A few months back I wrote a post of what I should do about Obtain. The app hadn’t and still hasn’t made much money, but it still held a special place for being my first personal app in the store in many many years. I ended up on deciding to keep it in the store. I did push an update or two since then, but it really hasn’t seen any real love in over 8 months.

With stepping away from kernel I now have some time (not a ton, but some) on my hands. So I went back in to check things out 🙈.

Little back history Obtain was my second swift project ever, so it was definitely a code and learn experience. I also developed pretty quickly (in chunks) I wrote most of it in a a week in January 2017 (I think) then polished and finished it up in November-December of 2017.

That all being said the app needs a ton of refactoring (restructuring). So that’s the first step I took a couple nights and cleaning up the main screen and plan to submit that tonight. Next I plan to refactor the other areas a bit and then I really want to add a graph view so you can see your progress visually and add direct connect to Withings so I can remove their app from my device.

After those items are done I am not sure what will be next I still have some more features I would love to add, but not sure which will be next at the moment.

It’s never easy to walk away from something you’ve built, but after much back and forth with myself. I have decided to set away from Kernel and hand my half of the product over to Nikias.

There are a lot of factors that play a part, covid and the state of movies have definitely caused a lack of excited around the app for myself, but time is the main one. I still think Kernel has the potential to be big, but the time and dedication that it needs to get there is just more than I have to give.

So I did what was best and have stepped away. I will still have side projects its impossible for me not to be making apps, it’s my job, but its also my hobby. So for the time being I plan to focus on giving some much need TLC to Obtain, my weight tracking app and eventually move on to another project that will include some SwiftUI and a Mac app (which I am super excited about.)

I still have Kernel on my phone/watch and I plan to keep it there. It’s the best way to keep track of releases and the next update when released is going to make it even better.

This week I have started eating just one meal a day or OMAD as the cool kids call it (I don’t actually know any cool kids to ask, so I am just guessing.)

Today (May 30th, 2020), I’ve done it 5 days and I am actually still enjoying it. For me to live healthier I need structure without it all discipline goes out the window, the last few months the structure has been gone and my weight, unlike the Crew Dragon spacecraft skyrocketed. So it was time for a change.

I originally planned on just starting a multiple day fast to kickstart some motivation, but I chickened out and ate around dinner time. The next day, so I starting thinking about the OMAD thing and figured I’d give it a try. 5 days later I am still going strong.

Here is a quick glimpse at the last 5 days:

• 7 – 8am – Wake up get the kids breakfast.
• 9am – Start working.
• 1pm – Play with kids outside for a bit.
• 2pm – Back to work, start getting hungry
• 3pm – Getting hungrier.
• 5pm – Really getting hungry.
• 5:30 – 6:30pm – Eat.
• 7pm – No more eating.

The goal is to do the OMAD system on the weekdays and a 16:8 or 18:6 fasting on the weekends (basically eat lunch a dinner). I’ll keep you all updated on how it all goes.

🤞

Obtain Weight Tracker has been out for over a year now, in that time it has made me a whopping $292.65. I guess it is better than nothing. 🤔

I also haven’t showed it much love, so I am definitely partially to blame. I honestly felt the 1.0 was worth at least $500 with of sales, but the weight tracking market is rough.

I figure normally there are only so many things you can do in these cases:

• Remove it from the store and say goodbye.
• Make it fully free and basically stop supporting it.
• Leave the IAP and support when bugs arise
• Give it some love and add some much needed features and hope for the best.

The first two are probably the more obvious choices, but I know I am not ready to let it go, though I also don’t think I can justify spending time to add additional features to it right now. I still use the app myself and even though there are a few features I would love for it to have, there are some other app ideas I am more passionate about doing right now.

So I think the plan for now at least is to leave it in the store, leave the IAP, and support any bugs that arise (which hasn’t been many so far) and maybe next year around Oct/Nov I’ll try to crank out some more features in time for the New Years resolution rush.

What do you think? Be sure to hit me up on twitter if you have some different opinions.

It’s time for my annual blog post about my goals for the year, this one contains another twist on things I am not going to do the normal monthly goals. Not that I don’t have goals that I could break down monthly, but this year I want to switch this blog into something else.

This year I plan to start writing more about tech, apps, my side work hobbies, and maybe even some about my day job work as well (hint its basically the same as my personal side projects as well 🤷‍♂️).

Here are some of the topics I plan to talk about:

• Switching to iPad as my only mobile workstation.
• Kernel iPad App.
• Kernel Watch App Overhaul.
• Universal Links.
• Build out a website for my Church
• Building tvOS app(s) (have at least 2 I may do this year)
• Building an entire app from an iPad (maybe, we’ll see)
• Writing about new apps I want to make this year (have like 3 in my head already)
• Swift UI
• General Apple Watch and iPad Topics
• Tech and App Reviews – Which will tie in with my YouTube account.

These are just a few that quickly came to mind. Hope this interests you and if so, feel free to hit me up on twitter or wherever you find me.

Yesterday I filmed the first of hopefully many videos of me teaching my oldest Lincoln (8 years old), how to code.

We are starting out with Swift Playground’s Learn to Code sessions. Eventually the goal is for me and him to make a simple app together and publish it to the store. I have no timeline for how long it will take, but I am hoping to do at least 1-2 videos a week on it. They get super long, but if anything I like documenting the process for even just myself.

If you are interested in watching the first one is now live. My youngest Hudson (4 years old) comes in about half way through and add some comedic faces to the video.

For the last few years, I’ve wanted to create a YouTube channel. But just never prioritized it, until now. Last night I recorded an intro video for my channel and I plan to keep it updated weekly.

Initially it is going to be a semi behind the scenes of the process of building out additional features for Kernel. But my oldest son is also wanting to learning some iOS development this summer, so I am hopefully going to figure out a fun way to make that a series on the channel as well.

Feel free to check out the intro video and let me know what you think:

https://youtu.be/rYMxfUDnUog

Dear Apple,

Look I know it’s most likely not going to happen this year, maybe not even next. I also know if I had to program full time on an iPad it’d probably drive me crazy, but I still want it!

After building Kernel, which I wrote fully as I do all my other stuff on my 2016 15in MacBook Pro (no external monitor, keyboard or mouse). I also had to do some web stuff for the sharing feature of the app. So I turned to my 11in iPad Pro, Smart Keyboard Folio, and Coda. There were some pain points, but mostly it was just fun.

Yes, it was different, so that may have been a lot of what made it more fun, but still it was fun! And after developing for iOS for the last 8+ years anything that can bring a little more fun into my work life is a welcomed addition.

So, I am one of the (probably) many developers who cant wait for Xcode on the iPad and I am willing to take it in whatever form you (Apple) is willing to provide, as soon as they can provide it and when you (Apple) do. I plan to challenge myself to only use Xcode on the iPad for as long as I can. I am always jealous of all the iPad only people, I wanna try that so badly, but right now there just isn’t a reasonable solution for that.

Going fully iPad may not be in my future for a while, but even just the thought of being able to leave my laptop at home while I go on a trip or vacation. And use the iPad for any possible fires that arise while I’m gone would be the dream!

So Apple, Please Please give me Xcode for iPad.

Forever your fanboy,

– Brian 🤓

So even though last year I didn’t hit all my resolution goals I still kept fairly good track of them. This year however I’m a little more concerned with missing more of them.

I’ve been so busy with my day job and working on Kernel. So, I am going to be tweaking all my remaining goal for this year a setting up new more realistic ones. Kernel has done so well that I want to be able to focus on it the rest of this year. So an additional app this year will not be happening, but I do still plan to show Obtain some love before the year is over. So here’s the current progress and the new plan:

✅ January – Improving Obtain

❌ February – Waking up at 5am

✅ March – Have read 2 books

❌ April – Under 200lbs

✅ May – Released Kernel

June

My June goal was to start a YouTube channel, but I honestly don’t have time to focus on creating what I wanted to do, but I would still like to share some things while I build out features for Kernel. So I am hoping to still get a channel up and going, just not the same as I was originally planning.

July

This one too has stayed the same. My oldest is really wanting to learn to code and I am looking forward to trying to find the best way to help him learn it this summer.

August

Goal was to pay off a card. We have already cut back and eliminated a large chunk of debt, but the new goal is to pay off both of our phones. Currently we are in Apple’s monthly payment program and I am ready to just get out of it.

September

Old goal was to release a 3rd app. Now it is my new under 200lbs goal. 💪

October

Old goal was to draw something everyday, I really don’t want to give this one up, but I haven’t had time to draw anything in months, so new goal is just to draw a few things, and also focus on adding some needed features to Obtain.

November

Read 2 more book. I want to have at least 4 books read this year apart from my Bible and comic book reading, Hopefully I’ll get to more, but with how busy I’ve been, we will have to wait to see.

December

Family month. I really want to try and reduce my side work during this month and really relax and enjoy the holiday.

So there you go, Not a massive change, but enough to help me not stress as much about hitting them all.

As part of monthly resolutions I like to post month updates looking back on how the last month went and how any progress made on other ones.

January

Sadly January didn’t go the best I just release the complication update for Obtain a couple days ago and haven’t started on the 1.2 update yet. Both of which I originally wanted done before the month was over.

What happened?

The complication update was way more then I planned for it to be I wanted to get it right and didn’t want to cut too many corners getting it all setup. I did multiple layouts and it all just added up to taking more time then I planned. But I’m still happy it is out.

February

I kinda forgot the first few days in February about my goal 😞. But the last couple days I’ve been waking up by 5:15. I am hoping to continue this even though it’s not the easiest it has allowed me to read and write a couple blog post the last couple days.

Other progress

I am almost finished with my first book, should have it done today or tomorrow. And I’m ahead of schedule in starting to build another app. Goal is hopefully to have it out by next month 🤞.

That’s all the updates I have for now here’s hoping I can keep doing this early morning thing and get even more ahead of schedule of other things I have planned for the year.