Category: Technology

Social Media Download Tool

paschmann

I have had an app idea on my mind for a little while now with this premise: Thanks to laws like GDPR, tech companies are required to provide the ability for their users to download their data. In an effort to ensure I “own” anything I have uploaded to social media, I periodically download my data from platforms such as Instagram and Facebook. The issue with the platforms is that they do not have a standard data format, images properties such as location, their description or even dates they were taken, are not particularly easy to save or import into your local file system. Below is an example of a Instagram export and how the filesystem is structured 🙁 read more

Open Source Project: Reach UI

paschmann

After building the open Source Reach SDK project, I realized it would be great to have an accompanying UI /Dashboard/Work bench where I would be able to test various notification methods and configurations before including them in my projects. Due to this, I build Reach UI, under the hood it is a simple static site with a Node.JS backend, using the Reach SDK. I think it does an ice job at showing how simple it can be to implement the SDK in your code base, and even includes some example code to make it even easier.

Check it out on Github below:

GitHub – paschmann/reach-ui: A test UI for the Node.js Reach SDKA test UI for the Node.js Reach SDK. Contribute to paschmann/reach-ui development by creating an account on GitHub.

Apple Vision Pro – Quick Take

paschmann

I recently got an Apple Vision Pro from work since we are currently doing some POC’s and innovation using the device. Overall, I am really impressed with the device. The eye tracking is definitively amazing and accurate, the experience is polished and the content is impressive. The “Guest” experience is solid (being able to turn it on, and pas the device to some else and get it setup).

There are a couple downsides, the weight is unbearable – I did a 30 minute fit at the Apple Store, and none of the cushions felt great for my narrow face. The other smaller downside, the app ecosystem just has not evolved sufficiently yet. The Apple Immersive Experiences are excellent, the Djay app is seriously awesome, but beyond that, we need to gain a bit more adoption before more killer consumer experiences emerge. read more

OpenGraph API – AWS Lambda

paschmann

8 years ago I was introduced to Serverless functions on AWS. The concept of having the ability to run code, without worrying about running the underlying sever infrastructure was pretty appealing, not only from a management and operations perspective, but also from the associated 24/7 runtime costs.

Serverless computing enables you to focus on writing code, wiring it up to a API gateway or endpoint, and only paying when the code is executed. Some of the key functions or aspects which make this unique compared to a traditional server stack such as LEPP, MEAN, LAMP, etc. is that you have to consider the key underlying characteristics of a micro-service architecture: read more