Giving Thanks

Happy Thanksgiving to all my readers that celebrate this silly annual American tradition. It's a slow news cycle, so it's a good time for some reflection.

It was my first Thanksgiving as a married man, and it went really well with us hosting the family this year.

Here are a few news highlights from this week:

• Get ready for a foldable iPhone that costs as much as a 16-inch MacBook Pro
• SmartWings smart roller shades review
• Hands on with Kuxiu's 25W Qi2.2 MagSafe chargers
• Apple to overtake Samsung as top smartphone seller in 2025
• Happy Thanksgiving from AppleInsider

Recording a podcast

I've been with AppleInsider for six years now, and I've been a cohost of the AppleInsider Podcast since June 2020. It's been a blast, honestly, and I couldn't see myself doing any other work.

These past few weeks, I started taking on the role of editing the podcast so I'd have the skill while William was on vacation. Thankfully, the skill came easily, though I do have some more to learn as far as balancing the audio and removing background noise. I do think the shows I've edited so far have come out fine enough.

The one I recorded with Mike, embedded above, is the first I did totally on my own, ad reads included. I even recorded a 30-minute AppleInsider+ segment on Apple's place in social media and what it could do to help users have a more private way to socialize.

For whatever reason, we had several podcast reviews this week, which I was thankful for. They really do help us understand what listeners take away from the show. Even the ones that don't enjoy our political leanings tend to say we're excellent at producing an entertaining show on Apple news.

I do want to address that political stuff here, and I am aware almost no one will see it, but it is on my mind. The state of politics in 2025 is more divisive than ever, and it is frustrating that we've arrived at a place where there's a constant refrain of "If it is something I disagree with, I don't want to hear it."

That's a terrible way to be. And yes, I'm fully aware that there are people like this on both sides of the party lines, but it does seem to be most are on the right. Nearly every podcast review we get that complains about political commentary is from someone that supports the current administration.

The funny thing is, our show is incredibly light on politics. When Apple news inevitably touches on political content, we place it all in a chapter called "Controversy Corner" because William and I refuse to hide our feelings about the state of the world. We're not robots and we don't intend to act like them.

However, it is inevitable that political stances will come through in some other segments of the show. My disdain for snake oil salesman Rogan is clear, as is my hate for ICE kidnapping people and destroying families. These things feel like simple moral standpoints any decent human being would believe, but that's not the case when your worldview is clouded by political nonsense.

The point I'm making is this – if you're on the wrong side of history and don't like being reminded of that, then do something about it. Our show isn't going to change, and I'm going to continue speaking out against the atrocities carried out by our current elected administration.

My biggest frustration is the cowardice these people show. The very same people that called us snowflakes are offended by facts and reality in a way no liberal tears were ever shed for. The extremism is so bad that even mentioning that I have a problem with kidnapping families and zip-tying children is met with anger in my direction.

It is a party of fear, ignorance, and hate. I won't stop pointing out the obvious realities no matter how many complaints we get. The administration's base is a shrinking minority where only 77 million of 350 million people voted for what is happening now. We only lost because we were fractured and uncertain about the future as our leadership failed us.

That can't happen again. So while I only play a small part and reach only a few ears, I won't stop telling the truth. Those filled with hate and rage can find their Apple news elsewhere, as spineless as they are, if they can't confront the realities at play. The party that complains that "everything is political" sure does like making everything political, then close their ears to any resistance to their extremism.

I'm not perfect, and I'm not always 100% correct in my assertions. Politics isn't my beat, and I only have so much information at my disposal. However, I know that I am in the right because I stand for justice, liberty, and the freedom to love and be loved by anyone of any origin, orientation, or practice.

Being thankful

No, I'm not discussing Apple news here this week. You can get plenty of that, what little there was, in the podcast I embedded above. It's a holiday weekend, and I'd like to get back to my family, so here's a little bit of hope and thankfulness in the spirit of the holiday.

Every year since I separated from the military in 2019 has felt like a dream. The pandemic was scary, and for half of 2020, I was going through the motions of reacting to this strange new world, moving back home, and starting a new life as a civilian, all while trying not to get sick with something that could kill me.

I met Natalie in August 2020. We went on our first date, masks and all. She soon moved in with me. We got a dog, we made this house our home, and my life was suddenly full of love where there was so little before.

We encountered several difficulties in 2024. Our lovely pup, Suzanna, got suddenly sick and passed in June. Then my Dad suffered an incredible stroke in September that nearly ended his life. He's now bedridden without the use of his right side, has minimal speech ability, no memory, and the mindset of a toddler – there's no recovering from that.

Even as we endured all of that change, love prevailed. I proposed to Natalie in August on our dating anniversary. I thankfully had the privilege of sharing our engagement with my dad before everything happened so he could share how proud he was of us. My family overcame a lot of struggles that tried to force us apart, but even then, we overcame and grew closer.

Once we reached 2025, it felt like we had just run a marathon. As hard as things got within our small family, the world was being shaken at its foundations as a new administration strove to break every law and precedent set before it.

Even so, somehow, we persevered. We planned a wedding, kept charging forward, and strove to not let anything pull us down. The wedding went amazingly in October, better than anyone could have hoped for.

Now, my wife and I are preparing for what's next. If things go well and our finances line up, we'll be in the market to buy a home next year. So, as hope reluctantly returns to the world around us as we see the cruelties of the current government get checked, my little family will open a new door to a new home and our future.

If we survived these past few years of difficulty, we can do anything.

I'm thankful to everyone that reads these little posts, follows our hard work on AppleInsider and the podcast, my friends, my family, and the hope we have for the future, for it is bright.