Nik Nak’s Daily Teaser — 1st February 2026

1st February, 2026.

Right … it’s a quiet Sunday morning … 

And … ?

I’m expecting it to stay quiet.

Here’s hoping!

~≈🌞≈~

I’ve been doing a little research, after finding out that the newly updated versions of Pages*, Keynote and Number were available.

Complete with premium options connected to Apple’s Creator Studio suite.

It turns out that I don’t need a subscription for the iWork suite.

I just need the subscription for the premium content, premium content that includes extra templates and AI features.

It’s a shame in one sense: those templates look good, and would add variety to some of my presentations.

And using this updated version of Pages seems to be causing less overheating, when used with multiple Safari tabs.

The subscription would included access to Final Cut Pro.

The software’s a step up from iMovie, and better optimised for the Mac platform than the free version of DaVinci Resolve†, which I also use.

I feel a little mixed about that.

But can at least say I’m not spending more money … 

~≈£≈~

Nik Nak’s Daily Teaser — 6th January 2024.

6th January 2024.

I have something of a confession, there.

I’ve used iMovie to make videos, over the past few years.

And generally been happy with it.

Unfortunately?

My use of the app took something of a nosedive, recently: with the collapse of my old iMac.

My only alternative?

Was to use the free version of ClipChamp: on my aging Lenovo ThinkPad.

It wasn’t necessarily the easiest experience: video editing isn’t on a  machine that age.

The best work to describe the whole experience?

Is clunky.

Spoon-bendingly, chest-pain-inducingly, gear-grindingly, clunky!

Thankfully, and with thanks to all who helped, it was only a temporary measure: an updated version of iMovie — and a new Mac mini— helped.

Today, though?   I felt using ClipChamp’s online version of the Mac seemed in order.

At least to do the intro video for today.

ClipChamp seems to have exported the eighteen seconds worth of video slightly faster than iMovie.

But we’re talking about a matter of seconds, there: and I suspect that the online version I used, leveraged some of Microsoft’s cloud servers to do that.

I don’t think I’d make the change permanently: but ClipChamp seems OK.

There’s a wider choice of transitions, and filters, to it over iMovie.

But, counting against it?

iMovie has better integration with macOS: and can access my various media libraries, far more directly than ClipChamp.

And the current version — iMovie 10.4, on a Mac mini using macOS Sonoma 14.2.1 — seems to able to queue projects for export: hand, as far as I’m concerned.

I suspect neither would be of interest to pro users who use things like Avid, the various Adobe editors, and Apple’s own Final Cut Pro.

But?

Both seem equally viable options for me and other home users.

~≈⌘≈~

Oh, JUST as a thought … ?

My nephew, Jude, was over, yesterday.

As a result of him turn thirteen, recently?

I’ve been able to add him as a manager* to two of the YouTube channels I run for him on YouTube.

If you’d like to subscribe to @MikeytheRabbit or @BobbytheCat, you’d be welcome to!

~≈⌘≈~

Nik Nak’s Daily Teaser — 1-4-2019: April Fool’s Day.

1st April, 2019.

Yes: it’s a Monday.

It’s another new week.

It’s feeling … chilly … at the moment.

AND I watched a film, last night: Bill Nighy in The Limehouse Golem.

Which … won’t win an Oscar.

But IS a very entertaining movie.

~≈§≈~

Oh, on another quick personal front?

I got told, a few days ago, that I was Vitamin D deficient.

And that there was a prescription waiting for me at the surgery.

I started to course — one pill, twice a week for the next seven weeks — yesterday.

It does seem to have helped.

But we’ll have to see.

~≈§≈~

Just as a final quicker point?

One thing I did manage in last night’s intro video — AND in today’s — was tinker with some of the audio: detaching the audio track, copying and pasting it back into the video, then adding effects to each copy.

If you can let me know what you think of the last two seconds, I’d appreciate it … 

~≈§≈~

Nik Nak’s Daily Teaser — 29-1-2019: The Raven

29th January, 2019.

Right, I’ve officially spoken to Apple Support and put a complaint in.

About — yes, you’ve guessed it — the situation with iMovie.

Remember that, over the past few days?   My copy has been … misbehaving since updates installed last Thursday.

I do have a work-around that gets it functioning for me: today’s intro was made after using it.

I have to hold down Command (⌘) and Option (⌥) whilst starting iMovie: which deletes the preferences.

I’m going to have to see how that goes.

I’m not happy about it: and may have to give Apple support another call.

We’ll have to see.

~≈§≈~

Just to make things a little worse for Apple?

It seems using FaceTime on your iPhone … is a security issue.

As there’s a possibility that you can be eavesdropped on, whilst using the feature … or even NOT using the feature … 

As far as I’m concerned … ?

The company’s having a bad week … 

~≈§≈~

Nik Nak’s Daily Teaser — 26-1-2019: Uganda

26th January, 2019.

Hmmm … 

I have to admit, I do like my Apple products.

Really.

I’ve been quite the loyal one for some eighteen or so years.

Right at the moment, though, I have to admit to being one that’s mildly annoyed.

I’ve installed a recent set of updates: serious, security, ones that I discuss here.

The downside to those updates … ?

Simply put?

Is that, since installing those updates, my copy of iMovie is behaving distinctly badly: causing system hangs that only seem to clear up, if I force a restart, switching my machine on and off again.

Frankly?

As someone who relies on that app, I’m not exactly what you call happy.

~≈§≈~

Star Trek Discovery — Series 2 Episode 2: New Eden — A Review

25th January, 2019.

Yes: I’ve officially had my lower jaws done.

Jaws?

JAW!

Cleaned, if you must know.

What made things … interesting … ?

Was the fact I thought I’d made the appointment for 11AM.

Turns out I was wrong.

Turns out it was for 2PM: which meant going into Brentwood High Street, twice!

Boy, I was embarrassed.

Still … 

I did managed to get to have a natter with one of the hygienists about the shiny new MacBookPro she was using … 

~≈§≈~

As I was able to let her know I’d got a notification, this morning, via MacWorld: turned out there were some quite serious security updates.

You can find the details, here.

Now, while I’m not sure or all the exact details … I’m fairly sure of something.

For starters, the updates have caused issues.

I know I’ve just rendered the intro for this piece: and had to shut down my Mac, a couple of times.

As rendering it in 1080p slowed iMovie down to a crawl, and made using switching between alternative desktops VERY crappy.

On the other hand … ?

I noticed that a number of the security updates listed on that page?

Were aimed at macOS’s kernel.

The underlying code that forms the operating system’s heart.

One was aimed at the hypervisor.   Which, if I’ve understood it correctly?   Is some of the heavyweight hardware control software that’s part of a modern operating system.

It is — if I’ve understood the Wikipedia entry correctly — controls a lot of a computer’s hardware.

On top of that … !

On top of that, Apple’s page thanked workers from Google’s Project Zero a lot of help on the kernel updates.

Project Zero are the Google researchers who find zero-day exploits: previously unknown security flaws.

And that, therefore, need treating rather urgently.

Frankly?



I’m grateful: that means my machine’s better protected.

I’m just going to have to wait for Apple to update iMovie, and Mojave.

I’m grateful for the protection.

But would like the rendering speed back.

~≈§≈~

Now, I have to admit: that’s NOT why I started this post.

Yes, you guessed it: it’s Friday.

And yes: right at the mo, that means it’s time for the new episode of … 

second series … 

~≈§≈~

Tron: A Review.

15th December, 2018.

No, really: I’m semi-serious in this post’s introduction video.

Has anyone got any free or blue dye, some old, preferable clean, spare bedsheets, and some sort of upright frame I and nail seem bright blue or bright green bedsheets, to?

The reason I ask … ?

Whilst I was job-hunting, earlier, I had YouTube on: when this video came up.





Explaining how to  use a free app to give your videos a twist: by using compositing.

A technique that’s occasionally called Green Screen, or Colour Separation Overlay, or CSO, or Chromakey.

Basically?   You film something in front of a green or blue screen.

Then, in post-production, the green — or blue — parts of the video, are replaced with something else: usually an image, but occasionally, moving backgrounds.

That tutorial interested me: it’s a technique that was used on Dr Who back in the 1970s, on Star Wars, Max Headroom, your average news studio, and Star Trek.

And it’s something I felt I could use for some of the videos on Nik Nak’s Old Peculiar.

While Photo Booth’s nice, its background effects aren’t perfect.



You’ll have probably noticed the bleed over effect in the intro?   That’s from Photo Booth.

So hearing about a piece of software apparently powerful enough to let me improve on that?

That caught my attention.

Then, of course, inspiration hit me.

I could download something would only take up the limited room on my hard drive …

Or I could maybe poke around through the user manual on the various bits of software on my Mac.

It seems I can — given a green or blue screen — do basic compositing with my current version of iMovie.

It has to be said, thirty years ago?   I’d’ve needed a TV studio to make composite video.



Now all I need is some bedsheets.

~≈§≈~

Right now?

That possibly matters a lot less than … several other things.

Frankly, I started planning this post earlier tonight.

I’d seen Brainstorm, many years ago: and associated it with both WarGames and the original Tron.

I’d watched WarGames, last night.

Tonight?

I thought I should catch Tron … 

~≈§≈~