I’ve been working on Almost Social for what feels like forever. It’s a good thing ideas don’t have an expiration date.
I’ve actually had numerous versions of it. As new technologies emerged, there would new workflows to explore, new devices to obtain. All in the hope of building a space online where I could come and jot down my thoughts, opinions — in a place I owned. Not a place where my data was owned by another entity (cough, Meta, cough).
But then life occurred. And I slowly got pulled away in all sort of directions, further and further from ever having a version of Almost Social I would be most proud of.
Until now.
Finding the Right Path Forward
It’s funny how the ascent of AI was the catalyst that helped me get to this point. See, even though my entire career has been in technology, coding has been my biggest blindspot. When my roles were primarily an individual contributor, I focused on learning the systems and tools I would need to get my IT work done. Coding, despite its benefits, was not one of them. The most I had ever truly worked with was HTML and CSS — shout-out MySpace.
So working on Almost Social throughout the years involved me having to spend countless hours trying to learn how to build sites, while balancing work and let’s be honest, my twenties social life. Then, I’d explore services like Squarespace, Webflow, you name it — I’ve tried it. But none ever felt like me. As pretty and polished as the templates were, they didn’t satisfy the part of me that knew exactly what I wanted.
But one Sunday morning with Claude Code, and that gap in my technical acumen — no longer an issue. All I had to do was provide the feedback and watch my Mac create the site for me. It felt like magic. I actually jokingly looked over at my wife, Giselle, at one point and was like, “please don’t talk to me, I’m coding right now, thank you” as I stood about 3 feet away from my Mac. The screen going through lines of code as my direction on what needed to be done was being completed by the Claude Desktop app. Being able to provide explicit examples and guidance for what I wanted, from the color of the background down to the spacing of the text, without having to know the syntax to write it all was a game-changer. Almost Social was almost there.
The Daring Fireball of it all
My first Apple device was technically an iPod touch. I remember having it and a T-Mobile Dash (I think that’s what it was called) mobile phone before I realized this was dumb, then spent a significant portion of my Sam’s Club paycheck on an iPhone 3G. That was really my first Apple device. It opened up a world of online technology websites. Places like Engadget, Gizmodo, TechCrunch, but I always found myself coming back to one: Daring Fireball.
Picasso had a saying – ‘good artists copy, great artists steal’ – and we have always been shameless about stealing great ideas.
Almost Social exists only because of how much of a fan I am of John Gruber and Daring Fireball. Everything from the topics covered, the style in which he writes, the presence he has made for himself online — all of it has been fundamental in where I want to take Almost Social. So, yes, I will talk about and analyze Apple news, but where Almost Social will differ will be where else I go. For example, I’ve got lots of thoughts on things beyond technology. I’m currently listening to J. Cole’s latest album, The Fall Off, and have plenty of thoughts to share on not just the album but J. Cole as an artist who I’ve grown up listening to. Also, it’s 2026 and we’re at war in the Middle East. Something I could’ve written in 2016. Or 2006. Or, ok, you get the picture. Point is — Almost Social will be where I share my thoughts on everything.
Welcome
So thank you for visiting. I hope in time you’ll find yourself coming back to read up on what else might be happening in the world of Apple technology, Marvel Cinematic Universe movies/shows, gaming, politics (sorry), design (both UI/UX and interior design), and who knows what else. The beauty is that this will always be a place where I can explore, discuss, and opine. Because this space is mine. Social media giants, be damned.