Victor Kropp Modify

2026-10-16 22:20:47

I wrote recently about a wave of vibe-coded apps replacing proprietary utilities with slicker faster and less bloated free alternatives. A month ago we were talking about smaller helpers, like mouse button remapping, but it has already started getting bigger with external camera monitor or audio streaming.

The scale of operation has got significantly bigger now. ArtCraft is a suite of apps reimplementing the functionality of the whole Adobe Creative Suite (think image, photo, sound, and video editing, effects and publishing), Microsoft Office Suite (word processing, presentations and spreadsheets), and CAD (industry 3D design).

I’m completely mind-blown. But…

These apps are rewrites of existing apps.

As any re-implementation from scratch, using modern tech stack, the apps may be faster. At the same time they may lack some rarely used features, but, hey, they are also open-source, so you can ask your favorite agent to add the missing feature you desperately need for your workflow.

So, where is the but, I was talking about?

These apps are rewrites of existing apps.

They don’t bring new ideas, new ways of doing things. They exploit the capability of LLMs to reiterate as many times as possible to repeat what has already been done.

The real challenge would be what comes after that. When all features are recreated as close as possible to the original, who would come up with the next brilliant idea? Who would invent new ways of doing things? Who would reimagine workflows and outcomes?

If code is cheap and the bottleneck in software development is solved, the future belongs to those with ideas and visions, not to those who can type the code.

2026-10-15 00:53:36

If you like me enjoy nicely looking fonts and can actually distinguish them, you may have also noticed that many new sites have something in common: they are generated by LLMs and use combination of Inter and JetBrains Mono.

These are great fonts, which I started using on this very site long time ago, well before ChatGPT. Let’s consider that their widespread usage as a confirmation of their excellence.

I didn’t want to change them just because someone can think that my site is AI-generated. Nevertheless, I wanted to look for some alternatives.

After I excluded Noto and Lato, which I’ve used here before, and any default font like Arial, I haven’t found any sans-serif fonts suitable for the purpose. But, I found some serif fonts that complement my current choice. These are Source Serif 4 and Libron.

P.S. And if you followed this post until here, I’m pretty sure you’ll appreciate these bastard fonts. This whole post was written just to share this link.

P.P.S. I’ve been using em-dashes since the early 2000s too, but this is a topic for another discussion.

2026-10-14 03:36:16

A long-rumored Apple HomeView is finally revealed and I’m a bit disappointed.

First, and foremost, it won’t be available in the EU until Apple and the European Commission clarify AI-related policies. So, even if I wanted, I couldn’t buy it.

But I’m sure soon or later, this will be resolved. Would I buy it then?

For $299 it should offer something, that a cheap Android tablet running Home Assistant dashboard can’t. And honestly, I don’t know what it could be for me. (Given that my iPhone is always with me)

I already have a good sound system, so I’m not interested in another speaker. I don’t have security cameras, so I don’t need this functionality either.

What’s left is a glorified widget dashboard, which I already have set up on my iPhone and (partially) on my Apple Watch.

I’d wish there were apps to customize the experience, but no, at least for now there is no App Store on HomeView.

Alongside the HomeView a collection of smart home accessories was announced. However, I prefer devices working on industry standards like Matter (over Thread) and Zigbee. There are good-quality ones, for a fraction of the cost of these.

And, finally, I don’t get why the wall mounted HomeView cost the same as tabletop version, and at the same time it lacks the base and charger and also requires a mount starting at $59. This makes it more expensive but less featured. How could that be?

I want to want a HomeView, but so far I don’t.

2026-10-13 00:17:04

Astrobot was my GOTY 2024. And given my love to LEGO, it wouldn’t surprise anyone, that as soon as I’ve seen the LEGO Astrobot announcement, I immediately knew I wanted one.

And here it is. Or was.

Unfortunately, it was sold out so fast, that even my fully paid order was canceled by PlayStation after two weeks. That sucks.

The set was never available to buy from LEGO, it was a bonus to a LEGO PlayStation purchase. As I haven’t had an original PlayStation when I was a kid, I don’t have any nostalgic feelings for it and don’t want to spend 160€ on it.

Well, I will be scouting the local classified website then.

2026-10-12 21:39:26

In this world full of AI slop, it is so cool to see any creative content made by humans. Here’s an Apple logo stitched by hand for the upcoming event. (Do you also remember Apple TV intro made with practical effects?)

Why is it so beautiful? I suppose because of its imperfections. It shouldn’t always be slick and smooth.

Looking forward to tomorrow’s event very much. Especially, I’m waiting for a rumored home dashboard device. I had a cheap Android tablet connected to my Home Assistant instance, but it was suboptimal. I wonder if this would be any better.

2026-10-10 00:27:37

OK Go is a band famous for their music videos, often shot in a single continuous frame, featuring tricks, illusions, and seemingly impossible transformations. You may have seen their epics, like Needing/Getting in which they drive a rally car, I Won’t Let You Down with an incredible choreography at a parking lot, or Upside Down & Inside Out shot in a reduced-gravity aircraft.

But how do they bring these huge projects into life? Well, they have a plan. And in this short video their frontman Damian explains what it means.

Having a good plan doesn’t mean knowing all the answers in advance. A good plan should also give space for creative freedom. With an idea and goal in mind, you fill it with details as you go, while also giving yourself space to experiment. Not every experiment will be successful, but often without trying you wouldn’t know that.

And this doesn’t apply to music videos only. It’s a great approach to projects of any kind.