John Spahr

PodStream v1.1 is here! 7/29/2020   Hey, everyone! I know I have been working a lot on Windows Forms stuff lately, but there was one last Windows program that I wanted to release a major update for before I returned to school: PodStream. So, that's what I did! ​ PodStream v1.1 is a pretty minor update, but it does make some important improvements. These include: UI updates:  I must admit, PodStream's original user interface was pretty bland. However, in this update, I have made it much more visually appealing. Most (if not all) of the buttons now have icons, and I have switched to a more flat design. Neat! Backup and restore:  I have added a new feature that lets you backup and restore your calendars, contacts, and notes on your iPod. It's pretty simple: all it does is copy the directories on your iPod to your computer for the backup and vice-versa for the restore. However, it's pretty handy and saves a decent bit of time! Bug fixes and fine-tuning:  This update...

Introducing PDF Toolbox v1.4.0! 7/28/2020   With summer break rapidly approaching its end and school beginning in less than a week, I've made it a priority to get as much programming stuff done as I can. Today, I have released a new update for PDF Toolbox: version 1.4.0. ​ What's new: Compress PDF:  This new feature allows you to slightly reduce the quality of images in a PDF to decrease its file size. Remove Page(s):  Have a few pages in a PDF that you need to get rid of? PDF Toolbox now lets you do just that! UI Improvements:  I have made some improvements to the user interface in this update. The Other Stuff:  I have tidied up the code (a bit) and fixed a few annoying bugs. ​ That's about it for PDF Toolbox v1.4.0. You can check it out on  GitHub  or the  PDF Toolbox page . I hope you like it!

Syndicate v1.4 is here! 7/27/2020   Lately, I have been working on improving some of my older projects. Today, I am happy to announce that I have finally gotten around to updating Syndicate, my RSS feed reader for Windows! Here's what's new. ​ Improved UI:  ​By far the most noticeable change in this update is the improved user interface. I really wanted to make the UI a bit more interesting and colorful, so I introduced the signature Syndicate light blue (from the early days of Syndicate) into things like the menu bar. I made sure not to overdo the blue, and I think the updated UI turned out really well because of that! Like the Comic Sans? If not, don't worry! You can always change the font. New fonts:  You now can choose your font! Available fonts include Arial, Microsoft Sans Serif, Verdana, and of course, Comic Sans MS. Zoom:  You can zoom in and out on the feed text to reduce eye strain. New icon:  Syndicate now has a new icon that changes depending on whet...

a trailer for binoc 7/26/2020   Hi, everybody! I have some pretty exciting news: I have made a trailer for binoc! Earlier this week, I visited some family up in the mountains of Massachusetts. While I was up there, I thought it could be cool to make a trailer for an app, as the mountain we were on was very scenic. So, that's what I did! I think the binoc trailer turned out really well! I have embedded it below. Enjoy!

SpeechLab finally got a new update! ...or two 7/19/2020   Hi, everyone! Over the last few months, I have been working on improving some of my older Android apps that haven't aged as well as I would have hoped. While I was able to cover almost everything, there still was one app I needed to work on: SpeechLab. ​ Some background information I wouldn't say that SpeechLab has aged terribly, but it's not like it has aged super well either. You see, I released SpeechLab way back in the fall of 2019. Not only was that a long time ago, but it feels a lot longer given all that has happened in the mess of a year that is 2020. Anyway, this was at a time when I was still new to writing Android apps, so there were definitely some stupid decisions I made when writing SpeechLab because I didn't know better at the time. There were quite a few issues I had with SpeechLab. For one, the user interface felt clunky. Rather than using sliders for the volume and pitch of the artificial voice,...

binoc is here! 7/15/2020   Greetings, everyone! Today, I have some very good news. The Android app that I've been working on for a very long time is finally here!  Meet binoc, the perfect way to start your day, yoga, meditation, and everything in-between. ​ ​With an aesthetically pleasing design, binoc gives you a random stock image from a category of choices, such as nature, city, or rain, and an inspirational quote. It also lets you set an intention for yourself, which you can choose to be a persistent notification. All of these things make binoc a great way to get started on something. Personally, I find that it really helps me feel inspired! ​ As I mentioned earlier, binoc has a beautiful user interface that is free of clutter and advertisements. I was really inspired by Microsoft's Metro user interface seen on Windows Phone. I have attached a screenshot of the app below. I was inspired by Metro UI. The view scrolls horizontally as opposed to vertically to make the app fee...