Mastodawn

scottm Jul 16, 2025

@daringfireball @gruber I find all this comparison with the Apple II very enlightening. Here in the UK, the biggest C64 competitors were the Sinclair ZX Spectrum – a computer that you _could_ program but had a really strong games market – and the BBC Micro, an project that was a joint venture between central govt, the BBC and Acorn (who would go on to become ARM) that meant BBCs were in every school. Apple didn’t have a look in.

scottm Jun 21, 2023

mudge Jun 13, 2023

It is 2023 and we did the unthinkable: spun up our own mail server for sending transactional mail.

Some tips: warming up an IP address is critical (see https://sendgrid.com/resource/email-guide-ip-warm-up/) and expect to be greylisted at first, especially by mail providers at registrars and web hosts so ensure you have decent retries configured.

Watch your logs for messages telling you to back off (e.g. Google rate limited us on our second day so we reduced the volume of mail until we had a little more reputation).

SendGrid's Email Guide for IP Warm Up - SendGrid

Successful email deliverability can seem like a tricky task–and with so many factors affecting your sender reputation such as content quality and email list health, getting your email to the inbox can feel harder than ever. And if you are sending email on a brand new IP address, this variable can be one of the […]

SendGrid

scottm Jun 14, 2023

Playing around with sticker generation from photos on iOS 17. I lifted my mate Sooz Kempner from one of the BBC’s promo shots of her as Doom in the Doctor Who cross-media story. Adding it as a sticker allows application of effects; this chrome effect is responding to the tilt of my phone in real time.

scottm Jun 14, 2023

Outside the developer community, the biggest discussion point about Apple's forthcoming Vision Pro headset has been about the price. But I think it's revealing that they’ve been emphasising the "Pro " part of the name. Like the MacBook Pro, Mac Pro and AirPods Pro, it leaves room for a lower-priced alternative with a different set of hardware specs in the future. https://www.apple.com/apple-vision-pro/

Apple Vision Pro

Featuring the new powerful M5 chip and comfortable Dual Knit Band, Apple Vision Pro seamlessly blends digital content with your physical space.

Apple

scottm May 17, 2023

★★★★½ for HOW TO SUCCEED IN BUSINESS WITHOUT REALLY TRYING, Southwark Playhouse. “Rankcom’s take on this corporate world becomes more allegorical: its style and language is of the mid-20th Century, but its message is now timeless” https://www.thereviewshub.com/how-to-succeed-in-business-without-really-trying-southwark-playhouse-borough-london/?utm_content=bufferdedcc&utm_medium=social&utm_source=bufferapp.com&utm_campaign=buffer

How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying – Southwark Playhouse Borough, London - The Reviews Hub

Music and Lyrics: Frank Loesser Book: Abe Burrows, Jack Weinstock & Willie Gilbert, based on the novel by Shepherd Mead Director: Georgie Rankcom First published in 1952, Shepherd Mead’s How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying is referred to as a novel in the credits for Frank Loesser’s musical adaptation, which first hit Broadway …

The Reviews Hub

scottm May 17, 2023

I have a new app! For iPad and iPhone, Freeflow is a freewriting app that stops you from editing text as you type. You can’t backspace, select, or copy and paste – you can’t even save until you hit your time or word count goal. You can tidy up your text afterwards. It’s free on the App Store now https://apps.apple.com/gb/app/freeflow-freewriting-app/id6448948705

‎Freeflow freewriting app

‎Introducing Freeflow, an innovative freewriting app designed for both iPad and iPhone users. Freeflow encourages you to write consistently, and without stopping to self-edit. Text you type can't be selected, amended, or deleted until a set word limit is reached or a specific amount of time has bee…

App Store

scottm May 10, 2023

Have put my freewriting app (provisionally entitled Freeflow) into public beta. Requires iPadOS/iOS 16.4. https://testflight.apple.com/join/4G5s5r5X

Join the Freeflow freewriting app beta

Available on iOS

Show thread

scottm May 9, 2023

@simon I have a friend whose first language is not English who has had the recent need to write polite but firm letters to landlords, etc., recently. He used ChatGPT to construct letters that used that distinctive sub-dialect of Etiquette English that he wouldn’t have been able to write on his own.

scottm May 9, 2023

I’m building an app for iPad and iPhone for free writing. As you type, you can’t go back and self-edit; you can’t even backspace. The point is to focus on getting the words out, and only worry about editing it once you’ve done your daily exercise. As I flesh it out, I’d really like some feedback from others. If you have iPadOS/iOS 16.4 and would like beta access, please DM me your email address. Video shows current iPhone build

scottm May 9, 2023

scottm Apr 30, 2023

I’m happy to share that my new audio drama, THE FINE PRINT, is now available to listen free on Morley Radio. Brought to life by Morley College Radio Drama Repertory Company under director Julia Lewis, it’s a modern day adaptation of the Chekhov short story “The Bet”. https://morleyradio.co.uk/programmes/radio-drama-at-morley-ep8/

Radio Drama at Morley - Ep8 - Morley Radio

Morley Radio

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