Reposted by BenCharlie Chapman @charliemchapman.com · 14/09/2026Happy iOS 27 / macOS 27 release day for those who celebrate 🥂 1342
Ben @bfox.ca · 07/04/2026I wrote a retrospective on the first 7 years of MIDI Guide, my open-source synth database. 010
Ben @bfox.ca · 09/04/2025Me: "How do I normalize an image?" ChatGPT: **i'm thinking about cooking with that Oil🧑🍳😋🤤** 010
Ben @bfox.ca · 10/03/2025I need a Popup Blocker, but for apps I use, so I can block all their stupid airbags and walkthroughs 000
Ben @bfox.ca · 06/02/2025Just realized you can cancel the 'copying shared cache symbols' dialog, and go back to working in Xcode, and it'll do whatever the heck it's doing in the background 🙏 010
Ben @bfox.ca · 24/12/2024Astrologers proclaim week of the Home Technology Support. "Screen Time" Bug growth +15. Wifi Strife growth +15. That Fucking Printer growth +15. All Minecraft clients increase in complexity. 000
Ben @bfox.ca · 23/12/2024Cynically I wonder if it's because the people using GitHub/Vercel aren't the ones buying it, so there's nothing lost by shuffling them along to the dashboard... 020
Ben @bfox.ca · 23/12/2024Of course the stuff behind the login and auth is way better than it was in 2007! The crazy part is that actually getting through the front door has gotten so shitty. 000
Ben @bfox.ca · 23/12/2024Who asked for this?!? I'll tell you who asked for this: the depraved gremlin whose comp is based on 'engagements' on that stupid fucking video. (OTOH, consider Vercel or GitHub. If you're logged in, they take you to their dashboard, not their marketing page. It's such a relief. So humane. ) 210
Ben @bfox.ca · 23/12/2024Look at Shopify. To manage your store, you go to Shopify.com, then tap Login. You're already authenticated! They could just redirect you! BUT IF THEY DID, they couldn't force you to watch a full-screen video of some shrub using Shopify to dropship ocean plastic to the Great Pacific Garbage Patch. 120
Ben @bfox.ca · 23/12/20242. Auth is now owned by psychopathic product managers. Web 2.0 signup forms were made by whimsical hipsters who spent their off-hours rounding corners and inventing new ways to gatekeep coffee. Now they're made by Gordon Gecko. Forms aren't for YOU to USE – they're for THEM, and their petty KPIs. 100
Ben @bfox.ca · 23/12/2024It was STOLEN from us though: 1. Auth is ridiculously complex (passkey? 2fa? OAUTH?). It's SO complex that even the biggest companies in the world can't make it work. Every service I use - CloudFlare, AWS, RevenueCat, App Store Connect - logs me out daily. Logging in is 3 or 4 SLOW screens. 101
Ben @bfox.ca · 23/12/2024The first product I saw like this was Campfire (37signals circa 2007), just as IE6 was dying (not a coincidence). I signed up and realized until that moment, I had never truly seen a form. It was a golden age of auth UI! 100
Ben @bfox.ca · 23/12/2024I was using a widget builder the other day to build an interactive calculator, and it really made me miss Web 2.0. Remember the first really nice forms on the web? Dynamic validation, big text fields, nice typography on labels, placeholder text, FAST. It felt naughty! 120
Ben @bfox.ca · 22/12/2024The event's called 'Blur' because the element lost focus! I just got it. 010
Ben @bfox.ca · 15/12/2024'Mercy of the Gods' by James S. A. Corey is a gritty reboot of Dungeon Crawler Carl. 010
Ben @bfox.ca · 12/12/2024Penbook recognizes your handwritten notes and generates stickers for you, all on device with Image Playground. 020
Reposted by BenPenbook @penbook.app · 04/12/2024📝 Templates of note: No Cheat Days. A beautiful habit tracker, with space for two habits per page in this landscape configuration. Track your streaks and make notes in the margin. #stationery #productivity #planner #habits #streaks 032
Ben @bfox.ca · 02/12/2024Going on the defensive in a Reddit thread never works, but as an act of self care, I redid my privacy policy to be even more explicit penbook.app/privacy-policypenbook.appPenbook privacy policy 000
Ben @bfox.ca · 02/12/2024So I trimmed my label: 🪪 Identifiers: Clearly the UUID I generate to enable purchase restoration is not what users think of when they see this. DELETED 📊 Usage: My 'usage' falls under Diagnostics so → delete 🛍️ Purchases: Decided there's no way this can mean 'upgrade subscriptions'. Baleeted 100
Ben @bfox.ca · 02/12/2024NB: Some users referred to the nutrition labels as 'Permissions', like on Google Play app display pages. If users think these labels are assigned by Apple, and that they're based on what your app does and not self-reported, it explains a lot! 110
Ben @bfox.ca · 02/12/2024Users interpreted these labels as... 🪪 Identifiers: automatic collection of their email, phone number... 📊 Usage: 'No privacy for notes' (i.e., I spy on their work) 🛍️ Purchase history: I track ALL their purchases (not just Penbook's IAPs) (⚙️ Diagnostics got a pass) 100
Ben @bfox.ca · 02/12/2024My Self-Promo Sunday post for @penbook.app on r/Apple got some traction last week, and had lots of nice comments, but I was thrown by how hung up (and angry!) a few users were about Penbook's privacy nutrition label: 🪪 Identifiers ⚙️ Diagnostics 📊 Usage 🛍️ Purchase History So I've edited it: 120
Reposted by BenMIDI Guide @midi.guide · 27/11/2024Midi Guide's definition format is guided by two principles: 1. Normies can use the raw definitions as a reference, and even contribute to them, without using git or any other special software 2. The definitions are machine-readable such that they can be used to generate a complete UI for the synth 152
Reposted by Benslaven @slaven.me · 27/11/2024Our massive MIDI CC/NRPN repo is now on bsky too 🎹 If you're into synths follow @midi.guide, completely free, easier to use than looking through manuals, programmatic access, and you can contribute your fave device mappings 😍 midi.guidemidi.guideMIDI CC and NRPN databaseThe 'comprehensive' dataset of all MIDI CCs and NRPNs. 031
Ben @bfox.ca · 27/11/2024I use my local UPS Store - they give a real-looking address (like "Suite 600, 1234 Main St.") so you can use services that specify "No PO Boxes", but it's around C$200 / yr. If you use a coworking space, sometimes you can use its address, or if you're incorporated, your lawyer's might also work. 110
Reposted by BenPenbook @penbook.app · 27/11/2024I’m giving away 10 free Penbook Lifetime licenses as part of #IndieSky 🦋 Follow me and share this post - I'll pick random recipients on Thursday. 41314
