Thanks For The Incompatible Photo Format, Apple

So, having a new grand-baby on the scene, I just discovered that newer iPhones (basically iPhone 7 and newer as well as newer iPads and other iOS devices) with iOS 11 or newer, save photos by default in a new format which takes up less space (.HEIC) but are not readable outside the iOS and Mac universe.  It only happens with BOTH a newer device PLUS the newer iOS version.

Actually, even my Mac with Sierra isn’t capable of reading these files.  Windows 10 is allegedly set for an update at some time to make HEIC images readable on Windows.

The new format, while saving some storage space, makes sharing photos problematic outside the iOS universe.  There are software converters available, which is what I had to do the other night to make the files on Google Drive readable by non-iOS users (like Windows or Android phone users).

I don’t entirely understand the situation but it was an unexpected complication.  I guess the last time I tried to share pictures was on my iPhone 6S.

According to Apple, "when you share media using other methods, such as AirDrop, Messages, or email, it's shared in a more compatible format, such as JPEG or H.264."  However, I've found this doesn't always happen.

You can change the settings on your iPhone to revert to saving photos in the familiar and easily shareable JPG format.  To do so:

Go to the phone's Settings
Scroll down to Camera
Select Formats
Select "Most Compatible"

NOTE: If your phone doesn't have the "Format" option, you don't have a compatible device or iOS 11 or newer.

There is another setting on the iOS device you may want to change.  Under Settings-Photos-Transfer to MAC or PC, you can select "Automatic" to make sure you share photos and videos in a "compatible format."

Apple's help page on this subject is at https://goo.gl/PKvhfU

To convert .HEIC images you already have, you can use one of the free converter apps.  I used imazing.com's program to convert files on Google Drive to JPG.  https://imazing.com/

He's Really A Lovely Dog

So we adopted a rescued Golden Retriever at the end of last summer. Yes, we had no idea there were Golden Retrievers needing to be rescued, but there are, sadly.  At any rate, we waited 6 months to be matched to a dog the right age, temperament, and such, and the wait was well worth it.  Guinness is a 3 year old pooch who fit right into our family.

Mr. G

His foster family told us he was extremely well-behaved and appeared to have had some training in his previous life.  He was found as a stray in Chicago and they said he never barked.   He barked at me within two days of moving in.  That was pretty much how things went: we welcomed him and he picked up a number of behaviors he hadn't exhibited before.  None of them were big problems.  He barked at me when I wasn't picking up on his silent cues to help him retrieve a tennis ball under the couch and he even developed a low growl when he needed to go outside and no one was listening.  All good.

We've always had Goldens (Guinness is our fourth) and they are a wonderful breed.  They're excellent with children, smart, easily trained, and always ready to play.  One of the somewhat peculiar traits we quickly noticed Guinness brought us was that he can go to sleep at the drop of a hat anywhere.  If he's outside and done playing, he'll just lie down (on grass, the deck, or a snowdrift) and go to sleep. If there's nothing going on in the house at the moment, time for some shut-eye.  He matches our life-style perfectly.

Anyway, one of those strange traits that he began to display after he moved in, is he is absolutely fascinated by cats.  All my kids have one or more cats in their homes (in addition to dogs) and Guinness is relentless in his pursuit of felines.  He chases them and tries to figure out how he can get beyond baby-gates set up to provide cat safe-havens.  He hasn't been deterred by hissing, claws, or feline growling.  Nothing distracts him from his mission.  This dog is absolutely gentle with babies, toddlers, and older humans, but if there's a cat in the area, he is relentless.

One of my daughters recently observed him totally focused at the door (with a baby-gate) to a bedroom housing a couple of cats, even when the door was closed.  She commented that maybe we should name him Alf, after the much-beloved alien in the TV series (1986-1990) who thought cats were delicious and never understood why humans kept them as pets.  Alf was quoted once as saying "The only good cat is a stir-fried cat."  On another occasion, Alf asked the mother of the house "Yo Kate, where do you keep the casserole dishes? (Why?) The cat won't fit in the toaster."  Suffice it to say, Alf loved cats, but not the way most humans love cats.  

Our Goldens have always had numerous nicknames; they don't recognize them as names, per se, but they never seemed to mind.  For Goldens, any attention is better than being ignored.  For example, we've had an Indian name ("In The Way") for use pretty much all the time and a Jewish name ("Moe Ros" [long "O"]) for when he seems sad.  So we are now adding "Alf" to the list of authorized nicknames for Guinness. 

I'll end with another quotation from the TV show (Lucky was the Tanners' cat):

(Lucky has died and the Tanners are having a funeral for him.)

ALF : I'm reminded of a prayer he used to recite every night before going to bed : "And if I die before I wake, chicken-fry me like a steak."

ALF : Where I'm from, this is ludicrous! It's like having a funeral for a hamburger!

But he's really a lovely dog!

Caveat Emptor And Watch That Yogurt

OK, so this is about Greek Yogurt,  but it's mostly about how American consumers have to be awake all the damn time.

I went to the grocery store today and on my list was yogurt.  The kind we normally get, Chobani, wasn't on sale according to the store advertisement, so I was going to pick up some Oikos, which is made by Dannon.  

So I was about to pick up the Oikos containers, which were on sale, when I noticed that they seemed kind of small.   Upon checking, I noted that they were 5.3 ounce containers, while the Chobani containers were 6 ounces.   Some quick arithmetic told me that the .7 ounce difference amounted to seven ounces on 10 containers.   Which is more than a full container difference.   So, buying the Chobani product, which actually was on sale at a $1 per container, was a hugely better deal at essentially the same price and gave me an additional container of yogurt.

You have to keep your eyes open all the time, because corporations are always on the prowl for a way to increase their profit at our expense.  Caveat Emptor indeed.

No Love For The Love Boat?

Well, friends, time marches on and in case you needed proof, here's one for all the boomers: The Love Boat is being ripped up for scrap.  Yep, the Pacific Princess, home to Captain Stubing and Gopher and the rest of the Love Boat gang is officially decommissioned.  The ship could host about 600 passengers and that's just too tiny by today's standards, with cruise ships that host 3000 people.  

Of course, the Love Boat never caught fire while on a cruise, never had all it's toilets fail at once, and never capsized while full of passengers.  Both those sort of metrics are just so....yesterday.