I first heard of John Voorhees in a strange corner of the internet — while listening to the Bionic podcast back in its 5by5 days. At the time, John was making a soundboard app for the hosts of the show, Myke Hurley and Matt Alexander (it was for their super secret Vlcnr corporation!)
Since getting the itch to code, John has gone on to make extremely useful apps with his son at their development company, Squibner. I’ve used Squibner’s Blink and Associate apps extensively in my writing at the App Factor.
In addition, John’s been contributing lots of great articles to the MacStories website, and is one of my favorite folks in the Apple community.
In our interview, John gets into everything from coding and writing, to what’s next for him and Squibner.
Squibner has been making some very fun and extremely useful apps. How did you get into coding in the first place, and how much do you and your son Owen influence each other in that regard?
Thanks. Owen started programming long before I did. His first app, a flash card app called MathTime for teaching kids basic math facts, debuted in 2009. In those early days, the iPhone SDK was subject to a non-disclosure agreement, so there were virtually no materials available for someone who wanted to get started with iOS development. I spent a lot of time finding resources for Owen, which got easier over time after the NDA was lifted.
Through that process I got interested in iOS development myself. I dabbled with learning Objective-C on and off starting around 2011, but it wasn’t until I came up with a couple projects that I really caught the bug. The first was Vlcnr, a silly soundboard app related to the since-retired podcast Bionic, hosted by Myke Hurley and Matt Alexander. That was a simple app, but just enough to really grab me.
I’ve been to WWDC each year since 2013, when Owen went as part of Apple’s student scholarship program. In early 2014, I had the idea for an iTunes affiliate linking utility for iOS that would become Blink. That year at WWDC, I ran the idea by writer and podcaster friends who encouraged me to build it. I spent the better part of nine months following that trip obsessively writing Blink, which I launched in March 2015.
Those are the only two apps on the App Store that I have written myself – the rest are Owen’s. That said, we have collaborated to some degree on each. Owen is my main resource when I get stuck on a coding problem, and I have helped him with product design and marketing for each of his apps.
The collaboration has increased since I started writing at MacStories and gotten busier. Associate, our Amazon affiliate linking app was written entirely by Owen and would never have gotten off the ground were it not for him. I helped with the design based on my experience with Blink and led the marketing and promotional push, but I’ve never touched the code.
On that note, how important do you think it is that kids learn to code?
I think teaching kids to code is a good way to teach logic and problem-solving skills, but I don’t think that means it’s a skill that should be required in the same way that basic reading and math skills are. I think kids should be exposed to coding at school and have opportunities to explore it further if they have an interest in it, but I don’t think programming should be mandated. That said, where I live, the opportunities for kids to learn to program are pretty weak and I would like to see them strengthened. The lion’s share of coding that my three kids have learned has been on their own.
What app is your favorite standing in line time killer?
Tweetbot for sure. I go through phases and spurts with Twitter. It’s an invaluable tool as a writer and developer, but it can also be a huge time sink. My other favorite Twitter time is on the train to and from Chicago. If I’m not trying to get something else done, I scroll through my timeline while I listen to podcasts or music.
You’ve been writing some fantastic posts at MacStories lately. Where do you find yourself writing nowadays? What apps help you get your writing done?
Thank you. I write wherever and whenever I can – at home, coffee shops, on the train, and wherever else I find myself – I don’t find I need a particular environment to be productive as long as I have some good music to listen to as I write. Because I write about iOS and the Mac, my writing time is split between both platforms. I prefer my iPad Pro for writing, but it’s much easier to review a Mac app if it’s open and running as I write.
In terms of apps, I primarily use Ulysses for writing. It’s approach to Markdown took some getting used to compared to Byword and 1Writer, which was my previous writing combo, but it has really grown on me. I like how similar it is on iOS and OS X. It also helps that Federico is working in Ulysses and has shared some great workflows that he has created with me.
When I’m getting closer to publishing a longer article, I like to run it through Brett Terpstra’s Marked viewer app with a CSS file that approximates how the article will look on MacStories. Brett’s proofreading tools combined with being able to see how the article flows visually using the MacStories CSS is a great way to put the finishing touches on an article.
What are you excited to build next?
I didn’t start the year expecting to be writing as much as I am at MacStories, but I wouldn’t have it any other way because I absolutely love it more than anything else I’m doing right now. I’ve written some longer pieces recently that are not strictly reviews or news, which is something I’d like to build on further as the year progresses.
After interviewing over twenty developers at WWDC this year, which we published first through The MacStories Lounge Telegram Channel and later on MacStories, I want to do more podcasting too. I have a few ideas that I’m exploring, but nothing is imminent.
In terms of app development, we’re not quite done with affiliate linking yet. I have some cool ideas for Blink to expand it’s utility, especially as a research tool for writers. I’m not sure where things go after that, but I’m sure I’ll come up with a new idea at some point.
Finally, I’m also exploring leaving my day job to to put the product development and marketing skills I’ve learned to work with a Mac/iOS development shop or consultancy. It’s something I’ve wanted to get into for a while, as long as I can work something out that doesn’t preclude my existing endeavors.
John Voorhees is the creator of Blink: Better Affiliate Links, an iTunes affiliate linking app for iOS from Squibner, and co-host with Robb Lewis of the podcast Ruminate. If you’d like to catch up with him, follow him on Twitter.
Apps shown above:
Associate – $4.99 – Download
Blink – $$4.99 – Download
Vlcnr – Free – Download
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