Is 2017 the year the web turned dark?

And we realized it could be a force for evil, as well as good?

http://money.cnn.com/2017/12/20/technology/tech-dark-side/index.html

AI, Clouds, Enterprise, IoT, Wearable, Security, AR/VR, Digital Wallet, AMP, Hybrid.

10 Mobile App trends for 2018 (and in more detail).

https://www.mindinventory.com/blog/mobile-app-development-trends-2018/

Apple apologizes to Users for the Battery Fiasco

In an open letter, Apple offers a reduced price on replacement battery, as well as promises changes to next iOS update to provide details regarding iPhone’s battery status.

https://www.apple.com/iphone-battery-and-performance/

Give Gamers the Odds!

Apple will require developers to publish the odds of winning anything when buying in-app "loot boxes" for game prizes. This has been a big issue since some prizes are nearly required to advance the game, while being hard to get.

https://amp-businessinsider-com.cdn.ampproject.org/c/s/amp.businessinsider.com/apple-iphone-games-must-disclose-loot-box-odds-2017-12

Follow up on the Legality of Loot boxes:

https://www.lawofthelevel.com/2017/12/articles/gaming/apple-app-store-loot-boxes/

Holiday Songs for Developers

For the techies decked out in ugly Christmas sweater, enjoy this set of revamped songs sure to make you smile. I especially like "Ode to CSS". https://thedailywtf.com/articles/developer-carols-merry-christmas

25 Questions Mobile Developers should ask their Clients

Mind Inventory compiled a comprehensive list of questions that as a mobile developer, you should ask your client. Past projects would have been easier if I had asked all of these questions up front.

https://www.mindinventory.com/blog/mobile-app-development-client-questionnaire/

MagFest celebrates video games and video game culture

I will be attending MagFest, first weekend in January at Gaylord National Harbor, to enjoy talks about video games, playing video games, and even music about video games.  if gaming is a culture, MagFest celebrates it!

http://super.magfest.org

ps. It also has the largest collection of early era computer game coin-ops that can be found anywhere!  All open for free for 72 hours straight!

Christmas Eve Technology, the NORAD Tracking of Santa Claus

What started out as a mistaken call by a child to the Continental Air Defense Command (pre-NORAD) in 1954 asking for Santa, has turned into a multi-service holiday event. The latest incarnation website received over 20 million hits ever Dec 24th!

https://www.noradsanta.org/

ps. If you want the full story, check out the Wiki article on tracking Santa.

A comprehensive list of reason to use Cross Platform development Mobile Development

Full disclosure, I disagree with his conclusions, but this list will show you the arguments managers use to justify hybrid mobile development. 

http://www.mindinventory.com/blog/reasons-to-choose-hybrid-mobile-app-development/

Start Magic Leap gives a glimpse of their VR Future

Magic Leap greatly anticipated VR glasses have been announced! They are called Lightwear (pun intended) and are an entirely self contained VR/AR solution (no PC need to be attached).

http://www.businessinsider.com/magic-leap-reveals-smart-glasses-photos-2017-12

Rumored Apple plan for single app on all Apple platform

If this is true, it is big news for Apple developers. Supposedly project “Marzipan” will allow for one common code base for both Mac & iPhone apps.  It would have to be simplest denominator interface, but this would work for a lot of low end apps.

https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2017-12-20/apple-is-said-to-have-plan-to-combine-iphone-ipad-and-mac-apps

Advanced Swift topic from Realm Academy

Realm IO, creators of mobile tools & solutions, has a Academy that provides videos on several developer topic. Here is series of videos on Advanced Swift!

https://academy.realm.io/posts/learning-path-advanced-swift/

How to Teach Dumb Machines to be Smarter then Humans

Possibly the simplest, and easiest to understand, explanation of Generic Algorithms in relationship to Machine Learning.  I have always been a fan of CGP Grey's educational videos on history and social issues, but he is just as good with technical ideas. 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R9OHn5ZF4Uo

Traits vs Mixins in Swift

This article is a bit dates (Swift 2), but it gives a good introduction to concept of Traits & Mixin, important concepts in Protocol based programming.

http://machinethink.net/blog/mixins-and-traits-in-swift-2.0/

DNA Sequencer from Legos!

This Professor build a DNA Sequencer that used colored Legos as a way to teach science to visiting primary school students. It sort of looks like a Lego Turing machine to me. Say, that is an idea for a Makers Fair project! 

https://samnicholls.net/2017/03/15/lego-sequencer/

The Last Lecture, what one Prof had to say on the last talk he ever gave

Possibly the most entertaining, fascinating and all around powerful lectures I have ever watched. It made me wish I had known this teacher. Here is his full Last Lecture of the late  Prof. Randy Pausch, formerly of Carnegie Mellon.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ji5_MqicxSo

AOL Instant Messenger rides off into the sunset

AIM shuts down today. We knew it was coming, and I had talked about in in Oct, but now that it is here, I am a bit sad. CNN talks about AIM's lasting legacy.

http://money.cnn.com/2017/12/15/technology/aim-shuts-down-legacy/index.html

InstaSaber, an Augmented Reality Star Wars App puts a light saber into your hands

To celebrate the release of Star Wars: The Last Jedi, here is a video about an AR iOS app that converts a paper tube in your hand into a glowing Light Saber.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hCp6_vFb-mY&feature=youtu.be

James Dempsey Inspiration Talk at RWDevCon 2017

James Dempsey, long time Apple expert and founding member of the Breakpoints (hey, look it up) gives a talk at RWDevCon on new tricks, and how to learn them.  Enjoy the video and transcript.

https://www.raywenderlich.com/177118/rwdevcon-2017-inspiration-talk-new-tricks-james-dempsey

Imagery - Managing Remote images on iOS, Mac & tvOS

If I wanted to create a image manager, complete with caching, asynchronous downloads, image compression & transition animations, it would look a lot like Imagery! Luckily I don't have to, I can just use this Open Source pod. 

 https://github.com/hyperoslo/Imaginary  

Swift 4 support for JSON encoding Explained

A brief, but succinct explanation of how Swift 4 handles JSON encoding/decoding.  It is finally built into the Language! Thanks to the author Eli Ganem @eli_ganem

https://www.raywenderlich.com/172145/encoding-decoding-and-serialization-in-swift-4

Review of MS Surface Precision Mouse with a Mac

Using a high end Microsoft mouse with your Mac. I energetically agree with this authors views. I rarely use Apple’s products, and prefer to use a PC style Mouse instead. 

https://9to5mac.com/2017/12/09/review-microsoft-surface-precision-mouse/

News Break for Software Geek #1

BREAKING NEWS: The programmer accused of writing unreadable code declined to comment.

Apple's Top App List comes out

Apples' list of most downloaded iOS Apps of 2017 reveals some curious trends.  Progress in AR and real-time competitive games should not be a surprise, but the interest in mental health & storytelling apps startled me.

https://www.apple.com/newsroom/2017/12/apple-reveals-2017-most-popular-apps-music-and-more/

Design Patterns that matter for Mobile Apps

A List of UX Design Patterns specifically for Mobile apps, that really make a difference if you use them!

https://www.raywenderlich.com/167174/design-patterns-mobile-apps-which-why

All Hail Null Island!!!

One of the most photographed, and occasionally visited, locations in the world. And it doesn’t exist.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bjvIpI-1w84

CryptoKitties Mania is hitting the Net

The Joys of BitCoin speculation combined with the Cuteness of Cat Video, CryptoKitties has become the most popular app on the Ethereum network. You literally breed and sell Virtual Kitties.

https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2017-12-04/cryptokitties-quickly-becomes-most-widely-used-ethereum-app

An excellent Google produced series of Videos on Machine Language

First in a series of videos from Google Cloud explaining the details of Machine Learning development. The series is called “AI Adventures”, and it gives more details then most such works.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nKW8Ndu7Mjw

Donut - an Open Source iPhone View for arranging views circularly

Donut is an Open Source iPhone View for arranging views in the shape of, uh, well, a doughnut.  It is actually more visually appealing that I am making it sound. It is also an example of why CocoaPods are changing how people develop iOS apps. 

https://github.com/cokaholic/Donut

AI Program writes a musical Lullaby to help you sleep

A health company sponsored a project to have an AI and a Human create different Lullabies, to help people sleep.  The Human-made one is much better, but the AI one is not bad.

http://www.mirror.co.uk/tech/artificially-intelligent-machine-composed-lullaby-11599978

Swift on the Server State of the Union at Swift Summit 2017

Video and transcript of the presentation by Chris Bailey at Swift Summit 2017 discussing the State of the Union of running Swift on Servers.  Nicely done!

https://www.skilled.io/u/swiftsummit/ibm-kitura-swift-on-the-server

Alexa Games are Booming

A description, and video, about the Future of Alexa voiced-base games. Echo Buttons will be shipping shortly (for multiplayer play) and a Destiny 2 AI with Alexa. 

https://developer.amazon.com/blogs/alexa/post/cceec3df-5b54-4f24-9e1d-d922627bb6ed/alexa-let-s-play-a-game-introducing-new-gaming-experiences