It's My Mind in Beta

The New iPad mini Is Finally Here

2026-10-27T13:08:36.094-05:00

I’ve been waiting for Apple to properly refresh the iPad mini, and this time they delivered.

On October 26, 2026, Apple unveiled the all-new iPad mini, calling it the biggest update the mini has ever received. In the press release, Apple described it as featuring “a stunning OLED display in an even thinner and lighter design, a huge leap in performance with A20 Pro, and water and dust resistance.” Dave Pakula, Apple’s vice president of Hardware Engineering, added that with the thinner design, OLED display, A20 Pro, and water and dust resistance, “the new iPad mini is a huge leap forward for users who love having the full iPad experience in the palm of their hand.”

Apple’s own short intro captures the feeling pretty well: [VIDEO]

The new one keeps the compact, grab-and-go character that makes the mini useful for capturing ideas the moment they appear, while fixing a lot of the limitations people had just accepted. It’s 14% thinner (down to 5.4 mm) and lighter—the lightest iPad Apple has made—so it actually disappears into a bag or jacket without feeling like you’re carrying a tablet. Pair that with Apple Pencil Pro support and an 8.5-inch OLED display, and it becomes a genuinely nice portable canvas for sketches, notes, or quick visual thinking.

Display and the glass choice

The screen is the clearest upgrade. It’s the first OLED on a mini: 8.5 inches (up from 8.3) thanks to thinner bezels, with deeper blacks, higher contrast (2,000,000:1), peak brightness up to 1200 nits, and a 1-nit minimum so it stays usable in dim light. Full-screen brightness hits 600 nits for both SDR and HDR content.

Here’s Apple’s visual on the display side: [VIDEO]

You also get a choice of glass:

Standard glass is the classic glossy finish with Apple’s antireflective coating. It delivers maximum clarity and color pop indoors or in controlled lighting, but it reflects more light from windows or outdoors.
Nano-texture glass is the optional upgrade (available only on the 256GB and 512GB models, +$100). Apple etches the surface at a microscopic level so it scatters ambient light instead of bouncing it back. That cuts glare significantly while keeping contrast and color accuracy high—better than older matte coatings that often look hazy. It has a subtle softer feel and comes with a polishing cloth. It’s aimed at people who work or create in brighter, less controllable light (outdoors, near windows, on the go).

One practical note: if you choose nano-texture, you’re generally better off leaving the screen bare. A traditional screen protector covers the etched surface and largely cancels the anti-glare benefit you paid for. If screen protection or a paper-like drawing feel is important to you, standard glass plus a replaceable protector is the cleaner match.

Other features that matter

Under the hood is the A20 Pro, which brings meaningful jumps in CPU, GPU, and AI performance. There’s IP67 water and dust resistance for the first time, plus the new Acoustic Display system (speakers under the glass, no visible holes).

On the camera side, the 12MP Center Stage front camera has moved to the landscape edge, which should feel more natural for FaceTime and video calls when you’re holding the mini horizontally. The rear 12MP Wide camera adds an Adaptive True Tone flash that improves both regular photos and document scanning—handy if you’re capturing whiteboards, notes, or reference material to pull into an idea later.

It still keeps the one-handed, ultraportable character of the mini while addressing the things that used to hold it back. Pre-orders open October 28 and it starts arriving November 6, from $699, in Midnight and Starlight.

For quick idea capture on the go, this feels like the version of the mini that finally matches the use case. The glass choice is the detail worth thinking through based on where you’ll actually use it.

Thoughts on "The Social Reckoning"

2026-10-13T01:12:42.672-05:00

I barely remember The Social Network, the 2010 film that told the early story of Mark Zuckerberg and the founding of Facebook. Aaron Sorkin wrote that one—you may know him from A Few Good Men and The West Wing—and he returns as both writer and director for The Social Reckoning.

This time the focus shifts to the so-called Facebook Files. The movie looks at internal company research and the allegations that Facebook’s algorithms amplified negative, extreme, or misleading content in the pursuit of engagement. It moves from the company’s early days to a period when the platform’s influence on society had become much harder to ignore.

The story largely sits between roughly 2019 and 2021, and it builds toward the events of January 6, 2021. We see Zuckerberg and the company weighing decisions about content related to then-President Donald Trump. After watching the film, I posted on X asking whether this was the first major theatrical depiction of the January 6 riot. The scene stuck with me because it frames those events as one consequence of years of algorithmic choices.

Is #TheSocialReckoning the first big-screen depiction of the January 6, 2021 riot?
— Levois J (@levois) October 10, 2026

We’re still working through the broader questions the movie raises about social media’s reach and the limits of content moderation. I’m glad it touches on the pandemic period. The film doesn’t dwell on the virus by name, but the reference is clear enough—early warnings circulating on the platform about a new coronavirus, followed by the rapid spread of conflicting claims about masks, vaccines, and public-health measures. One moment shows a shopper in a grocery store questioning the legal basis for a mask requirement she encountered in the store. It’s a small scene, but it captures the everyday friction and confusion that played out offline as well as online.

My own experience with platform rules during that time was more limited. I once had an account suspended for sharing a mathematical argument about the 2020 election results. It wasn’t that I fully accepted claims of widespread voter fraud; I simply hadn’t fully accepted that Joe Biden had rightfully won. Over time I came to accept that the transition was proceeding, though I still found the events of January 6 problematic. The suspension left me with the sense that certain topics were being tightly restricted in ways that felt arbitrary. That was a strange election in an already strange year.

Since then the platforms have changed. X, under Elon Musk’s ownership, has a more right-leaning user base and different moderation priorities than Twitter did in 2020. Meta, Facebook’s parent company, has largely stepped away from third-party fact-checking. At the same time, concern has shifted toward TikTok. The app’s parent company, ByteDance, remains Chinese, though U.S. operations now sit inside a separate joint venture in which non-Chinese investors hold a majority stake and ByteDance keeps a minority interest. How much that structure actually separates the American version of the app from its global parent is still debated.

The Social Reckoning doesn’t pretend to resolve any of this. It mostly dramatizes one period when the trade-offs inside a single company became especially visible. Whether the film overstates Facebook’s role, understates other factors, or simply arrives a few years too late is something viewers will argue about. For me it was useful mainly as a reminder that the arguments over speech, amplification, and institutional trust didn’t begin or end with any one election or pandemic year. They’re still playing out.

First Keynote for New Apple CEO Ternus: Premium Only

2026-09-04T06:30:00.000-05:00

Wednesday, Sept 9, 2026 noon Chicago-time. “Surprise and Shine.” First product keynote for John Ternus, Apple’s new CEO as of Sept 1. He ran hardware engineering; Tim Cook is now executive chairman. Ternus already called next week a “huge launch.”

Source: OSXDaily

New iPhones

September is the expensive aisle.

Expected

iPhone 18 Pro — same shape as last year’s Pro, smaller Dynamic Island, A20 Pro chip, camera upgrades, new colors (Dark Cherry is the one)
iPhone 18 Pro Max — same, plus a bigger battery
Foldable iPhone (likely iPhone Ultra) — first Apple foldable, book-style, ~5.5" closed / ~7.8" open, rumored $2,000–$2,500

Dummy units say the Pros barely change on the outside. Color is the visible update.

Budget iPhone?

Not this month. No base iPhone 18. No 18e. No cheap model.

Apple is splitting the lineup. iPhone 18, iPhone 18e, and iPhone Air 2 are expected in spring 2027. If you want a new phone that isn’t Pro or foldable, wait.

iPads

Don’t expect one on the 9th.

The one that could still land this fall: OLED iPad mini, first OLED on the mini, faster chip. Gurman says it should go on sale by late October, likely as a press release, not a keynote. Air, base iPad, and Pro updates are pointed at 2027.

The list: three expensive iPhones on Sept 9. Budget iPhone next spring. Mini in October.

Lonestar Trip Reports: Chicago to Portland by Train (46 Hours)

2026-06-22T00:24:49.420-05:00

Just watched this engaging new trip report from Lonestar Trip Reports: “Chicago to Portland by Train: 46 HOURS on Amtrak’s Empire Builder!” A full 2,257-mile journey across eight states in about 46 hours. Great watch if you’re into rail adventures and seeing America the scenic way.

Watch the full report here: [VIDEO]

Quick Highlights from the Ride

Union Station Start: Iconic Great Hall, Metropolitan Lounge access for sleepers with snacks, showers, and priority boarding.

Roomette Life: Superliner II comfort in Room 4 (Car 2731), with helpful attendant Lynn adding those nice homey touches that make the long ride feel welcoming. Included meals (salmon dinner noted) and solid service throughout.

The Scenery: Rolling through prairies, then the epic Rocky Mountains and Glacier Nat'l Park at sunset, followed by the Columbia River Gorge into Portland — truly standout views that make the journey memorable.

Practical Notes

Roomette priced at $880 (meals included), though coach is more budget-friendly. Book early as fares vary. Solid option for unplugging or longer history-tied trips, with the usual potential for freight-related delays.

My Take

Lonestar Trip Reports does a nice job showing why trains like the Empire Builder endure — slow travel that lets you truly see the landscapes. A real perspective reset from Chicago to the Pacific Northwest. Worth the roomette splurge for the right journey?

I’ve never taken the Empire Builder, though I do look forward to doing so in the near future. I’ve never had the opportunity to visit Glacier National Park nor the great cities of Portland, OR and Seattle, WA. Perhaps two nights on the train to visit either of those places would be worthwhile for areas I’ve never seen.

Those nice touches by attendants like Lynn would definitely heighten the experience, making it feel less like mass transit and more like a real journey. It’s that personal touch and the overall experience that I believe draws people to train travel.

'The Social Reckoning' trailer

2026-06-12T12:29:12.838-05:00

[VIDEO] I found out about this via Ben Shapiro who said had Donald Trump not gotten re-elected this movie wouldn't have been made. This film is a sequel to the 2010 The Social Network - a movie I missed out on, but plan to see in the near future.

Facebook seems to have fallen out of favor from it's 2000s peak. The saying goes Facebook is for old people and Instagram is for people who can't read. Let me find the actually quote, let me visit with A.I. for a moment.

Facebook is for old people. Twitter is stupid, and Instagram is for people who can't read.

Thanks A.I. I should find a kid who's more adept at social media. Right now the next hot social network is currently TikTok. What could it be in five years?

Anyway, The Social Network dealt with Facebook as an emerging company the spiritual sequel is more of the impact of Facebook after it's emergence. Sadly to see The Social Reckoning I have to wait until October.

Columbo - Sharp as a glass

2026-05-05T12:59:29.157-05:00

[VIDEO] I had binge watched a number of Columbo episodes last year and you can always find clips of that show on YouTube.

Columbo as a character started off in two TV movies with different versions of the character. One portrayal in the TV movie Prescription Murder, he doesn't seem like the one to mess with once he's on your trail. He starts harrassing the female accomplice telling her that he will break her.

Of course later portrayals are far more softer. Columbo is very adept at lulling his suspects into a very false sense of security. And he's "sharp as a glass" enough to get all the proof he needs to prove the committed the crime.

This video I found today via Count Akira is a love letter to this beloved TV character portayed by Peter Falk which was part of the line-up for the NBC Mystery Movie during the 1970s. I do wish they could find a way bring this character back even if they had to recast him.

Michael Franzese on the NBA betting scandal arrests

2025-10-25T12:29:00.002-05:00

[VIDEO] Former Columbo crime family captain discusses how the mob operates when it comes to athletes (college or professional) involvement in sports gambling. He illustrates how the mafia (perhaps any organized criminal organizations) are able to sink their teeth into these athletes.

Chicago Tribune: NBA’s Terry Rozier and Chauncey Billups charged in sprawling sports betting and Mafia-backed poker schemes

OTOY: Creating Kubrick's Space Odyssey

2025-10-19T15:56:00.000-05:00

[VIDEO] 2001: A Space Odyssey is one of my all-time favorite movies.

When I first saw it on cable in about 1995, I couldn't believe that something like this could be produced & released in 1968. I thought I was watching something that had premiered in the 1980s.

Also the movie was closer in time to 2001 and I also knew there was no way we were going to launch a Jupiter mission. We haven't even gone to Mars and the Apollo lunar program was over in the early 1970s, thus we don't even have moon bases there in 1995.

Oh and we didn't even have flights into Earth orbit. PanAm wasn't flying anywhere because they had closed down in 1991. If someone could revive the brand for flights into Earth orbit and to the moon that would be very cool.

And in this almost hour long documentary we see the thought put into this movie by Stanley Kubrick and his crew. This is one of his many masterpieces.

So far I've only seen Paths of Glory, Spartacus, 2001, and a Clockwork Orange. He didn't make that many movies during his career and when he does make movies he puts a lot of time and energy in them. I'd say that works for him. Basically quality of output more than quantity.

Also OTOY is also know for some of their own Star Trek projects, so look out for them also.

Isaac Asimov: The Last Question

2025-10-13T11:43:00.002-05:00

I found a video of this last month on YouTube which I will share with you, however, if you prefer to read it here's a link that I found to this short story. Can't believe it's publicly available. Perhaps this is something worth saving to your hard-drive before it's taken off the internet due to copyright.

Upon finding out the story, I just see it as an instant favorite. Seems to combine A.I., questions about the universe with even a biblical origin story. I've been using A.I. to ponder the fate of the universe - don't worry much about it though it's trillions or more in the future, not imminent.

This is of course a sci-fi story taking place in the future. Who knows what mankind's fate will be after thousands of years let alone millions of years.

Here's the video that discusses The Last Question [VIDEO]

Ted Turner's Doomsday Video

2025-10-03T23:57:00.001-05:00

Go see it if you want

I won't embed that video here. It's basically put me in negative spirits. Besides who wants to think about the end of the world?

As it turned out Ted Turner did (or as I like to refer to him Billionaire Ted). He started CNN (Cable News Network) back in 1980 and it was the first 24/7 cable news channel. He sold CNN to Time Warner (now Warner Discovery) in 1996.

He was eccentric enough to believe that there might be a CNN left at the end of the world, whenever that might be. You can read more about the story behind this video at Jalopnik.

And let's start with what could happen. In the 1980s we were concerned about a nuclear war with the Soviets and thankfully that never came to pass. Though somehow I think that humanity might survive that horrible event, although who's to say how many nuclear exchanges might end the world as we know it.

I could also consider the possibility of something cosmic ending the world. An asteroid strike, the sun emitting life killing radiation or even the sun becoming a red giant evaporating our oceans or even peeling away at our atmosphere if not cooking all life on Earth with increased luminosity.

Regardless the planned video to be the last thing that aired on Earth at the end of the world is a military band playing "Nearer My God To Thee"

Either way hopefully I won't see the end of the world in my life time. As for CNN well with the changing cable news business and the fact that they've been bleeding viewers within the past decade thanks to their biased political coverage, I doubt CNN will last to play this rather creepy video.

Jim Crockett sells to Turner

2025-07-01T11:32:00.004-05:00

[VIDEO] Jim Crockett sold his company Jim Crocket Promotions to Ted Turner. As Crockett explains Turner wanted to keep wrestling on his networks and wasn't going to do business with Vince McMahon so he went about to buy out JCP - that company ultimately became what we now refer to as World Championship Wrestling or WCW.

It's amazing to see this clip of this interview with Conrad Thompson and not too long after this Crockett would pass away. At least we got some of his thoughts on his time in the business.

The JCP brand would be revived for Ric Flair's last match, hopefully more to come with that brand in the future. Flair's one-time match hopefully is a one-time deal as he's a legend but he's in his 70s now and he was recently diagnosed with skin cancer.

Grounded Life Travel: Amtrak's 10 Best Train Routes And The 2 Worst

2025-03-21T09:54:00.006-05:00

[VIDEO] A few surprises especially among the two worst.

The Cardinal is a train I was on briefly but only as a last minute means to get home. I've never traveled on it to get to either Washington, DC or New York where it finishes it's journey. Watch the video to see why they consider it the worst.

And then of course the best among the 10 best is the Floridian - which essentially replaced the Capitol Limited and is intended to be temporary. The Floridian is Chicago's Florida connection and before it entered service late last year when you leave Chicago you have to change trains in Washington, D.C. to take a train into Florida. As the couple above may say this is the perfect way to get down to a cruise that departs Florida.

And then they mention my favorite standby, the Southwest Chief from Chicago to Los Angeles.

For me, I like trains because I like the journey. And it's not often I get to ride through the southwestern United States and see the deserts, buttes, mountains, etc.

The Overview Effekt: Location of Deep Space 9 and other Sci-Fi stars

2025-02-12T00:55:00.000-06:00

[VIDEO] I've gotten into space videos lately. For example: terraforming Mars, why is Venus so hot with high atmospheric pressure, or even exoplanets - that is those planets that orbits other stars outside of our own solar system.

However, the worlds that Star Trek visits or even the star where Babylon 5 is located (and yes the universes of Star Trek and Babylon 5 are totally different. Vulcan has their own star - 40 Eridani - which is known to us and of course we don't really know if Vulcan exists. Wolf 359 is a real star, not just the star where Starfleet suffered a massive defeat at the hands of the Borg.

Also Babylon 5 is located by a real star Epsilon Eridana. Also our closest star is ~~Proxima~~ Alpha Centauri and that was the setting for the film Avatar.

It's interesting to know some of these many stars that we see in sci-fi TV programs and movies are in fact real though whether or not they may be home to various fictional alien or humanoid extraterrestrial species is whole other issue.

Ascension Presents: Do Catholics Believe in 'Signs from the Dead'?

2025-01-26T11:41:00.001-06:00

[VIDEO] This message is for those who have experienced grief from Father Mike Schmitz.

John Campea: Seven money principles he lives by

2025-01-12T09:22:00.003-06:00

[VIDEO] The movie guy who often likes to talk about genre films - comic books, sci-fi, etc. - delves into a different topic which is managing your money. He's right about a lot of these principles.

Of course that said, don't take financial advice from anyone you don't feel comfortable with. Also your money situation is YOUR money situation. Everyone has their own situation.

Regardless live below your means, if you can't pay in cash you can't afford it, avoid debt at all costs. Those are the easy takeaways.

fpt: Theft, Death, and Steve Jobs

2024-12-15T09:32:00.002-06:00

[VIDEO] The interesting story of how Steve Jobs, the late legendary Apple founder and CEO, handled the leak of an prototype electronic device which ultimately became the iPhone 4. Jobs didn't have great respect for tech bloggers and I'm sure it was a bit of a humiliation for this device to get leaked.

At about the 40 minute mark you find out how serious this story became - consider this a trigger warning.

Architectural Digest: Inside a Modern Moving Home On Railroad Tracks

2024-11-23T11:42:00.003-06:00

[VIDEO] This house is located in the Pacific Northwest and it's very unique. A part of this house you can actually move on railroad tracks.

Not my thing but then again I like the design of the stationary home.

Time travel hoax

2024-10-13T12:46:00.001-05:00

[VIDEO] While I have been on the internet since the 2000s or a tad earlier, this is the first time hearing about John Titor.

John Titor arrived in 2000 and disappeared by 2001. He made some predictions which came true, however, he gave himself some pretty good excuses for the fact that it either came true or why they didn't.

Also the theory of time travel is interesting. We seem to get descriptions of as opposed to going backwards in our time, we the time traveler could instead be traveling to parellel universes or alternate timelines as opposed to one timeline.

This man bought a Philadelphia row house

2024-09-05T22:11:00.005-05:00

[VIDEO] Well it's not an old mansion, but just as interesting. A rowhouse is a house for everybody of course everybody can't afford a house that's old. I wonder how much money this man will spend on it.

Inside a $49,500,000 NYC Gilded-Age Manhattan Mansion

2024-07-26T11:38:00.003-05:00

[VIDEO] I really liked this video. As you see Erik Van Conover say basically they don't make 'em like they used to.

Basically a huge mansion or really two row houses combined into one, which was at one point used as offices for a financial company that merged into Bank of America. Treasures like this exists in many cities and this one was largely untouched.

If only I had just about $50 million and then some to make it habitable. Could anyone replicated it today?

Hopefully something like this won't be seen on McMansion Hell...

Wrestlelamia: Real Reason Why Drew McIntyre LOST Championship in 5 Mins at WWE #Wrestlemania 40

2024-04-08T10:47:00.002-05:00

SPOILER ALERT: If you've yet to watch this match or WrestleMania 40, DON'T watch this video. Of course this video is only regarding the story around the WWE World Heavyweight Championship bout between Champion Seth Rollins & challenger Drew McIntyre. No other spoilers beyond that.

[VIDEO] WrestleMania 40 is in the books and overall a new general direction for the WWE or the World Wrestling Federation. I want to see the future rammifications of this story what's next for Seth Rollins, Drew, and ultimately Damian Priest....

Junkball on 'Star Trek Borg'

2024-02-19T12:11:00.000-06:00

[VIDEO] The Junkball YouTube channel talks about all things Trek. In this most recent video is a review of the interactive 1990s game Star Trek Borg, although I wish there was an episode or a movie with this title.

This game came out in 1996 and these days there are no such thing as CD-Roms. You have to download everything and possibly have to pay a monthly fee to continue using it. The 1990s were so simple!

In 1996, there were two Star Trek series that were airing Star Trek: Deep Space Nine and Star Trek:Voyager. Also in the holiday season of '96 was perhaps the best installment of features that star the crew of The Next Generation Star Trek: First Contact which actually featured the Borg.

I'd have to play the game in order to really give it a review though someone who is technically gifted gave it an update. Surely it was never intended to be played on today's high definition screens. It's cool to see one familiar character in Q played by John De Lancie and in a much younger iteration than we we would see him in the 2020s during Star Trek Picard.

Resurrected Garage: 1972 GMC TDH3302 New Look Bus - The Cold Hard Truth

2024-02-05T01:42:00.004-06:00

[VIDEO] For some reason I have been looking at videos of people who work on their own buses. Perhaps they own a former Greyhound bus or they own an old transit bus.

However, I like this idea of this GMC New Look short bus. These buses are the ones I grew up with in Chicago and then suddenly they were no longer in service. Of course the bus you see here is a shorter length from what I recall in service on CTA.

Perhaps a short bus like this is an easier drive that a regular length bus. Also I wouldn't mind owning a piece of nostalgia and wouldn't mind taking it on the road. Of course I'd have to do a conversion and treat it as a home away from home.

If I could afford this particular bus when it goes on sale, I'd go for it. Of course if I did, perhaps it's important to think about a budget for customization and maintenance.

Former WWE Wrestler Breaks Down the Royal Rumble Match

2024-01-28T10:47:00.003-06:00

Last nite was the Royal Rumble where - OK no spoilers - there were a few surprised some we knew were probably on their way back. The end results were not that surprising in both the women's & men's rumble.

I wanted to share with you the first WWF Tough Enough winner...oh sorry I still haven't gotten used to saying WWE....anyway the first Tough Enough Winner is Maven Huffman. He's got a YouTube channel where he talks a lot about his wrestling career. The five or so years he was in WWE and then he got released.

Anyway in his most recent video - and sorry to not have shared this sooner - he discusses the booking for the Royal Rumble. He discusses the mechanics of such a match where 30 wrestlers are participating.

How does one know when they're being eliminated? He answers that question and more [VIDEO]

WrestleTalk: What happened to The Iron Claw wrestlers?

2023-12-23T08:57:00.006-06:00

[VIDEO] I've yet to see the film "The Iron Claw" but I do hope to do so in the near future. From the YouTube channel WrestleTalk they talk about the faith of the people portrayed in that film. And not featured in the movie such as brother Chris Von Erich.

I think it's interesting to look at the real life fates of those who were featured in this film.