2026-04-07 22:07:46
One of my favorite features of my phone is resurfacing old photos. Reliving memories, reminiscing on trips, and seeing life milestones – especially those of my son – play out before my eyes are just amazing experiences. Photos that in the past would be tucked away in books and forgotten can now just show up on my Home Screen without any effort on my part. I love it.
There’s always been a piece of the puzzle missing, though. For actual years, I’ve been looking for an app that would allow me to revisit pictures I took on this date in past years. No algorithm. No filtering out pictures deemed of lower quality. Just a grid of photos from past years in reverse chronological order. That way, I can experience my entire photo library via a structured, ongoing process.
Finally, there’s an app that does just this, and it is fantastic. On This Day from Florian Grossmann has quickly become one of my favorite apps and one that I turn to daily for reviewing old pictures. It’s simple, it’s customizable, it’s well-designed, and it does exactly what I want it to do, enabling me to enjoy my photos from the past each and every day.
I reviewed On This Day on MacStories, so I’d love it if you would check out the review and give On This Day a spin.
2026-04-07 10:40:44
I’ve not done the best job of linking to my writing here lately, so here we go. This is what I’ve been up to:
In December, I got to take part in the annual MacStories Selects Awards, honoring some amazing apps and writing about a couple of my absolute favorites from 2025.
I’ve done quite a bit of Vision Pro coverage on MacStories, writing about sitting digitally front row at Lakers games, an immersive dog show, YouTube finally coming to visionOS, and the continued progress of gaming on Vision Pro.
It’s not Vision Pro-related, but when it was announced, I did get to write about Apple Creator Studio, a software bundle I’m still excited to see from Apple.
I’ve written about a variety of topics in the Club MacStories Monthly Log, like my optimism for Apple software developments in 2026, my hope that AI doesn’t take away the joy of discovering new apps, my continued reliance on the M1 generation of chips in my workflow, and a quirk of the iPhone Air that didn’t ultimately deter me from keeping the device.
I’ve been working more in the background than the foreground as of late, and that’s certainly reflected in my personal creative output. Still, in times like these, I remind myself that the background work counts and these things tend to come in phases. At least the next time you hear from me, you won’t be reading about months-old writing – or, at least, let’s hope not!
2026-03-04 09:12:54
Greg Morris, in a blog post on journaling entitled Noticing, Not Performing:
Many people struggle to journal because they sit down to write and they simply don’t know what to say. They stare at the blank page, waiting for something deep and meaningful to come to them. They want to write something that sounds like it belongs in a journal, something introspective and profound. When that doesn’t come easily, they stop.
Greg’s words resonated strongly with me because this is an issue I’ve run into time and time again with my own journaling. I’ve had so many starts and stops over the years, and I really think the key to my sticking with it this time (four years running!) was a conscious decision to just let my journal be whatever I need it to be on that particular day.
There are days when I sit down to write and feel like I’m doing some real processing – growing, even. I love that feeling. But there are other days when I simply recount the events of the day. And then there are days when I need to vent. My journal is there for me then, too. It’s whatever I need it to be for me because it’s just that: for me.
If I only wrote in my journal when I had a deep insight to record, I’d have fallen off the habit long ago. I’m grateful that journaling can be what I need it to be on any given day. If you’re thinking about giving journaling a try, I highly recommend it. Don’t overthink it; just sit down with a notebook, app, or whatever tool works for you and write what’s on your mind. It really is such a beneficial practice.
As Greg says later in the post, “Noticing your life doesn’t require depth. It requires attention.” If you’re willing to do it, paying that attention is well worth it.
2025-12-13 02:47:38
A couple of interesting Apple TV news bits came out today. First was the reveal that Eternity, the A24 romantic comedy starring Elizabeth Olson, Miles Teller, and Callum Turner is apparently an Apple Original film headed for the service early next year? This news came completely out of the blue – and that’s coming from someone who keeps up with this kind of thing pretty closely. I’m not sure why Apple’s been so quiet about its involvement with this film, but I look forward to watching it on Apple TV soon regardless.
Also, the company has renewed Down Cemetery Road for a second season. The show is based on a series of books by Mick Heron, whose work is also behind long-running Apple Original series Slow Horses. It’s great to see another of Heron’s book series continue to be adapted for the screen, though I wonder if naming the show after the first book might make less sense as time goes on. (Silo avoided this issue by pivoting away from its production title, Wool.)
Regardless, we’re in for an exciting start to the year on Apple TV, with returning series including Tehran (featuring Hugh Laurie this time around), Hijack, The Last Thing He Told Me, Shrinking, and Monarch: Legacy of Monsters. We’ve also got new seasons of Drops of God and Your Friends & Neighbors to look forward to in the spring, alongside Eternity whenever it comes to streaming.
Right now, though, all I can focus on is the countdown to the first season finale of Pluribus. I also just finished listening to The Last Thing He Told Me audiobook in preparation for its sequel novel’s release in January. If you want a preview of what’s coming in the show’s second season, there’s still time to catch up on the books beforehand.
Happy streaming!
2025-12-12 01:10:30
I’ve written about my love for the day planning app Structured almost too many times to count. This fall, the team behind Structured came out with a new alarm app that helps you plan your wake up routine with the same intentionality as your day. It’s called Awake, and I had the privilege of reviewing it on MacStories today. Check out the story for more details about why I think it’s the ideal alarm for anyone who needs more than the basics, and give the app a try to help get your day started a little better.
2025-12-01 09:57:00
I recently decided to dive into the world of audiobooks, and I am hooked – so much so that I wrote about my new hobby in the latest Club MacStories Monthly Log. I’ve really enjoyed the books I’m reading, and it’s also given me a chance to newly appreciate some of the technologies from Apple and third-party developers that I normally take for granted. I talk all about it in the story, so check it out if you’re so inclined.