It looks like we are at the start of another disruption in the tech industry so we should have plenty to talk about in the coming months and years. Right now the question is how much Apple will be involved?
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I find the different priorities, needs and use cases of other people interesting.
I cherish the rare posts from other women.
COVID’s current temerity and the arrival of summer are affecting forums and online communities everywhere, but as with all communities if you want a different kind of conversation, create it.
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I remember one in particular that got very aggressive. I stopped coming to the board for a while as the atmosphere was getting quite tense. The poster had an “expert” opinion on what felt like every subject on earth and they were always seemed available to post their opinion in every post.
There are a couple today that are getting close 
Thanks, much appreciated. In the past, I’ve used Lightroom, but I’ve moved away from Adobe’s products. Consequently, I need to learn how to use Affinity Photo. Though I have no experience with this type of software, I also want to learn how to use Affinity Publisher and Designer. 
I have a nice prosumer Nikon camera and several even better lenses. I’m considering upgrading the camera, which is 12 years old, to a mirrorless version. I’m looking to purchase the Z9, I just have to figure out how to convince my wife. 
This isn’t the best photo in the world but it is one that I love. It is of my granddaughter at her K5 “graduation.” This was a quick candid shot taken with a good lens from the back of an auditorium and on the fly. Things were moving fast so I had no time to adjust all of my settings. I edited it the best I could with Lightroom.
I took this one at the hospital of my granddaughter with her new brother. I only had a lower end lens with me at the time.
Obviously, these are not professional quality photos, they are quick candid shots, but I like them. 
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They are lovely! And also, really good—they’re much more than just an average snapshot. I promise you that your granddaughter will treasure them decades from now.
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Thanks! For me, these are heartwarming photos, that I also treasure. 
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iPhone, MacBook Pro, stick shift 
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Absolutely! Sadly, relatively few people still know how to drive with a stick shift. They don’t know the thrill that they are missing, unless, of course, one is in stop and go traffic.
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Yes! I’d also love to hear more about what people are doing for their work. I think sometimes people are reluctant to talk about their jobs because it’s their everyday activity, and they can’t imagine anyone else would find it that interesting. But hearing about other people’s jobs is (usually) fascinating (at least, it is to me!)
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I’m not sure what your definition of “professional” is, but they look professional to this image licenser.
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That is very kind, you made my day! 
The key to good photography is having a good subject (and light). I think I had a delightful subject.
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In the U.S. 
Automatic cars still don’t even make up a quarter of cars on the road in the UK (UK is behind Western Europe, but I think they’re not at half yet either). The transition is set in stone though. All electric cars are automatic and new petrol/gas/diesel will be banned from 2030, which means everyone is going to have to adopt automatic in the coming decades whether they want to or not.
In the days before digital photography it wasn’t unusual for some people to take photographs of more than one Christmas morning on the same roll of film. Back them I would tell people the difference between an amateur photographer and a professional was, a professional photographer takes a lot of pictures and shows a few of them. And an amateur photographer takes a few pictures and shows them all.
Based on your subjects I bet you take a lot of photos of them. And based on your lighting and composition I’d call them professional quality.
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I feel like MPU now is moreso a general Apple podcast rather than focused specifically on “Mac Power Users”, which is a specific niche that is probably not growing in absolute numbers (relative to the rest of the Apple ecosystem). I guess it makes sense that the podcast should broaden out and focus on general Apple ecosystem topics since that’s where the audience is. For me though I already have a couple podcasts which fall under the “general Apple podcast” category, so the MPU content often gets repetitive with other podcasts.
One thing I have found especially valuable is listening to some of the older MPU episodes, e.g. the episodes that did a deep dive on Keyboard Maestro. Even though they are a few years old I still find a lot of the information relevant today.
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I’m trying to find the right analogy here, but coming up empty. Oh well …
(Something like, your children have grown and moved out … but it isn’t quite working.)
The trick is to balance providing value to those who are not yet power users and those who are. Perhaps, given there are at least four shows a month, break that rule and have a “expert” level show once a month?
I belong to an astronomy club. I’ve been member since the late 1990’s. There are still some fellow members from that era. But there has also been a flow of folks who have come and gone, and who have come and stayed. Interests change. Priorities change. People change. And it is hard coming up with compelling content at club meetings which is not repetitive.
I think what prompted this thread has less to do with what you @MacSparky and @ismh are doing, and more to do with where I (and the other listeners and forum members, past and present) are in our Mac usage journeys. You continue to produce a quality product. Or if we add the labs and Field Guides, products (any chance of Better Touch Tool and Alfred guides any time soon? Hint, hint!)
So your mission, should you choose to accept it, is to figure out how to cater to all us folks that you’ve succeeded in turning into power users. While still bringing the not yet power users along for the ride.
Or to say it a different way, How would Yoda train young Luke and Jedi Luke at the same time?
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This is pretty much where I’m at - casual listener at best. Maybe 1 out of 6 episodes. Some just don’t apply to me or are repetitive after a few years. The vibe is not quite there like it was with Katie and in my opinion 90+ minutes is too long. Correspondingly less active here. I usually only come back when I get the weekly email recap.
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Coming from the UK, I’ve always been confused by the occasional fetishisation of manual cars by some in other countries (this is not meant as a criticism of your post, more a general observation). Manual gearboxes are, at least until recently, a lot more common than automatic ones here. However, I think that is more to do with price than a deliberate choice.
I do wonder also if it’s because the average car size may be smaller than in North America. As someone who regularly drives both an automatic and a manual of the same VW Polo hatchback, I much prefer the manual for what is a small car with an underpowered engine. The ease of dropping down a gear when planning on changing to a faster lane to overtake is a winner. That said, I do agree with the annoyance in stop-start traffic as pressing the clutch down all the time is often physically harder than the brake.
I’m a long-time listener (I think I started at somewhere <MPU30) although only recently started participating in the forum. My observation mirrors many here: I miss the dynamic with Katie (that’s not to say that Stephen isn’t good, it’s just a different relationship).
If the hosts are following, I’d add to the call for greater diversity in the guests. Too many fall into a similar category that in my head I describe as “I spend most of my day in front of my own Mac sending e-mails, having meetings, writing things” which often converge on a limited subset of the same “productivity” tools and workflows.
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They are beautiful and a true art form.