What’s New?

As I am here writing this, I’m having a hard time figuring out how to organize all this. Well, let’s start…

Recently I decided to go back to school and get my Bachelor’s in I.T. with a concentration in Software Development. I went with Southern New Hampshire University online mainly because the tuition price was low. I am getting everything ready and organized for when I start on January 3rd.

This is going to be a change since I haven’t been in college regularly since 2006. Before my middle child was born I did a few semesters at a local community college here but never finished as I left to help with our newborn at the time. Then again in 2015 I went to University of Phoenix online but again didn’t finish. The time just wasn’t right.

I’m also using this opportunity to get me a new MacBook Pro! The current one (2017 model), won’t have enough space on it for my schooling. I have decided to go with the new 14” model with the M1 Pro in it.

I have also started my journey in app development. I started learning Swift/SwiftUI so I can develop for the Apple ecosystem. I found this really cool site by Paul Hudson called Hacking with Swift. His 100 Days of Swift and 100 Days of SwiftUI are amazing. He has videos, tutorials, and more to help you learn both.

I also started this site/blog as a place to share technology and hopefully help and make a difference in people’s lives. It has been too long without doing this so here we are. If you enjoy reading my posts and the tools I create, let me know, I love hearing from people. If you’re feeling like supporting what I do/create, you’re more than happy to do so. You can find the different options to support me here.

What I Currently Use

Here is what I am currently using in my daily life for tasks/routines/development.

Devices

  • iPhone 12 Pro Max (128gb, Pacific Blue)
  • iPad Pro (11”, 2nd gen, 128gb, Space Grey)
  • Apple Pencil (2nd Gen)
  • MacBook Pro (2017 model, 8gb RAM, 128gb SSD)
  • Mac mini (2018 model, 8gb RAM, 256gb SSD)
  • Apple Watch Series 7 (44mm, Wifi, Blue)
  • AirPods Max (Blue)
  • 2 - 4K AppleTV’s (living room/bedroom)
  • 2 - HomePod minis (Black)
    • Paired as a home theater system

Apps

These apps are ones that I use on a daily basis (in no particular order).

  • Twitter (of course)
  • Shortcuts
  • Ulysses
  • Feedly
  • Discord
  • HiCoffee
  • JW Library (for my spirituality)
  • IFTTT
  • Aura (for mental health)
  • Apple apps (Reminders, Mail, Notes, Fitness, Health, Music)
  • Scriptable
  • Jayson
  • DataJar

Development Tools

Since I am focusing more on developing, I have brushed off these apps/programs and put them to good use. What programs or apps do you use? I am also looking for new ones to try. Feel free to let me know!

  • VS Code
  • Xcode
  • Gitfox
  • iTerm2 (with fish shell)
  • GitHub

Safari Extensions

  • Grammarly
  • Honey
  • Capital One Shopping

Stuff I’m Reading

I am starting the Develop in Swift (Xcode 12 version) guides from Apple Education. I am positive this will help and guide me in my development journey.

Things I’m Watching

Yellowstone - Being from Montana, this series peaked my interest. Honestly I started in late and was able to binge watch seasons 1-3 in no time. I have to say, this show is suspenseful. The acting is really good, plus you can’t go wrong with Kevin Costner. I am eager to see what season 4 has to bring.

Dan Brown’s The Lost Symbol - I have been a fan of Dan Brown’s - Robert Langdon movies. The Lost Symbol is a book in the series that was made into a TV series. I am a little confused though becase chronologically, it is the 3rd book. The movies has an older Robert Langdon but this series features a younger Langdon. That aside, I am really liking this series. Maybe it is just the history lover in me.

Foundation - Any Si-fi lover will know about the Foundation series of books by Issak Asimov. This series from Apple TV+ follows that series. I honestly have to say that I never read the books (I am really bad about getting into reading) but this series is really amazing. Looking forward to finishing it to give a better review.

Dune - The remake of the 80’s Dune was amazing to say the least. This movie (Part 1) gives us a look into the plant and why the different houses are fighting for it. Part 2 is going to be fantastic and I can’t wait for it to come out.

For a complete list of what I am watching, check out my TV Time profile.

Hobbies I’m Active With

As mentioned up top, I have gotten into development. I have started to spend more time with that as of late. Make sure to check my blog and Twitter for updates as I travel on this journey.

I also recently finished a Star Wars Lego set that was really fun. I am going to try and get more of the set so I can have a collection.