In the early days of app documentation, animated images (like GIFs) were a fantastic way to demonstrate how an application worked. They provided a dynamic, visual way to guide users through processes that might have been confusing with text alone.
However, I’ve noticed a shift over time. These animations have become faster and more complex, to the point where they’re sometimes more of a distraction than a help. You can see it in action on the VSCode extensions page for the just released Gemini Code Assist:
As a general rule, I don’t like password hints. If the hint is any good, it would give an attacker additional info to crack your password.
However, I had that sinking feel of dread the other day after I rebuilt a MacBook Pro, attached the TimeMachine backup drive and was prompted for the password.
On the previous build of the computer, I must have entered the password, saved it to the keychain and forgot about it.
My website has annoyed me for years. I’ve built custom sites, used wordpress, and many others I’ve simply forgotten. My first webpage ever was coded for an independent study during college (1992!). For years, my site simply said:
note to self: use drop database with extreme caution
I read a lot (online) and have much I’d like to share. So I’m excited to finally bring my website back online. I host using GitHub Pages and look forward to sharing things again.