Felicity Reif · Posts

update on my trans journey

Wed, 08 Oct 2025 00:00:00 +0000

i try to do these long write ups to mark the milestones of my journey. i dunno, i’ve been out for about a year and a couple weeks. i guess that qualifies. woot!

going back…

originally, my morals blocked me from even thinking about the concept of being trans. i still talk to a lot of people who are stuck on that first step when it comes to me… but i’ve moved on from that. quite a bit. the morality of my decision is not even a concept in my head anymore. i’ve long accepted that what i’m doing is fine.

since that realization, i’ve been able to discover so much about the kind of woman i am… questioning less what it looks like to be or act feminine, for me. accepting i’ve always been a woman. seeing my past self as a cute little girl. accepting that the labels society gives us truly don’t matter. seeing the system for what it is. setting boundaries. discovering how powerful my body and sexuality are. feeling more cozy in myself. loving myself even when i don’t match up to my expectations, and celebrating in the joys when my body and mind feel aligned.

that last one has gotten a lot more frequent.

there are still days and moments filled with dysphoria. but usually (and definitely not always), even in that terrible mind’s eye of mine, i’m a girl. and that the dysphoria i’m feeling is maybe more in line with what it feels like to be dealing with “normal” “girl troubles.” it’s affirming in a weird way.

having Moriah around has really helped a lot… she’s been a huge support and an amazing spouse. and as she’s someone who has pcos, her and i actually have more in common in our womanhood than not. we both do electrolysis. we both shave. we both don’t always get our periods. we’re on some of the same testosterone reducers. it’s… cool.

cool that we can relate. but also cool that she has shown me that aspects of me that i would consider “clocks” or masc are… also incredibly feminine. inherent to womanhood. and the worries around that are also incredibly feminine.

my only regret in transition is not doing this sooner. i hear about de-transitioners. i’m glad they were able to figure out who they are. hear ME, too: i am so damn happy. i feel like my life has finally begun.

…and… i also feel deep fear. i am part of a group that is currently being attacked in the USA. and… that sucks. what sucks just as much is that i feel like i need to rush my transition, maybe even leading to some poor decisions, all because ANY opportunity to transition might get taken away soon.

i’ve gotta get all the surgeries i can. make sure i’m taking all my meds and figuring what else i should be on. taking measures to ensure the changes i see are “locked in” even if treatment dries up. “they can take things away but at least they can’t take implants out of me…”

it’s sad. i feel like the purpose of my transition was to no longer live in fear, and live authentically. i am now no longer afraid of me, but i’m living in another fear. someone else is yet again trying to control who i am. like, this is a journey of self discovery. of joy and sorrow. of seeing and rejoicing in the way my body is shaped more like me, day by day. it’s to be cherished and savored. and i feel like the ability to experience that is being stripped away from me.

it’s hard to live in these dualities: the unadulterated joy i feel in finally becoming me. and the profound fear i feel that all of that could be disallowed and forcefully taken from me. for my own “good” or “safety” at that…

i get it now: death before detransition. because i’d rather die as myself than wither away as someone else.

Letter to My Younger Self

Thu, 22 May 2025 00:00:00 +0000

Hey, little me.

It’s me, your older self. You might notice things probably look a little different. No, you didn’t fail anyone. You didn’t fall into sin.

You finally found yourself.

When you were 11, you acted on a burning desire to try on your sister’s clothes. “Where did that come from?” you thought. Why did that feel so… right? You were afraid, so you stuffed those feelings down. After all, you were the golden child… you had to be perfect. You had 6 little siblings looking up to you. No, you had to keep this a secret. Nobody was this broken.

And yet you struggled for years, alone. What you figured was just a bad thought ended up being a set of thoughts and feelings you couldn’t shake, no matter what you did.

When you were 8, you were on your grandma’s boat watching the water go by, praying that you could be a girl. You prayed so hard and fervently: surely God would hear you.

One day while walking into the high school auditorium, you thought to yourself, “no one knows what I’m going through. No one can know what I’m going through.” You felt so alone.

Many nights were spent begging God to at least give you lucid dreams as a woman.

You would cry yourself to sleep because you spent another college study session, alone in your room, crossdressing. You thought you were so evil.

When you proposed to your wife, you told her you had weird desires to dress in women’s clothing but you had it under control. You hoped the marriage would be so good you could just leave that part of yourself behind you.

You never told your best friend because you thought he would leave. Your friends already mocked you for seeming gay and effeminate. You couldn’t tell anyone.

Each birthday you swore would be last the year you’d succumb to this sin. Every year you’d feel like a failure as you kept stumbling.

Any time you’d try to bring these feelings up to your pastor, he would go on an angry tirade about trans people and how perverted and predatory they were. You weren’t a predator, so you listened intently, thanking god you weren’t like them.

Any time you’d ask your therapist about your feelings, he’d change the subject, and you were left wondering why you were too broken for even a therapist to fix.

For years you fought against expectations and desires and tried to find who you really were. You’d been told to be so many things. A husband. A father. A godly man. A great leader to the likes of Moses.

But… none of that really settled with you, did it?

The roles you tried to play in your relationships, in your family, in your church… none of them clicked. Something felt off. It was as if a bone was dislodged and no one gave you the tools to set it… no one even seemed to notice or care.

You denied the truth for years… even when browsing magic gender swapping smut, or being envious of those on r/TransTimelines: you kept the truth from… yourself.

Little by little though, the cracks formed, and pressure kept building… until one day your heart was shattered into millions of pieces.

There were no other options left but to accept the reality of who you had been all along, even though that meant possibly losing everyone: your family, your friends, your wife. You couldn’t lie to yourself anymore.

You took the plunge. And you found a life beyond what you ever hoped for. Moriah is still deeply in love with you. You have a whole bunch of new friends who love you. You live close to the coolest family members. And while things aren’t perfect, everything feels right. You’ve finally made it to the starting line and can focus on growing and blossoming into the girl you were meant to be.

So, to all the past ‘me’s:

the scared 11 year old who thought she fell into sin,
the lonely teenager who wished she could just be normal
the lost young adult who tried so damn hard to fix herself by diving into God and the bible,
the newlywed who was about to start the adventure of a lifetime with her companion,
the traveler leaving everything she knew to find something bigger,
the shattered heart who saw her life crumble before her very eyes;

To the person who didn’t know she was crossdressing as a man…

…and to the sad, scared, lonely little girl who never got to grow up, hiding under layers of expectations, religion, and fear:

You sweet, beautiful soul. You are so very cherished and loved. You don’t have to hide anymore. You don’t have to be afraid. You have people around you who love you– for who you are.

I’m so sorry for all those who hurt you. I’m sorry I hid you away. I’m sorry it took me so long to find you. But now you are found.

We have a lot to catch up on and I wanna help you grow up.

Be free.

Go explore.

And live.

Love,

Yours truly,

Felicity ❤️

I can't figure out my workflows

Sat, 05 Apr 2025 00:00:00 +0000

I wish I were a normal person, but alas, I'm not. Whereas my wife can happily use Apple Notes, Reminders, and... Finch????? for task and data management, I'm constantly switching between Notes, Notion, and Craft, among other things.

At least I've ruled out some apps (like Things and Obsidian) to make this thought process easier. But even still. I just can't be happy, and I want to fix that. I feel like I can either fix my feelings on all this by being content with simple setups, or by building something that is uniquely suited to my particular workflow.

That's the problem though: what is my workflow? What do I want out of the things I use to manage my life? Do I want to build something that I then have to manage?

There's at least one thing that's certain, and it makes figuring this out so much harder: I want to use my iPad as my main computing device.

Workflow 1: Programming

I'm a WordPress developer by day, and I work on dozens of sites a month.

I've tried to code from my iPad (How I Built a Remote Dev Server (to code from my iPad)), but it's a clunky experience at best. In reality, VS Code loses keyboard focus frequently, and this setup works okay for one site. Not for dozens of unique sites.

This is a workflow that I've found incredibly successful on my Mac, and not elsewhere. While I do my best to keep an ear to the ground with regards to moving this workflow to my iPad, nothing beats this toolset that's exclusive to the Mac:

LocalWP
Visual Studio Code
Alfred (with a custom workflow I made that sets the site up for local development and connects the local site to GitHub)
Raycast (hyperkey and clipboard history? YES PLEASE)
Arc
Terminal

Nothing else comes close, especially on an iPad.

Workflow 2: Blogging

You're most likely reading this post on my Craft-hosted blog, unless I've changed my mind again. Craft is nice, but I'm not too happy with its workflows.

You might be asking, why don't I use WordPress? A few reasons:

I don't want to pay for a server
I don't want to manage a WordPress install or a server
TOO much choice and customization. I once set up a Mastodon instance on my blog. Just... no.
The Gutenberg editor is finicky, and pretty bad on mobile
Moving articles from my writing app to Gutenberg is a pain, especially when media is involved
I don't want to manage media, CDNs, WAFs, indexes, plugin and theme updates...
Of course I'd have to make my own theme. Which is a lot!

Out of all those reasons, the two most important for me are cost and mobile publishing.

My ideal platform is one where I can focus on getting content out the door quick– not to boost SEO or crap out content, but because if I sit on something too long, I won't publish it. For example, I have an iPhone 14 Pro review that won't ever see the light of day.

So, why Craft? Well, in general, I love the app. It's so pretty, and its mobile UI is legitimately clever. It's writing experience has enough style and finesse to make pretty pages without diving into code. I also already pay for it! It's something both me and my wife love to use, and with the family plan it's a legitimately good deal. Add onto it that you can publish pages to a custom domain, and it fits into a lot of my criteria.

I have my problems with it:

Should I keep blog posts as individual pages? Or add them to a collection? There's pros and cons to each.
Publishing requires specifying a permalink, and when referenced on other pages of the site, it uses a completely different permalink
Limited navigation customization
A page makes me feel like I need to write something long. What if I just want to make a small blurb?

I've tried using Notion as my host, but it's too expensive for what it is (plus plan + cost per domain), and it's not nice looking. I can use Cloudflare to add code and styles! But now that's some more complexity (plus now I'm coding on my iPad). Notion has an API, which means I can use it to write articles and sync to a WordPress site! Heck, I started writing a plugin to do just that (and stopped when Matt Mullenweg went crazy). I could use Notion to make a Notion to Markdown to Jekyll to GitHub Pages workflow! But wow that could break in so many places. How should I organize my blog? In a database? There's just so many options.

Basically, Notion appears simple but can get complicated and expensive pretty fast.

I know some people use Obsidian for their blog. And I respect that! But my goodness can that be pricey and also I hate that I have to manage all the media myself.

Just because something has a "file over app" mentality or API doesn't exactly mean the data is free. There's something nice about writing and formatting posts in an app like Craft and then hitting 'publish'. Simple!

Everything I've explored seems to have a compromise in a place that's important for me. How do you blog?

Here's what publishing in Craft is like:

Workflow 3: Data management

This is complicated, because what is 'data?' In my mind, data can be anything from quick thoughts, to tables and databases. I'm not talking about files... I try to stay away from those, instead opting to put files in places that make sense (tasks, events, notes, etc). This is why Notion appeals so much to me: it's a simple editing experience that you can make as complex as needed by adding databases and bookmarks and AI blocks and forms and... the list is ever growing.

Notion's editor is fantastic. They have me hooked on block-based editing. Sharing with other people is excellent. I also love deep links into databases, pages, and blocks. The problem with Notion comes when I need to jot down a quick thought. Where do I stick it? In my Inbox Notes database? Okay, well, by the time I've waited for the iPhone app to load and I navigate to the database, my thought is gone. Maybe I should stick it in the "private" section. But now I don't have the metadata I need. I can use a Shortcut! But again, the app is clunky so I probably won't see the note later. I'll find it later with search! Oh wait, no I won't, search sucks.

Apple Notes has the opposite issue: it's super easy to get info into and out of it, and its reverse chronological and flattened list of notes works so well for me. But if I need to format my note as it gets more complex, the app starts fighting me. The Apple Notes editor is terrible. And I can't exactly share the note's link to another app without some crazy workarounds. I feel trapped when I need to start incorporating other tools into my data.

Bear is nice, and has Markdown support! But it's an additional subscription. Craft is also nice, but has the same 'complexity' and search issues Notion has. Everything is a 'document,' which feels... big and complex for simple notes. Obsidian is too slow and too customizable. The list goes on.

Ideally I'd have one app for it all, and Craft gets close (documents, daily notes, and tasks!). But even more ideally, either Notion would have a view like Apple Notes, or Apple Notes would have an editor like Notion.

With solutions like Notion having workspace-scoped AI, and with other tools (including Apple's) building towards something similar, it's important to me to have data all in one place... that way I can theoretically "chat" with my knowledge graph and gain insights or find the info I need. But no app seems to be perfect for capturing and managing data. And in practice, I haven't found things like Notion AI to actually be helpful with my disorganized dataset.

The 'solution' I have right now is using Apple Notes for quick thoughts, and Notion for 'bigger' thoughts, like projects and longer documents. But I'm not a fan. What if I have a somewhat complex thought? WHERE DOES IT GO? How will I know where to go to find it later? Do I need another app to keep an index of what thought is where? Ugh.

Apple Notes is, again, the closest thing I have to perfect. I can drop audio and PDFs and images and text blurbs into notes that are all indexable. I don't have to think about structuring my data. I can add tags. Search is pretty good! Smart Folders are kind of useful. Sharing notes with my wife is easy. Quick Notes on iPad are awesome. Spotlight integration is cool! And the promise of a contextual Siri is alluring. But that editor. That god-awful editor.

There's also the issue of when I need to act on data...

Workflow 4: Task management

Here's the problem. If I'm out and about and remember I need to do something, I need to add a task that will surface when I need it later.

The Reminders app is still the best thing for that. Between Siri and Remind Me Faster, inputting something for later is super easy. And I can see the Reminders in my calendar app, which I live by.

So, what's the issue?

When it comes to anything beyond inputting info, I feel like I fight the Reminders app in everything I do. So may things take multiple taps to accomplish. How do I sort or organize info? I dunno, there's tags and lists. Most things stay in my "inbox" list because I feel like it'll get lost otherwise.

It's impossible to link to lists or tasks outside of Reminders (what if I want to mention a list in my Apple Note? NO GO). If it weren't for the Calendar integration introduced in iOS 18, I wouldn't use the app.

How could I use Reminders when something smooth like Things 3 exists? Or when I can use Notion, alongside Tasks for Notion, and Notion Calendar, to get a similar feel? A smooth UI and API access to data are really incredible features. Todoist... exists! But no, I'm stuck with Reminders because it has the fastest way I know to input data.

Notion and Craft are especially alluring because my tasks are alongside the data they're actioning. That's ideal! Especially since there's times where I'm like, "should this be a note or a task?" Those apps basically solve that issue. But without any calendar integration, it's a hard sell as I need to see my tasks and events in the same place.

Notion + Notion Calendar gets close! But Notion Calendar has no iPad app. And if I really want to have tasks associated with data, I have to figure out my notes workflow and how to integrate the Notes and Tasks database. Or I could use the Task as my document... but what if it's part of a bigger project? ...etc etc. You see my problem.

Reminders remains the simplest solution, but I hate the app so much. If I could get a Things 3 UI in my Reminders app, that would be ideal.

Workflow 5: Video capturing and editing

I'm actually really happy with the setup I have for this.

In the past I've run two media production businesses, and used to work at a college in the Media Services department. I'm familiar with heavy-duty equipment and workflows, and I know Premiere Pro, Final Cut Pro, DaVinci Resolve, and After Effects inside and out. I know that LUTs should come last in the pipeline! I know lighting is probably the most important thing you can do for your camera. And I've worked with completely manual cameras and know how to properly expose a shot.

Basically, I know what I'm doing! That's something I rarely admit to myself.

...which is why it's funny to me that I've settled on an iPad and an iPhone for my personal editing/capturing setup. And like, I'm not ashamed by this at all.

Why would I want to spend so much time setting up a shot when I can just whip out my iPhone, open up Kino, and be done with it? I can wirelessly preview my capture on my iPad using Vlog Monitor, and then sync my clips to edit via iCloud. I open a new project in Resolve on my iPad, and begin work on editing. I can even use Stage Manager and connect my iPad to an external monitor for edits that require finesse.

I'm not worrying about storage, file management, coloring workflows, exposure, focus... it's so nice. It's so powerful. It's so modular if I need it to be.

I use a 16 Pro for my iPhone. It's the perfect camera for me. It's so tiny, and has "4" lenses in it. When compared to my Blackmagic camera, it's crazy how much it can do considering the size difference. The iPhone powerful, light, easy, and has a much more configurable setup.

In exchange for a much smaller and lighter footprint, I don't feel like I'm compromising on anything. The battery lasts longer! I can shoot in LOG, storage is included, things can be as 'automatic' as I want (focus, exposure, white balance), and the iPhone is so modular. When I need a complicated setup, a USB-C hub can connect external storage, external monitors, microphones, and power. For simpler setups I have a camera grip, and I have a dock that can track subjects. All I have to do is connect it magnetically and press 'record'. That's not to mention the different apps that transform my phone into different cameras: Kino is quick and easy, Blackmagic gives me all my manual controls, Final Cut Camera has an incredible zoom slider... the list goes on. Oh, did I mention the built in stabilization? Game changer.

So I don't have the same Depth of Field an APS-C lens has. DaVinci Resolve has depth effects I can add in. I have "four" freaking lenses in my pocket that shoot LOG, I THINK I'M OKAY.

When it comes time to edit, my footage is already on my iPad, since I've configured my apps to either store things in Apple Photos or my iCloud Files. A simple import into Resolve gives me all the power I need: full color grading, Fusion effects, and a great timeline experience. It's certainly no Final Cut (still the best cutting experience I've had), but it's not far off. I can use the Apple Pencil, my fingers, or a mouse to edit. And if I really need something my iPad doesn't offer, everything is cloud-synced to my Mac. I haven't had to reach for that yet, but it's nice it's there.

This is the one setup I have that really feels like magic to me. It's truly effortless to get great looking results using my iPhone and iPad. These tools are so modular, too. I've been streaming using my iPad and iPhone, both connected to an ATEM Mini Pro ISO using AirPlay. What a workflow! I can record on my ATEM and then edit that project in Resolve. It's so, so lovely.

The downsides are few: Stage Manager needs a lot of work, and why can't I render something in the background? Ugh. Also Resolve crashes sometimes, and cache management needs work. But otherwise, I feel no need to use anything other than my iPad and iPhone for personal video projects.

Workflow 6: Music production

I play music as a hobby and I've been getting into recording a bit more.

This one is easy: Logic Pro for iPad is simply incredible. And it supports my Focusrite. Combined with my piano's wireless Midi, it's easy for my to start recording something on my iPad. And if I want, I have that ATEM setup mentioned above, so if I want to record a cover, it's as simple as plugging in a cable and pressing "record."

Your turn!

Okay. I've ranted. I've raved. There's more to talk about... like, managing email or calendar events! AI workflows and journaling. Web browsing? Messaging? There's so much. Maybe another time.

It's time for you to chime in: what are some of your workflows? How do you manage tasks and data? Do you blog? Leave a comment!

My Transition Story (So Far)

Mon, 03 Feb 2025 00:00:00 +0000

Story

As the night took over from the day, the haunting returned. Try as I might to distract myself, to stay busy, it was still there. A feeling, a tug, to be something else.

Why did I have these feelings? Who put them there? Maybe I just needed to pray more... I'd been praying for over a decade at that point, and while no relief came, I was left with no other choice. I had already read the Bible; heck, I grew up Southern Baptist: I had read the Bible a dozen times over. No, I must not be praying enough. Or maybe I'm praying the wrong way. I hadn't heard from God about any of this, so, it must be user error, right? I shook my head to focus on my task: now was not the time to embrace my "developer" mindset.

As the feelings swelled, and my thoughts raced, I stopped typing out my college final and sat staring at the screen, paralyzed. "I wish I could talk to somebody about this," I thought. I never felt brave enough to bring this up to anyone; I mean, how would my pastor respond? My parents? Oh gosh, my friends? They already thought I was effeminate, there's no way I could confide with them. When I had brought up the feelings to my ex a few years ago, she gawked and asked if I'd get over it. "Of course I'm working on it," I told her. Any other attempts to find help yielded in angry rants. No, there was no one to tell. I was alone.

Whatever I had wrong inside of me was worse than all the other "normal" sins. While my peers were struggling with porn and premarital sex, I had... this. This inhuman thing. This sin above all sins. Or was it "sin below all sins?" I didn't know. I couldn't bring it up to anyone, not after how rebellious I had been in years past as I dipped my toes into marijuana, drinking, and living a sinful life. I wanted to get it right this time... I had little eyes watching me, and people I lead at church. I needed to be the golden boy I was always told I was. Or at least, the perfect example of a Christian everyone thought I was.

My eyes glazed over while staring at the screen. I couldn't think of anything else, much less whatever final I had to bluff. How many words? I checked the word count... Close enough. As the feelings of isolation, guilt, and shame swelled, I locked my computer and retired to my bed. Exhausted, I flopped down, clutching my chest and curling into the smallest ball I could.

Tears began to fall.

I held back gasps and weeps so as not to disturb my family, who were talking and playing in the next room over. As happy giggles and competitive shouts drifted through the closed door and into my room, the pain inside my body grew more immense. It wasn't a pain in my physical body, though the pain was very real: It was a central disconnect in my being.

As I began to disassociate and curse the world, I couldn't shake the feeling that I wanted to be a girl, and I hated myself for it. As I cried my eyes out and writhed around in pain on my bed, I fell asleep, hoping I'd be better the next morning. The morning came, but there was no relief.

I came out publicly as trans-femme in September of 2024. For the uninitiated, that means I publicly started my transition from being assigned male at birth (AMAB) to becoming a female. This is a long process, one that takes years to discover, years of therapy to understand, and years more to actually embrace.

Being trans has become an incredibly hot topic in 2025. The Trump administration has done a lot of work to erase trans or gendered terms from all of its websites, even preventing the formerly effortless process of changing gender markers on federal documents like Passports or Social Security cards. Some trans people are finding they can't get a passport at all, and therefore can't leave the country.

From the people I've talked to who support Trump and his ideals, they see the world in a binary: it is Good that the government officially only recognizes two genders, male and female. They see trans people as mentally troubled people (putting it kindly) who have some sort of sex hurt or abuse that has confused them. After all, the desire to change genders is a confusion. To these people, the Bible makes it clear: In God's design there is man, and there is woman. There is no in between, and there is no going from one to the other.

If transitioning is not the result of abuse, or confusion, or acceptance, conservatives think it's most likely the result of peer pressure. Most of the people I've talked to think I've been duped by the Liberal Machine, or infected by the Woke Mind Virus. After all, what has happened to me and many others is the result of tons of brainwashing, advertisements, and the billion-dollar Trans industry. I mean, why would someone's golden child do this? They are clearly a victim falling for a dangerous scam, meant to dehumanize, chastise, and steal from God.

This is why I think it's important to share my story. For many (I guess, all?) people who know me, my transition was a shock. It happened overnight! And it was the result of moving away from my family, not going to church, and not "filling the role" as a husband. I didn't pursue the "correct" care, and I should have talked to some good Christian leaders about what to do.

While it does look like it happened overnight (thank you, I'll take my Oscar), the feelings were there since about 8 (or 11? Who knows– I don't remember a lot of my childhood). The cracks had been forming for a while.

The tears didn't come, but they wanted to. As I felt my heart suddenly combust into a million pieces, I wanted to jump up from the table and hug the person across from me. I instead stayed seated, listening intently as she told her story. I was next to her husband and my wife, who were soaking in each and every word, each and every breath. The tone was calm, the atmosphere comfortable: she appeared like she was doing just fine. All the hurts and wounds that were made fresh to my wife and I were from another era, her past life. The people who had wronged her were a world away, and while the emotional marks remained, time had done its job to turn the wounds into scars.

I couldn't sleep that night. A new side of this person we knew and loved had opened up before our eyes, and everything my wife and I grew up believing was suddenly put into question. As the words tumbled around in my mind, my heart was coming out of its shock to realize that it was broken, hurt, and bleeding. It started to burn with another passion.

What we just heard were stories of good, wonderful people who did all the right "Christian Things," serving missions, studying the bible, listening to those in authority. They did all the right things, only to be hurt, abused, and thrown out as nothing more than a "bad testimony," "lost flame," or "false witness." Written off without a second thought by those who claimed to love them. Cast away from the flock because they dared to question.

The leaders who taught these wonderful people all about love and Jesus taught us the same things– they had made promises that this path was true, whole, and correct. But it was very clear, from the bubble that was–rather, had been–starting to feel more like a prison than a comfort, that these leaders were not just wrong. They were destructive. If they were wrong about so much, what else could they be wrong about?

Who made the rules?

It seemed like the rules were made up, and the points didn't matter. Designed to suppress, not to help as originally conveyed. A bunch of hurtful rules, used to take advantage of the weak, built upon fear, and wrapped with a "spiritual" bow and sold as Evangelicalism. If those rules didn't matter, then... what was I doing?

I had spent now close to 15 years trying to shove down my shame, to pray these feelings of wanting to be a woman away. As we returned home, Moriah and I were left hurt and broken, with burning questions and a sense of justice lost. The new year came and went, and 2023 started as a blank slate for the two of us. What was the path ahead? We didn't know, but we stepped into the unknown, our hands clasped together.

Ultimately, it was religion that kept me from seeing myself as trans for many years. When I originally started feeling that I was a woman, I didn't know what was happening. At age 11, I had an urge to steal some of my sister's clothes and try them on.

Why would an 11 year old feel this way? I grew up as the oldest of 7 kids: we were all homeschooled, went to church pretty regularly (as in, 5 of 7 days of the week), and didn't have cable. I wasn't allowed onto the internet until I was a teen (we had dialup into the mid-2000s). Whatever I was feeling I didn't "learn" or glean from pop culture. It seems like it was something deeper.

When I first tried those clothes on, complete with some hand-fashioned shape-wear, something ignited inside me. Why did this feel... good? Right? Correct? I was overcome with guilt and shame... "oh no," I thought, "I'm sinning. This is a perversion." But I couldn't stop.

As I grew up, I came to resent that these feelings wouldn't leave. I thought I had allowed Satan to hook a little "sin" into my heart and he used it to make me do more bad things. I became jealous of my peers, who dealt with the totally "normal" sin of porn. Why couldn't I be broken like that? Why was I a special kind of "fucked" up? I couldn't tell anyone, they'd think I was crazy.

I had precedence for believing this: I grew up in an era and culture where it was still bad to be "gay." Friends had already joked about how effeminate I was, and, un-prompted, I would hear pastors and other figures of authority talk about trans people as mentally troubled, perverted, sexual predators, and just overall grotesque. Many people would go on lengthy tirades regarding these "people" (at this point they seemed sub-human).

I couldn't relate with these people, I thought. Yeah, I sometimes crossdressed. But I wasn't a predator! I didn't want to hurt or abuse anybody. And I wasn't like, mentally ill or anything. So I would listen and agree. But I would stay silent about what I experienced. Everyone seemed to like me and think I was the sweetest child, and a very good Christian kid (well, after my later teen years). As I entered into leadership positions at my church, I didn't want to ruin that.

So I stayed quiet.

Until 2023, only my ex-girlfriend knew, and then my recently proposed-to girlfriend, Moriah.

I had been battling these "sins" for years. They would surface, I would engage with them, I would cope with the weirdness, I would be overcome with guilt, and I would stuff everything down until it happened again. Very binge-purgey, if you will. I told Moriah the day I proposed that I had these weird feelings (without the benefit of knowing terminology such as "cross dresser" or "transgender") just so I could be upfront. She had some things she wanted to share with me too, so we ended up bonding over our dirty little secrets. I told her I had my thing all under control, and it wouldn't be an issue.

It became a little bit of an issue.

One thing I've heard a lot of people assume about trans people is that they went down this path after a bout of depression or rejection. They tried cross dressing or drag and found acceptance from people. They wanted to keep finding this acceptance, and so they leaned even harder into this identity. This then caused them to go on hormones, get surgeries, and change their social circles: all for the ever demanding "high" of social acceptance.

I don't speak for all trans people, but I'm confident in saying the following is a shared experience: along with the majority of people I've talked to who have transitioned, I have found little to no acceptance in transitioning. It certainly wasn't the reason I pursued transitioning.

I began my transition in Utah, a famously red (and corrupt) state that has had many trans-related murders in it. Even now, living in Portland, OR, I don't experience what some might call an "echo chamber." People are nice, but I don't know how accepting they are. I'm still very lonely and isolated, and have to be careful. I've found pockets of friends, but everything is still in its infancy.

Importantly, my transition has caused many friends of mine to abandon me, not the other way around. Heck, I had a friend who helped introduce the trans-ban law into the Utah Legislature. He was offended when I started bashing the bill, claiming he worked really hard on it, even though I had come out to him months prior and he knew it would harm me. If I'm finding a new social circle, it's because many people have outright rejected who I am and don't know how to "love" me without reminding me of "the truth" that I'm a guy and God has a plan for my life.

When I first came out to Moriah, it was heartbreaking for her. After all, she had signed up for being married to a guy, not whatever this was. What would her role be? Would she still find me attractive? Moriah put in a lot of hard work, and has a beautiful story you should ask her about. Even still, we were both uncertain about what transitioning would look like for our future and our marriage.

So, I didn't do this for the acceptance. You might be thinking, can something so "trivial" like feeling kinda weird in your skin really be important enough to write off friends, family, spouses, etc in order to pursue? It's just some mild discomfort, after all. Right?

Simply... it was important enough to pursue. I didn't want to lose anyone, but I had to pursue these feelings I had begun to understand as gender dysphoria.

"...is that something that could actually happen?" I tried to find where on the form Moriah was reading. "Yeah, that's something I knew about," I replied. "Hmm. Is... it safe?" "Yeah, it's safe. They just want to warn you about anything that could happen."

As my hands moved quickly to fill out the vast number of fields on the form, my nerves started acting up as I realized this was becoming more real. "I hope that happens to me," I said, pointing at another notice. "Oh, you don't have to worry about that," Moriah responded. We both smiled.

I handed the form to the receptionist and waited for the nurse to call me in. This day was a long time coming: early in 2024, after many months of cross dressing around Moriah and having lots of conversations with her and my therapist, I couldn't take it anymore. I wanted this to be real. I wanted to go on HRT (hormone replacement therapy). I had found out recently that Utah was an "informed consent" state, meaning that, as long as I was informed about what I was getting into, I could go on HRT whenever I wanted.

"Andreeus?" "It's Andreas," I replied. "Come with me," replied the nurse. Moriah held my hand and followed me into the room; this was an important day for the two of us, and she took time off of her work to join me. After some blood tests, an explainer of what I was getting into and potential side effects from the doctor, and a scheduled followup, I received a prescription for Estrogen.

Finally. After years of feeling depressed and uncomfortable with myself, and years of fighting to accept who I was and get myself onto the right path, I was about to start hormones. No, the small teal pill wouldn't change me overnight, but it represented all the work that Moriah and I both did to get to that point. Finally, I could stop fretting over what "could be" and could start living as... me. The relief was immediate. The pain not gone, but subsided. This was good. This was right. I had finally made my first step on the path I'd be on the rest of my life. A path I had spent a lifetime finding.

As we walked out of the office, Moriah reached for my hand. I reciprocated. "You okay?" she asked. "Yeah." "A lot of those warnings you were told about– that's just, like, what women are predisposed to." "Yeah," I smiled. "It's quite euphoric."

Here's a question for you:

Men, have you ever wanted to be a girl?

Women, have you ever wanted to be a boy?

As described above, I have. Daily. Multiple times a day. Since I was 8. Many days I'd pray to wake up a girl or have those feelings taken away. I'd pray I could just morph. I'd try to have lucid dreams where I could just be a girl, even if just in my unconscious state. Maybe I could stay there... At least it would be something.

What really broke me is when my therapist said, "Andreas, most people don't think like that." "Huh?" I asked. She explained: Most people don't want to be another gender. That's not a common thing. "Oh." I stared at the floor. "I thought that was normal," I replied.

These feelings are not the result of some social coup. They're not the result of marketing. No: these feelings are an inherent disconnect in the fabric of my being. Many people claim transitioning saved their lives, and I believe them. Now with the threat of Donald Trump and co. working to take away my (and other people's) ability to transition, I feel the same thing: I'd probably rather die than de-transition. "Death before detransition" is a real phrase many people repeat and believe to their core.

Seeing myself as a woman is... I don't know. It's the equivalent of popping a bone back into its socket after it's been dislocated forever. Of stumbling into a warm room after being frozen out in the cold. Something that was so broken and so disjointed throughout life now feels in place; things are still bad, but the baseline is so much better.

All this to say: I chose this for myself, by myself. I lost a lot of friends. I almost lost my wife. I've been stared at, misgendered, been called names and ugly, told I prayed wrong and I should try again, was praised for "self deporting" so as not to ruin a nice red state... all from people I'd consider close. All in the guise of Christian love, all because I made a choice others didn't like. I didn't transition to be accepted by others: I did it so I could accept myself. Finally.

As we watched the counts roll in, the red wave looked more like a red tsunami. To us it had seemed so clear: how could a qualified candidate lose to a rapist, felon, racist, cantankerous old man who only had "concepts of a plan"? Surely the woman who had concrete plans to lower prices, make housing more affordable, and instill hope for a better tomorrow would decimate Trump. I mean, he'd have his red states: Utah, Texas, and Florida. But one after another, more and more states were called for Trump. "They haven't counted everything, why are they calling it," Moriah asked. I had to get up and walk around. The others at the bar were dismal.

As Harris resigned and the decision was made that Trump had officially won the election, I spent the entire next day at work randomly breaking down in tears. I thought we learned our lesson. I thought we knew better. Sure, my parents and Moriah's parents cast their red votes. But surely the greater American public had better sense... But no, vague promises about cheaper eggs and deporting immigrants won out.

Where was the hope? Trump wasn't a Washington outsider– as his BFFs Musk, Zuckerberg, and Bezos cozied up to him, it was so, so clear that there was no more representation of the working class in Washington. No, the United States was all for Big Business. I won't ever be able to afford a house. I won't be able to afford anything at all anymore.

Tears kept streaming down. I gasped for air as I wept. Trump's plans were so clear, though nothing had manifested yet: the promises of Project 2025 clearly outlined removing the rights of women, setting up federal agencies to bow to whatever demand Trump made, and that the very idea of transgender people would be eradicated. No representation in Congress or the Senate... the Supreme Court had been bought and paid for. There was no hope.

An image popped into my mind. I recalled this one woman at Trump's inauguration in 2016 crying viciously. I voted for Trump then– the alternative was far worse, obviously! To my 21-year-old mind, Trump wasn't a good person, but I loved that he was the outsider that blew all the crazy liberal's minds. "Ha," I thought! You thought a Clinton would just waltz into the White House. Fools, all of you!

Now, having grown and (hopefully) matured, I can't help but think of this person. To empathize with them. Y’all, she was crying, hurt, and broken!!! For this person, the world was changing for the worse. It wasn't just that this man was elected, it's that the country wanted him. Trump represented a shift in ideology, a big middle finger to the progressive freedoms the former president Obama pushed our country to embrace.

Looking at what we're about to deal with, I pondered: was it this bad back then? Was I just thriving in my cis-het white guy ivory tower? I relate to this woman so much right now. Conservatives all mocked her. Patrons of my church mocked her. My college buddies mocked her. I mocked her. But now, on the other side of this divide, I understand. I weep with her. What other injustices did I miss then? How else could I have helped? How could I have fought so that people like her would feel safe?

This, and many other examples, proved to me that what I grew up in was nothing more than a cult that taught false humility, love to only those who deserved it, and strictly portioned empathy.

There's a lot more to be said about certain childhood experiences. Times where I browsed reddit and got jealous of all the people who transitioned. Ultimately, this journey is about rejecting the fear that religion taught me.

As I worked through everything, I realized that everywhere I turned, I was afraid: Afraid of ruining my life. Of going to hell. Of what people thought! Of wasting time, losing my job, losing family, friends, my wife; of everything. I didn't want to be a bad older sibling and cause my brothers and sisters to stumble too! What if I transitioned and I was ugly? What if the transition didn't work?

Importantly, growing up I was told I had a True North in the Bible. However, when Moriah and I had that heart-shattering experience written above, I couldn't be sure anymore. I was afraid to question the Bible. I was afraid to do something wrong. But so much I was trying to do kept me from feeling, from loving. I was so concerned about what was "right" that I missed out on helping others, including my wife. I worked through a lot of that fear. Moriah and I both did. It ultimately lead to the deconstruction of our faith.

Before I continue, I want to note something important: I transitioned before I deconstructed. I transitioned before I stopped going to church. I transitioned before I stopped praying. See, I went through the Bible (waking up with Moriah every day at 5am to study it) and found many promises; importantly, promises about God never leaving nor forsaking. Promises that sin could never completely separate me from God. As I leaned into trusting this, as I leaned into my feelings, and as I understood them to be trans, I felt comfort. I didn't feel closer to God, but I didn't feel further... I felt like I better understood the warmth of his heart, and his love for the Queer community.

Probably the most important experience was believing God made me this way, and no matter what I'd do, he would love me. I may not have been persecuted like the Christians who missioned in Japan, but this clip captures the sense of relief I felt after I experienced God's love for arguably the first time as I accepted I was, indeed, trans:

There's many a day filled with mourning what could have been: what if I were born a girl? What if I could carry a child to term? God, I'd love that. What if I knew I was trans sooner, would the effects of a male puberty be lessened? Would it be less work to reverse those effects? Why do I have these feelings at all, I didn't ask for this!

But I wouldn't have it any other way.

Before my coming out, Moriah noticed how detached I was from... everything. Rolling into 2023, I was depressed. I was isolating myself, and I was hiding so much from myself and Moriah. I was doing my best to fill the role assigned to me at birth, to be a good husband and do all the right husband-y things. But as I learned more and more about trans people and about gender dysphoria (which I became officially diagnosed with) the more my heart ached.

Hours browsing on r/transtimelines, disassociating at work, going through bouts of cross dressing and repenting. It was all too much and all too depressing, but it kept happening. Clearly that was wrong. Clearly that wasn't the answer. I needed to keep praying. I needed to keep asking God to deliver me from this. I tried trusting him; I tried giving all the feelings to him. It was clear to me, I didn't want these feelings. I still feel this way sometimes.

But working through all of that has helped secure me in who I am. It's helped Moriah, too, I think? We've talked a lot about what gender is, the roles we've been assigned, and what being a sapphic couple would entail. What would her family think? Mine? I don't know. But I think we both know ourselves better. At least, we're trying.

Starting HRT in May 2024 was life changing. It was the first time I felt like I could actually do something about this dysphoria I had battled for so long. In a lot of ways, it was dangerous! If I could actually change things about myself, what else could I change? Therapy has been good for tempering my expectations.

As I started noticing changes in my body while on HRT, I had a harder and harder time "boymoding". My body was finally changing in the ways it should have changed during puberty. As I stopped being afraid of the changes and embraced them, I internalized that, yes, I am a woman. Once that "clicked," I couldn't pretend to be a boy anymore. It was time to come out, and I needed to do it now. So, in September of 2024, after nearly 2 years of exploring these feelings, I came out to my friends, family, colleagues, and everybody in between.

Ultimately, not too much was different. My name was (and is) the same, and I'm still me. I just changed up my "look" a little bit, and was more honest about my identity. I was finally free. Still stuck in Utah, but finally free.

2025 and beyond is going to be, and already has been, a difficult time for all people. Like, truly everyone. But especially women, immigrants, and trans people. Already, the Trump Administration has filed many an executive order banning terms such as "transgender," and is expelling trans people from the military not on science, but on vibes. A lot of this is eerily similar to the beginning of Nazi Germany.

Is this fear mongering? No, it is not. Trump is doing everything he said he would do. So, if you know a trans person, please remember:

Those coming to you speaking fears and anxiety are not "projecting" future anxieties (something someone actually said to me). They are afraid now because of things that are happening now.

Importantly: if you're someone who believes in God and thinks you need to speak truth to someone, unsolicited feedback or calls to share a Bible verse or personal testimony will only hurt and dehumanize any (if existent) relationship you might have. I have received many calls and texts from "concerned people" who wanted to remind me of Truth or "tell me a story," all of which were people who didn't take the time to get to know my story before imposing their own onto me. So please, do as Jesus would: sure, yeah, share truth. But first work to gain an audience. Don't take your relationship for granted.

Also, you're totally not going to convert anyone. Every trans person has wrestled with their decision for ages. But that's the beauty of it: you can develop a wonderful, vibrant relationship with a trans person based on love and care, instead of concern for their soul. Sure, go ahead and be concerned about their soul for the after life. But also, their current, lived, life is incredibly hard. Speak to and meet those needs first.

Trans people exist. They haven't been duped. They didn't make this decision easily. They've been mocked and abandoned. Their current government is actively out to make their lives worse. What do trans people, what do I, need more than anything right now? Good people who show real love, love that casts out fear and builds encouragement. Be trustworthy. Be a shoulder to lean on. Be a good person.

Thanks for reading, you are invited to join me on this journey. 🩵

Q&A (Last updated: 2025-02-02 )

I’ve gotten a lot of interesting questions about my transition. Some of these could probably be Googled, but I figured I’d add my own personal twist to them. If you have any questions, feel free to ask me here.

Why not go on testosterone?

This one surprised me, because going on testosterone never seemed like a solution to me. I had wondered if my hormone levels were low (they’re not), but getting pumped full of hormones to make me look less like I wanted never even crossed my mind.

I think this speaks to a misconception that experiencing gender dysphoria (those trans feelings) is a result of unbalanced hormones.

Here’s how I see it: Going on estrogen doesn’t make me trans. However, it helps my outward body better match what inner view of myself I have. Hormones do not affect how I feel about myself (e.g. going on testosterone would not remove these feelings and desires), but they help with how I perceive my physical form.

I’ve long felt the absence of traditional feminine features. Going on estrogen helps fill in the gaps. This is different for everyone, of course.

Are you getting any surgeries?

This is a very personal question I won’t be answering at this time, but wanted to include it here for a reason:

When I was still closeted, even to myself, the term “transition” always seemed to be related to some sort of bottom surgery. When I transitioned, I had people concerned I was going to do the same thing.

To be trans, no surgeries are needed. Some folks get surgeries, while others don’t. Both groups of folks are just as equally valid in their transition and gender identity.

What do you think about trans women entering women’s sports?

I think this is a tough one? But I don’t know, and I’m not educated enough. All I know is that, from research, and from personal experience, going on hormone therapy weakens and reshapes the muscles to act more cis-feminine.

Claims about trans women dominating women’s sports are exaggerated, and most trans women are unable to meet their competition stats pre-transition. Most don’t even come in first place. Or second.

This plays into a narrative of trans people being predators, one that simply isn't true.

Trans people just want to have fun. Please let them. Lady Ballers is not an accurate portrayal of anything.

But I love you, and out of love I don’t want to lie to you by enforcing your incorrect pronouns!

This is something I’ve heard a lot in the Evangelical space. The idea being, truth and love coincide, with the “truth” being defined by a set of cultural expectations wrapped in biblical lingo. Therefore, if I’m presenting as a trans woman with she/her pronouns, it wouldn’t be “loving” of these people to “lie” to me and use those pronouns. That would be affirming my sin! Out of “love” they would refer to me as he/him.

In reality, love follows a relationship, and once in a relationship, a council/audience is earned and only in that safe space can difficult and deep conversations happen. If there is real love involved, it wouldn’t get hung up on pronouns. This is hate and control disguised as love.

All that to say: sure, you can do that, but such an action is not received as love and I will be sure not to interact with you. Be a jerk at your own risk.

How do you justify your actions when the Bible says…

I’m lumping all statements like this together as I’ve heard it all before. Heck, I was the person who taught it all and made sure to remind my “lost” friends what the “truth” was. (I'm sorry to those people)

American Evangelicals have an understanding of Christianity based in “Christian tradition,” but that tradition is rooted in society. Would you believe that gender wasn’t the same in Bible time? That the Church Fathers used to place women in charge of things they wouldn’t allow today? That abortion wasn’t even in the SBC platform until the 1980s? So much for "unchanging values."

The Bible might say something, but we’ve interpreted it through our modern cultural lens. Also, I think focusing so much on following “the rules” completely disregards the entire reason why Jesus came to deliver good news (hint: it wasn’t to list all the ways in which to follow the law).

I've come to justify my actions as a pursuit of the Fruits of the Spirit. Do my actions bear those fruits? Does how I treat others sow those seeds? If not, then I should take a look at what I'm doing. If I'm being honest, you should take a look at what you're doing.

Most who claim Christ and Bible something something do not have good fruits to show for their efforts. Instead of realizing this as a failure on their part, they claim "persecution" and move on.

Isn't this just a way to heal abuse or a sex hurt?

Nope.

Transitioning isn't the same as addiction. Where there is a similarity between cause and effect, such as sexual abuse leading to porn addiction, this is usually seen by therapists as a coping mechanism.

The equivalent for me (I won't even loop any other trans person into this) is that I was "addicted" to cross dressing, specifically as a result of gender dysphoria. As my body did not align with what my mind expected, I "self-soothed" in order to ease the pain.

This is treated with HRT, and now I feel a lot better.

Are there trans people who suffer from abuse? Absolutely. I don't believe this leads them to deciding they're trans. That is usually there already.

Please go see a therapist, all of you.

How does Moriah feel about all this?

If you know Moriah, please stop asking me and ask her!

Resources

As a bonus, here's some resources, including something Moriah wrote:

https://www.riahscuppa.com/b/F6D0DC17-D861-403A-8F08-755907B4276E/Please

4th year anniversary

Fri, 13 Sep 2024 00:00:00 +0000

I made another video for my wife this year. It’s been a lot, it’s been good. There’s a lot that’s happened, and a lot to come.

Shot on iPhone, edited on iPad.

Little-known iOS apps

Mon, 13 May 2024 03:39:00 +0000

There are many listicles and YouTube videos about “iOS or iPad apps you’ve never heard of!” But they’re usually all semi-popular apps that, if you’re really into this stuff (like I am), you’ve definitely heard about before. Apps like Drafts, Craft, Notion, SetApp, Unite, etc.

There’s certainly a time and place for these lists, and for people just diving into “using their iPad to its fullest,” an Instagram Explore-page full of Notion dashboards to build is a good thing! In fact, I’ll probably make a list of cool apps that are more popular and that I enjoy.

However, the list I want to make is one that dives a little deeper: a list of apps almost no-one talks about, serve a specific purpose, allow your device to do a little more than it was designed to, or are just plain cool.

Nautomate

Platforms: iOS, iPadOS, macOS

Price: $11.99/year, $1.49/month

Author Homepage

Download from the App Store

Nautomate is an app built by the late Alex Hay and is currently maintained by Rosemary Orchard. It’s a single-purpose, highly functional app that allows you to build Shortcuts that integrate into Notion. Once you give the app a Notion API key, there’s not much in the way of settings. The real magic is when you use this app with Apple Shortcuts.

Nautomate gives Shortcuts access to all sorts of actions for Notion: From simple actions like “Create Page” to complex sequences searching databases and updating page properties, this app is a Shortcut-native abstraction layer for Notion that takes all the weird complications out of learning the Notion API.

Personally, I use this app for simple Shortcuts that force Notion to run an automation every day, to more complicated Shortcuts that make and append content to a Daily Note from my phone or Watch. I have a lot left to explore in this space, but I love how easy this app makes it for me to tinker around with my Notion setup. I can work on Shortcuts without having to remember the specific Notion REST API schema or run Cloudflare Workers. The app’s built-in Shortcuts and Tutorials are also a plus.

ReminderCal

Platforms: iOS, iPadOS, macOS, visionOS

Price: $3.99/lifetime (currently 40% off)

Author Homepage

Download from the App Store

ReminderCal is a utility that syncs your Apple Reminders to an iCloud or Outlook calendar, and… that’s it! Once set up, you can see your Reminders with dates on your Calendar inline with your other events.

After a single purchase (there’s no subscription), ReminderCal creates a new calendar, named “Reminders,” in your iCloud or Outlook account (sorry, Google Calendar users). From there, it copies your dated reminders over. There are some additional settings and variables you can set to determine what gets synced over to the calendar.

ReminderCal does not support two-way sync (e.g., you cannot change an event’s info in the Calendar app and have it sync back to Reminders), so you still have to make all your changes in the Reminders app. Be warned: this app functions by erasing everything in the Reminders calendar and rebuilding the event list whenever it syncs; this means anything you add to that calendar will be removed.

The app just released its version 4 upgrade, bringing along with it a few new features. One of them is background updating, if you run it on a Mac. For those of you living that iPhone lifestyle, the app provides a guide on how you can create a Shortcut to sync your tasks when you open or close the Reminders app.

I’ve long wished that Apple Reminders would sync with Apple Calendar. Until this app, the only way to see your Apple Reminders in your calendar was to use a third-party app like Fantastical, which is too expensive for my taste. ReminderCal does a good job at scratching this itch.

While I still use Things more than Reminders, my wife and I share a few lists for chores and trips. Being able to see the tasks in those lists next to my calendar events helps me visually process how my time is allotted.

infiniteX2P

Platforms: iOS, iPadOS

Price: $17.99/lifetime, $9.99/year, $0.99/month

Author Homepage

Download from the App Store

infiniteX2P is an app that allows for true window multitasking on both the iPad and iPhone. It’s basically a window management UI wrapper for Safari, complete with a taskbar, web app store, gestures, snap, wallpaper, file management… in many ways, it’s what iPad multitasking should look like by default.

The free version allows you to use the app on your iPad, but the Studio version goes further in working with an iPad’s extended monitor or even an iPhone with an external monitor.

The app lacks proper integration with the Files app (meaning any files you have inside the app can’t be accessed or synced outside the app), and doesn’t sync settings across devices, or have keyboard shortcuts for window management. But it’s an incredible app for what it is!

I haven’t used it on my iPhone (it’s not USB-C, so finding peripherals is a bit of a chore), but I use it on my iPad. This app doesn’t do too much outside of running your favorite web apps with proper window management. Which… is perfect.

For me, it has a simple, yet powerful use case: I can run multiple instances of Notion at once. Yeah yeah yeah, I could create a new web app for Notion on my iPad and run it alongside the native app. It’s a lot of work and quite the hassle.

With infiniteX2P, I can open Notion, and if I want another Notion window, tap and hold on the taskbar icon and tap “New Window.” From there, I can drag the app windows to either side of the screen, and they’ll automatically snap to half the width of the screen.

You don’t have to use Stage Manager to window apps, and you can have more than 4 windows open at once. Another great feature? Switching away from a window doesn’t cause the iPad to suspend it in the background and end its process, causing the app to reload when you switch back to it.

Cleft

Platforms: iOS, iPadOS, macOS

Price: Free (for now)

Author Homepage

Download from TestFlight

Cleft is a simple app that kind of does what Voice Memos should do: it records your voice, transcribes it, and uses GPT to turn the transcription into an organized set of notes. This is such a simple, yet powerful, idea that it’s baffling no one has done it yet.

The app is pretty simple so far, so you miss out on options like being able to tell it how you want it to organize your transcription. At some point, it will also let you bring your own OpenAI key, but for now, it goes through its own OpenAI account.

I found this app from the Side Projects sub-reddit, and gave it a whirl. The next weekend, I noticed that The Verge had picked it up in its Installer newsletter!

This app hasn’t gotten a lot of use from me, but that’s okay: when I do use it, it’s awesome. It’s a lot simpler than a Shortcut I built to do something remarkably similar. Actually, exactly similar. I built the Shortcut to act as a Share target for Voice Memos, at which point it would use Whisper to transcribe the memo and then use GPT and a prompt of your choosing to organize the thoughts.

It’s been great for journaling (something about verbalizing thoughts can be powerful), but terrible to maintain (thanks to some well documented issues with the Shortcuts app). It got the “wife uses it and loves it” seal of approval, which is super fulfilling.

But for those of you who don’t want to build a Shortcut, give this app a try! I’m excited to see how the developer matures it. The app’s roadmap looks incredibly promising.

AirChord 2

Platforms: iOS, iPadOS

Price: Free ($1 or $10 tip available in-app)

Author Homepage

Download from the App Store

AirChord 2 is an app that lets you send your microphone (or other audio input) to your AirPlay compatible speakers. That’s it! Version 2 of the app utilizes AirPlay 2, allowing you to send the stream to multiple speakers at the same time.

The app advertises its use as a way to pump your Vinyl sound system (or other analog system) over the air. However, I’ve used this for sending a CD player’s audio to my HomePods. More generally, I like the idea of being able to send other audio sources to my HomePods, but only because there’s no other way to play audio on those devices (it’s just apps and AirPlay).

It’s a good tool to have in the arsenal, and I’m not aware of any other app that does something similar (without a complex setup using Airfoil and a desktop computer). Now that I’m thinking of ideas, this could be a way to have Alexa devices play to HomePods…

Aiko

Platforms: iOS, iPadOS, macOS, visionOS

Price: Free!

Author Homepage

Download from the App Store

Aiko is an app that can transcribe media files into text, on-device, using Whisper. That means it’s a bit slower than other cloud-based apps, but it’s a powerful app that works offline and integrates into Apple Shortcuts.

I don’t typically use this app in my Shortcuts, since it needs to run in the foreground on every platform but macOS. On my computer, I use it to transcribe my Voice Memos or some videos by dragging them into the app’s window. When it’s finished transcribing, I then copy that transcription elsewhere. It’s amazing, it’s free, it’s a no-brainer. You should also check out Sindre’s other incredible apps (I’m a big fan of Dato).

Runestone

Platforms: iOS, iPadOS, visionOS

Price: Free, $9.99/lifetime

Author Homepage

Download from the App Store

Runestone is a text and code editor aimed at developers. It opens plaintext files and displays them with syntax highlighting, themes, and a formatting bar. In general, it just gets out of the way to let you edit. It integrates directly into the Files app, so you can use it with other apps like Working Copy or ShellFish.

It’s fast, performant, customizable, context-aware (it knows the difference between SCSS and Markdown), and did I mention fast? It’s one of those apps that should have been pre-installed on iPadOS.

Personally, this is an app I use when developing Shortcuts that utilize JSON files, or when developing a website locally. It’s a light, beautiful app and I would use it for everything all the time if I could. The only thing I would add is tabs. It supports multiple instances of the app (e.g. multiple windows), but I’d love an interface similar to VSCode where I have my list of files on the left, and a tabbed UI of my working files on the right.

I’ve tried to set the app as the “default” for my .scss and .js files, and create a workspace where I have the Files app docked on the left and Runestone on the right. But iPadOS doesn’t let you explicitly set file defaults, and the hack I found ( 1 ) doesn’t stick.

Infuse

Platforms: iOS, iPadOS, macOS, tvOS

Price: Free, $99.99/lifetime, $9.99/year, $1.99/month

Author Homepage

Download from the App Store

Infuse is a media player that advertises itself as a VLC-type: you can play anything in it. It also acts as a way to manage, organize, and consolidate your media libraries: and that means integrating with Plex, but also your folders in OneDrive, Google Drive, your server, in-app storage, basically anything. It has a lot of features to make it one of the best media players on the market. And with iCloud Sync, you can keep your collection looking pretty on your iPhone, iPad, and very capable tvOS app.

Personally, I’ve moved away from my Plex server to using this app to read my collection from Google Drive. It’s perfect for me because a) my collection is small, b) I would rather not manage another piece of software, and c) now all my devices can just stream from the cloud. Plex once had a similar feature, and it sucked when they took it away.

Bluetooth+ for Blackmagic

Platforms: iOS, iPadOS

Price: Free, $9.99/lifetime

Author Homepage

Download from the App Store

An incredibly niche solution, this app is a utility that can control one or more Blackmagic cameras (at the same time!). This app can basically control every aspect of the camera, from focus, to white balance, to record state, active card… the list goes on. It also provides a way to use the Nucleus-M to control the camera lens’ focus over bluetooth, no motors required. It’s truly remarkable. It’s way better than Blackmagic’s own app.

I’ve used this app for many years now; from controlling my camera when I’m using it as a webcam, to triggering 6+ cameras to start recording in unison while recording live events (which kept the cameras pretty closely in sync!).

My favorite use was when I loaded Bluetooth+ onto an iPad and used it in Stage Manager alongside the Ronin app to remotely control my rig to act as an auto-follow camera with focus control. Basically, I set the camera to track a presenter, and since Blackmagic doesn’t support continuous auto focus, I used Bluetooth+ to manage focus pulling. All from my iPad, complete with wireless live feed.

Figurative

Platforms: iPadOS, visionOS

Price: Free

Author Homepage

Download from the App Store

Figurative is a way to use the Figma app on your iPad (or, apparently, your Vision Pro). While you can certainly use the official Figma app, it’s only a viewer and can’t edit. While you can use Figma in Safari, it’s not optimized for devices without a keyboard. Figurative is a tabbed website wrapper that adds a few extra goodies to make Figma work better on the iPad: support for Apple Pencil, tap to undo, and Touch Shortcuts, a menu that provides you with access to actions such as Group, Frame, Duplicate, and Delete with a single tap.

It’s until you start working in Figma without a keyboard that you realize constantly going to Edit → Undo is exhausting. The Figurative app has its bugs (and apparently Apple isn’t going to allow updates until the developer gets the “okay” from Figma), but it’s a much more useable experience than the official client. I’ve used it to make designs for my website (though nothing too drastic), and try as I might to move to things like Affinity Designer (an app with its own set of bugs), there’s nothing quite as fast or easy as Figma.

There you have it! Some cool apps that are lesser known. Do you have any lesser-known apps you use? Leave them in the comments!

The hack: It’s not easy to find on the internet, but this forum post sums it up nicely: share a file to the app you want it to open in. From then on, the iPad should open that file, or type of file, in the app you chose. Except, this never worked for me, for a type of file or even for a specific file. ↩︎

WordPress 6.5 Block Bindings

Sun, 03 Mar 2024 22:45:00 +0000

For this post I decided to make a video that goes into how to use the Block Bindings API coming out in WordPress 6.5. The most important feature? It works with the Advanced Custom Fields plugin*, which was incredibly helpful when building out the new SiteCare site.

Native blocks powered by custom fields, babyyyyyy!

* the big asterisk being, ACF’s image field does not work with the API. That’s because it passes an Image ID to WordPress (not matter how you set the field’s output), whereas the only relevant options the Image block accepts are URL. I believe this is because it’s a static block, so it can’t go out and dynamically find what ID is tied to an image. I’m not sure, though.

Still, it’s exciting stuff! Especially since it works within the Query block. Here’s all you have to do to connect a Paragraph’s content attribute to an ACF field inside the WordPress Code Editor:

<!-- wp:paragraph {
	"metadata":{
		"bindings":{
			"content":{
				"source":"core/post-meta",
				"args":{
					"key":"mu_acf_key"
				}
			}
		}
	}
} -->
<p></p>
<!-- /wp:paragraph -->

Super simple. I don’t believe you have to enable the REST API in your ACF field group either.

You can check out this awesome blog post that goes into depth on how to use the new APIs. There’s also a GitHub issue surrounding the new APIs you should check out.

What I tried: Feb 24, 2024

Sun, 25 Feb 2024 18:40:00 +0000

There are so many drafts I have for blog posts, but enough time usually elapses before I publish them (due to interest, tweaking, or forgetfulness) that sometimes the “point” is lost to time.

For example, I started writing a blog post about how Notion Calendar has made my task management workflow better, noting that, because I can now see events and multiple databases in one view, I could break away from the traditional Notion “best practice” of having only one database for all my tasks. I also surmised that this marked a shift in Notion’s implementation, where it might start doing a better job at aggregating content for you.

This past week, Notion released their new “Home” feature, which shows all your tasks in one view. Similar to Notion Calendar, except this database aggregates content from multiple other databases. It’s a great feature, and speaks to Notion’s understanding that, hey! You probably shouldn’t, or even cannot, have all your tasks (across databases, teams, projects) in one database. It makes more sense to separate them out.

I might still publish that blog post, but there’s many examples of stuff like that where, if I wait long enough, things change so rapidly that what I said doesn’t matter.

Because of that, I want to lean into my constant tinkering (and ADHD) and start writing blog posts about the weird stuff I explored or tinkered with during the week. It’s more timely and doesn’t require polish, especially since a lot of ideas are half explored.

With that in mind, this past week I set out to make an Apple Shortcut to the new Home view in Notion (since you can’t get to it through a home screen widget), when I noticed something: Notion had added two new actions to its Apple Shortcuts integration.

https://www.threads.net/@andreasjr/post/C3vbAJvPE71/

Where previously, the extent of Notion’s Shortcut support maxed out at “open a page,” they now have two new options: Create a database page, and Open Notion AI.

Man, what could I do with that Open Notion AI shortcut? I don’t even know what to do with Notion AI in general; I would love to use Notion AI more, but I’m not sure I have a good use-case for it. I really like the idea of my workspace becoming an information system that can be conversed with using Notion Q&A.

In practice, I’ve had little luck with Notion Q&A. Asking it to find any common threads in my Lectio Divina database yielded it replying “sorry, I didn’t find anything.” Asking it for more general (ChatGPT-esque) queries also shows an “I’m sorry” message:

Which, I get it! Q&A is designed to return information from my workspace, not from the internet. But here’s why I’m disappointed by this limitation: in order to use Notion AI (and therefore Notion Q&A) in my workspace, I’d have to pay for me and my wife, which comes to about $20/month. ChatGPT also offers a “plus” version for $20/month, and so does Copilot, and so does Gemini… it’s basically the industry price right now.

I haven’t tested Copilot Pro or whatever “pro” version of Gemini it’s called now, but from what I’ve heard, each solution’s Enterprise versions can search your entire tenant (email, files, notes) and compile information based off of what’s in it (Microsoft’s version of this is $30/month, in addition to your M365 subscription, FWIW). Heck, Gemini Free does that with your Gmail. If I’m going to spend similar money on Notion AI, while I don’t need it to have all those “integrations,” I’d at least like it to have the basics offered by free Copilot and Gemini: the ability to create images, answer historical questions, have access to plugins, search the internet, etc.

That was a tangent. I’m very happy to see these actions in Shortcuts. It looks like the AI one might still be under development, as I couldn't get it to work:

However, I’ve already used Notion’s “Create a database page” to make a “Quick Add” notes shortcut. I was hoping this would also be enough to get me off of the Nautomate app (which is lovely! But another thing to pay for), but it’s not: Nautomate does so much more.

For example, I have a few Notion Automations for things like automatically updating the date of old tasks to “today,” so overdue tasks are always shown on my calendar. The problem with these automations is that they only run based on a trigger, such as “when a property is changed.” There is no “run this at a time” trigger– so, if I forget to update a property on a task, the automation doesn't run. There will be days where I’m missing tasks that haven’t been moved from earlier in the week, and I'll only see them show up if I remember to modify something. That’s… a big problem.

My hacky solution? I use Shortcuts to run an automation every morning (at like 12am) that updates one dummy task’s property via Nautomate– which then updates the rest of the tasks. Sweet!

Okay, there’s a lot more I messed with, especially with the WordPress 6.5 beta, but I'll share some of those findings next week. I’ll leave you with another Notion “finally,” the ability to rearrange tabs in its desktop app:

https://x.com/typeoneerror/status/1761275632749580565?s=20

I made a Journal template for Notion

Wed, 21 Feb 2024 13:59:00 +0000

While I’m still on the lookout for the best note taking app, every time I try a new app, I always return to Notion if I find I’m not satisfied with it. This happened before when I still used Evernote– I kept trying to move away from Evernote but it wasn’t worth it (until, you know, Evernote tanked their app). I think I keep coming back to Notion because it gives me a lot to experiment with, and there are a near endless combination of ways to put blocks together to make something cool.

One night last week I pondered to myself, “can I replicate DayOne functionality in Notion?” So I spent an hour tinkering, which resulted in my Simple Journal Notion template. This is the first Notion template published on the Notion Template Gallery, which is pretty neat!

https://www.notion.so/templates/simple-personal-journal

This template is cool because it is simple: and that’s key when it comes to journaling. I tried to make the UI as unobtrusive as possible, and easy to navigate on mobile. The template is also neat because it has an “on this day” and “on this date” feature. Meaning, it will surface entries of yours from dates past (for example, if today is February 21, it will show posts from February 21 in years past), or days past (today’s a Wednesday? It will show all posts made on a Wednesday).

I’ve already modified my own personal template to include something called “Journeys.” These are entries that are all in one document, which helps give a nice timeline of events without the hassle of opening up multiple entries.

Another modification I want to add: AI generated entry summaries. Maybe I’ll add that when I sign up for Notion AI, someday. I’m also curious and want to see how Notion Q&A will work with this; frankly, that’s the primary reason I’m (currently) using Notion to journal.

Anyway, go check out the template and make it your own! Let me know your thoughts, and any ideas for improvements, in the comments.

Integrate ACF blocks with Gutenberg styles

Wed, 31 Jan 2024 04:23:00 +0000

It’s been a while since I’ve had the opportunity to build ACF blocks (I took a break to learn how to build blocks with React), but I got to make some in a recent project I worked on. I was pleasantly surprised at how much easier it was to use ACF blocks, especially with the advent of ACF integrating with block.json. However, I still assumed that the integration with WordPress’ growing list of block supports was lacking. Turns out, not so much.

Previously, if I wanted my block to support padding, margin, colors, or anything else Gutenberg supported natively, I had to check and generate those styles myself. Maybe I just never knew about this. Yeah, it’s silly I didn’t know this sooner. But! While researching this article and trying to back-track how I figured out how to do this, my resolve was strengthened: WordPress’ documentation is so horribly disorganized and all over the place, it’s challenging to put pieces of an idea together.

Hopefully, having all their different articles linked in one place will be helpful to someone. Here’s the quick and easy way I found to have ACF support basically all styles Gutenberg generates for it. This includes padding, margin, colors, fonts, classes, and anchors.

Stick this in your ACF block’s PHP file (probably render.php):

<?php
    $block_atts    = get_block_wrapper_attributes();
?>
<?= !$is_preview ? '<div '. $block_atts . '>' : '' ?>

    <InnerBlocks />

<?= !$is_preview ? '</div>' : '' ?>

What would you know, it’s simple as that. And based on how WordPress handles dynamic blocks, too. (After I wrote this, I found that ACF had the same solution on their website)

As a bonus, you can add your own classes, styles, and other attributes to the block wrapper (similar to what you can do in React):

<?php
    $block_atts    = get_block_wrapper_attributes(array(
        'class'     => 'custom-class-name',
        'aria-label'=> __( 'Label' ),
        'style'     => 'background-color: red;'
    ));
?>
<?= !$is_preview ? '<div '. $block_atts . '>' : '' ?>

    <InnerBlocks />

<?= !$is_preview ? '</div>' : '' ?>

As ACF’s website explains, I’m including the $is_preview variable (one of a few PHP variables that are available in the ACF block render callback) to determine if I should render the outer tag in the Editor. This is because, inside the Editor, Gutenberg already provides the block’s wrapping element with its generated styles. If you render the block attributes twice, you’ll get twice the padding, margin, and styles.

As a bonus, here are some additional block supports I typically use in my block.json. These aren’t listed publicly, since they’re experimental, but they’re definitely helpful:

{
    "$schema": "https://schemas.wp.org/trunk/block.json",
    "apiVersion": 3,
    "name": "package/block-name",
    "version": "0.1.0",
    "title": "Block Title",
    "category": "widgets",
    "icon": "smiley",
    "description": "Example block scaffolded with Create Block tool.",
    "example": {},
    "acf": {
        "mode": "preview",
        "renderTemplate": "render.php"
    },
    "supports": {
        "html": false,
        "className": true,
        "color": {
            "text": true,
            "background": true,
            "link": true
        },
        "layout": true,
        "alignWide": true,
        "typography": {
            "fontSize": true,
            "lineHeight": true,
            "__experimentalFontWeight": true,
            "__experimentalFontFamily": true,
            "__experimentalTextTransform": true
        },
        "spacing": {
            "margin": true,
            "padding": true,
            "blockSpacing": true
        },
        "__experimentalBorder": {
            "color": true,
            "radius": true,
            "style": true,
            "width": true
        }
    },
    "textdomain": "",
    "editorScript": "file:./index.js",
    "style": "file:./style-index.css"
}

Resources

WordPress: Block wrapper attributes

WordPress: List of block supports (non-experimental)

ACF: Block Wrapper attributes

ACF: Block Variables

Some of my favorite things in iOS 17

Thu, 25 Jan 2024 05:02:00 +0000

There are plenty of articles about what is new in iOS 17 and macOS 14, but I want to do something different. Here, I’ll go over some of my favorite features that have made a tangible difference in how I use my devices on a day-to-day basis.

System

Adding Journaling Suggestions to a post in Day One

Journaling Suggestions (in Day One)

No, not the new Journal app— as nice as it is, it lacks some significant features, such as search or an iPad app. No, the true star of the show here is the Journaling Suggestions API that lets apps like Diarly and Day One (my preferred app) use the headline feature of the Journal app: the ability to create entries based on activities your phone tracks.

Saying “Siri” instead of Hey Siri

One item in a long line of many smaller improvements, being able to say “Siri” instead of “Hey Siri” has been great. I enabled this on our HomePods as soon as it was available. I haven’t found that it accidentally activates (at least, not more than normal, which is already not that much), and it’s just delightful. In an age where other assistants are degrading their experiences, actually useful new features like this are appreciated.

StandBy looks great on this stand.

StandBy

This is just fun and makes my phone more useful! I have a MagSafe charging stand from Anker, and StandBy turns my phone into a smart-display showcasing notifications, photos, and calendar events. It makes me wish I could run this software on something like a Nest Hub.

Autocorrect, Grammar, and Dictation

Apple’s new autocorrection engine is good now. Great, even. Powered by a transformer model (the “t” in GPT), this engine is good enough to know context, and good enough to actually spell and even suggest swear words(!). It’s great, and I’ve found it’s far more helpful than it is a nuisance. The only glitch I’ve run into is that some apps don’t really support text completion (Ulysses and DayOne have problems), or words will autocomplete to a sentence when I hit “space” to start writing a new word.

Communication

What else are we gonna do in an airport?

Video chat reactions

It’s goofy. It’s unnecessary. It’s loads of fun. Being able to end a work chat with two thumbs up and some fireworks is just great. I’ve run into that issue therapists face with unnecessary reactions to things, but I found it to be funny in my sessions and not at all awkward.

Live Voicemail

If Apple is unwilling to build in technology to block spam calls, this is the next best thing: I get a call from an unknown number, tap “Voicemail,” and watch as the call gets sent to voicemail with a live text transcription of what the caller is saying. Is it something important? I pick it up. I’m old enough to remember answering machines, and it’s about time that functionality came to the iPhone. If any unknown number calls me, I send them straight to voicemail. Occasionally, it’s a legitimate call, which means I can answer in that moment. Otherwise, I ignore it (or, more frequently, they hang up immediately).

A full production setup featuring Hannah (pre-iPhone)

FaceTime on AppleTV

This is a sleeper feature I’ve used a lot. From chatting with friends, to therapy sessions, to Christmas get-togethers– being able to video chat from my TV with what looks like a full camera crew is simply incredible. In the past, I’ve set up a cinema camera, ATEM, laptop, and Zoom for Christmas calls during COVID-19. Now? I stick my iPhone on a tripod with a MagSafe holder and call it a day. You can do this through FaceTime or Zoom, too.

Music

SharePlay in the car

If you’re connected to your car via Bluetooth or CarPlay, Apple Music will give you the option to “SharePlay” with others in the car, giving users the ability to control and contribute to the queue. The best part? They don’t have to have a subscription to join in, since it uses the host’s plan.

(Is your car not detected as a car via Bluetooth? Go to the Settings app → Bluetooth → tap the “i” next to your Bluetooth device → Device Type → choose “Care Stereo”)

Favorite Songs and Collaborative Playlists!

Favorite Songs

I can mark songs as favorites and have them show up in my “Favorite Songs” playlist. Previously, I made a “smart playlist” for songs I marked as “loved,” but now I don’t have to use that, and this solution is more “native.”

Collaborative Playlists

“Finally!” I used this feature on Spotify all the time. Now my wife and I can make mixtapes for roadtrips together. The only downside is that converting an existing playlist seems to make an entirely new playlist, deleting the original in the process. This means that your playlist’s “recently added” order might get messed up, and if you previously downloaded your playlist, you’ll have to go in and download it again.

Apps + System

Sections, grocery lists, and Columns in Reminders

Reminders

Sections and Grocery list sorting were added. The former allows you to have a Things 3 or Trello style interface, which is wonderful for organizing tasks within a list. The latter uses AI to move grocery list items into automatically generated sections.

Autofill Verification Code improvements

iOS 17 brought two great improvements to the tedious process of autofill verification codes (you know, those “text me a code to sign in” prompts?). Now, codes can be filled in from Mail, and codes you receive via text can be deleted after you use them.

A simple, beautiful, lock screen on the iPad!

Widgets on iPadOS Lock Screen

This came to iPhone last year, so it’s great to see it here on iPad. Apple did some cool stuff with this too, where landscape views get a stacked widget view on the left-hand side.

Offline Maps

Another “finally,” in that I can “finally” delete Google Maps from my phone, as offline maps were the only reason I used it. I will say, I love Apple’s implementation, with one slight nitpick: on a recent trip to Vancouver, I forgot to download offline maps (my carrier doesn’t work in Canada) and tried to download them while on the road. Apple Maps was going to re-download every map I had already downloaded again to download the new area, whereas Google Maps happily downloaded just the area I selected.

Sharing

FindMy items that have been shared and are shared with me.

Shared AirTags

The option to share AirTags is spectacular, if not just because it can stop those pesky “this AirTag has been following you” notifications. Like, yeah Apple, that’s my wife’s keys.

Shared Passwords

This feature let me cancel my 1Password subscription. Apple did good here– you can create groups to share your passwords with. You can create multiple groups and share them with different sets of people, too. And thanks to the iCloud Passwords extensions, you can use iCloud Passwords in any Chromium browser (like Arc!).

Again, I’m really impressed with Apple here. This product works on basically everything but Linux and Android, and it’s pretty comprehensive, also having excellent support for Passkeys (which you can also share)!

Things I don’t like

While there’s a few things I wish would have made it into this release, there’s really only one new feature that drives me mad:

When adding text to a PDF in Notes on Mac (left), opening the attachment elsewhere (or even using the markup function in Notes) causes text to shift (right). Editing it on an iPad seems to fix it, though?

The new PDF experience in Notes

It seems like this update has made it harder for me to markup documents (on Mac, at least). I also feel like I was previously better able to open, edit, and view the document in Preview on Mac and save it back to Notes (rather than using the modal Markup experience); now it saves a copy elsewhere when editing. I’ve also found that my markup can shift places when trying to share a document out of Notes. It’s quite weird and a poor implementation of an otherwise very useful feature.

Overall, these are fairly minor features, but they have a considerable impact on the daily use and enjoyment of my devices. If the next version of iOS 18 is filled with minor tweaks like this, I’d be thrilled!

Of course, there are many, many, many more features Apple has added (and continues to add) to iOS 17, such as Linked notes, Stolen Device Protection, Stickers, Safari Profiles… it’s a lot. You can see a complete list of changes on Apple’s website and in this PDF provided by Apple.

If you’re so inclined, I’d love to hear what features you’ve enjoyed most in iOS 17!

Thoughts about Notes

Wed, 10 Jan 2024 01:00:00 +0000

Inspired by Matt Mullenweg’s prompt to blog, I’m going to talk about note-taking.

As I’ve been testing out note taking app after note taking app for my review series, I’ve recognized a pattern in me: none of the apps out there are scratching the “itch” I have. Instead, a lot of apps seem to have the same basic idea, just executed differently.

Obsidian and Bear have completely different philosophies, but at the end of the day, all these apps do is make it easy to access and search many files at once.

What I’ve found is that none of these apps, or their different philosophies, don’t actually help me. Instead, I’ve found that I serve them instead of them serving me; “if I just use enough tags, I’ll have the information I want.” “If I use the PARA method, I can find everything easily!” “Let me try this way of organizing, it will help me later! …after I update all my old notes.”

And as I switch between Apple Notes, Craft, Bear, Obsidian – you name it – all I’ve learned is that my information is still difficult to find. Not only that, but now it’s scattered across multiple apps.

As I move between all the apps and further fracture my stored knowledge, I’ve come to wonder… do I know what I want?

Figuring Out What I Want

This is the main crux of the issue. What I’ve been searching and pining for is a note-taking solution that helps me store and surface knowledge easily. The idea being, given the right context, information that I need appears when I need it.

This can take a few forms: context can be a calendar event, a date, a project, people I’m talking to, etc.

Most note-taking apps seem to be good at only storing your information. They’re not good at fast input (with exception), they’re not good at surfacing the right content when you need it, they’re not good at organizing your information. These tools simply store knowledge and put the onus on you to organize it.

For people who understand this, Obsidian seems to be the “best” app. This tool has everything you need to organize your information. There are folders. You can backlink. Forward link. Tag. Add properties. Data view. Spaces. Plugins! The whole nine yards. And as someone who thoroughly enjoys metadata, this is heaven! But what I’ve found over the course of my use of Obsidian is that the “flexibility” becomes overwhelming and burdensome. As I “plan for the future,” I need to make sure I’m adding the right tags to your notes, putting things in the right folder, linking to the appropriate document… whew! I’m no longer focused on capturing ideas or information.

On the flip side, Apple Notes has folders and tags. That’s about it! Notes float past you in a reverse chronological feed, all in a single list. Almost the complete opposite of Obsidian’s monolithic set of methods available for organization. But, Apple Notes has a significant lack of formatting options. Formatting is a great way to organize thoughts and information inside the note. For me, as a programmer, I need things like inline code snippets, callouts, and basically more options than the body, list, header, quote, monostyle, and block quote styles available. Obsidian really shines here.

All these apps look similar, but they’re all quite different. (From top left to bottom right, Apple Notes, Craft, Obsidian, and Bear)

But okay. Notion has all of those things too, and its file hierarchy is closer to Apple Notes; you have folders and databases. Oh, and you can automate stuff! And there are rich templates, powerful integrations… well, but every so often the blocks Notion provides can be too simple and too complex at the same time. Notion has no opinion on how you should structure your content, so it does nothing and everything very poorly.

I could go on. I might! Importantly, though, do you see the pattern above? I’m so focused on finding ways to organize my thoughts that I don’t actually save or store anything. And the things I do save are now all fragmented across different apps.

This is the important conclusion I came to: in the year 2024, where we can generate life-like images with MidJourney v6 and GPT is spamming – er, writing – tons of articles for Google… why am I spending so much time organizing my notes? No, really? These are computers. At a simple level, computers are great at detecting patterns. Why do I need to tag or store my notes in specific folders? Why do I only have a certain set of formatting tools available? Why can’t I use any type of date format (2024-10-22 v 10/22/24) and have the computer still know what I’m talking about?

I mean, there are influencers who are completely generated by AI out there, and they’re convincing millions of people. Why can’t my computer organize a note.

This led me to finally understand what I had been searching for all these years: a place to just dump stuff that then shows up right when I need it later.

The moment of realization came when I saw the demo for New Computer’s Dot announcement. In case you missed it, Dot looks to be a system that can take in any information, transform it to what you require, then proactively surface it based on your interactions with the app.

I mean, look at that example above. The user shares an image of a recipe, in another language, and Dot converts the recipe into a well formatted note, translates it, categorizes it, and summarizes it. I could cry.

Seeing the whole demo (and you should really check it out) really put words to what I was looking for. Just dump information in and let the computer figure it out. Later in the demo, the user is seen talking to Dot about a quiz and expresses that they are stressed. Dot recalled a recipe the user put in earlier and suggested the user try making it to bring her comfort.

Now, people who are far less pedantic than I am, like my wife, have already experienced a far less complex version of this system: make a note in Apple notes, don’t even bother titling it or throwing it in a folder, and then just search for it. And, you know what? Search in Apple Notes is actually quite good. Excellent, in fact. Search in many apps is pretty good, but I think Apple Notes does it the best.

Anyway. I found myself spending so much time organizing and worrying about which structure is best, which structure is the most flexible, transferable, and will last the test of time; which structure would be the easiest to maintain. Being concerned about all of that made me realize I wasn’t getting anywhere. My ideal personal knowledge management system? One I don’t have to fiddle with.

The right tool for the job

Here’s another folly I found in my search: I wanted my note-taking app (or was it my personal knowledge management system?) to contain everything I found. And this makes sense, right? If it’s supposed to be my second brain, my PKM should contain everything my brain has.

There’s just one thing wrong with that: I found myself trying to shoehorn a text-input system into a database of links, images, videos, articles, highlights– you name it. You know, the Notion effect. Why have more app when one app plenty? And uh, as great as Notion is, as powerful as Obsidian is: they are great at text, and not much else.

For example: I made a database in Notion to store links I was interested in, based on Casey Newton’s idea. I even made an Apple Shortcut that I could share links to and let it populate the database. Just for funsies, I even connected it to my Daily Notes database so I could see, every day, what links I saved. Hold your applause, you can just crown me the productivity king!

This wasn’t the easiest setup. I created a custom database in Notion, a few automations in Notion, and even made an Apple Shortcut that connected to Notion so I could share a link to that Shortcut and the Shortcut would take a screenshot too and…

The reality is that I spent so much time building and managing this system with tools that weren’t built for this specific use case. I found that I, once again, spent so much time managing things and not enough time appreciating it. You know what was built for something like this? Raindrop. And uh, it’s really good. The workflow? I share a link to Raindrop and call it a day.

This got me thinking about all the other things I’ve tried to shoehorn into note-taking apps or productivity solutions. Sketches. Task management. Blog posts. This article? I wrote it in Ulysses (It started in Pages but that made me cry). On an iPad. And uh, wow. Having all the correct formatting options available to me, for blogging, is great. It’s a document I won’t go back to edit, so why should it be in my always accessible notes app? (Thanks to Paul Thurrott for inspiring me to keep it simple and use regular documents for blog posts.)

There are so many note-taking apps on the iPad alone that Apple has made a whole collection for all the different types.

Using the right tool for the job is important. I’ve found that I go back to Notion when I need to combine a project’s tasks and the need to time track in a specific way. Using Ulysses for writing has been… oh man. Absolutely incredible. YNAB for our budgeting makes more sense than a confusing Google Sheet. Frame.io instead of Google Drive for sharing videos. The list goes on.

Thinking like this lifts the burden of what I expect in a note app: so what if it can’t hold a database? So what if it doesn’t have all the formatting I want? Notes are meant to be text. Maybe some media. They’re meant to be messy. Let the other apps and services take care of the more structured and formatted data.

AI to the rescue

Since I started drafting this document, Notion came out with their Q&A feature. It’s quite amazing– at least, from the looks of it. I don’t know as I don’t have access to it. But, at least conceptually, this is the correct path that starts us on the journey of chucking crap into a system and letting the computer figure it out. Which is good, in Notion’s case, because I get lost in the hierarchy and I can’t find stuff anyway.

Notion’s Q&A demo showing the ability to “ask” your workspace questions.

But this also shows what AI is capable of. I’ve actually been working on some GPT-powered Shortcuts that have been helping me organize my thoughts. I’ll share those soon.

Don’t worry about the tool

Just use Apple Notes.

Anyway, all that rambling above, just to say this: I spend too much time worrying about the tools. About data portability. About the future of an app. About new features coming down the road. In reality, how much of this matters? How much of what I save will I really need? How much of the “future proofing” I do is actually necessary?

Allow me to envy my wife really quick: she just sticks stuff in Apple Notes. In Reminders. In her email. It’s certainly chaotic to someone like me who wants the 747 when all she wants is a Prius. But you know what? She gets from A to B. While I’m still on the runway figuring out the control panel, she’s driving down the highway (and doing it very efficiently, too!) She doesn’t pour over every little feature she might need. She doesn’t even use all the features that are available in those simple apps. While she’s making our budget in Notes and the calculator app, I’m sitting over here thinking of how I’d build the same thing in Notion or Sheets. This isn’t a knock on my wife. Far from it: she doesn’t care. And she shouldn’t! Normal people shouldn’t. I have a problem.

So, all this to say, I know better what I want from my tools. I know better what I require. And I’m becoming okay with letting things be messy. After all, thoughts and ideas are messy. Computers certainly help make things more efficient, but if you’re not careful, they can suck all your time away from what matters. We are someday soon approaching our AI utopia where computers can help us like they do in Star Trek. That day isn’t here yet– but man, is it ever close! For now, just use what “feels” right and gets the job done. And it’s okay if it’s in more than one app.

New Year, Refining Me

Thu, 04 Jan 2024 05:13:00 +0000

2023 was a year where my wife and I were able to look at and examine many of the parts that make up who we are— together and individually. Religion, faith, relationships, boundaries, desires, politics, beliefs, and even gender.

Why do we believe what we do? How much of what we believe is truly of ourselves? If we’re so right, why are other people okay with believing other things? God hasn’t smitten them. If anything, they seem to be prospering. They seem to have the happiness and joy I was promised but lack.

Starting the year by learning that a lot of the “bad people” we had been told were external to our bubble were actually hanging out in our camp (mostly those in authority), everything shattered and all these and other questions came tumbling down. Every single part of what made me and Moriah up, everything that had formed us, every piece of material someone in authority had told us was one thing, had been torn open and needed to be searched, disassembled, and deconstructed. After all, if the people who shaped our worldview got whole parts of our belief structure wrong, what else was wrong?

As I dove deeper into what made me tick, it turned out that a lot of what was at the core of “us” was wrapped in or founded on fear. Fear of judgement. Fear of losing people. Fear of people judging us. Fear of going to hell. Fear of doing the wrong thing. Fear of understanding things the wrong way. Fear of doing the right thing at the wrong time. Fear of the unknown. Fear of being known and rejected. Fear that “others” (beliefs, people) would come in and wreck things. Fear that we would lose the culture! Fears that kept us in our comfort zone and afraid to move beyond.

Discovering that the leaders and institutions, of whom we trusted for moral guidance, were not just the ones pedaling these fears, but also were actively wrong in so many other ways, made us wonder if the God they told us about was real. If the country we were told to love was real. If all the homosexuals really were evil. If the people around us loved us for us, or just because we followed the rules so well.

Reaffirming my conviction, bringing these questions and observations up to others has them respond with fear. I’m met with “have you been praying?” “Have you been reading the Bible?” “I hope you’re right about all this…” I’ve done all the “right things,” and all I’ve been left with is burn out and more questions. Questions that led to more questions and more discovery. And after a bit, I had disassembled a lot of my beliefs, my comforts, my morals, my politics, my preconceptions… everything, and I was very much without an identity. A nomad, wandering through the wilderness. Almost starting from scratch. Not feeling at home anywhere, finding it hard to identify with and trust the institutions I grew up feeling comfort and belonging in.

This was overwhelming. It IS overwhelming. Incredibly overwhelming. And it’s barely just started. It brought on depression and rocky conversations between me and Moriah. Good things felt empty, supposed highlights of life tasted bland. It was something that, try as I might, couldn’t be ignored, and couldn’t be run away from.

But all of this just revealed what was already true: I had no personal identity. In a weird way, this brought some comfort: finding one’s self and one’s beliefs is what growing up is all about. And knowing that Moriah and I were 2,400 miles away from our comforts, literally having a “desert experience,” did bring some balm to my soul. This is the adventure, and we are supposed to be here.

God brought us out and away from everyone else. I’m 100% certain about that. Because of that, I have 100% confidence that the journey Moriah and I are on right now is something he’s permitted… and we can’t ever go too far from his grasp.

I didn’t know who I was, but I was finally sure about where I was. Lost, in a desert, finding who I was.

Knowing this revealed another thing about me, more on the creative side: all my efforts to create stuff were for other people. Like, I was making videos because “that’s what I did.” I took pictures because I was good at it. I coded in my spare time to keep me competitive against… the world? And hey… these aren’t inherently bad things.

But in this case I was pulling from a well that was dry, trained to give of myself because that’s “just the right thing to do.” Grinding away because that was my role. Doing it alone because… well, I was the only “part of the body” that could do it! I wrapped my identity in my capabilities, which led to burnout in a lot of areas. I’m definitely not the only one who’s felt this, either.

If I wanted to do the things I loved, I needed to learn how to enjoy things, how to make things for me. I don’t see how I can learn, grow, and thrive if all I did was make stuff for others. And don’t get me started on social media… I can’t work for an algorithm, competing for attention against millions of other people. I can’t let the fact that “what I’ve made has probably been done before” define what I do. I can’t make something because it’s just what I do. It’s exhausting. And plus, I don’t know what I actually like.

Okay, so for this year I want to refine me. Not make a “new” me. Because of all of the above, I’m trying to not focus on surface level goals, like making 5 short films, losing 30lbs, spending only 2 days a week on social media, etc., because it’s “the right thing to do.”

Instead, I’m going to try and focus on the parts of me below the surface. The parts that make me tick. The parts that will make me want to make short films and, as a result, spend less time on social media. I want to find the spark, instead of working to keep the spark from long ago protected and alive. I need to let that go, and let go of the idea that I am what I make.

Instead, I should seek answers to these questions: what do I like? What do I want to make? What do I need? Ultimately, who am I? I feel like once I know those answers, I’ll be able to contribute to the world in meaningful ways.

In the depths of the identity crisis, it was easy to fall into cynicism. There was a lot of pessimism. A lot of anger. There still is! But, as good as it was to let those feelings happen, wallowing in them led to depression and extracted energy. I want 2024 to be different.

We’re tired. We’re empty. We’re lonely. But we are far from the only ones (just listen to Half Alive, AJR, Gungor, Jess Ray…). So for this next year we want to be the change we want to see… and a lot of that change starts in the heart.

Obsidian CEO Steph Ango wrote it best in his blog post, which you can read here. I want to choose to be an optimist:

The life of a pessimist is easy but dreary. The life of an optimist is hard but exciting. Pessimism is easy because it costs nothing. Optimism is hard because it must be constantly reaffirmed. In the face of a hostile, cynical world, it takes effort to show that positivity has merit.
- Steph Ango

I want to add something to this: I don’t want to be a blind optimist, thinking the world is better than it really is. I’ve been that before, and I’m pretty sure that’s what led me to being more pessimistic: I looked to reaffirm my conviction but came away hurt and isolated.

Instead, I want the negativity of the world to influence my optimism: in the face of how bad everything can be (and is), if it weren’t for all the good that, as being a part of Creation and an Image Bearer, is embedded in each and every single person, the world would be far worse. It is the relentless pursuit of those choosing to do good that brings hope and light to others.

So like, all of this is a lot, right?

There’s a balancing act to be had in validating the anger and frustration I have, while not wallowing in it, while acknowledging it sucks, while appreciating the process. It’s a lot to hold at once. I’m nowhere near finished either. But if I’ve learned anything in this whole process, it’s that even if I break the rules, go outside my comfort zone, or deconstruct everything, I’m learning who I am, and I’m finding who my people are. I’m confronting my fears.

The new year is supposed to bring in the new and replace the old. But a new year isn’t truly the start of something new, it’s another day like any other. Just as important as the day before it and the day to come. Incrementing the number on a year doesn’t really change anything, and waiting for a new year to start can result in a lot of lost time. Just because the year went the way it did, and there were days upon weeks upon months where “nothing happened,” doesn’t mean everything was lost.

I want 2024 to be a year where I continue examining myself, where I set boundaries on things that control me, where I fight pessimism, where I reject fear, and where I find out who I am. More importantly, I want my heart to be softened and more empathetic. We’re all struggling. I want to run towards people who need love and care rather than being afraid I’m messing with some sort of divine punishment, making sure everything is on the up-and-up, or that the person is following the rules (like, if they broke the rules, they get what they deserve, right?). Just like anything else good, it will take active effort, patience, and help from others.

Creating an Interactive Wall of Album Art

Thu, 21 Dec 2023 04:46:00 +0000

What did I make?

Using Apple Shortcuts, AirPlay 2, iPhones, and Apple Music, I made a display of album artwork that, when tapped with an iPhone, will play that album across all our smart speakers.

Introduction

My wife and I just moved into a new place, and we made it a point to really invest in making it something more special than the previous place we lived in. You know, “do it right” from the beginning.

Previously, I had seen an apartment tour from Nikias, in which he shared some awesome ideas, one of which caught my attention: he set up a wall of album art that, when an album was tapped with a phone, would cause that album to play on his smart speakers.

It’s a great idea, though I would have wanted a more in-depth overview of how he did it. As I experimented around with the idea, I figured out his method, and now the 100 pack of NFC tags I bought could finally be put to good use.

Planning the idea

To start, Moriah and I spent a night creating a list of albums we enjoy listening to. Since this idea has been in our minds for a while (along with having music nights, an idea from Paul Thurrott), we had already been cultivating albums we enjoy, which made this a fairly easy task.

A very long list of albums we both really enjoy.

After we came up with a list of albums that were both enjoyable and artsy, I went online to find the album art covers. I used Google Images (I tried other solutions to no avail) to find high resolution pictures— ideally, something at about 3000×3000 pixels. However, most of the photos I found were well below that, sometimes as low as 600×600. Some were pixelated at that size, which meant somebody upscaled an 160×160 image without increasing the quality.

Since I was going to be printing those images out, I needed to make sure they were high quality (around 3000×3000). I used Photomator’s ML Upscale feature to triple the size of each image; while it wasn’t perfect, and the result was a bit “smoother” than I wanted, the images looked a lot better!

Lana Del Ray’s Born to Die album was especially small at 640×640 (left). But upscaled to 1920×1920 (right), it looks much better! On paper you wouldn’t notice how smooth everything is.

I put in a 1-hour photo request at our nearest Walmart. Unfortunately the only sizes they had available to print were 8×8″ and 4×4″ (a Vinyl album cover is 12.5″ and a CD album cover is 4.75″), but for the sake of art, these sufficed! I put in an order for 8″ and 4″ photo frames at Amazon (links to what I bought below). Since the dimensions were smaller than I wanted, I opted for frames that had thicker borders instead of border-less frames. I also had to make sure the smaller frames had the same size borders as the larger frames in order to not look disproportionate.

While I was waiting for the prints, I decided to figure out how I might lay these albums out on the wall. It’s interesting looking back at this after having finished the project, as what we ended with was neither the layout or the wall we thought we would go with. But anyway, I used Apple’s Freeform app to get an approximation for how the albums might be laid out. I knew the dimensions and sizes wouldn’t be right, but the app allowed Moriah and I to experiment around with ideas!

When I got the prints, Moriah went through and trimmed any white from the prints and I went through and unwrapped the frames and taped the NFC tags to the bottom right side of the images using double-sided tape.

Now that I had the actual frames in hand, I experimented around with some layouts by placing the frames on the floor. This helped me realize that we needed to put these on another–larger–wall, and that we could even get a more abstract with the design:

We settled on the more spread out and random look. I began working on mounting the frames to the wall. While there are certainly better methods to put a design like this on the wall (wires, tracks, hiring a professional), I decided to “transpose” the design I made on the floor to the wall using Velcro command strips and a level. I had originally started to use pushpins, but the frames ended up being very wobbly, and I didn’t want to risk them falling off as we tapped the albums. The Velcro command strips proved to work well: I could place the album on the wall and get a good idea of where I wanted it, take off the tape, stick it to the wall, then work on leveling it. Ultimate creative freedom.

And… voilà!

Programming the albums

Now that the albums were mounted on the wall, I needed to program them. There are a few different methods for doing so, and there are others if you’re not using an iOS device. Since this is an iPhone and Apple Music house, I’ll present those options below (all options programmed on iOS 17.2).

If you’re using Spotify or an Android device, you’ll have to switch up the steps or find another solution. Sorry 😔

I’ll be using the Shortcuts app for all my “programming”. Additionally, I’ll be programming the Shortcut not to just play the music I want, but I’ll also make sure it plays on all our HomePods and that the volume is set really low (just in case any speakers were left at a really high volume).

Before you decide which method is best for you, download my Shortcut:

Play Album From NFC

Method 1: NFC + Shortcut Automations

This is the method used in the video shared at the beginning, and it’s the most seamless way to use the feature– once it’s set up. If you’re the only one enjoying your albums, and you don’t have 18+ albums to program, this is the method for you!

Pros

Does not require interacting with your device or tapping on the screen; the Shortcut can run without interaction from the user.

Cons

Each album has to be programmed manually on each user’s device.
If you want to re-program your NFC tag, you have to do it for each user.
Adding albums means building another Shortcut automation for each user.

Steps

Download and customize the Shortcut above.
Open the Shortcuts app.
Go to the Automation tab.
Tap the “+” button in the top right.
Scroll down and tap NFC.
Tap “Scan” and scan your NFC tag. Name it!
Change the selected option to “Run Immediately” and disable “Notify When Run”.
Tap Next, then tap New Blank Automation.
Add “Text” as an action, then enter the album’s name (or iTunes/Apple Music URL).
Add “Run Shortcut” as an action, then find the Play Album From NFC Shortcut you downloaded.
The Text and Shortcut actions should be connected. Tap “Done” and try tapping your phone to the NFC tag!

Method 2: Shortcut + NFC Tools

This is a method I used before I found an easier way to accomplish the same thing. Basically, it involves making a Shortcut for each album you want, then using the NFC Tools app to program each NFC tag to run that Shortcut. This is the worst way to do this, as you’d need to make a new Shortcut for every album, and then share each Shortcut with each person you wanted to give access to play the albums.

Method 3: ONE Shortcut + NFC Tools

This is the method I went with! This method allowed me to make one Shortcut and program each NFC tag once. The best part is that if I want to change how my speakers are set up, or add any additional functionality (like changing the lights), I update the Shortcut and share it. I don’t have to reprogram any tags. Another perk: if I want to add an additional album to our collection, I don’t have to program it on Moriah’s phone too. I just program the NFC tag and the Shortcut will already know what to do.

Pros

“Simplest” shortcut
Easy to deploy (send one Shortcut to friends)
Easy to update NFC tags (no reprogramming)
Add additional albums without updating each friend’s phone

Cons

Requires tapping on a notification to run the Shortcut
Needs another Shortcut if you want to play anything but an album (playlist, song)

Steps

Download and customize the Shortcut above.
Download the NFC Tools app.
Open NFC Tools and tap “Write”.
Tap “Add Record” and scroll to the bottom and tap “Shortcut”.
Enter the Shortcut name exactly as it appears in the Shortcuts app (It should be Play Album From NFC).
Under “Input,” enter the album name. Typically entering the album name and artist (such as Currents by Tame Impala) is the most reliable method. However, you can also find the album’s URL in the iTunes or Apple Music app and put that in there too.
Tap “OK” and then tap “Write.” Tap your phone to the NFC tag.

Conclusion

I’m very happy with this. We have a wall filled with things we like, and it’s not just decorative: it serves a purpose, and brings a tactile experience to something that’s usually very digital and theoretical. My wife and I will definitely be adding to this collection– if not with more albums, with our own custom playlists and seasonal songs!

What’s great about Shortcut method #3 mentioned above is that it can be customized and updated for each individual. If Moriah wants her music louder than I do, she can change her Shortcut and the functionality will still work. I’m also thinking that maybe I’ll make another Shortcut that just takes in Apple Music URLs, so that we only need one Shortcut to play albums, artists, playlists, or songs.

Do you have any ideas on how you’ll use this? Did you try building something similar? Let me know in the comments!

Resources

Don’t want to read my life’s story, but you do want to know what I used? Here’s my list of resources:

AirPlay 2 speakers
Apple Music
NFC tags on Amazon
Picture frames (large) on Amazon
Picture frames (small) on Amazon
Velcro command strips on Amazon
Photomator on App Store
NFC Tools on App Store
Freeform on App Store
Affinity Photo on App Store
Shortcut:https://andreasjr.com/projects/play-album-from-nfc/

Improving My Remote Code Server

Sun, 15 Oct 2023 21:32:00 +0000

Last time on Andreas Tinkers…

In my last article on coding with an iPad, I wrote about an (admittedly) complicated way to set up a VSCode server to use so that I could code from my iPad.

Since then, my main beast of a MacBook Pro (2019 16”, 64GB RAM, 1TB SSD) died due to bad memory sectors, and it was either “fix it for $700” or “get $690 in credit.” So, I decided to make the jump (and my wife lovingly supported me switching) to a 12.9” iPad Pro M1. It has been my main computer for about a month now, and it’s been great! Well, flawed, but great. That’s another article.

But anyway, because of my dead laptop, and because the nature of my work is writing code, I gained some serious incentive to improve my server setup. The ultimate trigger was when 3 power outages happened at my home in one week, which meant my old Windows laptop would shut down and not turn back on. A fact I would only realize when I was out of the house, leaving me dead in the water. The machine that showed itself to be more reliable? My Raspberry Pi 4.

The Idea

I had originally tried to build my dev server on the Raspberry Pi, but LocalWP and DevKinsta didn’t have arm64 versions of their software. And the LAMP stack was pretty limited… I was running into problems where I couldn’t change the default /www/ directory, install multiple separate instances (so I could have completely separate WordPress sites), or access certain directories over SSH. All problematic, all harder to deal with than my current setup, and figuring out how to fix it would take too long. So I stuck with my old Windows laptop.

But then I had an idea… could I run Docker on my Pi? Well, apparently, yes!

Okay, interesting. I had used Docker in the past but I had some issues when it came to volumes, networking, all that stuff. It was just too complicated, especially when LocalWP and DevKinsta exist. But, I knew WordPress had a Docker image, and I knew I just needed a dockerfile YAML config. If I could figure out how to set that up, maybe I could figure out a solution.

I had Googled this all before and couldn’t seem to get anywhere. After being frustrated that technology couldn’t work for me and I was instead its slave, a lightbulb went off… why not try to have technology work for me and use ChatGPT to build me a custom docker-compose file? It couldn’t be worse than what I currently had, which was nothing.

The Execution

And uh, it worked VERY well. ChatGPT not only made me a working file, but it told me how to use it. I only had to make a few changes, like switching from using mySQL to using MariaDB, but it was literally a drop in replacement. After some testing, I dropped the file onto my Pi and it worked flawlessly. I tinkered within ChatGPT a little more: “Make the database save to a volume.” “Add a volume for the wp-content folder.” It obliged. I Googled around a little bit and made it so the script would always start up if the machine shut down.

Within an hour or two, I had a file and directory structure I could use to quickly whip up WordPress instances! It’s much easier to use than LocalWP too, with one of the benefits being that I could set my own ports to something I could remember.

So, sweet! I cloned the template I made, set the ports to something I could remember, and set up WordPress. Importantly, I set up the site from the Pi’s Tailscale IP, not localhost. That way the site would create itself in a manner where I could access it wherever I was. I cloned down some of my GitHub projects and added some demo data. It worked! Restarting the device also successfully brought the sites back up without me having to intervene.

The one thing I haven’t added (but might in the future) is an admin interface for the database, but I’m not doing any content development (it’s just demo data from FakerPress), I’m not too concerned.

What hasn’t changed

For this server setup I’m still using Tailwind, Ubuntu, and Tmux. On my iPad I’m using VSCode’s web app and the amazing Secure ShellFish app, which integrates with Tmux. I’m also experimenting with using Secure ShellFish and Runestone to offer a native iPad editing experience, as part of an exploration in more native iPad experiences.

Why’s that? Well, as great as VSCode is, even on the M1 iPad it can still lose connection when switching between apps. I have also had some major issues with it and my Magic Keyboard, where CMD+Tabbing between apps would sometimes lose keyboard focus in VSCode. Fixing it would require either detaching and reattaching the keyboard, reloading the window, or selecting another file in the list, going back to the file I was in, and then selecting the code editor. It definitely made it hard to stay focused on what I was doing.

One last haggle with coding on the iPad: I use the Web Inspector app to access dev tools in Safari. When I reload the page, the fly-out window doesn’t stay open. Additionally, the fly-out window cannot be resized. Instead, it’s stuck at like 85% of the page’s height, which means I can’t see anything when it’s open. It’s not ideal.

Summary

I’m very happy with this new setup. It’s simpler, more reliable, and easier to use. All good things!

You can download my docker-compose template here:

https://github.com/andreasjr/docker-wordpress-quickstart

And here’s a summary of my current iPad development stack:

The Server

Raspberry Pi 4 running Ubuntu
Docker
WordPress docker-compose.yml
Tailscale
VSCode Server
Tmux

The Client

iPad Pro 12.9” M1
Code editing (option 1)
- vscode.dev Home Screen Bookmark
- Tailscale
Code editing (option 2)
- Secure ShellFish
- Runestone
Safari
Web Inspector plugin

As always, if you have any ideas for improvements, let me know in the comments!

3rd Year Anniversary

Thu, 14 Sep 2023 04:06:00 +0000

Make Apple Reminders More Like Things 3

Tue, 29 Aug 2023 03:52:00 +0000

For those of you wondering what the tip is, I wrote a Shortcut that will make it so Reminders doesn’t have “overdue” tasks, similar to Things. You can follow the instructions below.

Things and Reminders

Things 3 is my main to-do list. Its design is simple, elegant, and fits well with how my brain works.

The funny thing (ha) is, Things 3 is not too dissimilar from Apple’s built-in Reminders app. The app’s layouts are strikingly similar; there are two columns: one for lists, one for tasks. The features are similar: both support lists, sections inside lists, “folders” (called “Areas” in Things), tags, smart lists, due dates, etc. And both apps have similar platform support, with each supporting iPhone, iPad, Mac, and Apple Watch.

One might even argue that Reminders has a more robust feature set. Especially with iOS 17, Reminders has these features in favor of Things:

New column/kanban view
AI-powered grocery list support
Custom smart lists
Web view
Shared Lists
Priority settings and flags
Integration into Notes, Mail, and Calendar
iMessage/Contacts integration

Why I use Things

So why not use Reminders? Especially since it’s free, has more features, and integrates well into the Apple ecosystem? For me, Things feels less top-heavy. It’s important when I need to get stuff out of my head: there’s less to fiddle around with, and with good support for keyboard shortcuts, I can add stuff and navigate around with ease.

Another big idea that Things has: the idea of deadlines. I don’t know why more apps haven’t copied this feature: I don’t want my task to show up in my list only when it’s due, I’d like to work on tasks days before it must be done. With deadlines, I can set due dates for when I want to work on the item, while also setting a hard deadline for when it must be done.

However, this is what I would consider to be the most important big idea: Things doesn’t really care about overdue tasks.

I didn’t realize that this would be important to me, but having tons of overdue tasks in the Reminders app colored in a coat of anxiety-red really made me feel overwhelmed. Things doesn’t make you feel beholden to due dates; instead, anything in your “Today” list from yesterday is content to show up in your “Today” list for today. The exception to this is when it comes to deadlines, but that makes sense to my brain.

The Things interface on the left looks calmer, more neatly organized, and less overwhelming than the Reminders interface on the right, which looks busy, intimidating, and overwhelming. I might also note that there are far fewer tasks in the Reminders app, too. And yet it’s still overwhelming.

Another important thing to note is that most of the tasks I set in Reminders aren’t actually overdue. Since I can’t set deadlines, those tasks are more just there to remind me that, if I have the time, I should work on them. If I had a task like “Pay utilities” in Reminders, it would get lost in a sea of red with all the other “overdue” tasks. However, in Things, since it’s the only thing in red, I can easily see what needs to be done.

Make Reminders just a little more like Things

All of that to say, there’s a tool I made to help make Reminders behave a little more like Things: using Shortcuts, we can make it so the Today list doesn’t contain any overdue items.

As simple as this change is, it helps a lot.

First, download this Shortcut to your iPhone:

https://www.icloud.com/shortcuts/64de93888e0947039a664021f8096e5a

Then, from the Shortcuts app on your iPhone, set up a Time of Day automation. You can do this by going to the “Automation” tab and clicking the “plus” button in the top right corner.

From there, select “Time of Day”, and then set the Time of Day to 12:00 AM. Make sure it’s set to repeat daily, and that the automation is set to run immediately.

From there, search for the Set Due Dates Shortcut you downloaded. Once set, the phone should do its magic! It will need to be on at 12:00am in order for the Shortcut to run, but this isn’t a problem for me since my phone is usually charging.

Much better:

There are still some problems, namely the lack of being able to set a deadline (at least I can set flags and priorities in Reminders). But! At least the Reminders will show as being due today. No more red. Plus, the Shortcut will keep the original “due at time” settings, so your evening tasks don’t lose their place on the list.

If you’d like to change the date the Reminders are set to every night, you can open up the Shortcut and change this to whatever you would like:

If you have any other tips on how to help Reminders act the way you want it to, please leave a comment or send me a message! I’m super curious to hear your thoughts. Personally, I might want to look into changing how my smart lists behave. Maybe I’ll have a “today + upcoming” list.

Happy tinkering!

The World is Overwhelming

Mon, 14 Aug 2023 12:30:00 +0000

Jess Ray’s latest album, Born Again, is a collection of phenomenal tracks that speaks to the hearts of lost, restless, and disillusioned. Needless to say, it spoke to me.

Her song “Wisdom from Heaven” has been sitting deep most recently:

https://music.apple.com/us/album/wisdom-from-heaven/1645492109?i=1645492117

Thanks for sharing what you're streaming All the books that you've been reading There is some good there, I won't deny it Say I'm above it, then I'd be lying, but My brain is broken, my soul is shaking Under the weight of all this information My heart is heavy, my spirit screaming Head above water, oh how I need Wisdom from heaven

Mmmm. I feel that. All this noise that surrounds me is overwhelming and keeps me from rest and peace. It’s been very overwhelming lately, and I’ve noticed I try to sedate the feelings of being overwhelmed with the same things that are causing it.

“I’m so stressed, I’m just gonna scroll on Threads for a bit.”

”I’m still stressed, I’m just going to watch some TV.”

This just means I haven’t dealt with the problem, and I’ve also now disconnected myself from reality (and my wife!).

I was listening to an episode about this song from Jess’ podcast, Born Again. Jess and her sister-in-law Nancy have a really insightful conversation about how they find rest with all the burdens and distractions that modern technology brings.

I really appreciated this conversation and their outlook, especially from two people who need to use social media to promote their businesses. It’s not like they can just turn it off. Their discussion is thoughtful, smart, and offers some great ideas on how to set good boundaries with technology.

The important thing, Nancy mentions, is setting boundaries, because having no boundaries doesn’t work at all.

Some ideas I’m going to try for myself:

Having my phone charge downstairs while I sleep
Using Instagram/social media only on certain days
Turning off all notifications (I’ve already turned off all “badges”)

That last one will be interesting, especially with work. I might need to set a focus on my phone that, during work hours, allows certain emails and app notifications to come through. But outside of that, not having notifications for texts, emails, and everything else sounds heavenly. We’ll see how it goes!

How I Built a Remote Dev Server (to code from my iPad)

Sun, 13 Aug 2023 04:24:00 +0000

My 11″ 2020 iPad Pro is one of the best devices I’ve ever used; it might even just be my most favorite Device. It’s sleek, it’s portable, it’s modular, it’s beautiful, and it’s fast. However, it’s held back by the limiting nature of iPadOS; since most of the limitations I’ve run into are merely software problems, and the A12Z chip in my iPad is more than capable of handling what I want it to do (this is the same processor that was used in Apple’s Developer Transition Kit, so it was plenty powerful to run Mac apps), I’ve been on a search to contort this touch-first device into something able to accommodate my diverse set of needs.

One of these needs is coding, and specifically, coding for WordPress web development. The iPad is not nearly as flexible when it comes to this type of work, mostly because of its filesystem. Being a modern device, the iPad has done its best to abstract the filesystem away (which is fine, since normal people don’t think like that anyway), making it harder for me to manage projects thanks to app sandboxing and other genuinely good features. Just, not good for me. But hey, since it’s all software, there’s always solutions to be found.

There are many tutorials online on how to code from an iPad. Some suggest setting up a code-server instance, some suggest using Google Cloud to run a virtual machine, and other people I found have created a workflow using native iPad apps. All of these were too complicated for my taste, or didn’t accommodate for my particular workflow. So, before I introduce to you my own complicated workflow, let me first discuss my needs.

The Needs

My needs are (theoretically) simple:

I want to be able to access my projects, dependencies, and workspaces from any device I touch.
I want to access these projects from any location.
I want to use Visual Studio Code.
I want to focus on web development technologies like PHP and React.
I want to code from my iPad!
Oh, and I would like to do this for free or using stuff I already have.

These are all reasonable needs, albeit complex to set up, and a vanilla setup using Visual Studio Code and code tunnels would probably be enough. However, since I develop primarily for WordPress (both PHP and React), this means I need to build out some additional infrastructure.

The biggest issue would be building a solution that allowed me to access my code and development sites across the web. Since WordPress hard-codes the URL into its database, it’s not like I can access a site assigned to localhost on a server somewhere using a random IP address, since it would just redirect back to localhost. And, unfortunately, WordPress Playground isn’t mature enough to develop on.

WordPress’ hard-coded URLs can really screw you up if you even switch https to http

So, I know what my needs are. How should I go about building this system?

The Stack

Here are the tools I chose to go with:

My old Windows laptop
Visual Studio Code
Tailscale
LocalWP
Tmux
Ubuntu
Hyper-V

If you have old hardware lying around (preferably x86-based, but that’s for another article), the rest of what you need should presumably be free! You might not even need to use a VM or Hyper-V, but I wanted to just for fun.

The Server

I have an old Windows laptop I store in my closet. It’s always running, but outside of acting as a fileshare, it doesn’t do much. This is the device I chose to run my development server on. However, I prefer working in a *NIX environment, and I still need my OS to run Windows for some other services, so I decided to take advantage of the hardware’s Hyper-V support and run Ubuntu virtually.

This isn’t something I recommend doing, and it adds so much more complexity to the setup. However, I like it, since I can run all my utilities and have a familiar terminal experience as I do on my Mac. I also get the benefits that Hyper-V has, such as snapshots and backup. Also also, theoretically there’s a sandbox layer that should protect me if my VM gets compromised.

Visual Studio Code Server

In my research I remember seeing something about a Visual Studio Code server, but I remember it being limited: it was an open-source project by a 3rd party and it did not have access to VSCode’s Extensions library. These were limitations I was willing to accept.

Weirdly enough, it took me a while to re-find code-server. That’s because something else kept appearing in my Google results, seemingly throwing me off the trail. This something else was Visual Studio Code Server, which is a set of extensions that are built into VSCode and integrate with vscode.dev, the online version of VSCode hosted by Microsoft. This is basically a way to host your own VSCode instance, but without tons of configuration (you install VSCode and run code tunnel from a terminal). Since it was developed by Microsoft, it also supports Microsoft’s marketplace of extensions.

VSCode also integrates with GitHub, and even offers remote tunneling and port forwarding built in. The tunneling allows me to access the server from anywhere, the port forwarding means that I can forward my localhost ports from my local computer to my remote computer (or is it vice-versa?). You can learn more about VSCode’s Remote Tunnels here:

Tailscale

VSCode got me 90% of the way there. However, I found out in my testing that port-forwarding doesn’t really work for WordPress sites, at least when using VSCode from an iPad.

On a laptop, I can SSH into my server and actually forward ports from the host to the client, and the client takes the ports on as its own. Not so on an iPad; due to there being no hosts file on an iPad, Microsoft instead sets up a proxy URL that tunnels into the host computer. This is a great solution, and it would work in any other instance; however, due to WordPress’ hard-coded database URL, the tunnel sends me to a local IP address that doesn’t work. I can’t change the WordPress site URL to the tunnel’s URL either, since the tunnel URL is assigned at random and changes every time the tunnel is closed and re-opened.

So, all that to say, using Tailscale (within the VM) is the way to go here. Every device added to the Tailscale tenant gets assigned an IP address that doesn’t seem to change. Plus, you can access those devices from anywhere, as long as you’re using Tailscale on both the client and the host. It eats more battery, but it works quickly and reliably, and it’s technically safer!

WordPress + LocalWP

LocalWP running on Ubuntu running in Hyper-V running on Windows running on a 2011 Asus laptop

The platform I’m using to host WordPress sites is LocalWP. This is a fantastic app that makes it a breeze to set up multiple local development WordPress instances, something I still have a hard time doing manually. This solution is great since it seems to work in Hyper-V, and comes with another important feature:

As opposed to DevKinsta, my preferred local development tool, LocalWP does not use virtualization or Docker. This means that, 1) I can use this within a virtual container like Hyper-V, and 2) it’s not using some weird virtualized network or hosts proxying.

This means that the websites are acting on the physical network, which means I can manually change the WordPress site address to my local Tailscale IP! LocalWP complains about there being a Site URL mismatch, but simply ignoring the warning is harmless and I’m left with an easy-to-manage set of WordPress instances segmented by port number.

Problems and Troubleshooting

This setup works great. It’s stable, reliable, and accessible. I can access my code environment remotely, my terminal remotely (through VSCode or Tailscale and SSH), and I can access my WordPress sites remotely. However, the one problem I’ve noticed while testing this setup is that iPad multitasking is unreliable.

The iPad is not good at keeping the VSCode instance in state. There are many times I’ve found myself switching between apps and coming back to a blank VSCode window that now has to load from scratch.

This has a pretty nasty ramification: since I develop with React, I run terminal watchers, like npm start, that forever run until stopped. A lot of those processes build my code. When I switch back to a blank VSCode window on my iPad, or if my Mac loses network connection, VSCode has to reload and any processes that were running are still running. Worse still, the terminal session is lost, which means that my process is running in the background somewhere, unable to be terminated without a complete server restart (or some hardcore terminal process drilling that I’m not familiar enough with).

The solution? I started using tmux, a terminal window manager. This allowed me to create instances of my terminal that I could switch to, even if my session was disconnected. Just a quick tmux attach-session -t name-of-session and boom, I’d be back to where I was! This is such a cool tool, and it has other benefits, such as being able to run VSCode’s code tunnel in the background without leaving a Terminal window open on my dev server.

The iPad

So, this infrastructure allows me to work remotely from almost anything, which is great. But how specifically can I work from my iPad?

Unfortunately, my iPad is the generation right before the M1 version, which means I don’t get goodies like multi-window Stage Manager. However, I do get Stage Manager, albeit for just one screen (which can then be mirrored). So, I can get my multi-window fix that way. It’s hard on an 11″ screen, but it’s manageable.

My 11″ iPad Pro is teeny tiny next to my 16″ MacBook Pro

And it works! I can run Tailscale on my iPad and VPN into my server. VSCode can be accessed via vscode.dev, and I can add that to my homescreen to turn it into its own app. Finally, I use a combination of Terminus and ShellFish to SSH into my server if I want to quickly send commands or move files around. If I need to do something with the GUI, I can use Google’s awesome Chrome Remote Desktop web app to make sure my LocalWP instance is up and running.

Conclusion

Lookit! A whole freaking development setup on my iPad.

That’s my setup in a nutshell: A server running Ubuntu (through Hyper-V), with installs of Tailscale, LocalWP, VSCode, and tmux. This set of software allows me to code on my iPad with ease, and Stage Manager makes it so I can have Tailscale, Safari, VSCode, and an SSH client running on my tablet’s screen at the same time. I can access everything on my server remotely, and it’s fast.

There are some reliability concerns, and the screen can become cramped. However, this solution allows me to switch between devices with ease, which is especially great for testing (since I can also get my local websites on my phone!).

I’ll keep everyone updated on how this process goes and what issues I run into. Hopefully you’ve found this article helpful! Let me know how you’ve approached this problem, or other similar problems, in the comments section.

Note-Taking App Super Review: Introduction

Tue, 02 May 2023 01:50:00 +0000

I’ve been looking for the perfect note-taking app since Evernote started going downhill almost a decade ago. I remember Evernote (potentially through nostalgic eyes) being fast, efficient, and easy to use. At some point the app started being buggy, having sync issues, and becoming more inconsistent. The iOS app was different from the Android app, which was different from the Windows app, which was different from the Mac app. Features were inconsistent or didn’t outright work on one platform while working on the others. That was enough to make me look for another note-taking app.

The search continues… While I don’t believe I’ve found the perfect note-taking app, somewhere along the way I’ve learned that, more important than a good note-taking app, the way I structure my notes is paramount to increased productivity. This is something I’m still learning: having experimented with the Zettelkasten and PARA methods, the idea of atomic notes, and structuring my thoughts and data in a way that is easily transferrable across devices and services.

One of the things that has come out of this search is a love for the Markdown document format. Its text-based foundation and simple syntax makes for a file that can stand the test of time and that almost any document editor can read. Thanks to Markdown, I can easily copy a note from Notion to my WordPress site. It’s great.

With all these different paths to go down, note taking methods to use, and document formats to embrace, I think I’ve finally come to know, at the least, what I am looking for in a note-taking app.

Note-taking Workflow

Let’s first start off with my workflow. It’s constantly shifting, especially when I discover other tools and apps that offer unique features that can potentially enhance data retrieval. Typically, however, I want my note-taking app to be flexible. It should be able to view data in different ways, and allow me to throw anything into it and at it.

When it comes to data, I love referencing websites. Sometimes I’ll stick a YouTube video in a note. I’ll quote a book. Sometimes I’ll sketch something out. Ideally, I can have these things all in one place, easily editable, and non-destructive.

However, I also value simplicity in my notes. My notes are laid out from top-to-bottom; an infinite canvas in every direction is a bit much. I only need basic formatting. And I want my notes to live in a place that makes sense.

When it comes to workflow, I aim to be as simple as possible. Otherwise I will get bogged down in the process and lose focus.

Note-taking Structure

In terms of structure, my notes are pieces of thought. Other thoughts can be connected together with a link, and thoughts should be complete and organized.

When it comes to finding a thought, the app I’m using (or even the system folder structure) should support excellent search. I love search; it helps me work faster. With search, I can be a little more loose in terms of tagging or linking; ideally, using the same keywords without any extra formatting should give a fuzzy view of how notes are connected.

If everything else fails and search is broken, the simplest and most basic level of organizing should help me find my notes in a folder or container that makes sense. I like the idea of silos: a silo for meetings, a silo for projects, a silo for that free online class I’m taking. The simplest form of this is a hierarchical folder format. However, some sort of system that can allow files to span silos would be excellent.

That’s the structure. Oh, and one more important thing to say about notes: I do not use them for task management. Notes contain information, tasks contain dates about when to act on information. I might list down action items in a meeting note, but I would then move those to Things or my calendar and schedule them. Tasks are different types of data that should have their own specific UI that allows users to surface dates and information in date-based views that make sense.

Ideal Note-taking App Features

With all that being said, below are a list of features I believe my ideal note-taking app should have. If my ideal app was found lacking in one of these areas, it would need to excel in one or many others in order for it to be worth it.

https://www.macstories.net/stories/fast-capture-with-quick-note-for-ipad-and-mac-the-macstories-overview/

Fast Idea Capturing

When I’m capturing an idea, I’m usually in another app on my computer, out in the world, or just generally doing something. When I have an idea, I generally try to keep it in my brain until I’m able to get it down onto something. Because of this, it is imperative that I am able to quickly capture the idea wherever I am or during whatever I’m doing.

This means that the app should be fast to open, have a minimal UI that doesn’t get in the way, and acts in a predictable manner. Other benefits would include having a UI where my quick captures could be easily surfaced later on, support templates, and offer a lot of quick gestures.

Some apps are notable for the lack of these features. For example, opening up Obsidian on my iPhone usually finds me waiting upwards of like 30 seconds as files sync down. Opening up Notion might throw me into a page, might throw me home, or it might throw me out (a.k.a I’ll have to sign in again). When I open Craft it’s not immediately clear which space I’m in. So, with all of these things battling for my attention, I’m already losing my idea (and my sanity) because I’m trying to find context to help my brain figure out where the heck I am!

Likewise, a solution like Apple Notes or Bear is simple, elegant, and fast. I open the app, hit the “plus” button, and start writing. These apps also spit my notes into a general feed sorted by recently modified, allowing me to see what I just wrote at a later time when I can process it.

https://www.macstories.net/reviews/craft-review-a-powerful-native-notes-and-collaboration-app/

Easy Note Organization

Of course, after capturing a note, the next important thing would be to organize my notes. A simple, flexible organizational structure is preferred. Ideally I would like something a little more flexible than OneNote (a system that holds notes inside of a section, which are inside notebooks), but more structured than Bear (a reverse chronological feed with tagged views).

The ability to link notes together and to create connections is another essential for me. I love data, I love trends, and I love being able to see how ideas link to each other. At the least, I would love to be able to have a folder of meetings and link a specific meeting to a note in my Projects folder. That way, if I’m looking for meetings, I can find the one I’m looking for and also see what projects are associated with it (because honestly, how many meetings are just about one project?). Similarly within a project: I want to open up my project note and see what meetings I’ve had regarding that project.

I’ll save the rest for the review, but Apple Notes would be the perfect solution for me if I were able to link notes. But I am not, and Apple Notes isn’t.

Finally, good search, quick switching, and OCR are imperative. I want to be able to throw a query into a search box (preferably with a keyboard shortcut) and get a list of suggested notes back, fast.

https://www.cultofmac.com/542753/drafts-5-ios-notes-app/

Mobile Notes As A Priority

These note-taking apps should have mobile devices as a development priority. This means having similar editing features as their desktop counterparts, optimizing the app for the small screen, using gestures, and being able to stay in sync even when the app isn’t open. The goal is to remove friction when it comes to inputting ideas from my head into my most accessible device.

Also, iPad support! Listen, I want to live in this seemingly hard-to-reach future where I can just do everything on my iPad. And for the most part, text editing on an iPad is a solved problem. Just… it isn’t with some of these note-taking solutions. Some apps don’t have keyboard shortcut support. Or put an iPhone-sized UI on an iPad. Or are less powerful than their Mac alternatives (which is just inexcusable, especially since I can run full DaVinci Resolve on my iPad).

No matter the device, a native app would be preferred, since that usually means it will perform faster, be more reliable, and have awesome system-level integrations such as home screen widgets, lock screen widgets, and integration into the Share sheet.

Consistent Note Editing Experience

Writing notes is up there with capturing and organization in terms of importance. After all, if I can’t effectively edit my thoughts, what’s the point?

When it comes to taking notes, I like to style them as I go. This helps me create visual hierarchy as I type, and allows me to mark items with colors or formatting to help make important information pop out for later.

This was, and still seems to be, Evernote’s achilles heel. Formatting and layout still seem to be different across devices, and, as we’ll get into later, their formatting seems to use HTML (or something similar to Microsoft Word), so there’s no telling what formatting is hard-coded into the note.

Back in 2017, this is why I was originally drawn to Notion: Their mobile app seemed to have all the same formatting features that their desktop app had, and it was clean. OneNote did not, and still does not, have support for headings on iPhone, a crucial feature I use all the time. Unfortunately, Notion has also began to make some of its functionality desktop-only (such as creating a Team Space), which makes it impossible to use with just a phone or a tablet.

Okay. Also. Keyboard shortcuts are essential. A “command palette” is also cool. As long as I can keep my hands on the keyboard to navigate around the UI, I’m a happy camper. The same applies to gestures when I’m on mobile.

https://obsidian.md/

Markdown Support

Mentioned briefly above, I would love for my note-taking app to have support for Markdown. Preferable I can still use shortcuts like CMD+B for making text bold, or have the markdown syntax hidden while editing, but in general I would prefer all my notes have this standard markup syntax.

The benefits to Markdown are numerous: data portability, ease of reading, simple to learn and use… but most importantly, for me, is that other, more legacy, document writers or experiences (typically in the Microsoft or Google camps) tend to junk up content with syntax. Especially when it comes to fonts.

Listen. I’m writing a note. I could not care less what sans-serif font my document is using. Let me bold, italicize, and maybe even color text. But I don’t need the option to set a different font for every single letter. Knowing that solutions like Word and Evernote (and maybe Apple Notes) are out there using custom styling and structures to handle fonts, sizes, line spacing, and other customizations on a letter-by-letter basis bogs my mind down.

How many times have you pasted something into an email, and now the second half of your email looks different than the first half? That’s what I want to avoid. I know that you can paste without formatting, but not always (especially on mobile), and I would prefer to eliminate that possibility altogether.

I feel Markdown solves all of these issues. At least to my mind, it feels like it’s a lighter experience, and it translates well to other apps. After all, what’s lighter than plain-text? Plain-text is the best text.

Portable Notes and Data

They’re my notes, it’s my data. I should be able to move my data to-and-fro without any hiccups. Please no proprietary formatting… especially if the documents are saved as Markdown, portability should be easy-peasy.

Please keep my note-to-note links. Keeping my “date created” would also be nice. All the ways I’ve customized my notes should be portable, somehow. As spec’ed out above, I’m not asking for a lot of customization here.

Ultimately: If I cannot export my data from your system, and import my data back into the same system, AND have my imports look the same as when they were exported, you have failed. So much software drops the ball HARD in this area. I’m looking at you, Google Photos.

https://fibery.io/blog/fibery-vs-coda-the-power-of-workarounds/

External Data Connections

…mostly, files. But also Google Drive and other integrations.

I was going to put this section in the “nice to haves,” but I realized that I do put a lot documents, images, links, and PDFs into my notes. Typically as reference, usually as a way to let OCR do its magic so that finding a document and related notes is easy. So yeah, good support for links, embeds, attachments, and OCR would be great.

Sharing and Collaboration

This is a surprisingly hard area for the majority of note-taking apps to occupy: collaboration. These are text files with attachments. Why do some solutions, like Bear, Obsidian, and SimpleNote make it impossible to collaborate on not just a folder of notes, but even just one note? Or others, like (eh hem) OneNote or Craft, make it so you can only share a ‘space’ of notes for collaboration?

I also want to be clear, here: all these apps allow you to share a note. Typically, it’s a copy of the note. What I’m talking about is collaboration, the ability to work on notes with, say, a spouse.

I know there are workarounds and some solutions for something like Obsidian. I know you can collaborate on a note in Keep. There are a few solutions that do an excellent job at this, like Apple Notes and Notion. I think Microsoft Loop might be up there too. It’s been a while but I think Evernote did this well.

An extra perk: Being able to publish the note publicly online. Craft, Evernote, and Notion do a good job at this, with some having more refined features than others. Personally I love how Craft presents their online documents.

Reasonable Price

I think this is the primary reason I’m writing an article series about note-taking apps: the price structure of some of these apps make them hit-or-miss.

Recently, Craft re-architected their pricing. Generally their new model is a huge upgrade to free users: they now have a really, really good app to use with no unreasonable limitations! But for someone like me who is sharing a space with my wife, their removal of the “guest” experiences in exchange for “team members” (paid per seat, per team) means I could be paying double (or 1.5x) as much as I used to. Craft, the app that me and my wife seemed to enjoy the most together, basically just cratered our experience because of their cost structure.

In general, ideally the price to save my notes would be free, but I’m okay with paying a monthly sum for the benefit of sync and backup. I’m most comfortable at paying around $5/month, and $12/month would be stretching it. The simpler your app, the cheaper it should be (like in Bear’s case). Ideally the app would also take advantage of Apple’s family sharing. It’s just me and my wife (and let’s be honest, it’s mostly just me), so I don’t think I should have to pay crazy money.

https://dayoneapp.com/guides/tips-and-tutorials/day-one-for-watchos/

Nice-to-Haves

Finally, these features would be nice but are not necessary:

Notion Features

The embed support Notion has is just… awesome. It’s something I wish were in apps like Craft and Obsidian. Being able to stick a YouTube video, Google Doc, or Figma design in my note and have it display inline is just so cool. It really helps integrate the experience and build a “one source of truth”.

Table support is nice! Again, Notion does this well, with both its simple tables and its databases. I love me a good database, and it’s nice to not have to pop out to Excel or Airtable (though it’s not a problem if I have to).

Still looking at Notion, the idea of block-based-editing is incredible. Hitting CMD+A to select everything in “just a block” is perfect. It makes it easier to manage content, and my brain can get behind the “styles” just affecting a single piece of content. Moving and managing content is a lot easier that way too. A close second in terms of experience is something that editors like Obsidian and VSCode do, which is the ability to move items line-by-line. Anything here is better than the traditional, Microsoft Word and Google Docs-based, way of moving bullet lists, for example. Give me drag handles or keyboard shortcuts, please!

Extensibility and Flexibility

Rich API support would be great, too. Even if it’s just support for the Apple Shortcuts app, being able to automate any sort of data management or link apps is super nice! Raycast support would also be a nice-to-have. Ultimately, however, this is not a need, and ideally a good note-taking app would have a good enough out-of-the-box experience.

Being able to view my notes on the web is cool for those times I’m using a Windows computer, but since I’m firmly planted in the Apple Ecosystem, a native app will do just fine. Also, a native app is preferred to a web view.

I love the idea of taking notes on the go with my Apple Watch. I’ve never had a good experience doing that, and it’s always faster to pull out my phone, but I can dream!

Organization and Input-types

Tags. Tags! I like the idea of tagging things. Though, outside of DayOne, I haven’t found a good method for tagging. It’s also usually inconsistent across services (Bear, Obsidian, OneNote) or non-existent in others (Notion or Craft). At this point I don’t know what I would do with tags (especially if the app has support for note linking), but as an idea it’s cool. Tags.

Finally, the ability to hand-write notes on my iPad and to have them searchable, editable, and contextualized. Obviously Apple Notes nails this experience. It would be nice for other apps to have it too!

What’s Next

Based on the stipulations above, I’m going to spend some of my free time re-evaluating the note-taking apps I’ve used and will publish some reviews based on my findings.

Ultimately though, we know that this is just a cover for me to keep me from being productive in other areas of life

Blink and you’ll miss it

Mon, 27 Mar 2023 04:58:00 +0000

My wife takes some amazing photos. She has a lot of great thoughts and is very clever and creative. Please consider checking out her work 🙂

Blink and you’ll miss it

Siri and the Smart Home

Wed, 07 Dec 2022 05:45:00 +0000

With the news of Google cutting its budget around Assistant, and with Amazon in a similar position of losing a potential $10 billion on Alexa and other smart devices, I’m again intrigued by the smart home echo system and have many thoughts on this sector of technology.

These thoughts also come because, as this is the holiday season, Amazon and Google are having fire sales on their respective assistant devices. And while the technologist in me wants to buy them all (even though I already have a version of a Nest Mini or Echo Show in one form or another), I know I’m in for disappointment.

But since I hate myself, I’ve gotten these devices out to test again; and I’m once again reminded why I’ve invested in the Siri/HomeKit ecosystem and sold my Amazon and Google devices. Here’s a short list why:

Media playback

This is, perhaps, the biggest reason I prefer Siri to the other assistants. When it comes to media playback, and control from personal devices (like an iPhone), Siri takes the cake. I can request a song from Siri, and it generally plays what I want it to. If it misses what I said, AirPlaying to the HomePods is a piece of cake. In addition, if anything on the network is playing, I can easily control playback from my phone, tablet, or even watch.

Google comes close with Chromecast, but I’ve never had luck with Chromecast being reliable.

This is in stark contrast to Alexa’s experience. Yikes. While you can (sometimes) control media playback on devices from the Alexa app, it’s incredible bare-bones and barely integrates with anything outside of Amazon Music. If I ask it to play something and it gets it wrong, I can’t go into the app and get it to play the right song.

And multi-user playback? Forget about it. While Apple and Google will recognize voices and play from the appropriate account and streaming service, Alexa is tied to the primary user’s account, and you can’t change it per voice profile (there is functionality for this in each voice profile, but I haven’t seen any Music Skill enable it). Amazon is also at a disadvantage as it cannot provide OS-level integration like Google or Apple can. This results in Alexa’s experience feeling bug-ridden, accident-prone, and isolated.

Home Control

While Apple has the least number of supported devices out of the big three assistants, it does have some major benefits: one, Matter and Thread support is already here and is completely supported. Two, home requests are local and, as a result, fast. Also, no annoying ads or “did you know”s from the assistant.

Customization/Hacking

Plus, with all that local support for devices, I can use solutions like Home Assistant and Homebridge to add unsupported devices and experiences to my Home app. And it works great! Plus, for extra control, I can set up Shortcuts. How is Apple the most customizable solution here?

Downsides

What do I find lacking in the Apple Ecosystem, though? The device ecosystem, and specifically: a photo frame. Google absolutely nails this experience with its Nest Hub, and I wish Apple would provide something similar in price, functionality, and stature.

In that vein, the lack of “forms” (and prices) Siri can take is also disappointing. An Echo Dot being sold for $15 is exactly why I would want to use that device: a cheap, good-enough-sounding speaker I can put anywhere! (and I’m in love with the idea of the Flex!) It’s well worth the price considering how many of those I could purchase for the price of one HomePod. Ah well.

And one final quibble: I can’t set default speaker groups in the Home app. But that’s a fine price to pay for everything else working so well.

Hello world!

Sun, 22 May 2022 13:18:00 +0000

Welcome to the revamp of my personal site.

I'm going to focus on making this my space for tech ramblings, photography, and experiences living in a new state.

It's also going to be a test bed for WordPress development, with a theme designed by myself.

Welcome! It's great to have you.

Comcast’s Data Caps in a COVID-19 World

Sun, 29 Nov 2020 00:00:00 +0000

By Dan Passen, Andreas Reif, and Stephen Passen

Earlier this week, Comcast announced that Xfinity customers in the northeast will be restricted to 1.2 terabytes of data per month, unless they wish to pay a hefty surcharge. This decision by Comcast is more than just another black mark on an abysmal 2020, as it plays a critical role in the future of the American economy, technological innovation, and the individual entrepreneur.

In the northeast, it is difficult to argue that Comcast does not have a monopoly on the internet market. No thanks to ill-informed state and local governance, along with deceptive tactics from Comcast, the consumer has been left to foot a hefty, unavoidable expense.

America, built on the success stories of small business and aspiring entrepreneurs, has seen an innovation boom since the inception of today’s mainstream internet. With COVID-19 dominating the globe, the internet has proven to be a God send, enabling much of the modern American workforce to work from home and maintain a sense of normalcy.

With the pandemic, home internet usage has skyrocketed. Comcast, rather than paying it forward and working to help struggling Americans, has once again proven to be the villain of the story. Not only has their speed throttling become more apparent since the pandemic began, but now they are viewing current events with dollar signs in their eyes. As working Americans are forced to stay at home and work over their personal networks, using more data than ever before, Comcast has chosen to cap customers’ data usage and charge them more for it. This conglomerate is once again showing it not only lacks any integrity, but is willing to lie to its customers to make a dollar.

Comcast has tried to fight the backlash from consumers by claiming that this decision was made to protect infrastructure and service stability, but not only is this not how networking operates, studies have shown that US networks have held up well to the increasing demands consumers need. Data caps do not account for when data was used, only for how much data was used. Comcast already implemented ways to protect their service stability earlier this year, as they announced that they will be throttling speeds during peak usage hours. Not only is this data cap dishonest and abusing monopolistic privileges, but it doesn’t even differentiate between data used during peak versus slow hours. How can a data cap be for the health of a network when that cap also penalizes off-hour traffic?

Comcast’s toxic behavior extends beyond the consumer market: Comcast has shown in the past that it favors its own services over those created by other companies, by prioritizing network traffic from its own services (such as Peacock) while throttling others (such as Netflix and Hulu) unless they pay Comcast extra. This causes prices to go up in competing services, giving Comcast an unfair advantage while also allowing them to double dip on both sides of the connection. Instead of acting solely as a utility by which customers send and receive data just as they do water or electricity, Comcast has positioned itself as a gatekeeper for consumers and businesses alike.

Comcast can get away with this without fear due to municipal monopolies. In New Hampshire, in an effort to cut costs on a local level, many of our towns allowed Comcast to build their own infrastructure without any fair-use clauses. Rather than partially footing the bill, the towns completely passed it off. With this decision, Comcast now has the right to reject any incoming competition, because they can refuse to allow other companies to utilize their infrastructure. As a result, that competition would be forced to not only spend millions of dollars to duplicate the infrastructure already put in place by Comcast, but cause massive disruptions to the general public during construction and implementation of said infrastructure if it were to hope to receive a client base in any section of the Granite State.

Today, millions are forced to work from home and attend classes online. Based on current trends and recent news, this will be the case for the foreseeable future. Not only is Comcast performing a dishonest money grab, they are doing so while Americans are at their most vulnerable.

We cannot continue to allow Comcast to dominate the market like it has been for years. Our state and local governments must stand up for their residents and tell Comcast to stand down. More than a quarter century into the Information Age, there is no excuse for our government leaders to not be informed on basic tech and data policy. We must begin pushing back on Comcast and work to bring in fair and legitimate competition if we hope to return rights to consumers. While we face one of the greatest global challenges in nearly a century, now is not the time to be nickel and diming Americans when they are struggling the most.

Bio of the Authors:

Dan Passen and Andreas Reif are media and digital communications professionals.

Stephen Passen is a Cyber Security professional specializing in Threat Intelligence and Incident Response, with almost a decade of industry experience.