https://www.granthutchison.com/Recent content on granthutchisonHugoenWed, 31 Jul 2024 00:00:00 +0000https://www.granthutchison.com/posts/2024/shiny-new-things/Wed, 31 Jul 2024 00:00:00 +0000https://www.granthutchison.com/posts/2024/shiny-new-things/It’s fast approaching a year since I last wrote about how much money my little app side hustle was bringing in, and how I had (at that point) reached a basic ‘break even’ point, which I defined as ‘my app bills for year paid’ i.e. bringing in enough to cover the price of my annual Apple developer subscription, covering my one off Google Play developer bill and covering the cost of setting up some domains I purchased as app landing pages.https://www.granthutchison.com/posts/2024/a-new-start/Tue, 30 Jul 2024 12:48:13 +0100https://www.granthutchison.com/posts/2024/a-new-start/We’re over halfway through 2024, and as I type this I haven’t updated the site at all this year… which is madness, as I’ve got lots to share! I may go back and backdate some posts, with some updates on the apps and a long overdue earning update, but first… Rebuilding the site Link to heading I recently got a new Macbook, which has absolutely supercharged my development - seriously, the jump from an underpowered Intel based machine to the latest Apple Silicon is like stepping into the future!https://www.granthutchison.com/posts/2024/whats-in-a-name/Thu, 20 Jun 2024 00:00:00 +0000https://www.granthutchison.com/posts/2024/whats-in-a-name/In early June I got a rather unexpected email from Apple’s legal team… My little watch app WristCheck had come to the attention of a much bigger WristCheck - the folks at wristcheck.com, who had reached out, via Apple, to let me know that they held a Trademark on the name… Now, before I go any further I want to be really clear that I don’t grudge the WristCheck team for wanting to protect their Trademark - they absolutely have a right to do that and I should have had the sense to check when I created the app!https://www.granthutchison.com/posts/2023/breaking_even/Thu, 07 Sep 2023 17:16:39 +0100https://www.granthutchison.com/posts/2023/breaking_even/Breaking Even… Link to heading Right, while I’m in the blogging mood, here’s another post that really is long overdue! Back in March (wow!) I wrote a quick update on how much income I’d made via advertising on WristCheck and via ads on the website and promised further updates. Since then a few major things have happened - firstly, I released two additional apps (technically I released MP Checklist just before that post…) and secondly I finally got around to adding an in-app payment option to allow users to pay what they wanted to turn the ads off forever (and again, I definitely need to write a little about how and why I implemented that!https://www.granthutchison.com/posts/2023/self_promotion/Wed, 06 Sep 2023 17:11:37 +0100https://www.granthutchison.com/posts/2023/self_promotion/Attempting to grow my user base Link to heading Now that I’ve released three apps - two of which I’d like to think have the potential to be really useful to a decent number of people (sorry MP Checklist… I think you might just be a bit too niche!) - I think it’s time that I make a bit more of an effort to get help more people to find the apps!https://www.granthutchison.com/posts/2023/wristcheck_v1.5_release_notes/Wed, 06 Sep 2023 15:44:33 +0100https://www.granthutchison.com/posts/2023/wristcheck_v1.5_release_notes/WristCheck v1.5 Release Notes Link to heading Opps - I seem to have skipped writing up notes when I released WristCheck v1.4! (and for the last couple of Air Fryr releases…) I’ll add a quick summary at the end! But onto the details - WristCheck 1.5 is a fairly big update to the user interface of the main watchbox view. I’ve made search more prominent, given a use the ability to re-order the watch display, included images on the main page (so that you can find the watch you’re looking for visually) and made it easier to jump between the various watch box views (i.https://www.granthutchison.com/posts/2023/air_fryr/Tue, 04 Apr 2023 09:41:53 +0100https://www.granthutchison.com/posts/2023/air_fryr/Air Fryr - An Air Fryer Companion app Link to heading With energy bills going through the roof, the world seems to have gone air fryer mad over the last year or so. I had an old one that was only ever used for making chips (aka French fries for any readers on the other side of the Atlantic!), but I recently had a bunch of cashback pending from Quidco (if you’re in the UK and don’t already use Quidco you should give them a look), so decided to treat myself to an absolute beast of an Air Fryer.https://www.granthutchison.com/projects/air-fryr/Tue, 04 Apr 2023 09:41:53 +0100https://www.granthutchison.com/projects/air-fryr/A mobile application for your air fryer Link to heading In 2023 I joined the air fryer revolution and decided to build a small app to help me to get the most from it, which has become my most successful app release in terms of total downloads. The app is built in Flutter, using a Hive database and GetX for state management. It provides a calculator to calculate air frying times based on standard oven cooking timings, a notebook to keep track of recipes and settings and a temperature reference to help to ensure food is properly cooked.https://www.granthutchison.com/posts/2023/the_millionaire_life/Wed, 01 Mar 2023 14:07:38 +0000https://www.granthutchison.com/posts/2023/the_millionaire_life/Users and Earnings Link to heading So, back in September I both implemented ads on the site and released my first proper app (although I didn’t put Ads into WristCheck until v1.2 about a month later). This was all a fun experiment to see if I could make this wee hobby break even… want to hear how it’s going? A summary of costs Link to heading Let’s start off with what it costs to put things together.https://www.granthutchison.com/projects/mp-checklist/Tue, 28 Feb 2023 00:00:00 +0000https://www.granthutchison.com/projects/mp-checklist/A companion app for Metroid Prime Link to heading MP Checklist started out as a fun little weekend hackathon. Nintendo had just released a remaster of Metroid Prime for the Nintendo Switch - one of my favourite games of all time - and I decided to quickly throw together an app to help me track my progress through the game (something lacking in the original game, that was partially addressed in later installments of the series…).https://www.granthutchison.com/posts/2023/new_app_mp_checklist/Mon, 27 Feb 2023 13:48:44 +0000https://www.granthutchison.com/posts/2023/new_app_mp_checklist/A helper app for Metroid Prime… Link to heading Ok, so I realise this post quickly became an essay - if you want to read some background please read on, but if you just want to know about the app, please feel free to skip to the end. Returning to Tallon VI Link to heading From 2002 until early 2017 if anyone asked me what my favourite game of all time was (and I know that’s a school playground question…) without hesitation I’d have answered Metroid Prime.https://www.granthutchison.com/privacy/mp_checklist_privacy_policy/Sat, 18 Feb 2023 19:25:53 +0000https://www.granthutchison.com/privacy/mp_checklist_privacy_policy/MP Checklist Privacy Policy v1.0 Link to heading Privacy Policy Grant Hutchison built the MP Checklist app as an Ad Supported app. This SERVICE is provided by Grant Hutchison at no cost and is intended for use as is. This page is used to inform visitors regarding my policies with the collection, use, and disclosure of Personal Information if anyone decided to use my Service. If you choose to use my Service, then you agree to the collection and use of information in relation to this policy.https://www.granthutchison.com/posts/older/zombie-dice-review/Thu, 27 Oct 2022 17:45:53 +0100https://www.granthutchison.com/posts/older/zombie-dice-review/Brains is good food… Link to heading (Like some of my other tabletop reviews this was originally posted on Boardgaming.com almost a decade ago! I’m reposting here as I liked writing these and might well add a few more if there’s interest) Link to heading When there is no more room in hell, the dead shall walk the earth… and try to eat your brain, unless you can run away or blast them with a shotgun!https://www.granthutchison.com/posts/2022/wristcheck_v1.3_release_notes/Tue, 25 Oct 2022 15:44:33 +0100https://www.granthutchison.com/posts/2022/wristcheck_v1.3_release_notes/WristCheck v1.3 Release Notes Link to heading Version 1.3 of WristCheck is now available to the app beta testers, so will be released over the next couple of days (as I write this I’ve already got confirmation that Apple have approved it, so it’s just a case of hitting the button!) As before I thought I’d share a post with a bit more information on what’s changed, expanding a bit on the bullet points you’ll see in the app or on the store listings.https://www.granthutchison.com/posts/2022/wristcheck_101_a_guide_for_new_users/Sat, 08 Oct 2022 18:57:09 +0100https://www.granthutchison.com/posts/2022/wristcheck_101_a_guide_for_new_users/WristCheck 101: Getting started with WristCheck Link to heading WristCheck has been out in the wild for a little over a month now, and as I’ve mentioned before I’ve got plans to continually add more functionality to the app and keep it supported for a good while (free time permitting of course!) Now I’d not claim to be the worlds best developer, nor am I a professional UX designer - I’ve just built an app to the best of my abilities that performs some functions that I want access to (and on the way added some things based on user feedback) - so the app has a few bugs and might not be as straight-forward to navigate as I think it is…https://www.granthutchison.com/posts/2022/wristcheck_v1.2/Fri, 07 Oct 2022 10:32:34 +0100https://www.granthutchison.com/posts/2022/wristcheck_v1.2/WristCheck v1.2 is live! Link to heading So, fairly hot on the heels of my last post, there’s another update to WristCheck landing in the app stores imminently (as I write it’s already live on Android, and should hit iOS early next week). So, what’s new this time? Ads! Link to heading Yep, I originally said these would be in v1.1, but I wanted to make sure backup/restore and notifications could be properly tested, so I pushed out v1.https://www.granthutchison.com/posts/2022/wristcheck_1.1_preview/Fri, 16 Sep 2022 09:39:57 +0100https://www.granthutchison.com/posts/2022/wristcheck_1.1_preview/WristCheck v1.1 Preview Link to heading If you are not embarrassed by the first version of your product, you’ve launched too late. - Reid Hoffman, LinkedIn founder I love the above quote, and when I hit release on WristCheck v1.0 I was acutely aware that this app was not finished! I’ve got a whole bunch of additional features I’m planning to add, but initially I’ve set my sights on a small number that will make up v1.https://www.granthutchison.com/posts/2022/addings_ads/Wed, 14 Sep 2022 11:06:50 +0100https://www.granthutchison.com/posts/2022/addings_ads/Adding Ads… and stuff… Link to heading Yep, I’ve done it…sorry. I’ve gone ahead and added some hideous advertising all across the site…but why? Good question, and I’m not sure I have a good answer… It’s not really to make money, as the volume of readers of this site are tiny. It’s a site I’ve built far more for myself than for anyone else, but hey, if you’ve found you’re way here thanks for visiting (and if you’ve enjoyed your time here, even better!https://www.granthutchison.com/about/Tue, 13 Sep 2022 00:00:00 +0000https://www.granthutchison.com/about/Scrum Master // Flutter Developer // GeekDad Link to heading Hi, my name is Grant and this is where I write about stuff I like and stuff I do. By day I’m a Scrum Master at a large UK bank, working to transform our business and digital delivery to be more Agile (a term some seem to dislike!) I love the work that I do and the people that I do it with - as with many who work with Agile methodologies I’m passionate about working smarter, with a focus on value to deliver better outcomes, faster for our users and stakeholders.https://www.granthutchison.com/projects/wristtrack/Thu, 08 Sep 2022 00:00:00 +0000https://www.granthutchison.com/projects/wristtrack/A mobile application for watch enthusiasts Link to heading WristTrack (formerly WristCheck) is easily my most ambitious app, and is my real passion project. I initially set out to build an app that would let me track which of my wristwatches were getting the most wrist time, however as time has passed my ambition has grown and I’d like to think I could now build the best mobile app for watch nerds!https://www.granthutchison.com/posts/2022/wristcheck-app/Thu, 08 Sep 2022 00:31:55 +0100https://www.granthutchison.com/posts/2022/wristcheck-app/WristCheck App Link to heading Version 1.0.0 is live! Link to heading I’m pleased to announce that I’ve just released my first fully released app on both Android and iOS! (If you’re browsing around you may see I have previously posted about the ReboundMTB app, however this was never fully released!). What is WristCheck? Link to heading WristCheck is a digital watch box, so if you’re both a) a watch collector, and b) a nerd, then this post might interest you!https://www.granthutchison.com/posts/2022/rebound-mtb-app/Sat, 18 Jul 2020 00:46:49 +0100https://www.granthutchison.com/posts/2022/rebound-mtb-app/The Rebound MTB App Link to heading Part 1: The beta release Link to heading For the past forever I’ve been studying with the Open University, working towards a Bachelor’s degree in Software Engineering and after all that time the end is in sight!. To complete the degree I have to undertake a significant project, so I’ve teamed up with the guys at Rebound to build a mobile application to support them.https://www.granthutchison.com/posts/2020/muc-off-tubless-valves-review/Sun, 05 Jul 2020 01:09:12 +0100https://www.granthutchison.com/posts/2020/muc-off-tubless-valves-review/MTB Lockdown upgrades part 2: Muc-Off Tubeless Valves Review Link to heading My lockdown quest to add more shiny, orange bits to my main mountain bike continues! This time, I’m adding a little more bling, but with arguably a bit more functional value thrown in compared to the Wolf Tooth Blink Kit that I reviewed in my first #LockdownUpgrades post. Ladies and gentlemen, I present to you, Muc-Off Tubeless Valves:https://www.granthutchison.com/posts/2020/wolf-tooth-bling-kit/Sun, 28 Jun 2020 01:30:23 +0100https://www.granthutchison.com/posts/2020/wolf-tooth-bling-kit/MTB Lockdown upgrades part 1: The Wolf Tooth Bling Kit Link to heading Like many parts of the world, the global Covid-19 pandemic has lead to a period of lockdown in Scotland, which has resulted in me transitioning to working from home, whilst also home-schooling my kids and unable to get out properly on my mountain bike (I say ‘properly’ as I have no decent trails near me - I am however getting out whenever I can just to spin the wheels with my boys, but I’ve been entirely unable to send it).https://www.granthutchison.com/posts/2019/5-things-to-do-while-your-electric-car-charges/Fri, 01 Nov 2019 16:51:38 +0100https://www.granthutchison.com/posts/2019/5-things-to-do-while-your-electric-car-charges/7 Things to do while your electric car charges Link to heading So after writing a bit about how long an electric car takes to charge, I thought I’d write a short post about things to do to whilst your car charges - believe it or not this is something I Googled while I was first investigating EV ownership! 1. Write a blog post Link to heading There’s something quite therapeutic about writing, even when you’re not very good at it…https://www.granthutchison.com/posts/2019/how-long-does-an-ev-take-to-charge/Sat, 28 Sep 2019 01:39:02 +0100https://www.granthutchison.com/posts/2019/how-long-does-an-ev-take-to-charge/How long does an electric car take to charge? Link to heading After “How far does it go?”, the next most common question I’ve heard since buying an electric car is “How long does it take to charge?”. I think a lot of people find the answer surprising, I certainly did when I started investigating purchasing a hybrid and quickly found myself drawn towards the mysterious world of EV ownership.https://www.granthutchison.com/posts/2019/blog-workflow/Tue, 24 Sep 2019 16:31:56 +0100https://www.granthutchison.com/posts/2019/blog-workflow/My blog workflow Link to heading So, I’m writing this post as much for my own benefit as anyone else’s. The last time I tried to build a blog I left it alone for a while and when I came back to it I’d forgotten the steps to build it… If this is of benefit to anyone else though, great! I’ve put this blog together using Hugo, a static site generator.https://www.granthutchison.com/posts/2019/cart-before-the-horse/Sun, 22 Sep 2019 12:12:59 +0100https://www.granthutchison.com/posts/2019/cart-before-the-horse/Putting the Cart before the Horse Link to heading So, this isn’t the first website I’ve ever thrown together. Nor the first blog. Not even the first blog built using a static site generator… A few years ago (I’d love to say a couple, but I’m scared it’s now far more…), I registered the domain granthutchison.com, not only because vanity domains are cool, but because I wanted to carve out a little corner of the internet to write and play.https://www.granthutchison.com/posts/older/sentinels-of-the-multiverse-review/Thu, 17 Sep 2015 16:36:30 +0100https://www.granthutchison.com/posts/older/sentinels-of-the-multiverse-review/Sentinels of the Multiverse Review Link to heading (This review was originally posted on Boardgaming.com and subsequently posted on the old version of this blog, hence the 2015 post date!) Sentinels, ASSEMBLE Link to heading Baron Blade and his minions are attempting to destroy Megalopolis using their mobile attack platform! It’s time to join forces with Legacy and the other heroes of the Multiverse to take him down! Sentinels of the Multiverse is a co-operative card game for 2-5 players, which can be played in 30-45 minutes (although you might just find you want to start another game straight after…)https://www.granthutchison.com/posts/older/settlers-of-catan-review/Thu, 17 Sep 2015 16:13:14 +0100https://www.granthutchison.com/posts/older/settlers-of-catan-review/Welcome to Catan! Link to heading (Like some of my other tabletop reviews this was originally posted on Boardgaming.com almost a decade ago! I’m reposting here as I liked writing these and might well add a few more if there’s interest) As one of a handful of new settlers on this newly colonised island, your goal is to build and expand, using your resources to become the dominant individual on the island.https://www.granthutchison.com/posts/older/battlestar_galactica_the_board_game_review/Fri, 11 Sep 2015 14:10:09 +0100https://www.granthutchison.com/posts/older/battlestar_galactica_the_board_game_review/BattleStar Galactica: The Board Game - Review Link to heading (This review was originally posted on Boardgaming.com and subsequently posted on the old version of this blog) Humanity has lost Link to heading The second Cylon war is over. Humanity has lost, and now it’s only hope for survival is a small fleet of ships carrying all that remains of the human population, lead by the aging Battlestar Galactica.