June 10, 2019
“The Shortest Path To A Great App” That is the phrase Apple used in a number of the SwiftUI sessions at WWDC last week. But beyond SwiftUI, there were a number of other announcements at WWDC 2019 that also could lead to a shorter path to a great app.
Taken in total, these announcements have left me feeling incredibly energized.
An Oddball WWDC Week
I have an oddball WWDC week compared to most people attending WWDC, AltConf, or Layers.
For the last eight years, I’ve organized and performed in the annual LIVE near WWDC concert on Wednesday night. The last four events have been benefit shows for App Camp For Girls.
I’ve also had the honor the past few years of closing out AltConf on Thursday afternoon with a lighthearted musical Week In Review session. Of course, I have no idea what I’ll be talking about until after Monday’s announcements.
Preparing for these events keeps me pretty busy until late Thursday afternoon—with a large chunk of Monday set aside for the Keynote and Platforms State of the Union—and then viewing sessions or snippets of sessions as I can.
So Friday is the first day of WWDC week I can dig deeper into everything that has been announced.
An Aha! Moment Before Breakfast
It dawned on me early Friday morning that a set of announcements at WWDC 2019 should make an app I have wanted to build much easier and quicker to create.
The annual LIVE near WWDC show is a complicated undertaking. This past year we had 24 performers playing 18 different instruments on 18 different songs.
In addition, for the past few years, Adam Tow has taken some really fantastic photos of the show.
So, for a long time I’ve wanted to build an app for my band, James Dempsey and the Breakpoints (JDBP). The app would be a place to share photos, lyrics and info with fans, and also be a resource for people performing in the show—the Breakpoints.
Fans would be able to download the free app and without an account, see photos, browse photos of past performances, see lyrics, maybe even play JDBP songs from Apple Music if they are subscribed.
Breakpoints would be able to sign in, see info about the upcoming show they are performing in, view the (ever changing) set list, know which songs they are playing on, and be able to swipe through the chord charts for the songs they are playing on, in order on an iPad (or iPhone in a pinch).
But, until last week, just thinking about building that app was exhausting. It would be just me writing it and would need a lot of infrastructure code to get it right.
Then, Friday morning, the thought occurred to me that these three newly announced technologies could make writing this app significantly faster and easier:
- SwiftUI
- Sign in with Apple
- Core Data / CloudKit interoperability
A Journey of Discovery
Will these three newly announced technologies do the trick? What dead ends, limitations, and blind alleys will I discover?
At the moment I have no idea, and that’s exciting.
I still have videos to watch, documentation to read, and lots of code to write and fiddle around with.
The app I’m building won’t be open source, but I’m hoping to make it an ‘open process’ app. My plan is to write little blog posts as I go.
These posts will be me thinking out loud — expressing what I want this app to do before I’ve even fully investigated how I will implement it. And then reporting what I find as I investigate things and see how they work in practice. The intent is for this to be a public journal or technology travelogue as I go through the process of building an app.
I’m also hoping the posts will help spur discussion and feedback and help us all come to understand these technologies better.
Thanks Brent!
This approach was greatly inspired by Brent Simmons. I’ve always admired Brent’s ability to post in the casual and open manner of “Hey, I’m working on a thing. I’m learning it and I’m not an expert. Here’s what I’m discovering and here’s what is confusing to me.” Brent has been a prolific developer for many years, but he never claims to have all the answers. (Plus he plays a mean keyboard.)
A Last Caveat
This app is a side project. As the glow of WWDC 2019 fades and day to day tasks come back to the fore, there may stretches of time between posts about this app. I appreciate your patience in advance.
Let’s see how short that path really is.
I’m so excited to get started! •
Categories: Apple, Software Development, iOS
May 31, 2019
I’ll be doing a few things next week at WWDC 2019 and wanted to pass along my schedule. Hope to see you at one or more of these happenings!
Tuesday: Micro.blog Meetup
Tuesday at lunch time, I’ll be at the Micro.blog meetup at the Grace Deli, across from The Hilton.
My good friend—and meetup organizer—Jean MacDonald and I co-host The Weekly Review, a ‘microcast’ podcast about personal productivity hosted on Micro.blog.
Stop by and say hello! We’ll also have The Weekly Review stickers to hand out. You can RSVP here.
Micro.blog Meetup, June 4th, 12 – 2 pm
Wednesday: LIVE near WWDC 2019
Wednesday night, my band, James Dempsey and the Breakpoints, _performs our 8th annual _LIVE near WWDC show. The party starts at 7 pm—tickets include an open bar. The band goes on at about 8:30 pm, playing a full concert of original, humorous, programming-oriented, and yes, even chart-topping music.
But the night is more than just music and fun—it’s a benefit concert for App Camp For Girls, with ticket proceeds going to support their mission. Come on out on Wednesday night to a great event for a great cause!
Tickets are still available but going fast. Click through to get all the details and buy tickets.
James Dempsey and the Breakpoints, LIVE near WWDC, presented by Capital One
Wednesday, June 5th, Doors open at 7:00 PM, show starts at 8:30 PM. Party until 11:00 PM
Thursday: AltConf WWDC 2019 Week In Review
I’ll be closing out the week at AltConf with my sixth annual WWDC Week In Review, a lighthearted look back at the announcements and events of the week.
After a week front-loaded with announcements and technical talks—this easy-going closing session of AltConf combines humor, music, and perspective.
Join me for what usually proves to be an entertaining and occasionally enlightening session.
And, as usual, there will be a bit involving a ukulele.
AltConf 2019, June 3 – June 6, 2019
Closing Session, Thursday, June 6th, 3:00 PM
A Busy WWDC 2019 Week + Stickers!
As usual, it will be a busy WWDC week with plenty of new announcements and technology to wrap our heads around. If you see me out and about during the week, please say hello!
I’ll also have brand new James Dempsey and the Breakpoints and The Weekly Review stickers to hand out. Just ask for a sticker or two when you say hello!
I hope you can make it out to one or more of these events—see you at WWDC! •
Categories: Apple, Mac, Music, Software Development, iOS
June 25, 2018
Pixar Pier opened at Disney California Adventure this past Saturday, giving Paradise Pier a new theme and a new name.
This inspired me to create this timeline showing the evolution of lands at DCA since its opening.
Click for PDF Version
With the renaming of Paradise Pier, none of the opening day lands of Disney California Adventure remain.
This does not mean that all attractions, buildings, or theming of the original lands have been replaced. It means that every land existing on opening day has at least been renamed, with many rethemed, and some reassigned to other lands.
Research for the timeline was done using my collection of guide maps from the park as well as online announcements or news articles of land and attraction openings and closings. Please feel free to send me any feedback or corrections at https://jamesdempsey.net/contact.
Also feel free to contact me at https://jamesdempsey.net/contact if you have guide maps from the early years of DCA that you are willing to sell – or send photos of. I am particularly trying to find DCA maps between late February and late May 2001 to pinpoint the change from Entry Plaza to Sunshine Plaza.
I’ve enjoyed witnessing the transformation of Disney California Adventure over its seventeen year history and hope you enjoy this visual history of its lands. •
About me: I’m a Disney, Pixar, and Apple history hobbyist. I worked at Apple for fifteen years then set out on my own as a software developer, technical trainer, speaker, and musician. I write humorous songs about technical things. My album debuted at #5 on the Billboard comedy album charts and was the #1 comedy album on iTunes in the US, UK, and Canada. If you or someone you know (or someone in Disney Imagineering) needs an original song with clever lyrics contact me!
Category: Disney
June 2, 2018
I’ll be doing a few things next week at WWDC and wanted to pass along my schedule. Hope to see you at one or more of these happenings!
Tuesday: Speaking at the NextDoor Conference
Tuesday morning, I’m speaking at the Next Door conference, located, remarkably enough, next door to WWDC.
I’ll be talking about two of the more glamorous aspects of app development: build settings and xcconfig files. In the session, we’ll cover the why and how of giving your build settings an out-of-project file experience to make build settings easier to manage.
Registration is open until Monday and a there’s a great lineup of speakers. I encourage you to check the conference out.
NextDoor Conference, June 4th – June 7th
My session about xcconfig files: Tuesday, June 5th, 10:00 AM
Wednesday: LIVE near WWDC 2018
Wednesday night, my band, James Dempsey and the Breakpoints, performs our 7th annual LIVE near WWDC show. The party starts at 7 pm—tickets include an open bar. The band goes on at about 8:30 pm, playing a full concert of original, humorous, programming-oriented, and yes, even chart-topping music.
But the night is more than just music and fun—it’s a benefit concert for App Camp For Girls, with ticket proceeds going to support their programs. Come on out on Wednesday night to a great event for a great cause!
Tickets are still available but going fast. Click through to get all the details and buy tickets.
James Dempsey and the Breakpoints, LIVE near WWDC, presented by Capital One
Wednesday, June 6th, Doors open at 7:00 PM, show starts at 8:30 PM. Party until 11:00 PM
Thursday: AltConf WWDC 2018 Week In Review
I’ll be closing out the week at AltConf with my fifth annual WWDC Week In Review, a lighthearted look back at the announcements and events of the week.
After a week front-loaded with announcements and technical talks—this easy-going closing session of AltConf combines humor, music, and a bit of perspective. I hope you join me to be entertained and maybe occasionally enlightened.
And, as usual, there will be a bit involving a ukulele.
AltConf 2018, June 4 – June 7, 2018
Closing Session, Thursday, June 7th, 3:00 PM, Room 1
A Busy WWDC 2018 Week
As usual, it will be a busy WWDC week with plenty of new announcements and technology to wrap our heads around. If you see me out and about during the week, please say hello!
I hope you can make it out to one or more of these events—see you at WWDC! •
Categories: Apple, Mac, Music, Software Development, iOS
March 29, 2018
I have a sad update. Wilbur Dempsey, my father, passed away yesterday afternoon.
He died peacefully without pain in the hospital. He was surrounded in his final hours by his children and a few other loved ones.
Ten days before he died, Dad at 92 years old was still mentally sharp, still living on his own, and still driving. He drove down to my sister Ann’s for their usual Sunday dinner. He would always stay overnight and drive home to Milltown in the morning.
The next morning he was not feeling well, so he stayed with my sister. His decline happened quickly over the next week. He found it increasingly difficult to walk, becoming more tired and losing energy and his appetite.
Tuesday morning he was unresponsive and taken to the hospital. I arrived late in the evening that same day and we spent the night with Dad in the hospital.
Dad never regained consciousness, but during that time we had our chance to tell him how much we loved him, to share our favorite memories with him, and tell him through tears how much we would miss him.
The photo below is of Dad ten days ago on March 18th.
The world has lost a truly kind, selfless person who brought so much joy, laughter, and sunshine to everyone around him.
Rest in peace in God’s love Dad. •
Category: Personal
