justin․searls․co

Over the last year, every SaaS app launch has been followed by a competing vibe-coded clone app within days or weeks. Time to update the Silicon Valley shitheel lexicon:

TIRED: "Fast follow"
WIRED: "Sloppy seconds"

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A better macOS Globe key

The Globe key on macOS is a strange key.

Ostensibly, Apple added it so users could easily change keyboard layouts to switch between different languages. In practice, however, the vast majority of users only need two "languages": their mother tongue and the emoji keyboard. The same key also serves as an underutilized fn button—a role that has become ubiquitous on Windows and Linux keyboards, but which has seen relatively little use on macOS.

By having two jobs, the Globe key ends up being bad at both. And when it comes to changing languages, it fails because it introduces a 300–500 ms delay while the system waits to see whether the user intends to press and hold the key as part of another shortcut.

This is way too slow if you actually need to switch keyboard layouts rapidly. And nobody needs to do that more than Japanese users, for whom half-width English characters and full-width kana and kanji are routinely interspersed within a single sentence or web form. (This is why Japanese hardware keyboards have dedicated, instantly responsive keys on either side of the layout for switching between English characters and Japanese input modes in a single keystroke—without requiring the user to mentally track the current modal state of the keyboard.)

While I can't magically add another physical key to my U.S. keyboard, tools like Karabiner-Elements or Keyboard Maestro can take over the Globe key and make it switch layouts instantly.

Since I already have Keyboard Maestro running, that's what I used to fix this. You can download the macro here.

To set it up:

  1. Open System Settings → Keyboard.
  2. Set Press 🌐 key to to Do Nothing.
  3. Double-click the macro to add it to Keyboard Maestro, and make sure it's enabled.

Once configured, you can switch between the two keyboard layouts instantly—without waiting for the operating system to catch up.

AI companies touting scale as how much electricity they consume is insane. Should steel companies report output via CO2 emissions? If more efficient technology
comes requiring less power, how do you handle having trained analysts to equate power consumption with success?

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What happened to Japanese men? When I was in college, everyone respected onsen etiquette—washing before entering a public bath. Today, the majority just splash water on their junk and jump in the water

Worldwide, right-wing political lurches seem to give men cover to be assholes

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Oh, Apple. Scheduled a "Send Later" iMessage to Becky for 10 AM yesterday, but because of time zone changes I never experienced 10 AM yesterday and instead of scheduling based on a real timestamp it just left the message in a permanent unsent state.

Great job, everyone.

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It is Twenty Fucking Twenty Six and iMessage still thinks that a phone number without a country code and a phone number with a country code belong in the same message thread (good!) but different contacts (bad!). What am I supposed to do? Save +1 and non +1 variants for every US phone number in my contacts?

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Here's a direct revenue idea for the airlines: Informed Seat Selection.

Prior to choosing a seat, passengers pay $89 to preview the security photos on file for the passengers booked next to them.

Bonus: dynamic pricing based on historical desirability of each passenger.

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Back in college during my study abroad in Japan, I met a jackass from the UK who got pissed when me and my friends kept referring to "soccer" when "the rest of the world calls it football."

It was fun to be the one to inform him that in Japan they call it soccer.

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PSA: iPhone Air MagSafe Battery can charge your AirPods

One of the many subtle frustrations I have with the Airpods Pro 3 is that the redesigned case actually results in a slightly-askew magnet alignment, which results in several (official!) MagSafe chargers failing to charge the case. Well, while the iPhone Air MagSafe Battery may not fit any other model iPhone particularly well, it's actually a super handy way to recharge your AirPods! Just plop the fucker on the back and twist until you hear that familiar ding and see the light turn on.

Might come in handy on a long flight.

Secondary PSA: engraving is free and AirPods are disposable: put your e-mail address on your AirPods.

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