michaelsteeber

michaelsteeber, 1 day ago (edited 1 day ago) to random

A big update to BitMaps, my #visionOS maps app, is out today! I've added a new split view for browsing locations. You can now adjust the terrain style of each individual map and set a default zoom level. And I've improved the "Open in BitMaps" share extension to support more types of addresses:
https://apps.apple.com/us/app/bitmaps-bite-size-map-widgets/id6477943497

michaelsteeber, 3 days ago to random

A few years ago I started using the ML Super Resolution feature in Pixelmator Pro. It’s not perfect, but it helps. Surely there is more advanced upscaling tech available now, but I've not found it yet. It's especially difficult to sort through now that everything is marketed as AI. The results are about the same using Adobe's software. Anyone know of something better?

michaelsteeber, 4 days ago to random

When I bought a 512GB Mac, I never considered the possibility that I'd have 3 versions of Xcode installed at the same time. In 2020 it felt like this M1 machine would last forever, but visionOS development really stretches its limit!

michaelsteeber, 7 days ago to SwiftUI

I’m working on a project with an important launch animation that only plays on the first launch. Unfortunately, when people install the app via TestFlight, the “what to test" sheet obscures the animation. Has anyone found a way to detect when the sheet is dismissed? #SwiftUI

michaelsteeber, 13 days ago to random

The sea of tech pessimism out there now makes it feel like a full time job trying to maintain the optimism that first drew me to it back in middle school. It's still what I love! But it feels harder than ever to find others with the same outlook.

michaelsteeber, 15 days ago (edited 15 days ago) to random

Easily my favorite Apple ad in recent memory. ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ https://youtube.com/shorts/KrhPraOGrwY?si=dMTpTvmpqCZv1-bB

michaelsteeber, 24 days ago to random

For some inexplicable reason, South Coast Plaza is using a solid color version of the 1977 “wobbly" Apple logo used in extremely early marketing materials. Baffling but charming. http://thebrainfever.com/apple/the-lost-apple-logos-you-ve-never-seen

A six-color, wobbly Apple logo.

michaelsteeber, 25 days ago to random

I don't want a Rabbit R1, but seeing videos of it reinforces how much I want to write software for extremely tiny, handheld hardware. I think about it almost every day. Is the Playdate the only accessible platform that allows this today?

michaelsteeber, 29 days ago to SwiftUI

I've been trying to push the bounds of the visionOS interface a bit and came up with this really nice split view for BitMaps. #SwiftUI

A screen recording of the split view in BitMaps.

michaelsteeber, 1 month ago to random

It’s wild how much of the collective Swift knowledge online is locked behind a Medium login. I don’t really understand why so many developers still go that route when setting up a new blog today. When I hit that wall, I bounce.

michaelsteeber, 1 month ago to random

I don't know if this is just a U.S. thing, but over the past five years it's become almost impossible to purchase plain puffed wheat cereal in a grocery store. The last chain here finally stopped stocking it. There are essentially two suppliers offering it for extremely inflated prices on Amazon, but elsewhere it's a completely extinct product. I’m out of unsweetened cereals!

michaelsteeber, 1 month ago to random

Anyone working on a Pippin emulator? Think it would pass app review? It's definitely a retro console, but you'd have to redistribute Apple source code 🤔 https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Apple_Pippin

michaelsteeber, 1 month ago to random

I wrote about the fascinating history of Apple Watch shops, the pop-up spaces Apple opened to launch the first Apple Watch in 2015: https://michaelsteeber.substack.com/p/shop-talk-apple-watch

michaelsteeber, 1 month ago to random

Apple has been steadily updating its store photography over the last 2 years. A look at some of the changes: https://michaelsteeber.substack.com/p/picture-day

michaelsteeber, 1 month ago to random

Biggest wishlist item for Xcode Simulator this year: quality settings for screen recordings. I send many, many draft videos through iMessage while collaborating on design ideas and flows, and I’m forced to either compress them all through Handbrake first or let them fill my SSD. The files are huge

michaelsteeber, 2 months ago to random

I’ve been trying to solve SceneKit rendering performance problems all week, and I’m starting to come to the conclusion that maybe the framework really just doesn't play well with SwiftUI. I’m down to my last few ideas to test.

michaelsteeber, 2 months ago to random

Does anyone have experience with medical second opinions? I've been working on some stomach issues, and after thousands of dollars of testing, was churned out of the system with just a pill and a "suspected" catch-all diagnosis. If I stay within the same hospital system, will my chart history inhibit my ability to get more help?

michaelsteeber, 2 months ago to random

I don’t want to publish my personal address on the App Store. Should I just pull my apps from the EU?

michaelsteeber, 2 months ago to random

“A brand-new Apple Store is coming soon.” https://www.apple.com/ca/retail/squareone/

michaelsteeber, 2 months ago to random

We're so close to a return

Jeep Wagoneer

michaelsteeber, 2 months ago to apple

My first update to BitMaps for #visionOS is out. This one allows you to open addresses, coordinates, and links from Apple Maps and Google Maps in BitMaps from the share sheet. I'm super happy with how seamless this feels!

Opening addresses, coordinates, and links in BitMaps.

michaelsteeber, 2 months ago to random

Please enjoy this small batch 1980s guide to DOS computing I recently scanned:

HARDWARE CHECKLIST ("Hardware" means run computer programs or the machines you use "Software") You'll need the tollowing hardware sucessiully run vour soitware to to IBM P.C. : (P.C. means "personal computer"). This is the computer itseli: where the computer's internal workings are stored and information (data) is processed. The onloff switch is located on the right side of the machine, towards the back. VIDEO MONITOR : (That's the thing that 10oks like a T.V. screen.) It is not the comouter: it simply works with the computer. The monitor aliows the user (that's you to see what information is going into the computer. When you use the keyboard (we'll get to that later, your typing shows up on the monitor as you tupe. So you can see what's happening 35 YoU give or receive information from the computer. You can adiust the brightness end the contrast of the mon- itor using these knobs: 2
KEYBOARD Without the keyboard, it would beimpossible to give the computer instructions. The user couldn't run a program without providing information the computer needs to begin work. The computer keyboard is very similar to a typewriter's keyboard, with a few exceptions. To the far left on the keyboard are special function keys. They will 7 HOME PGUP be used for certain pro- grams you will run, 50 don't woriy about them right now. 1 END PROTES 2 3 PEDN To the far right the keyboard FI F2 is a numeric key pad. This can also be F3 used as a cursor F5 F6 directional pad; /a FT F8 cursor is the flashing hyphen on the screen F9 FIO that tells you where FUNCTION KEY PAD your typing will appear on the screen.) This pad has arrows on it so you can move the little cursor to where ever you'd like to begin typing You'll see the cursor later. NUMERIC / CURSOR KEY PAD
IMPORTANT KEYS: There are also a few other keys which may be rather important, although unfamiliar to you. • NUM LOCK This key can change the far right key pad. Press it, and you can type numbers on the screen. Press it again, and the cursor arrows can be used. Capitalizes Certain Letters when pressed along with the letter you want capitalized. It's like the "shift" key on a typewriter. It can also give you the top row's characters (@,#,%,*) etc. caps Lock CAPITALIZES ALL 9234455130 LETTERS. This is like "shift lock" on the regular typewriters. Press again to return to lower cas Helps to correct аПу typing RASPIESTS errors you make. It will move the cursor back, so you can correct right on top of the errors "ENTER" Or "RETURN" key. Very important key, you use it when you want information to be entered into the computer. Just because you see it on the screen doesn't mean it's in the computer! 4

michaelsteeber, 2 months ago to random

When I enable strict concurrency checking in my projects, the compiler just tells me I’m toast in Swift 6. I'm finding it really difficult to wrap my head around the changes I need to adapt the Sendable protocol. And I'd really rather not just sweep it all under the rug with @ unchecked.

michaelsteeber, 2 months ago to random

I wish Perplexity didn’t show me how it transforms my conversational text into Google-friendly search phrases. I know how to do that, my goal with using this product is to convey nuance in my description. It makes me irrationally irritated, like a 2024 “let me Google that for you” 😅

michaelsteeber, 2 months ago to random

Peak performance