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I loved a new memoir about death & love
Ralph the Toddler and I crossed paths for the first (and, so far, only) time at a Minneapolis backyard party last summer. The little dude was impossible to miss: He nonchalantly picked up a garden...
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Good job, St. John’s. My son is impressed.
Thirty-six years ago this winter, a Catholic young man living in San Juan, P.R., took a leap of faith and — sight unseen — chose a secluded, wooded Benedictine campus in a faraway land called...
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For the first time in ages I bike-commuted
Long ago, when working in Washington, D.C. at one of my first journalism jobs, I was a bicycle commuter. It was a spectacular commute. I lived in Arlington, Va., not far from the Arlington National...
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My wife’s magical garden is a kid magnet
My wife has been dropping a small fortune on garden ornaments in the shapes of animals, fairies and the like for a reason: The younger neighborhood children are nuts about them. She has created a...
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Awful news preempts my TV appearance
When Esme Murphy of WCCO-TV last week invited me to appear on her Sunday news show for Father’s Day tech-gift picks, she couldn’t know what a horrific day it would turn out to be. My live segment,...
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I’m interviewed on the Pioneer Press patio
The Pioneer Press’ shiny-new HQ across the river from downtown St. Paul has many sweet amenities, including an outdoor patio with a spectacular view of the city skyline. So, when KARE 11 asked to...
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My amazing wife builds me a porch desk
I often refer to my house’s roomy front porch as my “third office” because I do a lot of work out there during Minnesota’s all-too-brief summers. It seems criminal to hole up in my Pioneer Press...
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Pictures: Remembering Philando Castile
Philando Castile, the St. Paul man shot by a cop during a traffic stop, won’t be forgotten anytime soon. I’ll be reminded of him every time I walk onto my porch, look to the left and see the J.J. Hill...
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I snag the Pioneer Press ‘news hero’ prize
This bizarre-looking trophy is the St. Paul Pioneer Press newsroom’s “News Hero” award. It is awarded weekly to a news worker or workers — such as reporters or copy editors — for awesome journalism. I...
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A block party is therapeutic after tragedy
My wife and I always look forward to our St. Paul neighborhood’s block party on National Night Out in August — and never more so than this year after the heartbreaking shooting of St. Paulite...
View ArticleI talk iPhone 7, Apple Watch 2 with Jason
I talked iPhone 7 and Apple Watch Series 2 on Fox 9’s “The Jason Show” with Jason Matheson. More … The post I talk iPhone 7, Apple Watch 2 with Jason appeared first on Julio Ojeda-Zapata.
View ArticleAdam Engst plugs his team … including me
TidBITS editor Adam Engst, appearing on TWiT’s MacBreak Weekly podcast after an Apple press event, gave props to his team (including me). It is nice to be appreciated. More … The post Adam Engst plugs...
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I talk porch piracy with WCCO’s John Hines
Package theft or “porch piracy” is a major problem, particularly during the holidays, as just-dropped-off parcels are snatched from doorsteps by thieves who often shadow delivery trucks. I recently...
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I talk tech gift giving on Joiner’s MacVoices
It’s the holiday season in Minnesota, so this tech-head naturally compiled a gift guide comprised entirely of products with strong Minnesota connections. Soon after posting that article, Chuck Joiner...
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Grateful for friends this year; I am blessed
My parents made Christmas magical for my siblings and me, generously showering us during our Puerto Rico childhoods with thoughtful gifts, for which I’ll always be appreciative and grateful. Sometime...
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Thanks for the memories, Minnov8 Gang
As a tech journalist in recent years, I’d periodically serve as a guest host on the Minnesota-based Minnov8 Gang Podcast with regular hosts Steve Borsch, Tim Elliott, Graeme Thickins and Phil Wilson....
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About all of my bizarre health problems …
I’ve been having all kinds of weird health issues lately. About two months ago, I got whammied by severe fatigue, headaches, back pain and a weird, persistent watery sensation in the back of my throat...
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My alma mater profiles me briefly, brilliantly
My St. John’s University alma mater recently profiled in its glossy magazine a number of alumni who have worked as professional journalists. Writer Dana Drazenovich whipped up a bunch of bios that are...
View ArticleI discuss Instagram on Joiner’s MacVoices
Instagram is a passion of mine. It is my favorite social network even though I’m sometimes more active on Facebook and Twitter. Instagram’s simplicity — a grid of squares representing carefully...
View ArticleApple’s iPad Pro ad is, in a way, about me
Apple’s new TV spot about a roving girl and her iPad is one of my favorite Apple ads of all time — and I do not say this lightly since the company’s advertising has always been top-notch. Initially, I...
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Facebook pals get creative for my birthday
I’m not crazy about Facebook, which is so chaotic and convoluted that it does a number on my OCD. Oh, but I love Facebook on my birthday as best wishes pour in by the dozens. Among those are bursts of...
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My 2017 was the best and worst of times
It was the best of times, it was the worst of times — There’s a cliché for you, but I can’t think of a better way to describe my 2017. The year started with the death of my brother, who was hit by a...
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My #bestnine Instagram pictures for 2017
Here are my #bestnine Instagram photos for 2017: 1, 6 and 8: Mississippi River Boulevard vistas taken while on bicycling excursions 2: My neighbor Colleen’s backyard while she was working an an...
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I write about wireless charging for TidBITS
Of the many, many tech gadgets I’ve tried over several decades as a tech writer, a few stand out in my mind because of their ingenuity, beauty or both. The TDK Wireless Charging Speaker is one of...
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Twitter for Mac is no more; I try alternatives
As a Twitter power user, I’m in mourning because my favorite Mac-based software for accessing the popular social network will soon be no more. That application, also called Twitter, is an elegant...
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I like winter just fine if I have a snowblower
For this Puerto Rican, living in Minnesota can be a trying experience. Oh, summers are just fine, especially when deliciously wet, Caribbean-like air slaps me in the face. (Once, when I was visiting...
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I try out Apple’s new HomePod for TidBITS
As someone who’s ambivalent at best about listening to music, I’m not an obvious user candidate for Apple’s new HomePod speaker. After all, the audio device is inextricably tied to the Apple Music...
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TidBITS debuts fab-looking new website
I am beyond proud to be on the TidBITS masthead. I therefore celebrate any improvements to this venerable, Apple-flavored tech-news operation. TidBITS, run by amazing wife-and-husband duo Tonya and...
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I embark on an Apple adventure in Chicago
Just home from Florida vacation late last month, I headed to the airport again — this time on a work trip to Chicago. I was off to attend my first Apple media event in years, and I was pretty excited...
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WCCO has me on to talk holiday tech gifts
Tech gifts for the holidays run the gamut price-wise from $20 or less to $1,000 and over, which can make shopping for such products confounding — especially if you are not a geek. I recently appeared...
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I turned my fixed desk into a sit-stand desk
I love sit-stand desks, those contraptions that can be raised and lowered so you can work on a computer in a sitting or a standing position. Standing desks have been hailed on health grounds, though...
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My iPad as touchscreen Mac (kinda sorta)
Laptops with touch screens are pretty much the norm these days, with a prominent exception: Macintosh notebooks. Apple has stubbornly refrained from adding fingertip interaction to the displays on its...
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Finally falling in love with the Apple Watch
Warming up to the Apple Watch took me a while. When the first version of the smartwatch came out in 2015, I delighted in having an Apple-branded product on my wrist. When the novelty wore off, though,...
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Facebook friends brighten up my birthday
Friends of mine once again seized on the occasion of my birthday to get creative on Facebook. Their handiwork (typically of a nerdy nature, since they know me so well) was among dozens and dozens of...
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Milestone: I wrote my 100th TidBITS story
I recently marked a minor but memorable professional milestone: I wrote my 100th article for TidBITS, the venerable email newsletter and website focused on all things Apple. I kind of stumbled into...
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WCCO-TV picks my brain about traffic apps
What’s the best traffic app for your phone? WCCO-TV’s Liz Collin posed that question to me. Quick answer: Google Maps. Longer answer: It’s complicated, but there are good options for various usage...
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Them green eyes
As my petite date walked towards me, and I lost myself in her green eyes, I suspected I was in serious trouble. We talked for hours, that first day at Cafe Latte, and I knew I was done for. She was the...
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My friend Steve makes me a Mandalorian
My deepest thanks to my artistic pal Steve Borsch for yet again unleashing his digital skillz to insert me into a geeky scenario — the hit Disney+ series “The Mandalorian,” in this case — as the best...
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My 10 best reads (and 2 re-reads) of 2019
I set a reading goal of 100 books last year, but only managed 88 — which isn’t bad! Here are my 10 favorite new reads of 2019, in no particular order, and I threw in two re-reads. Click the covers to...
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Recapping a bicycling season for the ages
Last year, I bicycled like never before. I embarked on the greatest cycling adventures of my life, and went farther than I ever thought possible. I pedaled 2,535.6 miles, compared to 2,287.8 miles in...
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My adventures with cleats & snowblowers
As a Puerto Rican in Minnesota, I have complicated feelings about winter. I hate the never-ending cold, but I gamely do battle with King Boreas every day, and have moments of exhilaration — like when...
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Coronavirus: Staying sane and productive
The COVID-19 crisis has made me paranoid about once-ordinary routines. I’ve stopped going to my public library because I’m leery of much-handled books. I’m no longer visiting my gym and its...
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A quick coronavirus guide for fellow nerds
As I write this, the highly infectious and often-deadly COVID-19 virus is beginning its rampage across the country. And, like other Americans, I am figuring out how to cope. I’m a nerd who likes...
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How to keep up with the coronavirus news
The COVID-19 outbreak might be the story of the century, and there’s no shortage of news about it. For you, that can be a good or bad thing. If the never-ending torrent of info about the coronavirus...
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Coronavirus: Why the hell am I so calm?
I’ve been trying to figure out why the pandemic hasn’t totally freaked me out (so far). Oh, I’m stressed, but also feel a weird calm. I think it’s partly because I’ve been mentally bracing for this...
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Virus: How we do work is changing forever
My friends, the great experiment. No, I don’t mean the Excelsior-class starship. (For non-nerds reading this and wondering what the hell I’m talking about, here’s a link to the relevant “Star Trek”...
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As the pandemic rages, I write and write …
As the pandemic rages, I’m still pretty calm as I go on more than a month of near-continuous home confinement. It’s helpful that the kind of work I do can be performed at home (I had telecommuted a...
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I become sick and get tested for COVID-19
I was feeling out of sorts on Saturday, and by late afternoon was running a 101-degree fever. My head pounded and my throat ached. My chest felt a bit tight. At one time, this would have been only...
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The COVID year was hell — but also lovely
I knew the yearlong pandemic was far from over, a week or so ago, when I found myself with dozens of others in downtown St. Paul’s Roy Wilkins Auditorium, each of us standing uneasily at our own...
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My beloved alma mater profiles me (again)
When my alma mater St. John’s University dedicated a recent issue of its magazine to African-American alumni and Black history on campus, it didn’t occur to me that a Latino issue might be next. Then...
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