Home on Tim Bueno

Introducing Leaf

Mon, 16 Feb 2026 00:00:00 +0000

Leaf — Dev Log #1: Sync Works

For the past few months, I’ve been working on a new app.

I wasn’t planning to. I already maintain four other apps and have a full-time job as an electrical engineer. That feels like enough most days. But this idea has been sitting in the back of my head for years, and I finally gave in.

So I’m building Leaf, an EPUB reader for the kind of person I am.

Here’s Leaf, as it exists today:

Leaf syncs your library and reading progress across iOS, iPadOS, and macOS using CloudKit. It will be subscription-based. The goal is to keep it sustainable long term without turning it into something noisy or bloated.

This post kicks off a dev log series. It’s mostly for me and future me. I want a record of what I was thinking, what I broke, and what changed as I built this.

This week felt like a real milestone.

Sync works.

Leaf is for a specific kind of reader.

The one with a carefully organized Calibre or BookLore library. The one who reads on an e-ink device but occasionally switches to their phone. The one who’s tired of “sync” meaning “usually.”

That’s me.

What I wanted didn’t really exist on iOS: reliable sync with KOReader on my e-ink device of choice and the ability to manually push and pull reading progress when I want to.

In Leaf:

Leaf-to-Leaf sync is automatic.
KOReader sync is manual and explicit.
You can see timestamps and device origin.
Conflicts are surfaced and you decide which one wins.

You know where you are in your book better than the app does.

Right now, syncing from KOReader lands you in the right general spot, usually within a page or so. Different fonts, margins, and screen sizes make perfect alignment unrealistic, but it’s close enough to start using.

The important part is that it behaves the way I expect it to.

I’m also experimenting with a small annual visual tracker. For each book finished between January 1 and December 31, a leaf drifts down from the top of the Home view. It resets each year. Maybe you’ll be able to look back at prior years. I’m still figuring that out.

It’s subtle. No streak pressure. Just a quiet record of the year.

My first app, Bound, is still my most successful. I’m proud of it.

But it was the first app I ever wrote. The architecture is rigid. The data model wasn’t designed around sync. And the most requested feature for years has been cross-device syncing.

For various reasons, that hasn’t happened yet. Legacy structure. Data model limitations. And I don’t trust Core Data’s sync story enough to build something this critical on top of it.

Leaf is me starting over with a sync-first data model. It’s also the first app where I’ve taken testing seriously from day one. That alone changes how I feel about touching the database.

CloudKit makes things permanent. Once a schema is live, it’s live. You don’t casually remove fields or restructure things without thinking about older versions of the app still out there.

That’s part of why I’m a little nervous. I want to be confident in the schema before I start syncing real reading data across devices.

But I’m close.

Now I need to actually use it.

The plan is to start dogfooding Leaf across my phone and KOReader and read a full book, not just a few pages while testing.

If it holds up, Leaf becomes my primary reader. If it breaks, I fix it.

Either way, it’s time to find out.

My January 2026 Media Diet

Sun, 01 Feb 2026 00:00:00 +0000

January brought a lot of snow to NYC, and I leaned into it by playing a ton of video games and watching a lot of movies. I had hoped to launch a new app this month, but… that didn’t happen. I’m probably another month out. Oh well. I’m trying not to beat myself up about it. I program for fun, not to give myself a second job, even when it occasionally starts to feel like one.

Here is everything else I did last month:

📺 Stranger Things: Final Season. Meh. This show had so much potential, but it feels like they waited way too long to wrap it up. The kids are kids no longer and the adults have turned into commandos. It was entertaining enough, but not in a way I’ll ever really think about again.

📺 Adventure Time. Rewatching this for the umpteenth time while cooking and cleaning around the house. Still holds up. Comfort TV in the purest form.

🍿 Caught Stealing. The back half of this thriller was genuinely fun. I loved the Jewish strongman scenes and the propulsive pacing kept me engaged. That said, an early death isn’t given nearly the emotional weight it deserves, and the movie never quite recovers from that loss. The motivation just isn’t there.

🕹️ The Legend of Zelda: The Minish Cap. I started and stopped this multiple times this month, and not because it’s bad. It’s great. I think I’m just juggling too many hobbies right now. I’ll dive back in eventually.

🕹️ Despelote. An excellent short, narrative-driven game about being a kid in Ecuador during the country’s World Cup run. The art style, gameplay, and story all feel deeply intentional. A small game that left a big impression.

📺 Fallout. This show is just plain fun. It has no right to be as good as it is. It doesn’t take itself too seriously, and when it does, mostly in the flashbacks, it hits the tone just right. I’m not ready to say it’s a better adaptation than The Last of Us, but I definitely enjoyed it more than that show’s second season.

📺 Badly in Love. Terrace House, but for messy people. Fun while it lasted, but I’m not sure I’ll be tuning in for season two.

🕹️ Lumines Arise. The Tetris Effect team revisiting Lumines with the same audiovisual treatment, and it rules. Breaking blocks to the swell of music never gets old. The rap tracks are a great touch.

🕹️ The Midnight Walk. Walking simulators are having a moment, and this one stands out. It feels like wandering through The Nightmare Before Christmas. Gorgeous presentation, fun light puzzle mechanics, and stealth sections that never overstay their welcome. The story is solid, if a bit predictable.

🍿 Predator: Badlands. Is Predator good again? Prey was excellent, and this keeps the momentum going. The studio should do whatever it takes to keep Dan Trachtenberg involved. He clearly understands this franchise.

📺 The Great Pottery Throw Down. It’s back. The best competition show judge in the game returns to cry over plates, bowls, and occasionally toilet seats. No notes.

🍿 Repo Man. I’ve always been curious about this one and finally gave it a shot after reading that PTA hosted a private screening. Honestly? I don’t get it. Maybe I’m missing something, but this just didn’t click for me at all.

🍿 The Prophecy. I watched this after reading an article about portrayals of Lucifer in film, which says a lot about the kind of media hole I fell into this month. Christopher Walken kind of nails it though. To be fair, he just has to talk and you’re locked in.

🕹️ Öoo. This not-quite-metroidvania is very good. The movement mechanics are the real star. You constantly have moments where something feels impossible until it suddenly isn’t. More games like this, please.

📺 Loot. Really enjoying this sitcom. Does Apple TV ever miss? Everything I’ve watched there has ranged from good to great. Looking forward to season four whenever it shows up.

🍿 The Rip. A surprisingly fun Netflix movie. Matt Damon and Ben Affleck doing their usual banter still works, and the supporting cast, especially Steven Yeun and Teyana Taylor, is strong. I assume they’ll try to turn this into a franchise and it will get progressively worse. Too cynical? Probably not.

🕹️ Uncharted 4: A Thief’s End. I’ve wanted to play this for years and a Steam sale finally pushed me over the edge. This game is legendary for a reason. The platforming, combat, and story come together into one of the best cinematic gaming experiences I’ve ever had. Highly recommended.

🍿 Dune. Not sure why, but I felt the urge to revisit this recently. I still prefer the sequel, but this is a masterclass in worldbuilding and vibes. The ornithopter rescue alone is worth the rewatch.

🍿 Dune: Part Two. As mentioned above, this is my preferred Dune. The infrared combat sequence is one of the most striking scenes I’ve seen in years. Just incredible filmmaking.

🍿 Abigail. If you’ve read these posts before, you know I love a good vampire movie. This one was fun and didn’t overstay its welcome, which already puts it ahead of a lot of the genre.

🕹️ No Rest for the Wicked. The studio behind Ori and the Blind Forest trying their hand at a Diablo-style ARPG has me very interested. It’s still early access, but I can already see this becoming a great co-op game with friends once it’s finished.

🕹️ Cult of the Lamb. Few indie games have hooked me like this. The loop of Hades-style combat followed by cult management is dangerously effective. They absolutely nailed the “just one more run” feeling. Especially excited to dig into the new expansion.

🍿 Blade Runner 2049. Apparently this underperformed financially, which is wild. This movie goes hard. You can clearly see the connective tissue to Dune. I think there are a few more Denis Villeneuve rewatches in my near future, and I’m very curious about his take on James Bond.

🍿 Your Name. What can I say? This movie rules. Stunning animation and a deeply heartfelt story. I’ve watched it twice now and was completely captivated both times.

🍿 Constantine. Another entry in my ongoing “Lucifer in cinema” phase. I loved this when I was 16, and while a lot of it is nostalgia, Peter Stormare’s portrayal of the devil is still incredible. I spent the whole movie waiting for that scene, and it absolutely delivers.

My December 2025 Media Diet

Thu, 01 Jan 2026 00:00:00 +0000

December, as always, flew by, and this year was no exception. Work hit full crunch mode with end-of-year deliverables, and my whirlwind tour of family and friends in Ohio mostly went according to plan, aside from a few airport-related hiccups (boo Spirit, boo Delta). I played a wide variety of video games, spent way too much money during the Steam Winter Sale, and only just realized that I played almost everything I bought through GameHub Lite on my Ayn Odin 2 Portal. Android gaming handhelds are the future, folks.

I’m hoping to ship a few app updates next month and, if all goes according to plan, finally launch the first version of my new app. Stay tuned.

Oh, and here’s what else I was up to:

🍿 Secret Mall Apartment. Probably about half an hour too long, but still a genuinely fascinating story. The early 2000s really were a simpler time, before everything was optimized, surveilled, and monetized to death.

🏎️ 2025 Formula One World Championship. This season went right down to the wire and I loved almost every race. Norris earned the championship, no question, but it really does feel like Piastri got robbed along the way. Also, should I feel bad that I was rooting for Max at the end? The guy is a missile. 👍

🕹️ Yoku’s Island Express. Pinball metroidvania is an insane pitch and somehow it works. I put this down about halfway through, but I’m absolutely coming back to it. I’ve never played anything quite like it, and that alone makes it special. 👍

🍿 Frankenstein. I wanted to like this more than I did. It held my attention, but by the end I was mostly bored. The split perspective between the monster and Dr. Frankenstein is a strong idea, but it never fully pays off.

🍿 Wake Up Dead Man. I don’t think any of the Knives Out sequels will ever hit the highs of the first movie. That said, I liked this a lot more than Glass Onion. I enjoy the Agatha Christie-style plotting, but something still felt off. I seem to be in the minority though, since everyone else I’ve talked to loved it.

🍿 It Ends. This feels like a movie that only ever existed on the festival circuit for a reason. The first third is genuinely compelling, but it becomes so repetitive that I struggled to stay engaged by the end. Not surprised this never got a proper release.

🕹️ Sea of Stars. I bounced off this years ago on Xbox after getting stuck early, which always annoyed me because I love Chrono Trigger-style RPGs and the visuals here are incredible. I gave it another shot and honestly have no idea what my problem was the first time. The game is pretty easy. Great combat, beautiful pixel art, and a story that’s finally got its hooks in me. Fully addicted now. Highly recommended. 👍

📺 Sean Combs: The Reckoning. I expected this to be four episodes cataloging various “freak-offs” and it ended up being something very different. Instead, it completely dismantled the myth of Diddy as a genius and, unfortunately, changed how I listen to Biggie’s still-great catalog. Not a fun watch, but an eye-opening one. 👍

🕹️ Megabonk. This is basically 3D Vampire Survivors. It’s absolutely a rip-off, but somehow it clicks in ways that Vampire Survivors doesn’t for me. I’d love to see multiplayer added. Perfect “five spare minutes” game. 👍

🕹️ StarVaders. Sleeper hit of the year. A smart deck builder with light tactics elements that feels immediately good to play. You probably haven’t touched this yet. You should fix that. 👍

🍿 The Running Man. This is a huge miss. Edgar Wright has made some of my favorite movies ever, including Scott Pilgrim vs. the World and Shaun of the Dead, but this doesn’t even measure up to the mediocre 80s version. Deeply disappointing.

🕹️ Star of Providence. This Videogamedunkey-produced game is very good. A tight, pick-up-and-play twin-stick bullet hell shooter with enough variety to keep runs feeling fresh. Also surprisingly cheap. Easy recommendation. 👍

🍿 Stand by Me. Still just as affecting as ever. Peak Rob Reiner for me, and a perfect example of Stephen King’s range beyond horror. 👍

🍿 Five Nights at Freddy’s 2. This is a bad movie, but I kind of like Josh Hutcherson now? And apparently these movies make a ton of money. I don’t understand it, but clearly someone does.

🍿 Sisu: Road to Revenge. Finnish old man John Wick. The revenge story itself didn’t really work for me, but some of the action sequences absolutely rip.

🍿 Marty Supreme. I saw this on New Year’s Eve and it immediately shot into my top five movies of the year. Timothée Chalamet is an absolute force here, and Safdie’s direction is as sharp as ever. It’s been fascinating watching the Safdie brothers take solo swings this year, and I think Josh came out on top this time. The casting alone is wild. Kevin O’Leary, Penn Jillette, Fran Drescher, Tyler, the Creator, and somehow all of them work? Any other year, this would’ve been my number one. 👍

My November 2025 Media Diet

Sun, 07 Dec 2025 00:00:00 +0000

Not a ton of media this past month, and yes, this post is a week late, but I’ve been busy. Really busy working on a new app (👀). It started out as a way for me to get up to speed with the current LLM-assisted coding tools (Claude Code is wild), but it quickly grew into something much bigger. I’m excited for it to eventually come out, hopefully in the first quarter of next year. I want to get back to modernizing my first app, Bound, but that’s on the back burner while I learn a few new things. The wait will be worth it.

Here’s what I was up to last month when I wasn’t staring at Xcode:

📺 Hellsing Ultimate. Started watching this in the Halloween afterglow but fell off before finishing. Alucard is fun, but also kind of insufferable. Zero character depth and not much development to latch onto.

🍿 HIM. A fever dream of a movie that could have worked with a few tweaks. Ultimately mediocre at best and probably skippable.

🍿 Bugonia. Loved this. Instantly one of my favorites of the year. Great performances all around and I love that the movie really commits in the final act.

📺 The Summer Hikaru Died. I love the concept, even if the execution is uneven. You jump straight into the plot with almost no setup, and the missing prologue gets filled in with scattered flashbacks. The melancholy vibe worked for me. I did think this was a one-off mini series, so learning that there are multiple seasons planned took some wind out of my sails.

🍿 Good Fortune. Funny and irreverent, but also a little tone deaf considering the current economic climate.

🕹️ Pokémon Legends Z-A. More Pokémon. It’s the same. It’s different. The opening hours were decent, but when I put it down, I never think about picking it back up. Hard to ignore that the biggest franchise in the world still has mediocre graphics and no voice acting. I’ll probably finish it someday, but no promises.

🕹️ Devil’s Crush. I love pinball and especially pinball video games. This Turbografx-16 classic is fantastic. Great animations and fluid physics, even if it’s a bit too fast and chaotic at times. Still one of the best virtual tables I’ve played.

📺 Parks and Recreation. Probably my fifth or sixth full rewatch at this point. I think I mentioned it last month. I finished it. Still comfort food.

🍿 The Smashing Machine. Bennie Safdie tries to capture some Uncut Gems energy with another unconventional lead, but it doesn’t land the same way. A bit too serious, some odd casting choices, and ultimately too sad for me.

🍿 A House of Dynamite. Enjoyed the ride, hated the ending. It gets repetitive and there’s no real payoff between acts. Kathryn Bigelow is a great director, but this one missed for me. I blame Netflix.

🍿 The Roses. Went in with low expectations and mostly enjoyed it. The feud escalates way too high at the end and wraps up predictably, but it’s a fun Saturday night watch with friends.

📺 I Love LA. Surprise hit of the month. It’s part Broad City and part Atlanta, which is exactly my thing. I’m looking forward to every episode.

🍿 Boogie Nights. One of my all-time favorites and absolutely deserving of a rewatch, especially since Emily had never seen it. PTA at his peak.

🍿 Marie Antoinette. Beautifully shot, light on plot, even lighter on historical accuracy (which I’m fine with). Ultimately goes nowhere, but it sure is pretty.

My October 2025 Media Diet

Sat, 01 Nov 2025 00:00:00 +0000

Another month, another “I can’t believe how fast it went” intro paragraph. This time I actually have an excuse, October was packed. My brother visited from Seattle, and all three of us brothers had birthdays (plus the usual birthday-adjacent festivities). I also spent a week in Paris, checking off the classic tourist stops and narrowly avoiding being implicated in the Louvre jewel heist. I have an alibi, I swear.

Since it was October, I naturally watched a bunch of horror movies. And I celebrated the return of my favorite YouTube channel, Bonsai Releaf. Seriously, go watch. One video a year, pure bliss.

Here’s what else I got up to last month:

📺 The Paper. I didn’t want to watch this Office spinoff. I’ve always been more of a Parks and Recreation guy myself (sorry, it’s the better show). That said, I kind of liked this a lot? The characters are fun, and I’ve got a soft spot for shows set in Ohio.

🍿 The Witches of Eastwick. I’d never seen or even heard of this before. Once I finally watched it (and its wild cast), I started seeing references to it everywhere. I love these goofy, horror-adjacent movies. They just don’t make them like this anymore. Better than I expected.

📖 Dungeon Crawler Carl by Matt Dinniman. This book is everywhere on Hardcover and (I hear) BookTok. I burned through it quickly, so it’s safe to say I enjoyed it too. Light, loose, and reminiscent of how I felt reading Ready Player One way back when. I’ll be reading more of these between the stuffy, serious sci-fi and fantasy I usually lean toward.

🍿 The Home. Pete Davidson was given some truly terrible lines, but he delivers them about as well as anyone could. Not great overall, though the finale goes completely off the rails in a fun way.

🍿 Treasure Planet. Disney’s last hurrah for hand-drawn animation (with a few CGI bits sprinkled in). Anime has mostly filled that gap for me, but it’d be nice if Disney revisited this style once in a while.

🍿 The Conjuring: Last Rites. I liked the early Conjuring entries, but I’m not sure how this series has survived this long. I get it—they’re cash cows—but I’m struggling to see what people love about this one. Supposedly this is the “final chapter.” Sure.

🍿 Tron: Ares. As a movie, it’s… not great. But as a two-hour Nine Inch Nails music video? Fantastic. Trent Reznor is absolutely in his element here, and if you just vibe with it, it’s a great time.

🍿 The Life of Chuck. A Mike Flanagan-directed Stephen King adaptation. I went in blind, which I think was the best choice. Watched it on a plane over the Atlantic en route to Paris, and it made the flight fly by. I love the recurring cast Flanagan uses in all his projects. It’s like seeing old friends again.

📺 Slow Horses. This might be the best show on TV that almost nobody’s watching. It’s so good, and this latest season is one of the strongest. Gary Oldman is perfect as Jackson Lamb, the burned-out spy. Each season feels self-contained and plays out like a novel. Watch this show.

🍿 Wolfs. This might be the ideal airplane movie. Is it good? Not really. But watching Brad Pitt and George Clooney banter like it’s some alternate-universe Ocean’s Eleven? Absolutely worth it.

📺 Make Some Noise. Dropout is back with a new season and a (mostly) familiar rotating cast. Pure comfort food. The two-week wait between episodes is agony.

📖 Absolute Batman. Scott Snyder’s DC film universe wasn’t exactly my thing, but his writing here absolutely rips. Forget everything you know about Batman and just have fun with it.

🍿 One Battle After Another. It sounds hyperbolic, but this might be one of the best films I’ve ever seen. It instantly launched itself into my all-time favorites. Every actor delivers a powerhouse performance, with DiCaprio and del Toro standing out. Also: more movies should have random rooftop parkour sequences.

📖 Children of Time by Adrian Tchaikovsky . I picked this up at a bookshop in Paris across from Notre Dame. I’m about a third of the way in, and it’s fantastic so far—big ideas, sweeping timelines, generations of evolution. That said, spider aliens? There are so many spider aliens in sci-fi. Still, Tchaikovsky weaves (heh) the lore perfectly.

🍿 The Long Walk. I read Stephen King’s novel years ago and it really stuck with me. A parable about the Vietnam War, the American draft, and its toll on youth. It’s heavy stuff. The movie doesn’t carry the same weight, but Mark Hamill alone makes it worth watching.

🕹️ Keeper. I had no idea this game even existed until the day before I played it. From the creators of Psychonauts, you play as a walking lighthouse exploring strange lands. The visuals are stunning, and the relaxed gameplay loop makes for a great chill experience. Highly recommend.

🍿 Freakier Friday. I don’t have strong childhood memories of the original (unlike most of my millennial peers), but I actually enjoyed this. It leans Disney Channel at times but avoids most of the cringy Boomer-vs-Millennial jokes that plague other remakes.

🕹️ Ball x Pit. This Balatro-like rules. A mix of Breakout, Galaga, and Vampire Survivors, you control a bouncing ball sprite fighting the armies of Hell. I bought it instantly on Switch; it’s perfect for a 20-minute play session that somehow feels productive.

📺 The Chair Company. The first episode was great, but three episodes in I’m not sure if it has the juice to carry the story (is there even a story?). If you’re curious, watch Friendship first.

📺 Splinter Cell: Deathwatch. Watching this one passively, but I like it so far. Netflix’s animation studios always do great work on these game adaptations, and this is no exception. The story’s engaging enough to keep me going.

🍿 Bone Lake. For a movie called Bone Lake, I expected a bit more… well, you know. There’s a decent Scream-style slasher buried in here, but it ultimately misses the mark.

📺 Love Island: Australia. The new season just started. I like that the Australian version runs shorter. If you think you’ll like this show, you will. If you don’t, you won’t.

🍿 Vampire in Brooklyn. I watched this purely because Wes Craven directed it. The comedy doesn’t land, and Eddie Murphy is shockingly unfunny. I expected a goofy, lovable vampire. What we get instead is basically Blade without the cool fight scenes.

📺 Ink Master. I’m going to recommend you watch Ink Master. Start with an early season; the newer ones don’t hit the same. I also know you’re not actually going to take that advice. Your loss.

🍿 It: Welcome to Derry. The CGI work in this IT spinoff is surprisingly great. I love Goonies-style adventures where kids band together against some big evil, but the military subplot feels very “Marvel”, and not in a good way.

My September 2025 Media Diet

Wed, 01 Oct 2025 00:00:00 +0000

I can’t believe it’s already October. Summer flew by, and I feel like we skipped the usual NYC dog days. Did I just black out through that stretch?

This month I upgraded a few old GameCube controllers with the 8BitDo Bluetooth Mod Kit, watched way too many videogamedunkey Twitch streams (mostly as background noise… but still), and fell down the rabbit hole of Silksong speedruns. Following along from the early days has been surprisingly gripping. Watching streamers get punished nonstop by the game while somehow shaving off time and finding new routes never gets old.

Here’s what else I got up to last month:

🍿 Thunderbolts*. This movie should have been terrible, but it was kind of OK? A bunch of B-tier superheroes and villains team up to save the day as expected, but it somehow recaptures a little of what worked in the early Marvel movies.

🕹️ Hollow Knight. I picked this up years ago on Switch and bounced off it hard—played an hour, got wrecked, never touched it again. With Silksong finally dropping this month, I gave it another shot and I’m glad I did. Beautiful visuals, a gripping (if confusing) story, and a fair but challenging gameplay loop. Playing it on my custom OLED Switch Lite made the deep blacks pop even more. 👍

🍿 Together. I liked this body horror movie well enough, but the real intrigue is the IP theft drama swirling around it.

🍿 Downton Abbey: The Grand Finale. Returning to the world of Downton feels like hanging out with old friends. I think this might be the last go-around, and it’s bittersweet. 👍

📺 Crowd Control. A Dropout spinoff from a great Game Changer episode, but it doesn’t quite land. I’ll give it a few more episodes to find its footing, but something’s missing.

📺 The Great British Bake Off. Another year, another bake-off. Who can I call to convince them the winners deserve prize money? If Love Island can cough up a quarter million, Bake-off can spring for more than a cake plate.

📺 Shiki. This 20-year-old anime, heavily inspired by ’Salem’s Lot, might be the best adaptation of that book I’ve seen. I love King’s novel, and every other attempt pales compared to Shiki. 👍

🕹️ Gato Roboto. After Hollow Knight I needed another Metroidvania, and this scratched the itch. Much easier (thank god), with a unique retro style. I loved it. Played on my Ayn Odin 2 Portal through GameHub, which worked perfectly. Android-based Steam Deck that I already had lying around? Pretty cool. 👍

📺 Marvel Zombies. Started off strong, then fell off a cliff. Skip it.

🍿 Fantastic Four: First Steps. I wanted to love this. The acting was solid, the talent was there, the set design nailed it… but it just didn’t connect. Kind of a bummer.

🕹️ Self Simulated. There’s a little wave of new Game Boy / Game Boy Color games, and I’m here for it. This might be one of the best GBC games I’ve played—fast, stylish, and perfect for five-minute bursts. 👍

📺 Love Island Games: Season 2. Peak guilty pleasure. The challenges drag on way too long, but I’m still watching.

🕹️ Big2Small. Another modern GBC game I’ve been dabbling in. One-screen puzzles where you guide animals to their food, with difficulty ramping up quick. I could see myself sticking with this one for a while. 👍

🕹️ Hades II. Only a few hours in so far, which feels like a shame because the first game is one of my all-time favorites. Everything here points to another banger, I just need to commit. 👍

My August 2025 Media Diet

Mon, 01 Sep 2025 00:00:00 +0000

August flew by. I can’t believe it’s almost fall. We booked a trip to Paris in October and I’m already counting down the days. I also migrated off of Obsidian and back to Apple Notes. That experiment ended exactly the way I expected it to — useful, but not sustainable for how I actually work.

In other news, I installed an OLED screen in my Zelda Switch Lite that I picked up in Japan last year. Taking it apart and replacing the screen was nerve-wracking, but somehow everything went smoothly. It looks incredible. And yes, I’ve had way too many matcha lattes from HEYTEA lately. No regrets. You can’t stop me.

🍿 28 Years Later. The original 28 Days Later is one of the all-time great zombie movies. Weeks wasn’t nearly as strong, but I still had high hopes for this third entry. I think those hopes were mostly met. The jump scares were solid and I liked the exploration of how a post-zombie-apocalyptic world might rebuild. Two more movies are coming and I’m absolutely in. 👍

🍿 Happy Gilmore 2. The first Happy Gilmore is comfort food for me. I’ve seen it at least a dozen times. This sequel leans hard into fan service and I think that was the right move. Not high cinema, but a fun two-hour hang.

📺 Foundation (Season 3). Season 1 was kind of a slog, but I’m all in now. The time-jumping structure keeps things fresh and Lee Pace as Empire is just incredible. The themes are very Dune, which makes sense for a sci-fi story from the 60s.

🍿 Materialists. The summer of Pedro Pascal continues. Great Friday night romcom. Celine Song is really good at this.

🕹️ South of Midnight. Stop-motion aesthetic, bayou setting, light platforming and action puzzles. The ending sequence didn’t quite land and the controls are a bit chunky, but the story kept me going.

🍿 Cloud. This Japanese film was… something. I enjoyed it, but in a “what just happened” kind of way. I thought I had the plot figured out, and then the third act totally flipped the table.

🍿 Jurassic World Rebirth. This was bad. Like, laughably bad. Why can’t we get anywhere near the quality of the first movie? Let’s ditch the mutant dinosaur horror-mashups and just give me a scary dinosaur movie with a family-friendly vibe.

📺 Gachiakuta. Freedom-fighter anime set in a trash world straight out of Elysium. Love the setting. Still warming up to the animation style.

📺 Dan Da Dan (Season 2). They changed the intro song and somehow it’s still a banger. I keep forgetting it’s airing weekly because it’s on Netflix, but every time I catch an episode, it’s a good time.

🕹️ Mafia. Picked this up for five bucks and definitely got my money’s worth. Loved the story and the atmosphere, especially the radio broadcasts and newspaper snippets. The combat and controls felt heavy though. I’ll probably continue the series, but not right away.

🍿 Weapons. Absolutely loved this. The climactic scene is worth the whole runtime. The structure was really effective and I liked that it let the twist sit and stew instead of immediately ending the story. More horror from this director, please. 👍

🕹️ Herdling. I’ll play anything Panic puts out. This one is a slow walk through the wilderness with your growing herd in a quiet post-apocalypse. I was shocked when one of my animals died and had to step away from the game for a bit. I’ll come back to it soon.

🕹️ God of War. I never had a PS2, so I missed this series back in the day. Finally played the original via emulation on my Android handheld with widescreen hacks and HD texture packs. It totally holds up. The camera control is dated, but the combat is so fluid and satisfying that I didn’t care. Planning to play God of War 2 on my next international flight. 👍

🕹️ The Rogue Prince of Persia. A roguelite version of Prince of Persia is exactly my thing. It launched on Game Pass, so of course I had to try it. The movement and combat are slick. My only complaint is that it’s not always clear where to go next, but that’s probably one Google search away from being solved.

📺 Spy × Family. I had tried starting this a few times but it never clicked. My girlfriend wanted to watch it, so we gave it another go and I’m glad we did. Season 3 comes out in October and we’re now fully on board. 👍

📺 Alien: Earth. I’ll watch anything in the Alien universe. The world is so specific and exactly what I want from horror sci-fi. This new show is hitting all the right notes. I’m only halfway through the season, but it’s already become appointment viewing on Wednesdays. 👍

📺 Platonic. Charming buddy comedy with Rose Byrne and Seth Rogen. Apple TV really nails the feel-good sitcom vibe. Season 2 is airing now and I’m still enjoying it. 👍

📺 Vampire Dormitory. Slice-of-life gay vampire anime? It somehow works. My girlfriend loved it and honestly, so did I.

🕹️ Chrono Trigger. Yes, again. I keep coming back to it, playing for a day or two, enjoying it, losing track of where I am, putting it down, and then repeating the cycle. I swear I’ll finish it someday.

🕹️ Mother 3. Finally started the fan translation of this lost GBA classic. The tone is way darker than I expected from a Nintendo game. I’m into it. The battle system isn’t fully clicking for me yet, but the world and writing are strong.

🍿 Mission: Impossible – The Final Reckoning. Took me three days to get through this, not because it’s bad (it’s actually pretty entertaining), but because I kept getting distracted. The stunts are as great as ever. The AI villain, though, feels a little too vague and hand-wavy to be compelling. Spoiler: they save the world.

🍿 I Know What You Did Last Summer. This was rough. It really wants to be Scream, but even the worst Scream movie is miles better than this.

📺 Invasion (Season 3). I liked the first two seasons, but I’m just not feeling this one yet. Only two episodes are out and I’m already wondering if I’ll keep watching.

My July 2025 Media Diet

Fri, 01 Aug 2025 00:00:00 +0000

July came and went in a blur, and honestly, I don’t have a whole lot to show for it. I helped my brother move, which mostly involved hauling heavy furniture and running CAT6 cabling. I ran some more CAT6 of my own to facilitate another wifi access point. I also played an embarrassing amount of Donkey Kong Bananza, an incredible game that’s basically consumed my free time.

My jobby-job has started picking up again after a long stretch of quiet. I’ve been poking around with Claude Code, trying to figure out how to wrangle my apps into shape for iOS 26. I hate the pressure cooker Apple creates every year. At this point, I’ve fully accepted that I’m not hitting the day-one release. Trying to build around half-baked beta APIs is exhausting and, frankly, not worth the stress.

Here is everything else I did last month:

🍿 Ballerina. I had low expectations for this movie and it was kind of great?! Ana De Armas killed it and John Wick played a much larger role than I expected. I’ll definitely watch this one again before rewatching John Wick 2 or 3. 👍

🍿 Bring Her Back. The Philippou brothers have done it again. This follow-up to 2022’s Talk To Me is everything I enjoy about horror movies. I liked that the story was deeply rooted in family trauma (a la Hereditary). There are some deeply disturbing scenes in this one. I can’t wait for whatever they do next. 👍

🍿 The Phoenician Scheme. Wes Anderson makes the most beautiful movies. Every one should be nominated for an Oscar in cinematography and set design. This installment was funny and kept me engaged, though I don’t think it quite reaches the heights of his earlier work. 👍

🕹️ Ballionaire. Goofy, mindless fun. It’s like Plinko but in reverse! The dancing characters crack me up every time they show up in the menus.

🕹️ Nine Sols. I love metroidvania games, and this one is near the top of the genre. Unfortunately, I found it a bit too difficult for my current mood. The story and atmosphere are excellent. I hope I make it back to this eventually.

🍿 eXistenZ. Wow. This was a very weird movie.

🍿 Batman Ninja vs. The Yakuza League. Bizarre premise but fun Sunday morning cartoon energy. I wish DC would move away from the 3D-lite animation style they keep using. I need more Batman: The Animated Series vibes.

📺 Squid Game: Season 3. Meh. I watched this because I watched the first two. The games are still fun in that “What would you do in this situation?” kind of way, but I’m over the franchise. Unfortunately, I don’t think this is the last we’ll see of it—no matter what Netflix says.

📺 Leviathan. From the studio behind The Dragon Prince, and it shows—maybe a little too much. The two stories are eerily similar. The animation style works until it doesn’t. I’m sure it’s cost effective, but I’m not a fan.

📺 The Sandman. I love the comics, but something about this adaptation feels like it was made for the WB network in 2009. Maybe The Sandman just isn’t adaptable? That said, the actor who plays Desire is phenomenal. I’d absolutely watch a spin-off just about them.

🍿 Superman. Did James Gunn actually pull this off? I’m cautiously optimistic about the new DC Cinematic Universe for the first time in… ever? Let’s see if he can keep it going, or if this was just a fluke. 👍

📺 Witch Watch. Funny and irreverent. I love having an anime my girlfriend looks forward to watching. 👍

📺 K-Pop Demon Hunters. So good. The music and animation are excellent. Apparently sequels are in the works, including an ill-advised live-action adaptation. 👍

🍿 Eddington. I will see every Ari Aster movie in theaters, no question. That said, this one didn’t quite land for me. I enjoyed it up until the final act where it went off the rails. I’m conflicted, because that unpredictability is usually what I love about his work.

🕹️ Donkey Kong Bananza. Oh, Banana! Move over Mario. Nintendo nailed it. Bananza might be the best platformer since Super Mario Odyssey. It might even be better. 👍

🕹️ Goodboy Galaxy. A modern Game Boy Advance game with incredible pixel art and a fun gameplay loop. Been playing this one on the subway.

📖 The Sandman. I started rereading the comics after watching the show. Hoping to recapture that same magic I felt the first time around. 👍

🍿 M3GAN 2.0. More Terminator than horror this time around. Blumhouse might’ve overplayed their hand. Sounds like the next one is supposed to return to horror roots? Either way, I watched this one on my couch and I’ll watch the next one the same way.

My June 2025 Media Diet

Tue, 01 Jul 2025 00:00:00 +0000

June was packed with visiting family and friends around the country. My mom threw a retirement party for my dad in Ohio, and I also got to check out my brother’s new house in Seattle. Along the way, we spent some time hiking and taking in the views in the North Cascades. It was a nice reset to be outdoors for a bit.

Back in New York, I’ve been enjoying the launch of the Nintendo Switch 2 and was genuinely thrilled to see Mamdani beat Cuomo in the primary. I went into it feeling pretty pessimistic, so it’s a pleasant surprise. Feels like it’s long overdue for some new blood in the mix.

A few articles stuck with me this month. Reading about how David Hill revolutionized the F1 broadcast was a fascinating look at shaking up something as old-school as racing. Karl Bushby’s decades-long walk around the world might be the purest (or craziest) example of sticking with a goal I’ve ever seen. Dropout’s scrappy improv resurgence made me nostalgic for the messy, personal internet of 2009. And Hamilton Nolan’s piece on how the subway isn’t actually scary managed to perfectly capture something I’ve been trying to put into words for years: it’s not only just the ordinary, everyday life of the city, but also nowhere near as bad as people love to claim.

🍿 Captain America: Brave New World. The X-Men can’t come fast enough to (hopefully) save the MCU. I’m crossing my fingers that the Fantastic Four reboot brings some juice back to this franchise, because right now it’s clearly on the wrong track.

📺 Rick and Morty. Why am I still watching this? Not sure. The first few episodes this season were entertaining enough, but it’s been downhill from there.

📺 Dimension 20. Brennan is my spirit animal, and I love the steampunk storyline in Cloudward, Ho!. Every player feels like an old friend hanging out. Parasocial relationshipping too hard? Maybe. I’ll go touch grass.

📺 Dept. Q. While I wait for the next season of Slow Horses, Dept. Q is filling the gap nicely. It’s striking how similar these shows are. I’m not very far in, but British police intrigue is exactly my jam right now. 👍

📺 Love Island (American TV series). Love it, hate it, Love Island: USA is back, baby. The American version is a bit trashier than its British counterpart, but it’s basically a cultural event at this point, and that’s fun. 👍

📺 America’s Sweethearts: Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders. This season’s focus on the cheerleaders fighting for better pay was so satisfying. Glad it worked out. No one should be working 40+ hours a week for minimum wage to support a franchise worth billions.

🕹️ Clair Obscur: Expedition 33. French developer Sandfall Interactive knocked it out of the park. The story, acting, writing, gameplay were fantastic across the board. The Persona-style relationship bits were a little weak, but I loved the timing-based combat. I played on easy since it was too punishing otherwise, but still enjoyed every minute. 👍

🕹️ Mario Kart World. Another stellar entry in the franchise. Could use a few tweaks here and there, but I’m sure Nintendo has five+ years of content planned. The racing is chaotic and exhilarating in a way that feels perfectly tuned, and this might be my favorite Rainbow Road yet. 👍

🕹️ Lost in Random: The Eternal Die. This is basically a blatant Hades rip-off, and I love it. It tweaks the formula just enough to keep things fresh, and the dice-based combat adds a cool random element. 👍

🕹️ Dredge. Started this early in the month but have struggled to pick it back up. It’s not you, Dredge, it’s me. The atmosphere is fantastic and the gameplay loop is compelling; I’ll get back to it.

🍿 Final Destination: Bloodlines. Kinda trash, kinda fun? The deaths were gruesome enough that I had to look away in anticipation a few times, so… mission accomplished.

🍿 Trainwreck: Poop Cruise. Didn’t know this story when it actually happened, and now that I do… kinda wish I still didn’t.

🍿 F1. I’m the exact target market for this movie, and it mostly delivered. Sure, it’s not realistic, but that made it even more fun. 👍

My May 2025 Media Diet

Mon, 02 Jun 2025 00:00:00 +0000

The month of May was filled with too many video games and too much television. I’m hoping to get out and about a bit more in June (and I probably will, since I’ve got a few trips planned). This New Yorker article perfectly captured how I feel about the state of the world right now, and this oneabout Newark Airport only deepened my belief that it should be avoided at all costs (seriously though, let’s get that situation sorted).

I also spent a couple of weekends learning how to “vibe code” with Cursor and… I kind of hate that it actually works for me? Being a solo developer can get lonely, and using Cursor felt like having superpowered friends helping me out. I rebuilt my website, created a simple app to track the temperature of my network cabinet, and wrote a script to sync my read-later items across devices. I could have done all of this on my own, but with Cursor, I did it in a third of the time. The future is weird.

Here is everything else I did last month:

🍿 Andor. I’ve always felt like I should enjoy Star Wars. But honestly, I’m tired of pretending. I know it’s sacrilege, but the franchise has never really clicked for me—despite my best efforts. Andor is the one big exception. It’s fantastic. Easily the best thing Star Wars has done since the original trilogy. More Andor, please, Disney. 👍

📺 Blood of Zeus. This one didn’t leave much of an impression. I think the Castlevania anime is much stronger overall. Still, it’s a decent “background noise while working” kind of show.

🕹️ Castlevania: Aria of Sorrow. I loved this. Honestly, I think it’s better than Symphony of the Night, mostly because it’s a bit more forgiving. There are a few more GBA and DS entries I haven’t played yet, but I’m planning to work through all of them. 👍

🍿 Havoc. Tom Hardy spends two hours punching bad guys. That’s it. That’s the movie. And sometimes that’s enough.

🍿 Widows. I meant to watch this back in 2018 and just never got around to it. Glad I finally did—everyone delivers strong performances, especially Daniel Kaluuya. His quiet menace in one particular scene gave me chills. Loved it. 👍

🍿 Novocaine. Silly, weird, and kinda fun. A guy who can’t feel pain ends up saving the day in a bizarre love story. Feels like the kind of mid-budget original movie we don’t get much anymore. Definitely has “Netflix film” energy—in both good and bad ways.

🕹️ Tetris for Chromatic. A brand-new Tetris game for the Game Boy Color in 2025? Yes, please. I still have a soft spot for the original (especially the Rosy Retrospection ROM hack), but this one hits the right notes. I really like the mode where you get three minutes to score as much as possible. 👍

🕹️ Cosmic Collapse. If you’ve played Suica Game, this is like a better version of that. Built for PICO-8, which has some seriously cool games. I want to dive deeper into what that community is making. 👍

🕹️ Mario & Luigi: Superstar Saga. My go-to subway game. Not sure how far I am, but I’ve enjoyed every second. Great RPG mechanics, fun writing—definitely planning to check out Mario and Luigi: Brothership when I’m done.

🕹️ Yoshi’s Cookie. A puzzler my brother recommended. Starts out chill but ramps up fast. Later stages demand speed, but the early levels are perfect for relaxing.

🕹️ Haste. A 3D version of Tiny Wings that doesn’t quite stick the landing. When it clicks, it feels great. But when you mess up a landing, it’s hard to recover. I wanted it to be more meditative—I’ll keep trying, though.

🍿 Vanilla Sky. This feels like Fight Club if it starred Tom Cruise and lost all its edge. It has some interesting moments, but overall I found myself rolling my eyes more than I expected.

🍿 A Minecraft Movie. I can’t believe I watched this. Just awful.

📺 Lazarus. Shinichirō Watanabe’s newest show delivers slick action (very John Wick-inspired), great music, and a slow-burn story. That’s kind of his thing. Curious to see how it evolves. 👍

🍿 Death of a Unicorn. Paul Rudd does the heavy lifting here. It’s a bit dumb but occasionally fun. I’ve seen better horror-comedies, but this wasn’t a total waste of time.

🕹️ Drill Dozer. A hidden gem from Game Freak, the folks behind Pokémon. Great pixel art, solid level design, and a fun mechanic where new gears unlock stronger drilling. The levels drag just a little too long, but it’s still a must-play from the GBA library. 👍

🍿 Gladiator II. I don’t know why this movie exists. The opening scene was entertaining, but it didn’t need to be tied to the (incredible) original. You can make gladiator movies without calling it Gladiator II.

🍿 Dope Thief. Brian Tyree Henry is always worth watching. This started off strong but lost steam about halfway through. Still glad I checked it out.

🍿 Friendship. Wild, chaotic, and a blast to see in a packed theater. Tim Robinson’s sketch show is hit-or-miss for me, but this worked way better in a feature-length format. Structure suits his madness. 👍

🍿 10 Things I Hate About You. I love these late-’90s teen dramedies. Clueless still reigns supreme, but this is a very strong second.

📺 The Rehearsal. I don’t know how Nathan Fielder keeps getting funding, but I’m glad he does. His brand of comedy is completely singular. 👍

🕹️ 9 Kings. Tower defense meets Balatro? Early access and needs controller support now, but I already know I’ll be putting more time into this.

📖 Rhythm of War by Brandon Sanderson. I’ve been reading less this year, and that bums me out. I stalled on a different book, so I turned to Sanderson to break the slump. It’s working—I think? This is a massive read, so I’ll be with it for a while. 👍

My April 2025 Media Diet

Fri, 02 May 2025 08:46:13 -0400

This past month flew by, and honestly, I don’t feel like I accomplished all that much! I’ve been playing a few video games in my downtime and continuing to refine my gaming PC/Odin 2 Portal streaming setup.

Here’s what I got up to:

📺 Dimension 20: Titan Takedown. I’m not a WWE fan, but I am a big fan of Brennan Lee Mulligan. This season was short but very fun! I loved how impressed the cast was with Brennan’s dungeon master skills.

📺 The Studio. This is my new favorite show. Every episode is a banger—tight 30-minute runtime, gorgeous cinematography, hilarious and a little stressful. Almost every episode features Rogan taking a slapstick fall that has me dying. 👍

📺 Devil May Cry. Fun and stylish, but ultimately kind of forgettable.

🍿 Mufasa: The Lion King. Too generic, too serious, and the songs were lame. This ain’t it, Disney.

🍿 Black Bag. Steven Soderbergh nailed the vibes and pacing of this spy thriller. If you’re into the genre, don’t skip this one. 👍

🍿 The Monkey. Very rarely do I call a movie garbage. This is garbage.

📺 David Blaine: Do Not Attempt. I love magic and I love David Blaine. This has a bit of an Anthony Bourdain vibe, and it mostly works.

📺 Zenshu. Taking this one slow, but the animation is top notch. I wish there were more variety in the climaxes of each episode, but it’s still a fun watch.

🕹️ Yakuza: Like a Dragon. This game is wild and so much fun. I expected nothing from the story—and I was completely wrong. I’ll definitely be checking out more of the series. 👍

🕹️ Kirby’s Dream Land 2. I played and beat this entirely on the subway using the TrimUI Brick. I found a ROM hack that adds Game Boy Color colors, and it made the experience even better. Love me some Kirby. 👍

📺 Hacks. Still fun and still funny. I think it leans a bit too hard into the boomer vs. millennial dynamic, but overall it’s solid. I hope this is the last—or second-to-last—season. It deserves a strong finish.

🍿 Heart Eyes. Surprisingly good?! It’s a riff on the Scream movies, but honestly works better than recent entries in that franchise. Finding out the director is part of the Make Some Noise crew made me like it even more.

🍿 Mickey 17. I loved the book and I love Bong Joon Ho, but I wanted this to be better.

🍿 The Woman in the Yard. Not that great. Some spooky moments, but it’s kind of all downhill from there.

📺 The Last of Us. I was worried this season wouldn’t live up to the first, but it’s come out swinging. I’ve looked forward to each episode. The second one had some of the best zombie content in years.

🍿 Sinners. A stylish vampire flick from Ryan Coogler? Yes, please. More original blockbusters like this! 👍

🍿 Prince of Darkness. I’m slowly working through John Carpenter’s catalog. This one was strange, but I kind of liked it? It suffers a bit from “dumb horror victim” syndrome, but I loved the mix of science and Christianity.

🕹️ The Invincible. An adaptation of a Stanisław Lem book I haven’t read, but it captures the right vibes based on his other work. It’s a walking sim, so you’re mostly here for the story—and it kept me interested the whole way through.

🕹️ Tetris: Rosy Retrospection. A ROM hack of the original Game Boy Tetris that improves on the classic. I’m surprised how much I’ve improved since picking it up.

🍿 Event Horizon. This movie gets mixed reviews, and yeah—it doesn’t totally make sense. But it’s a blast and feels straight out of the post-Jurassic Park 1990s. I had fun.

My March 2025 Media Diet

Thu, 03 Apr 2025 10:45:35 -0400

Pretty busy month! I built a gaming PC (which I never expected to do). I’ve been streaming all my games via Apollo/Artemis to my Odin 2 Portal, and honestly, it’s been amazing so far.

We also took a trip to Palm Springs to relax by the pool and made a visit to Joshua Tree National Park—highly recommended.

In between all that, here’s what I got into last month:

📖 Not Till We Are Lost by Dennis E. Taylor. The fifth installment in this series. I enjoyed reading/listening to it, but I had a tough time recalling all the history. It also felt like one long setup for future books. Still, I’ll keep reading them despite my complaints.

📺 Solo Leveling. My favorite anime of the year so far. Gorgeous animation, classic monster-killing action. Hits all the right notes. (👍)

📺 The Traitors. Somehow both terrible and incredibly entertaining. Don’t watch it… unless you’re already the kind of person who would.

📺 Formula 1: Drive to Survive. Back for its seventh season, and I’m now fully hooked on F1. Can’t wait to see how this season plays out.

🕹️ Ratchet & Clank: Rift Apart. Beautiful game and fun to play. But the level design could be better—it’s so detailed that I occasionally got lost trying to figure out where to go next.

📺 Daredevil: Born Again. I absolutely love Charlie Cox as Daredevil, and his return to the MCU is my favorite thing Marvel has done in a while. More of this, please. (👍)

🍿 One of Them Days. Irreverent, decently enjoyable buddy comedy. Fun while it lasted, but pretty forgettable a few weeks later.

🕹️ Bzzzt. I really like Celeste-style platformers, and this one was a great, quick weekend play. (👍)

📺 Pantheon (TV series). Gave me strong Three Body Problem vibes. I was completely hooked and found myself racing to the next episode. (👍)

🍿 Ghostwatch. Earlier this year, I watched Late Night with the Devil, and reviews pointed me to this. It’s clear LNWTD took a lot of inspiration from Ghostwatch, which might actually be the better movie. The live-TV-special feel is spot on, and the ending is more subtle but still haunting. (👍)

🕹️ God of War. I’m taking my time with this one, and it’s paying off. The story is sweet and heartfelt—surprisingly so given the brutal combat. Kratos digging up his old weaponry to save his son is one of the most iconic video game moments I’ve ever played. (👍)

🕹️ Neon White. A 3D FPS take on Celeste-like gameplay—and maybe my favorite game of the year so far. (👍)

📖 We Used to Live Here by Marcus Kliewer. The first half was totally my vibe—serious Alan Wake energy. Unfortunately, I don’t think it quite stuck the landing.

📺 The Righteous Gemstones. Still love this show. The season premiere was unexpected and incredible. The series is wrapping up soon, so now’s a great time to catch up before the finale. (👍)

📺 Yakitori: Soldiers of Misfortune. Watched this anime on a plane. Not super memorable, but still pretty entertaining.

🕹️ Castlevania: Symphony of the Night. I love Metroidvanias, but somehow never played the one that started it all! It’s tough, but between generous save points and liberal use of emulator save states, I’m having a blast. (👍)

My February 2025 Media Diet

Sun, 02 Mar 2025 10:45:35 -0400

I’m doing a pretty good job of keeping myself distracted from… well, everything, I guess. But it’s hard when the state of the world manages to seep into every conversation, social media feed, and news post. I injured my left foot this month doing something fairly routine (and appropriately embarrassing) and I’m slowly recovering from that. It’s given me a lot of time to sit on the couch and watch some mediocre stuff!

Here’s the extremely mediocre list of things I watched and played last month:

🍿 Kill. I quite enjoyed this John Wick-style Bollywood action thriller. If you like beat-em-ups, check this out.

🍿 Presence. Saw this in theaters and was a tad let down. I wanted this to be a bit spooky and it just wasn’t. I did enjoy the first-person perspective and the small ending twist.

🍿 Wolf Man. Complete garbage and was so dark I almost could not make out what was happening on my TV.

🍿 The Witcher: Sirens of the Deep. The Little Mermaid with a lot more bloodshed. I didn’t hate this. A decent enough afternoon watch.

🍿 Venom: The Last Dance. I’m not sure why I watched all three of these movies. They’re not good.

🍿 Paddington and Paddington 2. We rewatched these in preparation for the third film. Paddington 2 is an absolute gem of a movie and I’m sure we’ll watch it again at some point. (👍)

🍿 Paddington In Peru. A fitting third installment, even if it doesn’t quite live up to the first two. The recasting of Sally Hawkins was a big miss though.

📺 Severance. I enjoy this show despite it revealing almost nothing about the larger mystery each episode. I think I like the vibes more than I like the actual story.

📺 Frieren: Beyond Journey’s End. Love, love, love this anime. I am waiting with bated breath for the next season. The concept is great and Frieren and co.’s deadpan delivery of nearly every line is exactly my cup of tea. Best thing I watched all month. (👍)

📺 Your Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man. Surprised by how much I liked this. The story was more adult than I expected and the twists on the typical Spider-Man formula have been interesting.

📖 Oathbringer by Brandon Sanderson. This took me exactly forever to finish, despite enjoying every page of it. Looking forward to the rest of the installments. However, I think I’ll take a bit of a break before diving into the next one. (👍)

📺 The White Lotus (Season 3). The first episode didn’t do it for me, but the second pulled me back in. Let’s see where this goes. I do enjoy an anthology-style show so even if this season doesn’t hit, I’ll be back for more.

📺 Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood. I tried watching this show a few times but the first few episodes never took. I dived in for maybe the third time and I’m glad I did. The story paid off and the character development was perfectly paced. (👍)

📺 Invincible. I wish they dropped this show all at once instead of over a few weeks. It’s entertaining for sure but a bit of a drag across the month and a half it releases in.

📺 Reacher. He’s back and kicking even more ass than ever before. This show is fun even if it feels like it’s made for network television with added swear words.

🕹️ Spider-Man: Remastered. After beating Metaphor: Refantazio I needed something faster-paced and more action-oriented. I’m playing this via streaming on Boosteroid and have been impressed by the performance. It’s even got me thinking about building my own gaming PC, and I never thought I’d say that.

My January 2025 Media Diet

Tue, 04 Feb 2025 10:45:35 -0400

This post is a few days late but who’s really reading this anyway right? I spent January planning on a serious upgrade to my home network and server. Proxmox is amazing and it seems like it was absolutely the right choice for me. So much easier to maintain and experiment than my old Mac mini ever was. I’ve got an Ubiquiti network stack on the way and plan on installing it into a 10" rack system within a bookcase. Crossing my fingers that everything fits!

I also bought an Ayn Odin2 Portal, an Android based game console for emulation and game streaming. It’s been a fun toy to set up and I’m looking forward to playing lots of games streamed from my Xbox. There is something about playing handheld that I just enjoy more than playing on the television.

Here’s what else I’ve been up to the past month:

📺 What If…? (Season 3). I’m writing this about a month after I watched and honestly… kind of forgettable? It’s a shame but oh well…

🕹️ Metaphor: ReFantazio. I’m a recent convert to the joys of the Persona universe of games and as such, Metaphor: ReFantazio has been on my radar since it was announced early last year. These games are slow burns for me but I just love the mix of visual novel and JRPG style combat. Metaphor’s spin on over-world combat has also turned out to be the best of the Persona-esque games I’ve played so far. I’m enjoying this game immensely. I also want to note that I’ve played this game almost exclusively via local game streaming to my new Ayn Odin2 Portal and it’s working great! (👍)

📺 Squid Game (Season 2). Not sure if we really needed another season but I understand that Netflix just cannot help itself in these situations. It was enjoyable enough but I almost wish I had waited until the last part came out and binged it all at once.

📺 Shrinking (Season 2). Put this off for way too long. We loved the first season and for some reason just couldn’t bring ourselves to watch it. Not sure why as it was just as enjoyable as Season 1. I even got my parents to watch it. Harrison Ford has low key elite comedy timing. (👍)

🍿 Nosferatu. Fully enjoyed this new take on the vampire classic. The cinematography was on point and was spooky and sexy in the right ways. I will absolutely watch this again in the future. (👍)

🍿 Flow. I hadn’t really heard about this animated movie before we watched it but it’s worth putting on your radar. No dialogue, which I understand can be tough for some but it pays off in the end.

🍿 Bram Stoker’s Dracula. Needed more vampires in my life after watching Nosferatu. This 90s classic is goofy, bizarre and kinda good? Gary Oldman is predictably great. Keanu is… not.

📺 Castlevania: Nocturne. You’re now noticing a vampire themed month here. I swear I didn’t plan it. This animated series is very good and should not be skipped. (👍)

🍿 In a Violent Nature. What if a horror movie was told from the perspective of the killer? That’s what you get in this kinda good, kinda boring horror movie. I don’t think I’ll watch this again but I can appreciate trying something different in the horror space.

📺 The Apothecary Diaries. I always have some sort of anime in my backlog and I like convincing my girlfriend to watch with me. She ended up enjoying this way more than I did and I enjoyed it a lot! We’re definitely going to continue watching. (👍)

📺 Dune: Prophecy. I was afraid this was going to be bad. It was not. They managed to expand on the palace intrigue that makes the Bene Gesserit so fun in ways that I did not see coming. Also it was only 6 episodes! That’s my kind of television.

📺 Carole & Tuesday. Cowboy Bebop’s Shinichirō Watanabe’s take on an up and coming music duo taking on the world’s injustices set in NYC on Mars? Sign me up. The first season hit harder than the second but it still hit.

🍿 Heretic. Hugh Grant proves once again that he’s great at being a villain. The first time I realized this was Paddington 2 which I may need to watch again prior to the third installment in a few weeks.

📺 The Agency. Surprisingly gripping. I didn’t know I wanted a CIA spy thriller set in the UK but I do. Unfortunately I thought the end was the end and that this was a mini-series, but it turns out that more seasons are planned. I’ll probably watch.

My December 2024 Media Diet

Wed, 01 Jan 2025 10:45:35 -0400

December is always filled with a trip back home to spend time with family and friends. It’s a great experience but is a whirlwind of travel and leaves me a bit worn out at the end. Between holiday parties I played some games (see below) and mapped out a plan for my next project.

I’m planning on changing out my Mac mini home server with a Proxmox-based linux server. It should be a bit more maintainable in the long run and will be a fun exercise and learning opportunity. I’ll probably post here about it as the project progresses.

I also switched from Google Workspace to Fastmail for my email provider. I’m liking the change so far, but at the moment Fastmail’s spam filtering leaves a little to be desired. Hopefully that improves as I train the filter over the coming months.

Here is what I watched, read, and played last month:

📖 Batman: The Long Halloween. I wanted more Batman after watching The Penguin, and The Long Halloween was perfect. The Penguin adapted story beats from The Long Halloween and its sequel, Dark Victory.

📺 Star Wars: Skeleton Crew. This one started off strong for me, but I’ve struggled to stay interested. I think maybe Star Wars just isn’t for me, and I’m just following the nerd herd on this one. I’ll probably continue to watch all the Star Wars things, but I almost always come out of them with middling feelings.

🍿 Robot Dreams. This dialogue-free feature-length animated film was an absolute delight. I loved seeing NYC, with many real-life brands and landmarks represented here. The ending was unexpected too! (👍)

🕹️ Super Mario RPG. I picked this up on my recent trip to Tokyo. Super Mario RPG was a great length with varied combat. I think it could have been slightly more difficult, but maybe I could have changed the difficulty setting? That might be on me. (👍)

📺 Secret Level. Love, Death & Robots and this show share a lot in common, as they should since it was created by the same team. Not every episode hit its mark, and there were some definite lowlights, but overall I enjoyed this. The Mega Man and Warhammer 40,000 episodes are particular favorites of mine.

🍿 The Lord of the Rings: The War of the Rohirrim. A new Lord of the Rings tale in anime. I’m not sure I could have asked for something more up my alley. I’m not sure this exactly landed though. I think I would have been more into an elven story. Nevertheless, more like this, please.

🕹️ Monument Valley III. Love this series of games. I played through it in a couple of sessions, and I’m glad more levels are coming out over the course of the next year. Netflix is kind of killing it with their mobile releases. (👍)

📺 The Terror. I’ve put off this series for a long time because I kept telling myself that I would read the book first. I loved Dan Simmons’ Hyperion, but The Terror was such a long book that I’ve always saved it for “next year.” Well, next year never came. As such, I’m not sure how close to the source material this show stuck to. It’s a tad slow, but there’s a grim and uneasy undertone throughout the show that I really dig. (👍)

📺 Creature Commandos. James Gunn’s first foray into the new DC universe, and I’m already kind of worried. I enjoyed the first episode, but I’ve quickly started watching it over the top of my laptop screen while I’m doing something else. Not a good sign.

🍿 Ricky Jay and His 52 Assistants. I’ve seen this a few times, and each time it leaves me floored. The latest viewing was no exception. (👍)

My November 2024 Media Diet

Sun, 01 Dec 2024 10:45:35 -0400

November was filled with fun side-quests like setting up my Anbernic RG40XXV and overhauling my home network setup. I also dipped into my electrical engineering background and did a little microcontroller programming and a bit of soldering. I learned that the wireless capable ESP32 system has come quite far in the past few years and through projects like HomeSpan, makes adding custom made systems to Apple’s HomeKit quite simple.

In between all that, here’s what I watched and played last month:

🍿 The Wild Robot. Heartbreaking story with awesome animation visuals. Watch this one with your family folks. (👍)

🍿 Alien: Romulus. I love the Alien franchise and this is a pretty good installment. Unfortunately, I think this was a bit too same-y for its own good. The director’s previous entry in the Evil Dead series had me expecting a wilder experience.

🍿 Joker: Folie à Deux. They really thought they were making something high-brow didn’t they? There were some decent moments and the ending was simultaneously insulting and intriguing. I don’t think it was a success.

🍿 The Substance. Sexy and gross at the same time. The visuals were on point, but the movie went way too far in the last 20 minutes. If they had a bit more restraint this could have been really great.

📺 What We Do in the Shadows. This is the best comedy on television bar none. (👍)

🍿 Blink Twice. Channing Tatum is great in this Midsommar-esque horror. Ari Aster did it better.

📺 Arcane. This is the most entertaining television I watched all month. Don’t be put off by the video game vibes, this is high quality television. My only complaint is that the first season had a bit more focus than the second but the character development pays off in the end. (👍)

📺 Tomb Raider: The Legend of Lara Croft. Didn’t hate it, didn’t love it. Decent background noise television.

📺 Slow Horses. Best season since the first. I also want to shout out the fact that they always preview the next season after the finale ends. This never happens on any other show and I’m here for it. (👍)

🍿 Megalopolis. Awful, confusing, low production values. Skip it.

🍿 Speak No Evil. James McAvoy is jacked in this movie and you don’t really notice it until the end. This is a fun romp but I think mostly forgettable.

🍿 Smile 2. Way better than the first installment. It’s a shock that I even entertained watching this one as I really didn’t enjoy the first. If you felt the same about 1, don’t be put off by the second, it’s much better.

🕹️ Super Mario World 2: Yoshi’s Island. I played this on my Anbernic RG40XXV and truly enjoyed every minute of it. The art style was way ahead of its time. I keep thinking about how bold of a choice it was to buck the game mechanics and art style of the prior Mario installments this early in the franchise. (👍)

🍿 Gladiator. Rewatched this classic in anticipation of the sequel. I’m not sure I’ll go see the sequel in theaters though so this may have been watched a bit early. The movie holds up well 20 odd years on and Joaquin Phoenix is as infuriating as ever.

📺 The Penguin. I was extremely skeptical of this show. I have not enjoyed the recent trend of villain-focused superhero dramas without the superhero. I’m pleasantly surprised to say that I was completely wrong with this show. The Penguin is funny, engaging, and has been must-watch television for me. (👍)

🕹️ The Legend of Zelda: Echoes of Wisdom. I expected a more puzzle-focused, less combat-focused experience here and I’m not sure it delivered on that promise. This was yet another Zelda game. That’s not to say it wasn’t good. It is. If you enjoy Zelda, you’ll want to play this one too. (👍)

My October 2024 Media Diet

Fri, 01 Nov 2024 10:45:35 -0400

Emily and I traveled to Japan in October, and it was an unforgettable experience. We explored Tokyo, Kyoto, Osaka, and Hakone, immersing ourselves in both the bustling tourist attractions and less-visited gems. Tokyo, in particular, left a lasting impression on us.

Living in New York City, it’s easy to develop a false sense of superiority and city pride, but Tokyo truly has it all. I am very much looking forward to going back one day.

Along the way (and mostly during my 14 hour flights) I did the following:

🕹️ Pico Park 2. Great follow-up to the first game. Have not quite finished it yet, but definitely plan on it the next time our friend group gets together.

📺 The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power. I’m writing this a few weeks after the finale and am struggling to really remember much about it. Sauron has some good moments, and the entire season is essential setup for the next season. However, there were just too many storylines, and not all got enough attention and character development that they needed.

🍿 The Unbearable Weight of Massive Talent. Watched this on a plane and absolutely loved it. Pedro Pascal and Nicolas Cage have surprisingly great chemistry. Highly recommended. (👍)

📺 Tulsa King. I’m watching this half because it’s entertaining and half out of morbid curiosity. There are some entertaining aspects to this show, but ultimately I think it’s a bit too hokey for its own good.

📺 Agatha All Along. I think this show is good? I can’t tell. I do look forward to it each week, and it’s done a good job channeling what was good about Wandavision.

🍿 Face/Off. After watching The Unbearable Weight of Massive Talent on the plane, I fired up this classic that somehow slipped past me. It’s got a slightly strange premise, but the actors really commit to the core conceit of the movie.

🍿 Oddity. Great horror with a few surprising twists and a satisfying payoff for that anxiety-producing wooden mannequin man. (👍)

📺 Only Murders in the Building. So many celebrities this season! I think this show is past its prime, but it’s still a fun watch. Anything Eugene Levy does makes me smile.

📺 Ink Master. I feel like this show is on season 4000 at this point. This is a guilty pleasure watch if there ever was one.

📖 Uzumaki by Junji Ito. I read the graphic novel as I traveled around Japan and thoroughly enjoyed the weird world Ito created here. The recently released anime suffered a lot of criticism for the visuals, but the story held pretty close to the manga. I’ll definitely read more Junji Ito after reading this. (👍)

🕹️ Donkey Kong Country: Tropical Freeze. I bought this one in Japan at the Tokyo Nintendo Store. I had heard that it was quite difficult and as such I ignored it. It turns out that it is the perfect level for me. It’s a step up in difficulty from the Super Mario franchise, and the boss fights are challenging without being annoying. Loving it so far. (👍)

🍿 ‘Salem’s Lot. The book is one of my favorites in the Stephen King pantheon. This movie was not it, though. The first 30 minutes had me thinking it could be good; the last hour deviated from the book so much that I could barely stay interested.

My September 2024 Media Diet

Tue, 01 Oct 2024 10:45:35 -0400

The past month saw the release of my new app, Scoot. It is always a humbling experience launching a new app on the App Store with a very limited social media following. Not many downloads at the moment but I think this app is some of my best work to date. I built Scoot for my girlfriend and that will be enough to keep it in development for a while but I really hope other people check it out!

If by some crazy chance you’re reading this and are in the market for (or know someone who might be) a journey tracker similar to Strava, but without all of the social media elements and the pseudo pressure to over perform, give Scoot a look.

Here’s what I’ve been watching over the top of my MacBook’s screen while banging my head against Xcode this path month:

📺 Terminator Zero. Terminator anime with an AI that is humanity’s last defense against SkyNet. I think it’s a pretty great premise and was executed quite well. Looking forward to season 2. (👍)

📺 Critical Role: Exandria Unlimited Calamity. Brennen Lee Mulligan is an amazing game master but I’m realizing that I like Dimension 20’s lighter, funnier flavor of D&D.

📺 The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power. I love The Lord of the Rings. I really do. I’m also really struggling to stay interested in this show and that makes me sad.

🍿 Beetlejuice. Still a classic, still entertaining. Nothing like this gets made anymore.

🍿 Beetlejuice Beetlejuice. Exactly what you think it is. It had a few fun moments, but was filled with modern cinema bloat that made this installment pale in comparison to the lean script that the first movie stuck to.

🍿 Sideways. Saw this one a long time ago and realized I didn’t remember much about it. It’s pretty good and worth your time, tho there’s about 15 minutes that could be cut.

🍿 Bottle Shock. I guess we were on a wine movie kick and didn’t even realize it?

🍿 The Watchers. Trash. I wanted this to be something that it wasn’t. The reveal of what the watchers were was incredibly underwhelming.

🍿 I Saw the TV Glow. Man I really wanted to like this one. I really did. I put off watching it for a while because I was going to watch it with a friend but unfortunately that didn’t happen. The soundtrack was good, the message was a little ham fisted.

🍿 Watchmen: Chapter I. Comic book accurate animated version of the same Watchmen story (or half of it anyway) you know and love. Nothing here will surprise you but maybe that’s why it’s enjoyable?

🍿 Rebel Ridge. I’m writing this about a week after I watch it and I’m realizing that I don’t remember too much about it other than it was about 30 minutes too long and felt like a spinoff of Jack Reacher.

🕹️ Pico Park. We had a great time playing this with friends on a few occasions. The puzzles are just hard enough that they’re fun but not so hard that someone gets frustrated and has a bad time. Great party game. (👍)

🍿 The Crow (2024). Pretty bad as expected.

🍿 Cuckoo. Oddly enjoyable experience even if Dan Steven’s acting was a little over the top. I would like more horror movies to leave a bit more mystery than they have recently. This has “The Watchers” (see above) vibes, but was better done and more entertaining.

🍿 Inside Out 2. I could have paid attention to this one a bit harder than I did but from what I did watch, it was good.

📺 Guillermo del Toro’s Cabinet of Curiosities. Some episodes of this horror anthology are better than others but on the whole this is a good time. I’ve tend to watch a good amount of horror and this scratched that itch.

🍿 Dragon Ball Super: Broly. Goku and Broly screaming for an hour and a half getting stronger with every scream, as you do.

🕹️ Balatro. I’m sure you’ve heard enough of this app this month already, but it really is that good. Don’t skip this one. (👍)

My August 2024 Media Diet

Sun, 01 Sep 2024 10:45:35 -0400

The past month saw me bringing my new app to life and watching a whole lot of Love Island, a guilty pleasure in our apartment. I’ve also began experimenting with using Anthropic’s Claude AI to boost my programming productivity and I’m disappointed to say that… its boosted my output by like 2x. To be completely honest, I’m not sure how I feel about that.

Here is what else I’ve been up to the past month:

🍿 Deadpool and Wolverine. Fun sendoff of the 20th Century Fox films. I was hoping for better but oh well. Hugh Jackman is consistently amazing as Wolverine though. I’m not sure how you replace him at this point.

📺 Batman: Caped Crusader. I’m really enjoying this one. I loved the ’90s animated series and this has all the same vibes. (👍)

🍿 A Quiet Place: Day One. Fun, short action thriller set in NYC. Ultimately forgettable but fun to watch late at night before going to sleep.

📖 The Tiger: A True Story of Vengence and Survival by John Valiant. I don’t read much nonfiction but this book had me captivated. The true story follows the hunt for a man killing tiger and details Russia and the Far East’s deep respect for the animal.

🍿 Mars Express. Interesting, modern, French Ghost In The Shell-esque animated movie. More from this team of creators please!

📺 The Olympics: Paris 2024. We love the Olympics in our house. I do tire of it by the end but that first week is always exciting.

📖 The Mercy of Gods by James S. A. Corey. Loved this book. I never read the Expanse novels but now I’m considering it. Cannot wait for the sequel. (👍)

🍿 Twisters. Enjoyable romp of a movie. Watched with some friends and because of that, I probably could have paid more attention but didn’t.

🍿 Rebel Moon: A Child Of Fire. Forgettable, joyless, Star Wars-derivative. There are a few good ideas here but Zach Snyder’s style has not changed since the movie 300.

🍿 Rebel Moon: The Scargiver. A sequel to A Child of Fire. I enjoyed this one a bit more. The action sequences were fun if a bit gratuitous. Give me more of Anthony Hopkins’s wild robot and I might actually of liked this one.

🕹️ Chrono Trigger. Always wanted to play this title. It’s easier than I expected (which is great) and the narrative is very engaging and fun. I’m playing it via Delta for iOS and iPadOS. Being able to sync states and even stream to my Apple TV has been a seamless experience worth recommending. (👍)

📖 Mr. Penumbra’s 24-Hour Bookstore by Robin Sloan. I’ve got conflicting feelings about this book. It was a really easy read and as such I kind of devoured it. Unfortunately it feels a bit too much like Ready Player One for my tastes. It’s also a kind of sad time capsule for when tech companies felt like they were saving the world rather than ruining it.

📺 One Piece. When I have nothing else I want to watch, I watch One Piece. I’m only just breaking into the second season now. This is going to take a while.

🍿 Aliens. With the release of the next installment in the Alien franchise this week I figured I’d watch my favorite in the series. James Cameron really nailed this movie and it holds up nearly 40 years later. (👍)

🍿 Longlegs. Nicolas Cage really got into this role. I’m always down for a crime procedural horror film even if this one was a bit predictable.

🍿 Strange Darling. Best thriller I’ve seen in years. It’s a shame that this isn’t being promoted as much as it should be. Go in knowing nothing and you’ll enjoy the ride. (👍)

🍿 Trap. First half was hokey but entertaining. Second half was hokey and awful.

My July 2024 Media Diet

Sat, 03 Aug 2024 10:45:35 -0400

July was a slow, lazy month filled with weddings and coronavirus. I overhauled my computer backup strategy using Arq and Carbon Copy Cloner. Had my credit card stolen and almost fell victim to an email scam that I didn’t even know existed. Finally, I began work on a new app (👀).

Here is what else I was up to:

🍿 MaXXXine. This is probably my least favorite of the trilogy but that’s not to say it was bad. There’s less of a horror bent than the previous entries and I wanted a bit more spooky.

📺 Dimension 20: Never Stop Blowing Up. I look forward to this every week now. Brennan is an incredible game master and this season is unique in the best way. The Kids On Bikes rule set is perfect for the televised format. I’m also enjoying the week to week progression of Brennan’s outfit.

🍿 MoviePass, MovieCrash. More entertaining than I expected. Summer 2017 was a glorious summer in NYC when movies were basically free and everyone I knew had the card. RIP MoviePass.

🍿 Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes. Longer than I wanted it to be. Utterly forgettable but the CGI is quite good.

🍿 Troll Hunter. Love me some found footage. I had not watched this in years and it was basically a new experience for me.

🍿 Deadpool. Had not watched this since it was in theaters. Not as entertaining as I remember. It has its moments though.

🍿 Ferrari. This movie was not what I expected. I think I expected a more racing focused narrative and I was wrong. There were two very surprising moments and I learned quite a bit but it was too slow for me to truly enjoy it.

📺 Dead Dead Demons Dedede Destruction. Slice of life anime at the end of the world. This one is still on going. The animation and dub (I know.) are quite good.

📖 Mirrored Heavens by Rebecca Roanhorse. This book took me quite a while to get into but I think it delivered in the end. I struggled with remembering what had happened in the previous two books. That’s a bummer because the world Roanhorse weaved was unlike anything I’ve read before. I want more fantasy epics set in Pre-Columbian Americas.

My June 2024 Media Diet

Thu, 04 Jul 2024 10:45:35 -0400

This past month I’ve spent a bit of time getting to know my new camera, the Fujifilm X100VI. It’s been a bit overwhelming but I’m trying to take it slow and not make a job out of it like I do the rest of my hobbies.

We spent a weekend in Montreal with some friends and I took an incredible amount of photos with better results than I expected! I’ve got a long way to go and there’s an infinite amount to learn, so wish me luck!

Without further ado, this is what I was up to last month:

🍿 Civil War. This was more affecting and grounded than I expected. The last 45 minutes had me at the edge of my seat. I’m not sure I can watch this again anytime soon.

🍿 Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire. Awful movie. If you’re thinking about watching this, don’t. Watch Godzilla Minus One instead.

🍿 Hit Man. I went into this with very low expectations but was pleasantly surprised. I’m not sure the third act quite delivers as well as I wanted it to but it was fun regardless.

📖 Tress of the Emerald Sea by Brandon Sanderson. This book took me quite a while to read but I enjoyed every bit of it. My year of reading Brandon Sanderson books marches on. (👍)

📺 The Jinx. We started watching Season 2 and quickly realized we were actually watching Season 1. We ended up watching both S1 and S2 back to back and I’m glad we did. The second season doesn’t hit as hard as the first but it’s worth watching to get a bit of a resolution on the insane story.

📺 Dark Matter. Really enjoyed this show. I read the book a long while back and unfortunately (fortunately?) didn’t remember much. It seems like they have made some significant changes to the perspectives the show follows and they’re for the better. (👍)

🍿 The Beekeeper. Stupid John Wick style fun. They lifted so much from John Wick it’s criminal.

🕹️ Senua’s Saga: Hellblade II. One of the most cinematic video game experiences I’ve ever had. The combat sequences were brutal and visceral in a way that I have not experienced before. The graphics are also amazing. Highly recommended. (👍)

📺 My Adventures With Superman: Season 2. Fun and light. DC’s animation studios are typically great. Will the live action stuff ever get better?

📺 Game Changer. Dropout TV is doing something special with their recurring ensemble cast of characters and this show is the star of it all. Highly recommend. (👍)

🕹️ Gris. Beautiful short game. Looking forward to the next game from these developers.

🕹️ Planet of Lana. Another short puzzle game with a sweet, engaging story. The controls were a bit lacking but still worth playing.

🕹️ Persona 5 Royal. Just recently purchased this game but I’m looking forward to it quite a bit. I’m a bit disappointed in the fidelity of the graphics on the Switch but the portability was my main draw for such a long game.

📖 Some Desperate Glory by Emily Tesh. Read this as it’s been nominated for best novel in the Hugo Awards. I ended up really enjoying it. The character development was great and was written from a perspective I haven’t seen much of in the past. (👍)

My April and May 2024 Media Diet

Sat, 01 Jun 2024 10:45:35 -0400

Since the last time I posted I injured myself, got better, had family visit, bought a camera, started learning how to actually use the camera and completely overhauled how I used my home server. Now I’m trying to figure out the best workflow for processing the photos I take. Maybe a few of those photos will make an appearance on this blog! Who knows.

🍿 Weird: The Al Yankovic Story. I weirdly (ha) loved this movie?! Give it a shot. Radcliff clearly loved the role and the format was not what I expected.

📺 3 Body Problem. The Three Body Problem book series is some of the best Sci-Fi I have ever read. The show (mostly) delivered and I’m looking forward to season two. I am unreasonably bothered by the name change to “3 Body Problem” though. It seems unnecessary.

📺 The Gentlemen. Great show. Much better than the movie. Guy Richie always delivers a good time.

📺 Fallout. This was… good? I can’t believe it was good but it was. The characters were actually compelling and the wacky settings and situations felt like all the best parts of a video game.

🍿 Terrifier. Been wanting to watch this for a while now and I’m not sure it was worth it. I liked Art The Clown but this movie might have been a bit too grotesque for my tastes.

🍿 Your Name. Incredible, amazing, will watch again. Do yourself a favor and watch this right now if you haven’t already seen it. (👍🏻)

🕹️ Prince of Persia: The Lost Crown. I love metroidvanias and have been looking forward to this game for a while. I’ll admit that I turned down the difficulty to “easy” after getting my ass kicked one too many times on “normal”. Sometimes, you just want to win a game without pounding your head against the wall.

🍿 Late Night with the Devil. Interesting concept that was not executed particularly well. I wish they would have stuck to the “found footage” angle and not intercut cinematic scenes throughout the film.

📺 Shogun. I really looked forward to this show each week. I’m pretty torn about how I feel knowing that there will be more seasons since the story came to a pretty satisfying conclusion. (👍🏻)

🍿 Monkey Man. Entertaining but ultimately forgettable John Wick-ian beat-em-up movie.

🍿 Challengers. The soundtrack by Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross brought me to the theater and it did not disappoint. Don’t skip this movie. (👍🏻)

📺 Dorohedoro. Wacky anime with a very interesting setting. The story did not exactly click for me but the environment and animation had me coming back each episode.

🍿 The Fall Guy. Fun, irreverent, popcorn movie that I only learned was an homage to an ‘80s television show after the credits.

📺 Blood of Zeus. Started season two and realized I didn’t remember a single thing about season 1. I rewatched it all but I’m not sure I’ll remember any by the time season three comes around.

📺 X-men ‘97. Watch this show for the theme song alone (and the great writing and animation).

🍿 Suzume. Not as good as Your Name, but the animation was extremely good. Watch this if you love great animation.

🕹️ Fire Emblem: Three Houses. Taking this one really, really slowly. I’m enjoying the story and gameplay quite a bit, even if the non-combat portion of the game is mostly fetch quests.

🕹️ Hellblade: Senua’s Sacrifice. Not sure why I avoided this game. The release of the second game finally convinced me to play it and I’m glad I did. Short, puzzle heavy, and narrative driven; this is exactly my kind of game. Really looking forward to playing the second one. (👍🏻)

🍿 Kill Bill: Volume 1 and Kill Bill: Volume 2. Absolute classics. I enjoy them every time I watch. Volume 1 is definitely the stronger of the two but that final dialogue sequence in the second one is gripping.

🍿 Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga. A worthy sequel to one of my favorite movies of all time. George Miller was smart to not make a Fury Road 2 and try to live up to the action sequence(s?) that the first one did so well. (👍🏻)

🍿 Night Swim. Not sure what I was expecting here. Mediocre at best. Don’t watch the haunted pool movie.

📖 Edgedancer by Brandon Sanderson. This is an expanded story for a character that was shown in only one chapter of the previous tentpole book. I’m not sure it was very memorable in the long run but I’m looking forward to seeing more of this character in the series going forward.

📖 Warbreaker by Brandon Sanderson. This one took me a while to get into but Sanderson did it again for me. It’s fun starting to see the character Hoid pop up around in other books. It feels like just the right amount of connected tissue to support a shared universe for these stories. My year of Sanderson continues… (👍🏻).

Gamsir X2s and the Apple iPad Mini

Mon, 01 Apr 2024 10:45:35 -0400

The GameSir X2s, recently released, boasts compatibility with iOS devices that support USB-C. Unfortunately, the controller does not expand far enough to accommodate devices larger than a phone.

However, the controller can expand to a larger size. By forcing the controller out of its internal track it can be stretched to fit even the largest 12.9 inch iPad Pro.

I wanted to use the GameSir with my iPad mini. I thought that with a bit of modification, I could greatly improve the clunky out-of-the-box experience. I designed and 3D printed a few parts that hide the exposed springs and lets the iPad fit flush and secure.

The end result looks like this:

Warning

While this mod doesn’t require physical harm to your GameSir X2s, it might end up being semi-permanent. In my case, I had to physically break the prototype 3D print to remove it from my GameSir X2s. The second 3D model, created for this post, should be easier to remove, but it might still require some effort. Keep in mind that after this modification, the controller may no longer work with devices smaller than your Apple iPad mini.

3D Modeling

For the design, I utilized Shapr3D. Although I chose Shapr3D initially for its aesthetics and ease of use, its subscription pricing does not make sense for my use case. Next time, I’ll opt for Autodesk Fusion 360, which offers a free license for personal use, despite being less intuitive than Shapr3D.

Parts List

1x Apple iPad mini (6th Generation)

1x GameSir X2s

1x Custom X2s Frame

1x Custom X2s Backboard

4x M4x10mm Flat Head Screws. I used hex sockets. The maximum length of the screw should be 10mm.

4x M4 Square Nuts. These should be approximately 7mm x 7mm x 3.5mm.

1x 1mm Thick Self Adhesive Felt Sheet. Any color will do!

3D Printing

You can download the required 3D models here.

I have very limited experience with 3D printing, having only printed four items for this project. Therefore, I’m not an authority on the subject. The following is what worked for me.

I used Fused Deposition Modeling (FDM) with white ABS material and a completely solid infill. You may experiment with different infill densities and materials. Let me know what you like best!

All STL files for this project are in millimeters. You will likely need to specify that with the printer.

I utilized Xometry to print my models. Use my referral link here and we’ll both get a couple bucks off our next print.

Another service for 3D printing is Craftcloud. Depending on your preferences, you may find CraftCloud is a cheaper option.

I think the models turned out pretty great!

Assembly

Using the 3D printed backboard as a template, trace its outline onto the felted sheet. Cut the sheet slightly smaller than the outline and round the corners to match the backboard.

Insert the square nuts, flat side up, into the slots beneath the holes in the 3D printed frame. You may find it helpful to cover the slots with a small piece of scotch tape to aid in this process.

Note: You may find that having two people makes the following easier.

Expand the GameSir X2s controller and gently lift the rear purple casing while pulling to dislodge the two halves from one another.

Slide the frame onto the right half of the controller and insert the “tongue” of the frame into the left half to prevent flexing. Allow the two halves of the controller to come back together with the frame in place.

Align the 3D printed backboard with the holes in the frame, ensuring the nuts are lined up within the holes. Insert and tighten the M4 screws to secure the backboard to the frame. The countersunk holes should ensure the screws fit flush with the backboard.

Peel and stick the felted sheet onto the backboard, ensuring alignment on all sides for a perfect fit.

Using a craft knife, trim away the top and bottom two rubber “fingers” that secure the iPad into the controller. If not trimmed, these fingers may press the power and volume buttons on the iPad.

Insert your iPad mini into the controller. The controller will have to expand slightly in order to fit.

Happy gaming! Feel free to customize the 3D models to your liking. I’m sure the models could be easily modified for other device sizes. I’d love to see what the community comes up with!

Please send me a picture on Mastodon if you end up modifying your GameSir X2s with my models!

My February and March 2024 Media Diet

Sun, 31 Mar 2024 10:45:35 -0400

Well this blog is starting to rot on the vine isn’t it?

Early this month, I decided to follow along with Reactor Mag’s Science Fiction Film Club. So far I have watched 🍿 Forbidden Planet (1956), 🍿 Solaris (1972), and 🍿 Silent Running (1972). It’s been fun experiencing these Sci-Fi classics and the insightful commentary is something I look forward to each week.

Here is what else I’ve been up to the past two months:

📺 Slow Horses (Season 3). This is a fantastic show and Season 3 is by far the best story thus far. Gary Oldman as a slovenly and rude spymaster is right up my alley. (👍🏻)

🍿 The Marvels. Not much to say about this one. The MCU is still chugging along. I’ll continue to watch but I’m less interested for sure. There were good moments in this film and it not being three hours is a huge plus.

📺 Invasion (Season 1 and Season 2). I was recommended this by my brother. I devoured this show but a month and a half on I’m having trouble remembering much about it. What does that say?

📖 The Way Of Kings by Brandon Sanderson. I put this book off for way too long. Sanderson is a master and I’m dedicating my year to reading his books. (👍🏻)

📖 City in Ruins by Don Winslow. I won this book as part of a Goodreads giveaway. It can be done! This is supposedly Don Winslows last book. I enjoyed the series overall but it did not hold a candle to The Power of the Dog trilogy.

🍿 Dune. Rewatched this in preparation for the sequel. It holds up. The sound design and visuals are nearly as amazing on my couch as they were in the theater. (👍🏻)

🍿 Dune: Part 2. This movie is a masterpiece. I’m struggling with what to write about it because I enjoyed every element. The sound design, the visuals, the acting, and the sheer commitment to the Dune vibe makes this a new classic in the Sci-Fi movie pantheon. (👍🏻)

🕹️ Persona 3 Reload. After playing Midnight Suns I figured I would try my hand at its inspiration. The Persona series games are very long and I’ve avoided them because of that. No longer. I loved this game and now I’m trying to talk myself off a ledge and diving headfirst into the rest of the franchise. Persona 5 Tactics next?

🍿 Alien and Aliens. Classic science fiction at its best.

🍿 Poor Things. Emma Stone’s transformation from baby to adult in this modern Frankenstein was a sight to behold. (👍🏻)

📖 Words of Radiance by Brandon Sanderson. I’m about 75% into the follow up to The Way Of Kings and it’s everything the first book was and more. (👍🏻)

📺 X-Men ‘97. Love this so far. Can the X-Men reinvigorate the MCU? (👍🏻)

📺 Shogun. I’m only two episodes in so far. Reading subtitles is not my cup of tea but the story is very entertaining that I plan on sticking it out.

🕹️ Inscryption. This game combines roguelike deck-building, escape room puzzles, and a creepy setting and comes up with something unlike anything else I’ve played. Go into this game blind and stick with it. It’s worth it. (👍🏻)

The rest of the things I watched / did but weren’t worth writing about. Sometimes you just want to watch a little garbage: 🍿 Next Goal Wins, 🍿 Venom: Let There Be Carnage.

My January 2024 Media Diet

Fri, 02 Feb 2024 10:45:35 -0400

I have struggled to post anything to the blog this past month. I have been trying to update my app Bound due to new Google Drive API changes and the conversations with Google have been incredibly slow and boring. In the mean time, I have been filling my time by playing a few games and rewatching the Lord of the Rings trilogy with some friends.

Other than that, here is what I did in the past month:

📺 The Crown (Season 6). The final episode of The Crown really nailed the tone. Seeing the queen grapple with her station and humanity against her past selves (and actors) was really well done. I didn’t love every episode this season but the finale made it all worth it. (👍🏻)

🍿 Saltburn. Didn’t expect this to go the way it did. Not sure I liked it but I didn’t not like it either. If you’re curious, give it a go.

📖 The Narrow Road Between Desires by Patrick Rothfuss. Will the third installment in The Kingkiller Chronicles series ever come out? Not sure. This was a fun quick romp in that world and would be a decent onboarding for anyone who was thinking about diving in.

🍿 Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny. Better and worse than I expected at the same time. Phoebe Waller Bridge was great as usual and so was Ford. The third act was a little over the top for my taste.

📺 What If… (Season 2). Entertaining yet forgettable. That pretty much describes the entire post-Endgame Marvel universe for me. Will the pendulum swing back? Not sure, but I think onboarding the X-men (someday) can do it.

🍿 Killers of the Flower Moon. Such a long movie. It’s good, as most Scorsese movies are but I don’t think I’ll be watching it again anytime soon.

📺 Monarch: Legacy of Monsters. Was this show good? I’m not even sure I enjoyed it. I watched the whole thing because I was on a bit of a Godzilla kick after Godzilla: Minus One but I’m not sure I should have stuck with it.

📺 Reacher (Season 2). This show is exactly what you think it is and it’s more fun and well done than you would expect.

📺 The Curse. Very odd show with a finale that shouldn’t be missed. Emma Stone, Nathan Fielder, and Ben Safdie were perfect in their roles. Every scene was uncomfortable. I could only watch one episode at a time because it was too exhausting. (👍🏻)

📺 Delicious in Dungeon. I always keep a charming anime around to fill the random bits of time. Right now it’s Delicious in Dungeon; an anime about eating monsters in a vaguely DnD like world. Every episode there is a new monster to eat. Strange and fun at the same time.

🕹️ Midnight Suns. I received a Backbone One as a gift for Christmas last month. I’ve been playing Midnight Suns via Xbox Remote Play on my iPhone. It’s been a pretty fun experience playing a AAA title on my phone. The game is a mix between Slay the Spire and Fire Emblem: Three Houses and it’s got me hooked. (👍🏻)

My December 2023 Media Diet

Mon, 01 Jan 2024 10:45:35 -0400

This year was the first in nearly 10 years that I could not finish my reading goal. I ended the year with 18 books; just shy of my goal of 20. I am a bit bummed that I couldn’t meet the goal but ultimately I think that the blame for it lies in a lack of reading momentum due to not connecting with many of the books I did read. I’ll get over it. On to next year’s goal…

Here’s what I’ve been up to the past month:

📺 Loki: Season 2. I’m not entirely sure I understood exactly what was going on the entire time, but the stakes were clear enough. Tom Hiddleston is a treasure and I hope we haven’t seen the last of this character.

🕹️ Super Mario Bros. Wonder. I have one more level to go in this game but it’s safe to say that it’s nothing less than a masterpiece. Decades of Mario games has culminated in a game that is approachable by everyone, new in fantastic ways, and comfortingly old in all the ways that matter. (👍🏼)

📺 Love Has Won: The Cult of Mother God. What the hell did I just witness? Documentary series are not typically my cup of tea as I think they’re usually overstay their welcome. This was a tight three episodes and the conclusion is too wild for me to spoil. People are crazy and it’s a bit depressing. (👍🏼)

🍿 The Mummy (2017). This movie was mediocre at best but surprising in that the movie studios canned the “Dark Universe” shared universe concept before it even got off the ground. It’s probably for the best that it didn’t happen but it leaves me wondering, what if?

🍿 Godzilla: Minus One. There is a lot of Godzilla content going around right now and I think this new Japanese entry is the best of them all. Bringing the story back to the days following WW2 was a great choice. The effects were nicely done on the small budget it had too. The power behind Godzilla’s laser blast was on another level. Very impactful and (intentionally) reminiscent of a nuclear bomb blast. (👍🏼)

🍿 The Boy and the Heron. It’s everything you want in a Miyazaki movie. Beautiful animation, wild and sometimes grotesque characters, a plot where you don’t know exactly what will come next, and a touching story at the heart of it all.

🍿 Merry Little Batman. This was pretty cute. A Batman story that doesn’t take itself too seriously is always fun. I’m not typically a fan of holiday specials (bah humbug!?) but Merry Little Batman was entertaining.

🕹️ Jusant. Video games with climbing sequences and puzzles are my jam. So when I saw that Jusant was a game about climbing, I was in. This is a beautiful and brief game and i enjoyed every minute of it. (👍🏼)

🍿 Wonka. When the trailer was released my first impression was that this movie was going to be trash. Fortunately, that was not the case! The director previously made the Paddington movies and a lot of the charm from those shine through in this.

🍿 The Creator. The story, settings, and sets felt very grounded in reality. The young girl who played Alphie did a great job and the relationship that develops between the main character and her was very sweet. Unfortunately, I read somewhere that this felt like a poor man’s Christopher Nolan movie and I can’t get that out of my head.

📖 Nettle & Bone by T. Kingfisher. The 2023 Hugo Award winner for best novel lives up to that reputation. This was the last book I read this year and I couldn’t have asked for a better novel. Nettle & Bone masterfully weaves fresh fantasy concepts nested within old fairy tail tropes. I particularly loved the puppet who controlled the innkeeper. (👍🏼)

📖 Witch King by Martha Wells. The underlying story was novel and the world was richly developed, however, I really struggled getting through this book. I can’t quite put my finger on it but it ultimately just did not grip me in the way that other novels this year did.

My November 2023 Media Diet

Fri, 01 Dec 2023 17:23:36 -0400

I am a huge fan of Jason Kottke and his website, kottke.org. Periodically, Jason posts a summary of what he’s been watching, reading, playing, and doing. I look forward to these posts and thought it would be fun to start doing the same.

I am hoping that writing about the content I consume will allow me to reflect on and remember more of what I enjoy (or don’t enjoy).

So without further ado, here is what I’ve been up to the past month:

🍿 Nosferatu. Somehow I had never seen Nosferatu prior to this. Nitehawk Theater screened a restoration with a live score played by a band on Halloween night. It was the perfect way to see it for the first time. (👍🏼)

📺 Our Flag Means Death. Love this show. Very sweet, very fun. Taika’s comedic timing is unmatched. I’m hoping it gets picked up for a third season but they ended this one in a way that’s fitting even if it does not. (👍🏼)

📺 The Sopranos. I was very late to the game despite loving all things organized crime. What is there to say that hasn’t already been said about Tony Soprano and the rest of the ensemble cast that makes up this show? James Gandolfini embodies Tony Soprano in a way that so many actors wish they could emulate but can never achieve. The show isn’t perfect but it has quickly climbed to one of the top spots in my favorite shows of all time list. (❤️)

📺 Pluto. I have never read or watched any Astro Boy content before this. Pluto was a wonderful take on robots / AI coming to terms with its own humanity. I’d love to watch more content in this vein. Pluto reminded me of a cross between Blade Runner and Neon Genesis Evangelion. (👍🏼)

📖 The War Of The Worlds by H.G. Wells. I try to read a few “classics” every year. I did not realize this was written in 1897. I was wondering why it took so long for the military to show up but it must have taken a while for the news to spread back then. I’m planning on listening to the Orson Welles radio broadcast and maybe rewatching the Spielberg movie sometime soon. (👍🏼)

🕹️ Puzzmo. New game service by Zach Gage and Orta Therox that is trying to compete with the likes of The New York Times’ games offering. There is a lot to love here. The new game, Flipart, has become my go to game when I wake up in the morning. Give this a shot if you like newspaper games of all kinds. (❤️)

🕹️ Playdate. I received a Playdate as a 2022 Christmas gift but only just received it. I have been addicted to the thing since I opened the box. The hardware is solid and the crank has a great feel. My favorite type of games are short, twitchy, skill based games that I can beat in a few days and this has those types of games by the bucketload. (❤️)

🍿 Mission Impossible: Dead Reconning Part One. The action sequences in this movie were great fun. I think I have enjoyed the Mission Impossible series more than the James Bond franchise in recent years. This does suffer a bit by being a Part 1 of 2 movie, and I’m not sure this was really necessary for this story line. That said, I will be watching the next one, if only to see Tom Cruise do another one of his insane stunts. (👍🏼)

📖 Starter Villain by John Scalzi. Just the book I needed after reading a few slower books. Scalzi is always a great popcorn-type read and I blasted through this in a few days. Just like every other book of his. I’m hoping he can get back to a series of books again sometime soon. (👍🏼)

📺 Scavengers Reign. Wow. Started this show on a whim after seeing a Threads post about it. I devoured it on a lazy weekend while Emily was doing pottery. Creative sci-fi with life forms reminiscent of Adventure Time mixed with a very adult, somber, but heartfelt storyline. More like this please! (❤️)

🍿 Napoleon. I was really looking forward to this and was a bit let down. Joaquin Phoenix is great in the role but there was something missing. Watch this on Apple Plus instead of the theater. (🫤)

📺 Blue Eye Samurai. This anime was a nice surprise. The animation was incredible and it reminded me Avatar: The Last Airbender grown up (with way more violence and none of the magic qualities). Very much looking forward to Season 2. (❤️)

🍿 Elemental. We’ve been putting this movie off and finally, begrudgingly, fired it up on a lazy Saturday night. Has Pixar ever tackled a love story head on quite like this? The animation was fantastic as usual and I had very few gripes. (👍🏼)

🕹️ Bramble: The Mountain King. The story was engaging but the control scheme left something to be desired. Too clunky. I’d still recommend this tho as it was quite short and not that difficult. A fun weekend romp and free on Game Pass. (🫤)

📖 The Metamorphosis by Franz Kafka. I’ll be honest and say that I started this book purely because it was short and I’m making a last ditch effort to complete my reading goal for the year. Recognizing the fact that it was written in 1915 and translated from German, it was… fine. Though, I did particularly like the resulting metamorphosis of the family after the death of Gregor. (🫤)

🏎️ 2023 F1 Season. Fun season, even if it was predetermined that Max would win. (👍🏼)

🍿 Blue Beetle. I expected this to be generic and I wasn’t wrong. I think they infused it with enough charm that I did enjoy watching enough that I didn’t regret it. (🫤)

🍿 Cobweb. This has been on my horror radar for a while now and I was looking forward to it. It let me down a bit. Malignant did it better. (🫤)

🍿 Shin Godzilla. Bought this on sale a long time ago and finally got around to watching. Evolving Godzilla is a great concept. The initial form is so wacky and off the wall that you’re exited for future evolutions. (👍🏼)

iOS Notification Center Bug

Sun, 26 Nov 2023 16:25:49 -0400

When I started this blog, my intention was to resist the urge to use it as an outlet for complaining. The tech commentator world is full enough of that already and I don’t need another space to vent.

BUT. I’ve got a bone to pick with one specific iOS bug that’s bothered me for years and yet I’ve never seen anyone else mention it:

When Notification Center presents itself, notifications are briefly shown with square corners before re-rendering with rounded corners.

This issue has happened daily for over a year now and through multiple major iOS updates.

Has anyone else experienced this with the same frequency as me? What’s your pet bug that kills you inside?

Someone send help. 😅

My App Defaults

Mon, 06 Nov 2023 21:04:11 -0400

Recently, folks have been sharing their default apps in a bunch of different categories. (I’m told the podcast Hemispheric Views started this. I plan on listening soon.)

I’m a sucker for learning about other people’s workflows and seeing how I can make better use of my time, so this was right up my alley.

In recent years I have drastically simplified the amount of third party apps I use. I felt like I was on a hamster wheel of finding and using the latest mail client, RSS reader, to-do list, etc.

I still keep my ear to the ground about the hot new productivity app but I have to be really sure it’s sticking around before I swap away from the default Apple option. Apple’s apps don’t always have the latest flashy features but I generally expect them to be around for the next five years.

Without further adieu, here are my default apps:

📨 Mail Client

Apple Mail

📮 Mail Server

GSuite (Is it still called this? I’m considering switching to FastMail but haven’t pulled the trigger yet.)

📝 Notes

Apple Notes

✅ To-Do

Apple Reminders

📷 iPhone Photo Shooting

Apple Camera

🟦 Photo Management

iCloud Photos / Apple Photos

📆 Calendar

Fantastical

📁 Cloud File Storage

iCloud Drive

📖 RSS

N/A (I used Feedbin after the death of Google Reader but I no longer use RSS much at all anymore.)

🙍🏻‍♂️ Contacts

Apple Contacts

🌐 Browser

Safari / Firefox / Chrome in that order.

💬 Chat

Apple Messages and one Slack

🔖 Bookmarks

N/A (I usually save links in Apple Reminders or Apple Notes, depending on the context.)

📑 Read It Later

Ephemera (This one is my app. It’s simple and unique. Check it out!)

📜 Word Processing

Apple Notes / TextEdit / Pages

📈 Spreadsheets

Numbers (I would use Excel in a heartbeat if I had any services spreadsheeting to do.)

📊 Presentations

🛒 Shopping Lists

Apple Reminders

🍴 Meal Planning

Mela

💰 Budgeting and Personal Finance

Copilot (I’m not convinced this is the app for me. It’s pretty but the Fidelity integration does not work. I’m fielding suggestions. Let me know!)

📰 News

Apple News

🎵 Music

Apple Music

🎤 Podcasts

Overcast

🔐 Password Management

1Password (Thinking about switching to the native keychain implementation, but I’ve got my family on the 1Password family plan and it sounds like a pain in the butt for me to switch.)