I’ve dabbled with various programming projects over the years. Building a tool to add MP3 chapters to podcast episodes, creating a website using Python, Advent of Code, and creating video games. The list goes on. Nearly all of them were left incomplete.1I’d say the MP3 tool is the only one that could be considered complete, but even then I’m pretty unhappy with it. In no way could it be considered elegant, or even particularly usable.
So, as I toy with the idea of yet another programming project, I’m faced with the reality that it is unlikely to succeed.
I’d say the MP3 tool is the only one that could be considered complete, but even then I’m pretty unhappy with it. In no way could it be considered elegant, or even particularly usable.
I adore Mario Kart. I first played Double Dash at a friend’s house in elementary school. Soon after, my older sister was gifted a Nintendo DS and I would ask to borrow it as often as I could to play Mario Kart on it.1Also, Guitar Hero DS; we bought the fancy button attachment and “pick” stylus. As a young kid, I never got the hang of five buttons, so that version of Guitar Hero really worked for me. Once I moved to San Diego, I gifted myself a Nintendo Switch and have put hundreds of hours into Mario Kart 8. The first set of Booster Pass courses came out a couple of weeks ago, and I really want to talk about them.
Also, Guitar Hero DS; we bought the fancy button attachment and “pick” stylus. As a young kid, I never got the hang of five buttons, so that version of Guitar Hero really worked for me.
The NFL playoffs are long over, but I still wanted to quickly document my experience using an antenna to watch a fair chunk of it in my San Francisco apartment. I bought an $11 “HD” antenna from Amazon after consulting with my dad. It’s good to see that it’s affordable, and made it an easy purchase. I scanned for channels a few times to find the ideal location for the antenna in my apartment1Hanging in the slatted blinds. and started experiencing my childhood again.
Naturally, the two most notable drawbacks were the reintroduction of commercials, and a slightly inconsistent signal. It’s amazing seeing how many commercials are repeated, how often a show is interrupted by them, and also how they’ve changed since I was a kid. However, one dramatic improvement from when I was younger is that commercials are no longer noticably louder than the main content. In fact, I felt they were quieter at times. I’m not sure if that’s due to legislation, new marketing research, or something else entirely, but I’m thankful for the change.
The antenna also proved useful for watching the Winter Olympics. I’m not into them enough to bother paying for Peacock+ so, despite how bad the broadcast coverage on NBC was, it proved sufficient for watching live events in the evenings.
Beyond the Super Bowl and Olympics, I haven’t used the antenna. I don’t watch local news, and there are no sports on right now that I care to pay attention to. However, I’ll be happy to have it available for nationally broadcast events. Maybe there will be something else it’s useful for. It won’t hurt to hold onto.
Being back in Minnesota for a month really lit a fire beneath me to find a better solution to recording podcasts when away from home. In the past, I’ve either recorded episodes ahead of time, or brought an additional laptop running Linux to do the recording. I wanted to avoid that this time, and so I learned how to use new tools on macOS.
A majority of my podcast listening is taken up by technology-focused shows, and they have a tendency to discuss how they record as part of the show. As such, I was familiar with a few. The standout was always Audio Hijack by Rogue Amoeba. This tool allows you to record any number of devices from any number of inputs to any number of tracks. For my setup, that means a single program lets me record my microphone to a single track, my cohosts on Skype to a separate track (for a rough backup), and a third track that combines the first two as a way to synchronize our voices.
My podcasting setup in Audio Hijack, showing the routing of audio to three tracks.
It’s a fantastic piece of software, though I had a little trouble with their auto-snapping block setup at first. But once that was figured out, everytime I open it the various devices and tracks are all in place, and I only need to hit “Record”. It’s elegant and makes my life much easier.
There are programs that do something similar on Linux in conjunction with the JACK software, but the interface is not as clean, and audio routing is far more complicated. It is certainly powerful enough, but the benefit of Audio Hijack is that it’s simple enough for my use case, making the entire flow easier.
I’m not sure if I’ll stick with this long-term, but it is good to have options, and more importantly, have this travel recording setup figured out.
Because I subscribe to YouTube Premium, I was offered a three month trial of Google Stadia, which is Google’s game-streaming platform. I decided to take up the offer and, with some stale Google Store credit I had lying around from an old phone trade-in, I also got a Stadia controller. These services are very intriguing to me and, whether this particular one stays afloat, I can picture myself making use of them in the future.
Apple recently launched new MacBook Pros, complete with their new M1 Pro and Max chips, which are incredibly power-efficient while still maintaining a high level of performance in professional applications. However, the Apple ecosystem of software and hardware remains essentially locked down. They continue to be hostile to user repairs and upgrades, and they certainly are no friend to the open source community. Although I’m not currently in the market for a new computer, it’s impossible to ignore how excellent these computers are, and how Apple’s offerings are going to be uniquely positioned when I am considering my next purchase. As I go through that thought process, I’m realizing how certain philosophies in the computing world are in a strange position. The tradeoffs for remaining with, or switching to, a Linux platform are becoming increasingly skewed against.
My projects and obligations outside work have grown over the past six months. Alongside my usual podcasts and writing, I started volunteering for a tutoring organization, and am looking to take on a contract role for some extra money. With everything building up, I need to reevaluate the tools I use to keep track of everything so I’m not letting anything slip by. The beauty of them being personal projects is I can use whatever system I want.
Last year, I wrote about my writing setup. It involved a few different apps, and while I had a comprehensive process laid out, I just didn’t get myself to follow it consistently. I stopped using Ulysses, and went back to writing on whatever text editor happened to be available, or typing a quick post directly into my blog CMS. It was rather chaotic, so I’m looking to compromise this year.
