June Update - Heatwaves, Beta Testing, and a View of the Sea

I managed a significant milestone this June: I worked on Code and Sea projects every single day. Some days it was a multi-hour flow state; other days, it was a grueling 20 minutes just to keep the momentum alive.

Progress hasn't been easy. The UK has seen some brutal, record-breaking days reaching up to 40°C. For my ME/CFS, extreme heat is a massive hurdle. It drains my energy reserves completely, making simple daily tasks feel like a mountain to climb, let alone writing clean code. But despite the physical setbacks, I pushed forward.

Here is where everything stands as we head into July.

#Transcendence: Features Complete, Beta Next Week

The main focus of June was entirely on Transcendence, my distraction-free iOS app for Transcendental and mantra based meditation. I am incredibly proud to say that all core functionality for both the Free tier and Transcend+ is officially finished. The only remaining task before public eyes see it is tidying up the user interface. If I am being completely honest, I am still not 100% happy with how the UI looks right now. I originally planned to share screenshots and video walkthroughs on X over the last few weeks, but I held them back because the aesthetics didn't feel quite right yet.

However, perfect is the enemy of shipped. I’ve decided to push through the UI hesitation and get real user feedback.

• Beta Testing Kickoff: TestFlight invites will begin rolling out the week starting 6th July.
• Action Required: If you signed up to be a beta tester but haven't completed the Google Form yet, please do so before next Monday to ensure you get your invite.
• Target Launch Date: I am officially aiming to launch Transcendence on the App Store on 25th August, dependent on App Store approvals.

I will be posting the first real images of the app on X very soon.

#Inspiration from the Coast

I am actually writing this update from the dining table of a rented holiday cottage by the coast. This specific coastal town is right at the top of our list of places to permanently relocate to.

Spending a week here, working on Code and Sea for just a few hours a day with the sea air right outside, has completely supercharged my motivation. It has reinforced exactly why I started this independent venture, to build simple, valuable tools at a human pace, funded by a slower life by the sea.

#A New Project Appears: Tidal Draft

While building out the web infrastructure for Code and Sea and Transcendence, I found myself forced to use a SaaS utility tool that completely goes against my anti-subscription philosophy. It felt hypocritical, so I decided to solve my own problem.

I have officially started development on my second product: Tidal Draft.

I’m keeping the exact details under wraps for now, but Tidal Draft will be a pure pay-as-you-go SaaS tool engineered specifically to help fellow indie developers. No monthly rental fatigue, no bloat, just utility. I will reveal much more about it in the July update.

Thank you to everyone following along on this journey. See you in the beta next week!