Author: Joshua

  • So you want to illustrate?

    A friend recently asked me for tips on illustrating. He’s writing content for a specific topic, and wants to include visuals to explain the ideas.  A few tips I suggested to him: 1. Just start sketching – If you can draw a stick figure with arrows and labels, you can use those to illustrate an…

  • Finding that thing

    Sometimes I find myself in a state of incompleteness. There’s so much to be done and not enough energy left. When life includes many important things, it seems impossible to do them all. Sometimes days feel like Hal changing a lightbulb.  Today I sat down and played with something that had been bothering me for…

  • Chocolate Smoothie

    I wrote earlier this year about my favorite smoothie recipe. Today I was chatting about smoothies and mentioned another recipe I enjoy, and was asked to share it as well. So here it is! 2-3 bananas 3 cups milk ½ cup peanut butter 14 cubes ice 2 tablespoons honey 2 scoops protein powder This will…

  • Voice memos

    I’m a huge fan of voice memos. I’ve been using them on iMessage for years to message friends. One of the recent tricks I learned is you can swipe across the voice memo. Sometimes I inadvertently end a message early and need to relisten, so imagine my joy when I found out I could swipe…

  • Finding hope and joy in creating

    An amazing video by Cabel Sasser has been floating around the internet the last week. If you’re one of the lucky 10,000 who haven’t seen it yet, my pitch is simple. If you love anything, want to create anything, and ever wonder about your purpose in this world, you may find some joy and hope…

  • The top-level domain .io may disappear

    On October 3, the British government announced that it was giving up sovereignty over a small tropical atoll in the Indian Ocean known as the Chagos Islands. The islands would be handed over to the neighboring island country of Mauritius, about 1,100 miles off the southeastern coast of Africa.  The story did not make the…

  • The Wild Robot

    A few weeks ago I picked up some new books, including The Wild Robot, book 1. Since it’s an easy read I went through a few chapters each night with the kids.  Last week we watched the new movie together as a family, and my wife and I were blown away. It’s one of the…

  • Satellite Texting

    A reminder to anyone in the path of adverse weather, if you have an iPhone 14 or later, you can upgrade to iOS 18 and text loved ones for free via Satellite. I’ve tested this with my wife on the tallest peak in Idaho and it works amazingly. You just need to give it a…

  • Upgrade AirPods to USB-C

    Those of us still rocking AirPods with Lightning ports finally have a way to upgrade them to USB-C that doesn’t require complicated modifications or the cost of completely replacing the case.  I threw this weird looking case on my list and thought about buying it. But really it’s a solution in need of a problem.…

  • Coding with AI

    Code analysis firm sees no major benefits from AI dev tool when measuring key programming metrics, though others report incremental gains from coding copilots with emphasis on code review. I’ve tried ChatGPT and its variants with development tasks. For someone who is still relatively knew at coing, I’ve found it helpful to move me further…

  • Noise Cancelled Sleep

    Sleep is tricky for me, I’m highly alert to any environmental sounds.  For over a decade I’ve used a noise maker to sleep. Before that I slept with a fan on. Nowadays I generally prop an iPad or iPhone near my pillow and turn on a white noise app. I love Dark Noise and highly recommend…

  • Canvas from ChatGPT

    We’re introducing canvas, a new interface for working with ChatGPT on writing and coding projects that go beyond simple chat. Canvas opens in a separate window, allowing you and ChatGPT to collaborate on a project. This early beta introduces a new way of working together—not just through conversation, but by creating and refining ideas side…

  • Reusing an old iPhone

    I’ve got an iPhone 14 Pro that I no longer use daily, thanks to upgrading to the iPhone 16 Pro Max.  I’ve been debating whether to sell it, or find some other use. At some point I’d like to get into video podcasting (or YouTube, as the kids call it), and have been trying to…

  • WordPress and Automattic

    I’ve heard a lot of passionate takes on the whole WordPress fiasco the last few weeks. But I think I resonate the most with Manton’s post earlier today.  Automattic offered a severance package to anyone who took it, and 8% of the company accepted.  This is indeed very generous. It’s not often you get a…

  • A good book

    Few things in life elicit the depths and joys and emotions of a good book (outside of connection with other people of course). There’s something about going on a journey with an author, following a character, living in a different world, being part of something different that evokes a sense of imagination an wonder not…

  • My iPhone 16 Pro Max Thoughts

    I don’t have a full fledged review of the iPhone 16. Many others have done a fantastic job at that. But I do want to share a few quick thoughts on how the new camera fits into my life in a very practical way.  I’ve been using the device, an iPhone 16 Pro Max in Natural…

  • Hope and life

    Hope has been something that has kept me going lately, I have learnt how true the saying is about hope that dies last. But hope needs something to catch, hope isn’t given, it has to be found. But it is difficult to search for something so ephemeral on your own. I tried, I failed, I…

  • Qualcomm Smells a Deal…

    Chip giant Qualcomm made a takeover approach to rival Intel in recent days, according to people familiar with the matter, in what would be one of the largest and most consequential deals in recent years. I don’t know what this means, but everything I’ve heard about Qualcomm suggests they’re a relentless organization focused on doing…

  • If Dieter Rams made an iPhone Dock

    Dieter Rams and his friends (Dietrich Lubs and Ludwig Littman) designed many great looking alarm clocks. This is amazing. Fatih goes through the process of designing an iPhone dock, heavily inspired by Rams, and shares the 3D model to print it yourself. I’ve never wanted a 3D printer more. 

  • I don’t want it gone for a month. Go away forever.

    Throughout this Summer I’ve been enduring the notification harassaments from Apple asking me if I’m really reallllllly certain that I do in fact want the app that I’ve used for nearly a decade to absolutely for sure function the way I want it to.  I know everyone in tech ridiculed them for this, but maybe…