What’s a File Folder?
Hi, I’m Matt Tillotson, a guy who reads, writes, and works out. This is Matt’s Mix Tape, a weekly Mix of ideas for a creative and healthy middle life.
This week’s Mix:
- The Mix Tape Logo (don’t coast)
- When the binge becomes cringe
- What’s a file system?
- The iPhones 13 and iOS 15 hit the streets
- This week’s Florida photo
This week’s Mix Tape logo
Let’s not coast.
I’m of two minds about by 30s. On one hand, it was a challenging time. I was raising young kids, navigating a tumultuous corporate culture, and traveling a lot.
On the other hand: I was stagnant. Same job, same arduous commute. Very little creative expression. An easy jogging regimen. Minimal strength training.
Riding the wave.
In a discussion with Write of Passage students, I realized this newsletter is about cheering you—and me—on to avoid middle age stagnation. Express yourself. Write well. Be fit and healthy. Challenge your assumptions and habits.
Let’s not coast.
When the binge becomes cringe
I didn’t want to publish this piece, about the beer binging habit I packed up with my degree after college, and my period of introspection to find a healthier path.
But someone needs to read it. Someone’s in the same place I was. So I wrote it.
What’s a file folder?
Keeping up with new tech isn’t just about the latest apps. To avoid communication gaps, we need to understand technological frames of reference for younger generations.
For example: Gen Z doesnt’ understand or care about computer file directories:
the concept of file folders and directories, essential to previous generations’ understanding of computers, is gibberish to many modern students.
Professors have varied recollections of when they first saw the disconnect. But their estimates (even the most tentative ones) are surprisingly similar. It’s been an issue for four years or so, starting — for many educators — around the fall of 2017.
No great mystery why. Phones are the main computers for young people. File systems don’t matter much:
It could also have to do with the other software they’re accustomed to — dominant smartphone apps like Instagram, TikTok, Facebook, and YouTube all involve pulling content from a vast online sea rather than locating it within a nested hierarchy.
If you’re a developer, file systems still matter a lot. The rest of us need to realize that computer file placement, in the minds of young people, is as foreign a concept as a rotary dial phone.
The iPhones 13 and iOS 15 hit the streets
The iPhones 13—regular, Mini, Pro, and Pro Max—are out today. And iOS 15, downloadable for all iPhone models back to the 6s—released Tuesday. Here’s some links and takeaways from this week’s coverage.
- Dieter Bohn of The Verge did his usual excellent review. He loves the new 120 MHz, smooth-as-butter screen.
- Matthew Panzareno puts the iPhone 13 through its paces at Disneyland. Disneyland is an iPhone boot camp: heat, network congestion, frequent GPS pinging via the Disney Parks app, bright sunlight forcing the screen to max brightness, and tons of photos and videos taken. It’s a serious workout, and the new models excelled in his testing.
- Once again, Brian X. Chen creates the emo kid of iPhone reviews. He dismissively surmises there’s no reason to buy the new phones. He calls the iPhones 13 the “most incremental upgrade ever.” But he’s missing a key point: many will upgrade from phones three years old or older. The new devices are significant improvements in that case.
- If you want a deep understanding of iOS 15 and iPadOS 15 features,Federico Veticci writes the internet’s most complete review of both systems.
- 9 to 5 Mac developed succinct guides on new iOS 15 functionally for key apps including Apple Music, Notes, and Weather.
In short: the battery life is much better across all models (especially the Pro Max), the cameras are improved (especially in low-light situations), and the Pro model screens are a nice step forward from what was already a great display.
Under the hood, iOS 15 is a modest step forward. Incremental improvements and stability are the focus this year over splashy new functionality.
This week’s Florida photo
Sunrise in the neighborhood.
Welcome to nine new subscribers
Including Bryan, Timothy, and Saalman.
And thank you for reading!
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Archived from Matt's newsletter.