Xcode Blues
Does Xcode's AI integration actually do anything useful? I keep trying the feature and consistently fail to find any value in it. Is it just me?
Curtis Jones
The State of AI Programming
I've been programming since the early 1990s on a hand-me-down Mac Plus. The AI tooling improves at breakneck speed, but the actual programming ability has leveled off, and it will lead you down the wrong path with supreme confidence. A field report from building a streaming app.
Exciting, New Apple Gadget?
Purpose-built gadgets appeal to me on some primal level: the giant Garmin over my phone, a click-wheel iPod over my computer. The rumored Apple Home Hub, an iPad mounted to the wall with a robotic swiveling base, finally resonates. I'm optimistic until proven otherwise.
The Amazon Music App is Garbage
For a company renowned for grueling algorithmic interviews, you'd expect software that doesn't block the main thread, stutter playback, or somehow play two songs at once. The Amazon Music app is impressively awful. At some point it'll be an embarrassment to have on a resume.
Culturally Messy Lunch
Fried rice on a cast-iron fajita plate, a Clearly Canadian to drink, and a flood of 1990s Colorado memories (including chugging a glass bottle at the gates of Red Rocks). Then the gut punch: 24 grams of sugar. This might be my last Clearly Canadian.
Things to Look for in a Church
A thing to look for in a church: one that emails announcements BCC instead of CC, so the older members can't reply-all just to say "okay". The alternative is teaching email etiquette to the whole congregation.
The Taste of Betrayal
Carob chips were the 1980s anti-chocolate health craze, a mother's tool for disappointment dressed up as nutrition. Some sites still insist they deserve a spot in your pantry. No. No they do not.
Mapping
Rendering a map always starts out fun and easy, and then suddenly I'm reading about the Visvalingam-Whyatt simplification algorithm. The rub: simplify each state's polygon for a better frame rate and the borders stop lining up with their neighbors.
Unlimited PTO
As a contractor with zero paid vacation, I barely took time off. Now I can watch my PTO accrue at a glance, and somehow being given a specific limit makes me feel trapped by it. Human psychology is weird.
Alice Roosevelt: Paris Hilton of the 1800s?
Alice Roosevelt's father once said, "I can either run the country or I can attend to Alice, but I cannot possibly do both." In fifteen months she attended 407 dinners, 350 balls, and 300 parties. Why do I think Paris Hilton of the 1800s? Also: defenestration. Good word.
