I’ve recently had cause to work on our Ruby on Rails app at Hopscotch and it’s been many years since I messed around with Ruby or Rails. Having been deep in Swift for so long, writing Ruby feels odd. Moving from a statically-typed Swift to dynamic Ruby feels like moving from a Lego brick construction set, to a massive lump of putty.

I can understand why people are drawn to Ruby, even if I personally prefer Swift. I think it’s less algebra, more paint set.

A product that I worked on for a year: Tact chat, has been released on the App Store. I was involved with the project up to the public beta release, and now the owners have managed to push it over the line. It’s a unique (highly opinionated) concept, and I think a cool product. If you ever wanted a chat app, minus the social network and surveillance capitalism – think family, friends, hobby groups – try Tact at justtact.com.

Missing Core Image Documentation

If you've ever gone searching for an up-to-date list of Core Image filters you'll know this pain. Search through search results, header files, Apple's documentation and you can't find it. The best link Apple refers you to is this page from their documentation archive that hasn't been updated since 2016. However, there is a small cache of Apple documentation available if you know the right link, and I think it's up-to-date.

In regards to growth marketing, surveilance capitalism, algorithmic moral-panic-driven profiteering I think there’s kind-of Darwinian evolution of our kids’ immune systems. My (now adult) kids responses to all this nonsense really brightens my day.

The axiiio nano camera robotics system is back, baby!

Indiegogo > October 19, 2021 www.axiiio.com/view/laun…

We’re offering 4 kits this time, motor encoder has been redesigned, software has been improved. It’s better than ever.

Apple Maps shows a new message I’ve not seen before asking if I want to switch routes to save 2 minutes. When I don’t answer BECAUSE I’M DRIVING, it does it anyway. I realise late that it’s now taking me to the freeway, which I was trying to avoid. I Keep avoiding the freeway and now it takes me on a wild ride adding 15 minutes… well done.

Sometime mobile software UIs feel like they’re just activity indicators all the way down.

A few years back there was a backlash against job descriptions seeking rockstars, or ninjas. And that was a relief. Now, I think we’re entering a post-startup era; I keep seeing job descriptions emphasising low-ego engineering cultures. Low ego seems to be the new value statement describing the essential ingredient to good engineering, replacing the rockstar?

The tech culture attitude that you have to get on the train or else get left behind is horseshit. Never met a programmer who was unable to get up to speed about something new, when the need arose.