John Voorhees

5626 posts on MacStories since November 2015

John is MacStories' Managing Editor, has been writing about Apple and apps since joining the team in 2015, and today, runs the site alongside Federico. John also co-hosts four MacStories podcasts: AppStories, which covers the world of apps, MacStories Unwind, which explores the fun differences between American and Italian culture and recommends media to listeners, Ruminate, a show about the weird web and unusual snacks, and NPC: Next Portable Console, a show about the games we take with us.
@[email protected]
@johnvoorhees.macstories.net
voorhees@macstories.net

Apple TV+’s CODA Wins Best Picture at the Oscars

Last night was a big night at the Oscars for Apple. In just the second year that Apple TV+ has been eligible for an Oscar, the streaming service’s film CODA won the award for Best Picture. CODA was also honored with the award for Best Adapted Screenplay, and CODA star Troy Kotsur was named Best Supporting Actor.

Apple acquired the streaming rights to CODA at the Sundance Film Festival in early 2021 and debuted it on TV+ last August. Going into the ceremonies last night, CODA was up against other strong contenders, including The Power of the Dog, a Netflix film that won critical acclaim. But ultimately, it was CODA, a feel-good family drama, that took home Apple’s first-ever Oscar and the first Best Picture award from any streaming service.

CODA is also notable for its predominantly Deaf cast, which includes Troy Kotsur and Marlee Matlin. Kotsur took home the Best Supporting Actor award for his role, which was a first for a Deaf male actor. Matlin previously won an Oscar for her role in Children of a Lesser God.

Apple’s head of Worldwide Video Zack Van Amburg had this to say about the awards:

On behalf of everyone at Apple, we are so grateful to the Academy for the honors bestowed on ‘CODA’ this evening. We join our teams all over the world in celebrating Siân, Troy, the producers, and the entire cast and crew for bringing such a powerful representation of the Deaf community to audiences, and breaking so many barriers in the process. It has been so rewarding to share this life-affirming, vibrant story, which reminds us of the power of film to bring the world together.

If you haven’t seen CODA yet, it’s available to stream on Apple TV+.

AppStories - Ep. 267 - 46 minutes

State of the Platforms, with Apple’s Vivek Bhardwaj

FedericoJohn
AppStories+ Deeper into the world of apps

AppStories Episode 267 - State of the Platforms, with Apple’s Vivek Bhardwaj

0:00
45:47

↓

AppStories+ Deeper into the world of apps

This week, Federico and John had the pleasure to interview Apple’s Vivek Bhardwaj about Universal Control, Shortcuts, Live Text, and more.

Read more

Reader Setup: John Voorhees

John

After a lot of waffling, I’ve ordered a Studio Display and Mac Studio, but my indecision means the display won’t arrive until late April and the Mac won’t show up until mid-June. When my new hardware comes, my studio setup will change, so I thought I’d cover my current setup here and explain...

Interesting Links

Federico

I previously covered Floh Gro’s Craftcuts extension for Craft a couple of weeks ago, and the developer has now released a YouTube video that shows how you can use Craftcuts to add different types of text to a note in Craft via Shortcuts. (Link) Floh Gro has also released Craftist, a Craft extension that...

App Debuts

Federico

Parrot Developed by Sandro Pennisi, the creator of the excellent Widgeridoo, Parrot is a new utility to create good-looking textshots from text selected on Safari webpages that you can share on social media. Once you’ve selected text in Safari, tap the Parrot action extension and you’ll be presented with an overlay to tweak the...

MacStories Unwind: The Valve Steam Deck, Spider-Man: No Way Home, and Dune

AppStories+ Deeper into the world of apps
0:00
28:41

AppStories+ Deeper into the world of apps

This week on MacStories Unwind, Federico shares his thoughts on the Valve Steam Deck and John recommends a movie double feature of Spider-Man: No Way Home and Dune.

Federico’s Pick

John’s Picks

Overcast Redesign Enhances Podcast Navigation with an Emphasis on Playlists and Recent Episodes

I’ve used a lot of different podcast apps over the years, but the one I return to most often and have used the most is Overcast by Marco Arment. The app’s customizability, Smart Speed and Voice Boost audio enhancement technologies, and Shortcuts support are unrivaled among podcast players. I also appreciate that when episodes of the shows I love are published, they usually appear in Overcast first.

Read more

Alto’s Adventure: Spirit of the Mountain Released on Apple Arcade

Alto’s Adventure has long been one of my favorite iOS games. Originally released in 2015, the game has been updated over the years with features like zen mode and released on multiple platforms. Today, a remastered version known as Alto’s Adventure: Spirit of the Mountain is available exclusively on Apple Arcade.

New collectible artifacts are scattered throughout Alto's Adventure and unlock a new playable character.

New collectible artifacts are scattered throughout Alto’s Adventure and unlock a new playable character.

If you have played Alto’s Adventure on iOS before, your existing progress can be imported into the remastered version, which features new ways to enjoy the game. The core gameplay mechanics of Alto’s Adventure, which were such a big part of its success, remain unchanged. The new version allows players to unlock a brand new character with unique abilities and tricks by collecting artifacts as you play. Once the new character is unlocked, players can set out to accomplish 20 new goals accompanied by a new soundtrack.

Alto’s Adventure is a game that I enjoy revisiting periodically, so I really didn’t need an excuse to play it again. Still, it’s great to have a chance to replay this classic game with the added perk of a new character and goals to explore.

Alto’s Adventure: Spirit of the Mountain is available on the App Store as part of an Apple Arcade subscription.