Dry January? More like high January.
Many Americans enthusiastically partake in Dry January, but it is rarely pitched as fun. After the holiday stretch of office parties and family gatherings, Americans have come to use the start of every year to abstain from alcohol in the name of health and auspicious beginnings. Itâs a time of discipline, of cleansing, of embodying your mood board, even if it makes you a drag at parties. And it is also, as weed companies have learned, a marketing opportunity.
In recent years, weed companies have started to lean into the argument that taking the edge off sobriety with a low-dose gummy or THC drink still counts as dry. My social-media feeds are flooded with posts from cannabis companies pitching their products as fun and approachable tools to get through an alcohol-free month. Mary and Jane, an edibles company, makes a tantalizing proposition: âDry January made easy.â Artet, which specializes in beverages, sells a âHigh & Dry Januaryâ bundle that includes a bottle of its THC-laced aperitif. Some products are conspicuously health-coded: North Canna describes its cannabis drinks as âfunctional,â and Feals highlights its ediblesâ low calorie count. Above all, the ads emphasize how little booze you drink when you get high instead.
This push for a weed-filled January is, of course, a blatant (and somewhat silly) attempt by cannabis companies to get more customers. But as restrictions on marijuana loosen, and more Americans find themselves able and willing to fit the drug into their lives, Dry January does appear to be offering an opportunity for experimentation. In fact, cannabis sales surged in January 2024, and 21 percent of Dry January participants who responded to a 2023 survey swapped booze for weed that month.
This type of liberalistic, âhave what you want as long as it doesnât affect anyone else,â mindset is what will eventually destroy civilizations, including ours. You canât walk out of anywhere these days except you smell weed. Even right outside the hospital for Godâs sake.
So much for starting the new year with optimism and healthier choices:
The shaky logic of replacing one drug with another during a month dedicated to sobriety is hard to ignore. If the point of Dry January is to improve health, replacing alcohol with cannabisâwhich is not a benign substanceâseems counterproductive. Far less is known about the long-term use of cannabis compared with alcohol, but both can be abused, cause dependence, and interfere with daily function and productivity, Ryan Vandrey, who helps run Johns Hopkinsâs Cannabis Science Laboratory, told me. Some people are predisposed to react negatively to cannabis, experiencing anxiety, paranoia, or even cyclical vomiting. Over time, long-term heavy cannabis use can exacerbate mental-health conditions such as schizophrenia and depression.
The cycle will continue, as increased schizophrenia and depression means prescribing more antidepressants and antipsychotics that people once again shouldnât need, but it fuels the money circle fresh with even more cash. One of the reasons why I left traditional pharmacy is because you become a bonafide, legal drug dealer, depending on what city you work in.
That was over a decade ago, so I canât even imagine how insane it must be today.
Just think - almost every area of healthcare that has increased treatment leads to better outcomes, except mental health.
One of the reasons why itâs true is because people arenât living with purpose anymore. Many people donât even think about the question:
âWhy am I here?â
Theyâre always connected to a device, listening to something 24/7, are on some sort of drug cocktail, binge watching a new series, and so on.
Theyâve never unplugged and detoxed their mind to really think about, âWhy am I here?â
Many Americans enthusiastically partake in Dry January, but it is rarely pitched as fun. After the holiday stretch of office parties and family gatherings, Americans have come to use the start of every year to abstain from alcohol in the name of health and auspicious beginnings. Itâs a time of discipline, of cleansing, of embodying your mood board, even if it makes you a drag at parties. And it is also, as weed companies have learned, a marketing opportunity.
In recent years, weed companies have started to lean into the argument that taking the edge off sobriety with a low-dose gummy or THC drink still counts as dry. My social-media feeds are flooded with posts from cannabis companies pitching their products as fun and approachable tools to get through an alcohol-free month. Mary and Jane, an edibles company, makes a tantalizing proposition: âDry January made easy.â Artet, which specializes in beverages, sells a âHigh & Dry Januaryâ bundle that includes a bottle of its THC-laced aperitif. Some products are conspicuously health-coded: North Canna describes its cannabis drinks as âfunctional,â and Feals highlights its ediblesâ low calorie count. Above all, the ads emphasize how little booze you drink when you get high instead.
This push for a weed-filled January is, of course, a blatant (and somewhat silly) attempt by cannabis companies to get more customers. But as restrictions on marijuana loosen, and more Americans find themselves able and willing to fit the drug into their lives, Dry January does appear to be offering an opportunity for experimentation. In fact, cannabis sales surged in January 2024, and 21 percent of Dry January participants who responded to a 2023 survey swapped booze for weed that month.
This type of liberalistic, âhave what you want as long as it doesnât affect anyone else,â mindset is what will eventually destroy civilizations, including ours. You canât walk out of anywhere these days except you smell weed. Even right outside the hospital for Godâs sake.
So much for starting the new year with optimism and healthier choices:
The shaky logic of replacing one drug with another during a month dedicated to sobriety is hard to ignore. If the point of Dry January is to improve health, replacing alcohol with cannabisâwhich is not a benign substanceâseems counterproductive. Far less is known about the long-term use of cannabis compared with alcohol, but both can be abused, cause dependence, and interfere with daily function and productivity, Ryan Vandrey, who helps run Johns Hopkinsâs Cannabis Science Laboratory, told me. Some people are predisposed to react negatively to cannabis, experiencing anxiety, paranoia, or even cyclical vomiting. Over time, long-term heavy cannabis use can exacerbate mental-health conditions such as schizophrenia and depression.
The cycle will continue, as increased schizophrenia and depression means prescribing more antidepressants and antipsychotics that people once again shouldnât need, but it fuels the money circle fresh with even more cash. One of the reasons why I left traditional pharmacy is because you become a bonafide, legal drug dealer, depending on what city you work in.
That was over a decade ago, so I canât even imagine how insane it must be today.
Just think - almost every area of healthcare that has increased treatment leads to better outcomes, except mental health.
One of the reasons why itâs true is because people arenât living with purpose anymore. Many people donât even think about the question:
âWhy am I here?â
Theyâre always connected to a device, listening to something 24/7, are on some sort of drug cocktail, binge watching a new series, and so on.
Theyâve never unplugged and detoxed their mind to really think about, âWhy am I here?â
Is Apple making an AI pin similar to Humane?
Juli Clover from MacRumors (non-paywalled report from The Information):
Apple is working on a small, wearable AI pin equipped with multiple cameras, a speaker, and microphones, reports The Information. If it actually launches, the AI pin will likely run the new Siri chatbot that Apple plans to unveil in iOS 27.
The pin is said to be similar in size to an AirTag, with a thin, flat, circular disc shape. It has an aluminum and glass shell, and two cameras at the front. There is a standard lens and a wide-angle lens that are meant to capture photos and videos, while three microphones are designed to pick up sound around the wearer. An included speaker allows the pin to play audio, and there is a physical control button along one edge. The device is able to wirelessly charge like an Apple Watch.
Apple wants the final version of the pin to be about the same size as an âAirTagâ, but it will be slightly thicker. Currently, there is no built-in attachment method, but that could change later in development.
The Information says it is not clear if Apple plans to sell the pin on its own or bundle it with future smart glasses or other devices, but the physical button and built-in cameras, speakers, and microphones suggest that it can operate independently.
I canât think of anyone who would want to wear a pin, not to mention how small it is and how easy it will get lost. On the other hand, if you can get a Vision Pro-like experience with this pin and a pair of regular sized glasses, that sounds appealing.
It sure beats Vision Pro abuse.
Juli Clover from MacRumors (non-paywalled report from The Information):
Apple is working on a small, wearable AI pin equipped with multiple cameras, a speaker, and microphones, reports The Information. If it actually launches, the AI pin will likely run the new Siri chatbot that Apple plans to unveil in iOS 27.
The pin is said to be similar in size to an AirTag, with a thin, flat, circular disc shape. It has an aluminum and glass shell, and two cameras at the front. There is a standard lens and a wide-angle lens that are meant to capture photos and videos, while three microphones are designed to pick up sound around the wearer. An included speaker allows the pin to play audio, and there is a physical control button along one edge. The device is able to wirelessly charge like an Apple Watch.
Apple wants the final version of the pin to be about the same size as an âAirTagâ, but it will be slightly thicker. Currently, there is no built-in attachment method, but that could change later in development.
The Information says it is not clear if Apple plans to sell the pin on its own or bundle it with future smart glasses or other devices, but the physical button and built-in cameras, speakers, and microphones suggest that it can operate independently.
I canât think of anyone who would want to wear a pin, not to mention how small it is and how easy it will get lost. On the other hand, if you can get a Vision Pro-like experience with this pin and a pair of regular sized glasses, that sounds appealing.
It sure beats Vision Pro abuse.
The title of this video doesnât do it justice.
Another Steven Bartlett video that goes way beyond just the title. An eye opener for those trying to get a better understanding of how different government agencies work around the world.
Another Steven Bartlett video that goes way beyond just the title. An eye opener for those trying to get a better understanding of how different government agencies work around the world.
Dear Apple: Itâs turmeric, not tumeric
I will not acquiesce to such deviance. Turmeric is a miracle spice that deserves respect and has a right to be spelled with dignity. I typed âtumericâ in Docs, Pages, and even on Squarespace, and sure enough, it was flagged as a misspelled word.
I will not acquiesce to such deviance. Turmeric is a miracle spice that deserves respect and has a right to be spelled with dignity. I typed âtumericâ in Docs, Pages, and even on Squarespace, and sure enough, it was flagged as a misspelled word.
The Islamic concept of Barakah present in Apple Product Design.
In a YouTube video with Muslim Founder, Peter Gould discusses how he talked to Apple Product Designers about Barakah (transcription below):
Yeah great question Well um I was once teaching teaching some Apple product designers in Cupertino in um in San Francisco head office and uh I remember kind of speaking to the audience like okay youâre familiar with things like Feng shui or Zen design or Wabi-sabi like Japanese like non-western design philosophy and they're like yeah like we're all cool designers - then I said, "Well how about Barakah?" And they're like "What?" It's like "Isn't that like a movie or something?"
And you know I'm just kind of paraphrasing but you know Barakah is such an essential part to you know maybe a quarter of the world's population in terms of how we think how we live our life how we aspire for this intangible divine goodness in a thing, Barakah, and uh you know as my my friend Muhammed Faris he wrote a book called The Barakah Effect And he once he kind of said "Peter we should think about ROI as return on intention rather than return on investment."
And so in these places and some of the places I've taught I intentionally use the language of the heart I don't call it Islamic design or like Muslim, you know in every human there is a heart. Every heart has a spiritual state, and someone designing an iPhone or designing you know really popular software, they can appreciate that, on the spiritual path like Alhamdulillah as as Muslims we are given a much richer understanding of what is the heart what is the ruh, what is the how, and then your amanah, your kind of responsibility, if you're designing for that, becomes much more serious, like you've got to be careful like, âam I just pulling people to distract them and addict them and whatever or am I trying to find ways to be uh very aware of my responsibility in design?â
A little deeper dive into Barakah can be found with an interview between Peter Gould and Muhammed Faris himself:
âMost definitions come down to things like âabundant, flowing, positive, divine energy that enters a thingâ â a tangible intangible that works in mysterious ways beyond logic to create an effect.
âSome scholars describe it as a hidden soldier of the soul. Meaning Allah sends Barakah into something like one of his soldiers. So it might enter your time, or your family, or your laptop, or your sleep, or your food. And it does some kind of spiritual chemical reaction there that leads to a benefit of abundance or goodness thatâs hard to describe.
âOne example that many of us have experienced is when you invite friends over for dinner and youâve prepared food for 10 people. But then one of your friends brings his whole family, and you look at the food and think itâs not going to be enough. But the Barakah is that itâs always enough. Sometimes thereâs even leftovers as well. Thatâs a manifestation of Barakah as a result of your good intention to bring people over and feed them. [âŚ]
Itâs not unusual, for example, for good things to happen with our work and for us to consider it as either luck, coincidence, or the results of our own hard work. But as Mohammed says, if we were to really take the time to look at how events have led to that âgood thingâ happening, we would surely see something bigger at play.
âThis is Barakah,â he says. âItâs Allah aligning things so perfectly that you look back and think âI could not have planned thisâ. Things had to align so perfectly to get to this exact point â you canât just see it as cause and effect any more; itâs beyond that.
âAnd the danger â especially for entrepreneurs and start-ups â is that we tend to say itâs from our hard work. Because we do experience all of the hard work. We show up early every day, go into the office, do all this stuff, and we want to attribute that success to ourselves. You almost donât want to recognise that thereâs a spiritual invisible hand at work. But itâs the Barakah effect that moves things and arranges things for you.â
We need the concept of Barakah to also hit the field of AI and other technologies in order to help build humanity instead of trying to destroying it.
In a YouTube video with Muslim Founder, Peter Gould discusses how he talked to Apple Product Designers about Barakah (transcription below):
Yeah great question Well um I was once teaching teaching some Apple product designers in Cupertino in um in San Francisco head office and uh I remember kind of speaking to the audience like okay youâre familiar with things like Feng shui or Zen design or Wabi-sabi like Japanese like non-western design philosophy and they're like yeah like we're all cool designers - then I said, "Well how about Barakah?" And they're like "What?" It's like "Isn't that like a movie or something?"
And you know I'm just kind of paraphrasing but you know Barakah is such an essential part to you know maybe a quarter of the world's population in terms of how we think how we live our life how we aspire for this intangible divine goodness in a thing, Barakah, and uh you know as my my friend Muhammed Faris he wrote a book called The Barakah Effect And he once he kind of said "Peter we should think about ROI as return on intention rather than return on investment."
And so in these places and some of the places I've taught I intentionally use the language of the heart I don't call it Islamic design or like Muslim, you know in every human there is a heart. Every heart has a spiritual state, and someone designing an iPhone or designing you know really popular software, they can appreciate that, on the spiritual path like Alhamdulillah as as Muslims we are given a much richer understanding of what is the heart what is the ruh, what is the how, and then your amanah, your kind of responsibility, if you're designing for that, becomes much more serious, like you've got to be careful like, âam I just pulling people to distract them and addict them and whatever or am I trying to find ways to be uh very aware of my responsibility in design?â
A little deeper dive into Barakah can be found with an interview between Peter Gould and Muhammed Faris himself:
âMost definitions come down to things like âabundant, flowing, positive, divine energy that enters a thingâ â a tangible intangible that works in mysterious ways beyond logic to create an effect.
âSome scholars describe it as a hidden soldier of the soul. Meaning Allah sends Barakah into something like one of his soldiers. So it might enter your time, or your family, or your laptop, or your sleep, or your food. And it does some kind of spiritual chemical reaction there that leads to a benefit of abundance or goodness thatâs hard to describe.
âOne example that many of us have experienced is when you invite friends over for dinner and youâve prepared food for 10 people. But then one of your friends brings his whole family, and you look at the food and think itâs not going to be enough. But the Barakah is that itâs always enough. Sometimes thereâs even leftovers as well. Thatâs a manifestation of Barakah as a result of your good intention to bring people over and feed them. [âŚ]
Itâs not unusual, for example, for good things to happen with our work and for us to consider it as either luck, coincidence, or the results of our own hard work. But as Mohammed says, if we were to really take the time to look at how events have led to that âgood thingâ happening, we would surely see something bigger at play.
âThis is Barakah,â he says. âItâs Allah aligning things so perfectly that you look back and think âI could not have planned thisâ. Things had to align so perfectly to get to this exact point â you canât just see it as cause and effect any more; itâs beyond that.
âAnd the danger â especially for entrepreneurs and start-ups â is that we tend to say itâs from our hard work. Because we do experience all of the hard work. We show up early every day, go into the office, do all this stuff, and we want to attribute that success to ourselves. You almost donât want to recognise that thereâs a spiritual invisible hand at work. But itâs the Barakah effect that moves things and arranges things for you.â
We need the concept of Barakah to also hit the field of AI and other technologies in order to help build humanity instead of trying to destroying it.
Every girlâs dilemma.
Huffington Post describes one young girls dilemma with AI generated nude content:
One 15-year-old girl revealed a stranger had made fake nude images of her and she was worried about them being sent to her parents.
âIt looks so real, itâs my face and my room in the background. They must have taken the pictures from my Instagram and edited them,â she told the charity.
âIâm so scared they will send them to my parents, the pictures are really convincing, and I donât think theyâd believe me that theyâre fake.â
Just one of many thousands of horror stories.
Huffington Post describes one young girls dilemma with AI generated nude content:
One 15-year-old girl revealed a stranger had made fake nude images of her and she was worried about them being sent to her parents.
âIt looks so real, itâs my face and my room in the background. They must have taken the pictures from my Instagram and edited them,â she told the charity.
âIâm so scared they will send them to my parents, the pictures are really convincing, and I donât think theyâd believe me that theyâre fake.â
Just one of many thousands of horror stories.
Five âFahadxâ observations I made when at the hospital.
Baby girl got sick again this past week, making a total of 8 days at the hospital over a one month period. A few observations I noticed:
Almost every healthcare worker wears an Apple Watch.
This particular Modular Compact configuration with no bottom widget is more common than I would like.
The chapel is occupied by Muslims 99% of the time.
Sushi is great, and cheap. You can literally park at the hospital and get cheaper sushi at the cafeteria than the grocery store.
Masimo blood oxygen sensors are a real thing. A wrap-around for the foot, using the big toe as the sensing point. Thank you Masimo - now please (Apple and Masimo), make a deal and give us proper Apple Watch blood oxygen capability.
Baby girl got sick again this past week, making a total of 8 days at the hospital over a one month period. A few observations I noticed:
Almost every healthcare worker wears an Apple Watch.
This particular Modular Compact configuration with no bottom widget is more common than I would like.
The chapel is occupied by Muslims 99% of the time.
Sushi is great, and cheap. You can literally park at the hospital and get cheaper sushi at the cafeteria than the grocery store.
Masimo blood oxygen sensors are a real thing. A wrap-around for the foot, using the big toe as the sensing point. Thank you Masimo - now please (Apple and Masimo), make a deal and give us proper Apple Watch blood oxygen capability.
I âaccidentallyâ bought an iPhone Pocket.
Disclaimer: Inspired by true events..near the end of November 2025.
My wife wanted to go visit her brother who just had a baby, and itâs quite a hike from Charlottesville, Virginia all the way to Paterson, New Jersey. I had to come back two days later for work, but we still managed to make a quick trip to New York City, four years after our last one. A great way to spend time with the wife and kids.
The trip was a selfless trip, all about themâŚ
Weâve gone to the city many times, so it was my idea to try something different, a place more cultured, more âboutique,â with a different but still authentically New York City experience.
âLetâs go to SoHo.â I said. Plenty of things to see on the way there, and plenty of spots to get quick bites to eat. A little bit of Belgian fries with powdered parmesan, some Yemeni coffee, great architecture, and cobblestone streets that would bring tears of agony to any Ferrari owner. A world of cultures densely packed in one place.
A new experience for the kids with more cultural exposure. Iâm seriousâŚ
A lot of the fun is just driving around in NYC, seeing how people interact, and how traffic rules gradually mean nothing the deeper you get inside. The craziest thing we saw before we even parked the car? A well-dressed man in hot pink wearing what looked like a beachcomber straw hat, wrestling with his dog who was upside-down, full monty view of its junk, all to try and tighten his dog vest so he doesnât get cold.
Aaah, New York City.
For our family of six, the real challenge was walking, since the sidewalks are crowded, barely wide enough for a stroller, and one wrong step on an uneven sidewalk (a hallmark feature of NYC) could smash your head down a set of stairs right into an Italian bakery, no mob activity required.
Challenge #2 - finding a bathroom. Itâs already impossible to find a bathroom in the city, but I heard you can go to an Apple Store and use the bathroom without being harassed to buy something. Perfect for the little ones. There happens to be an Apple Store in SoHo not too far from us, so we headed there to freshen up.
Wow what are the odds that there happens to be an Apple Store nearby? CrazyâŚ
I was getting a sip of ice water from my Journey water bottle while standing near the iPhone booth, when my daughter bumped into me as she was making a beeline towards an iPad Pro. She jostled me enough to make me spill ice water all over my shirt and shoe. Itâs one of those sneakers with perforated holes, so my sock was soaked.
It was a shock to my system as the iced part of my shirt velcroed itself to my chest, throwing off my reflexes. A cold shiver down my spine and drenched sock sent my brain into a frenzy and made me scream in horror.
It was like a scene from a Michael Jackson music video. Iâm screaming, twitching from all the cold and shaking my leg, screaming:
âOh my God itâs icey!â
âMy yucky sock!â
Several of the Apple employees heard me, and well, they quickly rushed away which made me feel uncomfortable and self-conscious all of a sudden. Nobody else really batted an eye, because after all, itâs New York City.
Iâm thinking those employees went to get a mop to clean up the mess, but they ended up coming back with an iPhone Pocket. I asked them, why did you bring me this?
âWell we thought you were so excited for the ISSEY MIYAKE sock* so we got you the last one in stock,â said the Specialist.
They mistook my expressions the wrong way.
âUmm, noâ I said. âI was just expressing my feelings about how icey I felt, and how yucky my sock feels.â
Apparently the, âOMG itâs icey! My yucky sock!â sounds a lot like, âOMG itâs ISSEY MIYAKE sock!â
Still shivering from the wetness all over my torso, I grabbed my phone to call my wife so she can supervise the kids while I go clean myself up in the bathroom. My hand was shivering, and my quivering thumb accidentally tapped the Power Button twice instead of once activating Apple Pay. The employee with the iPhone Pocket noticed my Apple Pay screen, and tapped her little iPhone kiosk gizmo to my iPhone Air, completing the transaction.
Everything happened so fastâŚI donât know if I got high off some weed fumes as we made our way to the Apple Store, but I was now the owner of an iPhone Pocket. Before I âaccidentallyâ spend more money, I decided it was best to leave now that we have 5 empty bladders and a clean diaper.
In retrospect, itâs kind of crazy how I happened to end up in the only store in the USA that was selling the ISSEY MIYAKE iPhone Pocket, and they had it in stock.
TOTALLY didnât expect that to happen.
âââââââââââââââââââ
*Actually how the events played out - I made a reservation that morning while in New Jersey and they had a few colors in stock at SoHo. Went there like a normal person (with family) and I said, âIâm here to pick up my iPhone Pocket.â
âOh, we call it the sock,â said the employee.
No drama, no flair, but the Belgian fries and Yemeni coffee were real.
So was the man in hot pink.
It was a symbiotic affair where everyone in the family got something out of the trip.
Disclaimer: Inspired by true events..near the end of November 2025.
My wife wanted to go visit her brother who just had a baby, and itâs quite a hike from Charlottesville, Virginia all the way to Paterson, New Jersey. I had to come back two days later for work, but we still managed to make a quick trip to New York City, four years after our last one. A great way to spend time with the wife and kids.
The trip was a selfless trip, all about themâŚ
Weâve gone to the city many times, so it was my idea to try something different, a place more cultured, more âboutique,â with a different but still authentically New York City experience.
âLetâs go to SoHo.â I said. Plenty of things to see on the way there, and plenty of spots to get quick bites to eat. A little bit of Belgian fries with powdered parmesan, some Yemeni coffee, great architecture, and cobblestone streets that would bring tears of agony to any Ferrari owner. A world of cultures densely packed in one place.
A new experience for the kids with more cultural exposure. Iâm seriousâŚ
A lot of the fun is just driving around in NYC, seeing how people interact, and how traffic rules gradually mean nothing the deeper you get inside. The craziest thing we saw before we even parked the car? A well-dressed man in hot pink wearing what looked like a beachcomber straw hat, wrestling with his dog who was upside-down, full monty view of its junk, all to try and tighten his dog vest so he doesnât get cold.
Aaah, New York City.
For our family of six, the real challenge was walking, since the sidewalks are crowded, barely wide enough for a stroller, and one wrong step on an uneven sidewalk (a hallmark feature of NYC) could smash your head down a set of stairs right into an Italian bakery, no mob activity required.
Challenge #2 - finding a bathroom. Itâs already impossible to find a bathroom in the city, but I heard you can go to an Apple Store and use the bathroom without being harassed to buy something. Perfect for the little ones. There happens to be an Apple Store in SoHo not too far from us, so we headed there to freshen up.
Wow what are the odds that there happens to be an Apple Store nearby? CrazyâŚ
I was getting a sip of ice water from my Journey water bottle while standing near the iPhone booth, when my daughter bumped into me as she was making a beeline towards an iPad Pro. She jostled me enough to make me spill ice water all over my shirt and shoe. Itâs one of those sneakers with perforated holes, so my sock was soaked.
It was a shock to my system as the iced part of my shirt velcroed itself to my chest, throwing off my reflexes. A cold shiver down my spine and drenched sock sent my brain into a frenzy and made me scream in horror.
It was like a scene from a Michael Jackson music video. Iâm screaming, twitching from all the cold and shaking my leg, screaming:
âOh my God itâs icey!â
âMy yucky sock!â
Several of the Apple employees heard me, and well, they quickly rushed away which made me feel uncomfortable and self-conscious all of a sudden. Nobody else really batted an eye, because after all, itâs New York City.
Iâm thinking those employees went to get a mop to clean up the mess, but they ended up coming back with an iPhone Pocket. I asked them, why did you bring me this?
âWell we thought you were so excited for the ISSEY MIYAKE sock* so we got you the last one in stock,â said the Specialist.
They mistook my expressions the wrong way.
âUmm, noâ I said. âI was just expressing my feelings about how icey I felt, and how yucky my sock feels.â
Apparently the, âOMG itâs icey! My yucky sock!â sounds a lot like, âOMG itâs ISSEY MIYAKE sock!â
Still shivering from the wetness all over my torso, I grabbed my phone to call my wife so she can supervise the kids while I go clean myself up in the bathroom. My hand was shivering, and my quivering thumb accidentally tapped the Power Button twice instead of once activating Apple Pay. The employee with the iPhone Pocket noticed my Apple Pay screen, and tapped her little iPhone kiosk gizmo to my iPhone Air, completing the transaction.
Everything happened so fastâŚI donât know if I got high off some weed fumes as we made our way to the Apple Store, but I was now the owner of an iPhone Pocket. Before I âaccidentallyâ spend more money, I decided it was best to leave now that we have 5 empty bladders and a clean diaper.
In retrospect, itâs kind of crazy how I happened to end up in the only store in the USA that was selling the ISSEY MIYAKE iPhone Pocket, and they had it in stock.
TOTALLY didnât expect that to happen.
*Actually how the events played out - I made a reservation that morning while in New Jersey and they had a few colors in stock at SoHo. Went there like a normal person (with family) and I said, âIâm here to pick up my iPhone Pocket.â
âOh, we call it the sock,â said the employee.
No drama, no flair, but the Belgian fries and Yemeni coffee were real.
So was the man in hot pink.
It was a symbiotic affair where everyone in the family got something out of the trip.
Hondaâs futuristic new logo will be for all future vehicles and not just EVs and hybrids.
While this isn't our first time seeing Honda's new emblem, it's the first time we're hearing that it will appear on all future models, not just the electric ones. Today, the automaker's European media team announced that the new "H mark" will gradually expand across its automobile lineup, starting in 2027 with its EVs and major hybrid models. Honda also said that the new logo will appear in other parts of its vast business, from dealerships to motorsports and more.
Looks like a futuristic logo since it was originally for EV and hybrid vehicles, but it really is a throwback to their original logo (via creative bloq).
It was an obvious move to make their logo uniform everywhere, especially now that most automakers are backpedaling on EV adoption.
While this isn't our first time seeing Honda's new emblem, it's the first time we're hearing that it will appear on all future models, not just the electric ones. Today, the automaker's European media team announced that the new "H mark" will gradually expand across its automobile lineup, starting in 2027 with its EVs and major hybrid models. Honda also said that the new logo will appear in other parts of its vast business, from dealerships to motorsports and more.
Looks like a futuristic logo since it was originally for EV and hybrid vehicles, but it really is a throwback to their original logo (via creative bloq).
It was an obvious move to make their logo uniform everywhere, especially now that most automakers are backpedaling on EV adoption.
These type of people are incompetent.
Hot take:
If youâre the type of person whose phone is always about to die, youâre incompetent for two reasons:
You use your phone too much and probably are wasting a lot of time.
Youâre too lazy and are not forward thinking enough to make sure your phone is available to accomplish real goals.
Hot take:
If youâre the type of person whose phone is always about to die, youâre incompetent for two reasons:
You use your phone too much and probably are wasting a lot of time.
Youâre too lazy and are not forward thinking enough to make sure your phone is available to accomplish real goals.
Google Gemini will power Appleâs next gen version of Siri.
Joe Rossignol via MacRumors:
In a statement shared with CNBC today, Apple confirmed that Google Gemini will power the next-generation version of Siri that is slated to launch later this year.
"After careful evaluation, we determined that Google's technology provides the most capable foundation for Apple Foundation Models and we're excited about the innovative new experiences it will unlock for our users," the statement said.
The report explicitly mentioned that Google Gemini will power Siri, as was expected. Apple's decision to lean on Google's artificial intelligence technology should result in the revamped Siri being more capable and advanced than it otherwise would have been, as Gemini's large language model is significantly larger than Apple's own model.
Iâm glad I went with Google Gemini over ChatGPT. It just makes more sense since Google has much more data points to learn from and make their AI platform more robust than the competition. Apple doesnât have to be the best at everything - they just need to have the best implementation, even if that means using other companiesâ products and services.
Joe Rossignol via MacRumors:
In a statement shared with CNBC today, Apple confirmed that Google Gemini will power the next-generation version of Siri that is slated to launch later this year.
"After careful evaluation, we determined that Google's technology provides the most capable foundation for Apple Foundation Models and we're excited about the innovative new experiences it will unlock for our users," the statement said.
The report explicitly mentioned that Google Gemini will power Siri, as was expected. Apple's decision to lean on Google's artificial intelligence technology should result in the revamped Siri being more capable and advanced than it otherwise would have been, as Gemini's large language model is significantly larger than Apple's own model.
Iâm glad I went with Google Gemini over ChatGPT. It just makes more sense since Google has much more data points to learn from and make their AI platform more robust than the competition. Apple doesnât have to be the best at everything - they just need to have the best implementation, even if that means using other companiesâ products and services.
Why isnât this electrical circuit disabled on the iPadâs Magic Keyboard?
Appleâs website says (in small font):
The USB-C port on Magic Keyboard provides power, but it doesn't transmit data. This means you can't use this port with an input device such as a USB-C mouse. Never connect one end of a USB-C cable to the USB-C port on your iPad and the other end to the USB-C port on your Magic Keyboard.
Naturally, the moment I read this, I had to try it. đ
Appleâs website says (in small font):
The USB-C port on Magic Keyboard provides power, but it doesn't transmit data. This means you can't use this port with an input device such as a USB-C mouse. Never connect one end of a USB-C cable to the USB-C port on your iPad and the other end to the USB-C port on your Magic Keyboard.
Naturally, the moment I read this, I had to try it. My battery did jump up from 44% to 45%, but it was an internal battery cycling error since the keyboard itself doesnât have a battery. The iPad did start to heat up a little, but Iâm surprised this function isnât disabled. It really does give normal people the impression that the keyboard can charge your device, only to drain it faster than usual.
No, not infinite battery life. Notice the charging logo.
OpenAI releases ChatGPT Health.
Today, health information is often scattered across portals, apps, wearables, PDFs, and medical notesâso it's hard to see the full picture, and people are left to navigate a complex healthcare system on their own. People have shared countless stories of turning to ChatGPT to help make sense of it all. In fact, health is one of the most common ways people use ChatGPT today: based on our de-identified analysis of conversations, over 230 million people globally ask health and wellness related questions on ChatGPT every week.
ChatGPT Health builds on this so responses are informed by your health information and context. You can now securely connect medical records and wellness appsâlike Apple Health, Function, and MyFitnessPalâso ChatGPT can help you understand recent test results, prepare for appointments with your doctor, get advice on how to approach your diet and workout routine, or understand the tradeoffs of different insurance options based on your healthcare patterns.
Health is designed to support, not replace, medical care. It is not intended for diagnosis or treatment. Instead, it helps you navigate everyday questions and understand patterns over timeânot just moments of illnessâso you can feel more informed and prepared for important medical conversations. To keep your health information protected and secure, Health operates as a separate space with enhanced privacy to protect sensitive data. Conversations in Health are not used to train our foundation models. If you start a health-related conversation in ChatGPT, weâll suggest moving into Health for these additional protections.
Sounds promising, and makes me think their first hardware device will be a wearable of some sort that also gathers health data.
Today, health information is often scattered across portals, apps, wearables, PDFs, and medical notesâso it's hard to see the full picture, and people are left to navigate a complex healthcare system on their own. People have shared countless stories of turning to ChatGPT to help make sense of it all. In fact, health is one of the most common ways people use ChatGPT today: based on our de-identified analysis of conversations, over 230 million people globally ask health and wellness related questions on ChatGPT every week.
ChatGPT Health builds on this so responses are informed by your health information and context. You can now securely connect medical records and wellness appsâlike Apple Health, Function, and MyFitnessPalâso ChatGPT can help you understand recent test results, prepare for appointments with your doctor, get advice on how to approach your diet and workout routine, or understand the tradeoffs of different insurance options based on your healthcare patterns.
Health is designed to support, not replace, medical care. It is not intended for diagnosis or treatment. Instead, it helps you navigate everyday questions and understand patterns over timeânot just moments of illnessâso you can feel more informed and prepared for important medical conversations. To keep your health information protected and secure, Health operates as a separate space with enhanced privacy to protect sensitive data. Conversations in Health are not used to train our foundation models. If you start a health-related conversation in ChatGPT, weâll suggest moving into Health for these additional protections.
Sounds promising, and makes me think their first hardware device will be a wearable of some sort that also gathers health data.
Grokâs ability to sexualize women - are we really surprised?
Sex sells.
Any publicity is good publicity.
Whether itâs right or wrong, it doesnât matter to many people.
Itâs funny because I go out of my way to blur women, but here we are now where all kinds of women, even hijabis are being exposed with AI.
From Reddit:
there has been an increase in people misusing AI tools to turn hijabi women pics into harmful images and spreading them online without consent.
you have a bunch of guys asking Grok things like "put her in a bikini", "turn her around", "make her touch her toes while turned around"
Muslim woman if you are reading this and share your images online, you might want to check out what's happening in X because images shared online are no longer in your possession and people can do with them as they like
This one video of this known hijabi went viral and it's fully extreme NSFW, published on Corn sites.
Please be cautious with public photos May Allah protect us all.đ§
Unfortunate of course, but not surprising. I mentioned this over a year ago in my other blog when discussing about âundressingâ websites:
This is another reason why women and girls in general, shouldnât post their photos online. The fitna is already there even if the photos arenât sexualized, but this is a whole other level of just destroying a girls reputation.
Imagine if this became rampant in the Muslim community? It would just be a huge mess, with familiesâ reputations being tarnished and girls being slandered against left and right. Imagine a high school or middle school boy liking a muslim girl in school, and trying this feature on her. She may not even be one who posts photos online and might not even be involved in social media, but anyone can just take your photo these days and do whatever they want with it.
Sex sells.
Any publicity is good publicity.
Whether itâs right or wrong, it doesnât matter to many people.
Itâs funny because I go out of my way to blur women, but here we are now where all kinds of women, even hijabis are being exposed with AI.
From Reddit:
there has been an increase in people misusing AI tools to turn hijabi women pics into harmful images and spreading them online without consent.
you have a bunch of guys asking Grok things like "put her in a bikini", "turn her around", "make her touch her toes while turned around"
Muslim woman if you are reading this and share your images online, you might want to check out what's happening in X because images shared online are no longer in your possession and people can do with them as they like
This one video of this known hijabi went viral and it's fully extreme NSFW, published on Corn sites.
Please be cautious with public photos May Allah protect us all.đ§
Unfortunate of course, but not surprising. I mentioned this over a year ago in my other blog when discussing about âundressingâ websites:
This is another reason why women and girls in general, shouldnât post their photos online. The fitna is already there even if the photos arenât sexualized, but this is a whole other level of just destroying a girls reputation.
Imagine if this became rampant in the Muslim community? It would just be a huge mess, with familiesâ reputations being tarnished and girls being slandered against left and right. Imagine a high school or middle school boy liking a muslim girl in school, and trying this feature on her. She may not even be one who posts photos online and might not even be involved in social media, but anyone can just take your photo these days and do whatever they want with it.
Appleâs âCanât Decideâ video plateaus at 79 million views.
I was tracking the view count sporadically the past 2 months:
11/10- 50 million
11/12- 52 million
11/13- 53 million
11/16 - 57 million
11/23 - 64 million
11/28 - 67 million
12/1 - 70 million
12/2 - 71 million
12/4 - 72 million
12/6 - 74 million
12/7 - 75 million
12/14 - 79 million
Still at 79 million on 1/8/26.
I was tracking the view count sporadically the past 2 months:
11/10- 50 million
11/12- 52 million
11/13- 53 million
11/16 - 57 million
11/23 - 64 million
11/28 - 67 million
12/1 - 70 million
12/2 - 71 million
12/4 - 72 million
12/6 - 74 million
12/7 - 75 million
12/14 - 79 million
Still at 79 million on 1/8/26.
Stellantis didnât know about Maduroâs capture plot, but this person sure did.
Terrence OâBrien from The Verge (News+ Link):
Shortly before the US military launched an attack on Venezuela and captured President NicolĂĄs Maduro, an account on Polymarket made some very suspiciously timed investments. The prediction market had been running bets on when or if Maduro would be removed from power, with prices for âout by January 31, 2026â as low as $0.07 late Friday evening. But within 24 hours of the military action, a newly created account invested tens of thousands of dollars, racking up several hundred thousand in profits.
The account was created less than a week ago and invested over $30,000 the day before the assault, turning a profit of over $408,000. The activity was flagged on social media, with people speculating that the person placing the bet was acting on inside information and perhaps even worked at the Pentagon.
Wow.
Sadly this is unsurprising when you learn how politicians play the markets (use haramblur while watching, or lower your gaze).
Terrence OâBrien from The Verge (News+ Link):
Shortly before the US military launched an attack on Venezuela and captured President NicolĂĄs Maduro, an account on Polymarket made some very suspiciously timed investments. The prediction market had been running bets on when or if Maduro would be removed from power, with prices for âout by January 31, 2026â as low as $0.07 late Friday evening. But within 24 hours of the military action, a newly created account invested tens of thousands of dollars, racking up several hundred thousand in profits.
The account was created less than a week ago and invested over $30,000 the day before the assault, turning a profit of over $408,000. The activity was flagged on social media, with people speculating that the person placing the bet was acting on inside information and perhaps even worked at the Pentagon.
Wow.
Sadly this is unsurprising when you learn how politicians play the markets (use haramblur while watching, or lower your gaze).
Bittersweet, gas guzzling, HEMI powered V-8 Ram SRT TRX announced just two days before NicolĂĄs Maduro was captured.
Iâm sure Stellantis wasnât in on the plot to capture NicolĂĄs Maduro, but announcing the return of their newest monster on New Years day, two days prior to Maduroâs capture, is just bad timing. Or is it good timing?
With impactful performance updates, the 2027 Ram 1500 SRT TRX cements itself as the fastest and most powerful, production, gas pick-up truck in the world, once again setting the record for the half-ton segment. TRX put the industry on notice when it debuted in 2021, and after a brief hibernation, it reclaims its spot at the top of the food chain.
I read both headlines on the same day, and itâs hard not to make a connection even though there is no connection.
Iâm sure Stellantis wasnât in on the plot to capture NicolĂĄs Maduro, but announcing the return of their newest monster on New Years day, two days prior to Maduroâs capture, is just bad timing. Or is it good timing?
With impactful performance updates, the 2027 Ram 1500 SRT TRX cements itself as the fastest and most powerful, production, gas pick-up truck in the world, once again setting the record for the half-ton segment. TRX put the industry on notice when it debuted in 2021, and after a brief hibernation, it reclaims its spot at the top of the food chain.
I read both headlines on the same day, and itâs hard not to make a connection even though there is no connection.
Grok makes nearly nude photos of women without their permission - future implications.
The Guardian (pdf file of article):
Grok has come under fire from lawmakers and regulators worldwide after it emerged it had been used to virtually undress images of women and children, and show them in compromising sexualised positions. The widespread sexual abuse consists of X users asking Grok to manipulate pictures of fully clothed women to put them in bikinis, on their knees, and cover them in what looks like semen.
âI felt horrified, I felt violated, especially seeing my toddlerâs backpack in the back of it,â St Clair said of an image in which she has been put into a bikini, turned around and bent over.
âItâs another tool of harassment. Consent is the whole issue. People are saying, well, itâs just a bikini, itâs not explicit. But it is a sexual offence to non-consensually undress a child.â
I wonder if this is the first time 1st generation Muslim parents in the West are aware of this issue? Unfortunately, this is nothing compared to some of the more vulgar apps and websites out there. The worst part? The more this type of behavior becomes normalized, the more likely it is for women (yes, even Muslim women) to say, âwell if people are going to nudify me, I might as well get paid for it.â
The Guardian (pdf file of article):
Grok has come under fire from lawmakers and regulators worldwide after it emerged it had been used to virtually undress images of women and children, and show them in compromising sexualised positions. The widespread sexual abuse consists of X users asking Grok to manipulate pictures of fully clothed women to put them in bikinis, on their knees, and cover them in what looks like semen.
âI felt horrified, I felt violated, especially seeing my toddlerâs backpack in the back of it,â St Clair said of an image in which she has been put into a bikini, turned around and bent over.
âItâs another tool of harassment. Consent is the whole issue. People are saying, well, itâs just a bikini, itâs not explicit. But it is a sexual offence to non-consensually undress a child.â
I wonder if this is the first time 1st generation Muslim parents in the West are aware of this issue? Unfortunately, this is nothing compared to some of the more vulgar apps and websites out there. The worst part? The more this type of behavior becomes normalized, the more likely it is for women (yes, even Muslim women) to say, âwell if people are going to nudify me, I might as well get paid for it.â
Haramblur.
Cool extension a family member referred me to. Works for a majority of browsers and Android devices. Blurs Islamically inappropriate content.
Love the innovation in the Muslim AI space. Check it out.
Cool extension a family member referred me to. Works for a majority of browsers and Android devices. Blurs Islamically inappropriate content.
Love the innovation in the Muslim AI space. Check it out.
The best watch band for your new Space Gray Apple Watch Series 11.
The new Space Gray color on the Series 11 is not as exciting as Jet Black was when announced for the Series 10, but the subtle gray does have nostalgic iPhone 5S and SE vibes. The perfect band to pair with it is undoubtedly the Black Titanium Milanese Loop. You will have to purchase the larger 46mm size for band compatibility. Both the band and the watch have a brushed finish, and the contrast between the two works well.
I know itâs a $199 dollar band for a $429 watch (crazy deal on Amazon right now for $329!), but the band will outlast the watch and really looks good.
Make sure you pick the right size for your wrist. (pics inside)
The new Space Gray color on the Series 11 is not as exciting as Jet Black was when announced for the Series 10, but the subtle gray does have nostalgic iPhone 5S and SE vibes. The perfect band to pair with it is undoubtedly the Black Titanium Milanese Loop. You will have to purchase the larger 46mm size for band compatibility. Both the band and the watch have a brushed finish, and the contrast between the two works well.
I know itâs a $199 dollar band for a $429 watch (crazy deal on Amazon right now for $329!), but the band will outlast the watch and really looks good.
Make sure you pick the right size for your wrist.
