NerveStorm

Farewell Malik

March 9th, 2026

I am an unabashed Green Bay Packer fan and have been watching NFL free agency get under way with some interest. I am find myself today with mixed emotions. Malik Willis has been our fabulous back up quarterback and with his contract expired at the end of last season, it was clear he was leaving for a starting position elsewhere. Today he signed with the Miami Dolphins. He certainly has upgraded his football weather, though I doubt he has upgraded his team (time will tell). That said, he is signed a multi-million dollar contract that was well above the value of his last contract to be a backup, and Miami’s new head coach is Jeff Hafley, who spent last year as Green Bay’s Defensive coordinator, so the two know each other and should work together well. I wish them both well and will be watching their progress in Miami this season. Both will be missed in Green Bay.
A18Pro to the Limit

March 7th, 2026

Apple launched the MacBook Neo last week and I listed a litany of compromises made in that computer in my Apple’s March Madness review. I stand by my criticism, but I have a bit more understanding of why the usb port options are what they are. It’s seems the A18pro chip that powers the Neo is not able to drive two simultaneous usb 3.1 ports. Remember, it was designed for a phone that only had a single usb port. I suspect subsequent A series chips will amend that capability and support at least two. Meaning next years Neo will have two equally capable usb ports, of course that is assuming Apple is planning annual updates along with its other more popular computers (sorry Mac Pro users).
Fujitsu ScanSnap software ver. 3.6

March 6th, 2026

If you use one of the excellent Fujitsu ScanSnap scanners, you know. If you know, you know. These sheet fed scanners are the best document management scanners bar none for most users. (Not a sponsor) I have a ScanSnap ix500 that is about 13 years old. It still works and it works well. You can still buy refurbished ix500’s on Amazon, though I imagine the newer models are a better option. I may never know. This little scanner may outlast me. The only slight irritant has been the ScanSnap software which till today was written only for intel processor based Mac’s. Mind you Apple introduced the M series processors in their computers five years ago. Well that minor irritation went away today with version 3.6 of the ScanSnap software which is now native to the M processor on M series based Macs. Huzzah!
Apple’s March Madness

March 4th, 2026

Apple has been introducing new products this week including new monitors, a new lower cost phone, an updated iPad Air and updated MacBook Air and MacBook Pro (M5Pro and M5Max) computers. Each of these are welcome updates with better technology, and better specs, for example more storage as the default in the MacBook Air, all at the same or in the case of the Studio Display XDR, a much better if still very high price. The XDR did shrink from 32 to 27 inches (and dropped from 6k to 5k image) maintaining its excellent image and pixel per inch specification. All of this has been announced in a press release as for the most part they are updates of existing products. There are invite only “hands on” experiences scheduled to take place simultaneously in several location in the world today March 4th 2026.

Also today, Apple introduced something totally new before that Wednesday “experience “, a new laptop called the MacBook Neo, starting at $599. The Neo is the first modern MacBook to run an A series chip (phone) rather than an M series (Mac and iPad) which had been used in all Macs in the last 5 years. The A18 chip in the MacBook Neo is faster than the M1 in the original MacBook Air in most circumstances and is more than fast enough for a laptop.

The Neo has a 13” screen and 2 usb c ports for charging and data. It is slightly thicker than the Air, and roughly a half inch smaller in the other dimensions. The screen is the same brightness as a MacBook Air, but has an RGB color gamut rather than P3, which means it has less ability to reproduce subtle colors, and it doesn’t adjust the screen to the lighting in the room as the MacBook Air does. All reasonable coast cutting choices to hit the price point.

This is not the rebirth of the 12” MacBook that many had hoped for. There are curious cost cutting choices in the MacBook Neo. The base model (there are two versions) has 256 gb storage, the other has 512 gb. The $599 model does not have Touch ID, whereas the $699 model does. That $100 difference buys you more storage and touch ID. The omission of Touch ID is understandable for cost savings, and I’ll be recommending anyone who asks to spend the extra $100 to get that and the extra storage. Trust me. Both versions have only one memory option which is 8gb. An odd choice given that Apple just recently advertised that their entire line now had a minimum of 16gb of memory. Maybe this was a decision based on the increased RAM costs due to AI server farms buying up the market. My personal experience was that 8 gb didn’t work well for my use case, but I regularly run 5-6 applications simultaneously while podcasting and the 8gb limit was causing me problems. (The apps I run are: Zoom, Audio Hijack, Safari, Messages, and Callsheet). If you run a browser, or watch Youtube videos, and do regular word processing or spreadsheet work, 8gb is fine.

Both models have two USB C ports which are not Thunderbolt compatible which is not surprising, what is surprising is that one of them is USB 3 speed and the other is USB 2 speed, I regularly use a USB based card reader for moving images from compact flash type B cards, I know I’d forever be using the slower port and wondering why it was so slow. I believe Apple created a situation where a poor user experience my occur regularly and something that will be changed in subsequent updates. USB 2 was introduced in 2000, 26 years ago, while USB 3 (this appears to be 3.1 with 10 gb/s) was introduced in 2013. I can’t imagine the cost difference was significant in any way. A new computer with a 26 year old technology that has been updated 5-6 times in the intervening years is just a bad idea. There should be 2 USB 3.1 ports on this computer.

A mechanical touch pad in front of the non backlit keys is another place where savings were made. Not backlighting the keys is probably a big savings and makes sense on the lower end of the product line. The touch pad has been haptic (it does not really move at all), on the MacBook line since 2015. So, once again Apple has chosen a decade or more older technology for the MacBook Neo. To be honest most people won’t notice, and the touchpad will probably be just fine. The reason for the change in 2015 was to make the system more durable with no moving parts in the touch pad. This is a regression, but unlike the USB 2 port, the Screen and the camera, this is the previous generation of the technology, not several generations behind.

The MacBook Neo has a 1080p front facing camera for video meetings. This is a BIG step down from the rest of the MacBook line where 12 megapixel cameras are now the norm. I am a bit surprised that this is not at the least a 4k camera which is the previous generation baseline. Again, an area where cost savings were perhaps over shooting the last technology leap for one a decade or more older. Apple was late to upgrade from 1080p compared to most PC laptops, and going back to that standard in 2026, seems like a marketing decision for diversification of the product line more than cost savings. Even in an entry level product, Apple buyers expect a premium experience relative to the PC options available. The enclosure and build quality will certainly reinforce the premium feel of the Neo, but the USB 2 port and the lower resolution camera seem like poor choices. Time will tell.

The MacBook Neo comes in four colors, the obligatory silver and black (not apple’s names) and alternately yellow and pink. It has 16 hours of battery compared to 18 for the MacBook Air which starts at $1099. The Neo is a great buy for an Apple Laptop with Apple build quality and workmanship. For much of the population the Neo is the perfect laptop, though I would strongly suggest getting the 512gb model for $699.

I think it is also telling to think about rumored products that were not introduced this week. Items that can be directly tied to the lack of a shipping AI solution from Apple. The rumored home hub went unmentioned, as did new HomePod’s, Smart home switches, cameras, or sensors. Also no mention of a new AppleTV device. As I said, each of these items can be tied to the lack of an AI functioning at the level Apple expects.

Lest you think that there have been no advances in AI for apple, check out spotlight in the newest version of MacOS. Spotlight is the system search and launch system. Press and hold the command key ⌘, and tap the space bar. From there you can type the first few letters of anything you are looking for on your Mac. Try launching an app type PA and pages will be an option. Type TA to find your last year’s tax pdf. It works well and fast, which has not always done. And Spotlight has learned a few new tricks in MacOS 26.4 (beta available now). After launching Spotlight, type command ⌘, and the number 4. You will get a list of clipboard items. This allows you to copy three of four items and then call up the list and paste each of the items you copied. It is no longer a copy (or cut) and paste systole exclusively. You can copy, copy, copy and paste, paste, paste! This is handy in many situations, so much so that clipboard managers with a clipboard history are popular add-ons from the App Store. Many of the apps offer more functionality so if you use these, there is no reason to quit. But, the next time you are working on a friend’s computer and need a clipboard history, it is nice to know it is built in. One more reason to upgrade to MacOS 26 even if you do not like the Liquid Glass look feel and function.

NOTE: More information about the M5Pro and M5Max chips introduced today. I’ll follow up is a subsequent post.
Are we missing the point

March 3rd, 2026
Like almost everyone, I woke this past Saturday to news that the United States had attacked Iran. Whether we should have or not will be determined by history. Virtually none of us are privy to the intelligence from the area and what might have been the trigger for this action. Again, history will tell us what those were and if it was justified.

I am not a fan of his style, (don’t get me started on the “gold everywhere” motif) but you have to give credit where it is due. President Trump is masterful at doing and saying things that take news cycles away from issues he does not want to talk about. Like clockwork, he will post an outrageous comment or photo online when the news cycle starts to focus on Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) activities that reflect badly on his administration. The news outlets switch to talking about “Crazy Trump”, they forget that unpredictable behavior is his brand. He uses it as a tool to manage news cycles. It’s a bait and switch that magicians must envy.

So, is the attack on Iran another film-flam? Maybe, Partly. Keep in mind that the recently departed “Supreme Leader” had ordered a hit on the US president. Also, we have been in kind of low level war with Iran since 1979 when the first Ayatollah took power and immediately held United States citizens as hostages. Since that time, Iran has been openly and actively engaged in war like behavior against the United States. In the last decade, they have never wavered from the effort to create nuclear weapons despite publicly saying they just wanted nuclear power. Remember they are in the Middle East and have vast reserves of oil and gas. More energy than they need or could use, so the need for nuclear energy is not really plausible. Iran has sponsored anti US and anti Israeli groups thought the Middle East, using money they gained from selling oil. They had skirmishes and wars with other muslim nations in their neighborhood as well.

Finally, there have been some who have voiced concerns that this action gives tacit consent to China vis-a-vie Taiwan, and Russia in Ukraine. I think however that the real message to both China and Russia is somewhat different. The first wave of attacks in Iran took out the political leadership of Iran, essentially their entire navy and much of their command and control structure for air defense. While they still have offensive drone and medium range missiles each time they launch, we attack that launch location so it cannot be used again. Contrast that with the first days of the Russian invasion of Ukraine, where their army was bogged down on the way to Kiev, and were sitting dicks to air attacks. The Russian army was decimated and has been essentially bogged down with minimal advances in the intervening years, as Ukraine has with US and its allies help, struck back not just defending their borders but hitting staging areas and runways inside of Russia. Oh, and one of Russia’s major suppliers of drones has been Iran. I imagine that source of weapons for Russia is drying up. China seeing this has to notice the contrast in US military operations and those of Venezuela, Cuba (the privateer army protecting the Venezuelan president), Russia, and Iran. Perhaps rather than opening a door for China, this activity is serving as a warning that US military is elite, and it is best to stay on “good side” of the United States.

In summary, the attack on Iran can have multiple reasons and goals, much of which cannot not be shared in the moment. Those possible reason may be:
- Its a distraction from ICE activities
- Its revenge against anti USA leadership
- Its protection for neighboring countries in the Middle East
- Its based on intelligence we, the public, are not privy to
- Its cutting off a source of weapons to Russia
- Its sending a warning to China that the US Military is a force to fear
Or maybe it’s something else.
Experts get the title for a reason

January 12th, 2023

When someone, or an organization is referred to as an expert, it is usually for a reason. I would presume that the engineers at GM, Ford and other car manufacturers know more about making cars than the average person, or say a medical equipment manufacturer or a doctor. Whereas a doctor would be more likely to have expertise in say, human anatomy, or surgical procedures. Each is an expert in there area for a reason, education experience and mostly concentrated effort in that area. What baffles me is why an expert in one area demonstrates that they are not experts in another area by second guessing the actual experts in that field. For example, Apple has create a elegant touch interface for IOS that works so well it was copied down to the pixel and is the dominant way people interact with computers today. Yes, your phone is a computer and whether you use iOS or Android you use the touch interface created by Apple for the most part.

So, who thinks they know how to interact with that interface better than Apple? Mazda, and Mercedes Benz to name two. These arrogant misguided automobile manufacturers decided that rather than touch the screen, you have to use a knob to highlight the desired icon, and then tap the knob. Have they never tried to do that while driving? It takes at least 10 times as long to select the right icon, and takes your eyes off the road for that time. CarPlay, and its parallel product android auto, should revoke their license to use the interface! This monstrosity of interaction is a failure to understand how people use a touch interface. It demonstrates arrogance beyond wisdom as it replaces a simple, easy and fast interaction with a cumbersome disconnected irritation. I have used the carPlay interface in multiple cars over the years, and as I begin my search for anew vehicle, I like 76% of all new car buyers will look for a vehicle that has CarPlay in it, but I’ll be sure to test it with my phone. If the misbegotten engineers for the car company have replace the CarPlay touch interface with a knob, touch pad or anything other than a touch screen as it was designed to use, they will loose my purchase, and I hope they loose yours too! Vote with your wallet and say NO to bad design and foolish over thinking outside of your area of expertise.
Inconsistent Plastic Policy

January 11th, 2023

I live in California, and recently made my first pilgrimage to the frozen tundra of Lambeau Field. As a lifelong Green Bay Packer fan, it was an exciting and special trip that I enjoyed with my brother who is a Los Angeles Rams Fan. The Rams and Packers met on the tundra at 15 degrees on a Monday night, and while we were cold, it is a memory we will treasure forever.

Being Californians, we have become accustomed to social pressure to minimize plastics left in the environment and accept that we pay an extra ten cents for every plastic bag we bring home from a store. We have to ask for a straw or disposable plastic ware to eat with as restaurants are legally required to wait for our request. It was noticeable that none of this selective “concern for show” was present in Wisconsin. People picked up their trash because that is what is expected socially. It also made my return even more striking as I noticed that more and more fast food restaurants have moved to plastic cups, forgoing paper, and plastic food trays, replacing biodegradable while being more flimsy… Yay?

Why can they had me a giant plastic cup filled with a beverage, but have to ask for a straw to stick through the plastic lid. The hypocrisy is tangible. GO PACK GO!