Watts Martin
@coyotetracks.org
Writer, of both technical and sf/fantasy persuasion. Cocktail aficionado. Social justice coyote. (he/they)
New post: "Apple wins me over again, but it’s getting tougher" https://coyotetracks.org/blog/apple-wins-me-over/
November 21, 2025 at 5:20 PM
New post: "Apple wins me over again, but it’s getting tougher" https://coyotetracks.org/blog/apple-wins-me-over/
I finally moved off TurboTax last year, and apparently not a moment too soon. www.cnbc.com/2025/11/18/intui...
Intuit to pay OpenAI over $100 million for model access, ChatGPT integrates with TurboTax
Intuit has struck a $100 million-plus deal with OpenAI to bring AI into its financial products like TurboTax and QuickBooks.
www.cnbc.com
November 19, 2025 at 3:54 PM
I finally moved off TurboTax last year, and apparently not a moment too soon. www.cnbc.com/2025/11/18/intui...
I am trying to pay close attention to how I'm outlining my next big story, because I think the plotting app I was working on earlier this year needs to change to avoid being too close to its inspiration.
November 15, 2025 at 6:30 PM
I am trying to pay close attention to how I'm outlining my next big story, because I think the plotting app I was working on earlier this year needs to change to avoid being too close to its inspiration.
I have ordered the laptop. I blame the beer. (Yes, I am at a brewery. Yes, I am using a Tailscale VPN *and* using Apple Pay, before you tell me somebody might have stolen my credit card.)
November 13, 2025 at 11:12 PM
I have ordered the laptop. I blame the beer. (Yes, I am at a brewery. Yes, I am using a Tailscale VPN *and* using Apple Pay, before you tell me somebody might have stolen my credit card.)
I suspect I should probably stop dithering about ordering an M5 MacBook Pro and admit that "because computers are your hobby and you perversely like the idea of completely reworking your whole setup" is a sufficient justification.
November 13, 2025 at 10:01 PM
I suspect I should probably stop dithering about ordering an M5 MacBook Pro and admit that "because computers are your hobby and you perversely like the idea of completely reworking your whole setup" is a sufficient justification.
Apparently I use much less hard drive space than most people; I bought this machine a few years back with a 1TB hard drive, and after doing some pruning/compressing this morning, it's not quite half full.
November 9, 2025 at 5:43 PM
Apparently I use much less hard drive space than most people; I bought this machine a few years back with a 1TB hard drive, and after doing some pruning/compressing this morning, it's not quite half full.
It's vaguely annoying that I've become attuned to a sense of ambient reactionary vibes in areas I'd otherwise dig, and I don't know how much of it is my previous youthful obliviousness and how much is businesses more often engaging in subtle (or loud) signaling these days.
November 8, 2025 at 6:20 PM
It's vaguely annoying that I've become attuned to a sense of ambient reactionary vibes in areas I'd otherwise dig, and I don't know how much of it is my previous youthful obliviousness and how much is businesses more often engaging in subtle (or loud) signaling these days.
I have had a MacBook Pro M5 and a CalDigit Thunderbolt 4 dock in my online Apple Store bag for the last week without pulling the trigger. Argument against: the M1 actually still feels fast! Argument for: I don't think I want to pay for the rumored M6 model changes.
November 5, 2025 at 10:55 PM
I have had a MacBook Pro M5 and a CalDigit Thunderbolt 4 dock in my online Apple Store bag for the last week without pulling the trigger. Argument against: the M1 actually still feels fast! Argument for: I don't think I want to pay for the rumored M6 model changes.
November 4, 2025 at 3:41 PM
There's no shortage of RSS clients for the Apple ecosystem, not to mention Web-based, cross-platform, in Emacs, etc., but I keep finding myself returning to Unread. As much as I'd like a wee bit more configuration, it is just such a pleasure to *read* in it.
November 3, 2025 at 8:02 PM
There's no shortage of RSS clients for the Apple ecosystem, not to mention Web-based, cross-platform, in Emacs, etc., but I keep finding myself returning to Unread. As much as I'd like a wee bit more configuration, it is just such a pleasure to *read* in it.
A weird milestone in adapting Emacs to more of what I currently do with Ulysses: adding a "copy as rich text" function which takes Markdown (or Org!) text and puts the rich text version on the clipboard. This is very Mac-specific, although I think it could be adapted to Linux.
November 3, 2025 at 2:39 AM
A weird milestone in adapting Emacs to more of what I currently do with Ulysses: adding a "copy as rich text" function which takes Markdown (or Org!) text and puts the rich text version on the clipboard. This is very Mac-specific, although I think it could be adapted to Linux.
Pro tip to Linux advocates: bashing the Mac to somebody who's been using the Mac for 20+ years is probably not the right choice.
November 1, 2025 at 11:18 PM
Pro tip to Linux advocates: bashing the Mac to somebody who's been using the Mac for 20+ years is probably not the right choice.
Observations with a little more living in Linux: Syncthing and Tailscale kick iCloud's ass for document syncing, but there are some apps I use on the Mac that have weak or non-existent equivalents. I should move more of my writing/publishing workflow to Emacs, even on the Mac, though.
November 1, 2025 at 7:43 PM
Observations with a little more living in Linux: Syncthing and Tailscale kick iCloud's ass for document syncing, but there are some apps I use on the Mac that have weak or non-existent equivalents. I should move more of my writing/publishing workflow to Emacs, even on the Mac, though.
This feels like discovering Williams-Sonoma is undercutting Walmart
October 31, 2025 at 1:56 PM
This feels like discovering Williams-Sonoma is undercutting Walmart
Once again arguing with myself over whether I should wait for the "better" MacBook Pro M5s in a few months, or whether an M5 MBP with 32G of RAM would be more than enough. (The Mac Studio has an M1 Max in it, which means it has over 2x the memory bandwidth of the M5—but how much does that matter?)
October 30, 2025 at 7:05 PM
Once again arguing with myself over whether I should wait for the "better" MacBook Pro M5s in a few months, or whether an M5 MBP with 32G of RAM would be more than enough. (The Mac Studio has an M1 Max in it, which means it has over 2x the memory bandwidth of the M5—but how much does that matter?)
I am in live chat with two different insurance companies at the same time, because they both have me listed as an active customer, which is making it impossible for me to schedule a doctor's appointment. American healthcare, woo!
October 30, 2025 at 3:00 PM
I am in live chat with two different insurance companies at the same time, because they both have me listed as an active customer, which is making it impossible for me to schedule a doctor's appointment. American healthcare, woo!
I'm debating between buying an M5 MacBookPro now, waiting for the better CPUs that should be here in a few months, or buying a ThinkPad X1—one of the few PC laptops with a screen that isn't embarrassed by a Mac—I can put Linux on. (Or, you know, buying nothing for now.)
October 27, 2025 at 12:49 PM
I'm debating between buying an M5 MacBookPro now, waiting for the better CPUs that should be here in a few months, or buying a ThinkPad X1—one of the few PC laptops with a screen that isn't embarrassed by a Mac—I can put Linux on. (Or, you know, buying nothing for now.)
I'm finding myself very gently researching Linux-compatible laptops, while at the same time finding myself mostly back in macOS even on the Air with Linux installed—99% because of iCloud Drive and convenient syncing. (Especially with the iPad!)
October 23, 2025 at 4:33 PM
I'm finding myself very gently researching Linux-compatible laptops, while at the same time finding myself mostly back in macOS even on the Air with Linux installed—99% because of iCloud Drive and convenient syncing. (Especially with the iPad!)
October 23, 2025 at 2:41 PM
October 17, 2025 at 3:18 PM
I always have a vague worry when I carry my bag with a Pride Flag pin on it into a place I expect to be pretty conservative, so it's a relief to notice this brewery (the ABL, in Dade City, Florida) has two such flags of their own visible.
October 16, 2025 at 9:15 PM
I always have a vague worry when I carry my bag with a Pride Flag pin on it into a place I expect to be pretty conservative, so it's a relief to notice this brewery (the ABL, in Dade City, Florida) has two such flags of their own visible.
Hmm. As cool as Flutter is, it is definitely not designed with the idea of creating document-based apps. I'm becoming half-tempted to learn Lisp and write this as an Emacs package. (Kidding.) (Mostly.)
October 15, 2025 at 1:00 AM
Hmm. As cool as Flutter is, it is definitely not designed with the idea of creating document-based apps. I'm becoming half-tempted to learn Lisp and write this as an Emacs package. (Kidding.) (Mostly.)
Okay, I know I'm just working through the toy "Your First Flutter App" codelab, but wow: Flutter's hot reloading is what Xcode's live preview wants to be when it grows up.
October 14, 2025 at 2:03 PM
Okay, I know I'm just working through the toy "Your First Flutter App" codelab, but wow: Flutter's hot reloading is what Xcode's live preview wants to be when it grows up.
Ah. Apparently, the magic trick is using "gnome-tweaks" to fix Emacs' font rendering, because Linux's font rendering is still driven by whatever library the application is compiled against. That's, you know, not the best, but okay. (The fonts are comparatively huge, too?)
October 13, 2025 at 10:27 PM
Ah. Apparently, the magic trick is using "gnome-tweaks" to fix Emacs' font rendering, because Linux's font rendering is still driven by whatever library the application is compiled against. That's, you know, not the best, but okay. (The fonts are comparatively huge, too?)
After a bit of flailing around, I've got a Dart/Flutter toolchain working quasi-gracefully with Emacs. It's a long way from here to seeing if I can reproduce what I did so far in SwiftUI, but it seems like a worthwhile experiment.
October 13, 2025 at 9:28 PM
After a bit of flailing around, I've got a Dart/Flutter toolchain working quasi-gracefully with Emacs. It's a long way from here to seeing if I can reproduce what I did so far in SwiftUI, but it seems like a worthwhile experiment.