geraint - Network

Important PSA for anyone who has an annual tradition of watching A Muppet Christmas Carol: on Disney Plus, under Extras, you can watch the...

Important PSA for anyone who has an annual tradition of watching A Muppet Christmas Carol: on Disney Plus, under Extras, you can watch the full-length film, including the song that was cut from the DVD, and without which it doesn’t make sense.

I’ve swapped my Apple Watch Ultra for a series 10. First impressions:* it’s half the thickness, half the weight and the same screen...

I’ve swapped my Apple Watch Ultra for a series 10. First impressions:

* it’s half the thickness, half the weight and the same screen size, and definitely feels like the right choice.

* I don’t miss the action button — I pressed it accidentally more often than deliberately

* the Ultra screen is flat, but the series 10 is curved at the edges — makes it feel a little smaller

* Haptics are noticeably less prominent on the 10.

* my favourite watch faces are only on the Ultra
#AppleWatch

When we first added a map of broadcasts to Periscope, we noticed a lot of broadcasts coming from an unlikely spot off the coast of Africa....

When we first added a map of broadcasts to Periscope, we noticed a lot of broadcasts coming from an unlikely spot off the coast of Africa. We found out we were sometimes accidentally reporting the location as 0°N, 0°W.

It turns out that this spot, known as Null Island, is well known among mapping experts: https://stamen.com/the-many-lives-of-null-island/

While the grandchildren were here, we watched a DVD for the first time in a long while. The first ten minutes were unskippable adverts for...

While the grandchildren were here, we watched a DVD for the first time in a long while. The first ten minutes were unskippable adverts for other children’s DVDs. Worth remembering how bad things can get, as we see streaming services gradually increasing their advertising content.

We have scaffolding up by our bedroom window. The other night, we heard a ‘cheep’ call very close, and looking through the curtains, we...

We have scaffolding up by our bedroom window. The other night, we heard a ‘cheep’ call very close, and looking through the curtains, we could see an owl perched on the scaffolding, not a metre away from us. I think it was a juvenile tawny owl.

End of an era indeed! My first few years of programming were all in machine code on Z80-based computers designed and built by my brother....

End of an era indeed! My first few years of programming were all in machine code on Z80-based computers designed and built by my brother.

https://www.allaboutcircuits.com/news/end-of-era-zilog-discontinues-z80-microprocessor/?utm_source=All+About+Circuits+Members&utm_campaign=35b12fb419-EMAIL_CAMPAIGN_2024_05_02_07_09_COPY_01&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_-637df187d5-%5BLIST_EMAIL_ID%5D

My office acquired a Mac in 1984 and I had a chance to play with it a little. The biggest mental leap for me was not the UI, but the...

My office acquired a Mac in 1984 and I had a chance to play with it a little. The biggest mental leap for me was not the UI, but the programming model: replacing strictly linear programming with the event-driven model that was required by the UI, and is now quite commonplace.
#mac40years

I'm looking for more beta testers for my side project: Places History, an app for Apple Watch and iPhone to create a private record of...

I'm looking for more beta testers for my side project: Places History, an app for Apple Watch and iPhone to create a private record of the places you visit. More details at https://gdcl.co.uk/places. DM or email geraint at gdcl.co.uk to find out more.

For Christmas from my brother-in-law, a reminder of one of the highlights of my career: being attacked by the Daily Mail!

For Christmas from my brother-in-law, a reminder of one of the highlights of my career: being attacked by the Daily Mail!

8 years ago

8 years ago

Four thousand days of journal entries in #DayOne

Four thousand days of journal entries in #DayOne

The new double-tap gesture on the Apple Watch lets you tap buttons one-handed by tapping your finger and thumb together. It’s not obvious...

The new double-tap gesture on the Apple Watch lets you tap buttons one-handed by tapping your finger and thumb together.

It’s not obvious which button is going to be tapped, but cleverly, after you tap your fingers, the watch highlights the button, and pauses briefly before actioning it. It’s only actioned if you keep the watch face facing you, which means you can cancel the action one-handed if it’s not the button you expected, simply by turning your wrist away.
#watchOS10 #AppleWatch

One thing I’m finding with #watchOS10 is how much more useful the grid view of apps is. I used to find the grid view impossible to use, so...

One thing I’m finding with #watchOS10 is how much more useful the grid view of apps is. I used to find the grid view impossible to use, so I used the (alphabetic) list view of apps, with the dock for the few apps I would actually use regularly.

The dock has gone away in watchOS 10, but the new grid view is much easier to use, quicker to scroll through, and you can sort your frequently-used apps to the top, which makes it a good replacement for the dock.

iPhone 15 Pro Max zoom range

iPhone 15 Pro Max zoom range

In my spare time over the last few months, I’ve been working on an iPhone and Watch app to create a private record of your travels:...

In my spare time over the last few months, I’ve been working on an iPhone and Watch app to create a private record of your travels: https://gdcl.co.uk/places. If you are interested in helping with beta testing, please get in touch!

Heron at Malltraeth

Heron at Malltraeth

I burnt the toast this morning and the smoke alarm went off 🙈 A few seconds later, we both had an alert on our watch telling us about the...

I burnt the toast this morning and the smoke alarm went off 🙈 A few seconds later, we both had an alert on our watch telling us about the alarm — apparently the HomePod picked up the smoke detector sound. Quite impressive.

I’ve written a short piece about the beginnings of Periscope (and the ephemerality of software): ...

I’ve written a short piece about the beginnings of Periscope (and the ephemerality of software): https://gdcl.co.uk/posts/2023/08/09/beginnings-of-periscope/

My current hobby project is a watch/iPhone app to create a private journal of your travels by logging your location in the background. Today...

My current hobby project is a watch/iPhone app to create a private journal of your travels by logging your location in the background. Today I added Ordnance Survey maps as an alternative to Apple Maps, and was surprised at how easy it was — a few hours work at most. #watchos #swiftui #OSMaps

A surprising thing I’ve found about Mastodon is the number of older programmers who post here. I’m 62 and still enjoy programming, but...

A surprising thing I’ve found about Mastodon is the number of older programmers who post here. I’m 62 and still enjoy programming, but until recently didn’t come across many other programmers of a similar age. Is there a hashtag for #GrandadsWhoCode ?