Nick Lockwood

iOS. 3D graphics. Retro games. He/Him.

Public Key

npub13uhpwaxxvg6nfeuhsgfst89f6eexdgjlhfk8wtmctck0c42wyafsere604

NIP-05 Address

nicklockwood_at_mastodon.social@mostr.pub

Profile Code

nprofile1qqsg7tshwnrxydf5u7tcyyc9nj5avunx5f0m5mrh9au9ut8u248zw5cpz4mhxue69uhhyetvv9ujumt0wd68ytnsw43qz9thwden5te0v35hgar09ec82c30wfjkcctez5z369

Publishing to

relay.mostr.pub

ditto.pub/relay

Author Public Key

npub13uhpwaxxvg6nfeuhsgfst89f6eexdgjlhfk8wtmctck0c42wyafsere604

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Last Notes

2024-08-15 22:33:47

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@npub1c0m…xqjl I think the bigger problem is tech bros treating their startup like a dating site

2024-08-07 09:41:53

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@npub1t5m…9guy absolutely indistinguishable from parody at this point

2024-07-31 23:17:57

I was going to post "any idea what these weird-ass bugs I keep finding on my bathroom floor are?" but when I pressed the button to generate alt text it said "A silverfish insect", so now I know 😆
https://files.mastodon.social/media_attachments/files/112/883/623/170/657/543/original/e7c3dceabfb260fc.jpeg

2024-07-06 14:11:36

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@npub1src…fms4 ah, you're right - on iPad it just shows the standard alphanumeric keyboard with number and punctuation mode preselected

2024-07-04 09:44:59

I wouldn't say I'm an AI skeptic but these AI influencers give me exactly the same ick as the crypto influencers did before them (and let's be honest, a lot of the time it's exactly the same people)
They all follow the same pattern - reposting impressive videos of tech that they didn't build and only vaguely understand, while proclaiming them as evidence of some world-changing paradigm shift that's just around the corner, and implying that somehow they are at the forefront of it

2024-07-02 22:08:58

Very happy to see this proposal back on the table! https://github.com/swiftlang/swift-evolution/blob/main/proposals/0439-trailing-comma-lists.md

2024-05-27 16:42:14

https://files.mastodon.social/media_attachments/files/112/514/046/765/173/964/original/a4010e7d98d8d1e1.jpeg

2024-05-27 08:29:20

@npub1g53…v0hh thought I'd try out this hot new puzzle game I keep hearing about
https://files.mastodon.social/media_attachments/files/112/512/104/710/832/939/original/c419b8001c1d14b2.jpeg

2024-05-18 16:33:41

I am "the earliest links in my Safari reading list now mostly return 404s" years old

2024-05-08 12:54:33

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@npub1sdu…w074 are we talking about what Apple would do or what Apple should do? Because if it's the former I agree with you completely

2024-04-06 05:15:31

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@npub1src…fms4 also, with retro games the developers don't keep remotely tweaking a game that you liked after you bought it and removing content you already paid for until it's no longer a game you like

2024-04-04 11:40:07

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@npub1u24…32pl mood

2024-04-01 07:21:02

My favorite (as in the only ones that aren't irritating) April Fools are the ones where someone spends a load of effort to actually build an absurd-but-cool thing that has no reason to exist except to make you laugh
Jokes about pretending you made an absurd-but-cool thing but actually you didn't - not funny
Jokes about pretending you did something bad or sad but actually you didn't - also not funny
Jokes that something either good or bad happened but actually it didn't - again, never funny

2024-03-31 18:58:23

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@npub1t5m…9guy *that you know of*

2024-03-26 14:38:33

Apple has an example project for how to build "desktop class" apps on iPad that specifically mentions Mac Catalyst in the associated WWDC video and includes a Mac Catalyst target, but doesn't actually work on Mac Catalyst (creating a new document throws an error).
Is this the new normal? Frameworks so hard to use correctly and/or poorly tested that even Apple's own example code doesn't work?

2024-03-22 12:52:42

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@npub17cs…fsmn IIUC you can't push any updates until you do so. I'm not sure what happens if you don't do anything (whether Apple will take the apps down, or withhold payments, etc), but eventually your apps are gonna stop working anyway

2024-03-22 12:27:13

I had a bunch of improvements I wanted to make to a couple of my iOS apps but tbh this trader thing has killed all enthusiasm I have for ever updating any of my apps again 😞
Does anyone know if it also applies to the Mac App Store?

2024-03-07 05:35:46

Apple in 1984: what's the best possible user experience?
Apple in 2014: what's the user experience that will maximise our profits?
Apple in 2024: what's the worst possible user experience that doesn't technically violate EU law?

2024-03-06 13:25:35

LinkedIn is now suggesting that I might want to follow Ryan Reynolds and I can't help but feel that the site has lost track of its core value proposition

2024-03-04 09:28:22

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@npub1t5m…9guy yes, but
https://files.mastodon.social/media_attachments/files/112/036/705/635/902/290/original/e801b5ddd38ec0f4.jpeg

2024-03-04 07:47:42

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@npub1cpp…e7uy my guess would be that the 3D part is actually cheaper - that it's a form of *cutting corners* because it saves on hand-animation. I think the reason it's not seen that often is probably either:
1) high quality 2D animation is so expensive anyway that it's fairly rare, and if 3D is seen as a compromise they may just not want to use it unless unavoidable
or
2) it's actually more common than you think, but when it's done well it's barely noticeable

2024-02-29 11:51:29

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@npub1u3f…nne2 I mean, this is my point. To make ice tea you have to brew the tea in advance and let it cool, right? Which means you need to be expecting somebody to order it. But they aren't, because it's not a thing here.

2024-02-29 10:23:33

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@npub1u3f…nne2 it's because "iced tea" in England is universally understood to mean sweet, fruit flavoured ice tea like https://i5.walmartimages.com/asr/a7f409f1-e0af-41b9-8350-a92863a3594b_1.796ba512e3b7bd0fe4f4597ee91e58f3.jpeg. I've never seen anyone drink fresh-brewed tea over ice here. I had the same confusion when asking for ice tea in the US a few years ago.

2024-02-25 19:13:06

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@npub1src…fms4 wait, what do the kids use now instead of WhatsApp?

2024-01-24 19:12:38

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@npub1src…fms4 don't malls usually just charge a fixed rental fee for space, rather than a percentage of everything sold within their grounds?

2024-01-16 00:22:57

I get so sick of seeing debates about Apple vs EU regulation on here because the arguments on both sides never seem to get beyond the incredibly facile level that makes me think nobody involved has thought about it for more than a nanosecond.
For example:
Facile pro-Apple argument: "Apple doesn't have a monopoly, you are free to choose other app stores"
No, you are free to choose other app *store*. Singular. Apple and Google have a duopoly, and both stores have near-identical restrictions.

2024-01-13 09:47:26

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@npub1aw2…8vv5 this looks great! Reminds me of SketchFighter https://duckduckgo.com/?q=sketchfighter+4000+alpha&iax=images&ia=images

2024-01-07 16:15:38

God, overengineering is absolutely endemic in our industry. I see it everywhere. Hundreds of lines of code where a dozen would do, overwhelming any performance gains we make from better hardware or tooling. All done in the name of cargo cult "best practices" and supposed maintainability or testability benefits that are never actually validated.

2023-12-25 18:05:39

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@npub1src…fms4 does it? I mean the moral of movies like Iron Man 2 is basically "the military industrial complex is good actually" and I feel like I can enjoy them *despite* that, whereas with Barbie I felt more like "I really want to like you but you need to at least make an effort".

2023-12-25 17:50:22

I finally watched the Barbie movie, and honestly it seemed like a mediocre knockoff of Toy Story.
I appreciate that I'm not exactly the target audience, but trust me I *get* it; I approve of the message, and in some ways it's gobsmacking that Mattel allowed this to be made, but it still felt like a movie that was all moral and no substance.

2023-12-19 14:15:06

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@npub1psd…9sr7 that all seems clear and reasonable, but my confusion is this:
If he *had* been able to prove that the writers of The Rings Of Power were influenced by his fanfic, would he have had a case?
And if not, what is the whole "don't send authors your ideas for their stories because they can't use them" thing about?

2023-12-13 18:16:54

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@npub12ty…vnqc clearly you need to increase the TTL on your brain cache

2023-12-03 09:16:59

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@npub1ykd…6j2y faked scandals about left/liberal candidates might still have an effect though, since their voters actually care about these things.

2023-10-25 14:53:26

Just had to do a ShapeScript point release that was entirely a bunch of hacky workarounds for ridiculous bugs in SceneKit's file exporter. Every format that it claims to export is broken in some different, subtle way, and it can't even import all the formats it exports.
I think this thing (by which I mean SceneKit) is on its last legs at this point. I've given up hope of any bugs in it ever being fixed.

2023-10-17 09:08:27

Crypto-fascist
noun
1. A person who secretly supports fascism
2. A person who openly supports fascism but is also, like, really into crypto

2023-10-14 09:08:10

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@npub1p9k…865w before they added background updates and multitasking, iPads and iPod touches used to last basically indefinitely in sleep mode. Maybe they could just back-off on background updates over time, so if you haven't checked the device for a day or two then it stops updating?

2023-09-25 10:44:24

TIL about CGRect.divided(atDistance:from:), which is kinda useful, but also oddly specific - like somebody's private helper method that somehow accidentally made it into the public API: https://developer.apple.com/documentation/coregraphics/cgrect/2299988-divided

2023-09-07 17:13:56

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@npub1src…fms4 @npub14me…vg38 I always figured that for a game engine (or really any GUI app framework) it would make sense to just run the GC once at the end of every frame to avoid non-deterministic pauses. I assume you thought of that and found it didn't work for some reason?

2023-09-06 19:45:34

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@npub1aw2…8vv5 there seems to be some dispute as to the current market value 🤣
https://files.mastodon.social/media_attachments/files/111/019/912/486/723/390/original/e239febe89aba801.jpeg

2023-09-05 10:00:43

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@npub1aw2…8vv5 not the point, but I love that Elmo calls it "X/Twitter" because even he realizes that the X brand recognition is so poor.

2023-08-15 18:47:25

Probably my favorite new feature in SwiftFormat 0.52
https://files.mastodon.social/media_attachments/files/110/895/109/897/414/255/original/b391d6459441dd2f.png

2023-08-14 07:24:44

Elmo sticking a black X on Twitter and leaving everything else blue and bird-themed has the same energy as those clients who stick a giant cat gif on the elegant website you designed for them and proudly tell you that they "know a bit of html"

2023-08-03 07:51:39

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@npub1jv5…e22d I think I've played that game

2023-07-17 12:49:38

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@npub1hpc…hjn3 OK, but those parties are themselves predominately formed of MPs who left the conservatives because they weren't quite Nazi enough, and often (as with UKIP) the thing that halts their growth is that the mainstream Tories move far enough to the right to bring their voters back into the fold.

2023-07-17 12:40:02

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@npub1r3p…fpsd @npub1hpc…hjn3 the same thing holds for both countries: not everyone who votes conservative is a Nazi, but every Nazi votes conservative.

2023-07-17 12:21:42

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@npub1alq…mnj6 FWIW "should mastodon.social federate with Threads" is not the same question as "would you follow a Threads user if your instance was already federated with Threads".
I'd personally answer no to the first, but yes to the second, because I don't believe boycotting individual, innocent users of a platform does anything to push back against the platform owner.

2023-07-09 09:50:59

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@npub1src…fms4 @npub1t5m…9guy I tried reading Brave New World a couple of decades ago, but the author seemed weirdly preoccupied with the idea of kids having sex and it was kind of off-putting 😳
Maybe just watch the movie.
https://www.enotes.com/homework-help/what-function-sex-brave-new-world-85147

2023-07-07 09:28:02

I can't get over how fractally bad a take this is. Like, aside from the obvious.
"Most fun product of the year" - it's a Twitter clone. That launched yesterday.
"Because their own elected officials…" - so basically if we accept the premise that this law is bad, it's cool to collectively blame all EU citizens for laws their leaders pass and mock them for any harm it causes them? This is coming from a *fucking American*?!
"Have fun in the library" - WHO DOESN'T WANT TO HANG OUT IN A LIBRARY?
https://files.mastodon.social/media_attachments/files/110/672/018/064/337/665/original/6f42cd53fed6a7a5.jpeg

2023-07-07 07:18:46

Can't wait till Threads launches in the EU so I can not use it on principle rather than because it's not available 😆

2023-06-30 09:28:06

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@npub1t5m…9guy *business voice* "it's egotistical to value one individual's feelings over the mission"
The individual: grieving father
The mission: making some rich guy even richer

2023-06-28 12:34:32

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@npub1x7n…wle4 bookmarking this for the next time someone cites email as a great example of how open protocols prevent big tech from monopolising a platform 🙄

2023-06-26 11:53:02

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@npub1can…0fm9 that's certainly unexpected. I see you're an Apple dev, maybe it's worth running it from source and seeing if anything shows up in the debugger? https://github.com/Dimillian/IceCubesApp
cc @npub1hj9…777d

2023-06-26 11:34:33

Ice Cubes is not the most stable or polished of the iOS Mastodon clients, but it is the most "iOS-like" in a way I find difficult to quantify.
To paraphrase Brent Simmons, it's an *iOS-assed iOS app* - and that's all the more impressive given that it's 100% SwiftUI.

2023-06-20 12:59:22

Apple: we carefully review all app submissions to keep our users safe. That's why it's imperative that the trust and safety of the App Store not be compromised by side loading or unscrupulous 3rd party app distribution mechanisms
Also Apple: seems legit
https://files.mastodon.social/media_attachments/files/110/576/639/635/347/195/original/cc3f00de1f5e5408.jpeg

2023-06-14 16:26:35

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@npub1yyx…qa5g @npub1lsl…9c2x I found this via a quote toot :-) is it possible the problem is the community on Bluesky itself rather than the availability of the quote feature?

2023-06-13 10:03:57

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@npub16se…wex2 @npub1can…0fm9 I think the preferred pattern is for the single action closure to have an enum parameter indicating the action type, e.g.
enum ListAction {
case select(Index)
case delete(Index)
}
struct ListView: View {
var action: (ListAction) -> Void
…
}

2023-06-07 17:46:36

It's interesting that SwiftUI is now ditching Combine (which was really its last remaining use-case after Swift Concurrency shipped) - I can't recall another case of Apple walking back a new framework so quickly and thoroughly.

2023-06-06 14:07:07

Xcode 15 automatically generates ImageResource constants from your XCAssets. You can use them directly in SwiftUI images 🤯
let image = Image(.assetName)

2023-06-05 09:59:00

Somehow the phantom errors problem in Xcode has only gotten worse with each release. In my current project every time I make a breaking change and recompile I get about 2 seconds to spot the real errors before they are drowned in 50 nonexistent ones.

2023-05-25 10:32:18

Bungie: "We're bringing back Marathon, the cerebral '90s Macintosh FPS that inspired the Halo franchise…"
*crowd goes wild*
Bungie: "… as a multiplayer loot shooter"
*deafening silence*
Bungie: "for PC and consoles"
*sounds of pitchforks being sharpened*
https://www.marathonthegame.com
https://files.mastodon.social/media_attachments/files/110/428/836/020/806/396/original/f8cd120eacf59225.jpeg

2023-05-22 18:10:51

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@npub1eee…e209 @npub1jlv…pzz8 you can placate us pretty easily by just offering a one-off lifetime purchase option (alongside subscriptions) at a price that you've calculated to match the average subscription lifespan (probably 2-3 years).
People who are actually serious about not wanting to pay rent for software (and not just cheap-asses) will happily pay a one-off fee of $50-75 for a quality app, and even if that's only a tiny %, it gives you something you can point at to shut up the others.

2023-05-18 08:23:19

Has somebody tried training an AI to fix the weird expression kids always pull in school photos?

2023-03-11 15:58:08

No, there is no sense in which Meta joining ActivityPub is a good thing.
Companies like Meta aren't going to join the Fediverse and play nice, they are going to join with the mentality of Embrace, Extend, Extinguish.
Sure, they'll play nice until they have 90% of the entire userbase, then they'll do whatever they like.
Don't want your posts indexed for search? Tough, they'll add it. So you'll Fediblock them? Fine, now you just cut yourself off from 90% the Fediverse, not the other way around.