Core Intuition

Daniel celebrates the successful launch of Black Ink 2.0, while Manton acknowledges the two year anniversary of Micro.blog's public debut. They talk more about the virtues of setting deadlines, and about setting goals and meeting them as a way of meriting your own work more. Next they consider the difficulty of putting on a confident marketing persona, and the pleasure of being able to honestly claim superiority in some market niche. Finally, Manton gives us a progress report on his goal to finish his Microblogging book, and we compare several expressions that effectively mean "it is what it is."

Manton talks to Daniel about embracing the power of deadlines as he reviews his success in "meeting with his boss." They compare the strategy Daniel is using to more formalized methodologies such as Agile and their use of "sprints." Manton talks through his excitement and anxiety over meeting the January 2 deadline for his Microblogging book. Finally, they talk about various scenarios where "getting it good enough to ship" helps to both get the job done and edit a potentially oversized project.

Daniel and Manton talk about Manton's newly announced ship date for the Indie Microblogging book, on the anniversary of his original Kickstarter. Daniel looks at refining his plans for Black Ink 2's freemium pricing approach. Findally, they look forward to episode 400 and wonder if they should shake things up with the podcast for episodes 401 and beyond.

Manton and Daniel rejoice in Apple's announcement of an all new 16" MacBook Pro, and look forward to a bright future for Mac portables. Daniel catches Manton up on the latest meeting with "his boss", and the resulting deadline he has agreed to in order to get Black Ink 2 shipped. Finally, Manton shares that he has also given himself a deadline to ship the Microblogging book he started writing almost three years ago!

Daniel and Manton try to take stock of long-term personal goals, thinking of how they align with and overlap with money-making goals. Manton reports back after watching Matt Mullenweg's "State of the Word" talk at WordCamp US. Manton reflects on the important of simplicity for Micro.blog in contrast to WordPress, while Daniel considers that MarsEdit also serves as a more complex interface to Micro.blog. Finally, they digest the latest Apple announcements, focusing on the merits of the new AirPods Pro, and whether AppleTV+ is a justifiable pursuit for the company.

Daniel reports back after his first meeting "with his boss," deciding he's a little strict, but not too bad. They talk about the goals of trying to be more accountable even if you're working for yourself, and adding structure to an indie business plan. Manton shares details about the new Micro.blog feature supporting easy domain name registrations. Happy Halloween!

Daniel returns from Amsterdam with cookies and Dutch Pokemon magazines, and talks a bit about the work-sponsored trip. Manton helps Daniel take stock of his challenges with Red Sweater, and prioritizing the right work to do given his limited time. Finally, Daniel shares his plans for a strategy to be a more effective self-manager.

Daniel and Manton talk about the public release of macOS 10.15 Catalina, question the wisdom of Apple doing it without any warning, and wonder about why they might have done so. They talk about Manton's experience notarizing Micro.blog for Mac, and the importance of notarizing for all Mac developers. Finally, they react to the first crop of Catalyst apps on the Mac, and guess at whether the future of the Mac will be more like iOS, or something of a compromise.

Daniel and Manton talk about Microsoft's special hardware event, and the new Surface tablets they announced. They compare Microsoft and Apple’s modern approach to multi-platform support. Manton considers adding Search ads for Micro.blog in the App Store, in an attempt to overcome shortcomings of App Store search results. Finally, they talk about Daniel's efforts to fix very long-standing bugs in FastScripts, and strategize a plan for getting Manton out of customer-support debt.

Manton finds a workaround to his Sign in with Apple email problems! Daniel argues first that DTS should support pre-release software, and they discuss possible compromise approaches. Finally, they remark on Apple's vigorous marketing push, and the thrill of promoting products we are proud of.

Daniel orders an iPhone 11, while Manton decides to wait for the dust to settle. They touch on strategies for handing down, recycling or selling old phones. Manton prepares to ship an update for iOS 13 to support Dark Mode and Sign in With Apple. Finally, they talk about Apple Arcade’s apparently successful launch, and the subsequent risk to our personal productivity.

Manton and Daniel talk about Apple's September event, and weigh the allure of new iPhones and Watches. They examine the impact of Apple Arcade on game developers, and whether it foretells a future where Apple creates subscription bundles for other types of apps. Manton shares his experience of adding Dark Mode and Sign in With Apple support to Micro.blog, while Daniel prepares for macOS 10.15 Catalina.

Daniel talks to Manton about his decision to open source some Mac software, and making a conscious choice to publish it under the Red Sweater name. They talk about the balance of promoting onself vs. promoting one's company brand. Manton talks about two new features he's added to Micro.blog, and they discuss the fact that the size and impact of features are often unrelated to the amount of time and effort that goes into them.

Manton and Daniel review Apple's updated policies on Siri "grading", how they reflect Apple's values, and the extent to which Tim Cook's personal reputation is on the line. They compare the policies to other companies including Amazon and Faceboo. Daniel catches us up on his further impressions of Amazon's Echo and laments the absence in Apple's product lineup of a "just throw it in your bag" sized HomePod-style speaker.

Danel talks to Manton about his reflections on the merit of seeking to "revolutionize" something with a software product, vs. simply trying to "make a nice thing." They discuss the relatively revolutionary ambition of Micro.blog, and the sometimes non-revolutionary game of catch-up that Daniel plays with MarsEdit. Manton catches us up on his analysis of Tumblr in the wake of the Automattic acquisition, talks about some new features he's building in the wake of that, and takes Daniel mildly to task for comments he made about Micro.blog's viability as an Instagram alternative.