New month, new locale. Hello, Martina Franca, Puglia.
Temple of Valadier: Refuge for sinners
Over 1000 years old, this sanctuary in Genga’s Frasassi Caves was intended to be a refuge from sinners, but when you see it from a sky, it looks like the church itself is seeking refuge from the world.
The temple you now see was complete in 1827 under the suggestion of Pope Leo XII. For all this time it was called the Temple of Valadier but recent study has revealed that Giuseppe Valadier, its namesake architect, didn’t design it at all.
Either which way, it’s nice to know that Catholic sinners get a cool place to pilgrimage to.
I caught a few moments after the sun set, in between rain clouds, to get the drone up. I’d been driving for 45 minutes and gotten stuck down two dead ends. I was making these photos tonight!
A few other accounts of the sanctuary:
Rate my desk (June 2023 edition)
For the past ten months, my and my family’s non-clothing and non-toiletries life has completely lived inside a Think Tank camera bag and it will do so for another 50 days. I took the opportunity this afternoon to do a quick audit, headcount, and make sure everything I was carrying was necessary, and inspired by the Hemispheric Views podcast segment ‘Rate my desk’ I thought I would submit my ‘desk away from home’ to the internets.
All of our life’s possessions that aren’t our actual home and the furniture in that home required for it to be on Airbnb, lives in our two July ‘Checked Plus’ bags, and two Dagne Dover bags, plus a Phil & Teds travel cot and a Baby Jogger travel pram, and this Think Tank Streetwalker camera bag pictured below.
The reason for the Think Tank Streetwalker bag is that it’s unique in being a carry bag, a backpack, and a roller bag. It’s the Optimus Prime of camera bags.
I’ll guess a few of the questions “What is that?!”:
- Panic Playdate
- photocopies of passports and actual passports
- parfum
- new and identical backup sunglasses because the last place you want to be is in a strange new land without your favourite sunglasses
- octopus straps, you never know when you’ll need to strap something to something (same goes for the tape)
- USB-C dock with an ethernet port, because sometimes you just need to plug the damn thing in to get internet
- my eldest daughter’s camera (Nikon Coolpix childproof potato camera)
- my wife’s camera (Fuji X-S10 with a 27mm)
- my splurge camera purchase in Paris (Leica Z2X which means 2x zoom, film camera)
- my flying camera (DJI Mavic 3)
- my camera (Canon EOS R5)
- Native Union universal cable
- supporters gift from the Wedding Photo Hangover podcast
- DJI Mic kit
- MacBook Pro M2, a new addition to the kit after my former M1 MacBook Pro got drunk on a glass of whisky
- Philips OneBlade shaver, the best travel shaver I could find and the only one that has USB charging
- ThruNite torch that takes AA batteries because you can’t leave emergency eyesight to a lithium USB-charged battery
- 35mm f/1.8, 50mm f/1.8, 70-200mm f/2.8
- Anker charger and Britt has one too
- my friend Scotty’s latest book on my Kobo Libra 2 (I’m a recent convert away from Kindle, and love this Kobo!)
Our whole charging strategy is based on IEC C7 (Figure 8) leads and getting local leads wherever we go and they plug into the Anker chargers and the 96W Apple charger. There’s a blog post on my reasoning for this. I’m now a cable dad.
So, rate my desk.
Is the future of TV, radio? Or the future of radio is TV? Either way, it’s almost 7pm and this is what Italians are watching on TV?
The number one indicator that you’re an old dad is when your cables and leads company emails “Let’s Catch Up!” and “We miss you!” as if you’re high school buddies.
My (IMHO aweome) international travel charging situation
As a family we travel with a MacBook Pro, iPad mini, two iPhones, Apple Watch, and a series of things that require either USB-A, USB-C, or micro USB to charge. We’ve chosen gadgets and utilities that are all USB-C, with exceptions where necessary.
My DJI Magic 3 drone batteries need 65W but my current travel charger’s 65W apparently doesn’t quite meet the needs the DJI three-battery USB-C charger, so the 96W Apple original MBP charger does the MacBook and the drone batteries.
For a family of four travelling globally for a year it was hard to figure out the exact right kit, but we got there in the end.
So my worldwide travel solution has been
- two Anker 543 Chargers (65W II), these have two USB-A ports, a USB-C 45W port and a USB-C 20W port
- my original 96W MacBook charger.
Each of these, including the MacBook charger, takes as an input the figure 8 lead. Figure 8 leads, or IEC C7 leads as they’re technically known, are very easy to procure locally, most Airbnb’s even have multiple devices already using them, they’re inexpensive, and they’re small to carry.
So I buy three IEC C7 leads for each region we’re travelling to. If we weren’t on a year long trip I’d hold onto the leads but suitcase space is at a premium. So far I’ve needed four different leads, a set for Australia, Mexico/USA, then the European kind, and finally the best of all - the British variety. The Brits don’t get much right but they figured out electrical points and plugs really well.
I also have this assortment of cables
- 4x Thunderbolt 4/USB-C cables about 25cm long. These suit most charging, data, plugging-in situations.
- USB-C lightning leads for the iPhones
- the Apple MagSafe travel dock for Watch and iPhone
- and the get out of jail free card is my USB-A to Lightning + USB-C + Micro-USB three-headed plug.
That’s how we travel the globe keeping everything charged and no stress.
Tonight we sojourn at the Tavignano Estate in Cingoli, Italy.
Apple Vision has been 'in development' for 28 years
Tim Cook once said that “we are high on AR for the long run” and it’s true, for 28 years Apple - and the rest of the tech industry - has been noodling around on augmented reality and virtual reality.
Out of a purely personal interest, I started flipping through rumours about Apple and its “glasses” to see where the leakers got it right and wrong, and the next minute I’m back in 1995, so I thought a curated list of all the leaks, rumours, and related dates might be a nice record to make in the year of our headset, AVP 0.
Enjoy this trip down memory lane:
1981 - Steve Mann designs a backpack-mounted computer to control photographic equipment
While still in high-school Steve Mann wired a 6502 computer (as used in the Apple-II) into a steel-frame backpack to control flash-bulbs, cameras, and other photographic systems.
23 May, 1995 - Apple Technical Report #125: Volumetric Hyper Reality, A Computer Graphics Holy Grail for the 21st Century?
Such a display would convincingly create the illusion of objects with arbitrary optical properties. A metallic object depicted using the display would reflect the visual surroundings of the display. Dielectric materials would show correct refraction and reflection effects. Light shone on the display would illuminate the virtual objects within it. When programmed to depict empty space, the display would, for all practical purposes, disappear, rendering the contained volume invisible. Incremental steps towards such a device are discussed.
September 16, 1997 - Steve Jobs returns to Apple
March, 1998 - Tim Cook joins Apple as senior vice president for worldwide operations
March 21, 2002 - Apple: Stereoscopic Displays?
Apple is said to have other flat-panel technologies cooking in the labs, including stereoscopic displays
Arnold Kim writes:
Stereoscopic displays would presumably simulate 3d/VR environments. A bit unique for the consumer market… but an interesting area of research for Apple.
May 16, 2003 - Simon Greenwold publishes his Spatial Computing masters thesis
June 29, 2007 - Apple releases the iPhone
April 17, 2008 - Apple Researching Laser-Based Head Mounted Display
A user simply plugs their handheld video player such as the iPod manufactured by Apple Computer of Cupertino, Calif., into the compact laser engine attached to their belt, and places the headset on their head. The user then selects a video to be played at the handheld video player (viewing through transparent display elements).
Apple’s patent was originally filed in May 2008 and is based on a provisional patent application filed in May 2007
December 17, 2009 - Apple Working on 3D ‘Hyper-Reality’ Displays
August 24, 2011 - Tim Cook becomes CEO
October 5, 2011 - Steve Jobs passes away
January 12, 2012 - Apple is paving the Way for a new 3D GUI for iOS Devices
The invention covers a 3D display environment for a mobile device that uses orientation data from one or more onboard sensors to automatically determine and display a perspective projection of the 3D display environment based on the orientation data without the user physically interacting with (e.g., touching) the display.
August 2012 - Palmer Luckey launches the Oculus campaign on Kickstarter
22 February, 2013 - Google aims to sell Glass to consumers this year for less than $1,500
26 February, 2013 - John Gruber on Google Glass:
And the idea that people will wear things like this everywhere (as opposed to special specific scenarios, such as workers in an environment where their hands are otherwise occupied, like, say, surgeons) strikes me as creepy as hell.
December 10, 2013 - Apple’s Work on Video Goggles Highlighted in Newly Granted Patent
A goggle system for providing a personal media viewing experience to a user is provided. The goggle system may include an outer cover, a mid-frame, optical components for generating the media display, and a lens on which the generated media displayed is provided to the user. The goggle system, or head-mounted display may have any suitable appearance. For example, the goggle system may resemble ski or motorcycle goggles. To enhance the user’s comfort, the goggle system may include breathable components, including for example breathable foam that rests against the user’s face, and may allow the user to move the display generation components for alignment with the user’s eyes. In some embodiments, the goggle system may include data processing circuitry operative to adjust left and right images generated by the optical components to display 3-D media, or account for a user’s eyesight limitations.
November 24, 2014 - Job Listing Points Towards Apple’s Continued Interest in Virtual Reality
19 March 2015 - Gene Munster Claims Apple Has Augmented Reality R&D Team
May, 2015 - Apple hired Mike Rockwell from Dolby Laboratories
The team, called the Technology Development Group, developed an AR demo in 2016 but faced opposition from then-chief design officer Jony Ive and his team.
May 28, 2015 - Apple Acquires Augmented Reality Company Metaio
January 26, 2016 - Apple CEO Tim Cook: Virtual Reality is ‘Really Cool’, Has ‘Interesting Applications’
It’s really cool
January 29, 2016 - Apple Has Secret Team Working on Virtual Reality Headset
Juli Clover reports:
Hundreds of employees are part of a “secret research unit” exploring AR and VR
February 19, 2016 - Avi Bar-Zeev on his blog: On Holographic Telepresence
I may get around to telling the rest of the story some other time. But I just wanted to say how proud I am of the team and the vision to show the world a glimpse of our collective future.
March 30, 2016 - Microsoft HoloLens released
June 2016 - Avi Bar-Zeev joins Apple
July 26, 2016 - Apple CEO Tim Cook on Augmented Reality: ‘We Continue to Invest a Lot in This’
We are high on AR for the long run
August 23, 2016 - Apple Patent Details Visual-Based AR Navigation Device - reporting on a 2013 patent
The patent notes that visual-based inertial navigation systems can achieve positional awareness down to the centimetre scale without the need for GPS or cellular network signals. However, the technology is unsuitable for implementation in typical mobile devices because of the processing demands involved in variable real-time location tracking.
To overcome the limitation, Apple’s invention uses something called a sliding window inverse filter (SWF) that minimizes computational load by using predictive coding to map the orientation of objects relative to the device.
October 14, 2016 - BuzzFeed News Japan: Tim Cook Talks About Apple’s Augmented Reality Ambitions
November 14, 2016 - Mark Gurman: Apple Said to Explore Smart Glasses in Deeper Wearables Push
January 9, 2017 - Robert Scoble on Facebook: “Apple and Zeiss working together on augmented reality optics”
January 17, 2017 - John Gruber spitballing Apple AR’s usefulness
January 31, 2017 - Apple patents detail augmented reality device with advanced object recognition, POI labelling
February 28, 2017 - Apple Exploring AR in Israel as Robert Scoble Insists ‘Mixed Reality’ Glasses Coming This Year
June 26, 2017 - The Verge reports “Apple’s AR is closer to reality than Google’s”
Apple has often been accused of acting like it invented things that others have been doing for years. That complaint is not without merit, however, Apple can lay claim to transforming existing things into mainstream successes, which takes no small amount of invention in its own right.
June 29, 2017 - John Gruber on Genre Munster’s Apple Glasses predictions
I’m hard-pressed to think of anything we do today on our phones that would be better using AR glasses. Anything.
August 4, 2017 - Apple Experimenting With Several Augmented Reality Glasses Prototypes
November 2, 2017 - Tim Cook on Augmented Reality: ‘What It Will Be, What It Can Be, I Think It’s Profound’
December 4, 2017 - Apple Supplier Quanta Computer Teams Up With Lumus to Make Lenses for Augmented Reality Smart Glasses
January 12, 2018 - Apple Reportedly Met With Potential Suppliers of Augmented Reality Glasses at CES 2018
During CES, representatives from major players like Apple, Facebook, and Google met with suppliers that make the nuts and bolts required to power AR glasses, according to people familiar with the meetings.
March 1, 2019 - Tim Cook to Investors: Apple is Working on Future Products That Will ‘Blow You Away’
February 4, 2019 - Variety: The Inventor of the HoloLens Just Left Apple
Bar-Zeev has been working in the AR/VR space for close to three decades. Back in the ’90s, he was part of a team at Disney that worked on some early VR experiences for the company’s theme parks, including “Aladdin’s Magic Carpet” VR ride.
He then went on to co-found Keyhole, the company that later got acquired by Google to become the foundation of Google Maps. After a brief stint at Linden Lab, Bar-Zeev worked for four years at Microsoft.
“He helped found and invent Hololens at Microsoft, assembling the very first AR prototypes, demos and UX concepts, sufficient to convince his leadership,” according to his LinkedIn bio.
Avi says:
“I left my full-time position at Apple in January. I had the best exit one can imagine. I have only nice things to say about Apple and won’t comment on any specific product plans.”
March 8, 2019 - Kuo: Apple’s AR Glasses to Launch in 2020 as iPhone Accessory
June 27, 2019 - Jony Ive leaves Apple.
August 29, 2018 - Apple Purchased Akonia Holographics, a Company That Makes Lenses for AR Glasses
November 11, 2019 - Apple Said to Release AR Headset With 3D Scanning in 2022, Followed by Sleeker Glasses in 2023 & New AR Sensor Coming to 2020 iPad Pro and iPhone Models, AR/VR Headset as Soon as 2021
Plus, The Information reports on the infamous “1000 person meeting”: Apple Eyes 2022 Release for AR Headset, 2023 for Glasses
Apple executives discussed the timelines, which haven’t been previously reported, in an internal presentation to employees at the company’s Cupertino, California, campus in October, according to people familiar with the matter. Apple Vice President Mike Rockwell, who heads the team responsible for Apple’s AR and virtual reality initiatives, led the meeting, which included new details about the design and features of the AR headset, these people said. The product timetables run counter to recent analyst and media reports that said an Apple AR device could arrive as early as next year.
March 24, 2020 - Apple’s AR Glasses Could Launch by 2022 as Suppliers Reportedly Ramp Up Development
May 19, 2020 - ‘Apple Glass’ Rumored to Start at $499, Support Prescription Lenses, and More
Apple originally planned to unveil the glasses as a “One More Thing” surprise at its iPhone event in the fall, but restrictions on in-person gatherings could push back the announcement to a March 2021 event
May 21, 2020 - Jon Prosser Claims Apple is Working on ‘Steve Jobs Heritage Edition’ AR Glasses, Gurman Calls Rumor ‘Complete Fiction’
They’re also working on a prototype, a Steve Jobs Heritage Edition, similar to how we had an Apple Watch Edition, like that ridiculous $10,000 gold one when it first came out. Some like tribute to Steve Jobs, obviously just like a pure marketing ploy at this point.
Extra: Twitter thread between Prosser and Gurman on the subject.
May 21, 2020 - Apple’s Augmented Reality Glasses Again Rumored for 2021 Launch
October 22, 2020 - Apple Glasses Will Reportedly Use Sony’s ‘Cutting-Edge’ OLED Micro-Displays to Deliver ‘Real AR Experience’
January 6, 2021 - Apple Glasses Reportedly Progressing Towards Engineering Verification Stage With Focus on Battery Life and Weight
January 21, 2021 - Bloomberg: Apple’s First AR/VR Headset ‘Pricey, Niche Precursor’ to More Ambitious AR Glasses and Could Launch Next Year
March 7, 2021 - Kuo: Apple to Launch Mixed Reality Headset in Mid 2022 and Augmented Reality Glasses by 2025
April 26, 2021 - Apple Glasses Prototype Reportedly Falls Behind 2021 Testing Schedule
October 28, 2021 - Facebook rebrands to Meta, as in “the metaverse”
Mark Zuckerberg:
The metaverse is the next frontier
January 17, 2023 - Development on Augmented Reality ‘Apple Glasses’ Postponed Indefinitely
March 12, 2023 - Apple CEO Tim Cook Ordered Headset Launch Despite Designers Wanting to Wait for AR Glasses
June 5, 2023 - Apple Vision Pro announced at WWDC 2023
A must-listen on the Apple Vision Pro is Cortex’s most recent episode where Myke Hurley recounts his demonstration experience with the product.
Was just driving and stopped at a red traffic light in a small Italian village and a civilian car drives up being me, looks around, and just overtakes me and runs the red light. I love Italy.
South Carolina, you go grrl
Does Apple Vision mean 360 content is finally going to have its moment?
I’ve been playing around with 360 content for over seven years ago now and I have a few questions about where Apple is going to take the format.
If you make 360 content today, you spend a lot of time looking at content like this:
It’s not as appealing as the embeds below.
I’ve recorded my work creating marriage ceremonies in 360 video, and with my various DJI drones, I’ve been trying to create 360 still content as well.
My question and thought for today is how will the new spatial computing frontier handle consumer stills and video in 360? Will Apple standardise the media, and let it be viewed in Preview or Quick Look?
Will other devices be able to make content for the Apple Vision, will Apple Vision 3D or 360 content be viewable and enjoyed on other platforms?
How should content creators prepare for this new content-style? Is this permission to buy new gear?!!? (Please let my wife know if so).
I’ve been bullish on 360 for over seven years, I’m excited to see where it goes.
Where we’re currently staying in Northern Italy
Playa Ballandra, Mexico
Brisbane, Australia
Cabo San Lucas, Mexico
Malbun snow village, Liechtenstein
Lake Wolfgang, Austria
El Pescadero, Mexico
And where we’ll build our home one day, Tasmania
I just want to go on the record for being totally cool and not scared at all by the demonic kitten sound coming from the vineyard outside our Airbnb in Northern Italy. I am a big brave man and not scared by the feline calling out in the pitch black night.
Apple Reminders in iOS 17 is finally getting pretty useful
How Italians know whether to walk around shirtless or not
Our Italian Airbnb’s TV made me feel all nostalgic
I’m back baby!
Listening to an investor on a podcast today reminded me of how and why I do what I do. He was talking about advice that he had been given regarding his investment portfolio, and the person giving the advice said how well does that pie chart of what you’ve invested in reflect or match your interests, talents, and skills? The advice being that you should invest in what you know, invest in what you are passionate about.
So, after a solid sabbatical that has taken us through Mexico, the United States of America, and so much of Europe, I am proud to say that we’re coming back to Australia in August and I’m coming back to work as a celebrant.
It’s been a wild couple of years where I didn’t know if I’d ever want to create weddings anymore, but it turns out I just needed a few months off and some quality time with my girls.
I say all of that, to say this. There’s a book, and a principle, called the proximity principle, and it’s a simple principle. The idea is that the people that are around you, the people that are your community, are the people most likely to be able to help you.
So there are two things I would love some help with. Number one, when we get home we have to buy some cars, and buying a car today is terrible. If you or someone you know is selling your car, let a brother know. Secondly, we’re coming back to work and my calendar is wide open. So if you know someone getting married, anywhere in the world, let them know that your mate Josh is a pretty good celebrant.
Normally I’d say I’m looking forward to catching up with you when I’m home for a beer, but it turns - and I’ve researched this extensively on myself during this sabbatical - that beers make me fat and bloated and sick.
So instead I’m looking forward to an old-fashioned or red wine when I’m home.
See you soon!
Is there an AI tool around yet to help manage customer journeys? New client comes in, and the AI can take that journey on the pre-set rails we decide on in the business. Automation, but with intelligence?
Made our way into Italy today and caught the sun at it’s grandest, just before it goes to sleep.
I accidentally installed the developer beta of iOS 17. It’s mostly fine with a handful of annoying bugs you’d expect to see three months away from launch, but I’m so grateful for offline Apple Maps. Get me some offline Apple Translate and I’ll be set!
Whenever someone sees a photo of mine and asks me what iPhone I used my 25kg full ThinkTank camera bag weeps.
