RSS Parrot

Why you can’t trust Privacy & Security

https://eclecticlight.co/2026/04/10/why-you-cant-trust-privacy-security/

Published: April 10, 2026 06:30

How to gain access to the contents of privacy-protected folders even though Privacy & Security settings say that access is denied.

Apple has released an update to XProtect for all macOS

https://eclecticlight.co/2026/04/10/apple-has-released-an-update-to-xprotect-for-all-macos-29/

Published: April 10, 2026 06:06

Overnight, Apple has released its regular weekly update to XProtect, bringing it to version 5338. As usual it […]

Apple has just released an update to macOS Tahoe, to version 26.4.1

https://eclecticlight.co/2026/04/09/apple-has-just-release-an-update-to-macos-tahoe-to-version-26-4-1/

Published: April 9, 2026 17:51

Apple has just released an update to macOS Tahoe, bringing it to version 26.4.1. Apple’s Enterprise release notes […]

On Reflection: Divisionism

https://eclecticlight.co/2026/04/09/on-reflection-divisionism/

Published: April 9, 2026 11:30

Technically challenging for painstaking Divisionist techniques, those who chose to depict reflections used studies to help, and Seurat was generally optically faithful. But the best of all was Théo van Rysselberghe.

Please help update CPU frequencies for Apple silicon Macs

https://eclecticlight.co/2026/04/09/please-help-update-cpu-frequencies-for-apple-silicon-macs/

Published: April 9, 2026 06:30

Have you got a MacBook Neo, or a MacBook Pro with an M5 Pro or Max chip? Could you please help update the table of CPU core frequencies, as explained here.

Commemorating the centenary of the death of John Ferguson Weir

https://eclecticlight.co/2026/04/08/commemorating-the-centenary-of-the-death-of-john-ferguson-weir/

Published: April 8, 2026 11:30

Pioneering painter of industry in the West Point foundry, a superb series of landscapes across the lakes of the Alps, then Professor and first Director of the School of Fine Arts at Yale University.

Privacy: Files & Folders or Full Disk Access?

https://eclecticlight.co/2026/04/08/privacy-files-folders-or-full-disk-access/

Published: April 8, 2026 06:30

How are folder protections implemented? How do settings for Full Disk Access interact with those in Files & Folders for specific protected locations? And how does this involve making screenshots?

Jerusalem Delivered: 11 Into Jerusalem

https://eclecticlight.co/2026/04/07/jerusalem-delivered-11-into-jerusalem/

Published: April 7, 2026 11:30

Rinaldo overcomes the spell on the forest, enabling siege towers to be rebuilt, and a full assault mounted on the city. Tancred and Argante complete their duel, and Erminia saves Tancred's life.

Privacy: protected folders

https://eclecticlight.co/2026/04/07/privacy-protected-folders/

Published: April 7, 2026 06:30

How TCC gets to authorise whether apps can obtain listings and open files in protected folders. The attribution chain and its effect on command tools.

The bicentenary of Gustave Moreau: 1879-98

https://eclecticlight.co/2026/04/06/the-bicentenary-of-gustave-moreau-1879-98/

Published: April 6, 2026 11:30

His magnificent sacred Indian elephant, a polyptych painted over 5 years, an epic overview of Alexander the Great, and his phantasmagoric Jupiter and Semele in full detail.

Solutions to Saturday Mac riddles 354

https://eclecticlight.co/2026/04/06/solutions-to-saturday-mac-riddles-354/

Published: April 6, 2026 08:00

I hope you enjoyed Saturday’s Mac Riddles, episode 354. Here are my solutions to them. 1: In favour […]

Understanding and testing iCloud

https://eclecticlight.co/2026/04/06/understanding-and-testing-icloud/

Published: April 6, 2026 06:30

It now consists of many discrete services. How to test CloudKit's shared databases, iCloud Drive's cloud storage, and whether your Mac can install from iCloud.

Paintings for Easter Sunday: Don’t touch me

https://eclecticlight.co/2026/04/05/paintings-for-easter-sunday-dont-touch-me/

Published: April 5, 2026 11:30

Noli me tangere, Latin from the Vulgate for "don't touch me", are the opening words of Jesus when first seen by Mary Magdalene after his Resurrection. Here are the paintings.

Last Week on My Mac: Consent, intent and privacy

https://eclecticlight.co/2026/04/05/last-week-on-my-mac-consent-intent-and-privacy/

Published: April 5, 2026 07:00

Privacy protected folders are widely misunderstood and users end up giving apps Full Disk Access unnecessarily. Concepts are explained and experienced using a simple app, Insent.

Virginie Demont-Breton painting the Opal Coast

https://eclecticlight.co/2026/04/04/virginie-demont-breton-painting-the-opal-coast/

Published: April 4, 2026 11:30

Daughter of Jules Breton, a precocious artist who painted mothers and their children, and the fisher folk of the Opal Coast between Calais and Boulogne, and inspired Vincent van Gogh.

Saturday Mac riddles 354

https://eclecticlight.co/2026/04/04/saturday-mac-riddles-354/

Published: April 4, 2026 08:00

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

Explainer: AppKit and SwiftUI

https://eclecticlight.co/2026/04/04/explainer-appkit-and-swiftui/

Published: April 4, 2026 07:00

AppKit originated in NeXTSTEP and its menus, windows and views are usually built in its graphical editor. SwiftUI was introduced in 2019 and is built using code structures, but supports less than AppKit. Neither is without its problems.

Apple has released an update to XProtect for macOS prior to Sequoia

https://eclecticlight.co/2026/04/04/apple-has-released-an-update-to-xprotect-for-macos-prior-to-sequoia/

Published: April 4, 2026 05:32

Apple has overnight released its out-of-cycle update to XProtect for macOS prior to Sequoia, bringing it to version […]

Hans Memling’s unique Passion

https://eclecticlight.co/2026/04/03/hans-memlings-unique-passion/

Published: April 3, 2026 11:30

Integrating 23 scenes of the Passion into a single painting, this is a unique account of events leading up to and following the Crucifixion.

Apple has released an update to XProtect for Sequoia & Tahoe only

https://eclecticlight.co/2026/04/03/apple-has-released-an-update-to-xprotect-for-sequoia-tahoe-only/

Published: April 3, 2026 06:39

Apple has just released an out-of-cycle update to XProtect for macOS Sequoia and Tahoe only, bringing it to […]

Mac Easter eggs

https://eclecticlight.co/2026/04/03/mac-easter-eggs/

Published: April 3, 2026 06:30

Clarus the Dogcow in the Emoji & Symbols viewer, marijuana in the Chess app, Apple's copyright notice in a kernel extension, and more Easter eggs in your Mac.

The bicentenary of Gustave Moreau: 1872-78

https://eclecticlight.co/2026/04/02/the-bicentenary-of-gustave-moreau-1872-78/

Published: April 2, 2026 11:30

Hercules killing the Lernean Hydra, then a series of paintings of Salome that led to the femme fatale and a change in a well-known story. Finally a remarkable painting of Moses before discovery.

Buying a used Mac

https://eclecticlight.co/2026/04/02/buying-a-used-mac/

Published: April 2, 2026 06:30

Refurb, from a reseller, or buy private? What to beware of, what to check, and how to ensure the Mac you buy won't lock you out.

Commemorating the centenary of the death of Charles Angrand

https://eclecticlight.co/2026/04/01/commemorating-the-centenary-of-the-death-of-charles-angrand/

Published: April 1, 2026 11:30

In 1880, a detailed realist, he then became more experimental with looser brushstrokes before adopting Divisionism in 1887. His later paintings took over from where van Gogh left off.

Planning for macOS this summer

https://eclecticlight.co/2026/04/01/planning-for-macos-this-summer/

Published: April 1, 2026 06:30

Looking ahead at likely dates of forthcoming updates to macOS over the next 6 months, when Sonoma loses security support, and the last new versions for Intel Macs. Now is the time to plan.

Apple has just released an update to XProtect for all macOS

https://eclecticlight.co/2026/03/31/apple-has-just-released-an-update-to-xprotect-for-all-macos-18/

Published: March 31, 2026 19:16

Apple has just released its regular weekly update to XProtect, bringing it to version 5336. As usual it […]

Medium and Message: Paint to print

https://eclecticlight.co/2026/03/31/medium-and-message-paint-to-print/

Published: March 31, 2026 11:30

How Hogarth developed his painting and print narrative series from rough drawings. Examples of prints made after paintings by Mary Cassatt and Nikolai Astrup for different reasons.

Even richer text editing with DelightEd version 2.5

https://eclecticlight.co/2026/03/31/even-richer-text-editing-with-delighted-version-2-5/

Published: March 31, 2026 06:30

New version can now save default substitutions. including Smart Quotes, Dashes and Links.

Jerusalem Delivered: 10 Rinaldo retrieved

https://eclecticlight.co/2026/03/30/jerusalem-delivered-10-rinaldo-retrieved/

Published: March 30, 2026 11:30

Charles and Ubaldo show Rinaldo how he has become a woman's dandy, and get him to return to the crusade with them, leaving Armida seeking her vengeance.

Solutions to Saturday Mac riddles 353

https://eclecticlight.co/2026/03/30/solutions-to-saturday-mac-riddles-353/

Published: March 30, 2026 08:00

I hope you enjoyed Saturday’s Mac Riddles, episode 353. Here are my solutions to them. 1: The future […]

Why the macOS 26.4 update appears to freeze

https://eclecticlight.co/2026/03/30/why-the-macos-26-4-update-appears-to-freeze/

Published: March 30, 2026 06:30

For nearly 12 minutes, the progress bar was stuck at 98.6% complete and "about 5 minutes remaining", and on many older Macs those lasted even longer. Did the update get stuck?

Paintings of Lake Geneva: Ferdinand Hodler

https://eclecticlight.co/2026/03/29/paintings-of-lake-geneva-ferdinand-hodler/

Published: March 29, 2026 11:30

Over 20 years of views over the lake from Hodler, with his Parallelist style, and culminating in some of the most sublime landscapes in European painting.

Last Week on My Mac: Update progress

https://eclecticlight.co/2026/03/29/last-week-on-my-mac-update-progress/

Published: March 29, 2026 07:00

Why isn't the progress bar for macOS updates better? Why can't it estimate the whole time remaining to complete an update?

Paintings of Lake Geneva: Turner to Courbet

https://eclecticlight.co/2026/03/28/paintings-of-lake-geneva-turner-to-courbet/

Published: March 28, 2026 12:30

Paintings from 19th century masters including JMW Turner, the Swiss specialist Alexandre Calame, John Ferguson Weir, and Gustave Courbet in exile.

Saturday Mac riddles 353

https://eclecticlight.co/2026/03/28/saturday-mac-riddles-353/

Published: March 28, 2026 09:00

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

Explainer: I/O throttling

https://eclecticlight.co/2026/03/28/explainer-i-o-throttling/

Published: March 28, 2026 08:00

macOS will delay disk and other input/output operations for background tasks like backing up. Is there any point in disabling that in an Apple silicon Mac to make backups faster?

The bicentenary of Gustave Moreau: 1852-1871

https://eclecticlight.co/2026/03/27/the-bicentenary-of-gustave-moreau-1852-1871/

Published: March 27, 2026 12:30

Early career, including the Judgement of Paris, Hesiod and the Muses, Oedipus and the Sphinx, Jason, Orpheus, and Jupiter and Europa.

Does disk storage speed limit macOS virtual machines?

https://eclecticlight.co/2026/03/27/does-disk-storage-speed-limit-macos-virtual-machines/

Published: March 27, 2026 07:30

In Ventura, VM disk performance was poor, with write speeds of 0.7 GB/s. How fast is it now in macOS 26.4, and how does using FileVault affect it? Plus a note on problems with BSIs in VMs.

Naturalists: Science and medicine

https://eclecticlight.co/2026/03/26/naturalists-science-and-medicine/

Published: March 26, 2026 12:30

It moved from depicting the rural poor in the countryside, to scientists teaching, a major research meeting, technology in the workplace, and the rise of the clinic in hospital medicine.

Read the macOS update progress bar

https://eclecticlight.co/2026/03/26/read-the-macos-update-progress-bar/

Published: March 26, 2026 07:30

During a macOS update, the progress bar tells you each of the phases as they're completed. This explains how you can track progress and make more sense of what's happening.

Apple has just released an update to XProtect for all macOS

https://eclecticlight.co/2026/03/25/apple-has-just-released-an-update-to-xprotect-for-all-macos-17/

Published: March 25, 2026 20:07

Apple has just released its regular weekly update to XProtect, bringing it to version 5335. As usual it […]

On Reflection: Impressionism

https://eclecticlight.co/2026/03/25/on-reflection-impressionism/

Published: March 25, 2026 12:30

Is it feasible to paint optically accurate reflections quickly in front of the motif? Examples from CamilleCorot, Claude Monet and Alfred Sisley demonstrate that it is.

Access and repair a broken disk image

https://eclecticlight.co/2026/03/25/access-and-repair-a-broken-disk-image/

Published: March 25, 2026 07:30

When trouble strikes a disk image, macOS normally refuses to accept and mount it. This details how to use hdiutil to attach the image as a device so it can be repaired by fsck_apfs.

What has changed in macOS Tahoe 26.4?

https://eclecticlight.co/2026/03/24/what-has-changed-in-macos-tahoe-26-4/

Published: March 24, 2026 22:04

The update to bring macOS Tahoe up to version 26.4 is hefty at around 7.15 GB (more than […]

Apple has released macOS Tahoe 26.4, and security updates 15.7.5 and 14.8.5

https://eclecticlight.co/2026/03/24/apple-has-released-macos-tahoe-26-4-and-security-updates-15-7-5-and-14-8-5/

Published: March 24, 2026 18:19

Apple has released the update to bring macOS Tahoe to version 26.4, and security updates for Sequoia and […]

Medium and Message: Pentimenti

https://eclecticlight.co/2026/03/24/medium-and-message-pentimenti/

Published: March 24, 2026 12:30

Changes made to the finished version of a painting after its painting has started may be evident from careful examination. Examples from Leonardo da Vinci to Paul Cézanne.

How can I now have two apps named Pages?

https://eclecticlight.co/2026/03/24/how-can-i-now-have-two-apps-named-pages/

Published: March 24, 2026 07:30

If you've installed the new Creator Studio versions of Keynote, Numbers and Pages you'll have noticed those apps have the same name as the iWork ones, and can sit side-by-side with them. What trickery was used to do this?

Jerusalem Delivered: 9 Armida’s Garden

https://eclecticlight.co/2026/03/23/jerusalem-delivered-9-armidas-garden/

Published: March 23, 2026 12:30

Charles and Ubaldo fly across the Mediterranean in a ship, reach the island where Armida is holding Rinaldo captive in her garden, and ascend its mountain to rescue him.

Solutions to Saturday Mac riddles 352

https://eclecticlight.co/2026/03/23/solutions-to-saturday-mac-riddles-352/

Published: March 23, 2026 09:00

I hope you enjoyed Saturday’s Mac Riddles, episode 352. Here are my solutions to them. 1: British sister […]

Disk image performance: the cost of encryption rises

https://eclecticlight.co/2026/03/23/disk-image-performance-the-cost-of-encryption-rises/

Published: March 23, 2026 07:30

The new ASIF disk image type is now 18 months old. How well does it perform? Is it as good as claimed? It all depends on whether you want to use encryption.

Natural history paintings of Bruno Liljefors 2

https://eclecticlight.co/2026/03/22/natural-history-paintings-of-bruno-liljefors-2/

Published: March 22, 2026 12:30

Lean years in the 1890s, then his resurgence in the 20th century. Views of Baltic wetlands, sea eagles, seabirds, and wild geese.

Last Week on My Mac: Brilliant engineering in a flawed interface

https://eclecticlight.co/2026/03/22/last-week-on-my-mac-brilliant-engineering-in-a-flawed-interface/

Published: March 22, 2026 08:00

After an unfortunate incident three years ago, RSRs were put on pause. Now they've been rebadged as BSIs, what is wrong with their current implementation? The list is long.

Natural history paintings of Bruno Liljefors 1

https://eclecticlight.co/2026/03/21/natural-history-paintings-of-bruno-liljefors-1/

Published: March 21, 2026 12:30

Origins with Dürer, occasional motifs in the Dutch Golden Age, and Audubon's birds. Liljefors painting wildlife set in natural surroundings, as works of art.

Saturday Mac riddles 352

https://eclecticlight.co/2026/03/21/saturday-mac-riddles-352/

Published: March 21, 2026 09:00

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

Explainer: Disk images

https://eclecticlight.co/2026/03/21/explainer-disk-images/

Published: March 21, 2026 08:00

They come in a multitude of formats and variants, and are used throughout macOS and apps. How do you use them, and what should be wary of?

Naturalists: Spread

https://eclecticlight.co/2026/03/20/naturalists-spread/

Published: March 20, 2026 12:30

Inspired by Émile Zola's novels, Nordic painters including Krohg, and Werenskiold, American Charles Ulrich, Gandolfo in Sicily, and others. How Roll's painting of a strike led to Zola's 'Germinal'.

What to do with APFS warnings and errors

https://eclecticlight.co/2026/03/20/what-to-do-with-apfs-warnings-and-errors/

Published: March 20, 2026 07:30

Should you attempt a repair in Recovery mode? Is it just a warning? How to identify the file or folder with a problem, and what to do to fix or prevent it from recurring.

On Reflection: Realism in the late 19th century

https://eclecticlight.co/2026/03/19/on-reflection-realism-in-the-late-19th-century/

Published: March 19, 2026 12:30

Increasingly challenging reflections by Caillebotte, Martin Rico, Normann in the Norwegian fjords, specialist Frits Thaulow, and an essay in optics by Kazimierz Sichulski.

What is a Background Security Improvement, and how does it work?

https://eclecticlight.co/2026/03/19/what-is-a-background-security-improvement-and-how-does-it-work/

Published: March 19, 2026 07:30

What is a BSI? Is it the same as an RSR? How does it patch vulnerabilities, and how is it installed and activated? What problems does it have, and what are its limitations?

In memoriam Jean-Eugène Buland, painter of the Third Republic

https://eclecticlight.co/2026/03/18/in-memoriam-jean-eugene-buland-painter-of-the-third-republic/

Published: March 18, 2026 12:30

Challenging Naturalist paintings with equally challenging readings: a beggar giving his last coin, 5 hardened gamblers in a dive, a young apprentice making a cog, and a council group portrait.

How macOS 26 Tahoe updates: 4 Download, preparation and installation

https://eclecticlight.co/2026/03/18/how-macos-26-tahoe-updates-4-download-preparation-and-installation/

Published: March 18, 2026 07:30

How a Content Caching Server can be used to supply an update. Preflight checks are extensive, and lead on to other preparation. Finally the boot chime is muted, and the Mac rebooted to allow installation.

Apple has just released the first Background Security Improvement for macOS Tahoe

https://eclecticlight.co/2026/03/17/apple-has-just-released-the-first-background-security-improvement-for-macos-tahoe/

Published: March 17, 2026 18:27

Apple has just released its first public Background Security Improvement (BSI) for macOS 26.3.1 Tahoe, labelled as BSI […]

Apple has just released an update to XProtect for all macOS

https://eclecticlight.co/2026/03/17/apple-has-just-released-an-update-to-xprotect-for-all-macos-16/

Published: March 17, 2026 18:11

Apple has just released its regular weekly update to XProtect, bringing it to version 5334. As usual it […]

Medium and Message: Oil studies

https://eclecticlight.co/2026/03/17/medium-and-message-oil-studies/

Published: March 17, 2026 12:30

Pairs of oil studies and finished paintings by Rubens, Géricault, Constable, Frith, Seurat, Eakins, Bierstadt and Cross.

Who called git, and how Claude was caught red-handed

https://eclecticlight.co/2026/03/17/who-called-git-and-how-claude-was-caught-red-handed/

Published: March 17, 2026 07:30

Two users confronted by a dialog to install command line developer tools so they can use git. Neither wanted to use git, but wondered which app could have triggered it. Despite its protestations, Claude knows only too well.

Jerusalem Delivered: 8 Rinaldo abducted by Armida

https://eclecticlight.co/2026/03/16/jerusalem-delivered-8-rinaldo-abducted-by-armida/

Published: March 16, 2026 12:30

The crusaders can't replace their siege towers because the nearby wood is bewitched. Godfrey dispatches a party to retrieve Rinaldo, but he has been abducted by Armida.