Jonathan Reed

298 posts on MacStories since February 2024

Jonathan is a freelance graphic designer. As well as being a long-time Apple user he is a huge film and television aficionado and is very interested in the intersection between the two mediums and technology. He lives in London with his wife and daughter and is writing his bio in the third person.

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First, Last, Everything Season Two Launches Today

In September of last year, MacStories launched a brand new podcast, ‘First, Last, Everything,’ in which I interviewed guests about their relationship with technology through their first loves, latest obsessions, and the piece of tech that meant everything to them.

In its eight-episode first season, I had some great conversations with people like celebrated icon designer Michael Flarup, Pok Pok founder Esther Huybreghts, YouTube creator Tom Hitchins, and Futurama co-creator David X. Cohen, to name a few.

We covered a huge range of topics from Waymo cars to the Amiga 2000, electric guitars to the Macintosh Plus, and beyond. I also enjoyed taking listeners on a weekly journey with the ‘Something’ segment, during which I talked about a piece of tech that flopped, was ahead of its time, or has simply been forgotten.

I’m looking forward to doing it all again with a whole new bunch of guests. Kicking off the new season is Emmy and Webby award-winning YouTube creator Becca Farsace. You may recognize Becca from her time at The Verge, but since 2024, she’s been striking out on her own. Becca is such fun to talk to and a true inspiration. You can listen to that episode right now.

New episodes will continue to be released every Wednesday through April 29, featuring guests such as AltStore creator Riley Testut, Mac Power Users host David Sparks, our own Niléane, and more. And, for the first time, you’ll can listen to First, Last, Everything, access the show notes, and subscribe right from the show’s brand-new dedicated page on MacStories.

Let’s go.


Becca Farsace - YouTube Creator

Becca Farsace is an Emmy and Webby award-winning tech creator. She was formerly the senior video producer at The Verge before going solo in 2024, primarily via her self-titled YouTube channel, where she aims to ‘take tech outside’.


Becca Farsace - YouTube Creator

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Instant Note

I’m gradually moving more and more of my workflows into Notion after years of hanging around the fringes. The company’s continued push into useful AI with their custom AI chatbot and, as of last week, Custom Agents has made it quite exciting to be around the Notion community. However, Notion can become a little unwieldy...


Choosing an AI Subscription and Raycast Feelings

Among the highlights on the Club MacStories+ Discord: Member Chris asked for advice on which AI subscription to take the plunge with. Members had plenty of advice. (Link) Members shared thoughts on Raycast’s pivot into generating apps and whether it’s worth switching back to Spotlight. (Link) Want to join the Club MacStories+ Discord? Upgrade to Club MacStories+...


App Crossroads, Bookmarking Cool Kids, and More

Among the highlights on the Club MacStories+ Discord: Is Raindrop still the bookmarking cool kid? Members had suggestions for interesting alternatives. (Link) Tommertron found himself at a crossroads with his Claude Code-built iOS app. (Link) After writing about it this week, John answered a few questions on how he’s been using Claude Code Remote Control....


The Apple Watch Is Right There

There’s been some chatter recently about wearable AI products that Apple might be developing. AirPods with cameras, smart glasses, and an AI pendant are all rumored to be possibilities. Apple’s AI efforts have been discussed and re-discussed so much over the past few years that I don’t need to bore you by repeating the details,...


An End-of-Day Reset Shortcut

On a recent episode of Clockwise, I shared a handy little automation that went down well with the other guests and realized it was one I’d never really talked about before. As I mentioned in the episode, this is a shortcut that’s become so part of my routine – while staying in the background –...


Issues with Tapping, a New RSS Reader, and More

Among the highlights on the Club MacStories+ Discord: Members shared their views on the new RSS reader Current. (Link) It’s not often that you see discussions on Discord about how well-moisturized hands can affect your tech use. Yet, here we are. (Link) That all stemmed from an initial complaint that iOS 26 wasn’t recognizing taps...


Kicking the Tires on Agentic Coding in Xcode

Last week, in a rather surprising move given the other AI-related difficulties apparently underway at the company, Apple rolled out the Xcode 26.3 release candidate with support for agentic coding. This immediately caught my eye because, as I mentioned three weeks ago, I have been using Claude’s agent, Claude Code, to build my first iOS...