Happy last Sunday of September, everyone. We’re officially done 75% of the 2025 year. We’ve had abnormal weather in Southern Manitoba this year — while the rest of the continent seemed to be hot and dry, we were relatively cool and wet all summer. But there’s been a nice extra bit of summery weather this past week or two — pretty rare to have high-20-degrees at the end of September in the middle of the continent.
I have a lengthy list of things to write about right now. I have four Bibles on my review desk. I have a new iPhone and new iPhone accessories to write about. I also have a few fun photography things to touch on.
For today, I’m going to try giving an introduction or sneak peek at a few topics, with the hopes of building out those thoughts in the future if warranted.
Here’s this week’s fire hose:
I’m enjoying the iPhone’s new Bright photographic style. I never really dialed in a preferred photographic style with the iPhone 16 Pro. I can’t give a good reason why. Styles felt like a rabbit hole of endless tweaks and settings, and I eventually gave up. But I felt trying out the new Bright style was worth a few quick snaps.
And indeed, I’m in love. So much so, I have made it the default style for all my iPhone shots. The lighting and toning mimics the minor styling I attempt when editing photos with my Leica Q2, which nicely ensures my iPhone photos and Leica photos look at least somewhat close to each other. I wouldn’t be surprised if this Bright style results in sharing iPhone photos on social media — something I’ve never really done before.
I also quite like the new Dual Capture video option. As I mentioned last week, I feel like Dual Capture is built for parents shooting videos of their children doing cool things. I tried it this week when taking the girls to the park, and it worked as advertised.
Though, one nitpick — the front-facing camera may not be wide enough to make Dual Capture perfectly comfortable all the time. You have to hold the iPhone out pretty far from your body to appropriately capture your face, and if you’re following your kids doing things, it may be difficult to hold the iPhone that far out. It’s not bad overall, but you have to be cognizant of two video streams at once.
I am putting together my review of the Crossway x EvangelicalBible Heirloom Thinline Bible, and it’s probably the most beautiful Bible in my collection. There isn’t a single part of this Bible that isn’t thought of or of the highest quality — ribbons, paper, front and back covers, font choices, and more. It has become my go-to church Bible.
Though, the Heirloom Thinline may have been surpassed by the all-new Crossway Heirloom Veritas in grenada calfskin leather, which also hit my desk for review this week. I am floored by this Bible. It is a spin-off of the widely popular Heirloom Heritage Edition, which is a single-column layout with ample line and margin spacing. I didn’t know calfskin leather could be this supple. It bends around on itself and it’s wildly floppy. I can’t wait to show off this Bible with the camera in the coming weeks.
What else…
Oh, — AirPods Pro 3! I picked up a pair of these last week, right when all the reviews raved about the improvement over the AirPods Pro 2s. Generally speaking, when reviewers pump up a product like the AirPods Pro 3, I’m smitten with them within 5 seconds.
But I’m not sure if I can say that about AirPods Pro 3. I mean, I can say they are great. I really like them, and they are probably better in every way than the relatively new AirPods Pro 2s I’m going to pass onto my wife. But my socks are certainly still on my feet. The Pro 3s fit, maybe, ever so slightly better than the 2s. They do, however, get at least as uncomfortable as the 2s when talking to someone on the phone. They probably sound better than the 2s, but my ears are unskilled and can’t tell the difference.
Overall, I’ve felt for a while that I’d like a third set of AirPods in the house, so I’m going to be keeping these regardless. I’m just not stunned the way I was expecting to be.
Austin Mann’s iPhone 17 Pro Camera Review in the Dolomite Mountains
After a week with the iPhone Air, it certainly isn’t battery life I’m missing. No, I’m missing the ultra-wide and telephoto cameras, to be sure. I’m not missing them in a deal-breaker way — general habits will set in the coming months and the ultra-wides and telephoto photos would be put to the side. But right now, presently, when all these reviews are coming out, I definitely have fear of missing out on the iPhone 17 Pro camera system.
The 4x and 8x cameras seem to have been given the most attention this year. The detail in that 4x camera — which is on full display in Austin Mann’s review — is nothing short of jaw-dropping for a phone. You simply can’t replicate this type of look with a wide-angle lens. The compression you’re seeing between objects in the far-off distance is such a telephoto-specific look, and it’s so cool to see this hitting the iPhone in new ways.
Don’t just check out Austin Mann’s review of the iPhone 17 Pro camera system — Tyler Stalman’s review is pretty great as well.
Forever Notes
I feel like I have discussed this Apple Notes archival and writing system in the past, but I can’t find any proof.
Notes in general continue to elude me. No matter the system used, it feels like the system either can’t stand the test of time or it can’t stand the scope of my daily work and interests. Undoubtedly, I’m the problem.
But Forever Notes does do its best to provide a solution that spans the test of time and across a broad range of uses. I think banking on Apple Notes to be around for a long time is probably a safe bet. And the great documentation put together for Forever Notes should help you build out a custom note-taking workflow in the default app.
If you struggle like I do to organize your ephemeral notes, maybe Forever Notes could do the trick.
The Second Cup
Alex Kittoe’s Paris Photos on Threads
You never see Paris shot in this kind of colour. I truly like the style here.
The Mandalorian and Grogu Trailer
I haven’t looked into general takeaways and reactions from the rest of the Star Wars world on this one. But it certainly doesn’t drum up much excitement in my heart. I’m a huge Star Wars fan, and I’ve completely lost all heart for it recently.
Value creation
A simple economics lesson, which evidence would suggest escapes a great many people, most of the time.
The Blessing
Last Sunday was one of the most Spirit-driven days of my life. The Charlie Kirk Memorial had to be one of the most unforgettable events of my lifetime. By all estimates, the Gospel was delivered on multiple occasions to over 100 million people that day — surely the largest delivery in human history. It was so fully uplifting to see people of such stature to declare Christ as their king. I couldn't care less about the politics of the day — if this is your impediment, get over it. The Gospel was delivered to 100 million people that day. The Good News! Remember, always, Mark 9:38-40:
“John said to him, “Teacher, we saw someone casting out demons in your name, and we tried to stop him, because he was not following us.” But Jesus said, “Do not stop him, for no one who does a mighty work in my name will be able soon afterward to speak evil of me. For the one who is not against us is for us. For truly, I say to you, whoever gives you a cup of water to drink because you belong to Christ will by no means lose his reward.”
A little shorter this week — I rambled quite a lot last week, and I have a ton of other writing in the works right now.
Happy Sunday. I hope you have a wonderful week ahead.
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