Is the US a Christian nation? If you read the constitution and other writings available at the time of the founding of the nation, the answer is quite simple: No. I suspect that if we could go back and ask the founders this same question, their answer would be “absolutely not.”

So, what in the world happened? Why do we have “In God We Trust” on our money? Why is “under God” included in our pledge? Why is “In God We Trust” displayed in the House of Representatives?

I argue that none of these things are actually constitutional. The words and the reasoning behind them were never meant to unite anyone and have actually caused the US to be like all of the other countries in the world where religious differences cause division, hate, and violence.

If we have any hope of the US remaining a vibrant nation ruled by law and not religion, we need to embrace our founding documents and completely remove religion from government.

Is the US a Christian nation? What the Constitution says | AP News

Let me start by saying I am a big fan of Apple News+. It provides access to an incredible amount of paywalled content from some of the best publishers on the planet for my entire family for a very reasonable price. When those publishers take advantage of the formatting capabilities of the Apple News app, the content can be visually stunning.

I do feel like Apple has had too much tunnel vision when it comes to the product, though. What about subscribers that may not have their Mac, iPhone, or iPad with them for whatever reason? What about subscribers that click on a link to a publisher from Messages, a social media app, or a feed reader? Each of these user journeys seems too obvious to have been missed by the Apple News+ product team.

On the Mac, iPhone, and iPad, Apple could easily solve these user journeys by redirecting users to the Apple News app when a user clicks on a link from a supported website. The Apple News Format includes the metadata to do this assuming the publisher includes the canonicalURL. Another option would be to create a micro frontend of the Apple News app that is called from within Safari.

Regardless of approach, the current user journey must be improved. Opening a link in Safari to a publisher to which you know you have access in Apple News+ only to be denied access to the article is an incredibly disappointing experience.

Let’s get this fixed, Apple!

Peacock v5.2.12 is not able to start videos on my iPad 9 running iPadOS v17.3.1. I am able to search and select videos, but the progress indicator just spins. Interestingly, the app is running fine on the latest iOS and tvOS. Curious if others are experiencing the same thing.

I am starting to get really excited to see the next generation of CarPlay become a reality. What would be great is if at least some of the enhancements become available in exiting cars. For example, our Volkswagen’s dashboard already has media and navigation data integration built in so the driver never needs to look anywhere but right in front of them. It will be curious to see what else is possible!

Next-Generation Apple CarPlay Will Feature These 8 New Apps – MacRumors

Ladies and gentlemen, can I please have your attention.

The search for bread in St. Louis that is worthy of being part of an Italian Beef sandwich has finally concluded. That’s right, folks; a local vendor carries Turano French rolls! The very same rolls that Portillo’s uses!

So, if you’re making Italian Beef at home, or you’re a restaurant that claims to have an Italian Beef sandwich, stop by Gordon Food Service and pick up the only roll that will prove you know the real deal.

I’ve said this before, and I’ll say it again. It is insanely frustrating that Google and Netflix refuse to integrate with the TV app across Apple’s platforms. There is no reason YouTube TV and Netflix cannot integrate. It is a product decision that they are making intentionally. At a time when seamless integration is an expectation, these product decisions make absolutely no sense to me.

While more expensive than its competitors, the Apple TV device is by far the best streaming device available on the market. Once a user adds all of their favorite apps and services, the TV app becomes a valuable tool to surface, aggregate, and organize shows, movies, and sporting events. Why a content provider would intentionally choose to not use every channel available to them to get their content in front of as many eyes as possible is completely illogical to me.

The reality is that my family searches the Apple TV app first, YouTube TV second, and Netflix third. I have noticed this behavior with each family member. So, if the content is available directly on another app, YouTube TV and Netflix lose those streams. Admittedly, Netflix is on notice at our house. I’m just not sure we need it anymore.