Side Project Spotlight

Philly CocoaHeads
  • 5.0 (4)
  • TECHNOLOGY
  • UPDATED BIWEEKLY

Side Project Spotlight is a podcast for app builders, documenting the process of producing real apps for the Apple App Store using Swift, SwiftUI, and other technologies.

  1. 1D AGO

    #108: AppleClaw

    iOS 26.4 just dropped and Steve is thrilled that the keyboard finally works again. The Trio digs into the new Music app concerts feature (powered by Bands in Town, probably), which leads Steve into a passionate case for the local music scene, Guinness floats, and why authenticity matters more than ever in the age of AI-generated slop. From there, Kotaro floats a wild idea: what if Apple built their own version of OpenClaw using iMessage and their own hardware? Steve points out Apple already has the pieces in place with App Intents and Shortcuts, and the WWDC speculation spirals into distilled Gemini models, local inference on M5 hardware, and Marco Arment's absurd 48 Mac mini data center rack. Steve also reports back from his Apple Store recon mission on the Studio Display vs. the XDR, and Aaron keeps egging him toward the expensive one. ## Chapters 00:00 Introductions & OS Updates 05:48 The Local Music Scene and Its Importance 08:35 Authenticity in Music and Art 11:40 AI and Its Impact on Creativity 14:33 WWDC26 and "AppleClaw?" 27:04 Exploring AI Model Parameters and Storage Needs 28:31 The Future of Apple "AI" Services 30:28 Local vs Cloud Inference: The Power Struggle 32:50 Steve's Monitor Update 43:13 Wrap-Up 43:32 One More Thing... 44:48 Tag ## Show Notes - iOS 26.4 is out and Steve says the iPhone keyboard actually works now, which is apparently the highlight of the whole release. - The Music app's new concerts feature surfaces local shows based on your listening history, with ticket links through Bands in Town. - Steve makes the case for local music: cheaper shows, interesting venues, accessible artists, and the guarantee that you're not listening to AI-generated slop. - The Trio agrees AI art works as a stock photo replacement but loses something the moment you know it's generated. - Kotaro pitches "AppleClaw," the idea that Apple could build an OpenClaw-style agent using iMessage and their own hardware. - Steve thinks Apple is well positioned since they already have App Intents, Shortcuts, and a Gemini backend they can distill into local models. - Marco Arment apparently has 45+ Mac minis in a data center rack for transcoding podcasts, and yes, he rents actual data center space for them. - The M5 chips can handle useful local inference on 30B parameter models, and Apple's power efficiency gives them an edge over GPU rigs that melt cables (looking at you, PewDiePie). - Steve visited the Apple Store and confirms the XDR display has the best HDR he's ever seen, but he can't unsee the fuzziness of nanotexture. - The monitor decision is down to a glossy Studio Display or the BenQ MA Series, with Aaron lobbying hard for the XDR. ## Links **Apple** iOS 26.4: Available now on all Apple platforms **AI & Agents** Welcome to Gas Town: https://steve-yegge.medium.com/welcome-to-gas-town-4f25ee16dd04 #55: The "Universal" UI: https://podcast.phillycocoa.org/episodes/55-the-universal-ui **Apps** AppJawn LLC Apps: https://appjawn.com/#apps **One More Thing** SwiftUI Architecture Book by Mohammad Azam: https://azamsharp.school/swiftui-architecture-book.html **PhillyCocoa:** http://phillycocoa.org Intro music: "When I Hit the Floor", © 2021 Lorne Behrman. Used with permission of the artist.

    45 min

  2. MAR 16

    #107: Buttery Smooth Text

    The Trio declares this an AI-free episode and dives into Apple's latest hardware announcements. Kotaro, Steve, and Aaron break down the new MacBook Neo, its surprisingly capable A18 chip, aluminum build, colorful design, and its potential to expand the Mac market at just $600. Then Steve takes The Trio on a deep dive into his increasingly desperate search for the perfect external monitor, weighing the refreshed Studio Display, the new Studio Display XDR, BenQ's upcoming 5K Mac monitor, Dell's 4K Thunderbolt hub display, and BenQ's programmer-focused 3:2 aspect ratio monitors. What follows is a lively debate over 120Hz refresh rates, macOS 4K scaling quirks, nano-texture vs. glossy glass, multi-monitor setups, MacBook Pro pricing strategies, and whether Kotaro and Aaron can convince Steve to just pick one already. ## Chapters 00:00 Introductions 01:48 MacBook Neo 18:31 The Studio Display (2026) 22:17 The Studio Display XDR 25:26 Understanding 120 Hertz Displays 27:49 Evaluating Cost vs. Performance in Monitors 29:24 Comparing Alternatives to the Studio Display 31:27 The BenQ Monitor: A Viable Contender 33:06 Dell 4K and macOS Scaling 36:43 BenQ Programmer Series Monitors 42:28 Multiple Monitors vs. One High-End Display 43:55 Navigating MacBook Pro Configurations 45:34 Understanding RAM and Pricing Strategies 48:11 Choosing the Right Display for Your Needs 53:33 A Digression About Apple Care Prices 55:53 A Monitor Intervention 01:00:30 Wrap-Up 01:00:58 One More Thing... 01:02:24 Tag ## Show Notes - Apple announces new hardware including the MacBook Neo, refreshed Studio Display, and the new Studio Display XDR - The MacBook Neo starts at $600 ($500 education), features an A18 chip, aluminum unibody, colorful options, and is capable enough for 4K video editing in Final Cut - Touch ID is a $100 add-on: The Trio agree it's worth the upgrade - The refreshed Studio Display gains Thunderbolt 5 and daisy-chaining support but remains 60Hz - The Studio Display XDR starts at $3,299 with mini-LED backlighting, 120Hz ProMotion, and the stand included - Steve's monitor search considers: Studio Display ($1,500 edu), Studio Display XDR ($3,200 edu), BenQ 5K Mac monitor (~$1,000), Dell 4K Thunderbolt hub (~$800), and BenQ RD280UG programmer monitor (~$700) - Discussion of macOS 4K scaling issues: macOS renders at 5K and downsamples to 4K, which can cause artifacts - The BenQ programmer monitor features a 3:2 aspect ratio (28"), 120Hz, dark/light mode presets, and a halo backlight, but weaker color reproduction - Nano-texture vs. glossy glass: nano-texture reduces glare but can appear slightly fuzzy; standard glass is easier to clean - Apple's MacBook Pro pricing now ties higher RAM options to higher chip tiers, effectively bundling price increases - AppleCare One costs more per additional device ($6/mo) than standalone AppleCare Plus ($5/mo): a pricing quirk Steve finds baffling - BentoFit, The Trio's health kit dashboard app, gets a plug: download it at bentofit.app - Kotaro asks if this is the "Steve intervention podcast" as the monitor debate spirals. Aaron's rational choice? Buy the XDR and keep it for 10 years. Steve remains unconvinced. Stay tuned. ## Links **MacBook Neo Reviews** John Gruber (Daring Fireball): https://daringfireball.net/2026/03/the_macbook_neo Tyler Stalman: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d-VOt9559Gk Marques Brownlee (MKBHD): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iGeXGdYE7UE Linus Tech Tips: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sSheV0FEYYU **Displays** ArtIsRight on nano-texture displays: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xzEmuA53LLE **One More Thing** AppJawn LLC: https://appjawn.com Apps: Clipdish, Mio Vino, Minimalist Meditation Timer **PhillyCocoa:** http://phillycocoa.org Intro music: "When I Hit the Floor", © 2021 Lorne Behrman. Used with permission of the artist.

    1h 2m

  3. MAR 2

    #106: No Flow State

    The Trio kick off with the rumors about Apple's March 4th event and the possible return of a budget 12-inch MacBook on an A18 chip, which leads to a very poorly researched price analysis and a pitch for a MacBook sock accessory. Steve and Aaron talk about how agentic-assisted coding at work has been mentally exhausting and how they miss actually writing code. The conversation covers why LLMs are rough for greenfield projects, what "vibe coding" actually means (and why they're not doing it), the Alex Hillman episode follow-up, and Steve's experiment running different models against Bento Fit to produce slop PRs that Kotaro then spent an hour reviewing for some reason. Steve also crashes out about the state of the industry and public perception of AI. It's a lot. ## Chapters - 00:00 Introductions - 01:51 Rumors and Speculations on New Macs - 10:43 The Impact of Pricing on Apple's Product Strategy - 11:53 The Developer Perspective on a New MacBook - 17:36 Comparing MacBooks and iPads in Today's Market - 18:36 The MacBook Sock - 21:12 Mac App Renaissance - 22:26 Follow-Up: Alex Hillman Episode - 25:12 Agentic Coding Flow States - 29:50 Balancing Traditional and AI-Assisted Development - 33:26 Navigating the Challenges of Greenfield Projects - 38:00 The Dilemma of AI in Coding - 41:48 Navigating Agentic Coding and Professional Ethics - 43:50 The Reality of Code Maintenance - 44:36 Public Perception of AI and Software - 47:41 Steve Crashes Out About the Industry - 51:24 Bento Fit Slop PRs - 58:37 Wrap-Up - 59:37 One More Thing... - 01:00:50 Tag ## Show Notes - Apple "Experience" event March 4th, rumored budget MacBook with A18, ~12 inch, fun colors, maybe $699–$799 - Updated Studio Display and touchscreen MacBooks also rumored - People buying $600 Mac Minis for OpenClaw setups - Mac app renaissance? More Mac apps being submitted, possibly thanks to LLMs making AppKit less painful - Alex Hillman episode follow-up: 219 views, 5 likes, watch hours up 46,639% - Agentic coding fatigue: Steve and Aaron are tired. No flow state. Just planning, reviewing, iterating. - Greenfield projects with LLMs produce average code. Better to write some bespoke code first and give the robot examples. - "We're not vibe coding." Steve proposes "agentic-assisted" as the term. The acronym is AA, which... maybe not great. - Code is a liability. 1,000 lines a day is not a good metric. - People outside the bubble mostly know ChatGPT, don't pay for it, and hate it - Steve ran three slop PRs on Bento Fit with different models as an experiment. Kotaro reviewed one for an hour anyway. - Bento Fit's $4.34 in tip revenue resulted in a $10 tax bill - OpenCode now has a $10/month plan for open source models ## Links **Bento Fit** Website: https://bentofit.app **Tools & Services Mentioned** OpenClaw: https://openclaw.ai | OpenCode: https://opencode.ai | T3 Chat: https://t3.chat | Codex CLI: https://openai.com/codex | Claude Code: https://claude.com/product/claude-code **One More Thing** AppJawn LLC: https://appjawn.com Apps: Clipdish, Mio Vino, Minimalist Meditation Timer **PhillyCocoa:** http://phillycocoa.org Intro music: "When I Hit the Floor", © 2021 Lorne Behrman. Used with permission of the artist.

    1h 1m

  4. FEB 16

    #105: How Alex Hillman Built an AI Assistant with Claude Code

    In this episode, Alex Hillman, co-founder of Philadelphia's legendary coworking space Indy Hall, takes us through his journey building a sophisticated AI executive assistant using Claude Code. What started as a simple terminal experiment in October 2025 has evolved into a full production system that autonomously manages network diagnostics, email workflows, relationship tracking, and newsletter automation. Alex shares the technical architecture, real-world stories of AI-powered problem solving, cost insights, and his thoughtful approach to building trust with AI while maintaining strong ethical guardrails. ## Chapters - 00:00 Coming Up... - 02:01 Introductions - 03:57 The Origins of PhillyCocoa and Indie Hall - 06:12 The Evolution of AI and Personal Assistants - 07:35 Building a Personal Assistant with Claude Code - 10:26 The Architecture of the Personal Assistant - 14:04 Creating a Web App Interface for the Assistant - 16:10 Using Tailscale for Secure Access - 19:01 Mitigating Risks with AI Autonomy - 29:24 Backup Protocols and Data Management - 31:23 Emergent Behavior in AI Systems - 34:10 Flow State and Productivity in Programming - 37:56 Understanding AI Behavior and User Education - 39:45 Cost Management in AI Development - 45:37 Building Trust with AI Systems - 53:53 Navigating Trust in Skill Utilization - 55:23 Technical Applications for Non-Developers - 01:00:17 Innovative Personal and Business Management - 01:09:03 Transforming Workflows with AI - 01:12:56 Ethics and Responsibility in AI Usage - 01:18:25 Community Building Through Meetups - 01:21:55 Tag ## Highlights **Architecture:** Claude Code headless via CLI with WebSocket communication, Docker on Hetzner VPS, Tailscale networking, hourly snapshots, git hooks for destructive commands, multi-layered security. **Real Use Cases:** - Network monitoring that diagnosed an overheating router fan from a screenshot - Email sorted by "easiest to hardest" instead of chronological - Date night tracking with restaurant and wine pairing suggestions - Organized 51 wine bottles via photos into ASCII grid layout - Newsletter reduced from 4 hours to 30 minutes while preserving human writing **Costs:** $20/month plan lasted 20 minutes. Now at $200/month. One Thanksgiving week hit $1,500 in overages during heavy development. **Philosophy:** "Modest YOLO" approach—autonomous but controlled. AI enhances human work, doesn't replace it. The system can modify itself: type "add a button," refresh, it works. **Open Source:** - **Kuato**: Session search for Claude Code - **Smaug**: Twitter bookmark archiver with AI analysis - **Andy Timeline**: Auto-generated weekly narrative of the AI's evolution ## Event **Big Philly Meetup Mashup** - March 15, 2026 Hackathon for Philadelphia's tech and creative communities. Theme: "Good Neighbors." Sponsored by Supabase. https://indyhall.org/goodneighbors/ ## Links **Alex Hillman** YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@AlexHillman | Website: https://dangerouslyawesome.com | GitHub: https://github.com/alexknowshtml **Open Source Projects** Kuato: https://github.com/alexknowshtml/kuato | Smaug: https://github.com/alexknowshtml/smaug | Andy Timeline: https://github.com/alexknowshtml/andy-timeline **Tools & Resources** Indy Hall: https://indyhall.org | Claude Code: https://claude.com/product/claude-code | OpenClaw: https://openclaw.ai | Brian Casel: https://www.youtube.com/@briancasel | Termius: https://termius.com | Point-Free: https://www.pointfree.co/the-way **PhillyCocoa:** http://phillycocoa.org Intro music: "When I Hit the Floor", © 2021 Lorne Behrman. Used with permission of the artist.

    1h 22m

  5. FEB 2

    #104: Beyond the Simulator IRL!

    The Trio meet to discuss two of the talks (ours!) from the recent in-person PhillyCocoa meetup called "Beyond the Simulator: Perspectives on Modern App Development" that took place on January 29 at the Vanguard offices in Philadelphia. This pod was recorded before the event due to scheduling, but we go into detail on what you missed now that it is the future (insert Spaceballs joke here)! Kotaro talks about Liquid Glass and what it means for modern UI/UX while Steve goes into some detail about how to effectively get started using tools like Codex CLI or Claud Code for app development. Be sure to check out PhillyCocoa.org for a link to join our Slack and follow us on Luma so you know when our next in-person and virtual events are scheduled: https://luma.com/phillycocoa. ## Show Notes - Introductions - IRL Meetup Follow-up (recorded before the meetup!) - Kotaro’s Liquid Glass talk - Steve’s Spec. Plan. Ship. “AI” assisted dev talk - Wrap-Up - One More Thing... - Monthly Zoom Call Meeting in February - Follow us on Luma: https://luma.com/phillycocoa ## Chapters 00:00 Introductions 02:33 Beyond the Simulator IRL Event 03:49 Kotaro's Talk: Liquid Glass and Modern UI/UX Trends 11:25 Liquid Glass Encourages Gesture-Based Interactions 16:18 Branding Challenges in Liquid Glass UI 19:31 Steve's Talk: Spec. Plan. Ship 21:47 The Four I Workflow: Intent, Interact, Increment, Iterate 28:59 Continuously Iterate on Your System 33:17 Steve's Tips for Getting Started 41:51 Best Practices for Using AI in Development 46:20 Wrap-Up 46:38 One More Thing... 47:59 Tag Intro music: "When I Hit the Floor", © 2021 Lorne Behrman. Used with permission of the artist.

    48 min

  6. JAN 19

    #103: 2026 Vibes

    #103: 2026 Vibes We're back! In this season 6 premiere, Steve struggles to speak after being sick, but still manages to talk a lot about the current hype around Claude Code and Opus 4.5 and the "agentic" coding craze sweeping developer circles online right now. The Trio discuss Alex Hillman's amazing Claude Code wrapper personal assistant called "Andy." Kotaro makes some Metal shaders with Claude and is building a TouchPie with his own hands while Steve is exploring some open source models to use in a Bento Fit update and Aaron is exploring a full and satisfying life away from the computer. There is a lot packed into this episode and it ends with a special announcement! ## Show Notes - Introductions - Anime and Isekai: Comfort Food for Developers - Side Project Explorations (Mostly in "AI") - Steve Yegge’s crazy “Gas Town” multi-agent automated code factory thing - https://steve-yegge.medium.com/welcome-to-gas-town-4f25ee16dd04 - Alex Hillman’s “Andy” personal assistant built around headless Claude Code - https://youtu.be/yjO9UHIunSE - https://www.youtube.com/live/rk2nsE-MlPg - Whoops! Data exfiltration in Claude Cowork! - https://www.promptarmor.com/resources/claude-cowork-exfiltrates-files - Robots! - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lS_z60kjVEk - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VJqMPFNP4to - Shaders! - https://www.shadertoy.com - Bento Fit! - https://bentofit.app - Raspberry Pi “Ziggy”? - One More Thing…IRL EVENT!!!! - Jan 29 at the Vanguard Building, 2300 Chestnut St., Philadelphia, PA - RSVP: https://luma.com/98u1j4t8 - http://phillycocoa.org ## Chapters 00:00 Introductions 01:50 Anime and Isekai: Comfort Food for Developers 04:59 Side Project Explorations (Mostly in "AI") 08:58 The Rise of AI in Coding: Tools and Experiences 14:49 Innovative Approaches to Coding with AI 19:09 Alex Hillman's Amazing "Andy" Claude Code App 21:18 Building Personal AI Tools 26:03 The Bleeding Edge that is Claude Cowork 29:33 Navigating Security Risks in AI Tools 34:00 The Evolution of AI and User Experience 37:51 "Do Better!" 41:33 Making Shaders Metal with Claude 45:46 Building TouchPie: A Raspberry Pi Project 49:19 Designing Custom Hardware for Enhanced User Experience 52:16 Bento Fit: Building with Open Source Models 55:17 Future Projects and Collaboration Ideas 58:17 Outro & One More Thing... 59:46 Tag Intro music: "When I Hit the Floor", © 2021 Lorne Behrman. Used with permission of the artist.

    1 hr

  7. 11/24/2025

    #102: Side Project Ideas for 2026

    In this Season 5 finale, the Trio discuss ideas for next year's side projects and have a ton of laughs along the way. Have a great holiday season and a Happy New Year! Side Project Spotlight will return in 2026! ## Show Notes - Season 5 Finale! - Side Project Ideas for 2026 - Bento Fit Updates - https://bentofit.app - Tangent: Chat Gippity Joined the Chat - Server Side Swift Project - https://www.swift.org/blog/swift-temporal-sdk/ - Vertical Endless Runner Godot Game - https://godotengine.org - Vibey Picks - Photo Gig Journal App - Photo Culling App - Dad Joke App - Raspberry Pi 5 Hardware Project - One More Dad Joke… ## Chapters 00:00 Introductions — Season 5 Finale! 01:40 Side Project ideas for 2026 05:46 Idea #1 — Bento Fit Updates 07:16 Tangent: Chat Gippity Joined the Chat 16:03 Idea #2 — Server Side Swift Project 21:26 Idea #3 — Vertical Endless Runner Godot Game 29:37 Idea #4 — Photo Gig Journal App 32:02 Idea #5 — Photo Culling App 36:51 Idea #6 — Dad Joke App 42:28 Idea #7 — Raspberry Pi 5 Hardware Project 46:33 Wrap-Up 46:59 One More Dad Joke... 47:28 Tag Intro music: "When I Hit the Floor", © 2021 Lorne Behrman. Used with permission of the artist.

    48 min

  8. 11/10/2025

    #101: Tech That Sparks Joy

    In this penultimate episode of the season, The Trio discuss some personal examples of software, hardware, and other technology that sparks joy. ## Show Notes - Tech that sparks joy - Kotaro: Design that inspires - Steve: Tools for creation - Aaron: Craftsmanship that sparks joy - Tech Mentioned - Modo - discontinued - After Effects - https://www.adobe.com/products/aftereffects.html - Affinity Tools - https://www.affinity.studio - Procreate - https://procreate.com - Sketch - https://www.sketch.com - iPhone 17 Pro Max Camera - https://www.apple.com/iphone-17-pro/specs/ - Coffee Grinder - https://zerno.co/products/zerno-z1 - Handmade coffee mugs - Wrap-up - One More Thing… https://appjawn.com ## Chapters 00:00 Introductions 01:20 Design That Inspires 14:58 Tools For Creation 28:13 Craftsmanship That Sparks Joy 37:47 Your Tech Choices Matter 39:38 Wrap-Up 39:58 One More Thing... 41:00 Tag Intro music: "When I Hit the Floor", © 2021 Lorne Behrman. Used with permission of the artist.

    41 min
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Ratings & Reviews

5
out of 5
4 Ratings

About

Side Project Spotlight is a podcast for app builders, documenting the process of producing real apps for the Apple App Store using Swift, SwiftUI, and other technologies.

Information

  • Creator
    Philly CocoaHeads
  • Years Active
    2021 - 2026
  • Episodes
    108
  • Rating
    Clean
  • Copyright
    © Philly CocoaHeads
  • Show Website
    Side Project Spotlight

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