Matt Massicotte
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massicotte.org
Matt Massicotte
@massicotte.org
2.6K followers 1.3K following 1.8K posts
apple platform dev, outdoors, justice, games, he/him

Every problem has a simple wrong answer

https://github.com/mattmassicotte
https://www.massicotte.org
https://mastodon.social/@mattiem
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massicotte.org
In worse condition than I would have hoped for. But very legit wear and tear from the rockabilly dude I bought it from. Feels amazing and sounds way better than I expected.

(NS Design WAV 4 electric upright bass)
Electric upright bass, red-toned gloss body with dark fingerboard. Set up in a corner next to an amplifier.
October 17, 2025 at 5:04 PM
massicotte.org
This trochus snail has done an incredible job of keeping hair algae under control in my aquarium… except for the one spot it cannot reach. Life can be so cruel.
Close up shot of a trochus snail perched on top of a rock structure. Its shell is covered in a thin layer of hair algae.
September 28, 2025 at 9:07 PM
massicotte.org
Survived. About 3 km hiking and 4km paddling, which is a lot for this kind of boat. Very cold overnight, which made it incredibly foggy for the morning trip back. I could barely see. Cool, but also kinda scary.
A rocky stream running through a forest. A green raft with a paddle across it, on the beach of a lake. Trees line the shores, and a few rocks are visible in the water. A tent set up in a clearing. A backpack and deflated raft are to the side. Mostly covered by trees, with some water visible though them. Green raft on a lake beach, paddle to its side. There’s intense fog, and the trees on opposite shore are just barely visible.
August 21, 2025 at 8:32 PM
massicotte.org
Wow! I've just discovered a new capability of Swift 6.2 that could have a pretty dramatic effect on many designs.

It's now possible to return non-Sendable from nonisolated functions. This is lifting a huge constraint!

(it also it ruins a bunch of my teaching material 😅)
Screenshot of Swift Code: // Being non-Sendable, this type cannot cross isolation boundaries. class NonSendable {} // This return value will *always* cross a boundary when // called from an isolated context... nonisolated func makeNonSendable() async -> NonSendable { NonSendable() } @MainActor func test() async { // In 6.2 the compiler is now able to use its flow-sensitive analysis // system (called Region-Based Isolation) to prove that, despite // the type crossing a boundary here, the situation is always safe. let _ = await makeNonSendable() }
June 25, 2025 at 5:25 PM
massicotte.org
This slide has been cut from my upcoming talk. The decision was not easy.
Screenshot of a keynote slide: "lazy let" is small and in the center. "How?" is much larger over top, and "WHEN??" is even bigger and at an angle.
June 3, 2025 at 2:54 PM
massicotte.org
On a lark, I picked up a Doqo keyboard case for my iPad mini.

Keys are tiny but useable-ish.
Weighs ~ 50% more that the iPad.
Trackpad isn’t bad!
Build quality is ok.

I’m not sure I’ll actually use this, so it was kinda dumb. But it’s quite something!
Case without iPad sitting on 14” MacBook pro. An adult hand on the iPad keyboard case in a position to type. Open case next to open 14” MacBook. About 50% smaller. Closed case sitting on top of closed 14” MacBook. About half the surface.
May 20, 2025 at 11:34 PM
massicotte.org
Thankfully there are multiple multiverses 😉

(But actually I have no idea why these would be different. Mastodon is just weird that way.)
Screenshot of my Mastodon post with 26 stars
May 14, 2025 at 8:45 PM
massicotte.org
I need some placeholder data, so naturally
screenshot of Swift code: let names = [ "Aknot", "Aziz", "Billy", "Jean-Baptiste Emanuel Zorg", "Korben", "Leeloo", "Ruby Rhod", "Vito Cornelius", ]
April 3, 2025 at 7:55 PM
massicotte.org
I completely understand the idea of changing your relationship with Apple given their behavior. It makes sense, especially if I think only about how it affects me personally. But then I come back to the wisdom of Michael Bolton.

Unsure how to reconcile these…
Scene from Office Space. The Michael character is just reacting to the suggestion that he change his name to avoid confusion with other Michael Bolton. “No way. Why should I change? He’s the one who sucks?”
March 4, 2025 at 3:20 PM
massicotte.org
Got a teeny bit lost to start (typical). Had to break trail the entire way. Lost a glove, but passing skier found it (thank goodness). Got tired, called it about 1/3 of the way up. Old bones and all.

Winter vacation.

#splitboarding
Splitboard gear on the snow, in preparation for some uphill touring. Splitboard skis breaking trail in light snow. Trees in the background. Shot of legs strapped into assembled splitboard. An open trail is visible with untouched snow ahead. Can of The Alchemist’s Heady Topper beer on a restaurant table.
February 13, 2025 at 11:36 PM
massicotte.org
Why can't I stop wasting time on this??

github.com/mattmassicot...
Screenshot of iOS app showing a feed of Mastodon and Bluesky posts Screenshot of macOS app showing a feed of Mastodon and Bluesky posts
February 8, 2025 at 12:27 PM
massicotte.org
Tried to exploit how @_inheritActorContext works here by capturing the isolation variable. But it appears to be more sensitive to where the closure is formed than I realized. Works for simple cases, but not this one.

But, one day!

forums.swift.org/t/closure-is...
screenshot of swift source code: public func observe( isolation: (any Actor)? = #isolation, @_inheritActorContext _ apply: @escaping @Sendable (_ transaction: UITransaction) -> Void ) -> ObserveToken { // let actor = ActorProxy(base: isolation) return observe( apply, task: { transaction, operation in Task { _ = isolation // await actor.perform { operation() // } } } ) }
January 22, 2025 at 12:09 PM
massicotte.org
Surprise update:
Two Nintendo Switch game cases: Witcher 3 and Zelda Echoes of Wisdom
December 26, 2024 at 12:16 PM
massicotte.org
The SwiftUI environment is great for immutable values, but!

How I am supposed to deal with Observable types that require stuff in their initializer? Optional? Init with (bogus) placeholders for the default case? Not do this at all?

If you have stuff I should read about this, please send my way!
Screenshot of Swift code: @Observable class SomeClass { } extension EnvironmentValues { @Entry var usedAllOverThePlace = SomeClass( // ok but I want to pass stuff in here... ) }
December 8, 2024 at 6:34 PM
massicotte.org
it is time
Ellis from Die Hard is smiling. “Hans, bubby, I’m your white knight”
December 2, 2024 at 11:50 PM
massicotte.org
Did you know urchins like to pick up and carry around loose stuff?

Mine has found an empty shell.
Close up shot of a blue tuxedo urchin with an empty shell hat on.
November 23, 2024 at 10:44 PM
massicotte.org
Multipass: an open source unified Mastodon/Bluesky client for macOS and iOS.

Is it good? No.
Do I have time for this? Also no.
Is it functional? Definitely no.

I cannot stress enough how this is not a thing, but it's Friday and I thought it would be fun to share.

github.com/mattmassicot...
Screenshot of a macOS app displaying a an extremely simplified social timeline featuring a mix of both mastodon and Bluesky posts.
November 22, 2024 at 8:10 PM