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Zooming in with the iPhone

I recently upgraded my phone to the iPhone 17 Pro Max, I went with this model for two core reasons, one was the bigger screen, I like a phone with a big screen, two was the photographic capabilities of the Pro Max compared to the other phones in the 17 range.

The power of the iPhone camera system gives you a wide range of focal lengths with exceptional framing flexibility — from sharp close‑ups to sweeping wide shots that let you capture more of a scene without stepping back. And get up close like never before with 8x optical-quality zoom on iPhone 17 Pro — the longest zoom ever on an iPhone.

The 17 Pro Max has the following capabilities:

    • 48MP Pro Fusion camera system 
    • 48MP Fusion Main 
    • 48MP Fusion Ultra Wide 
    • 48MP Fusion Telephoto

Compare that to the standard 17 which has:

    • 48MP Pro Fusion camera system 
    • 48MP Fusion Main 
    • 48MP Fusion Ultra Wide

The iPhone Air and the iPhone 17e have the following:

    • 48MP Fusion camera system 
    • 48MP Fusion Main

Over the years I have made extensive use of the ultra wide capability on my old iPhone, but one thing I missed was an optical telephoto lens. I knew I could zoom in digitally, but that wasn’t the same as using a telephoto lens.

So, I did want to give it a go, so when I was down on Weston beach I took a photograph of the Grand Pier.

Then I zoomed in…

Now this isn’t even the full zoom, but I was impressed with the results.

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Watch out, that worked

Nyhavn

I recently bought an Ultra Compact Power Bank to replace my existing power bank and to use on long day trips. I wrote previously about how on my day trip to Venice I only planned to take my phone and the power bank. I also thought I should be able to charge my Apple Watch as well if that ran out of power.

Now the power bank worked a treat in charging the phone. Towards the end of that day I noted that my Apple Watch was down to 1%. So I retrieved the USB-C watch charging cable from my bag, plugged it into the USB-C port on the power bank and watched the watch literally not charge.

This time, when I went to Copenhagen, I took the USB-A charging cable that came with the watch and this (having tested it earlier) worked a treat in charging the watch.

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iCloud sync issues

Image by congerdesign from Pixabay

One of the reasons I use iCloud is that I often use two different systems for writing. I have a MacBook Air and a Mac mini. I will often start writing on the MacBook Air and then do some more on the Mac mini.

Usually I don’t have sync issues, but over the last few weeks I have noticed that text I wrote on one machine disappeared when I opened the document on the other machine. This happened with both Pages and Word files.

I am not entirely sure of what the issue is, I think it may be because I have not necessarily saved the file on one Mac and then when (later I) access the file on the other Mac it takes the cloud version, saves it, and then saves back to the cloud. As it is more recent, then the other Mac uses that file rather than the older unsaved version.

I think that is the problem, but I haven’t been able to replicate the problem either.

Since then I have been taking care to save files more often. Also, been closing files rather than leaving them open.

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Charging at the National Trust

I recently visited Stourhead, my last visit was nearly ten years ago back in May 2016.

 Having arrived at the property, I was pleased to see EV chargers, so I put the Funky Cat on charge. I could use contactless to start the charge, though if you have the ChargePoint app you can use that. I did in fact try to use the ChargePoint app, which then attempted to charge my debit card, which the bank blocked. No idea why, so I avoided the app and used ApplePay instead.

As well as 22 kWh EV chargers, Stourhead also had some rapid chargers which looked like they could deliver more charge (so faster charging). I was less pleased to see that there had been a cable theft from the rapid chargers.

It all worked out using the 22kWh chargers, though the Funky Cat can only draw down 11KwH.

When a couple of weeks later, I made a trip to Kingston Lacy, another National Trust property down in Dorset I was pleased to see they also had chargers. I headed to the EV charging and I put the Funky Cat on charge.

By the time I finished my visit to the house and gardens, the Funky Cat was at 100%. I had time left, and it was only twenty miles away I headed off to Corfe Castle.

I parked in the National Trust car park, and was pleased to see they also had EV chargers. I didn’t put the car on charge, but with hindsight, it might have been a good idea, but I hadn’t used that much charge travelling there. In the end I didn’t need to charge on my way home.

With the often rural locations, travelling to National Trust properties often means finding a charge on the way there or the way home. However, as the National Trust starts to install more chargers at different properties it becomes a lot easier for EV drivers.

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Really, 170

Screenshot

I charged the Funky Cat up to 100% and had a predicted range of 170 miles. Obviously the predicted range is based on the energy consumption of the previous driving before you charged.

When I left home I had a 21% charge in the car and I drove very conservatively to where I was going to get the car charged, By the time I arrived it had dropped down to 9%, which is a lot less than I like to have it at.

I think 170 for this time of year is quite good, so was happy with that.

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Probably around 140…

Yesterday I charged the Funky Cat up to 100% and had a predicted range of 132 miles, though as I started driving it went up to 133 miles. This was less than when I charged up at a similar 11 kW charger and reached a predicted range of 153 miles.

Obviously the predicted range is based on the energy consumption of the previous driving before you charged. Though, as a result it makes it challenging when planning to drive. I suspect the 133 was based on some motorway driving, whilst the 153 was based on trips which were mainly local and rural roads.

If I have a 153 mile range, but my next trip was motorway, I think I might need to think about planning the journey to ensure there was a potential charging location if I needed it.

These days charging stations are actually a lot easier to find compared to 2023 when I got the Funky Cat. For me, it’s not just about finding a charging station, but finding one that is relatively cheap. Paying 85p kW is extortion, whereas if I can find one for 57p or thereabouts, then I am saving money.

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Well, watch out, that didn’t go to plan

canal in Venice

I recently bought an Ultra Compact Power Bank to replace my existing power bank and to use on a day trip to Venice. 

My main use case is when travelling with just my phone or attending a conference with just my phone. 

If I have my laptop with me I can usually use that to charge the phone. My phone can usually hold a charge for most of the day, but I have found now and then something I am doing kills the battery.

On my day trip to Venice I only planned to take my phone and the power bank. I also thought I should be able to charge my Apple Watch as well if that ran out of power. 

Now the power bank worked a treat in charging the phone, I was down to 25% battery so plugged the phone into the attached cable on the power bank and it recharged the phone.

Towards the end of the day I noted that my Apple Watch was down to 1%. So I retrieved the USB-C watch charging cable from my bag, plugged it into the USB-C port on the power bank and watched the watch literally not charge. 

It wasn’t critical I had my watch charged (I had my phone) but it was annoying that the charging didn’t work. I hadn’t tested charging the watch before I left, but had for the phone.

When I got home I checked the process, this time using the USB-A charging cable that came with the watch, and this time with the power bank it did charge the watch. So, maybe next time I will take the USB-A cable.

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Replacement Powerbank

I have bought an Ultra Compact Power Bank to replace my existing power bank. My original Power Bank was 20000mAh which I had bought four years ago. It got considerable use and now no longer holds a charge. So, I knew I needed a replacement.

This one was smaller at 10000mAh, but it was also a lot smaller and importantly lighter as well. I also like how it came with included cables.

 

My main use case is when travelling with just my phone or attending a conference with just my phone. If I have my laptop with me I can usually use that to charge the phone. My phone can usually hold a charge for most of the day, but I have found now and then something I am doing kills the battery.

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Now it’s just 157

funky cat headlight

I recently charged my Funky Cat to 100%, the predicted range was 157 miles. Just a bit under from what I reported in December.

The predicted range is based on how the car used energy for the last 100km. Over the last few weeks it has been cold, so I have had the heating on, the windscreen has been misting, so I have had both the heating and the air conditioning on as well.

Batteries perform less well in colder weather and last week it was right down at zero, even if we did not have any snow.

I’ve not drive the Funky Cat in snow and I think it would be either an interesting experience or an utter nightmare.

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Tech Stuff: Top Ten Blog Posts 2025

Don’t have access to my stats anymore to post a top ten of individual blog posts.

However in 2025 I published 43 blog posts.

In 2024 I wrote 61 blog posts, down slightly from 2023 when I published 69 blog posts. In 2022 I wrote 30 posts. In 2021 I published 32 posts on the blog, and in 2020 I wrote 43 blog posts.

Total views and visits in 2025 was down on 2024.