Nordic Mobile Developers Summit

posted by jack at 02:43 CET in / compute

Spent all day yesterday at the Nordic Mobile Developers Summit, where I gave a talk on developing iPhone/iPad apps, a lightning demo of how some of the dev tools work, and took part in some panel discussions and Q&A.

Several of the other speakers and panelists are people who are more deeply involved in the handset manufacturers' side of things, including representatives from Microsoft, Nokia, and SonyEricsson. I assume the organizers tried to bring in someone from Apple, but it seems that Apple doesn't really do that sort of thing much, at least not here in Stockholm; So they got me!

I had a great time, and met lots of interesting people during the breaks, and got some new perspectives on what the "other side" of the smartphone industry is doing. And let's be clear, by "other side" I really mean "losing side". It's not often that my technology of choice is so clearly on top of the world the way that iPhone and iPad are right now, so I won't hesitate to rub that in when I can! I also couldn't help but make some unnecessary jabs at Microsoft during my talk. As if it matters what I think about Microsoft! Ha ha.

Anyway. A few people were asking yesterday if my slides would be up anywhere. I know that everyone's slides were gathered, but I don't know when or where the NMDS people will put them all up, so here are mine, both in the original Keynote format for modern Mac and iPad people, and PDF for everyone else.

Keynote version (Contains amazing animation on one slide! You have been warned!)
PDF version

Stockholm

posted by jack at 19:42 CET in / life

This is the sort of evening where Stockholm flirts with me. I've spent too long with colleagues I seldom speak to, talking about things we never talk about during work hours. It's so entertaining, I lose track of time, and suddenly it's too late, I'm missing my train, and I may as well wait. A few colleagues invite me out to a pub, but I'm just short of time; going there would mean I'd miss even the next train.

Leaving the office, the air is wet but remarkably warm for late April. I could take off my jacket, but I know that would be an invitation to Thor. In the alley, I witness a short but intense gang-fight. At first I can't tell the combatants apart (these people look the same to me in the gray dusk), but eventually I get clear sight of one of them: It's a fox. So close to the city. I clap my hands and shout, and he runs off, leaving the cat alone to lick its wounds in the bushes.

Walking on, here it smells like pipe tobacco. Not a person in sight, just grey concrete, but the scent is unmistakable. When is the last time I smoked tobacco in a pipe? Ten years? Fifteen years? Some habits leave a trail that you can never run from. Stockholm is more than flirting with me, it's kissing me hard and grabbing my crotch. Every vista, every beetle, every shout heard around a corner, reminds me why I live here.

"Learn Cocoa on the Mac" is in print!

posted by jack at 21:50 CET in / writing

It's true! At long last, after months and months of late nights, the book is done. Available in digital and paper form from Apress, as well as Amazon.com and elsewhere. I've also set up LearnCocoa.org to be a gathering-place for readers of the book; Right now, there's not much there except for links to buy the book, and to a discussion forum where you can post questions, and also find the source code to all the example apps created in the book.

Big thanks once again to everyone who made this possible!

Goodbye crufty old blosxom comments, hello Disqus

posted by jack at 23:06 CET in / compute / blogging

For years, I've been running a comment system here that's been plagued with a variety of problems. I've gotten tired of fixing it, and it looks like Disqus is a much more capable system anyway, so I've changed. The old comments are still around, and will probably still be around forever, but for new comments, it's all Disqus now.

Learn Cocoa: As good as done

posted by jack at 09:09 CET in / writing

My wife just pointed out that I haven't blogged at all since last August! But, I have a good excuse: I've been writing Learn Cocoa on the Mac. And to top things off, I'm basically done! The book itself isn't yet in print (though it will be soon), but as of a couple of days ago, the actual writing is done; All chapters are complete, all the screenshots are in place, and it's all passed off to copy editors and layout people and whatnot (the parts of the publishing process that I really don't know anything about). All that's left for me is a bit of proofreading, approving editorial changes, etc.

So, sometime in January, the book should appear on bookshelves near you! Or, if not near you, at least it's on Amazon and elsewhere. More info when I know the exact release date.

Anyway, this has been a huge project. Lots of work, and extremely satisfying on any number of levels. And now that it's basically done, I find that I already miss it! I guess I'll have to go on writing.