RSS Parrot

Painting a good story: Series to 1800

https://eclecticlight.co/2026/09/04/painting-a-good-story-series-to-1800/

Published: September 4, 2026 11:30

The tale of Nastagio Degli Onesti told in 4 panels by Botticelli, and the 6 paintings making up William Hogarth's Marriage A-la-Mode.

Logistician 1.4 has improved charts and plots

https://eclecticlight.co/2026/09/04/logistician-1-4-has-improved-charts-and-plots/

Published: September 4, 2026 06:30

Its bar chart and three point plots have been improved with new controls. The best if not only way to explore old log activity.

Orient: the bicentenary of Alberto Pasini 2

https://eclecticlight.co/2026/09/03/orient-the-bicentenary-of-alberto-pasini-2/

Published: September 3, 2026 11:30

A ship in the Golden Horn of Istanbul, a panoramic market on the waterfront, scenes from Damascus and Turkey, and the ever-present seller of green watermelons.

Version, snapshot or backup: which is best for reverting edits?

https://eclecticlight.co/2026/09/03/version-snapshot-or-backup-which-is-best-for-reverting-edits/

Published: September 3, 2026 06:30

How do you locate part of a document that you removed or changed greatly, and copy that content into the version you're currently editing? What to do when it's too much for Undo.

Brushstrokes: Henri-Edmond Cross

https://eclecticlight.co/2026/09/02/brushstrokes-henri-edmond-cross/

Published: September 2, 2026 11:30

Initially his Pointillist views used fine dots and contrasting colours. Over time he explored limited palettes, increasing size of marks, and smooth transitions.

Apple has released an update to XProtect for all macOS

https://eclecticlight.co/2026/09/02/apple-has-released-an-update-to-xprotect-for-all-macos-39/

Published: September 2, 2026 07:18

Apple has overnight released its regular weekly update to XProtect, bringing it to version 5358, for all versions […]

Caches and purging in macOS Tahoe

https://eclecticlight.co/2026/09/02/caches-and-purging-in-macos-tahoe/

Published: September 2, 2026 06:30

Caching to disk improves performance, but cached data are optional and may to purged when additional free space is needed. This explains how that's performed by the deleted service.

Portraits of trees: Sisley’s poplars of Moret

https://eclecticlight.co/2026/09/01/portraits-of-trees-sisleys-poplars-of-moret/

Published: September 1, 2026 11:30

Influenced by Corot, late in his career he painted several views of an avenue of poplars in the village of Moret-cur-Loing, forming an unusual series shown here.

DeltaFree version 1.1 greatly improves its charting

https://eclecticlight.co/2026/09/01/deltafree-version-1-1-greatly-improves-its-charting/

Published: September 1, 2026 06:30

Major improvements in its plots make this new utility even better for tracking changes in used space, and so forecasting how long backup storage will take to fill.

Hero or hooligan: Heracles’ labours 1-3

https://eclecticlight.co/2026/08/31/hero-or-hooligan-heracles-labours-1-3/

Published: August 31, 2026 11:30

1. Kill the Nemean Lion, by stunning it with his club then strangling it with his bare hands. 2. Kill the Lernean Hydra, by cutting off its heads and searing the wounds, then removing its remaining immortal head. 3. Capture the Ceryneian Hind.

Solutions to Saturday Mac riddles 375

https://eclecticlight.co/2026/08/31/solutions-to-saturday-mac-riddles-375/

Published: August 31, 2026 08:00

I hope you enjoyed Saturday’s Mac Riddles, episode 375. Here are my solutions to them. 1: Sigrid shortened […]

How security updates to Sequoia and Sonoma were changed silently

https://eclecticlight.co/2026/08/31/how-security-updates-to-sequoia-and-sonoma-were-changed-silently/

Published: August 31, 2026 06:30

If you updated to Sequoia 15.7.9 or Sonoma 14.8.9 before 17 August, their mBoot firmware should be 18000.161.9. If you updated later, it should be 18000.161.10 instead. This explains why.

An unnatural history of footwear in paintings 2

https://eclecticlight.co/2026/08/30/an-unnatural-history-of-footwear-in-paintings-2/

Published: August 30, 2026 11:30

Kabkabs worn by Turkish ladies in the Hammam, from-frou high heels with pointed toes, red shoes unsuited to the mountains, shiny black patent leather shoes, and kinky black boots.

Last Week on My Mac: The cost of the blue from over the sea

https://eclecticlight.co/2026/08/30/last-week-on-my-mac-the-cost-of-the-blue-from-over-the-sea/

Published: August 30, 2026 07:00

Mac prices have risen because supply of their high-speed memory, NAND chips for SSDs, and their SoCs has been outstripped by demand for data centres. When will this improve?

An unnatural history of footwear in paintings 1

https://eclecticlight.co/2026/08/29/an-unnatural-history-of-footwear-in-paintings-1/

Published: August 29, 2026 11:30

Sandals worn by gods, notably Mercury, and kings, who hide them under a rock, Toman combat assault sandals, ballet slippers, and wooden working clogs.

Saturday Mac riddles 375

https://eclecticlight.co/2026/08/29/saturday-mac-riddles-375/

Published: August 29, 2026 08:00

Here are this weekend’s Mac riddles to entertain you through family time, shopping and recreation. 1: Sigrid shortened […]

Visual shocks in past macOS upgrades

https://eclecticlight.co/2026/08/29/visual-shocks-in-past-macos-upgrades/

Published: August 29, 2026 07:00

Some examples of what are often dismissed as 'cosmetic' bugs resulting from macOS upgrades, including lasting QuickLook rendering problems, and upside down mirror writing.