Alpha Compositing
Transparency may not seem particularly exciting. The GIF image format which allowed some pixels to show through the background was published over 30 years ago.
Gems
Blog
Toy Story 4
Toy Story 4 (2019), directed by Josh Cooley, finds Woody with a new child named Bonnie. Tom Hanks voices Woody, the cowboy who still leads. Tim Allen acts as Buzz Lightyear, the ranger who seeks his voice.
Movies
Formatter
The article explores the Formatter class in Swift’s Foundation framework, essential for transforming data into human-readable formats, addressing complexities like user language, calendar, and currency preferences.
Development
CAEmitterLayer
The article introduces CAEmitterLayer for creating a confetti effect on iOS, explaining its role as a high-performance particle system within the Quartz Core framework for rendering effects like confetti, fire, or rain.
Development
Monthly update #0350 • June 2019
Monthly update 350 • June 2019 • 2019-06-01 - 2019-06-30
Monthly Updates
Maps of Meaning 12: Final: The Divinity of the Individual
Peterson reflects on the core problem he addressed in the class: why people cling to belief systems and even fight over them.
Gems
What is containermanagerd?
If you see containermanagerd running on your Mac, here is what this app sandbox container process does.
Mac
Operation Finale
Operation Finale (2018), directed by Chris Weitz, tells the true story of how Israeli agents caught Adolf Eichmann in Argentina in 1960 AD. Oscar Isaac plays Peter Malkin, the agent who grabs Eichmann.
Movies
Arctic
Arctic (2018), directed by Joe Penna, follows a man stranded alone in the Arctic after a plane crash. Mads Mikkelsen plays Overgard, a pilot surviving day by day in the frozen wilderness, waiting for a rescue that does not come.
Movies
Maps of Meaning 11: The Flood and the Tower
Peterson explores belief systems. They help people assign value and act in the world. Belief systems regulate emotions. They allow cooperation and competition without constant conflict.
Gems
Pentecost
The meaning of Pentecost stays vital in adulthood. The coming of the Holy Spirit marks the birth of the church.
Christianity
Useful macOS defaults: Image Capture
Handy defaults write commands for com.apple.ImageCapture, controlling what happens when you connect a camera or phone.
Mac
Monthly update #0349 • May 2019
Monthly update 349 • May 2019 • 2019-05-01 - 2019-05-31
Monthly Updates
Ascension Day
The meaning of Ascension Day stays vital in adulthood. The ascension of Christ marks his return to glory.
Christianity
Maps of Meaning 10: Genesis and the Buddha
Peterson examines why people defend belief systems fiercely. These systems guide action and value. They help people cooperate without conflict.
Gems
Practical differences between Bash and Zsh
Apple is switching the default shell on macOS from Bash to Zsh. Here is what that means in practice.
Mac
John Wick: Chapter 3 - Parabellum
John Wick: Chapter 3 - Parabellum (2019), directed by Chad Stahelski, follows John as he is declared excommunicado and given a bounty of fourteen million dollars. Keanu Reeves plays John Wick, now hunted by every assassin in New York with nowhere to hide.
Movies
The Big Bang Theory
The Big Bang Theory is an American comedy series. It aired on CBS from 24 September 2007 to 16 May 2019. Chuck Lorre and Bill Prady created it. Jim Parsons plays Sheldon Cooper, a brilliant but socially lost physicist who shares a flat with his friend and fellow scientist Leonard Hofstadter.
TV Series
Maps of Meaning 09: Patterns of Symbolic Representation
Peterson discusses archetypes as universal patterns. They appear in myths, stories, and images. These patterns are deep. They come from human experience across time.
Gems
What is mediaremoteagent?
If you see mediaremoteagent in Activity Monitor, here is what this macOS process does.
Mac
Monthly update #0348 • April 2019
Monthly update 348 • April 2019 • 2019-04-01 - 2019-04-30
Monthly Updates
Maps of Meaning 08: Neuropsychology of Symbolic Representation
Peterson explores what makes things most real. Real things last long across time. They appear in many situations. He rejects the idea that humans evolved only on the African veldt. Patterns from all evolutionary history shape people.
Gems
Privacy and User Experience
Good serie on privacy and user experience by Smashing Magazine. Worth the read!
Development
Internal Phone Numbers
Internal Phone Numbers let you quickly lookup phone numbers from your colleagues.
Projects
CoreGraphics Geometry Primitives
The article provides a concise guide to Core Graphics geometry types in Swift, essential for Quartz 2D drawing on Apple platforms, covering CGFloat, CGPoint, CGVector, CGSize, and CGRect, with iOS using a top-left origin and macOS a bottom-left origin by default.
Development