Accidental Tech Podcast

679: An Adversarial Relationship With Myself

February 16, 2026

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  • To drastically reduce compulsive social media use, one can hide apps like Instagram in the iOS App Library behind a Face ID requirement, creating significant friction for casual access. 
  • YoLink water leak sensors are highly recommended for proactive home maintenance, as they successfully alerted a host to a minor, otherwise unnoticed leak under a sink. 
  • Apple's 'purchase migration' feature for secondary Apple IDs is misleading, as deleting the source account revokes access to the migrated purchases, a critical detail often overlooked by users. 
  • The potential absence of an M5 Pro chip in future Apple Silicon lineups suggests Apple may be re-evaluating the Pro tier's value proposition, as the base M-series chips have become increasingly powerful. 
  • Solar panel and battery backup systems are strongly recommended over standalone generators for home power outages due to their continuous value generation and lower maintenance, despite higher initial costs for whole-house coverage. 
  • Apple's attempt to unify the Mac document model with the iOS auto-save paradigm, introduced around 2012, has largely failed to gain universal adoption, resulting in a confusing, inconsistent user experience across different Mac applications like Preview. 
  • Unexpected software behavior, like Preview not saving crops immediately or the Calculator app not quitting when its window closes, creates user frustration because it violates established mental models of how applications should function. 
  • Casey implemented a highly customized, LED-based 'status board' using a discontinued HomeSeer Z-Wave switch to display the real-time status of home systems like garage doors and laundry, despite acknowledging its dorkiness and limited utility to his family. 
  • The choice of the HomeSeer switch over recommended Inovelli alternatives was driven by the need to use the existing Z-Wave protocol already integrated into Casey's Home Assistant setup, avoiding the introduction of a new protocol like Zigbee. 

Segments

Beach Cleanup and Instagram Tip
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(00:00:00)
  • Key Takeaway: Hiding an iOS app behind Face ID drastically reduces compulsive usage by adding friction.
  • Summary: The speaker spent the day cleaning up water damage from a leak at the beach house, which fortunately only affected the storage basement. A highly effective productivity tip involves moving an app like Instagram to the hidden App Library section requiring Face ID, which eliminates notifications and search visibility. This friction reduces usage from about a half hour daily to five minutes weekly, significantly improving well-being.
YoLink Leak Sensor Success Story
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(00:12:02)
  • Key Takeaway: YoLink water leak sensors provide immediate, localized alerts for even minor drips, preventing long-term water damage.
  • Summary: A YoLink water leak sensor successfully alerted the host to a very minor drip under a sink by detecting conductivity between its electrodes. The sensor’s dual top/bottom detection allows placement under valves to catch immediate drips before pooling occurs. The host plans to add more sensors and purchase the automatic water main shutoff device due to this positive experience.
Car Shopping Follow-up: Lucid Air
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(00:18:38)
  • Key Takeaway: The used Lucid Air offers superior cargo space (32 cu ft vs. 16 cu ft) and a much larger rear seat compared to the Ticon.
  • Summary: The host is considering a used Lucid Air priced around $45k-$50k, noting its significant cargo advantage over the Ticon. However, the nearest Lucid service center is hours away in Tyson’s Corner, raising concerns about long-term serviceability for a boutique EV brand. The consensus is that the lack of local service infrastructure makes the Lucid a risky purchase despite its features.
Browser Choice and Friction
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(00:23:55)
  • Key Takeaway: The host prefers standard Chrome over Chromium alternatives like Helium because non-Google browsers introduce unpredictable friction and compatibility issues.
  • Summary: Alternative Chromium browsers, even those stripped of Google services, have historically provided a mixed experience with occasional bugs or update quirks. The host prioritizes the absolute lowest friction experience, which standard Chrome provides, especially when actively seeking integration with Google services like Gemini.
macOS Tahoe Window Resize Issue
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(00:26:21)
  • Key Takeaway: Apple initially marked the inconsistent window resize regions in macOS Tahoe as ‘Resolved Issue’ in the RC, but reverted it to ‘Known Issue’ in the final release.
  • Summary: In macOS Tahoe, the clickable area for resizing windows did not align with the rounded visual corners, causing user frustration. Developer Norbert Hager visualized this discrepancy, noting that Apple first claimed to fix this in the 26.3 Release Candidate but then reverted the change in the final release, suggesting compatibility concerns prevented the fix.
Studio Display 2 Refresh Rate Rumor
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(00:45:01)
  • Key Takeaway: Rumors suggest the next Studio Display may be limited to a 90Hz refresh rate instead of 120Hz due to bandwidth considerations for connected peripherals.
  • Summary: A tipster claims the next Studio Display will cap at 90Hz, potentially to reserve sufficient Thunderbolt 5 bandwidth for connected devices, even though 5K at 120Hz is technically supported. This potential limitation is frustrating as 120Hz refresh rates are standard on much cheaper third-party displays and are already present on Apple’s mobile devices.
M5 Pro Chip Absence in Beta
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(00:51:18)
  • Key Takeaway: Recent beta code leaks only show M5 Max and M5 Ultra chips, fueling speculation that Apple may skip an M5 Pro variant by using a single M5 Max design for both Pro and Max tiers.
  • Summary: Beta code references for the M5 family only included identifiers matching the M5 Max and M5 Ultra, omitting the expected M5 Pro. This aligns with rumors suggesting Apple might use new 2.5D chip packaging technology to create a single M5 Max design that can serve as both the Pro and Max models, saving on SKU complexity.
Apple Chip Code Name Analysis
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(00:53:03)
  • Key Takeaway: Apple’s chip code names consistently map M-series chips to H-numbers (e.g., H17 is M5, H16 is M4), with suffixes indicating Max (C) or Ultra (D/G), but the missing Pro code name suggests potential product line changes.
  • Summary: Chip code names like H17 for M5 and H16 for M4 show a consistent numerical progression. Suffixes like ‘C’ typically denote Max chips and ‘D’ or ‘G’ denote Ultra chips, while ‘S’ is for Pro. The recent leak showing only two expected M5 chips, omitting the Pro variant, raises questions about the future role of the Pro chip in Apple’s lineup.
Power Backup Solutions Comparison
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(01:04:37)
  • Key Takeaway: Solar plus battery backup is superior to generators for long-term reliability and zero-maintenance energy independence, though generators offer higher immediate wattage for less cost.
  • Summary: For short outages, a portable battery pack might suffice to run essentials like a refrigerator. Whole-home solar with batteries is the best long-term solution, providing constant value and requiring no maintenance, unlike gas generators which demand regular upkeep and fuel storage. If considering a whole-house battery, installing solar panels simultaneously is strongly advised because the solar component is relatively inexpensive and provides continuous benefit.
Mac Document Model Inconsistency
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(01:27:50)
  • Key Takeaway: Apple’s forced transition to an iOS-style auto-save document model on macOS, starting around 2012, failed to gain traction, leaving users confused by inconsistent behaviors like ‘Duplicate’ replacing ‘Save As’ in Preview.
  • Summary: The shift away from traditional ‘Save As’ to ‘Duplicate’ and automatic saving in macOS applications has been poorly adopted by users and developers alike. This change was intended to unify Mac behavior with iOS, where apps operate on databases rather than explicit files. The result is a confusing hybrid state where users must often use modifier keys (like Option/Alt) to access familiar functions, leading to accidental data overwrites, especially in apps like Preview.
Software Expectation Mismatch
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(01:47:12)
  • Key Takeaway: Inconsistent application behavior, exemplified by Preview not saving crops immediately, violates user expectations established by years of software interaction.
  • Summary: Unexpected application behavior, such as Preview failing to save a crop instantly, is frustrating because it contradicts deeply ingrained user expectations. This is compared to the cognitive dissonance caused if the Calculator app did not quit when its window was closed. Such inconsistencies are deemed a problem of the developer’s own making.
Sponsor Acknowledgements and Overtime Preview
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(01:48:10)
  • Key Takeaway: The episode concludes its main segment by thanking sponsors OnePassword, Zapier, and Gusto, and promoting the members-only ATP Overtime topic concerning TV theft.
  • Summary: The main show segment wraps up with acknowledgments for sponsors OnePassword, Zapier, and Gusto. Members are encouraged to join at atp.fm/join to access ATP Overtime. The bonus topic for the week involves a discussion about how ’everyone is stealing TV now,’ referencing ReplayTV.
Casey’s Home Status Board Project
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(01:49:44)
  • Key Takeaway: Casey documented his transition from Homebridge to Home Assistant to create a physical ‘status board’ displaying critical home system states via custom LEDs.
  • Summary: Casey posted details about his status board project, which evolved after he became a Home Assistant user aiming to automate home monitoring. His initial plan to use simple LEDs wired to a Raspberry Pi was vetoed by his spouse, leading to a rethink. He ultimately used a discontinued HomeSeer switch for visual feedback.
HomeSeer Switch Implementation Details
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(01:52:06)
  • Key Takeaway: The HomeSeer switch uses seven individually controllable LEDs via Z-Wave RF communication, requiring a specific USB dongle for Home Assistant integration.
  • Summary: A listener suggested the HomeSeer switch, which features seven LEDs controllable in ‘status mode’ with preset colors, operating over the Z-Wave protocol. Casey needed a USB dongle for his NUC running Home Assistant to enable Z-Wave communication. This setup allowed him to map specific colors to system statuses like garage door open (red) or mail waiting (blue).
Status Indicator Mapping and Family Reaction
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(01:54:43)
  • Key Takeaway: The status panel uses seven LEDs to indicate garage door status, shed door status (via YoLink), Volvo charging, mail presence (via YoLink), and laundry status (solid for attention, flashing for running).
  • Summary: The seven LEDs are mapped bottom-to-top: red for garage door open, magenta for shed door open (using a YoLink sensor), white for Volvo charging, blue for mail waiting (using a YoLink sensor), and green for laundry status. Casey notes that while the setup makes him happy, his family largely ignores the indicators, treating them as visual noise.
Comparison to Screen-Based Status Displays
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(01:58:00)
  • Key Takeaway: The LED panel is considered a smaller eyesore than a full graphical status board, but the ubiquity of smart device screens suggests dedicated status displays are becoming more accepted.
  • Summary: The LED panel is preferred over a graphical ‘panic style’ status board because it is a smaller visual intrusion. However, the acceptance of screens on devices like smart thermostats suggests that dedicated, information-rich displays are becoming normalized in homes. Casey acknowledges that if the system brings him happiness and his family tolerates it, the project is a success.
Why HomeSeer Over Inovelli
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(01:59:01)
  • Key Takeaway: Casey avoided Inovelli switches because one popular model uses a single diffuser over its LEDs, making individual status identification difficult, and because he did not want to introduce Zigbee when he already had Z-Wave hardware.
  • Summary: Both John and Marco expressed little interest in replicating the LED indicator system, noting that such physical indicators often become background scenery over time. Casey explained his preference for the HomeSeer switch over Inovelli, citing the Inovelli’s single diffuser making LED identification hard. Furthermore, he avoided Inovelli to prevent adding a second communication protocol (Zigbee) when he only had Z-Wave infrastructure.