Welcome to another Newsletter. It marks the 25th anniversary of Universalis!
Technical: avoiding dark mode on the Mac
Posted by universalis on 22 March 2021
Mac OS has a ‘dark mode’, in which text is light on a dark background, taking us back to the 1980s and the era of VDUs. The Universalis app and program for the Mac now obey the dark mode and if you select it in the system settings, the text in Universalis will be light on a dark background.
It appears that some people want to have Mac OS in dark mode but still have Universalis displaying dark text on a light background. This is rather an unexpected requirement, but Mac OS does allow this to happen. Here are the instructions.
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How to try Universalis
Posted by universalis on 18 February 2021
People often encourage their friends to get Universalis, which is a good thing and kind to both the friends and us.
If you have a friend who is interested but isn’t quite sure, and would like to try Universalis out before buying anything, here is some advice for you to pass on:
Read the rest of this entry »
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The Laudate app
Posted by universalis on 1 February 2021
There is an app called Laudate, which people sometimes think is ours. It isn’t. We get occasional emails that complain about (or praise) what “we” are doing, and where it turns out, eventually, that “we” doesn’t mean Universalis at all. So this blog post is intended to remove the confusion.
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The Epiphany again
Posted by universalis on 7 January 2021
Some people get into a terrible flap after the Epiphany, and six years out of seven they write to us to say that we have got the readings wrong. So this post really ought to appear every year.
In religious parts of the world the Epiphany is celebrated when it always has been: on the 6th of January, when good children get presents from the Kings. In more commercial parts of the world the Epiphany is moved to the Sunday after New Year’s Day, so that the Twelve Days of Christmas become the Eight Days or the Fourteen Days.
The reason for all the panic is that a day such as Friday 8 January 2021 has different readings depending on where you are. In religious countries (including England and Wales) it is 8 January, the second day after the Epiphany. In commercial countries (including Scotland and the USA) it is Friday after Epiphany Sunday, the fifth day after the Epiphany.
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The Epiphany (especially England, Wales, Scotland)
Posted by universalis on 30 December 2020
At about this time of year we tend to get a few emails from people who say that we have got the calendar wrong. This is because the solemnity of the Epiphany is celebrated on different dates in different parts of the world. There are two choices:
- It can be celebrated on January the 6th, the thirteenth day of Christmas. That is why the eve of the Epiphany is called Twelfth Night.
- It can be celebrated on the Sunday between the 2nd and 8th of January.
Universalis does both. If you set Universalis to use your local calendar, you will see the Epiphany on the right day for you.
- In England and Wales, 2021 is the first year for a while in which the Epiphany does not fall on the Sunday. Don’t worry: this is correct!
- In Scotland, you need to get the latest update to Universalis to make sure that you get the Epiphany on the Sunday.
- If you are confused about the readings, this page lists them all for both “Epiphany on the 6th” and “Epiphany on the Sunday”.
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Electric Prayer 