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Ben McCarthy

@benricem.bsky.social

3.4K followers 420 following 2.6K posts

Irish, non-binary, maker of apps, taker of photos. benricemccarthy.com / obscura.camera / croissantapp.com/ weirder here than everywhere else. they / them 🏳️‍⚧️🏳️‍🌈🇮🇪

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Ben McCarthy @benricem.bsky.social · Nov 15

I’m Ben 👋

I’m a non-binary designer and developer of apps, most notably Obscura, Croissant, and Ketchup

I’m a huge fan of Lego, video games, coffee, photography, and plenty more

I live in Dublin with my partner Sara, and our two cats, Goose and Zero

#introduction

A photo of me, wearing a black hoodie, sitting at my desk

A photo of Sara wearing a long coat standing on front of a calm lake

A photo of Goose lying on a bed as I scratch under her chin

A photo of Zero looking at the camera

Ben McCarthy @benricem.bsky.social · 8h

That sound you hear is a thin blue whine

👹👻 boo-rit 👻👹 @britculpsapp.bsky.social · 8h

*ahem* [deep inhale]

BAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA

Rep. Malcolm Kenyatta & @malcolmkenyatta
X.com
ICE is literally tear gassing local police.
8:45 PM • 10/14/25 • 1.1M Views

pic of a cop hunched over outside of a building using (probably leaded) hosewater to flush his eyes after getting tear gassed

Ben McCarthy @benricem.bsky.social · 8h

*carrying jellyfish onto the plane* no it’s cool I have a letter from my therapist

Ben McCarthy @benricem.bsky.social · 8h

I remember watching Apple’s developer keynote with her and a few others in a friends hotel room (2016 maybe?)

It’s just weird to think about that… trajectory intersecting my own, which is uh relatively unchanged

Reposted by Ben McCarthy

Kat Tenbarge @kattenbarge.bsky.social · 15h

You’ll notice that new developments in generative AI are always accompanied by new ways of depicting women without their consent—undermining their autonomy and harassing them—almost like it’s a pillar of the technology and its evolution

Ben McCarthy @benricem.bsky.social · 22h

This reeks of desperation

The Verge @theverge.com · 1d

Sam Altman says ChatGPT will soon sext with verified adults

Sam Altman says ChatGPT will soon sext with verified adults

ChatGPT is about to get flirty.

Ben McCarthy @benricem.bsky.social · 1d

If everyone took two steps back all the problems would go away AND YET

Ben McCarthy @benricem.bsky.social · 1d

Save the cheerleader, save the world

Ben McCarthy @benricem.bsky.social · 1d

Yeah but I’ve built up a high tolerance over the years 😛

Ben McCarthy @benricem.bsky.social · 1d

I’m relieved to hear it’s not just my cat that does this

Ben McCarthy @benricem.bsky.social · 1d

Today I had to get a couple of spots frozen off and tomorrow I'm getting hair lasered so I'm open to suggestions of more voluntary torture to fill out the rest of the week

Ben McCarthy @benricem.bsky.social · 1d

Not sure how recent your cutoff is and a lot of these are horror-adjacent but here are a few I’ve watched recently:
- Sinners (2025)
- Under the Skin (2013)
- Alien: Romulus (2024)
- Late Night with the Devil (2023)
- Woman of the Hour (2023)
- Cuckoo (2024)
- Green Room (2015)
- Possession (1981)

Ben McCarthy @benricem.bsky.social · 3d

I don't think there's anything spooky about cheese and onion my guy

Ben McCarthy @benricem.bsky.social · 3d

salsa sucra

Ben McCarthy @benricem.bsky.social · 3d

You came, you saw, you chuckled?

Ben McCarthy @benricem.bsky.social · 3d

achoo, Brute?

Ben McCarthy @benricem.bsky.social · 5d

I may be a touched biased but hey

Episode 43 of Launched, featuring me talking about Obscura

Ben McCarthy @benricem.bsky.social · 5d

Or if you'd like me to help design your apps, I do design consulting work and I'm Pretty Good at it benricemccarthy.com/consultin...

ben rice mccarthy - consulting

benricemccarthy.com

Ben McCarthy @benricem.bsky.social · 5d

My lovely partner Sara has recently started a masters in London which is Cool and Exciting but also means we're paying two rents for the time being which is Expensive and Annoying.

So now would be a great time to buy one/some of my apps benricemccarthy.com/apps/inde...

Obscura, a camera app for photography enthusiasts

Obscura Studio, an easy to use photo editor

Ketchup, a Pokédex app

Croissant, an app for cross-posting to different social media sites simultaneously

Ben McCarthy @benricem.bsky.social · 5d

Is there a German word for the mild embarrassment for buying an item of clothing identical to one you're currently wearing?

Ben McCarthy @benricem.bsky.social · 5d

Every morning as I reach for my phone I think “maybe today’s the day”

Ben McCarthy @benricem.bsky.social · 5d

Too real

Ben McCarthy @benricem.bsky.social · 5d

sea is stored in the balls

Reposted by Ben McCarthy

Juno Rylee Schultz @junoryleejournalism.com · 7d

David Simon, creator of ‘The Wire’, being interviewed by Ari Shapiro (NPR)

SHAPIRO: OK, so you've spent your career creating television without Al, and I could imagine today you thinking, boy, I wish I had had that tool to solve those thorny problems...
SIMON: What?
SHAPIRO: ...Or saying...
SIMON: You imagine that?
SHAPIRO: ...Boy, if that had existed, it would have screwed me over.
SIMON: I don't think Al can remotely challenge what writers do at a fundamentally creative level.
SHAPIRO: But if you're trying to transition from scene five to scene six, and you're stuck with that transition, you could imagine plugging that portion of the script into an Al and say, give me 10 ideas for how to transition this.
SIMON: I'd rather put a gun in my mouth.

Reposted by Ben McCarthy

الكسندرا ميراي @lexialex.bsky.social · 5d

Naoise's brother is asking Irish people to please contact the government #Speirgorm

My sister @NaoiseDolan, alongside other members of the Thousand Madleens flotilla, has been abducted by Israeli forces while on a humanitarian mission to break the illegal siege and deliver aid to Gaza.
Please join me in urging the Irish government to demand their safe return.

Ben McCarthy @benricem.bsky.social · 5d

Maybe the Nobel committee could send him a stick of dynamite as a consolation prize?