Supercomputer

Alex and Matthew talk about the close of the beta season – and the close of the show.

Both tried to test iOS as best they could, but bugs and real life took their toll. That being said, Siri Shortcuts and the updates coming soon look to be exciting as ever.

Please stay tuned towards the end of the episode for a raw conversation about the future of Supercomputer.

Find us elsewhere:

• Join the Shortcuts User Group chat 
• Alex Cox (@AlexCox)
• Alex's podcasts Two Headed Girl, Roboism, & The Robot and the Unicorn
• Matthew Cassinelli (@mattcassinelli)
• Matthew on YouTube and Twitch
• Matthew’s website

Matthew hosts special guest Julia Skott – quite literally in his home. Julia's all about Android, but uses an iPad and Mac, so the two have a lot to talk about. Plus Julia is just a blast.

Links from the show:

• How I Edit Podcasts on the iPad using Ferrite | MacStories
• Why we don’t want you and your Android green bubbles in our iMessage chat | Fast Company
• Follow Julia Skott (@JuliaSkott) on Twitter
• Listen to Julia's podcast Make Do on Relay FM

Find us elsewhere:

• Supercomputer (@_supercomputer)
• @_supercomputer on Instagram
• Alex Cox (@AlexCox)
• Alex's podcasts Two Headed Girl, Roboism, & The Robot and the Unicorn
• Matthew Cassinelli (@mattcassinelli)
• Matthew on YouTube and Twitch
• Matthew’s website

Episode summary:

Julia starts by explaining how she turned off all of Matthew's lights, then details her relationship with Bixby and her experience with work iPhones. But—thankfully—she's part of the "larger format iOS world" thanks to apps like Procreate and the Apple Pencil. 

Matthew prods Julia about which apps are really keeping her on Android, and she mentions often it's the time cost that prevents major changes. Which of course leads to ways Matthew spends too much effort on projects at the wrong time, before refocusing on the various little apps that still work on Android while iOS breaks compatibility.

Matthew holds his first Android phone in years and examines it as Julia mentions all the little things that make the experience in the face of, say, corporate decisions. Matthew also cedes that much of the customization is baked-in instead of requiring developer adoption, especially since Julia is from Sweden and she quite literally needs products rebuilt with different letters.

Then the conversation steers towards Matthew's accidental but not really but well-meaning iMessage shaming of Julia, which leads to some pondering of how much real-world fallout there actually is over Android vs iOS.

The two head towards the end of the discussion talking about learning iPad by way of necessity for work, the mix of natural intuitiveness alongside gestures you'd almost never discover, and getting moisture in the input of oversized smartphones.

From there, Julia espouses the benefits of her pop socket, Matthew brings back the pinky ledge conversation, and Julia ends with a great point: you can predict what tech might be like, but you can't predict the world and how much people have learned yet.

While Alex was away, Matthew interviewed developer Greg Pierce, creator of Drafts and the x-callback-url spec that kicked off deeper interest in iOS automation.

The show starts with  the basics of deep linking & how URLs are traditionally used, before diving into the good stuff straight from the source.

Greg explains the benefits and drawbacks of early mobile automation, plus potential adoption of what’s soon to come, then covers how he’s using the new Siri Shortcuts capabilities alongside his own automation app Drafts.

He also has thoughts on ways to extend Siri Shortcuts to run from other apps, plus sneaks in some details about what’s coming to Drafts for Mac.
Then Matthew is embarrassed he doesn’t know JavaScript but commits to learning some new tricks, plus shares how almost everything he’s done has gone through Drafts at one point.

Look for updates Drafts for iOS and Mac coming this fall with iOS 13 and macOS Catalina – make sure to sign up for a Drafts Pro subscription too, because it’s well worth your money and you get to support a great guy like Greg too.

Links from the show:

• GetDrafts.com
• Drafts for iOS
• Drafts for Mac
• Action Directory
• Drafts Community
• Getting Started with Drafts
• Drafts reference
• AgileTortoise.com
• x-callback-url spec
• MacStories archive of Drafts coverage

Find us elsewhere:

• Supercomputer (@_supercomputer)
• @_supercomputer on Instagram
• Alex Cox (@AlexCox)
• Alex's podcasts Two-Headed Girl, Roboism, and The Robot & The Unicorn
• Matthew Cassinelli (@mattcassinelli)
• Matthew on YouTube and Twitch
• Matthew's website

After a few weeks, Alex & Matthew are back to talk about the beta experiences so far. Matthew hung out in Apple Business Chat, Alex gets excited about Automation triggers, and everyone is assigned a book for summer reading.

Links from the show:

• ATP #332: Fuzzy Muppet Felt | Accidental Tech Podcast
• DamonLight AirPods ear thingies
• Home Screen Icon Creator: A Shortcut to Create Custom Icons for Apps, Contacts, Solid Colors, and More | MacStories 
• #11: Shortcuts Homescreens! | Automators
• "Starting my entire Home Screen from scratch for the new iOS/iPadOS" | @mattcassinelli
• #74: Fixing John’s Mixed Up, Messed Up, Broken Home Screen | AppStories
• Shortcuts Actions table | MatthewCassinelli.com
• Automation triggers table | MatthewCassinelli.com
• Two-Headed Girl, a podcast by Alex and Mattie Cox

Show notes

Starting out, Matthew tried out Business Chat in Messages for his defunct left AirPod and Alex recommends ear thingies if yours don't fit. This led to a quick aside on the name HomePod.

Matthew's world blends across the iOS beta lines, especially since he needs to  import .shortcut files that can't be added in iOS 13. After drastic measures, Matthew saved all his shortcuts as iCloud links—for his work—and organized them all with own information.

In reference to URL scheme-based shortcuts being irrelevant soon, Alex asks for clarification on what's now possible for apps who want to use Siri Shortcuts. Matthew gives some details before accidentally triggering Siri, which turns into a discussion about how broken the betas are.

Both hosts get into it over the Public Beta – should you install it? Is it responsible to recommend that? Matthew reveals how many radars he's filed in the past, while Alex might be the model beta citizen.

Alex ponders what it means for iPadOS to be its own thing, and Matthew mentions how Pocket didn't take iPad seriously for too long. This leads to mention of Instapaper and an classic improper explanation of what GDPR means, and apps now gone from Shortcuts that might be coming back in iOS 13.

Both your hosts then dive into the Automation trigger capabilities, including what will and won't work in the background – NFC is the most fun so far. This also leads into Personal vs. Home automations & what's new for the Home app, before "in theory" triggers Siri again.

Finally, Matthew assigns the book Atomic Habits to everyone as a summer reading project. Both hosts will be reworking their devices for the new updates and Home Screen shortcuts, so read along too before reconvening to discuss learnings from the book & how the experiments went.

We'll be doing a few guest episodes coming up soon, so stay tuned for those as well. Otherwise, the show is on a slower summer schedule – feel free to tweet us anytime though 😎

Find us elsewhere:

• Supercomputer (@_supercomputer)
• @_supercomputer on Instagram
• Alex Cox (@AlexCox)
• Alex's new show Two-Headed Girl
• Matthew Cassinelli (@mattcassinelli)
• Matthew on YouTube and Twitch

Alex and Matthew are back from WWDC (for real this time) and are VERY excited about Shortcuts. Alex also briefly shouts about the Mac Pro, and Matthew needs a monitor. 

Find us elsewhere:

• Supercomputer (@_supercomputer)
• Alex Cox (@AlexCox)
• Matthew Cassinelli (@mattcassinelli)
• Matthew on YouTube and Twitch
• Matthew’s website
• @_supercomputer on Instagram

Matthew and Alex share their insights into neo-modern Apple from the year 2030.

Listen in as they discuss what to expect from the upcoming WWDC, and reflect on how far things have come since 2019.

Find us elsewhere:

• WWDC 2019 in San Jose
• Supercomputer (@_supercomputer)
• Alex Cox (@AlexCox)
• Matthew Cassinelli (@mattcassinelli)
• Matthew on YouTube and Twitch
• Matthew’s website
• @_supercomputer on Instagram

This week, Alex and Matthew realize that they are slowly becoming each other.

Matthew describes his whole interconnected mess of apps, time tracking tools, and shortcuts. Alex only has three emotions. Matthew turned Things into Omnifocus.

Links from the show:

• OmniFocus - task management for Mac, iPad, and iPhone
• Asana
• The all-new Things. Your to-do list for Mac & iOS
• Toggl - Free Time Tracking Software
• Timery
• Agenda - Date-focused Note Taking.
• HURRY SLOWLY is a podcast about pacing yourself, hosted by Jocelyn K. Glei
• Notebooks for iPad, iPhone, Mac and PC • Notebooks
• Ulysses
• Open Agenda shortcut
• Agenda Projects shortcut

Find us elsewhere:

• Supercomputer (@_supercomputer)
• Alex Cox (@AlexCox)
• Matthew Cassinelli (@mattcassinelli)
• Matthew on YouTube and Twitch
• Matthew’s website
• @_supercomputer on Instagram

Following last week's after one day, a discussion of Matthew's morning routine sparks discussion about how Apple is changing.

Plus, how order of operations matters, what the intersection of Arts and Technology means, and being funny on the internet.

Alex had so much caffeine. Matthew swallowed a frog.

Links from the show

• Home - MindNode
• Drafts. Where Text Starts.
• Nebo | MyScript
• The Talk Show ✪: Ep. 248, With Special Guest Peter Kafka
• Focused - Relay FM
• Just Press Record

Find us elsewhere:

• Supercomputer (@_supercomputer)
• Alex Cox (@AlexCox)
• Matthew Cassinelli (@mattcassinelli)
• Matthew on YouTube and Twitch
• Matthew’s website
• @_supercomputer on Instagram

It’s a real grab bag of topics on this very special Emergency Pod™️. Home screens are rearranged, task management apps are debated, and there are even some challenges assigned.

Matthew hates tapping into folders. Alex got excited about the mafia. Neither of them can say the word “prescient.”

Links from the show:

• Drafts. Where Text Starts. | Drafts
• The all-new Things. Your to-do list for Mac & iOS
• OmniFocus - task management for Mac, iPad, and iPhone
• How to Configure Your iPhone to Work for You, Not Against You
• Yearly Themes | Fundamentally Broken
• A Tumbleweed of Pubes and Dust | Do By Friday
• Clockwise #292: The Drums are the Worst Part - Relay FM
• Toggl Desktop App - Track Time On Your Desktop
• Two Headed Girl
• The Checklist Manifesto: How to Get Things Right: Atul Gawande - Amazon.com: Books
• It's All Too Much: An Easy Plan for Living a Richer Life with Less Stuff: Peter Walsh - Amazon.com: Books
• TikTok - Real Short Videos
• Focused - Relay FM
• Matt D'Avella - YouTube
• ‎Brella - Personal Weather on the App Store

Find us elsewhere:

• Supercomputer (@_supercomputer)
• Alex Cox (@AlexCox)
• Matthew Cassinelli (@mattcassinelli)
• Matthew on YouTube and Twitch
• Matthew’s website
• @_supercomputer on Instagram

Matthew and Alex finally have The Talk. About notes.

Alex is shocked by text bundles, Matthew spreads his notes' ashes across a bunch of apps, and they both talk about the long-term sustainability of various notes databases.

Links from the show:

• Field Notes | Memo Books, Notebooks, Journals & Planners
• Nebo | MyScript
• Captio for iOS
• Think with Paper by FiftyThree
• Planet Irony | A Comic That Happens to Be Self Aware
• Ulysses
• Welcome to TextBundle.org!
• Notebooks for iPad, iPhone, Mac and PC
• Notion | The all-in-one workspace for your notes, tasks, wikis, and databases
• So Long, And Thanks for All the “i”s
• Airtable
• MindNode
• Agenda | Date-focused Note Taking
• Agenda for iOS Review | MacStories
• Supercomputer 24: The Video Production Can of Worms
• TickTick | Todo list, checklist and task manager app for Android, iPhone and Web
• Shortcuts actions gallery | Matthew Cassinelli
• Slugline. Simply Screenwriting.

Find us elsewhere:

• Supercomputer (@_supercomputer)
• Alex Cox (@AlexCox)
• Matthew Cassinelli (@mattcassinelli)
• Matthew on YouTube and Twitch
• Matthew’s website
• @_supercomputer on Instagram