy and you start over when everyone is better. If not you, someone will open a new restaurant in the old space. Right?

Maybe not. The problem is, a lot of money just went up in smoke. All that food you’d ordered? Gone. You’ve got maybe 100 grand tied up in decorations and painting and menus and signage: that’s as gone as the spoilt food. Lots of equipment that was good for you won’t be good for whatever comes next: the chairs that looked just right for you are all wrong for the next place. So they get sold for salvage. Other equipment doesn’t hold up well for weeks or months of disuse; it will need to be repaired or replaced.

The time and money you spent getting permits and inspections for the kitchen, the fire suppressants, the zoning waiver: the new place will have to do it all again.

You spent a lot of time and a lot of money recruiting good staff. Some will come back, but some won’t. Some will be dead. You aren’t recouping the employment agency fees or the training expenses or the costs when you hired someone who turned out to be inept or dishonest: you’re paying those costs again if you want to reopen.

And over the years, you’ve sunk lots of money into building customers and goodwill. You’ve given out coupons for meals at cost or below cost, because maybe those people will come back. You’ve sponsored little league teams and farmers’ markets and school contests and restaurant week and Taste Of Wherever The Hell You Are. You’ve done email and direct mail and maybe radio, and you've had a freelance publicist nobble the food writers and you’ve had someone build your a Web site. All that’s up in smoke, too.

Which means that not only is your chef looking for work: your publicist and your accountant and your menu printer are all looking for new clients. Finding clients is expensive. And each of them has rent to pay.

So neither you nor your accountant are going to be flying to many professional conferences anytime soon. And that hurts hotels, and restaurants, and airlines, and Uber drivers.

It’s not just restaurants, though restaurants are easier to understand. It’s medical practices and PR agencies and boutique hotels. It’s booksellers and gift shops and art galleries.

The Depression started with markets, but the real problem was destroyed business investment. In 1929, it was industrial plant that was suddenly surplus to our needs. This time in the US, we don’t have so much industrial plant: this time it’s the service industry.

We’re in a hell of a fix.

“What gets measured gets managed.” This maxim from management sage Peter Drucker, while insightful, overlooks a preliminary step: Before you can measure something, you have to name it. This requires defining and establishing clear boundaries around the thing to be named. If done well, this makes measurement of that thing possible.

The importance of clear naming might seem self-evident, but it is often overlooked in the business world. In no domain is this truer than that of innovation. Consider the word “innovation” itself: While the meaning of the word might seem intuitive to most people, in practice there is far more confusion than clarity around it. This has profoundly negative consequences for leaders and organizations, and frequently hinders them from making progress toward their innovation goals.

Many definitions have been offered over the years, but the number and variety of them can perplex even the most studious leader. One of the most enduring definitions is Clayton Christensen’s concept of a “disruptive innovation,” which he contrasted in his classic book The Innovator’s Dilemma with “sustaining innovations.” Since then, a veritable menagerie of types has emerged. There are open innovations, reverse innovations, incremental versus adjacent versus radical versus transformational innovations, product versus process versus marketing versus business model innovations, and organic versus inorganic innovations. One consulting firm claims there are “ten types of innovation.” Another firm claims that there are more (15), and still another asserts there are fewer (four). If you are a leader who is not yet confused, consider that you could correctly combine a subset of the above terms to posit the existence of something called a “transformational business model open reverse disruptive innovation!”

A lack of clarity on what “innovation” means is a big problem for leaders tasked with driving more of it in their organizations. This is illustrated by an experience in a recent workshop we led with about 50 executives at a large, diversified financial institution. Their chief executive officer (CEO) had publicly declared innovation as a top strategic priority, and this group of leaders was responsible for executing on it. The purpose of the workshop was to share learnings from other companies on how to enable innovation in large organizations and use that as a jumping off point for the group to formulate its own plan of action. To kick things off, we asked each participant to write down answers to the questions “What does innovation mean at this company?” and “Why is it important?” Then we had people share their answers with the group.

The variation in responses astonished everyone. Some said the company needed to create completely new businesses, such as marketplaces for “alternative currencies” like Bitcoin. Others argued the bank needed to reinvent the end-to-end customer experience in its existing businesses, pointing to the recent development of futuristic retail bank branches with a science fiction feel. More common was the view that innovation was about rolling out successive generations of products in their existing businesses, with greater speed and differentiation. And some believed that innovation was really about incrementally improving internal processes and getting more efficient in what they already did. How could these leaders possibly respond in a useful way to the innovation rallying cry when none of them even agreed on what it was or what role it should play?

We’ve seen this same situation in scores of other companies across industries: vast numbers of seasoned, accomplished and very smart executives expected to pursue meaningful innovation without the foundational language that would enable them to do so. This is in stark contrast to the painstaking definitions of many financial terms and measures explained at length in annual reports to avoid
misunderstanding and confusion.

Perhaps the most surprising observation about the great diversity of definitions might be this: They are all correct. But they are not all useful and relevant in all situations. What leaders need is a way to define what innovation means in their specific company and industry context. They need a way to name the types of innovation they want to measure and manage.

WHAT IS INNOVATION? THE UNIVERSAL AND THE PARTICULAR

To make headway on this problem, we’ll first make two assertions:

1. There is not just one type of innovation — there are multiple types.
2. There must, however, be a single, universal definition that encompasses all these types.

The first assertion allows for a world in which many different types of innovation are possible — and indeed even necessary — within an organization. But the second assertion must also be true, or it would make no sense to label all of these things with the same word.

Let’s start with our proposed universal definition and unpack it a bit: An innovation is “something new that creates value.” According to this definition, an innovation has two critical properties:

1. It is new, meaning there is something about it that is different than what has come before.
2. It creates value, meaning that it has some sort of practical benefit or impact.

The latter property distinguishes it from pure creativity, which is novelty that may or may not have a practical purpose.

This general definition of “innovation” is not, in itself, particularly innovative. There are similar definitions floating around, and it is consistent with what you’ll find in Merriam-Webster (“the introduction of something new” or “a new idea, method, or device”). These dictionary entries clearly incorporate the property of “newness,” and the reference to a new “method” or “device” implies practicality matters.

Moreover, because this definition is so general, it is not that useful on its own. But we can apply it in a useful way to map out the universe of discrete innovation types. The key to this is to recognize that any specific type of innovation can be defined by the answers to three questions implicit in our universal definition “something new that creates value”:

• What kind of “thing” is it?
• How “new” is it?
• What kind of “value” does it create?

Let’s examine each of these three defining dimensions of an innovation in turn.

1. What kind of “thing” is it? We can first ask what type of “thing” it is that comprises the innovation. This dimension is analogous to the medium within which an artist creates. A painter might use watercolors or oil paint; a sculptor, marble or clay; a dancer, body movements; a musician, any number of different instruments. All create art — they just use different forms. Similarly, an innovation in a business context can be created within the “medium” of a product, a service, a process, a marketing program, a business model and many, many other levers commonly pulled within companies. In fact, an innovation can address anything in a company that can be changed, is subject to resource allocation and has financial and/or strategic impact.

This is a first clue as to why there is such a proliferation of types out there: Really anything can be the medium or substrate for an innovation — as long as it is new and creates value. This is also the first indication of how leaders can determine which types of innovation are most important to their companies. While we’ve asserted that every organization needs to pursue more than one type of innovation, it is clearly going to be interested in innovation within the medium of the primary thing that it sells. Car companies need to innovate cars. Insurance companies need to innovate insurance products. And consulting firms need to innovate their services. But more on this shortly.

2. How “new” is it? The second question characterizes the degree to which an innovation is different than what has existed before. Is it an incremental adjustment to an existing product, but sold through the same channels and within the same business model? Or is it something that exists somewhere in the world, but is new to the company considering it? Or is it completely new to the world? This dimension characterizes how much of a stretch the innovation is beyond the world as we know it today and is really what is being referred to when people talk about “core” or “adjacent” or “transformational” innovations.

We care about this dimension because it is at the heart of how you pursue innovation in a large organization. The more the innovation stretches beyond the way things are done today, the more it requires a different approach to manage it than what’s used in the “core” of the business today.

3. What kind of “value” does it create? This final question prompts a consideration of what the practical impact of the innovation is. Many managers would focus first on new revenue as the type of value created (and the implied new value for the customer that would warrant such revenue). This is eminently reasonable, but other types of value are worth considering when a leadership team is defining what innovation means for them.

For example, cost savings could be realized through efficiency or business model innovations. Positive impact on a company’s brand could be a type of value created, whether it relates to how a company is perceived by its current customers, potential customers, employees or investors. Or perhaps the innovation has strategic value because it enables a key pillar of a company’s strategy or because it creates option value for a move the company might make down the road.

This disaggregation of our universal definition into three distinct questions, then, explains how all the distinct types of innovation floating around relate to one another: They are all[1] just different incarnations of our universal definition, with each a distinct permutation of the answers to those three questions. Moreover, for a type of innovation defined as important at a company to be useful, all three of those questions must be answered for it.

CREATING YOUR COMMON LANGUAGE FOR INNOVATION

With this map of the landscape of innovation types out there and how they differ, how do leaders go about applying this? Here are three principles to keep in mind as you clarify what innovation means in your organization:

1. Agree on the strategic intent behind your innovation effort. Innovation is always a means to an end, not an end in and of itself; in a company, these ends must relate to your financial and strategic priorities and imperatives. Are you looking to drive growth in existing businesses, to create new businesses, to drive increased efficiency? Are you looking to transform your existing models or to stave off disruptive threats? Any of these objectives, and many others, can be turbocharged by innovation, so it’s important to figure out where you want to formalize this link.
2. Define more than one “type” of innovation. Because there is inevitably more than one strategic objective that innovation needs to support, you’ll need to define more than one type. A best practice is to create clear definitions for the multiple “innovation types” you want to manage and measure, and to use this “innovation typology” as the basis for designing and building your innovation infrastructure. For example, we sometimes hear leaders say they want “innovation to be everyone’s job.” But they surely don’t mean they want 100% of their workforce focused on creating disruptive new growth businesses. Having multiple types will help your people understand the different roles they might play in driving innovation.
3. Align the organization behind your definitions — and the underlying strategic intent. Spread the language — and be precise about it. Once you’ve aligned on your “common language of innovation,” you need to make sure everyone in your organization understands the language and can speak it. This starts at the leadership level, where it is critically important that everyone be on the same page about what “innovation” means and how each defined type is enabled across the company. This can be reinforced at all levels through training, integration into innovation processes, and carefully crafted communications.

A great example of a powerful, custom innovation typology is that of Procter & Gamble Company (P&G) during the tenure of A.G. Lafley, which consisted of four types, each of which can be understood as different permutations of answers to our three questions. These types were:

• Sustaining innovations: These are improvements to existing products (what kind of thing?) that are incremental (how new is it?) and aimed at sustaining share with current customers and getting new customers to try it (what kind of value does it create?). These innovations are the lifeblood of any company as they keep the core business on track. Example: improvements in the cleaning efficacy of P&G’s suite of Tide-brand products
• Commercial innovations: These are creative marketing, packaging or promotional approaches (what kind of thing?) aimed at growing existing offerings (what kind of value does it create?). Example: the 2010 Winter Olympic P&G ad campaign celebrating mothers, which cut across a wide range of brands driving $100 million in revenue
• Transformational-sustaining innovations: These are new product innovations (what kind of thing?) aimed at reframing and reinvigorating existing categories that have been commoditized through quantum leaps (how new is it?) in performance improvement, with the aim of attaining completely new levels of market share and profit (what kind of value does it create?). Example: Crest 3D White, a suite of advanced oral care products
• Disruptive innovations: These are new business models (what kind of thing?) that create new sources of growth (what kind of value?) through simplicity or affordability. Example: Swiffer line of products

Each of these types supported a different strategic priority of P&G. Defining them enabled P&G to organize its sophisticated innovation capabilities around them — and to measure the results.

The most important thing a leadership team can do is to get started on clarifying the roles and meaning of the word “innovation” in its company. This can save immense amounts of time, wasted energy and employee frustration, and greatly increase your chances of realizing the hopes you had for innovation in the first place.

ENDNOTES

1. There is actually a fourth dimension needed to fully understand many widespread innovation definitions: This dimension relates not to what an innovation is, but to how it is discovered. For example, “open innovation” refers to a set of techniques for discovering new ideas external to one’s organization. “Reverse innovation” refers to the transplantation of an innovative idea from one geography to another, typically from a developing economy to a more developed one. Both of these are agnostic as to what type of innovation is involved, and indeed both techniques can apply to a wide variety of innovation types. Neither is what we are focused on in this article, which is the more fundamental issue of how leaders can define which types are relevant to their organizations.

 

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About the Authors

 

David Duncan is a Senior Partner at Innosight and leads the Financial Services and Innovation Capabilities practices. He is a trusted adviser to top leaders at many of the world’s most iconic companies, helping them to navigate disruptive change, create sustainable growth, and transform their organizations to thrive for the long-term. dduncan@innosight.com

 

Alasdair Trotter  is a Partner at Innosight where he specializes in innovation strategy & incubation within the   healthcare, finance & technology industries. He works with senior level teams of Fortune 500 companies, helping clients identify high potential growth opportunities, develop new business models & launch new growth ventures.    atrotter@innosight.com

 

Bernard Kümmerli is a Senior Partner at Innosight and leads its operations in Europe. He has worked with global clients to design strategies for enduring growth, build innovation capabilities, and put in place governance systems to enable transformation. He is an expert and author on the topic of innovation leadership, and regularly sits on global innovation councils together with top company leaders. bkuemmerli@innosight.com

 

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About INNOSIGHT

Innosight is a strategy and innovation consulting firm that helps organizations navigate disruptive change and manage strategic transformation. Now a member of the Huron Consulting Group, we work with leaders to create new growth strategies, accelerate critical innovation initiatives, and build innovation capabilities. Discover more about us at www.innosight.com.

The post What is Innovation? appeared first on Innosight.

Beach Avenue looking west & Aquatic Centre August 3 1974

 

If anyone ever wanted to look at what priority the automobile was given in the last century, this image tells the story. 1974 was the year the “new” Aquatic Centre was opened, replacing the Crystal Pool that had been built on the same site in 1928. The Martello Towers are part of the “grand gesture” to the modernism of the street, where no  walker or cyclist can be seen.

This was the same year that the Knight Street Bridge was opened, and Granville Street north of Nelson was closed to vehicular traffic for conversion to a pedestrian mall, which opened that summer.

The image is another great one from Diane Sampson who found this at the Vancouver Archives.

 

Ben Williamson, Code Acts in Education, Apr 02, 2020

Ben Williamson argues that "during the ongoing coronavirus crisis, new pandemic power networks have begun to coalesce around claims that edtech is not just disruptive, but in fact palliative." These agencies are driving an agenda, he says, that favours "digital technologies as a solution to a perceived ‘crisis’ of education that pre-dates coronavirus..., private sector technology companies as key providers of educational infrastructure, platforms, apps, content and other services... (and) decentralize education systems (as) connected networks where learning can be conducted across homes, schools and other settings." As I read this my reaction is partially "well what did you expect?" and "most of this is what we want." Sure, I have grave reservations about any desire to privatize the educational system. But I don't see that happening in countries that have strong public education sectors. What I see happening is government moving to support education as a vital public service that needs to be provided to everyone no matter what.

Web: [Direct Link] [This Post]

Karen Nichols, CAT FooD, Apr 02, 2020

It has been a long time since I've written about netiquette. But the flood of new videoconferencing users is reminiscient of the time in the 90s when incoming AOL users doubled the size of the internet. So establishing some norms makes sense. Now I'm not sure I would agree with all of these - for example, instead of saying "wear work-appropriate clothing" I think the rule should just say "wear clothing". Also the stuff about framing and lighting and looking at the camera could be replaced with "point the camera at you, not the ceiling". But despite my disagreements, I think it's time for vidiquette. See also: Melanie Yunk. More: BBC.

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Alex Usher, Higher Education Strategy Associates, Apr 02, 2020

Earlier this week I had a drive-by Twitter disagreement with Bonnie Stewart about whether online marking exaggerated inequalities. I argued that it does not; she responded "all the prejudices remain with new inequities added." À propos (probably coincidentally) Alex Usher looks at "the issue of different methods of marking and assessment." Writing about higher education, Usher contrasts the “professorial classroom sovereignty” in North America with models where the responsibility for marking is split between several agents in order to produce (variably) cost-effectiveness or fairness. Usher comments, "it is worth thinking sometimes about the price-tag our doctrine of 'professorial classroom sovereignty' carries: specifically, in reduced ability to seek gains from specialization, concerns about fairness in grading, and quality control." And I think this casts nicely into my own perspective that individual in-person classroom teachers are a lot less fair than we would like to pretend, and that online learning can redress this in ways the traditional system cannot.

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On February, 24 I asked Microsoft about software support on the ARM-powered Surface Pro X.

I have been using Surface Pro X for three weeks now and I am really pleased with the device. However, given Microsoft's history with non-Intel versions of Windows, I am reluctant to recommend it. Even currently, software support is quite a mixed bag. Examples:

- Edge on Chromium runs in AA64 native mode
- Office 365 apps run in Win32 emulation mode
- Authenticator does not run at all

Three questions as kind of a depth probe:

1. Does Microsoft plan to support all their software on AA64?
2. Is there a timeline for Office 365?
3. Are you working with Adobe to bring Creative Suite to the platform?

Microsoft PR took my questions and forwarded them to the people in charge. Every two weeks I received a heads up that the answers were still pending. Today I received them.

- There is truly a Surface for everyone based on how they work and what they want to accomplish. We have grown from two devices to a full portfolio to address the broad set of requirements across our customers. With our Surface Pro line, we have consistently pushed to deliver more performance and versatility in thinner, lighter, and more mobile devices. Surface Pro X is designed for people on the go who want a modern, always connected device. We invested in the custom Microsoft SQ1 processor with Qualcomm to deliver an amazing customer experience and we are committed to working closely with them and with partners across the industry to help bring more apps to ARM over time.

- The Surface Pro X supports ARM64, ARM32 native apps, and Win32 emulated apps. Furthermore, the ecosystem continues to grow with full-featured apps from the Windows Store, including Microsoft Office, Spotify, Netflix, Pandora, Amazon Music, Hulu, Vudu and more. 

- Since the launch of Surface Pro X Microsoft has released an ARM64 version of the new Edge Browser and will continue to develop apps for ARM.

- We are committed to connecting people with the right device and have training for Microsoft Stores and 3rd Party Retail Sales Associates to help guide customers to Surface Pro X or Surface Pro 7 depending on their needs.  We also have a “Help Me Choose” tool to help customers select the right Surface computer https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/surface/devices/help-me-choose

Let me translate that for you. These are the answers to my three questions:

1. No
2. No
3. No

Although Surface Pro X is currently my favorite computer, I would advise to no bet on it for the time being.

This post with videos explain what the Garmin Varia Vision and Garmin Rear Light Radar do. The Garmin Varia Vision is a very slick, well-designed Heads Up Device that enables you to read the data on your Garmin Edge bike computer without having to take your eyes off the road. It fits easily to your cycling glasses, and is light weight. And the Garmin Rear Light Radar makes you more visible to motorists, and also alerts you to vehicles approaching from behind. The aim is safety, of course. But many people wonder if these high tech gadgets are worth their high price? Well, right now they are on sale, so it's a good time to evaluate them and decide if they are luxuries, or if they are something you need.

The post Garmin Varia Vision and Varia Rear Light Radar appeared first on Average Joe Cyclist.

Tile has once again complained to a U.S. Congressional panel that Apple is using its control over the App Store and its hardware to muscle out competing services.

Tile initially testified to a section of U.S. Congress in January with Sonos, Popsockets and other companies, claiming that Apple and other tech giants are using their power over dominant platforms like the App Store and its hardware ecosystem to edge out established competitors. Following these hearings, Apple promised to concede to some of Tile’s requests, but it has yet to do so.

Tile is getting fed up with waiting for Apple and is going straight to the top to demand that the company allow Tile to track users’ locations at all times, according to Reuters.

For Tile’s trackers to function correctly, they need to be aware of where the tracking beacon is at all times. If the app loses access to your phone’s location data, it won’t be able to determine where your tag is.

For the sake of comparison, Apple’s ‘Find My’ app uses location tracking all of the time and doesn’t bombard users with popups asking if they agree to use that slice of data.

The device tracking company is in a weird position because it believes that Apple is purposefully stripping back Tile’s features so that it can eventually launch its own hardware that does the same thing. Apple’s prospective ‘AirTags’ are still only a rumour, but it might make sense for Tile to get ahead of the tracker’s release so it doesn’t get overshadowed by a new product.

Several large tech companies have been accused of anti-competitive behaviour, but over the last few years, Apple has garnered the worst reputation. It all started with Spotify and then spiralled into increasing numbers of apps coming forward with stories regarding how Apple’s rules have changed to place less of an emphasis on their product or service, just as Apple releases a similar app or device.

Source: Reuters

The post Tile reiterates anti-competitive accusations against Apple appeared first on MobileSyrup.

Toronto-based Ritual has laid off more than half of its employees and is going to minimize its operations as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic.

BetaKit reports that the company says the virus is having a “devastating impact” on the restaurant industry, which in turn affects the app and its operations.

Ritual allows customers to order food through its app, after which they can go and pick up the food without waiting in line. The app also offers points that users can redeem for a cheaper lunch. Since numerous restaurants around the world have shut down due to the virus, Ritual has been heavily impacted.

Betakit’s sources note that around 196 employees have been laid off, which is slightly more than half of the 365 Ritual staff listed on LinkedIn.

“We are taking necessary steps to restructure how we operate and put us on solid footing to continue to serve our customers, merchants and neighbourhoods during this moment and the recovery to follow,” the company said in a statement.

Ritual is also going to decrease its operations around the world, and is going to eventually withdraw its operations in Germany and the Netherlands. Following its launch in 2014, the company had managed to expand its app into more than 50 cities and seven countries.

The company is the latest to take a hit following the negative impacts of COVID-19. As the virus and its impacts continue to spread across Canada and the rest of the world, we may likely continue to see more unfortunate layoffs.

BetaKit notes that it reached out to Ritual for a comment, but did not receive one by that time it published the report. You can read BetaKit’s full report here.

Ritual is available on iOS and Android.

Source: BetaKit

The post Toronto-based Ritual lays off half of its employees due to COVID-19: report appeared first on MobileSyrup.

It looks like Apple’s often-rumoured AirTag Bluetooth tracker actually exists.

A now-deleted support video recently posted to the tech giant’s YouTube channel included a brief mention of the AirTag tracker, as first reported by Appleosophy.

In the video, Apple mentions AirTags by name in a description related to the ‘Find My’ app’s offline finding functionality. As you may have already guessed, the video was swiftly deleted.

“Offline finding enables this device and AirTags to be found when not connected to Wi-Fi or cellular,” read the text in the video.

9to5Mac first reported Apple is working on its own Tile-like Bluetooth tracking device with deep ‘Find My’ app integration back in October 2019;

Similar to Tile’s Bluetooth tracking devices, Apple’s tracker can reportedly attach to real-world objects like a keychain, wallet or other valuable items.

According to rumours, the AirTag is paired with a user’s iCloud account after being placed near an iPhone, similar to Apple’s AirPods. The accessory will also allow users to receive notifications if their iPhone is too far away from an AirTag.

Unlike Tile’s trackers, Apple’s Bluetooth tracking device is rumoured to take advantage of the iPhone 11 and iPhone 11 Pro’s ultra-wide band (UWB) technology, allowing the accessory to provide a more precise position than Bluetooth low-energy and Wi-Fi.

That said, only the iPhone 11 series features UWB. Even the recently released iPad Pro (2020) doesn’t feature an ultra-wide band chip, according to MacRumors.

What’s still unclear is what Apple’s AirTag looks like, with some reports hinting it features a circular design.

It’s likely that Apple will officially reveal its AirTag Bluetooth tracker at some point in the next few weeks, though it’s possible the release date might be pushed back due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Source: Appleosophy Via: 9to5Mac

The post Apple accidentally mentions unreleased AirTag Bluetooth tracker in support video appeared first on MobileSyrup.

Yesterday, as reported by 9to5Mac and other publications, Amazon updated its Prime Video app to permit video purchases and rentals without using Apple’s In-App Purchase system in some circumstances. It wasn’t clear what was going on at first because some users saw what looked like an Amazon checkout process, while others got an Apple checkout flow. To add to the confusion, Apple issued a statement that said Amazon Prime is using “an established program for premium subscription video entertainment providers.”

John Gruber did some investigating and has an excellent explanation on Daring Fireball on how the deal between Amazon and Apple seems to work. As Gruber explains, If you’re signed in to the Amazon Prime app with an Amazon account and are a full Prime or Prime Video member, renting or purchasing video uses an Amazon checkout process. Otherwise, Apple’s In-App Purchase system is used, which interestingly, can also be used to sign up for a Prime Video subscription.

Gruber makes a compelling and detailed case for what seems to be going on:

So the deal seems to be this:

• The Prime Video app supports every feature that makes a third-party subscription video service a first-class citizen in Apple’s multi-device TV ecosystem.
• For users with existing Prime subscriptions, or new subscriptions made on Amazon’s website, Amazon now gets to bill them directly for movie rentals and purchases made in the app, giving Apple no cut of the transactions.
• Users can subscribe to Prime Video in-app using an iTunes subscription, giving Apple a recurring cut, and leaving subscription management in Apple’s hands.
• For users without a Prime subscription, or with a Prime subscription made through the app, Amazon now bills them for purchases and rentals through Apple’s In-App Purchase mechanism, giving Apple a cut.

Based on a few reasonable assumptions, Gruber concludes that the deal is a win for Apple, Amazon, and also consumers who get a first-rate app experience that includes the ability to buy and rent TV shows and movies in the Prime Video app for the first time.

I hope we see more deals like this. Having Prime Video available in Apple’s TV app where it’s included in the Up Next section of the app and being able to rent and buy content without resorting to a web browser makes for a much better overall experience for users looking for something to watch.

→ Source: daringfireball.net

Several grumpy opinions about remote work at Tailscale

Really useful in-depth reviews of the tools Tailscale are using to build their remote company. "We decided early on - about the time we realized all three cofounders live in different cities - that we were going to go all-in on remote work, at least for engineering, which for now is almost all our work. As several people have pointed out before, fully remote is generally more stable than partly remote."

Samantha Ahern, Wonkhe, Apr 02, 2020

I'm going to juxtapose two posts here: one from the Christensen Institute titled Keep calm and carry on: Reasonable approaches to home-based learning, and the other from WonkHE called Ethical debt and the great online pivot. The former argues that "Vetoing all learning over equity concerns makes the perfect the enemy of the good." The latter says "The first consideration is that of social justice." The former says "It seems ironic, however, to say now that 'no one learns if not everyone can learn.'" The latters says, "we are also subjecting them to a programmed sociality predetermined by the platforms that they are using." I read Audrey Watters say "you might consider it 'just works' because it ignores all sorts of permissions and security features" and I think to myself, "oh sure, it was so much better when we used all those systems that didn't work."

People argue as though the ethics of all this is settled, but it isn't. I was in the middle of writing a very long paper about that when all of this hit, and I hope to finish it. We need to do better than sweeping declarations about what's good and what's bad in all of this. Social justice matters, but so does education. Privacy matters, but so does openness.

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