Oof, I’m glad I haven’t upgraded to Catalina yet. I use this display, and this behavior would drive me batty.

Check out this discussion in the comments section regarding 18% gray cards and 50% gray (or “middle gray”) in an otherwise straightforward advice post. The confusion is around using what appear to be the same units of measurement (“% gray”) interchangeably, when they are measuring different things.

In this context, “50% gray” is referring to a perceptual measurement. That is, it appears to the eye to be halfway between white and black, colloquially referred to “middle gray”. An “18% gray” card, used to set this “middle gray” perceived value in Lightroom, is 18% reflective; it reflects 18% of light that hits it, producing what appears to the eye to be middle gray.

This prime-time version of Jeopardy! was very satisfying. These three are entertaining to watch—even if Brad Rutter, unfortunately, didn’t play to his usual standard. Ken Jennings adapted well to James Holzhauer’s game-changing style, even if it clearly is outside of his comfort zone. Holzhauer’s needling of Rutter was playfully harsh, and unusual for Jeopardy! in general; contestants usually seem to have a very respectful vibe, so smack talking is different and surprising.

On one hand, I wish it had gone on longer, but I’m also happy with how it went. It’s a great cap on what seems likely to be Alex Trebek’s last season. It would have been corny, but I’m sure something to recognize Alex as part of this event would have been well-received by fans.

Interesting read.

An awful story, well reported.

After updating the software for X-Rite’s iPhoto Pro recently, I started seeing a generic app icon popping up in the Dock and staying there. It was called “XRD Software Update”, but didn’t seem to actually be updating anything. The linked document provides a fix if you find yourself in this situation, but wasn’t the first hit on Google. Hopefully this post gets indexed and points someone else in the right direction.

This “XRD Software Update” message has appeared in the dock on Mac computers after X-Rite Device Services (XRD) 3.0.101 installs with i1Profiler 3.1.1 or i1Studio 1.5.1. We plan to have an X-Rite Device Services (XRD) software update soon to resolve this known issue. In the meantime, you can do the following:

1. Delete “XRD Software Update” at: Mac HD/Library/Application Support/X-Rite/Frameworks/XRiteDevice.framework/Versions/B/Resources/
2. Delete “com.xrite.device.softwareupdate.plist” at: Mac HD/Library/LaunchAgents
3. Reboot the computer

Jonathan Martin and Maggie Haberman at The New York Times:

Interviews with current and former Republican lawmakers as well as party strategists, many of whom requested anonymity so as not to publicly cross the president, suggest that many elected officials are effectively faced with two choices. They can vote with their feet by retiring — and a remarkable 40 percent of Republican members of Congress have done so or have been defeated at the ballot box since Mr. Trump took office.

Wow, calling 40% “remarkable” is an understatement.

I don’t really care about the Black Eyed Peas, so I’m not even sure how I ended up watching this video. But I did, and the woman who is the subject of the piece is so magnetic and interesting, that I ended up watching the whole thing. I think it’s great.

What a great feature. Make sure to click the arrow on the right and watch it.

Christine Fisher at Engadget:

If you attempt to watch The Mandalorian in HDR, don’t be surprised if the colors are dim. In fact, HDTVTest suggests you may be better off watching it in SDR. In HDR, you’ll be asking your TV to run, unnecessarily, at its highest power consumption, and you won’t get the full benefit.