How I Used ChatGPT Over A Long Weekend
Real-world examples of how I used ChatGPT over a four-day weekend, providing practical insights for anyone curious about working with large language models.
Hi, I'm Joe.
I go by @mergesort
And I share lessons about engineering, product development, design, marketing, AI, and anything you need to build a modern business.
Latest Posts
The Rule of Small and Large
A personal framework for choosing projects: focus on either small projects for quick learning or large projects for meaningful impact, while avoiding the medium-sized trap.
Empower Apps Podcast: Building Plinky as an Indie Developer
Leo Dion and I discuss building Plinky from scratch, the technical decisions behind using SwiftUI and Vapor, creating delightful user experiences, and the journey from working at Twitter to becoming an indie developer.
A Mental Model For Prompting Large Language Models
A practical analogy for understanding and improving how you work with AI tools like ChatGPT and Claude, moving beyond tips and tricks to develop better judgment.
Monarch: Minimal, Manageable, Migrations 🦋
Introducing Monarch, a simple yet flexible migrations library for Swift that helps manage user data changes across app updates with minimal hassle.
Building A Customizable Framer Component
A technical walkthrough of building a customizable Framer Code Component for Buttondown email signups, complete with Property Controls and open source code.
Introducing Recap: What's Old Is What's New Again
Open sourcing Recap, a Swift library for creating beautiful What's New screens to highlight app updates and keep users informed about new features.
Indie App Spotlight - Plinky Feature
Plinky was featured in Indie App Spotlight Issue 20, where we discussed the app's origin story, design philosophy, technical implementation, and the journey of building a successful indie app.
Compile Swift Podcast: Being Featured on the App Store
Peter Witham and I discuss the incredible experience of having Plinky featured on the App Store, the journey of indie app development, and how doing good work creates opportunities.
Featured Projects
iOS/macOS
Boutique
A magical persistence library (and so much more) to help you build state-driven iOS and Mac apps in three lines of code.
AI
Promptly
Learn to prompt like a pro by practicing with real scenarios, and get expert AI feedback to level up your AI skills.
Development Tools
WordPress Export to Markdown
Node.js utility that converts WordPress content into Markdown files for static site generators.
CSS
Silky Smooth CSS Animation
Talk I gave at CSSConf 2016 about how browsers render animations and how to optimize them.