Manton and Daniel recap Micro Camp 2023 and look forward to WWDC, including events from John Gruber and try! Swift. Then they wrap up with how Daniel’s 50%-off sale for MarsEdit went.
Daniel and Manton react to Apple Store employees asking for tips. They wonder if Square-style kiosks are making tipping more widely expected, even where it doesn’t really belong. Daniel’s enthusiasm for ChatGPT wanes, contrasting with Manton’s increased usage of it. They talk about the value of products originating from authentic human creativity, the huge pressure on Apple to offer something for AI integration in Xcode, and the potential for AI to shake up the status quo of winners and losers in tech.
Daniel and Manton talk about Bluesky. In the context of Nostr, what is the merit of social norms, and how has the meaning of phrases like “anti-censorship” and “fake news” changed because of social networks.
The Twitter API is finally going away. Daniel and Manton talk about Twitter not understanding the benefits of the web. Then Manton starts experimenting with AI image generation and they talk about the role of AI in general for creative pursuits.
Daniel and Manton talk about the new AI-based transcripts feature in Micro.blog. What are the advantages (and new opportunities) to software developers for all these AI tools?
Daniel and Manton talk about Manton’s impressions of the new Bluesky network. They reflect on the lack of evolution in microblogging over ten years, as WordPress focused on “macroblogging” features like Gutenberg Blocks, and how WordPress.com’s marketing compares with other sites that emphasize blogging. Finally, they talk about Nostr and the loaded nature of “anti-censorship” platforms.
Manton and Daniel talk about the fallout from Austin’s ice storm and preparing rationally for unexpected emergencies. Manton gives an update on Micro.blog enabling Mastodon support for more users, the impending Twitter API shutdown, and whether Manton should pay Twitter to postpone an inevitable removal of Twitter integration from Micro.blog.
Daniel quits Twitter! Manton and Daniel talk about how everybody has a “last straw” when they quit Twitter. They compare Manton’s frustrations with Twitter 10 years ago and the new problems with Elon Musk’s Twitter. Is Mastodon a viable alternative to Twitter, and how is Facebook evil different than Twitter evil? Then they think about what kind of leader would have to come in to potentially save Twitter in the way that Steve Jobs came back to Apple.
For the first show of the new year, Daniel and Manton talk about themes vs. resolutions, follow up bug fix updates to the MarsEdit 5 release, and book goals in Micro.blog. They reflect on the virtue of making things rather than merely consuming them, and Daniel’s lack of an enthusiastic desire to work on “just one app”. What is the likelihood of MarsEdit becoming “the thing”?
Daniel and Manton talk about Micro.blog trying to get more serious about marketing. How do we actually measure the success of advertising campaigns, and should we aim to attract more “influencers” to our products? Manton tries to be conscious of wrapping up high-pressure work in time to take it easy for the holidays. Finally, Daniel gives an update on his continuing efforts to get MarsEdit 5 approved in the Mac App Store.
