Author Archives: ajebe

MagSafe

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I was a bit underwhelmed when I first started experimenting with my new iPhone 17. Coming from an old SE, I had expected the jump to the 17 to be a major change for the better. What I noticed instead were lots of relatively small improvements and a few big ones. Everything worked just a little bit better, a little smoother, and it made me realise my old phone wasn’t even that old. A noticeable upgrade was the larger, better screen, and the biggest change was the battery. I can now use my phone all day without worries.

There was one more big improvement that I didn’t notice at first: MagSafe. After getting a MagSafe charger for my nightstand, it didn’t take long to adjust to the new level of comfort it offered. There was a small issue with the bright LED built into the charger, but a small sticker quickly solved that. Step two was a MagSafe charger for my car, and that was all I needed to stop using cables altogether. It’s a very satisfying reality where I simply drop my phone onto the magnet or pull it off again. Sure, it might take a bit longer to charge, but since my phone is now my alarm/clock and it charges while I sleep, I don’t care.

My old phone used to turn itself off at least a couple of times a year from overheating. That’s what you get for living on a tropical island, I guess. The new phone has a cool feature to avoid overheating: a vapor chamber that should distribute heat more evenly so the phone can cool down faster. The really warm and sunny days are still a few months away, so this feature is something I’ll put to the test in the future.

For now, my conclusion is simple. My new phone wasn’t the jump into the future that I expected, but it has enough improvements to make me happy. The new magsafe (new for me, it been available for a few years already) did make me experience a jump into the future, and makes me happy.

Indie developer

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Indie developer!Ofcourse I have heard about ‘indie developers’. I like these kinds of games a lot, but suddenly I realised something…

No publisher, no external boss, no committee telling me what the game should look like. I decide the mechanics, the art style, the branding, the emotional tone and that creative autonomy is the core of being indie. My projects come from nostalgia, curiosity, and joy, not market pressure. That’s classic indie energy: making something because it matters.

Well, that also applies to mushroom mayhem… it just hit me: I am an indie game developer. Good times!

Mushroom Mayhem

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Mushroom Mayhem!Mushroom Mayhem is a puzzle game set in a mysterious woodland filled with hidden mushrooms. Each tap uncovers a piece of the forest, reveals subtle clues, and challenges you to deduce where the magical fungi are hiding. Trust your intuition, read the signals of the woods, and unravel the pattern before the mayhem begins. A cozy blend of strategy, nature, and a touch of chaos.

Gameplay is easy, intuitive and challanging. Tap to reveal the tile. Tap and hold to mark as dangerous. The numbers show how many mushrooms are around that tile. Calculate possibilities, play it safe or take some risks. Like life itself, it is up to you.

Get Mushroom Mayhem!

Day three

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In the first two days I got a lot of work done. Today in Spain we celebrated the three kings day, so I had another day available. The third day gave me some time for testing, tweaking and finetuning. I tried the app to find stuff that didn’t feel right, logic that did not work as I expected, and other small issues. I changed some images, modified some gameplay, and used the AI to improve what I already had. Three days (and a clear idea of what I wanted) was all I needed to go from a five year old concept app to a good looking game that gave me a really good feeling. Color me amazed!

Weekend with the AI

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I had one weekend without the kids, so I suddenly had some extra time. I decided to invest it in a game I started building five years ago but never finished. I used Copilot AI, which is very nicely integrated with Visual Studio Code.

First two hours
The first few hours I could use the AI for free, just to get a taste. And did I get a taste. My old app was extensively modified so it would run again in a modern environment. Work that would have taken me days was done effortlessly by Copilot in a very short time. All the files that made up the project were updated, and every change was clearly explained. I was left amazed.

First full day
After a few hours, my free time with the AI ran out and I got a monthly subscription to continue. The level of cooperation the AI provided felt genuinely valuable. It was like talking to a colleague who had been working on the same project with me. I used the AI to review and correct code, configure my development system properly, and connect my iPhone for testing. The AI quickly understood requirements and implemented them just as I would have done myself. It adapted to my style. Impressive.

Second day
Yesterday I used the AI for small functionality changes. Today I took it a step further. The AI created the entire adventure mode, first 5 levels, and later expanded it to 25. It implemented the background music and helped me fine-tune the settings page. The AI helped me update all the graphics. The amount of work completed would have taken me weeks on my own.

The app I created was small and quite simple, but the AI’s contributions left me speechless. Copilot boosted my productivity enormously. I felt like a tester whose feedback was fixed immediately by the AI. Incredibly satisfying. Dreaded errors in project dependencies or startup issues no longer caused stress, the AI simply fixed every error that appeared and got the app running.

A few more tweaks are required and then I will place the app in the appstore. To be continued!…

2025

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AI: create an image with a glass jar, with inside it an ocean and a little island. The little island has a lot of trees on it and a couple of houses. Above the island there are stars and a moon, all inside the jar. In the ocean in the bottom part of the jar we see some ocean animals. Add some fireworks inside the jar, which display the number 2025The year has once again passed extremely fast, a lot has happened, but once again it feels like everything is still the same as it was. Sometimes it feels like 2024 was just a short while ago. Maybe that is a good thing. What we did clearly notice this year is that the kids grew up a lot, both of them. Both kids are moving into the future on their own paths and they are clearly taking a different approach to life. They are both very smart, prudent and they both know they have a solid foundation at home they can depend on. The perfect environment to start exploring their world.

There was a real personal milestone for me in 2025. I turned 50 this year! A nice moment to look back, and I was happy that for me, looking back, was an overall positive experience. I started to increase the value I invest in myself. Going out with the guys, getting the latest tech, enjoying my hobbies. I now regulary bake a cake with the kids, I cook with creativity and [pleasure|beer], I take care of our hamsters and my coffee plant, I play with Lego’s again, and I allowed myself to spend a nice amount on IT related toys. Taking care of my body by being active and by keeping up my vitamin C habit. Looking forward also gave me a positive feeling, so all good.

AI: create a similar image with the jar open, in full daylight, bathing in the sun, but with the fireworks saying 20262026 is next! My own objectives were simple. Enjoy myself a bit more. I actually managed to do just that, so for me last year was a win. Next year? I want to publish another mobile app which I want to build together with an AI, I am still thinking about a ‘maridaje‘, and for the rest I will see what unfolds.

December ’25

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The highlight from December!The final stretch of 2025, and we celebrated it thoroughly. The highlight was Alan celebrating his 10th birthday! He got a very big stack of gifts. After that, we started the day with a BBQ in Gáldar. We had a reserved spot, so we didn’t have to worry about availability. Together with a bag of charcoal, plenty of meat and drinks, some marshmallows for dessert, and to finish, a beautiful cake. Afterwards, the children spent an hour playing ninja games. A day later, it was party time again, this time with his whole class.

Sinterklaas came by again, and Santa Claus paid us a visit. To top it all off, we even went on a short weekend trip to Tenerife. Just a quick boat ride there and back, through a big storm, to greet Alex’s godfather and Alan’s pan-godfather. He was on the island for a conference, so we couldn’t pass up the chance to drop by.

The last part of the month I’ll be on my own. I don’t have any vacation days left, and Ana is visiting her family with the kids. A nice opportunity for me to really relax and focus on my hobbies.

Lego botanicals

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I regularly stop by the toy store. You never know when you’ll need a little gift. A tooth might suddenly fall out of someone’s mouth, and then you have to be prepared for the tooth fairy or, here in Spain, Raton Pérez.

A while ago, I suddenly saw a nice Lego set during my walk through the store. I don’t really play with Lego anymore, but this was a set of small plants (succulents), and I liked it so much that I took it home right away. I enjoyed building it, and it turned out there were more botanical sets. First I bought the orchid, then every potted plant I came across. A fun, renewed hobby.

Updated cake recipe

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Nieuwe cake!Our original cake recipe has been improved, the cake now tastes much better and is super fluffy. The difference is small, we changed from oil to butter, and we added one egg, but the result is much fluffier.

  • One vanilla yogurt (use the plastic cup for all measurements that follow)
  • Three (yogurt)cups of self-rising flour
  • One cup of sugar
  • 200 grams of margarine (microwave for 10 seconds so it’s just melted)
  • 3 eggs

Mix everything together. If the mixture feels too thick, add a splash of milk. We also add a small drizzle of honey.

  • Grease the baking tin first, then pour in the cake mixture. Bake for 45 minutes at 170°C.

Tenerife & Emilia

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Miguel, Alex’s godfather and Alan’s pan-godfather, has a conference where he was invited to give a talk. He’s attended conferences all over the world before, but this time it’s in Tenerife. Nice and close, so it’s perfect for us to make a weekend trip. We’ll take the car and the ferry over on Saturday, and head back Sunday evening. Super easy. The only thing we will miss is Alan’s football match, but I think we can make it up by all the fun activities we planned.

The plan
We will take the ferry so we can take our car on Saturday morning. The plan for Saturday is to visit a fun adventure park. Afterwards, we’ll explore the little village nearby the forest where we booked a room, find a restaurant, and maybe even grab a geocache. On Sunday, if the weather allows, we might go up to the highest point in Spain: El Teide. Then it’s back home again.

The actual adventure
Rainbows everywhere!Oh no, a big storm was on its way… Emilia. Many public and semi-public activities were cancelled. The forecast for Saturday was high waves (up to 12 meters!) and strong winds. Not the best situation for a boat trip to Tenerife, but so be it. We had the first boat on Saturday. Also the last, because after that all trips were cancelled. It was an interesting crossing.

The forest adventure was first postponed and then cancelled. Mount Teide was off limits because of some snowfall. So we went for some alternatives: visited a few ancient pyramids, stopped at some viewpoints, found a beautiful geocache, explored the Museum of Science, enjoyed some lovely meals, brought Miguel to the airport, and then took the boat calmly back home. Despite the cancellation of almost all our plans, we fortunately still enjoyed the weekend getaway.