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jblake

@[email protected]

Artist, illustrator, app and game developer in DTX. Exiled ad agency creative director. 🏳️‍🌈

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@csilverman@mastodon.social avatar csilverman , to random

Wishing Judy Blume a very happy birthday today.

The view from a Zoom meeting: a dark gray background with two people in the meeting. The video screens are stacked one on the other. The upper person's video screen is completely black, with a small, red crossed-out-microphone icon that indicates they are muted. The label on the screen says "God" in small, white letters. The lower video screen shows a girl with long dark hair and a dark short-sleeved shirt. She is in a small room with a few dimly visible posters on the wall. The entire scene is rendered in shades of pale blue that suggest a dark room lit only by a computer screen. Her name is displayed as "Margaret", and there is a green border around her video screen, indicating that she is speaking. Someone familiar with classic children's novels will recognize this as a reference to the book "Are You There God? It's Me, Margaret", by Judy Blume, whose birthday is today. The painting is signed "Chris Silverman".
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jblake ,
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@csilverman Love this!

@csilverman@mastodon.social avatar csilverman , to random

Doing a little BeOS reading this morning. I'm always impressed by how far ahead some of BeOS's features were. Like:

  • Queries, which were smart folders before either Mac or Windows had them

  • Replicants, which were app-provided desktop widgets (in 1998!)

  • Extended file attributes: user-specified metadata you could attach to a file, similar to macOS Finder tags

I didn't use BeOS until years after it was gone, but I'll always be weirdly nostalgic for it.

jblake ,
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@csilverman Every time I open the iOS Contacts app I miss the BeOS People.

@joesteel@duck.haus avatar joesteel , to random

It seems Apple software update uses Cloudflare. Or it’s just a remarkable coincidence that it’s also down.

jblake ,
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@joesteel Just put the features in an intuitive UI and let people find the when they need them. Only that is 10x more difficult now because every app on 26 seems to have its own conventions.

@gedeonm@mastodon.social avatar gedeonm , to random

I hate AI for a ton of reasons but lately it’s because it’s taken the joy out of scrolling through funny animal videos online. I can’t tell if that funny cat video is real any more so what’s the point?

jblake ,
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@gedeonm it’s pretty shocking how quickly it happened. Nothing can be trusted.

@jblake@mastodon.social avatar jblake , to random

I cancelled my Amazon last. year, but in researching a replacement part for our oven, I came across these wonderful AI generated images that make absolutely no sense.

image/png

jblake OP ,
@jblake@mastodon.social avatar

@csilverman Sure your food is raw but your clothes are so soft!

@jblake@mastodon.social avatar jblake , to random

Updates for all Affinity apps today. I hope I am not looking for an alternative tomorrow. :(

@jblake@mastodon.social avatar jblake , to random

RE: https://mastodon.social/@Sarahp/115385263600769327

Another reason to ditch Spotify.

@jblake@mastodon.social avatar jblake , to random

In the spirit of retroStrip, I've been daydreaming about a simple macOS music player that is theme-able like they used to be, but more importantly, without its own music library/database. I should be able to create a playlist based on files I have already organized in the Finder.

That would mean no sandbox of course, but my biggest personal win with retroStrip was figuring out software distribution without the AppStore.

@jblake@mastodon.social avatar jblake , to random

Creative Freedom... should I be nervous?

https://affinity.serif.com/en-us/

@jblake@mastodon.social avatar jblake , to random

Is this the same agency that changed HBO to Max.

https://www.msnbc.com/news/msnbc-changing-name-ms-now-rcna225560

jblake OP ,
@jblake@mastodon.social avatar

This looks like one of those weird freedom news dot com weirdo sites conspiracy theorists use to back up their claims. It's really bad.

@vga256@dialup.cafe avatar vga256 , to random

incredible modernist typeface and design on this 1950s general electric Epicure clock.

(bonus points to anyone who identifies the typeface!)

A seafoam green clock with large black hour/minute hands, and a razor-thin red second hand with a loop on one end.
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jblake ,
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@csilverman @vga256 @petes_bread_eqn_xls

I think people underestimate how routinely people designed type by hand back then. Was type licensing even a thing in the 1950s?

@csilverman@mastodon.social avatar csilverman , to random

A large red monster with devil horns stands against a blue background. The monster has long arms and long fingers. It is wearing a black tie and a light blue ID badge. Its face is obscured by a mask that looks like a yellow smiley face. The painting is signed "Chris Silverman".
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jblake ,
@jblake@mastodon.social avatar

@csilverman I think I know her.

@louie@pdx.social avatar louie , to random

Sometimes I spend a fair amount of time making something and I realize I didn’t even show anyone. So here’s one of those things:

Pixadex (version 4??)
🔗 https://lmnt.me/blog/pixadex.html

jblake ,
@jblake@mastodon.social avatar

@louie Nice work!

@jblake@mastodon.social avatar jblake , to random

Yuzu iMac g3. There should have been a yellow one.

Yellow iMac. Definitely not lemon.
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jblake OP ,
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@csilverman @godofbiscuits that PowerBook is awesome!

@louie@pdx.social avatar louie , to random

“OpenAI has undergone its first ever rebrand”

No. As the designer of the first OpenAI logo (2015), this year doesn’t mark their first rebrand. That was in 2017.

🔗 https://parakeet.co/logos/openai/

jblake ,
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@louie With every redesign the type looks less distinguished. Did their generative tool design the font?

jblake ,
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@louie I just don't understand how this Google-like typeface is an improvement over what they had.

@arstechnica@mastodon.social avatar arstechnica , to random
jblake ,
@jblake@mastodon.social avatar

@arstechnica I don't think a lot of people understand how much this monopoly has ruined the internet.

@louie@pdx.social avatar louie , to random

More and more, I’m using my Mac. And less and less, I’m using my iPhone. Maybe I’m the only one, but I don’t really pine for iPhone apps. I don’t shop around or check out new ones. What I want is more dedicated Mac apps.

The Mac is where I am.

🔗 https://lmnt.me/blog/the-mac-is-where-i-am.html

jblake ,
@jblake@mastodon.social avatar

@louie I'd love to be able to have just a Mac and a watch, and drop the things in between.

@jblake@mastodon.social avatar jblake , to random

This feels solid enough for a 1.0 release, and I think I've figured out most of the challenges of selling software outside the App Store.

https://motorcycl3.com/retroStrip/

There's a full version, a free version, and three limited editions if all you're into is NeXT, BeOS, or Aqua.

They are all equally theme-friendly, so the limited editions are maybe a bit ridiculous, but also kind of fun I think. Or maybe shopping for sneakers has ruined my brain.

jblake OP ,
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@csilverman So... oddly enough, creating a non-square window in SwiftUI requires some hooks that were added with Sequoia, which surprised me. I will continue to investigate.

@tuomas_h@mastodon.social avatar tuomas_h , to random

With Dribbble enshittifying itself I'm starting to look into the idea of bringing my shots home, to my own website. What's there now (my semi out-of-date industrial design portfolio) runs on PHP, but I would like to switch everything to static HTML instead.

Is there a "fan favourite" static site generator that's dead simple? I just want to write my templates in HTML and then have it put my content into them. I have yet to come across one that feels in any way approachable, if that makes sense.

jblake ,
@jblake@mastodon.social avatar

@tuomas_h I was really hoping they’d reverse course. Apparently not.

@jblake@mastodon.social avatar jblake , to random

One more render...

ResEdit icon in B3D.
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@kevinrothrock@infosec.exchange avatar kevinrothrock , to random

Fuck this guy.

jblake ,
@jblake@mastodon.social avatar

@kevinrothrock OpEd: How I used my personal liberties to cancel my Amazon and WaPo accounts in search of better options in the free markets.

@jblake@mastodon.social avatar jblake , to random

BeBox hand-held.

@csilverman@mastodon.social avatar csilverman , to random

Very proud to be featured in this month's Fresh Fonts: https://newsletter.freshfonts.io/p/110-uniwidth-fonts-for-ui-design

I don't even know how long I've been a member of FF. It's a great resource—monthly free font, highlights of new releases, and links to free and open-source fonts that I didn't know about. Highly recommend it.

jblake ,
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@csilverman very cool!

@jblake@mastodon.social avatar jblake , to random

This felt like a low bar in terms of coding, but Notes has turned into such a massive app - lots of amazing functionality in another full-screen SplitView. This isn't a criticism of Notes – it's amazing! But it's no longer an app I can use to jot down random things I need to keep handy temporarily.

jblake OP ,
@jblake@mastodon.social avatar

I also managed to finish the BeOS theme. It's based on the earlier BeOS 1.1, which had tiles along the side similar to NeXT (http://www.typewritten.org/Media/Images/beos-dr8.1.png).

@jblake@mastodon.social avatar jblake , to random

I had this less-than-stellar theme idea and of course I want to avoid any legal gray areas (naming it "Stickies") so I used it as an opportunity to throw in a Romy and Michele reference.

Screen shot of a macOS app, work in progress.
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jblake OP ,
@jblake@mastodon.social avatar

@csilverman Thank you Chris!

@jblake@mastodon.social avatar jblake , to random

Spent most of the day fixing some SwiftUI weirdness. It's too easy to get over-confident!

Afterwards more theme work. A nod to Netscape Navigator. For the aqua era, a throwback to the fruit-theme-able OS X version of Internet Explorer. and finally, how Apple should have flattened the Safari icon, in my very humble opinion.

A concept for a Safari icon.

A concept for a Safari icon.
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jblake OP ,
@jblake@mastodon.social avatar

@csilverman Thanks Chris!

@jblake@mastodon.social avatar jblake , to random

I'm still tinkering with this idea and while *the UI is actually, surprisingly pretty easy to create in SwiftUI, I am curious how many system controls will be available with Mac security the way it is. That will be the next step.

Either way, is there an interest in a theme-able version of the Control Strip, sadly retired in 1996?

A themed version of the Apple Control Strip from 1996.
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@jblake@mastodon.social avatar jblake , to random

I reimagined the BeOS icons in Blender a long time ago, but the software has evolved a lot since then (and my own ability to use it), so I thought I'd refresh them for the year.

Or maybe I just needed an excuse to spend a few hours reminiscing about BeOS.

https://motorcycl3.com/beos/

BeOS icons, created in Blender 3D software.
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@arstechnica@mastodon.social avatar arstechnica , to random

Teen in critical condition with Canada’s first human case of H5 bird flu
The teen had no clear exposures to animals. No contacts have tested positive.
https://arstechnica.com/health/2024/11/teen-in-critical-condition-with-canadas-first-human-case-of-h5-bird-flu/?utm_brand=arstechnica&utm_social-type=owned&utm_source=mastodon&utm_medium=social

jblake ,
@jblake@mastodon.social avatar

@arstechnica Is this horrific photo really necessary.

@Daojoan@mastodon.social avatar Daojoan , to random

I made an X account yesterday in an attempt to break out of my own echo chamber.

Get a feel for what the other side are talking about.

Posted the exact same content I post on Mastodon / Threads.

Today my X account was suspended because of “a user report.”

jblake ,
@jblake@mastodon.social avatar

@Daojoan This was my reaction in 2016. In 2024 I am doing the opposite and simply appreciating my bubble.

@arstechnica@mastodon.social avatar arstechnica , to random

Scientists conclude Chicxulub impactor was an asteroid from beyond Jupiter

Analysis of ruthenium isotopes showed the impactor was a carbonaceous-type asteroid.

https://arstechnica.com/science/2024/08/scientists-conclude-chicxulub-impactor-was-an-asteroid-from-beyond-jupiter/?utm_brand=arstechnica&utm_social-type=owned&utm_source=mastodon&utm_medium=social

jblake ,
@jblake@mastodon.social avatar

@arstechnica Now google Chicxulub impact crater

@molly0xfff@hachyderm.io avatar molly0xfff , to random

If you've ever found yourself missing the "good old days" of the , what is it that you miss? (Interpret "it" broadly: specific websites? types of activities? feelings? etc.) And approximately when were those good old days?

No wrong answers — I'm working on an article and wanted to get some outside thoughts.

jblake ,
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@molly0xfff For me two things: (1) There were very few people with bad intentions, and now we have Nigerian Princes on one end, and Zuckerbergs on the other. (2) Hardware and software platforms that had room to grow, so there was always something new and exciting. This year we have more Goggles and Siri+, both of which no one asked for or wants, and I expect that is because we have hit a wall in regards to what can actually be done on the internet.