Why I Started the MatchaMakes Instagram

 

I started it so I could remember that I do make things. That’s really it.

I’d finish a day in the shop—or half-finish a project—and feel like I hadn’t done anything at all. Like it just evaporated, a condition I suffer from in all aspects of my life. The Instagram account was just a way to pin it down. Document it. Look back and say “see? I’m not just loafing about I’m making stuff.”

I wasn’t really sharing things before that. Maybe a photo here and there with family, but no one else in my immediate circle builds anything, or could share in some of the highs and lows I was feeling. So there wasn’t anyone to talk with. I wanted to connect with other people who make stuff. Even if it was one-sided at first.

I don’t really care how well anything does. Likes, follows, whatever—that’s not why I started it. It’s for me. It’s my log. My proof-of-work.

But I do think about who might see it now. Other makers. People just getting started. People mid-project and stuck, just like myself. People who need a little nudge to pick up a tool. That’s who I picture when I post. I don’t try to game the algorithm, but I'm not naive and if a hundred thousand people saw my posts and one of them got inspired to make something, that’d be incredible.

Most of my posts are in-progress shots. Rarely finished pieces. I almost never wrap a project up fully. Things take a long time. Even if they are complete I post anyway, because the in-between and journey matters too. Sometimes things go wrong—I’ll mess up a joint, a board warps, something splits—and that becomes the post. I’ll make a joke about it, try to pull some kind of lesson out of it, and move on.

Posting also keeps me moving. It adds just enough pressure to keep me off the couch and in the shop. Not in a bad way. I don’t post just to post. I don’t force it. The account’s always there. Reminding me that if I haven't posted in a while, then I probably haven’t made anything in a while.

That’s why I started it. That’s why I still post. It’s not a portfolio. It’s not about perfection. It’s a record. A reminder. And maybe, if I’m lucky, a spark for someone else.

https://www.instagram.com/matcha.makes/

250422 - updates: typos

Babies are great

Specifically my son.

Patriotism and Pride

I am having a son. In a few months, I will hold in my arms a new life that I am responsible for shaping. A child who will look to me for guidance, for understanding, for a sense of belonging in this world. That thought alone is staggering. Fatherhood is already asking things of me I don’t know how to answer. Chief among them: how am I supposed to give my son patriotism when I myself have no self-hope?

I have struggled with pride in my country for as long as I can remember. Not the shallow, performative kind—the flags, the anthems—but the deeper belief that this place, this system, is something worth investing in. It’s hard to feel connected to a nation that often feels broken, where the cracks seem to run deeper with each passing year. Corruption, division, disillusionment—how do you find hope in that? And if I don’t have it for myself, how can I possibly offer it to someone I need to raise.

Yet I don’t want to raise him on cynicism. I don’t want his worldview to be built on disappointment. So maybe the answer isn’t in blind pride, but in something more honest. Maybe it’s in teaching him to love where he comes from, not because it is perfect, but because it is his. Maybe it’s about instilling a sense of responsibility rather than complacency. Maybe patriotism isn’t about believing in a myth but about engaging with reality—seeing what is broken and choosing to care anyway. If I can’t give him my own unshaken faith in this country, perhaps I can give him the tools to build his own.

Atedai

 A while ago I made a Youtube short about making an Atedai, which is a short Japanese workbench.

Somehow it got 4000 views. I thought that was cool, and hope someone got inspired from it. 

Those who fail to study history are doomed to repeat it.

Great write up on the NYT by Katrin Bennhold and Amanda Taub

I specifically like the bit:

In both countries, voters are upset about years of stagnant growth, declining public services, rising immigration and a generalized sense that their children will be worse off than they are. They feel that their governments have failed to tackle these problems — and that whomever they elect among the traditional parties, the outcome barely changes.

Governments operating without representing their constituents, if only humans had learned their lesson.

My Resistance to StreamDeck

 I already have remappable keys, and I don't like having a lot of stuff on my desk.

.... I thought this would be a longer post. 

Better late than... wait your just late.

CNN is undergoing layoffs, and I first read about it from Aftermath, which linked to an internal CEO memo from Mark Thompson via The Hollywood Reporter. Interestingly, The Hollywood Reporter article displays a TIME favicon.

According to The Hollywood Reporter:

Thompson joined CNN last year following the firing of Chris Licht. The former CEO of The New York Times Company has been tasked with turning around the venerable cable news channel and, in particular, determining a digital future for the business.

Thompson, as the former CEO of The New York Times Company, oversaw significant digital subscriber growth year-over-year in recent years.

The digital video market is already heavily saturated. I wonder how much of a dent CNN can make in such a competitive space. Many influencers have filled the void left by CNN in the digital realm, and I’m curious if the company’s strategy will involve partnering with smaller, left-leaning news personalities or creating their own digital-first talent.

The rise of right-wing influencers played a key role in the 2024 election, so CNN’s push could signal an attempt to regain digital influence for legacy media companies.

Hopefully, this marks a return to honest, thorough reporting—helping people understand events rather than simply react to them emotionally.

I want to be the Pookie levels.

When I made "I wanna be the Pookie" a fan game about a streamer, I didn't know how to make it easy for me to layout different maps. SO I used what i know and made it so I could visualize each of them in a spreadsheet. The game engine interprets a CSV file and renders the map from there.

Overall I recall making this little game an interesting challenge. Since it was created using the P5.JS framework and this was before AI assisted programming really became accessible to me, there was a lot of learning I needed to do.

Luckily the framework is very beginner friendly, and I knew going into the project that it would be a Final Fantasy "I want to be the Guy" ripoff/inspired/influenced game the basic ideas were already in place before I even learned a single thing.

As mentioned above, the map system was going to be a challenge for me to implement, but i first needed to implement the basic movement and gravity. I actually spent quite a bit of time relearning how to make hitboxes register correctly, and had a dev map with a bunch of blocks I'd jump between to make sure I could get things just right. I tried to remember the development of Super Mario 64, in which the developers focused heavily on how movement should feel and be rewarding.

By no means did I come close to capturing a good feeling movement system, but I am happy with the way it ended up.

Back when I posted the game on Itch.io I commented on the world building system, and i really am still proud of myself for integrating it. It was a great way to understand level design. If i were to do this project again I would think more critically about the layout of the levels. I did include some pixel perfect jumps, and the limitation of the block by block system, and the speed an jump/gravity I chose meant the levels were either to easy or too hard. In order to test the levels I actually doubled the values, and then implemented it as a power up in the game.

The final implementation of each level, was mapping it out in Google Sheets, and then copy pasting csv values into an array in a file called "levels" that called the next room based on the player room location and what wall they hit. Nothing groundbreaking but I'm proud of it.

No, I don't like that

 David Sparks of macsparky.com recently posted, about if all cars were trackable. The gist is that if your vehicle is stolen, the police would track it. 

Maybe I'm cynical, but I would be very surprised if they aren't monitoring that data always. If it's registered to the consumers IPhone, how can law enforcement have access to it? Isn't secure end to end part of Apple's selling point?

The original story is from AppleInsider found here.

Sears Sanding Machine Aquisitions

I stumbled upon a Sears Craftsman combo sanding machine at an online auction. At the time, I had no idea what these were worth. I managed to snag it for $30, and given its condition, I’d say that was a fair price.

When I picked it up, the top sanding belt was missing, so I bought replacements. The front disc wobbled, and it was mounted to a heavy but poorly constructed stand that barely fit into my car.

Once I removed it from its old stand, I tried firing it up with a new sanding belt. Tensioning the belt on the rollers was straightforward, and the tracking adjustment was easy enough. However, as soon as I applied any pressure to the top belt, it stopped, and the screeching sound of the drive wheel slipping on the belt was deafening.

A bad belt, maybe? Not too difficult to fix—I just needed to remove the cover and swap it out. Unfortunately, the previous owner had used large amounts of what I assume was super glue, Loctite, or some other bonding agent on the grub screw, making it almost impossible to remove the disc.

So, I did what any impatient 30-year-old would do: I bent the plastic guard off, breaking it beyond repair in the process. I even said out loud, “Pfft, I don’t need that anyway.” I did, in fact, need that guard. The very next day, while sanding a board, it caught and pulled my hand into the spinning disc. I quickly realized why that guard was there.

I immediately went to my computer, designed a replacement guard, and 3D-printed it before doing any more work on the sander. While taking the machine apart, I noticed the belt was fine. The gear, however, was completely stripped, and a large amount of black plastic residue had accumulated inside the now-destroyed dust cover. I found a replacement gear file online, specifically listed for this model, and printed it without bothering to check dimensions.

A few days later, my Ender 3 finished printing, and I had a mostly functional sander for about $45. That includes the cost of printing and a Band-Aid.

While I was measuring for the disc cover, I also designed and printed a dust collector hookup to slide onto the end stop. It’s a mediocre collection system at best, but whenever I use the sander, I roll it to the center of my shop and connect it to my small dust collector. This process helps keep my garage cleaner than it would otherwise be, as it forces me to keep the floor tidy for rolling.

Maybe I’ll write about my thought process on that someday, but for now I'm very happy with my little sander, and it gets more use than just about anything else in the shop. 

Space is pretty cool

 https://science.nasa.gov/missions/hubble/nasas-hubble-traces-hidden-history-of-andromeda-galaxy/

"Now, a century later, the space telescope named for Hubble has accomplished the most comprehensive survey of this enticing empire of stars. The Hubble telescope is yielding new clues to the evolutionary history of Andromeda, and it looks markedly different from the Milky Way’s history."

Video on Youtube by NASA:

Political Theater

I hope if nothing else, the general public understands the completely obvious manipulations politicians do.

https://aftermath.site/tiktok-ban-trump-bytedance

"The only thing more embarrassing than having to live through all this is if it actually works, if Trump comes out of this weekend having tricked even one more regular person into thinking he's on their side. I understand why some people would want to believe this narrative, and I understand why the last four years might make them susceptible to it. But hopefully even more people will see it as a warning for how much more bullshit is headed our way, a reminder of how clear-eyed we'll need to be to resist politicians and companies punting us around in their self-serving football game. "

I can partially forgive people in the 1930's due to lack of access of information, but this is disgraceful to not see and realize what has been happening (on both sides). Makes me sad to be an American.

The Fundamental Misunderstanding of Apple Intelligence.

Apple has lagged significantly in the "AI" product race since OpenAI's ChatGPT took the world by storm a few years ago. Their rushed and poorly executed launch of "Apple Intelligence," awkwardly shoehorned into their existing product ecosystem, has been botched at best.

A telling sign of this misstep? Apple Intelligence is conspicuously absent from the website banner promoting their flagship offerings. In stark contrast, the Vision Pro platform is front and center, reflecting Apple’s heavy bet on augmented reality.

This framing problem isn’t just a marketing misfire—it highlights a deeper strategic issue. Apple continues to present Apple Intelligence as a feature rather than a standalone product. Until they reposition it as its own ecosystem, it’s likely doomed to fail.

Historically, it’s been difficult to get the public to fully embrace digital products unless they’re tied to physical objects. For years, video games, and even movies, have relied on physical copies in stores despite the growing dominance of digital downloads. Apple’s strength as the world’s largest hardware company makes it uniquely vulnerable here—its audience isn’t used to valuing intangible services on their own.

To succeed, Apple must lead a shift in public perception, helping the "average Joe" see value in Apple Intelligence as a core product. Until then, Apple’s AI efforts are likely to remain in the shadow of competitors like OpenAI, who understand that AI is most powerful when it’s a product, not an accessory.

 

From NPR

 

https://www.npr.org/2024/02/27/1234271434/4-day-workweek-successful-a-year-later-in-uk

"Companies that have tried it are reporting happier workers, lower turnover, and greater efficiency. Now, there's evidence that those effects are long-lasting.

The latest data comes from a trial in the U.K. In 2022, 61 companies moved their employees to a four-day workweek with no reduction in pay.

They began it as a six-month experiment, but today, 54 of the companies still have the policy. Just over half have declared it permanent, according to researchers from the think tank Autonomy, who organized the trial along with the groups 4-Day Week Campaign and 4 Day Week Global."

More companies should consider implementing a four-day workweek. Numerous studies show that employees rarely work a full 40 hours in a given week. Spending less time in the office on repetitive, uninspiring tasks could improve morale and create a workplace people look forward to being part of, rather than feel obligated to endure.

ChatGPT Review of Apple Press Release

Apple posted a standard press release about their "Our longstanding privacy commitment with Siri." I presume to alleviate some of the critisizm and concern over Apple Intelligence.

I was curious what ChatGPT thought, So i fed it the text from the post, and asked "Are there any contradictions or anything concerning with this press release or is it pretty standard?"

The response I got can be seen below:

It’s a fairly standard press release for a privacy-centric tech company, and Apple’s messaging aligns with its longstanding focus on privacy. However, there are some areas that might raise questions or warrant closer scrutiny:

 

• Potential Concerns or Contradictions: "On-Device Processing Where Possible"
• Potential Issue: The phrase “where possible” introduces ambiguity. It acknowledges that some data is processed on servers, but it doesn’t detail exactly when and why this is necessary. Critics might view this as a loophole for broader data usage. Clarification Needed: What percentage of Siri’s processing happens on-device versus the cloud? Which specific features or requests require server-side processing? "Private Cloud Compute Extends Privacy"
• Potential Issue: While Private Cloud Compute is marketed as privacy-preserving, the details of how it functions are vague. The statement that "data is not stored or made accessible to Apple" is reassuring but could be questioned without a technical explanation. Clarification Needed: Does Apple rely on third-party cloud providers, or is this infrastructure fully internal? How is user data anonymized during these processes? "Minimizes the Amount of Data Collected"
• Potential Issue: The release says Siri uses "as little data as possible," but what constitutes the minimum necessary data is not specified. Skeptics could interpret this as subjective or unclear. Clarification Needed: What data is collected for specific interactions? Are there independent audits or transparency reports to verify these claims? "Audio Recordings Only Retained if Users Opt In"
• Potential Issue: While this is a positive feature, it raises the question of how securely opt-in recordings are stored, who has access, and whether the process is truly transparent to users. Global Variability in Features
• Potential Issue: The note about features being available only on certain devices and in specific languages might unintentionally limit the privacy benefits for users outside supported regions or with older devices. Summary: Overall, the release is standard and reinforces Apple’s reputation for prioritizing privacy. Transparency could be improved by providing more specific details about: When and why server-side processing is necessary. How Private Cloud Compute anonymizes and handles user data. Any third-party dependencies in processing or storage. These gaps might not constitute outright contradictions but could lead to skepticism, especially among privacy advocates or competitors looking for weak points. 

Moral of the story: ChatGPT can write a blog post?! I guess.... idk now you know that. Not much reason for doing this. It was one of those "I wonder if this works." Thoughts.

Search In IOS

My biggest gripe with IOS right now Dan Moren hits perfectly in his MacWorld Article

Even basic search in some places seems woefully broken. Take Settings on iOS, for example: if you want to search for a particular section, say, Messages, you’ll find yourself wading through dozens of irrelevant results to find the one you’re looking for, if you can find it at all.

Why they can't figure this out, I'll never know. It's not a new problem, but seems to have NO attempt to fix.

A not too distant future.

 While browsing Hackernews, I came across Stimulation Clicker by Neal Agarwal. Neal is known for his entertaining content, including "Draw Perfect Circle" and Deep Sea.

Stimulation Clicker is a commentary on the constant notifications and "stimuli" we face in daily life. It's a well-made, humorous, and occasionally frustrating experience.

In the comments of the post, I found a link to a YouTube video made 8 years ago. I highly encourage everyone to watch it, especially as tech giants like Google, Apple, and Meta race toward AI and AR development. The video’s themes seem increasingly relevant, with pop-up ads becoming more invasive every day. It’s also very well executed.

Bill Gates Reccommends books?

In his article on Gates Notes, Bill Gates hypes up the book The Coming Wave by Mustafa Suleyman. The cynical side of me wonders how much this review cost the publisher of The Coming Wave, or if Bill was genuinely interested in the book, or if he did it to bolster his portfolio since Mustafa is the CEO of Microsoft AI.

Bill states:

In my conversations about AI, I often highlight three main risks we need to consider. First is the rapid pace of economic disruption. AI could fundamentally transform the nature of work itself and affect jobs across most industries, including white-collar roles that have traditionally been safe from automation. Second is the control problem, or the difficulty of ensuring that AI systems remain aligned with human values and interests as they become more advanced. The third risk is that when a bad actor has access to AI, they become more powerful—and more capable of conducting cyber-attacks, creating biological weapons, even compromising national security.

He highlights these issues, yet goes on to state that the book holds the containment solution.

I respect Mr. Gates for promoting the book, but if the book is worth reading, it should offer something new, not just a retelling of current discourse on AI risks. So, either the book isn't actually that good or interesting, or Mr. Gates is hiding the safety we all need behind a paywall put up by his Microsoft colleague.

It’s important to note that Bill has an overall positive outlook, finishing the write-up with:

I’ve always been an optimist, and reading The Coming Wave hasn’t changed that. I firmly believe that advances in AI and biotech could help make breakthrough treatments for deadly diseases, innovative solutions for climate change, and high-quality education for everyone a reality. But true optimism isn’t about blind faith. It’s about seeing both the upsides and the risks, then working to shape the outcomes for the better.

So at least that's nice.

Forcing Recovery

How long can you run something at 100% without it failing? 

A lesson I have to constantly relearn for myself. Every couple months my body tells me I've been pushing myself to hard by giving me a crippling headache, fatigue, and nausea. 

When in school, I could reliable count on this happening in September, December, March, and May. Since I've been dealing with it so long, I have some semblance of how to deal with the symptoms. Drink more water, eat crackers, then as soon as I get home go to sleep. 

I'll wake up the next day feeling fine, and repeat the cycle all over again. The only difference now is that I'm an adult its less consistent to be able to tell when this going to happen. It is less frequent, but the unpredictability is less than ideal. 

Attempting to Write More

Partially inspired by DaringFireball's post that referenced, Simon Willison's blog post about blogging everyday in 2024, and partially due to listening to PenAddict my personal them is "Document More."

This is a place where I can write things, and why not make it more of a habit, "mindfullness" practice. I already have a place for things I make, but I tend only to write little blurbs or quips. Perhaps one day someone in the future will be interested in reading my thoughts about various topics, or maybe not. In the near future, I anticipate my abilities to make physical object will decrease, and not increase again for 20ish years. So writing is a potential outlet for my need to create.