652 karma · joined April 11, 2020
https://github.com/willswire/dotfiles/blob/main/claude/.clau...
The real constraint on planes these days is elbow room. That got me wondering: could a small, handheld keyboard and trackpad setup make in-flight work tolerable?
After failing to find anything compelling on Amazon, I realized something obvious: my iPhone already has a great keyboard and touch experience. So why not use it directly?
I looked for existing apps, but the top options felt dated and required both devices to be on the same Wi-Fi network—which isn’t always possible (or desirable when paying ridiculous prices for airplane Wi-Fi).
So over the last few days I’ve been tinkering with a project I call Magic Input. It turns your iPhone into a wireless keyboard and trackpad for your Mac.
How it works (high level):
• The iOS app discovers nearby Macs using MultipeerConnectivity
• Keyboard input and touch gestures are streamed directly to macOS
• The macOS app injects events at the system level (requires Accessibility permissions)
• No shared Wi-Fi network required; devices connect peer-to-peer
It’s very early, but already supports basic typing and cursor control—especially useful in cramped spaces like planes.
Here’s the TestFlight link for the brave. You’ll need to install the same app on both macOS and your iPhone:
https://testflight.apple.com/join/T1PgucDs
Happy to answer questions or dig into implementation details if anyone’s curious.
Since I’ve been shifting more towards platform engineering work in my career, the best reward abut this side hustle isn’t the financial benefit, but is the opportunity to stay grounded in software dev. I love seeing the changing APIs each year with the new iOS updates. And the seasonal approach to doing updates is always fun too.
[0]: https://apps.apple.com/us/app/afi-explorer/id1564964107
I’m using this dependency project for my side-hustle iOS app development. When the number of authorized users matches the number of users with a valid installation, DeviceCheck simplifies the process.
[2] Vanity of vanities, says the Preacher,
vanity of vanities! All is vanity.
[3] What does man gain by all the toil
at which he toils under the sun?
[4] A generation goes, and a generation comes,
but the earth remains forever.
[5] The sun rises, and the sun goes down,
and hastens to the place where it rises.[1]: https://defenseunicorns.com
[2]: https://zarf.dev
Search basically nullifies the need to organize/group messages in subfolders. I practice similar email hygiene as the author; everything goes through the mental flow chart:
Does this need to be worked? Keep in Inbox. Otherwise…
Does this need to be saved? Archive.
Else? Unsubscribe and/or Delete
The problem isn't with people not caring, it's that the deepest affections of the heart are selfish - incurvatus in se (curved inwards).
"Our nature, by the corruption of the first sin, [being] so deeply curved in on itself that it not only bends the best gifts of God towards itself and enjoys them (as is plain in the works-righteous and hypocrites), or rather even uses God himself in order to attain these gifts, but it also fails to realize that it so wickedly, curvedly, and viciously seeks all things, even God, for its own sake." - Martin Luther
https://github.com/willswire/checkd
This project has been an exciting way to explore better securing my iOS apps. I'm looking forward to refining it further and would love to hear any feedback or suggestions from the community!
I bought a Raspberry Pi Pico W for $9 off of Amazon last week, and have been toying around with the Pico SDK and incorporating it into my Swift project.
So far I’ve learned a lot about build toolchains (and how much they suck!) but still getting my feet wet with Swift’s interoperability for C.