The Mossletter 35

Hello Friends,

Now for something completely different!

For years this humble blog / newsletter has been focused on my visual art (mis?)adventures ... and that will most certainly continue. However today, I'd like to share with you what I've been working nights and weekends on (for the better part of a year). Most of you know I'm a pretty geeky guy, and my Apple roots run (very) deep. Well I'm taking my Apple knowledge (and design obsession) to the next level by developing apps specifically for Apple's ecosystem. 🍎

🐯 Beast Savant 🧐

I've created my own app development house called Beast Savant.

Where'd the name come from? Honestly I thought of this name many years ago and grabbed the domain name before I even knew what I was going to do with it. I just loved the way it sounded ... it sort of rolls off the tongue, and I feel like it represents the primal & elegant duality of man quite well. It also has a nice symmetry-look / feel to it, which is a plus.

I went through many iterations of its logo (and I won't bore you with that whole saga), but I eventually landed here.

✊ Wrystband 🙌

Let's get to the fun part!

The app I've been working on was built to scratch a very specific itch:

Tracking concerts I've been to (over many years) in random notes / docs / spreadsheets just plain sucks. There's got to be a better way.

What would that experience look like if it was a fully-fledged Apple-native joint? By that I mean: a privacy-first, cross-platform iPhone / iPad / Mac app that syncs auto-magically over iCloud? (And is entirely built using Apple's native coding language, Swift?)

Well, what I came up with was Wrystband. Here's the simple tagline:

From Countdown to Keepsake

At its core, I wanted an app that not only let me track concerts I've attended (in a beautiful timeline I can scroll), but I also wanted it to get me hyped for shows I'm going to in the future. There are many advantages to using Apple's native coding environment, but one of them is that you can make widgets that allow you to (literally) countdown to upcoming events. For the "keepsake" side of it — you can also scan in and preserve your precious ticket stubs, theater programs, paper setlists (if you're lucky enough to get one at a concert) and photos of souvenirs / merch you collected from that event. I also wanted an easy way to share these events with other people; for example, I go to a concert with a couple of buddies, then I "invite" them to the show on my timeline, and auto-magically — they have it on their timeline (and we share notes, photos and videos).

Then I thought, well hey — I love going to concerts — but what about other live show types? (I've gone to many theater productions, a handful of standup comedy shows, dance performances, etc?) They're all in there too! And hey, what about live sporting events? (those are also along for the ride)! And can I just say one thing: going to live events these days is expensive (the tickets themselves keep going up up and up, the parking fee is wild, the concessions add up, and that's all before you even get to the merch table ...)

Let's give these unique and memorable experiences their due.

Long story short:

🖋 Parting Words

Take me out to the ball game,
Take me out with the crowd;
Buy me some peanuts and Cracker Jack,
I don't care if I never get back.
Let me root, root, root for the home team
If they don't win, it's a shame.
For it's one, two, three strikes, you're out,
At the old ball game. — Jack Norworth & Albert Von Tilzer