John Spahr

Hi, everyone. To end the year, here is a compilation of some photos that I took and got developed this month. These were taken on various cameras in my collection, both old and new. Enjoy! Panasonic Lumix DC-ZS70 Minolta Freedom Fun Zoom (Kodak Gold 200 ISO) I hope that you found some of these shots neat, and happy New Year!

Hey, everyone! Today, we’re going to be taking a look at the humble Casio CA-53W, one of the most iconic digital watches of all time. Worn by Marty McFly in the later Back to the Future  movies and several other famous characters, this nerdy calculator watch is somewhat of a legend, especially in 1980s pop culture. As a result, I decided to pick one up! This watch cost me only $20, but it feels surprisingly sturdy and comfortable. Its resin strap and case body seem to be fairly durable, its display is easy to read, and it doesn’t look quite as ridiculous on wrist as I thought it would be. That said, this watch’s acrylic crystal does scratch very easily, its buttons aren’t very good, and on this model, there is no backlight to speak of. On a more expensive timepiece, these issues would be quite annoying, but I can forgive them given this watch’s price. Aside from the calculator functionality, (which supports basic math operations and not much else) this watch is more or less your st...

About a month ago, I published a post about the severe burnout I was experiencing at the time. I wrote that I was leaning towards mostly abandoning software development in the pursuit of other hobbies, and I also shared that I was planning to discontinue some projects in the process. After much consideration, I have finally made up my mind as to what I hope to do about this in 2022. So, here are some of the big changes that will be taking place in the next year! App Store Departure: Yes, I am going to be leaving the App Store, and I will not be renewing my membership in March. This was a hard decision, but my iOS apps simply haven't gained enough traction to justify the time and expense required to continue distributing them. Anyway, until then, my iOS apps will continue to be available for download, but I do not plan to actively advertise them on my site or continue updating them. Play Store Hiatus: In contrast, I do not plan to discontinue my Android apps on the Play Store at thi...

Hey, everyone. As you may recall, I’ve been taking a break from software development lately, and this has given me more time to spend on my other hobbies. To achieve this, there’s one tool I’ve been using a great deal: my 2017 MacBook Air. I’ve had this compact computer for nearly a month now, and I seem to have come to a realization. If you want a thin, light, reasonably powerful, and relatively affordable Mac laptop, this might just be one of your best options. How come? Read on to find out! Design and Build This laptop’s design is one of the main reasons why you might want to consider buying one of these MacBook Airs. It’s fairly thin and super light, but it still keeps our beloved USB-A ports, MagSafe, and SD card reader. Furthermore, it has an excellent non-Butterfly keyboard, a nice trackpad, a sturdy aluminum chassis, and a fairly large 13-inch display. Said display isn’t the sharpest or most color accurate, but the worst thing about it has to be its atrocious viewing angles. Re...

Hi, everyone. I'm just going to cut to the chase here: After years of hard work, I'm finally burnt out. Unfortunately, I'm afraid that this is not the kind of burnout that will go away if I take a break for a while, and I also fear that the only solution to it is to lighten my workload and focus on things I still enjoy. However, I think I am getting ahead of myself at the moment. Let's rewind a bit. How it Started It's hard to pinpoint exactly when I began to really feel this way, but a few months ago, I started to become somewhat tired of working on software projects. At the time, I figured it was just a brief thing that would pass after taking a week or two off. But it didn't. I had been working on a lot of updates for existing projects, and I figured that maybe I just needed to work on something new. So, that's what I did. I made a new website for myself, and when that didn't motivate me to work on my apps, I started work on a new iOS app. This would ...