The Weekly Write-Up #45

1 Year of The Weekly Write-Up

1 Year ago today, I posted the first edition of The Weekly Write-Up! Now, one year later I have posted 45 newsletters, have over 65 subscribers, and have grown my newsletter more than I could have hoped! Thank you all so much for your support! To celebrate the one year anniversary, I have something big coming out next week that I’m excited about!

In this newsletter…

• Can the Bible really be summed up in just 16 words?

• I'll admit: I'm behind on watching Star Wars TV shows...

• 10 major updates to the new iPhones and Apple Watches!

• My first fondue experience!

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Literary Picks

The Whole Message of the Bible in 16 Words

Last newsletter, I talked about a Christian nonfiction book I read, and this week I'm talking about another Christian nonfiction book. In just one week, I read this entire book. This was mostly because I had to, but it was still a great book! The Whole Message of the Bible in 16 Words is written by Chris Bruno, and he talks about, well...the Bible in 16 words. Each chapter is titled a various word that describes the Bible. He talks about topics such as God, Creation, Covenant, Kingdom, the Messiah, idols, judgment, wisdom, mission, and so much more! While this book doesn't encapsulate every part of the Bible, he does a good job hitting the key points.

I think this book did a good job of hitting the major themes found in the Bible. As I already mentioned, Bruno uses 16 words to describe the whole message of the Bible. I was actually surprised by some of the words he used, as some of them weren't words I would have used if I only had 16 words to describe the Bible. Obviously, he couldn't talk about every single part of the Bible in just one book, but I think he did a pretty good job. I also liked the structure of each chapter. He began the chapter explaining why he chose the specific word before progressing into where that theme is found throughout the Bible. Finally, at the end of the chapter, he would provide some verses (one from both the Old and New Testaments) for further study, as well as a summary of the chapter. I found these tools very useful in my reading.

Who would I recommend this book to? Well, I think both non-Christians and Christians can find good use of this book. Especially if you are a Christian who hasn't read the whole Bible, I would definitely read this book because it will encourage you to read the Bible. If you aren't a Christian, I would encourage you to read this book because it gives a good summary of the major themes found in the Bible! Overall, I think almost anyone can find something good or interesting in this book. While it wasn't as good as Habits of Grace, I still enjoyed this book and found it very useful. You can check the book out on Amazon. Note: Chris Bruno also wrote The Whole Story of the Bible in 16 Verses, which is probably also worth checking out!

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Watchlist Wonders

5 Star Wars TV Shows

Okay, I'm going to come right out and say it: I haven't seen all the Star Wars shows! I know, I'm a terrible human being! I have seen a few of them (such as Obi-Wan and Bad Batch Season 1), but many of them I haven't seen.

• The Mandalorian: I have seen the first few episodes of season 1 of the Mandalorian, but I haven't seen much after that. I have gotten recommendations from countless people about this show, and it is pretty much a national phenomenon. After watching the first few episodes, I remember enjoying it, but thinking the plot moved pretty slowly.

• The Book of Boba Fett: This is another Star Wars show I need to watch, but I'm a little less excited about this one since my dad said it was terrible. I still want to watch it at some point, but it will have to wait until I watch all of the other Star Wars shows since my expectations are set lower.

• Ahsoka: This is the newest of the Star Wars shows, and the final episodes are just now coming to Disney+. I actually watched the first episode a week ago, and it is pretty good so far! I haven't seen enough to recommend it, but it was pretty good!

• Bad Batch Season 2: I very much enjoyed the first season of this animated Star Wars series, and I am looking forward to the second season. I talked to some friends of mine who had seen the second season, and they said it wasn't as good as the first. Nonetheless, since season 1 ended on a cliffhanger, I want to watch this season.

• Andor: I honestly have no idea what Andor is about, but I have very high hopes for this show. The reason for this is that every review of this show I have seen has sung its praises, so I'm optimistic about this show! I can't wait to watch it in the near future!

Hopefully, when I have over 50 hours (yes, I did the math), I will be able to catch up on all of these Star Wars TV series. If/when I watch them, I will obviously review them when I'm done! In the meantime, you can always watch these shows for yourself on Disney+.

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Tech Thoughts

10 Highlights for the New iPhones and Apple Watches

The iPhone 15 lineup, Apple Watch Series 9, and Apple Watch Ultra 2 are now available for purchase! Here are the 10 biggest changes:

All iPhone 15 Models:

1. USB-C: With the introduction of the iPhone 15 models, Apple switched its charging port from Lightning to USB-C. Why did Apple do this? Well, they actually made this move for a few reasons: 1) They were forced to because of the new EU laws, 2) USB-C allows for faster charging and faster data transfers, and 3) Macs and iPads have already switched to USB-C, so it makes sense to switch the iPhone as well. This means you can charge all of your (new) Apple devices with the same cable. Android has had USB-C for years, so it is about time that Apple makes the change.

2. Color-Infused Glass: While most people probably won't notice a change, the back of the iPhone 15s are now made with a single sheet of color-infused glass. This allows it to be more durable and present better colors. It will also make it more easily removable for repairs.

iPhone 15 Pro and iPhone 15 Pro Max:
3. Titanium: Starting with the iPhone 15 Pro and iPhone 15 Pro Max, certain iPhones will now be made using Titanium, which is both more durable and lighter.
4. Action Button: The action button is a new feature that is found exclusively on the iPhone 15 Pro and Pro Max. This button will replace the mute switch and be able to be programmed to a variety of different actions, such as toggling mute, turning on a focus mode, opening the camera, turning on the flashlight, or running a shortcut (which I think will be the most useful). While it is sad to lose the mute switch, the action button provides more functionality and customization for the iPhone.
5. A17 Pro Chip: This is the first “pro” chip inside an iPhone, as Apple usually refers to them as "bionic." This chip (obviously) has better power and improvements to the CPU and especially to the GPU (which is going to allow for better gaming graphics).
6. Camera: Obviously the Pro phones got an update to the camera this year with Apple advertising that "it’s like having seven pro lenses in your pocket, everywhere you go.” The camera now features a periscope lens (inside one of the existing lenses), which allows for greater optical zoom.

iPhone 15 and iPhone 15 Plus:
7. Dynamic Island: The Dynamic Island made its first appearance on the iPhone 14 Pro models, but has trickled down to the base model iPhone 15s this year. The dynamic island allows you to view useful information right on the home screen (and cover up the camera).
8. Camera: While there wasn't a huge improvement from the iPhone 14 camera, Apple did make some changes such as changing the camera to 48MP instead of 12MP and allowing you to take a 2x Telephoto without a dedicated Telephoto lens.

Apple Watch Series 9 and Apple Watch Ultra 2:
9. S9 Chip: This new chip is now featured in the Apple Watch Series 9 and Apple Watch Ultra 2. It will provide performance upgrades to both watches, allowing for more on-device processing, better battery life, and the new double tap feature (see below). Once again, not a reason to upgrade, but nice to have!
10. Double Tap: Double Tap is a “new” feature that will be available for both new Apple Watches. Technically this feature isn't new because you could already use it (in part) with a lesser known accessibility feature. Double Tap will allow you to perform certain actions (ending a call, stopping a timer, or check your smart stack) on your Apple Watch by just tapping your thumb and index finger together. While this isn't a reason to upgrade, it is still a pretty cool feature!

There are a lot of new changes, and I couldn't cover all of it, so if you would like to learn more, you can go to the Apple website.

Note: All the software updates have been released (except for macOS Sonoma, which is being released on Tuesday). Be sure to download those on your devices if you wish to do so!

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Wild Card

The Melting Pot

For my birthday this past week (hence why there was no newsletter), my parents took my brother and me to The Melting Pot. The Melting Pot is a delicious fondue restaurant! If you don't already know what fondue is (I didn't know before I went here), let Google explain: "a dish in which small pieces of food are dipped into a hot sauce or a hot cooking medium such as oil or broth."

In the case of The Melting Pot, there are four courses. In the first course, you choose a type of cheese, which will be melted into the pot. You are then given bread, vegetables, and apples (it is actually really good) to dip into the cheese. The second course is a salad (nothing special here, although the salads were good). Next is the meat course where you are given all kinds of different meats to cook in your chosen broth before devouring them. Finally, is the dessert course! For this course, you pick a type of chocolate to melt into the pot so that you can dip strawberries, bananas, rice krispie treats, brownies, etc. into the chocolate. I will warn you that this is definitely a lot of food and will leave you uncomfortably full!

The factor that makes The Melting Pot different from another fancy restaurant is the fondue experience which lasts for 2-3 hours. You not only get to just eat a meal, but you get to enjoy the experience that goes along with it! The other great factor is obviously the food! All the food we ate here was delicious! It was so good, and it is making my mouth water just thinking about it! Every single course was amazing, and I was so full at the end of the meal that I almost couldn't walk! For real though, the food was scrumptious, and I have no complaints!

The Melting Pot is a delicious and fun restaurant! It isn't only a restaurant, but also an activity. The fondue aspect made this experience even more enjoyable than it already would have been. I will say that The Melting Pot is very expensive (probably overpriced) so if you are going to eat here, save it for a special occasion (birthday, anniversary, etc). Other than the price, I can't find anything else wrong with this restaurant! I definitely recommend The Melting Pot! You can go to their website here.