My friend, Michał, just posted a fantastic piece touching on what it feels like to get fired, or to use the corporate speak term, “laid off”. Those tens of thousands of folks being fired from big techs aren’t just numbers. They are names and faces. It’s a known truth that the mass is easier to […]
Author: Joshua
App Defaults
Continuing on from the article Robb Knight posted. Here are the apps I use in each category. Mail client: HEY web app Mail Server: HEY custom domains Notes: Notes.app, Bear To-Do: Things 3 iPhone Photo Shooting: iOS Camera Photo Management: Photos.app Calendar: Apple Calendar Cloud file storage: iCloud Drive RSS: n/a Contacts: Contacts.app Browser: Safari […]
Hidden Stakeholders followup
As a followup on my article about hidden stakeholders, my co-host and I chatted about this topic on fractional today. Highly recommend giving it a listen if you’ve ever tried to navigate working for one boss, but realized you had another one lurking in the dark. You can listen to the episode here.
Pour one out for the Touch Bar
In light of Apple’s recent event with new hardware announcements, my friends and I got together for our latest episode of Ultra Pro Max to chat about it. We did a quick overview of things and then focused on a few things that stood out to us. Listen now on your favorite podcast player.
Mars Edit
I’ve written on WordPress for years, and long bemoaned the lack of a great Mac first writing experience. I finally tried Mars Edit and this app is fantastic. I’ve doing all my blog writing on it now. At some point I may share out a proper review, but so far this is great and I’m […]
More podcasts, less writing
I like getting ideas out. For years I’ve written in some form or other. Sometimes I keep that writing to myself, but sometimes I share it. This year I’ve been experimenting with something different. Instead of writing as much I’ve been podcasting. I don’t know if it’s going to scratch the itch for me all […]
So you wanna start a podcast?
Here’s the guide I wish I could have found before I started making a podcast. This is by no means comprehensive, but it does have all the basics you’ll need to get started. It’s also my current understanding as of Fall 2023. I still feel like a complete baby at this, so please share any […]
Hidden stakeholders
My first design project went ok. I was a teenager working toward a spec from my stakeholder and trying to understand the point of what I was making. I was quite green at creating the thing they asked for, but I spent time understanding why they needed it, poked around with the how, and iterated […]
Independence and autonomy
I’ve thought a lot about motivation over the years. When I was younger I thought my struggle to get something done was connected to not knowing enough, or being lazy. As I’ve gotten older though—and last week was my week on my 35th trip around the sun—I realize there’s more to it. My motivation ties […]
AirPods are smartish
Next year is going to be interesting. I’m hoping to save up enough to buy a Vision Pro and experience a new world of audio and visual. Until then, I get the sense (and hear from those who have tried it) that AirPods are the first true dip into an augmented reality world; at least […]
Not so smart app defaults
I loved reading Michal’s take on tools, and how so much of it tends toward the defaults offered by Apple. I’ve talked about this at length with my friend, Saadi recently, and again appreciate his desire to focus on default system apps first. My take is a little different. There’s a spectrum of following the […]
My Wanderlust
I look forward to Apple events. It’s a fun time of year for me where I can imagine how new hardware and software will improve my life in small or large ways. In some ways this feels silly to talk about, unimportant in the grand scheme of things. But I find delight in it and […]
Podcast intro sounds
I’ve been listening to a lot of podcasts over the years, and as an exercise I wanted to collect the intro sounds from some of my favorites. This is for my own purpose as I try to figure out what I want my podcasts to sound like in their intros (fractional.fm for now, and more […]
Thinking with an iPad
I use a MacBook Pro and iPad every single day for work. Both devices have become critical to what I do as a designer and creative person. Several years ago I tried to make the iPad my primary device for everything design related. It didn’t work. It forced me to make too many tradeoffs and […]
Apple’s Vision Pro may replace my desktop monitors
Over the years my digital workspace has transformed through the viewport of various screen sizes. I started my career with a 13″ CRT monitor as a teenager. At 15 I bought my own 15″ laptop. At 19 I purchased two 22″ Acer laptops and put them on a desk. I had it made. Later I […]
#2 iPad form factors
Why I use two iPads, and why I’d pick the mini if I could only have one.
Freeform is the best iPad sketching app
Freeform was the most exciting to come out of WWDC. I saw its potential immediately, and couldn’t wait to get my hands on it. I’m a software product designer, and sketch out all of my work on the iPad as a starting point before moving into Figma. Here’s an example: I work with several founders […]
Getting my first Apple Watch
I’ve been intrigued by watches my whole life. While I wouldn’t consider myself anywhere close to an actual enthusiast – I know just enough to realize I know almost nothing about the industry – I’m quite interested in watches in relation to their impact on technology as a wearable. I’ve often been curious how they […]
Figma: Designers designing
Adobe announced an intent to acquire Figma for ~$20 billion today. I’ve had mixed feelings thinking about it throughout the day, while also trying to get work done with my projects. On the one hand I’ve grown to value the tool and all that it allows me to do as a designer. My career started […]
Just around the corner
The last two weeks have been intense since I started looking for new work. I’m used to pushing myself and working hard to get things done. But there’s a certain level of pressure when I am looking for new work to cover the bills for my family, while also wanting to make sure my own […]