Cocoa Switch
About Archive Photos Replies Also on Micro.blog
  • Don't look at this poster.
Ad on a bus stop "don't Look at this poster. Look out for thieves instead"

    Clever ad on a bus stop in London.

    → 7:19 PM, Jan 3
  • After half a year without Always On display on my watch, I now enabled it again. It happened after I reflected that I was annoyed on many occasions. But it didn’t happen instantly, it’s more like annoyance which grew until the tipping point.

    → 3:50 PM, Jan 3
  • I have tried to use Dual USB-C port to drive our 2 HomePod minis which we use as TV speakers but it doesn’t provide enough power.

    HomePod mini with Dual USB-C Apple charger, HomePod glows orange light
    → 9:46 AM, Dec 30
  • Vampire Survivors

    You should try Vampire Survivors for iOS. I only played once and I know I’m going to love it. I don’t understand why this game is free. It’s one of the most popular titles for Steam Deck, and it costs £3.99 on Steam. IAP/ads are likely going to appear once the iOS port is popular. Disabled App Store updates to save this gem. This is the first time in my life I see such a good product, free, with no ads and offline play. 🎮

    Update.

    The game has ads after all. But viewing them is optional as a price for reviewing your character. I am not sure if PC and Mac have the same mechanics, but I am not planning to press on the watch ad button.

    → 6:53 PM, Dec 28
  • Planning to enable Shared iCloud Photos Library tomorrow. The first step is to go through all the photos since I met my wife and delete bad ones.

    → 3:54 PM, Dec 27
  • New blogging strategy for 2023

    For 2023 I am changing my blogging/social media workflow with the main goal to simplify and focus. I already quit Facebook and Instagram a long time ago, and this year I am leaving Twitter as well. I own a GitHub-hosted blog powered by Jekyll, but it has some limitations. I’m also paying for Micro.blog and don’t use it as much as I could, and recently joined a separate Mastodon fediverse. Here’s what I am doing for the new year.

    Changing Micro.blog default address to micro.cocoaswitch.com

    This is done first at the domain configuration panel, by setting the CNAME record. After that, at Micro.blog “Design” tab and set a new address there. This unlocks a badge with a comment: “Your microblog uses a custom domain name. That’s the best way to own your writing.”. I agree.

    Stopping blogging at cocoaswitch.com

    I like this blog and I know that people find it helpful. I want to preserve all the posts and explain to my readers that they should subscribe to micro.cocoaswitch.com going forward.

    Redirecting my Mastodon to yurkevich@micro.cocoaswitch.com

    I appreciate Micro.blog integration with Fediverse, I have followed everyone I followed on Mastodon using Micro.blog search. Now I have a username with my domain attached to it and a single chronological timeline to read and can use a single app on my iPhone to consume the only social media channel I have. I like the lack of retweets and emphasis on replies. It’s a relief not to worry about how many people follow me, because Micro.blog doesn’t show these statistics, my profile doesn’t look like no one reads it and not discouraging visitors from subscribing.

    Setting up cocoa.productions/blog

    A place to write about apps I am working on, and only that. It would be professional and brief. The feed is crossposted to Micro.blog timeline, so you won’t miss any of that posts.

    Doubling down on Micro.blog

    It’s a relief to have a single blog to manage for both short and titled posts. I no longer need to decide between short and long posts, can start short posts and expand when needed. For the first time for my blog, people will be able to leave and read comments.

    I also finally can blog from my phone and use MarsEdit on Mac. It saves time, especially when working with links and photos. In addition, I discovered 2 excellent Micro.blog apps: Icro and Gluon which do not require a subscription, fully native and have a respectful minimalistic design, I find it more attractive than Ivory, because Ivory uses floating UI elements in a name of “clean design” which I would like to avoid, if I can.

    Micro.blog is amazing

    Do you know any other companies in which your writing can be noticed and commented on by the CEO? In a couple of months of using Micro.blog, it happened to me. Micro.blog feels so personal and small in a good way, it’s the only place I want to hang out.

    With my old blog, I wrote long posts once a month on average. With this new strategy, I feel like writing every day. You can access all of my writing through the web, subscribe via RSS, and follow me at Mastodon and Micro.blog, of course.

    → 1:38 AM, Dec 27
  • Comparing wardrobes

    We needed a wardrobe and we decided to buy it from John Lewis instead of IKEA which would be a usual choice. I have assembled IKEA’s PAX system twice. The wardrobe from John Lewis is much smaller, it took me less than 6 hours to build it. During labouring I appreciated many details, I don’t think IKEA is going to be our default choice in the future.

    assembled off-white colour wardrobe

    So what’s different?

    Everything except shelves and back panels is made from solid wood, which means better durability and fewer chances of breaking during assembling.

    The biggest difference is the back of the wardrobe.

    wardrobe in a process of assembling sliding back-panel and wooden reinforcments

    I was used to a single sheet which covers the back and attaches with nails. It caused us a gread deal of pain. Because IKEA’s main idea is that the entire structure of the wardrobe is supported by this thin sheet. The PAX broke and crashed when we tried to lift it from the floor. But the entire back is held with wooden planks. This means you can lift the wardrobe without installing the back panels, and it’s not going to fold in. There are multiple panels which you slide in like wheels into a rut. Then it is reinforced with screws instead of nails.

    The doors have extra peace of wooded square which is easier to fix if necessary. Shelves are held by metal screws instead of plastic angles. Shelves have only one configuration.

    The top of the wardrobe is not flat but instead has a square dent, if you put something on top it will poke out less and won’t slide off. Lastly, the instructions are not as clear as IKEA’s, but still understandable.

    In a way, it reminded me of the world of PC and Macs. There are fewer options available and you can’t configure everything the way you want it. But what’s more important for me, is the quality of John Lewis and that it’s harder to break. It will serve us longer and has good aesthetics.

    → 11:24 AM, Dec 26
  • Today’s goal is to assemble a John Lewis storage bed and wardrobe. Merry Christmas to everyone! 🎄

    → 1:05 PM, Dec 25
  • Finished reading: The Tommyknockers by Stephen King 📚

    A very long novel with some good parts in it. Gripping, sometimes absurd but self-aware. I like the mix of horror and science fiction. Also, was inspired to practice soldiering and repaired my son’s toy vacuum cleaner.

    → 9:39 PM, Dec 20
  • LinkEdit 1.1

    I have shipped LinkEdit 1.1 today. And there’s a blog post.

    I have created a new blog to separate personal stuff from information about apps I am building. Subscribe to Cocoa Productions blog via RSS.

    Finally, I can run Jekyll locally, either my skills have improved or the Jekyll setup became easier.

    → 9:32 PM, Dec 20
  • I watched the last 10-15 minutes of the World Cup thinking that the white-teal uniform is French. This is how much I know about sports.

    → 6:12 PM, Dec 18
  • This single story pays off for all the effort which went into iOS 16 emergency features. Amazing example how crash detection works in a tandem with satellite calling — Couple in Car Survive 300-Foot Fall Into a California Canyon - The New York Times

    → 3:52 PM, Dec 18
  • Mastodon users celebrate the fact that the platform has no ads and it’s hard to integrate ads if you want them. I hope they will figure this out, but the lack of sustainability discussion concerns me.

    → 11:03 AM, Dec 17
  • Download LinkEdit 1.1 from TestFlight testflight.apple.com/join/NLGU…

    → 7:36 PM, Dec 14
  • Why Safari’s toolbar buttons are grey and almost every extension I tried offers a button with their own custom blue colour. It looks awful and it is the reason I don’t add any third-party buttons to the toolbar.

    → 7:36 PM, Dec 14
  • Close your 🚽 before you flush. Commercial toilets emit energetic and rapidly spreading aerosol plumes - Scientific Reports

    → 9:17 PM, Dec 13
  • I am going back to the existing Micro.blog iOS app, it’s so much smoother, faster and enjoyable than Electron beta. @manton try downloading it from the App Store now over you TestFligt beta and you will know what I mean.

    → 8:52 PM, Dec 13
  • Nintendo Switch Year in Review. This year I started and finished Breath of the Wild. 🎮

    → 8:42 PM, Dec 13
  • What I like about Micro.blog is the sustainable business model. Mastodon server expenses have to be substantial. Especially when more people will start uploading photos and videos. How is this going to be funded?

    → 2:39 PM, Dec 12
  • Web devs, remove “share” social buttons form your website. There are faster and more private ways to share content, e.g. “sharrow”.

    → 2:25 PM, Dec 12
  • I added a diagram for my previous post about Micro.blog and Mastodon.

    → 9:36 AM, Dec 10
  • Doing some testing with Mastodon, and it looks like I can follow Mastodon users through Micro.blog, however, Mastodon users won’t be able to see any of the content which I post here. I am not sure I am happy with this.

    → 6:25 PM, Dec 9
  • Signed up for Mastodon. A bit confused about what server to use, currently have 2: hachyderm.io and Micro.blog.

    → 5:19 PM, Dec 9
  • LinkEdit 1.1 – all feature work has been finished, and unit tests are passing. Now testing the app manually and fixing any bugs I can find.

    → 4:18 PM, Dec 9
  • Early Christmas treat, will be using them as TV speakers.

    2 Apple HomePod boxes, sealed, under Christmas tree
    → 3:00 PM, Dec 7
← Newer Posts Page 2 of 4 Older Posts →
  • RSS
  • JSON Feed
  • Surprise me!