How to Disable the Sidebar in Edge Browser on macOS

I recently had to install the Edge browser on my Mac in order to use Bing Chat Enterprise (😒). After spending about forty minutes de-crapifying the Edge browser (removing all of the spammy buttons, "Rewards" junk, and all of the other super irritating features that Microsoft piles on), I found that I could not disable the sidebar in Edge using the main browser UI, no matter how hard I tried.

For some reason, there was no option to disable the sidebar by clicking the three dots in the top right and selecting "Hide Sidebar" as is widely documented online:

Also, when I went to edge://settings/sidebar, there is no option to disable the sidebar:

After stumbling around searching for the right answer, I found a post on thurrot.com that explains how to do this using policies. The only problem is that the post (from March 2023) misses a "/" in the path. So, I decide to make this post to explain how to do it using the correct paths.

1. Quit Edge if it is running
2. Open Finder and navigate to /Library/Managed Preferences (Note: this is the root "Library" folder, not the one inside your user profile folder)
3. Open Terminal and paste in the command:  /usr/bin/defaults write ~/Desktop/com.microsoft.Edge.plist HubsSidebarEnabled -bool false
4. Move the newly created file (com.microsoft.Edge.plist), which should now show up on your desktop, to the folder /Library/Managed Preferences
5. Start Edge and notice that the sidebar is gone. You can also confirm this by going to edge://policy in Edge to see that the policy is now applied:
   
   
   

To remove this policy, simply remove the com.microsoft.Edge.plist file out of the /Library/Managed Preferences folder and restart your Mac (it wouldn't reset the policy by just restarting the application, I had to do a restart).

By the way, I logged in with my Microsoft account, and even selected the option to synchronize all Edge settings, but for some reason, Microsoft chooses to not sync any of your settings to remove and de-crapify Edge. Any time I upgrade or install a new instance of Edge and sign in with my Microsoft account, choosing to sync all of my settings, it refuses to do so, and I must manually set all Edge settings again from their annoying defaults.

Dewey Moore Airstrip Landings in the CubCrafters X Cub in MSFS

I learned of a little airstrip in a rural section of Big Creek in Idaho called Dewey Moore with about 700 ft of usable runway (45.149770,-115.077320). These are my semi-successful landings in Microsoft Flight Simulator (MSFS) at Dewey Moore in the CubCrafters X Cub. I am NOT a pilot, just a flight simmer (and a novice at that).

How to Import iPhone .MOV Videos into DaVinci Resolve on Windows without Re-encoding

I've recently been exploring the free version of DaVinci Resolve as an alternative to Premiere Pro for my main video editor on Windows 10. I was trying to edit some footage I shot on my iPhone 12 at 4K (3840 x 2160), 60 fps. However, when I imported the videos into DaVinci Resolve 17, it showed the video clips as "offline," yet the audio would still play back. This is because newer videos shot on iPhone commonly use the HEVC (High Efficiency Video Coding, or H.265) format. While macOS natively supports the HEVC/H.265 codec, it is not natively supported by Windows 10 or DaVinci Resolve out of the box.

I found several suggestions in forums suggesting that in order to get DaVinci Resolve and Windows to properly see videos shot on iPhone, you should re-encode them using another codec (like H.264, DNxHD). There were links to all sorts of shady video conversion tools published by untrusted developers. There were also recommendations to transcode the videos using FFmpeg or Handbrake--both acceptable alternatives. But, there's a simpler way and it only costs $0.99.

In the Microsoft Store, there is a utility called HEVC Video Extensions. After installing this utility, Windows 10, and DaVinci Resolve will be able to read and encode HEVC/H.265 videos shot on iPhone without the need to convert to another format. Also, depending on your hardware, the codec may support hardware decoding, which will provide accelerated performance when editing in DaVinci Resolve on Windows 10. Hopefully that helps someone else out there looking for a simple, elegant solution to this issue.

How to Fix Error 0x1 in Windows Task Scheduler when Running a PowerShell Script

Recently I wanted to configure a simple script to send an email notification any time a particular Windows 10 machine rebooted. After some quick googling, I whipped up a PowerShell script and then set it up to run in Windows Task Scheduler whenever the system starts up.

But, running a PowerShell script as a scheduled task in Windows isn't so simple. First, you need to invoke the simple PowerShell executable (easy to do as powershell.exe is in the Windows path already), and second, you need to specify what PowerShell script to run using the -File argument. After configuring both of these, I still could not figure out why it was throwing the error 0x1 when trying to run the PowerShell script. Apparently, this is due to a PowerShell execution policy that prevents the script from running (for security reasons). Thankfully, Stack Overflow user briantist posted a nice solution to this issue. All you need to do is configure the task with -ExecutionPolicy Bypass in the arguments when setting up the task:

 

 

Don't forget to also add -File "C:\Path To Script\MyScript.ps1" to your arguments to reference the actual script when invoking PowerShell in your task.

It took me days to figure out why I couldn't get this task to run, but thankfully, Stack Overflow came through, and I was able to get it to run. I hope this helps someone else out there who may be getting the 0x1 error when trying to run a PowerShell script as a Scheduled Task in Windows.

ADS-B Air Traffic Time Lapse - Utah County - 03/05/21

Snowboarding run in Alaska on Steep PC Game

Apple Unveils new M1 SoC Chip

Exciting announcements about Apple's new SoC architecture today! This is a significant chapter in the history of computing with the release of the M1 chip. Also, the "PC" guy made a guest appearance! 

 

Fixing Error 9956 When Trying to Import Videos from iPhone using Image Capture

I have spent months troubleshooting an issue that I was having when trying to import videos (MOV/HEVC) from my iPhone to my MacBook. I experienced the issue on three different MacBook Pro machines, and four different iPhone models (from the iPhone XR to the iPhone 11). The issue is that when using the Image Capture app on macOS to import videos directly from your iPhone, it aborts and randomly shows the following error, "The operation couldn't be completed. (com.apple.ImageCaptureCore error -9956.) (-9956). An error occurred while importing. The item [filename] was not imported":

I spent days troubleshooting basic stuff with Apple support, and was escalated a few times to senior specialists, but never could get anywhere. I re-opened the case after still seeing the error with a new MacBook Pro and new iPhone. Here are some settings that an Apple support rep suggested that I try that actually resolved the issue for me for the time being. Here's what you need to do:

• On your iPhone, go to Settings -> Camera -> Formats, and select "Most Compatible"
  
• Then, on your iPhone, go to Settings -> Photos, and select "Keep Originals" under the section "Transfer to Mac or PC"
  

After completing the steps above, try again to import the video using Image Capture, and the videos should transfer quickly and without error. Hope that helps someone who may be struggling with the same issue.

Adobe Premiere Rush Video Editing Software: First Impressions

Each month I compile a family video made from the random videos that my wife and I shoot on our iPhones. For this task, I typically use Adobe Premiere Pro, After Effects (for the occasional motion graphics or more advanced effect), or iMovie. For October's video, I decided to give the recently released Adobe Premiere Rush on macOS a try.

Don't freak out, stay anchored

Here's some great advice for surviving a helicopter crash in water, as well as for life in general, from Destin:

Dramatic Strings and Beats

I was messing around with Garage Band on my phone last night and slapped this fun track together.

Eric Chesser from HUSH has the right attitude

I participated in my first big game hunt in Utah last year. It was a general rifle spike elk tag, and I was totally excited! I quickly found out just how truly difficult elk hunting is, and after hunting hard for 6 days in 4 different locations, I never saw a single spike elk. To say I was disheartened and discouraged would be an understatement. I hope that I've learned from that experience, set my expectations, changed the way I think about how I measure success, and how my attitude can affect the outcome when facing adversity.

The following clip is from the YouTube channel Hushin, which features hunting, fishing, and outdoor activities videos. Eric Chesser, part of the HUSH crew, is struggling to find a deer and is feeling pretty low. But, he comes to the realization that even though he's having a difficult and frustrating hunt, there are a lot worse things than having a bad day hunting. His attitude completely shifts. Eric says, "We do all go through hardships...Be kind, be humble...be positive, give back when you can--it will make you feel better than anything ever will." I love this perspective--it made me want to be more grateful and positive when facing difficult challenges.

The best part is from 7:06 to 9:47: