Matt Birchler

Product manager/designer at NMI, YouTuber, writer, and podcaster

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/c/ABetterComputer
Birchtree: https://birchtree.me
Comfort Zone Podcast: https://www.macstories.net/comfort-zone/

Public Key

npub10d0c0fhvhhkklz59ltws8vsnxa8z0k4latm2na6smel2wtfp83tqk8pl0p

NIP-05 Address

[email protected]

Profile Code

nprofile1qqs8khu85mktmmt032zl4hgrkgfnwn38m2l74a4f7agdul4895snc4spz3mhxue69uhhyetvv9ujuerpd46hxtnfduqs6amnwvaz7tmwdaejumr0dsulvl34

Publishing to

relay.damus.io

nos.lol

Author Public Key

npub10d0c0fhvhhkklz59ltws8vsnxa8z0k4latm2na6smel2wtfp83tqk8pl0p

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Last Notes

2026-06-24 12:39:35 UTC

No promises long term, but I've forked @npub15m6…mp9u's outstanding Tangerine UI and have made a few updates.
🦣 Mastodon 4.6 support
🪨 New Granite theme
🌓 Better support for high contrast mode
Read the full details below!
https://birchtree.me/blog/tangerine-neue-for-mastodon/

2026-06-19 13:31:33 UTC

After much deliberation, I've decided that my absolute favorite social media post genre is "man who posts their Letterboxd all time top 4 and they're Interstellar + 3 movies that released in the past year."
https://files.mastodon.social/media_attachments/files/116/777/018/448/689/631/original/184f29c96ec656da.png

2026-06-10 10:45:47 UTC

It’s somehow comforting to know that the iOS 27 developer beta continues the decades-long tradition of making my phone run *hot*.

2026-06-08 22:37:18 UTC

It's not the most exciting thing, but I'm so glad Apple has added a background to the toolbar again in OS 27. Yes, it's just going back to how things were before last year, but it is a small thing that makes a big difference. Been using it on my Mac for a few hours and it's a relief.
https://files.mastodon.social/media_attachments/files/116/716/879/084/056/073/original/78a9ecfb2c604162.png

2026-03-15 18:34:22 UTC

I'm convinced that my lifelong habit of never buying concessions at the theater both:
1. Makes me a bad customer for theaters
2. Make me think it's not that expensive to go out to the movies
https://files.mastodon.social/media_attachments/files/116/234/627/380/190/576/original/f76df77f038efa40.png

2026-02-28 21:45:09 UTC

I continue to think, despite my wish there was some scrappy smaller company doing it better, that Google has the best calendar (and email) service out there.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c9NY88Hf1Ns
https://files.mastodon.social/media_attachments/files/116/150/442/542/558/773/original/b06e23e3c6360129.mp4

2026-02-21 16:14:03 UTC

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Out of curiosity, how have you felt about the recent changes to iPadOS that have made things more and more like macOS? Does it no seem like the end goal is to add all the Mac features, have the UI be the same, and just have…something different?

2026-02-21 14:08:37 UTC

Rolling into the weekend with a bold prediction about iPadOS 😬
https://birchtree.me/blog/apple-will-kill-ipados/

2026-02-13 21:28:02 UTC

I can’t properly explain to non-Chicago people why there is no warmer day than a 50 degree day in February. There are hotter days, but nothing else feels this warm.

2025-12-09 22:28:02 UTC

RE: https://follow.coryd.dev/@cory/115691904710315800
Your regular reminder that RSS never went anywhere, and if you miss the good old days of RSS, buddy you're still in them!
#note1qne…w9dr

2025-12-03 19:56:45 UTC

Me in the group chat when we go from "Time Cook is leaving" to "Alan Dye is leaving" over just a couple weeks.
https://mastodon.social/@markgurman/115657311502006405
cc @npub1f30…d2kp
https://files.mastodon.social/media_attachments/files/115/657/391/338/314/783/original/fd18e60f175d57a7.png

2025-11-30 12:38:39 UTC

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#movie #83: Die Hard
First Christmas movie of the year watched and fucking adored.
https://files.mastodon.social/media_attachments/files/115/638/685/874/291/263/original/0792091cc57b38a3.jpeg

2025-11-28 15:04:22 UTC

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#movie #82: Death Becomes Her
https://files.mastodon.social/media_attachments/files/115/627/934/264/116/897/original/1ac5eb545f12a475.jpeg

2025-11-26 13:18:53 UTC

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#movie #81: The Long Walk
https://files.mastodon.social/media_attachments/files/115/616/194/858/682/322/original/38f10bbca2920992.jpeg

2025-11-24 20:52:46 UTC

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#movie #80: The Bad Guys 2
https://files.mastodon.social/media_attachments/files/115/606/654/862/958/956/original/7704631da531cc58.jpeg

2025-11-23 14:31:24 UTC

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#movie #79: Crimson Peak
https://files.mastodon.social/media_attachments/files/115/599/493/030/630/743/original/258d6020e74d9ce6.jpeg

2025-11-22 17:44:41 UTC

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#movie #78: Tenet
https://files.mastodon.social/media_attachments/files/115/594/590/734/876/241/original/118b45530ccc26b1.jpeg

2025-11-16 13:47:54 UTC

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#movie #77: Black Phone 2
This movie put me in a bad mood for the rest of the day 😅
https://files.mastodon.social/media_attachments/files/115/559/686/072/555/780/original/70424783b0c89ec4.jpeg

2025-11-15 15:38:04 UTC

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#movie #76: Frankenstein
https://files.mastodon.social/media_attachments/files/115/554/456/945/356/451/original/9ee2363f3cdf8b27.jpeg

2025-11-09 03:06:45 UTC

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#movie #75: Hot Fuzz
Absolutely on of my top 10 films all time.
https://files.mastodon.social/media_attachments/files/115/517/528/743/704/014/original/554e8fdf3310c808.jpeg

2025-11-08 15:18:24 UTC

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#movie #74: The Fantastic 4: First Steps
Btw, I make these reviews with my own app, Quick Reviews https://apps.apple.com/us/app/quick-reviews/id6740369719
https://files.mastodon.social/media_attachments/files/115/514/743/451/639/728/original/bc0cc4aec93f4ff8.jpeg

2025-11-08 15:17:00 UTC

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#movie #73: Les Misérables
https://files.mastodon.social/media_attachments/files/115/514/737/876/924/538/original/99c64f0373e421b9.jpeg

2025-11-06 00:19:50 UTC

The blatant racism on the right is pretty shocking. The replies on X are largely agreeing too. Every Muslim is a terrorist, apparently.
Meanwhile, not all white peole are little bitches, but Eric Daugherty is. See, that’s how you criticize 🫡
https://files.mastodon.social/media_attachments/files/115/499/885/498/982/072/original/e890252a275fa76d.jpeg

2025-11-02 00:44:20 UTC

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#movie #72: Best in Show
https://files.mastodon.social/media_attachments/files/115/477/332/582/596/234/original/683f0939bce684c2.jpeg

2025-10-26 13:41:29 UTC

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#movie #71: Candyman
https://files.mastodon.social/media_attachments/files/115/440/752/313/547/114/original/8a52f7eeba4fa381.jpeg

2025-10-26 03:36:07 UTC

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#movie #70: Almost Famous
https://files.mastodon.social/media_attachments/files/115/438/371/909/676/742/original/a68f5f70c8d42f02.jpeg

2025-10-25 15:00:42 UTC

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#movie #69: Strange Harvest
https://files.mastodon.social/media_attachments/files/115/435/401/482/741/753/original/951c0bbdb7344457.jpeg

2025-10-19 13:30:12 UTC

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#movie #68: Trick ‘r Treat
https://files.mastodon.social/media_attachments/files/115/401/070/481/158/838/original/a4380b8921ff8c19.jpeg

2025-10-18 13:31:47 UTC

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#movie #67: Inglourious Basterds
https://files.mastodon.social/media_attachments/files/115/395/415/647/729/979/original/30b4b5c1963326c4.jpeg

2025-10-18 13:30:16 UTC

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#movie #66: Finding Nemo
https://files.mastodon.social/media_attachments/files/115/395/409/679/588/628/original/5860dd54527f57b2.jpeg

2025-10-10 10:56:01 UTC

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#movie #65: Superman: Red Son
https://files.mastodon.social/media_attachments/files/115/349/504/700/492/587/original/a0f2db7dacde539e.jpeg

2025-10-07 03:18:56 UTC

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#movie #64: Caught Stealing
https://files.mastodon.social/media_attachments/files/115/330/720/466/616/980/original/961a7407cf05a6f9.jpeg

2025-10-05 01:36:12 UTC

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#movie #63: The Naked Gun (2025)
https://files.mastodon.social/media_attachments/files/115/318/991/814/318/347/original/8dd0f2ff44a84795.jpeg

2025-09-28 15:16:29 UTC

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#movie #62: The Dark Knight
https://files.mastodon.social/media_attachments/files/115/282/581/168/177/897/original/8a3fbbf6002b8f1c.jpeg

2025-09-28 03:00:02 UTC

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#movie #61: Weapons
https://files.mastodon.social/media_attachments/files/115/279/685/363/209/048/original/cc361504550a8655.jpeg

2025-09-21 12:31:03 UTC

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#movie #60: The Cabin in the Woods
https://files.mastodon.social/media_attachments/files/115/242/294/505/497/250/original/d6f47cdf14266885.jpeg

2025-09-20 02:03:06 UTC

First photo with the new phone could only be one thing: Sherman the dog. #dogsofmastodon
https://files.mastodon.social/media_attachments/files/115/234/162/763/724/573/original/b1097c93439edbdd.jpeg

2025-09-19 13:47:19 UTC

Here's my second app in as many days! Quick Subtitles lets you generate high quality transcripts of audio and video files using Apple's new on-device language models.
I built this into my personal podcast and video workflows all summer and it's been very good for me, and I hope it is for you as well.
Available now to iPhone and iPad, with a Mac version stuck in App Review hell and coming soon.
https://birchtree.me/blog/introducing-quick-subtitles/

2025-09-18 22:25:12 UTC

I'm happy to announce my first Mastodon app, Best-o-Masto, a way to catch up on the best stuff in your feed without getting sucked in.
I've personally used it all summer and it's been great for me and I hope it will for you as well.
It's 100% free, too. Enjoy!
https://birchtree.me/blog/introducing-best-o-masto/
https://files.mastodon.social/media_attachments/files/115/227/642/067/074/388/original/9bed2d5870fa72b0.jpg

2025-09-18 11:09:13 UTC

Per this reporting, ABC execs didn't think Kimmel ever crossed a line, but they feared the federal government and changed their speech because of that fear.
You know, classic small government, free speech enthusiast shit...right?
https://www.rollingstone.com/tv-movies/tv-movie-news/jimmy-kimmel-out-abc-charlie-kirk-comments-1235430078/?utm_source=perplexity
https://files.mastodon.social/media_attachments/files/115/224/985/767/857/041/original/3d0e1425beea3b52.jpeg

2025-09-17 16:45:07 UTC

My social feeds are a glorious mix of “Liquid Glass is a travesty” and “ooh, my phone updated and looks sick” and each group seems to find the other group crazy. Good times.

2025-09-14 15:34:28 UTC

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#movie #59: Arrival
https://files.mastodon.social/media_attachments/files/115/203/379/300/305/381/original/e5eb54e2741261bc.jpeg

2025-09-14 15:12:51 UTC

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#movie #58: Warfare
https://files.mastodon.social/media_attachments/files/115/203/294/201/872/210/original/f7a4d5a36b47c0ff.jpeg

2025-09-12 00:14:55 UTC

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What I will say is that I think the Apple commentary bubble is catastrophising a bit about liquid glass. I'm a UI designer myself, and I absolutely appreciate that there are usability and general taste concerns with this redesign, but I truly don't think it will be seen as a catastrophe in most people's eyes.

2025-09-12 00:14:55 UTC

I'm really, really interested to see the public reaction to iOS 26 next week. Some in the Apple commentary sphere are convinced this is the worst software ever, and it fundamentally ruins the new iPhones coming out.
Will this be iOS 18 Photos for for the whole OS? Will it be no big deal? Time will tell.

2025-09-10 01:59:23 UTC

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#movie #57: Lilo & Stitch (2025)
Posting this a couple days late, but I liked it!
https://files.mastodon.social/media_attachments/files/115/177/525/076/890/793/original/1233fe14b087efbf.jpeg

2025-09-01 13:14:16 UTC

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#movie #56: The Bad Guys
https://files.mastodon.social/media_attachments/files/115/129/218/030/970/990/original/fa6e0cfaa0b3fd1d.jpeg

2025-08-31 03:56:03 UTC

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#movie #55: The Thursday Murder Club
https://files.mastodon.social/media_attachments/files/115/121/360/687/298/739/original/504dbb026f068c92.jpeg

2025-08-22 00:53:52 UTC

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#movie #54: Gattaca
https://files.mastodon.social/media_attachments/files/115/069/683/751/203/525/original/7d7536a8a3ce17db.jpeg

2025-08-17 03:26:03 UTC

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#movie #53: Superman (2025)
A superhero movie that made me feel joy? Yeah, I freaking loved it.
https://files.mastodon.social/media_attachments/files/115/041/970/585/342/149/original/d8641569f6a611e9.jpeg

2025-08-16 13:45:59 UTC

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#movie #52: Bring Her Back
https://files.mastodon.social/media_attachments/files/115/038/745/978/380/646/original/a685b8a2579d5064.jpeg

2025-08-14 00:58:32 UTC

I paid to read the "AI makes you dumb" study that I've seen linked (but maybe not read?) all over the place today.
If you don't want nuance, don't click 😅
https://birchtree.me/blog/i-paid-35-for-this-study-about-ai-to-understand-what-the-hell-it-meant/

2025-08-10 13:32:43 UTC

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#movie #51: Thunderbolts*
https://files.mastodon.social/media_attachments/files/115/004/719/891/385/048/original/d47a3cad140b1055.jpeg

2025-08-09 14:00:10 UTC

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#movie #50: Jurassic World Rebirth
“I didn’t hate every moment” amounts to the best Jurassic movie since the 90s. 😵‍💫
https://files.mastodon.social/media_attachments/files/114/999/165/558/434/731/original/807638667d3d5a79.jpeg

2025-08-09 00:57:56 UTC

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Nooooooooo. How did I block this out of my memory?
Well, I say we lean into the beef. We won’t pay, it’s ours now!

2025-08-08 22:53:51 UTC

Well well well, if @npub1k24…h0r9 isn’t doing “tiny topics” now, just like Comfort Zone.
At dawn, @npub15m6…mp9u, @npub1msf…0fp3 and I ride to war!
Unless they’ve done this for a while and I’ve somehow never noticed 🤗
https://files.mastodon.social/media_attachments/files/114/995/601/557/119/645/original/4865d26ce96f33b7.mp4

2025-07-27 12:34:03 UTC

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#movie #49: Predator
https://files.mastodon.social/media_attachments/files/114/925/216/900/240/747/original/1d8e931eb1a4961b.jpeg

2025-07-23 22:20:34 UTC

My feelings on Liquid Glass right now are very mixed, which doesn’t align well with the “it’s the worst thing ever” vs “stop complaining, it’s great” messages that thrive on social media.
https://birchtree.me/blog/ios-and-android-are-heading-in-completely-opposite-design-directions/

2025-07-20 21:43:52 UTC

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#movie #48: Better Man
https://files.mastodon.social/media_attachments/files/114/887/742/390/495/335/original/f8038f7d79cd89b6.jpeg

2025-07-19 14:57:27 UTC

Continuing this thread! Reviewing all movies I watch using my own app, Quick Reviews https://apps.apple.com/us/app/quick-reviews/id6740369719
#movie #47: Predator: Killer of Killers
https://isfeeling.social/@matt/114846481878282241
https://files.mastodon.social/media_attachments/files/114/880/482/044/136/403/original/0f25983505c20ffd.jpeg

2025-07-19 13:56:18 UTC

Hello! I'm Matt, I have been on Mastodon since 2016, but have moved a few times and here's my latest account.
I'm a product manager and designer by trade, and I do YouTube, record a podcast, develop apps, and I blog.
People say I do too much, but I don't have time to deal with that 😅
#introduction