There’s that old joke about how even when your closet is full of outfits, you still have nothing to wear. It makes no logical sense — grab something and wear it! — but I get it. It’s a lot like projects. They’re more fun when they’re brand new. And the human brain likes to optimise for fun, not logic.

I have a lot of projects going right now. I have a lot of things I “should” be doing. But the more important they are, the more the deadline looms, the more I’ll be in trouble if I don’t focus ……

I’ve noticed some conventional wisdom in the past several months that Apple is mad at Epic and Parler, and that they want to punish them. Maybe, but there’s a much simpler explanation for their behaviour: both apps broke the policies of the App Store, so they were removed. It wasn’t much more complex than that.

Tim Cook recently said he wants to see Parler, the controversial app used by conservatives, back on the App Store. I think this stance confused people because they assume that Apple doesn’t like Parler and would therefore not waste any time trying to get them…

I spend a lot of time thinking about disinformation, which is a wild and complex topic. It can be hard to get a handle on it. A metaphor that works for me is monitoring my “information diet,” similarly to how people try not to eat too much fat and sugar.

When you read a reputable non-fiction book, that’s like eating vegetables. When you read someone’s hot take, that’s more like junk food. Tasty, but not healthy. Some are so enjoyable but junky that they’re more like a deep fried twinkie at a state fair. Delicious, but something to limit.

I…

I’m the founding designer at a startup called Replay. It makes software that lets you record websites so you can collaborate and debug with others. Here’s our website:

We’ve been working on a strategy for making a company blog with content that other people might actually want to read. Which is a tall order! Most people have no interest in blog posts, changelogs, or release notes. So how can we share content that’s genuinely interesting to people? For starters…

Focus on content that’s genuinely interesting to people

No one wants to read a dry, self-congratulatory press release. But the internet is full of interesting behind-the-scenes stories that are…

Epic has a game in the App Store, and thinks Apple takes too much profit. They also think Apple should let third party developers bypass the App Store entirely, and accept payments through any payment processor.

But their case is pretty light. You can explain it in a quick Q&A.

Q: Why is Epic suing? A: Because Apple charges too much. Q: Do they charge more than the industry rate? A: No. Q: What does Apple charge? A: Nothing for free apps, 30% the first year, and 15% afterwards. Q: What does the competition charge? A: XBox and Playstation charge…

I’ve got some good news and some setbacks to share!

I’ve Finished a Draft of Book #1

For those just joining along, I’m not writing five books from scratch. I’m writing one and the other four are from assorted story collections and essays I have floating around in my laptop from the last five years. (Learn more here)

This means the hardest part was going to be writing the new book. And I’m pleased to report I’ve done it! I have a draft of a book I’m tentatively calling What Your Dad Believes. I’ll be giving it to my son when he turns 14 in about four…

If you’ve seen Mythic Quest, you already know what episode I’m talking about. If you haven’t, Mythic Quest is a comedy on Apple TV by the creators of It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia that takes place in a game studio. It’s sort of like if The Office took place at the game studio for World of Warcraft instead of at a paper company.

And much like The Office, I’ve been impressed by Mythic Quest’s ability to pack jokes into every episode but also have a deeper, more insightful level too. …