Tech

Trouble getting `pod install` to work in React Native

Just make sure you have Xcode installed first. That’s it. :) Also: I’m a jackass. #RTFM

Stop Skynet

Start early, start now.

Say please and thank you to ChatGPT and any other conversational AI.

Don’t be a jackass.

My working setup

Updated June, 2024

Here’s how I currently do my work, both personal and professional.

  • iPad
  • Mac
    • Terminal with Oh-my-zsh for terminal-ly good looks (and shortcuts)
    • Doom Emacs - I wrote about doom emacs for blogging
    • Roon - Can’t work without music!
    • Visual Studio - replaced TextMate and SublimeText and haven’t looked back; strange for me to say that for a Microsoft product (different than say GitHub, which was an acquisition)
    • 1Password - long-time user
    • Trello - Despite the Atlassian acquisition, this is still my go-to for just a general purpose throw it up and track it. Using the Assista bot for time tracking on tickets I drag into the Doing list - it helps a lot with billable work, but also helps me track where my play time goes.
    • yt-dlp - it’s a secret
    • CyberDuck - connect to anything for remote file access/management
    • Homebrew - I see no reason to leave this hardy package manager - it’s just worked under brutal conditions for years and years.
  • Home network
    • Fiber, it’s the only way to fly
    • Unifi network throughout house; wired (by hand, blood, dust, cobwebs, and pink spackle) and wireless
    • Pi-hole - remove all the craptasic stuff out there, network-wide
    • Tailscale - take my networks with me securely (recent addition so lots to learn)
  • SaaS
    • Cloudflare - it’s the only online service that I don’t have a fear of recommending. Yes, there might be some issues from the centralization of the decentralized web, but right now, that’s not a critical path issue.
    • Hugo - The most performant, flexible, and joyous web development platform. This site and my LLC and Synth company are built with it.

A privacy and security pledge

Update - <2022-10-18 Tue> - I just also found out about The Santa Clara Principles - it’s not exactly what I’m thinking about, but it’s interesting as a model and has input from the EFF, ACLU, and The Brennan Center for what it’s worth.

I’m thinking about building a piece of software…more than that actually. Been designing it for a while now and there are certain values I’m trying to bring to the project. Things to do with what I want and feel is right around privacy, data-ownership, security. Values that I want the software I buy and use to hold as well. It got me thinking that I’d like to sign some kind of pledge of user-goodwill on topics like these.

Let's build an iOS app

Ok. It’s time for Creatabu to launch an iOS app and we’re trying to figure out the best path considering we’re a team of two and only have one developer, yours truly, who is not familiar with Objective-C the language you use to build native iOS apps.

So…we’re in a pickle…and this isn’t the first time:

^ We’re like, really into pickles. Our 2014 Burning Man Camp – What Would You Do For A Pickle – shout out to the pickles!

My first (and only) Pebble watch face

I was looking for that sometimes watch face when you need a break - and need to be reminded.

github - the time is now - I’d really like to be able to make this for the Apple Watch line. It was the reason I bought the first Apple Watch.

A picture is worth 1000 4 words:

My personal way back machine

Here’s the oldest site that I built that I could find online. I did the graphics and HTML in 1996/97 for prout.com