Dark Mode

It’s not often that I add a new feature to the website at this point, but last night, I implemented something that’s long overdue: dark mode! Now, the appearance of the blog will change based on your device’s setting. Whether you prefer light mode, dark mode, or (like me) switching between the two, you’ll get a matching look here.

I’m really excited about this change. Ever since I started using the Noir Safari extension to force my site into dark mode at night, I’ve loved the way it looks and wanted to make it available to everyone. But since Squarespace doesn’t support offering sites in dark mode, I didn’t think it was possible. Then I stumbled upon this plugin from Code + Tonic, and I knew I had to give it a try. After a bit of tinkering, I think the result is pretty great.

I invite you to switch your device to dark mode and give the new theme a try. And of course, if you have any thoughts on the look, I’d love to hear them.

Honoring Developer Alex Hay →

I was saddened to hear that Alex Hay, developer of apps like Toolbox Pro and Logger, passed away recently. His work was not only a great resource for the Shortcuts community, but an inspiration to everyone who seeks to make their devices work for them. He was also a generous and kind person in general, always willing to help others with his deep knowledge.

The team at MacStories have decided, with the blessing of Alex’s family, to dedicated the upcoming Automation April event to his memory. In his touching article remembering Alex, John Voorhees shared beautiful words about his impact and legacy. This sentence in particular struck a chord with me:

[Developers] are the artists of our time, and their imagination, creativity, and passion are what inspire us.

I couldn’t say it any better. Independent app development is a difficult profession, but it makes life better for so many people in myriad ways. I’m so thankful for people who choose to pursue it.

Alex Hay was one of the developers who had an impact on my life through his work, and he will be missed. My thoughts are with his family and friends during this difficult time. Rest in peace, Alex.

Not Everything Is a To-Do List →

I was struck today by a thread from Floh Gro on Mastodon that starts like this:

Have you ever looked at your queue of podcasts 🎧, watchlist 📺, and read later queue 📚 and felt overwhelmed? It can be stressful to see a long list of things you still need to get done. What if we shift our perspective and see these lists as things to enjoy, rather than things to do?

Maybe this isn’t a problem many people have, but I tend to turn everything in my life into a to-do list. Not just my actual tasks for work, but podcasts I want to listen to, people I need to reach out to, even taking care of my body. (My habit tracker Awesome Habits is basically a to-do list for self-care.)

I benefit from this tendency in a lot of ways. It keeps me productive, focused, and mostly on top of things. It’s how I cope with the world, and it saves me from a lot of stress. But there are some instances when it’s also inappropriate.

When it comes to my downtime, I need to learn to actually relax. It’s okay if my podcast queue builds up a little bit. Or if it takes me a while to get around to reading that article I saved for later. These are things I’m meant to savor, not consume as quickly as possible so that I can check them off and move on to the next one.

Some things aren’t supposed to be checklists. That’s something I needed to hear today. Maybe someone else needs to hear it, too. Now if you’ll excuse me, I’ve got a growing Up Next queue in my TV app to work through—I mean, enjoy.

Telluride

With our family growing, we decided it was time for a bigger family car. Those grins tell you exactly how we feel about it. Now I’ve just got to figure out how to install a carseat.

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Side note: I’m still coming to terms with saying goodbye to the Dolphin, my trusty Sonata that’s gotten me around for the past 15 years and 265,000 miles. But I wasn’t going to put a baby in that thing. I can take comfort in knowing that it’s going to a family member.

Here’s to smooth roads ahead.

Play Adds Support for TV App and Netflix

Marcos Tanaka released an update yesterday for Play, his watch later app, that adds the ability to save links from the Apple TV app and Netflix. This an exciting addition to an already excellent tool.

I’ve written before about using Play to save YouTube videos that I’d like to watch. Now I can create lists that mix YouTube videos with films and series from the TV app, Netflix, and more all in one place! This is going to unlock some really fun use cases for me that I can’t wait to explore further. (I’ve already started using it to save ideas for Up Next picks on Magic Rays of Light.)

Play is available for iPhone, iPad, Mac, and Apple TV. It can be purchased on the App Store for $3.