rants – Virginia Roberts

My AltConf 2016 talk: Sell Out and Save the World!

Woohoo! I’m so excited! Last year I spoke at AltConf in San Francisco during Apple’s WWDC week. I’m really proud of the talk I gave I had refined it a bunch, tested it in front of different audiences, and poured a lot of my soul into it. (And yes, a lot of emojis.) It’s a… Continue reading My AltConf 2016 talk: Sell Out and Save the World!

Xcoders rehearsal of my AltConf talk

I know I’ve been posting videos galore lately, but all the links are coming to me at once! :) Here’s my run-through of the talk I eventually gave at AltConf, for the Seattle Xcoders Meetup. Three things of note (at least to me): I know this shirt didn’t read great on camera. I had to… Continue reading Xcoders rehearsal of my AltConf talk

Donut.JS lightning talk

Back in late May, I spoke at DonutJS, a totally rad Meetup organized by a bunch of Portland tech wonder-folk. It’s such a great and fun community! I highly encourage folks to attend and/or present if they’re in Portland and can swing it. This was my first-ever public speaking gig! OK, I guess second, since… Continue reading Donut.JS lightning talk

iMore piece on Apple Watch bands

Hey y’all! In case you missed the tweet, I worked my old Apple Watch band blog post into a piece for iMore this week. Enjoy! (Or rage-comment, if that’s your thing! I employed my good husband to filter the useful constructive criticism so I don’t have to read the parts that make me want to… Continue reading iMore piece on Apple Watch bands

Do you want your smartwatch to look like jewelry?

I just had an interesting Twitter chat with Joe Macirowski about our various Apple Watch impressions. Joe said the 42 mm watch face was nicer to use, but that the 38 looked like jewelry, which he preferred. This seems worth exploring to me. Because I don’t *want* my smartwatch to look like jewelry. I definitely… Continue reading Do you want your smartwatch to look like jewelry?

Buying vintage stuff online

I’ve long been skittish about buying vintage stuff online. But my taste has been skewing more antiques-y over the years, and lots of older furniture is built better than the stuff you can get at a reasonable price point these days. So I’ve been slightly emboldened lately. I read tips from savvy bloggers like Emily… Continue reading Buying vintage stuff online

Internet Outrage Machine #1!

I was a contestant on the inaugural episode of Internet Outrage Machine, a new 5by5 podcast that’s sort of a comedic game show about current events. You know, like Wait Wait, Don’t Tell Me, but rougher and raunchier and geekier. Give it a listen, if you dare!

Quit lying about cords and cables

Something has really been bugging me lately. As I’ve become increasingly obsessed with fancy shelter magazines and blogs in my quest to beautify our home, I’ve come to realize that those publications totally bullshit their readers. The glossing over of cables and heaters and vents is as maddeningly deceptive to me as celebrities Photoshopping out… Continue reading Quit lying about cords and cables

I was on some podcasts

Hey folks, I was on a couple podcasts. I forgot to blog about them (or maybe I just skipped it because it felt redundant). Want to give them a listen? OK then! Systematic #117 with Brett Terpstra – Brett is a rad nerd and we talked about a number of nerdy and non-nerdy things, including… Continue reading I was on some podcasts

Notes to self about buying tech

Always spring for the biggest hard drive possible. On any device. Yes, even if it costs several hundred dollars more than the option you think is big enough. It’s not. Always get AppleCare now that it covers screen breakage and water damage (at least sometimes; non-binding; consult your local annoying Genius for details; not a… Continue reading Notes to self about buying tech