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The Story of Mimi Uploader So Far

This is about an iOS/iPadOS app I make, called Mimi Uploader.

The Past

This is all from memory, so let me apologize in advance for any errors/omissions.

The concept of Mimi Uploader as an app came about gradually. First I started using Micro.blog regularly. I like putting together sets of photos, so I often have posts with those. Soon thereafter I realized it was a pain to manage uploading a series of photos for a post. Thankfully Micro.blog provided an API. So I wrote a python script that would do that from the command line on my Mac, and that greatly eased the friction.

Some time later I noticed that very often I was taking the step of moving photos from my phone to my Mac (or over iCloud), exporting them, and then using the script to do the upload. Often even for single photos. This increased over time as I used my big camera less often and most of my photos came from the iPhone.

Now, I’m always looking for app ideas to try and improve my skills as a professional iOS developer. It was with that in mind that I started the side project that later came to be Mimi Uploader.

I didn’t want to make the app free as I was wary of supporting too many users and feature requests for a side project. This was just before subscriptions on iOS became a focus of Apple and a source of much consternation amongst the community. And I wasn’t ready to wade into that for this side project so I set it up as a one-time purchase for $4.99. Mimi has remained at that price since it started in early 2020.

As time passed, people in the community started to notice and recommend it, and even Micro.blog encouraged, supported, and promoted it, for which they all have my gratitude.

Since Mimi Uploader was a side project that helped me learn and acquire new skills on iOS I was glad to put in the time to maintain it when I had any to spare. And yes, the evolution of software platforms means that there is a constant need for that labor. At some point I thought that perhaps people want to support ongoing maintenance, so I added a tip jar in the app. And some people tipped some times, for which they have my gratitude as well.

Every enhancement has been implemented because I wanted it, or because someone in the community asked for it.

And now four years have passed in total.

The Present

Mimi Uploader remains a passion project that is at the mercy of my spare time and spare motivation. So I continue with maintenance and small enhancements every now and then.

I should also mention that in the intervening four years that march of software platform evolution has led to a plethora of ways to accomplish what Mimi does, further diminishing its utility.

The Future

I have no idea. What do you think?

Edited to add: This is not a call for feature requests. There’s already an extensive list of that.

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hike muddy
mushrooms water
falls in love
again

Selfie of two people in a sun speckled forest

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Warm evening golden light falls on an open white door with a bluish wall behind. On the wall is a geometric pattern of prismatic rainbow colored spikes in a semicircular pattern.

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This is what it looks like when your partner is running a half marathon, and you’re chasing them all over the place 🚴‍♂️

Screenshot of an app, showing a biking route that goes all over the downtown area of Portland, Oregon

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Came across Momo reading Viticci’s iOS 17 review. He didn’t say much, but his expression said it was the best one ever, and I concur.

A cat looks at an iPad with an article on it.

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📷 Some photos from last week

View of downtown buildings in the distance, there’s gray clouds above with a hint of blue sky, and tall green trees in the foreground.

The base of a tree trunk with some moss and some red berries scattered about.

A cat sits on a short fence with a house in the background and blue sky above. There are tall sunflowers next to the cat.

View of a sunrise with a silhouette of a trees and the roof of a house in the foreground.

People standing next to a van that has a large window with a water tank and a woman dressed as a mermaid inside it.

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My ideal Apple Watch is basically a fitness band with all the sensors, and critically, no/tiny screen. This is why I stick with the smallest one.

Was hoping for new sensors this year but regardless I will be upgrading from Series 6.

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Twenty-four years in the US today.

That first itinerary was long: New Delhi -> Bangkok -> Osaka -> Los Angeles -> Seattle.

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Enjoying this cool summer break.

A reservoir full of water dominates the foreground and lower half. There are some structures and trees beyond. A cloudy sky dominates the background and upper half.

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Got my golden shirt with Jenni’s new design!

A selfie with me wearing a tshirt with a bear illustration on it.

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Quoting an unsolicited email I got via LinkedIn:

Engineers at the company work an average of roughly 45 hours/week; it is not a sweat shop like stereotypical gaming companies, but it is not a 9-5 job either.

While many are fighting for progressive work environments in tech, regressive ones are not only out there, but are also proud of it.

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Congratulations to ISRO and India on the thrilling soft-landing of Chandrayaan-3 Mission lunar module 🎉

Edited to add: Nice article about the challenges, learnings, and other technical details in the landing of Chandrayaan-3.

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📷 Glass Photo Walk

On Sunday I went to a meetup and photo walk with the team behind Glass. It was wonderful to see old friends, and to make new ones. Glass has a great community, as has become more evident with these gatherings.

A silhouette of people walking under a shade structure with a basketball hoop in the middle. Many of the people have cameras in their hands. There’s a red brick building and a field in the distance.

Close in view of speckled shadows on a red and blue play structure. Some blurred green trees in the background.

A man holds a camera pointing straight at the viewer. He’s lit by the warm glow of the afternoon sun. The entire background is blue sky with a few puffy clouds.

A man holds a camera pointing to the left of the viewer. He’s standing atop a structure. The background is blue sky with a couple of puffy clouds.

People with cameras are scattered about taking photos in a field with green grass and rose beds. In the background is a house with trees on both sides, and a bit of blue sky above.

A shiny motorcycle with some bright blue parts is parked by the side of a road. In the background is some yellow metal scaffolding, orange traffic cones, and some trees lining the other side of the road.

Close up of a stack of green plastic pipes. Each one is about 12 to 18 inches in diameter.

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Two men work on a large mural on the side of a building. They are applying white paint over a previous mural that is mostly hidden except for two red roses and the partial word, “PORTLA”. The men are standing in a hanging platform with the words “HAND OF DOGG” in large letters.

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Some sonic explorations with modular synthesis.

Listener beware: It’s a bit rough round the edges 😆

Just before the 10 minute mark I came across some fun computer-voicey sounds so I settled in to relish those with minor variations until the end.

Recorded directly with iPhone camera and mic so the sound is not the best it can be. Someday I expect to do a better job at recording the actual sound.

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A gathering of people in a city park in an open field surrounded by trees. The ground is speckled with shadows. They blue sky is specked with clouds.

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Side view of a vintage car in red white and black parked on the other side of the street. There’s a tall green hedge behind, blue sky above, and road in the foreground. The car has the speckled shadow of a tree on it.

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New version of Mimi Uploader is out 🎉

The latest version of Mimi Uploader is out. Here’s what’s new:

  • Recent Uploads entries will scroll to first image that doesn’t have alt text. So as you add alt text to a large batch of images, you won’t have to scroll to the farthest one each time. Check it out in this video (also embedded below).
  • For accounts that have a tweets archive, do not show it as an upload destination.
  • Bug fixes and performance improvements.

Get it from the App Store!

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Backyard view from a hammock under a pergola with a grapevine on it. In the distance the sky has clouds lit in the yellow orange light of the sunset.

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A puffy cloud with blue skies and distant wispy clouds behind it.