[mar.kɪs kɚrt] He/him. Indie game and iOS/macOS app un-developer. Opinions written are my own and are not representative of the entities I work with.
ios
I love playing with machine learning, especially with the Core ML framework; I use it in Give Me a Sniglet to determine the validity of possible words, for example. On the Mac, Apple makes it easy to create or convert ML models for use in apps with Xcode.
reflection
The notion of an iPad being able to replace a Mac, pixel for pixel, has always been strange to me. While the proposition is tempting, and I could realistically see myself doing that in the future, the iPad won’t be able to completely replace a Mac for me. And I’m totally okay with that.
opinion
In preparation for this seemingly inevitable event, I’m going to discuss my current thoughts about sideloading as both a consumer and a developer.
reflection
After spending about two weeks playing The Witness, I realized that the game is a great metaphor for the journey I’ve been on for the past four years at Goucher College.
opinion
Federico Viticci from MacStories recently published an article about his realizations throughout his journey. I agree with a lot of the points he addresses and some of his conclusions, though there are some areas where I disagree.
opinion
Apple published a response yesterday about the App Improvements process. I’m glad that the criteria have been clarified, though I still believe this should have been clearer from the start. Nonetheless, it’s a welcome change.
opinion
I’m well invested in the Apple ecosystem. I thoroughly enjoy using Apple’s product and how seamless they work with each other. However, Apple’s latest behaviors in defending one of its strong suits, the App Store, has been leaving a sour taste in my mouth.
opinion
It appears that Apple’s “App Improvement System” is taking effect as of recently. Many indie game developers, app developers, and sticker creators are being plagued with emails from Apple’s system, telling them to either update their product or it will be automatically removed.
devlog
I was content with my website, going strong for nearly four years on GitHub Pages with custom CSS and Jekyll static site generation. In recent iterations, I focused a lot on speed and readability by trimming out large images and focusing heavily on text posts.
However, I want a different approach this year. 2022 will be eventful for me for various reasons: graduating and finding a place for myself, for one. I want to spend this year refining what I know and making even better products than before.
goals
2021 trailed in with the destruction and mayhem 2020 offered, and it didn’t seem like it’d get any better at first. Despite these trials and tribulations, I’d like to think that 2021 turned out better for me than 2020.
postmortem
Good writing is difficult; between getting the occasional writer's block and articulating everything in just the right way, it can be tricky to write a story that captivates readers. I ended up discovering all of this when I set out to create my first commercial game and visual novel, Unscripted.